Kind of Irked

Okay, so, yesterday this thing popped up on my blog that said my background, from Cutest Blog on the Block, would be disappearing today.

And it did.

And I'm a little irked.  (in my book, irked is somewhere between annoyed and mad)

Because I'd spent a while coordinating things to go with that background, and thought it looked "me"-ish.  Not too girly, not too boring, not too busy. 

And now it's gone.

And I don't really want to go back to a place that's going to delete my background somtime soon, so......

Any thoughts on what I should do next? 

(I had thought it might be nice to get someone to actually design my blog for me, but that would require money, which doesn't seem like a frugal buy at the moment.)

Any opinions would be appreciated.

Coffee Company: July 23rd

Linking up with the Coffee Company girls today - haven't had too much of a chance to check in, but excited to do so today.


Teachers get summers off, right?  We're supposedly footloose and fancy-free for three months, with not a thing to do on our to-do list. 

(insert dry laugh here.)  Right.

Only recently have I been able to find time to blog again, but if you want to read about what I did in the months of June and the beginning of July, check this post out.

This last week I have, though, been a little more "free."  I have had the opportunity to do a little organizing, get back on the get-fit wagon, work on some much needed stuff for Student Council this year, and even spend some much needed time with Husband. 

This morning, although I have quite a bit of preparation to do for next week (I'll tell you about that in just a minute), I decided to have one of those mornings.

You know the kind I mean.

I am in my comfy new Aeropostale sweats (because hallelujah it got cool enough in my house overnight to actually wear pants, instead of shorts), drinking an incredibly tasty cup of coffee that Husband brewed before he headed off to work this morning, watching a television show or two, and, of course, blogging.

By the way, this mug is th best mug ever.  No, it's not cute, but it's seriously the best mug I have ever had a cup of coffee in, and if you know me at all, you know that is a lot of mugs. 

The rest of the day and weekend?  Well, I need to run into school to get some supplies and then to a few stores to do a bit of shopping.  Tomorrow I'll go to Husband's softball games, to a friends big 4-0 bash, to celebrate my grandpa's 95th birthday, and then home to pack for a week trip to our state Student Council camp.

There I will be the counselor for 27 super-spirited StuCo kids (of the 800 attending), all from different schools around the state.  It will be five days of early to rise, late to bed, talking, laughing, crying, playing, leadership activities, non-stop interaction, no alone time, fall into bed asleep until the alarm goes off, beautiful, wonderful growth, and I am looking forward to it.

Check back in with you next week, I hope!

The Good and the Bad

Head over to The Skinny Bs to read about today's effort towards being a healthier person.

And please excuse how terribly pale my legs are.  If you could see my feet, you'd see that there is, in fact, a flip flop tan line..... it's just that I was super pale to begin with.

Going Back to my Roots (Sort of)

There's a little country in me, you see. 

I mean, I'm not a wear-Wranglers-and-big-buckles-and-a-hat all the time kind of a country girl, but I tell you, as much as my heart is a little bit Hispanic, it's also a little bit country.  I went to a horse-back riding camp in 8th grade and then got hooked.  Started taking lessons, bought a hourse, and then began working at a ranch, first just grooming and saddling and blanketing horses and then learning how to train them.  Recently I've been working on becoming a vet, too.  (Not really, but read number 7 on this list to find out why.) 

And in high school I started listening to country music on my way to work because they played more music and did less talking, and I can't stand morning shows with lots of talking.  So it was natural that, in college, when a friend invited me to go country dancing at The Sundance in Fort Collins, CO, I was completely and totally in.  I already knew a bunch of line dances from a local place we went at home, but at the Sundance I learned lots more- and got into the two-step and a whole lot of country swing.  We loved it.  We loved it so much that, one night, when it was so crowded that we couldn't get in, we went to a friend's house, moved all the furniture, and danced in the living room.  And then I graduated and came home, and haven't been country dancing for years.

Until Saturday night.

Saturday my aunt, uncle, mom, dad, sister, husband, and I all went to the rodeo, which was quite fun.  On our way out, we passed by a big tent with a live band, a bar, and of course, a dance floor.  Oooooh I wanted to go dancing so much, but I didn't want to drag anyone else with me.  We made it all the way back to the truck and even started to drive away before I hollered, "I think we really should go dancing!"  So Husband and Sister and I pulled back over, hopped out, and went dancing. 

And it was a ton of fun, and reminded me that I should find time to go more often.

Because once you're a little bit country, you're always a little bit country.

After dancing and back in the truck, tired, happy, and showing off some hat hair.

Linking up with Tuesdays Unwrapped today as I relish old and new memories.  Head over there to check out what others are unwrapping.

Finding Joy

Husband got in at 3:45 this morning from working an overnight, and I was awake.  I was awake because I had been tossing and turning all night because our room would just not cool down and I was too hot.  This morning I woke up and began thinking about all the things I didn't do in the last few weeks because I was so busy preparing for the LIFE Conference.  There was a bill I forgot to pay.  Husband's phone stopped working and of course, we don't have insurance on it and our opportunity to get it ran out two days ago, so we'd have to pay out of pocket for whatever is wrong.  There's a whole bunch of stuff we have to do about the new-to-us truck we just bought, like check it out with a mechanic, which costs money, and see if we can refinance it through a different company for a better deal.  The house is still a disaster.  We owe a lot of money to my parents.  I didn't have time to put any of our Student Council events on the calendar for the year, and I haven't gotten us a place for our first fall retreat, which will be next to impossible now.  The list goes on and on.

But then I remembered two things. 

First, this year God has been challenging me to find joy in all things, to choose to be positive, to change my attitude. 

Second, what I'm freaking out about all has to do with time and money, and my money and time were given to me by God in the first place.  They aren't even really mine.

Let me re-tell you about my morning.

Husband got home at 3:45 this morning, which was two hours earlier than we expected, so he was able to get a few more hours of sleep.  I was awake, which meant I could ask him how his night went- it's always nice to come home to a spouse who wants to talk to you.  It's hot, but it's not humid like it was in Kentucky, and it was much cooler downstairs than in our bedroom, so at least there is a cooler place for me to go.  I checked our checking account, and there is more than enough money to pay the bill I forgot to pay.  My mom has an old phone that still works perfectly that, if we can't get Sprint to help us out on fixing Husband's phone, we can switch his number to it for free.  We have a wonderful truck that will meet our needs and also are able to pay for the mechanic to check it out.  I have a pretty free week, so I can work on cleaning up my house.  I have a house I love.  My parents were able to help us pay for the horse's medical needs and are being generous in our repayment plan.  There is still time to put StuCo events in the calendar, we just may have to be more flexible.  But flexibility is good to learn.  And if I can't find a place for our StuCo retreat, we'll have a lock-in at the school. 

Much better.  It's not my time and it's not my money, and when I choose to remember that and to change my attitude, joy abounds.

Gotta Start Somewhere

Well, it's true, isn't it? You have to start somewhere.

And my somewhere (here it is, folks, are you ready?) is a not-so-lovely 140 pounds. I mean, it's kind of a big deal to post that, right? I get it, I'm tall-ish, so it's not that bad. The trainer at the gym when I had a free session told me I'm still in the recommended range for percent body fat, but that I'm on the high end of it, and he recommended I lose about 8 pounds of fat. No big deal, right? (Ha!) I completely know I'm not fat, and I'm not really even overweight, but that's not the point of the Skinny B's, at least not for me......

Wanna read the rest of the post or know more about my journey towards being a healthier person?  Head on over to the Skinny B's, a blog my friend Brooke and I created to help motivate ourselves and keep each other accountable towards a healthier lifestyle.

10 Reasons Why I've Been Missing

Linking up this morning with Tuesdays Unwrapped. 

Today I'm thankful for the gift of a full life, and of the chance to re-connect with friends.

Since my "arrival" into bloggie world last year, I started seeing experiences and things with bloggie vision, you know?  (Oh, I could tell this funny story from work today....That sunrise is incredible....It's weird how they have no-smoking signs all over the place in airplane bathrooms but also have an ashtray.....That sermon or passage really spoke to me....I've re-decorated my kitchen....You know what I mean, bloggie vision.)  Many days go by where I think of at least one thing I could blog about.

Why then, have I been absent for so long, and this time unintentionally?  Well, read on for my top ten reasons.... and catch up with me in the process!

10. The day after my school year ended for the summer, my best friend from college, Brooke, flew up from Texas for a two-week visit.  Her hubby was gone TDY and she had nothing else to do, so she came up.  I set up our guest room in the basement (we got a new mattress for our bedroom and had quite the experience getting the old one and box spring downstairs) and put all sorts of cute little toiletries in the guest bathroom.  She helped me do some of my after-the-chaos-of-the-school-year organization.  We ate good food (a lot of good food), some that we cooked, some that we bought.  We hiked, we went out for exercise.  We spent a lot of time laughing and talking and crying and praying and just being good friends.

9. My house has been a disaster.  The kitchen and dining room are now 99% put back together with just a few things left to do, but wow, have you ever noticed that when one thing is in disarray, everything else goes to pieces, too?  Our house has been disorganized and filthy for a while, so bit by bit, I have been working on cleaning and organizing and putting back and cleaning again.  That's on today's agenda, too.

8. VBX.  Vacation Bible Experience, formerly known as Vacation Bible School.  Many of us were accidentally saying VBS and then tacking the X on the end..... which became a running joke as you have to be careful when you say that.... Anyway, I spent a week leading games at our church's VBX, which was fantastic.  The weather was good, the kids were good, and we had a blast.  God did a lot of cool things, from what I hear, and we had some really great activities and stations and lessons the kids experienced.  Of course, I missed most of the "Jesus stuff" because I was outside running around and playing with water, obstacle courses, and parachutes!

7. Cowboy, my 28-year old horse, sort of controls my life.  A little over a month ago he impaled himself on a fence post, right through his flank. He spent the last two weeks of the school year at the vet clinic, and then came home for us to take care of.  Every day we have to stick a hose down into the wound and let it flush out and then put some medicine on it, and then take him for a walk.  The vet told us the other day that basically, if he survives (he still is at risk for infection until it completely closes up), it will be the worst injury he has ever seen a horse live through.  It's kind of a big deal.... we were out at a big farm and feed supply store a few weeks ago getting some stuff and one of the sales people there was telling me about this horse that had impaled himself on a fence post.... yup, one and the same.  Word travels fast.  Anyway, it's a miracle he's doing well, but it's pretty time consuming.

6.  Yesterday we bought a truck for Husband. It's pretty awesome..... but I can't show a picture right now because he drove it to work and I am at home.  We've been researching and praying about it and doing some price comparing.  We went out on a whim yesterday just to start getting a better idea of what was out there, and ended up getting a 2008 Dodge Ram that only had 32,000 miles on it (John's CR-V had 98,000) and will be paying the same monthly payment we already had.  It's black with a crew cab (gotta have that in case we ever have some kiddos), some sort of bed liner he was all excited about, and all the room for his tools he could ever want.  AND they gave us more money for our trade than we thought they would- in fact, they gave it to us for the price we were planning on selling it ourselves, as we expected dealers would rip us off.  Yeay!

5. I've been reading a lot.  Reading has always been therapeutic for me.  I've read several fun novels from the library and am currently reading Love and Respect, by Emerson Eggerich, because God really convicted me a few weeks ago about needing to respect my husband more.  It's been really good and has been changing my heart.... more on this later.

4. I've been spending time outdoors whenever I can.  As a school teacher, I feel like I am inside from August to May from dark to dark.   I've gone running and hiking, walked places I normally would drive, watched softball, and just sat outside.  I suppose I could blog while I'm just sitting outside, but really, I'm not interested in lugging my hot computer out on a hot day.

3. I've been drinking coffee.  Lots of coffee.  This morning I'm drinking a fantastic homemade cup of coffee (I haven't had good coffee in a week, see reason number 1) while I blog.  My mom and I have re-discovered that we love McDonald's Iced Hazelnut Coffee.... it's sooooooo good.  I'd take it over a Starbucks Iced Latte any day, and it's cheaper!  I've met several friends for coffee and sat and talked for hours.  Getting to enjoy coffee is on of my favorite things in life.

2. I've been working on getting fit.  I'm not doing great, but I have been more regular about getting some exercise and eating better for the last few weeks.  Husband and I are all motivated to really take charge in this area- we realize that it's a big part of how we feel about ourselves and that it's connected with how we are doing spiritually, too.  And, at LIFE (see reason 1), Husband got called old a few times and felt out of shape and I was with some super cute just-over-30 moms who inspired me..... so we're determined that when we hit 30, we'll be in good shape, too.

1. This last week we were in Kentucky at a big youth conference called LIFE.  Every three years our denomination (the Christian and Missionary Alliance) hosts this huge conference for teens.  For the last three ('04, '07, '10), Husband has gone as a youth sponsor with our youth group and I have gone to work with the VIPs as a sort of VIP Coordinator/Hospitality Person/Run-Around-a-Lot-er.  For the last three months, I've been in contact with our VIPs (speakers, musicians, magicians, comedians, missionaries) and taken care of details like hotels, transportation, itineraries, merchandise sales, and more.  This last week I did everything I could to make their lives easier, answered questions, took them around, and basically tried to serve them as they served the 6500 students attending.  It was exhausting.... five hours of sleep a night, non-stop walking and running around, but it was wonderful.  I got to work with, spend time with, and be blessed by people like Francis Chan, Derwin Gray, James Grout, the Logan Martin Band, Corban, Carlos Oscar, John Michael Hinton, Danny Ray, Trace Bundy and his super fun wife Becca, Proxy, David Thompson, Julia and Dusty Reynolds, Hawk Nelson, Kutless, Bradley Hathaway, and more.  Now, I know you know some of those people, and others you've never heard of, but they were all incredible and if you ever get the chance to hear them or see them or meet them, take it!  (And if you want to know who the "unknown" ones are, I'll be happy to tell you.)  

The best thing about LIFE was that God truly showed up.  Everyone's life was changed in some way, every heart was touched.  It was such a privilege to be there, although it was a lot of work getting ready for it and I have literally never been so tired at the end of a week.... which says a lot, for me.

Anyway, hopefully this post marks my more-frequent return to blogland, and I can't wait to start catching up with you all, too.  Truly, I am so thankful for a full life, because despite the tiredness, I know that I am living and being blessed.