Tuesday, January 27, 2009

BIG NEWS!!!

After over a week since Russell and I put in our original offer, we just now [4:45 on Tuesday afternoon] got word from our realtor that our offer was accepted. WE HAVE A CONTRACT ON A HOUSE!!!! As long as everything stays on schedule we will close on the house on February 27th, just 4.5 weeks from now. We are THRILLED!!! This house is everything and more we would've wanted for our first house. I'll post pictures and more details later.

Thanks for all your prayers!!

love
C

Sunday, January 25, 2009

The Cupcake Chronicles

Cupcake, as I am sure I have mentioned, is very addicted to food. She thinks she needs to be eating if she's not sleeping or playing. She is our seven-month-old [as of tomorrow] Labradoodle, who is somewhere in between 50-55 pounds. She is by no means overweight because she LOVES to play with Lucy and her Daddy [Russell]. Yesterday we bought large bags of food at Petco for Lucy and Cupcake. As in 40 pound bags, heaven in a bag if you asked Cupcake. We left one of the bags in the kitchen near the pantry, but unfortunately not in it. The opening we had cut was taped over, and eventually the food will be transferred into a food container. This morning I was walking to the kitchen to get breakfast and I heard LOUD crunching. I thought it was odd since all of the dogs had all already eaten. I came in an Cuppie had knocked the bag over, chewed a hole, food was strewn on the floor, and she had her nose buried in the bag. It was a hilarious sight, but one that deemed a spank and reprimand necessary. Life is never dull with three giant dogs having the run of the house :)

I just realized I have not written an update since I went to the girls night out. It was WONDERFUL!!! Lysa Terkeurst and Renee Swoopes [the hosts of P31] are just amazing Godly women/wives/mothers, as well as is Kate Gosslin. I loved hearing the different experiences God has brought the women through. Where Lysa learned what it means and looks like to have absolute obedience to God, or Renee who shared what it looks like to wait on God's perfect timing, and how we find our worth [in God, not men/relationships], and Kate who through her infertility was taught to give all things over to God and His perfect will and timing. I had such a fun time hearing these women speak, as well as hearing the beautiful voice of Ayiesha Woods sing. She has a great voice and desire to use it for God's glory. It was fun to bond with Lindsee and I am so grateful to my sweet husband who Got these tickets as a surprise Christmas present for me!

I wish I could give ya'll an update on our house contract, but I have nada. We have heard nothing since we made our 'highest and best' offer. We are praying we will hear soon, and I'll keep ya'll posted!

My sweet hubs has finished his first week of work at Cameron, as a project coordinator [a company and position he has hoped to work for/in since he graduate college], and we are just in awe of the Lord's perfect timing. How He was having us wait on a job/situation that was the best for our family. We are so thankful for all the prayers and encouragement we have gotten from all of ya'll!

Love,
C

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Gainfully employed and all that!

Well friends, I have been missing a little longer than I planned from blog world, but we have been REALLY busy. The last two weeks since Russell got his job offer were spent getting him work clothes, getting things in order, and best of all, LOOKING AT HOUSES!!! We as of Monday have made an offer on a house that is everything we could want. Unfortunately [maybe] we found out another offer was made before we were in contract. We have both been told to bring our best offers by 5 pm tonight. We are just praying for God's will, be it that we get this house, or we keep looking.

On the job front for me, I have gone to substitute training and am getting my Alternative Certification to teach. It takes a few weeks to get into the Cy-Fair school system to sub, so hopefully I will beginning working in early February. I am also now the 9Th grade girls co-bible study leader along with Staja. We have met twice since the beginning of the year and I just love Staja and the girls. I am also excited that since they are freshmen, I will get to go along their entire high school journey with them! :)

In other news, Cupcake has FINALLY learned to shake hands. She is almost 7 months old, but stubborn as the dickens and just refused to shake. She would look anywhere but at you when you asked her to do it, she would just zone out. But as of Tuesday she began shaking hands in earnest, therefore she is now getting lots of treats because we are such proud parents :)

Tonight Lindsee and I are going to a Proverbs 31 ministry Girls Night Out. The guest we are extremely thrilled about hearing speak is KATE GOSSLIN from Jon and Kate plus 8.

love you sweet friends!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

God is good!!!

We appreciate all of your prayers concerning our job[less] situation. I felt that ya'll should know that our prayers have been answered!!! RUSSELL HAS A JOB!!!!

He went in for an interview on this past Monday around 2. He got a really good feeling from the interviewer. Two hours later he had recieved an official offer in an e-mail, he faxed it in, and starts work on Monday January 19th. Once he has actually started working I will mention more details.

This is probably jumpping the gun, but we are going to go look at houses with a realtor today....you' ve gotta dream right ;)

Monday, January 5, 2009

it's been a long time coming

Hello sweet friends...I am FINALLY updating after a month an a half of a stagnating blog. My life has been busy, but really not busy enough to warrant no blog posts. I will sum up what has been going on in the last month and a half or so. Russell and I have still been looking for work...it has been almost 3 months of living in Houston [at my parents...more on that later] without an income. This has definitely been something that has grown Russell and I closer and increased our faith. With the economy, the changes that will be soon occurring in our government, and Russell possibly deploying next summer, we have been pushed to grow and rely on the Lord. I can tell you I never thought I would live at home again, especially since graduating, getting married, and living on our own for a little over a year. We love my parents, but we would love them even more if we didn't live with them ;) JK!! Really we want to live pretty close [we have found a house and are waiting for a job or two with which to pay for it with!] and see them often, just not every day. Currently I am getting ready to begin substitute teacher training here in the Cy Fair School District. If no jobs in the mktg/business world open up in the next few weeks, then I will begin an alternative certification program in order to be able to teach elementary school starting next fall. We have really been praying about this, and feel this is where the Lord wants me working. Russell has had lots of interviews, but between the recession, election, and holidays, he has been put on hold and told they will let him no soon [as in yay or nay on hiring him] He is also currently at a job interview as I type this. I am praying hard for my sweet husband that he will have a job in the next couple of weeks. I know, especially as a man/husband Russell is really feeling the pressure to provide, etc.
In other news, we have been busy with the holidays in general, spending time with my family, and Russell's family, Russell was in one of his best buddy's wedding a couple of weeks ago [Jonathan and Kerri] will be in another this weekend for Stephen and Michelle, we are looking forward to being an Aunt and Uncle this spring, I got to see my sweet Joebellina and Blairebear when Jo made a trip down to Houston last month, we saw snowflakes in Houston, caught up with some friends, etc.

This past week though, we were saddened because Russell's sweet Poppa [his mom's dad] went home to be with the Lord. He was 77 years old, a sweet man who welcomed me in from the first time we met [when I had only been dating Russell for a few months]. He loved music, playing the harmonica, piano, and guitar, he loved to dance, hunt, go to coffee with his friends almost every morning. He had 4 daughters Mary Alice [my mother-in-law], Sylvia, Belinda, and Lisa. The wake/Rosary/mass of Resurrection/burial were all very sad but good. He had so many friends and relatives that attended and said many good sweet things in his memory. He is now in heaven with his wife Chella. The whirlwind time we spent down in Harlingen [in the valley] was bittersweet, but still was good family time.

I promise my updates will be more frequent and some picture hilights from the last month or so will be coming soon. I love and have missed you all!