Make your words sweet…

…for you may have to eat them later! 

I say that because I am eating my words and they’re quite bitter.  :(  I said I didn’t want to attend this church because of numerous things that have since been reconciled, but I was too proud to admit I didn’t know it and was too haughty to think I would go anywhere other than what I found by myself. And now…what was my church is now the church I used to attend. I was going to join, but I missed the membership class on Sunday by about 2 weeks. I am convinced that was the hand of God leading me to be patient and wait- the church only has membership classes every quarter or so…and I just missed it. Now, had I already joined, it would make this process I’m going through now much harder. But God, in His sovereignty, knew that I needed that church at the time, and He knew what was coming down the road. I am now going with S to his church, and I’ve just recently completed the membership process there. We have an amazing senior pastor who brings The Word of God every Sunday with a passion and fire that are unrivaled, yet in the most genuine, urgent and modern way. The heart of the church is undeniably mission-minded, and our pastor is moving every day toward being even more solid in that aspect. I’m excited about going to church, I love to be in that building on Sundays, surrounded by a faith family who shares the same goals I do, and I have actually very much gotten used to the worship style. I didn’t think I would be able to- rather, I thought it would take much longer than it has- and I’m now very much at ease and comfortable with it all- well, most of it. I still tear up every time someone is baptized. 

All that to say, make ‘em taste good, y’all…they may come back in the menu of the day- and soon.  

funny things….

…about me. I guess I’ve always realized this, but it was brought to light the other day. 

I’m NOT a girly-girl. (I know you all are laughing hysterically right now, but contain yourselves, please.)  :)    

I’m not girly in a lot of ways that other girls are. I’m a “guys’ girl”- always have been, and I hasten to say I probably always will be. I’ve always had more guy friends than girl friends, but my girl friends are OH SO SPECIAL, and our relationships are so meaningful and deep. I like a lot more things that guys like than girls like and a lot fewer things that girls are supposed to like. I guess I could throw in a Sociology lesson here from last semester, but I will not. That would take all the fun away. 

S said something the other day that made me stop and think, and I found myself wandering off in thought later that night, thinking, “he’s right!” So here it is:
- I really, REALLY like fast cars. I like to drive fast in them, and I rarely trust the skills of the driver in comparison to mine (S’ company notwithstanding).
- I like very curvy roads. I feel like I could keep up a conversation about cars and which ones which are and WHY they are the way they are- now when it gets down to CCs and horsepower and torque and blahblahblah, I’m lost. (I say this because at dinner the other night, S’ daddy said he was impressed that I knew what an M3 was.)
- I looooove motorcycles. S turned his on the other day and I was breathing in the exhaust- heck yeah, it smells good!!! I love being on them (on the back, anyway), I love all the lingo that goes along with riding, I love hearing them, I love watching them, love them love them love them. 
- I REALLY like a good steak. Rare, please- and still bleeding would be a treat.
- I love loud music- sunroof back, windows down, tunes cranked to as high as I can stand it. Oh, yes. (Although at the same time I love loud music and the crazy stuff we listen to sometimes, if I’m by myself sometimes I like to have the ballads and softer stuff playing for awhile- it just depends!)
- I love sports and have always excelled at them (not bragging, just saying how very competitive I am). I LOVE soccer, football, beach volleyball, gymnastics, swimming (not doing it, mind you!) and I’m actually getting into basketball. (Huge gasp from the peanut galleries, I know.) I guess I never gave it a chance b/c I didn’t think I liked it- it’s actually better than I thought. Kudos to S for bringing me to a game- I hope it’s not the last one you take me to!
- I think there are appropriate situations to let out a vile word or two- nothing sacreligious, just…pointed.  :)  Like a few rows ahead of here…I wanted to say something other than “heck yeah”.  HA!  :)
- Nothing like a good beer and some pizza. Good, cold beer. Rarely will you see me drinking one of those fancy, uppity, “girly” drinks. 
- I never want to pay for a manicure- pedicure, yes, b/c darn it, those things are just hard to reach sometimes. Fingernails, I can do and don’t need the treatments and the fake nails and the acrylics and the blahblahblah. Bylech.
- I love purses and shoes, but lately it’s just been shoes. You can only have so many brown and black and printed purses, then the novelty sort of wears off. But shoes….oh. Now, there, I am a TOTAL girl. Jewelry…not so much. A few great necklaces , some really nice earrings and a ring. I’m done. 
- I don’t get offended easily- say whatever you want. Better to be honest and go ahead and deal with it if it’s something that needs to be dealt with than harbor it and squash it only to have it come up in some conversation way down the road at an inappropriate time. Bring it up, talk about it, fight about it, be done with it. 

In the same ways that I’m very much not a girl, there are some things that are just intended to be girly. Having S open doors for me (church, car, home, restaurant, etc.) is just fantastic. It makes me feel so special and loved. Wait. Let’s just leave it at special.  :) All the “girly” things surrounding a relationship that really are special and really do mean something, the things that make the other person feel appreciated and giddy and like they’re the only person in the world to you- aaaaaall that stuff….the hand-holding, the surprise of flowers on a…Tuesday, being sweet and letting down the guards we put up to be vulnerable and open with the other person, kissing and not caring who sees, getting all caught up in the other person. Undeniably, one of my favorite things is to be wrapped up in his arms, staring up at him while he looks down at me and makes me feel incredibly safe, protected and cared for. 

Then, of course, we get in the car and take off w/Nickelback blaring, flying down the roads at Mach 1 and taking curves at breakneck speed…both of us grinning and laughing the whole way there. Ain’t love- I mean, life- great?

Valentine’s Day and such

This is a bit random- sorry for that. Can’t seem to organize everything in my head this morning!

A dear, precious friend of mine, Kate, had her third baby last Tuesday. While there were no major complications, considering how bad it could’ve been and how HUGE the realm of “major” is, there were some minor complications (although not minor to them). All in all, Kate is doing magnificently, as expected, because she’s such a great woman and such a trooper. Baby Samuel- or the Trojan, as I’m calling him- is doing much better, too. He should be going home today or tomorrow, the doctors think. YAY for the Allen family! 

All that said, I had the pleasure of looking after the  2 other Allen children, Jason and Sara Kate for the day of the birth, then a few days after while schedules were being tweaked. SO much fun. The three of us had a blast having breakfast, going to school (Jason), going to Target and lunch with a friend (SaraKate), taking a nap (both of ‘em) and I’m so glad I was able to do that for them. HUGE thanks to my boss, as well, who allows me such a flexible schedule and the opportunity to serve others when they need it. 

Updates on school- I’ve been back in school now for a few weeks. This time around are 3 classes- Spanish 2, a computing class and Personal Health. I’m at school 4 nights a week (bylech!) until 7:30pm. MAN, I wish I’d finished this up earlier. Classes are good, professors are fantastic- they’re really laidback, all of them understanding that everyone’s in the same boat, including themselves. We’ve all been at work all day, so we’re all tired and don’t really want to be there- they make it worth our while and typically try to make it to where it’s worth coming to class and they make sure we learn in the process. I’m singing the praises of great teachers- and a father who’s helping me go back.  

I was SO excited to be “celebrating” Valentine’s Day this year. S and I had plans, though I didn’t know what they were as he wanted to surprise me. (I know- sweet, right?) He sent me 20 goooooorgeous tulips which arrived on my doorstep a few hours before he came to pick me up.    :)    :)    OH! But they’re not just any tulips, they’re the rare Liberstar Tulips which are only grown in February, are shipped directly from Holland (!!!!!) and in full bloom very much resemble lilies.   Is he so sweet??!  Here’s a picture of them! He sent a sweet card with it and walked in my door with another Valentine’s Day card and a sweeeeet present. He gave me a beautiful necklace- 3 intertwined rings on a simple chain. (He knows me too well already- flashy, gaudy, ostentatious just isn’t me.) Here’s what that looks like- though I’m sure you’ll see it in pictures around my neck soon enough! 
                                                       I have had various people tell me a number of different things they think it means- when I asked him if it had a meaning at all, he said he just took it as the Trinity- 3 rings, all intertwined, can’t take ‘em apart… alrightey. Let’s go with that one.    :)  

We then drove to dinner…where there was a 3hr15 minute wait. BAAAAHAHAHAHA! A VERY long story short, we were able to have dinner about 2 hours later at Village Tavern, along with what seemed like the rest of 280 and Mountain Brook. We got our pager from the hostess and resigned ourselves to waiting. (The cool thing about the human body is that it knows when it’s supposed to eat and when it will be ABLE to eat, so we weren’t wasting away yet- but we were getting there.) As he was holding me in his arms              ( ) there in the foyer, he looked over my head (not hard to do, mind you) and saw someone he knew. Imagine his surprise when it turned out that I knew this sweet girl and her husband as well!  It was the best friend of my best friend’s wife- SO funny. We ended up talking with them for all of the time we waited (dare I say close to 75 minutes) and in an unpredictable turn of events for the evening, ended up having dinner with them and their 5 week old baby boy. 

Now, I know what you’re all thinking. WHAT??!! Yes, that’s how it happened…YES, that’s how we spent our first Valentine’s Day together. Here’s what I say… OK!  I think it actually turned out to be pretty darn good and here’s why: we were able to spend more time together than we probably would have because of having to wait so long and drive all over the place , we were able to talk more, we were able to see each other in and get each other through a situation that was not ideal or planned, our patience was tested and we passed , and I honestly believe it took some of the pressure off (especially S) to make it the “perfect” Valentine’s Day. So, thank you, Dreschers, for giving us a great night out and making for a very memorable Valentine’s Day story. We can’t wait to see y’all again!

(I think maybe I should be a PR manager- that was a pretty good spin, huh?)

HUGE thanks to you, S, for making our first Valentine’s Day together perfect. You put so much effort and so much thought and so much of YOU into it, and it was, by FAR, the best Valentine’s Day ever. It was fantastic, and I can’t imagine it being any other way, especially considering where we’ve come from and everything and everyone surrounding this relationship anyway! I was so happy to be there with you, sharing that day and that time with you.  As we said, it’ll be different next year.  

being a girl….

Good gracious. If you’re a girl, you know what I’m talking when I say being a girl just sucks sometimes. (If you’re a boy, you’re probably already agreeing, nodding whole-heartedly and rolling your eyes.)

As women/females/girls, we have so much to deal with. Now obviously not all this applies to me, but here’s the short list of things I can think of. Off the top of my head: hormones that make us sad then happy then down then up, weight gain that boys don’t have to deal with, having babies and raising children (not bad, hear me- it’s just that most of the rearing falls on our shoulders in most cases), cooking/cleaning (again, in most cases), hair coloring, waxing, making dinner every night, shaving, keeping the men in line , boobs (hahaha), keeping up the stereotypes that women (in general) have, dealing with that monthly enemy of ours, etc. That said…. boys seem to have it so much easier! They can pee outside, go to work, then come home and sit on the couch, relax, wait for dinner to be made, rarely have to help clean up and can blame it on “being a woman” if we get upset about something. They don’t have to work near as hard, on the whole, as women do to get and stay in shape, they don’t have hormones to deal with, they don’t have to birth children, worry about keeping up their nails and hair, they can burp and fart and blame it all on being a guy. 

Now…the same hormones that make it hard to be a girl sometimes also make us kind and caring and compassionate and sweet and make our boys want to hug us and kiss and love on us. They make them want to pull us close when we cry- and sometimes laugh at us when we cry (though, believe me, that won’t happen often!). The same things that we complain about physically are the same things that make our boys look at us the way they look at us. The same hormones that make us feel crazy sometimes are the same hormones that make the ones around us feel loved and cared for, even when we don’t think they do. The crazy monthly stuff we have to deal with is a part of making beautiful, adorable, lovely, make-you-crazy-sometimes children to nurture and protect.

It’s a double-edged sword being a girl, isn’t it, ladies…?  

Good times

Yes, these are some good times.

I know- isn’t that weird to hear? These are CRUMMY times- crappy times, some might say (of course, some would say worse!). The economy sucks, employment is down, gas is going back up, people are fake, we have a new President, the weather is weird (what’s new?), people are pessimistic, nobody’s kept their New Year’s Resolutions, etc. etc.

I beg to differ. I think these are amazing times. I think these times are relative to OUR point in time right now- this is NOT the first time people have been through rough times and couldn’t find their way out with a map and a flashlight. I think these are the times when God proves Himself faithful over and over again- we’re just too blind to see it. I think it’s because we’re so focused on things other than Him and His wondrous power and awesome Greatness. We can’t see that God has given us the ability to be blessings to others; moreover, He has blessed us and given us MORE than we can ever need…and still we want more. (Speaking to myself here, too.) We’re too focused on this world and not the life where NONE of this stuff will hold a candle to the glory and majesty of the King of Kings. We talked about it in church today (thanks, Dr. Platt!), and it’s exactly what I needed to hear. He- Jesus Christ- is ALL we need, all we’ll EVER need and nothing else compares to Him and His greatness. All the stuff of this world??? It’s just stuff- no heavenly benefit at all! As the world says, you can’t take it with you when you go. WHEN YOU GO WHERE???? If we are solely focused on the prize of being a child of God and winning souls for the Lord in our workplaces, in our relationships, on our trips abroad, at the grocery store, at the gym…why do we care about the stuff of this world? Why do we get so caught up in Hollywood and new “things” and who has the biggest church (and why) and pointless, meaningless gossip about things that mean nothing? Don’t get me wrong- it’s nice to have stuff and “stuff” in and of itself isn’t bad. I’m saving up money now to buy a brand new TV that will absolutely dwarf the one I have now. I’m also giving the 2 other TVs I have away to someone who might need it or want it more than I do so as not to collect unwanted, unneeded things. 

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been going with S to Brook Hills, andI have fallen in LOVE with that church- mission-minded, Christ-following, Word-driven, soul-pursuing worship and teaching. I believe it will be my home church. (Which is very funny considering past posts. Just goes to show you Who’s in control- obviously not ME.)     We talked today, briefly, about the differences in other’s worship styles and how there are so many. That’s part of what makes churches “churches”- their diversity. If we try to stomp out or “cover with our own” the way someone else worships because it’s “weird” or “different” or what we think isn’t “culturally universal”, aren’t we trampling on the very diversity for which Jesus died on the cross?? I think so! And I never thought about it like that! All that said for this fact- I told S after the very first time I went with him there “that man loves Jesus, he is passionate about preaching the Word of God and making disciples of all nations, and I could get over my qualms about praise and worship in a ‘big’ church to have that man as my pastor and teacher every Sunday.” Done and done. 

These are also good times for me personally because of this precious man God has given me- my fantastic boyfriend. Y’all just don’t know- well, some of you do!   We are thoroughly enjoying walking through this time together, but the day is fast approaching when he leaves to go to school for 3 months in Texas.  (OH…heart….hurting…shooting…pain…) I would hope y’all would keep us both in your prayers, but mainly him. He will be away from family and friends for 12 weeks, working hard, learning, getting back into a routine he’s not been used to- and eating different things.  (That’s big stuff for a picky eater!)  These next few weeks will be interesting for us both, so if you think about it, please pray for quality time together, great communication, understanding and flexibility- and strength of spirit for us both.

Can’t wait for y’all to meet this guy.        One in a gazillion, for sure. How many is that? Like, 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000….. You get the idea.