I've been thinking...

I realized today that I check other people's blogs multiple times a day and yet I don't update mine regularly. I think this is the same situation I have with watching Home & Garden television and my home & garden are in disarray. I am always looking at what other people are up to and not focused on myself.

This concerns me!!

I have a lot to offer in this life and I seem to be focused on others instead of my own life. It reminds me of Rise & Expansion in the book of Acts. When there was RISE in people's lives, there as EXPANSION for the movement of the Word. What am I doing to RISE in my own life?

Starting today I am going to comment on the books I read, the Word I have studied, and the movies I have enjoyed. There is a lot going on in my life not anything CRAZY, but still, I am busy doing something and I can write that stuff down here. That way I can check my OWN blog multiple times a day and see my own life from a different point of view!

Sounds like a plan.

My Vacation

Ok, I thought of something else I could Blog about. DH and I went on a cruise in May. It was AWESOME. We went to Costa Maya, Mexico; Grand Cayman Island; and Jamaica. We were "unplugged" for 7 days. That was so nice! I think Grand Cayman Island was my favorite for the beaches.

Yes that is me in the distance, very tropical nes' pa? Not a very good "beach" but this was the original docking station for the pirates and the water is beautiful! When we were at the actual beach we were to much in the water and not taking pictures!!

Jamaica was my favorite for the enviroment.


Mexico was my least favorite but it was still great for...TEQUILA!!!
Yes that is a whole store dedicated to different kinds of Tequila. We might have bought one of everything! (not really)

Ok, so there are some highlights from the ports of call. The ship will have to be a totally different entry...I'll just say, AMAZING!

Rean

Long Time No Blog

Rean's Hope Chest

Well, I suppose since this is my own personal blog I shouldn't feel guilty, but I do...kinda.

Life has been hectic around here. DH is working very hard and some long hours (12-14 hours/day). My job is very busy too. It seems there are a lot of people who need legal help! It makes me need MENTAL help!! LOL

It is nice to have summer here after such a weird winter. At least summer is predictable (hot, hot, hot). Unfortunately our plans to work on the outside of our new home have not come into fruition. Our "landscaping" is pitiful. I trimmed our buses out front and that has helped but weeding should be a priority.

I want to learn more about plants and the like, I just haven't taken the time to try anything. We bought some hanging plants for our screened in back porch but I wasn't faithful to water them and they are dead. No, dead isn't the right word...they are dust!

In my previous post on My Morning Focus I talked about getting up earlier in the morning. Well, I did pretty good for about a month and then fell back into old habits. I have started getting up in the morning now when DH gets up (around 6AM or so) and then I go do Yoga.

Holy smokes, I forgot how painful that can be! I have to do a lot of modified poses because of my weight but at least I am doing it. I have done it for 3 days now (Thursday, Friday, and Monday). I had to skip this morning because DH didn't get up until 7:15 because he had a breakfast meeting in town and I stayed in bed with him. My Yoga takes an hour and I wouldn't have time to shower and get ready for work at that point. I still got up when he did though! :)

Well, I guess that's all I have to say for now. We just got DSL service at work so I don't feel bad using the Internet on my breaks. I might post more often now, but who knows, I might not! LOL

Interesting Quiz

You scored as Emergent/Postmodern. You are Emergent/Postmodern in your theology. You feel alienated from older forms of church, you don't think they connect to modern culture very well. No one knows the whole truth about God, and we have much to learn from each other, and so learning takes place in dialogue. Evangelism should take place in relationships rather than through crusades and altar-calls. People are interested in spirituality and want to ask questions, so the church should help them to do this. Emergent/Postmodern 71% Fundamentalist 68% Modern Liberal 61% Evangelical Holiness/Wesleyan 61% Charismatic/Pentecostal 61% Reformed Evangelical 43% Neo orthodox 29% Classical Liberal 25% Roman Catholic 4% What's your theological worldview? created with QuizFarm.com

It says what I thought it would. I am pretty much even keeled. Of course, just taking a quiz won't put me strictly in one catagory or another. It was interesting to see that my results were all pretty close. I guess I am an accepting individual!!

New Furniture

Rean's Hope Chest

I am sitting, this very moment, in a nice big comfy chair, feet on an ottoman, typing on my laptop in my living room. This is a wonderful day because: 1) we were sitting on a futon which was rather awkward (we had to prop pillows up behind us just to not be laying down!) and 2) we did it without going into debt! We saved for a while for furniture and were almost there when we found out we were getting some big $$ back on our taxes (I guess that's what you get when you buy a house on 20% down). I am so syked!

I will have to take a picture and post it here.

We also have a dining room table (we were eating off of a fiberglass folding table covered by a picnic table tablecloth), 6 chairs and a buffet with lots of storage for linens and candles and such! We got these from our wonderful fellowship coordinators. They were moving their office into the room they had been using as a dining room. They decided they eat all their meals at the kitchen table anyway so they are going to convert that area into an office. They offered the furniture to us for FREE!!! Isn't God great!! We are so thankful to them for their generosity. I have so much to learn from them.

My DH's job has settled down a bit and life is easing back from its breakneck speed to a more reasonable pace.

Before I go into a long dissertation on work I should tell you I am a legal secretary in an office with two attorneys. Ok, now this will make more sense.

Work is better. One of my bosses took an Assistant District Attorney job a few months ago and ever since then it has been hectic, manic, craziness!! Well, he went and resigned today stating the "part-time" job was requiring full-time hours and he wasn't willing to give up his private practice for a low paying county job.

I am so proud of him. He really loved that job but they were totally abusing him. He had no time for his clients which meant yours truly had to field all the calls and questions. Boy, I am glad he will be in the office more often. I have to admit the quiet times I had the place all alone were great but now maybe I can get some work done on his files.

Well, I gues that about does it for today. I am enjoying my early morning workouts and cleaning sessions but I am still thinking about asking for part-time hours at work. Even just one day or a couple of afternoons off would help me immensly (I think).

Until next time...

Excuses and My Morning Focus

Life as usual has been busy. I will have to make time to blog a little more. I am working hard and trying to stay on top of our home. DH has been really focused on his job because they have been keeping him REALLY busy. It is times like this that I just want to be at home taking care of my DH and our home.

Sometimes I just want to walk away from the office and never go back. Not because the office is a horrible place to work, as a matter of fact this is the most wonderful desk job I have had. My bosses are so patient and kind but they still push me to be my best.

I guess that is part of the reason I haven't blogged in a while. I started this blog while I was at work and I just made a committment to spend less time online and more time focused on my work. Then, when I get home, there are so many things to catch up on that I am exhausted by the time 10 P.M. rolls around.

I have started getting up with my DH when he leaves for work (around 6:30 or so). When I was Way Disciple I had a lot of problems getting up at 6 A.M. and studying the Word. I always considered myself a night person.

Recently I have been looking at the Proverbs 31 woman and trying to emulate her focus and drive. That is when I had an "Ah Ha" moment. In the Word God makes many many references to rising while it is yet night and rising early to pray and get focused on the spiritual needs of the day before the physical needs overwhelm it. I have decided that even though I consider myself a "night person" I am going to push my believing and rise up while it is still early.

So far, three days in a row!!! Yeah me.

The mornings have become more productive as the week goes on. On Monday I only made the bed and put clothes away, on Tuesday I got distracted by a book I have been wanting to finish and only made the bed (and finished the book) :). This morning, however, I got up and made the bed, ate breakfast and walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes. I am so proud of me.

I want to improve my body and my mind but I am going to have to make it a point to read the Word in the morning. Maybe I could put my bible right by my bed and then I could read it while I was fully waking up. (I won't be doing any major studying, just reading for enjoyment.)

Thanks to SJ, Elizabeth, and Kristen for encouraging me to continue blogging. The little bit that I do has really helped me get focused on what I want for my life.

Until next time...
Rean

Photo Test

This is just a post to test my ability to post pictures to my blog.

HAPPY NEW YEAR

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

What a wonderful year 2005 was for me. I am so thankful for all that I was able to accomplish and all that I have learned about myself. It has been a rough year as well but how encouraging to know that all of the problems from last year don't have to follow me into this one!! I am looking forward to a new year and new attitudes.

At bible fellowship last night my fellowship coordinator shared about planning and goal setting. He feels the same way I do, I HATE resolutions. They are short lived and unattainable without a plan. I can set reasonable goals and set up activities to help me accomplish them that way they are not unattainable but something I can strive towards. I will be working on my goals and I think I will post them here as well.

I also found this web site (we'll see if I can post a hyperlink *my first ever*) 43 Things. It is very cool. I am still exploring and only found it yesterday but so far I have a couple of things. I only get 43 so I have to pick carefully.

Ok, so I have to post this to see if the hyperlink worked and then I am going to work on my goals. I am really excited about using this blog as a way to track my goals and the progress I can make on them. This truly will become my Hope Chest!!

See ya!


Rean's Hope Chest

A new year on the rise.

Well, 2005 is almost done and I will have to get used to writing 2006 on all of my checks! What a wonderful life I have that getting used to writing 2006 is the worst part of a new year.

My Christmas was wonderful. I had a great time with my family in Tennessee. The drive was rough because we headed out so late. We had to stop halfway for the first time ever and stay the night in a hotel. My mom was freaking out about the cost of a hotel room for us. It was so funny. My husband and I both have very good jobs and my mom was concerned about a $90 hotel room! LOL I guess mothers will be mothers.

Everyone loved their gifts and I actually saw my mother relax for the first time in a few months. I wasn't sure how this Christmas was going to be after my Grandma died, but the family handled it in good stride. I think we were all dealing with it in our own little way.

I had a grin plastered on my face just thinking about all of the years I was able to spend Christmas Eve ripping open packages on my Grandmas carpet. She was there in memory and in each one of our eyes. I know she will always be a part of us but I am a little scared of the moment when I can't remember what she looks like without a picture or what her kitchen smelled like on Sunday afternoon. Or the sound of her laugh, the way her cheeks wrinkled up when she would smile. I guess I will have to deal with that when I get there. Right now I will cherish the memories and the traditions she left behind.

I suppose this is the first of many firsts that will take place since her death.

Love you Grandma, thanks for the good times. *kiss*

Tree time!

The discussion of real vs. fake came up in my house last night. I really wanted to have a tree but having a real tree just wasn't feasible. We are going to be gone most of next week so it just wasn't going to be practical to have a real tree (fire hazard) sitting alone (fire hazard) in an empty old house (fire hazard). My DH was absolutely against a fake tree early on but last night he conceded. We decided that we would have a real tree and a fake tree on alternating years. The years we will be in Tennessee we will do a fake tree and the years we will be home we will do a real tree! What a great compromise. In all reality the house isn't decorated for Christmas and I would have felt awful if, for our first Christmas in our first house, we didn't have at least a tree.

So the next job was to find a tree. I decided to go with a Martha Stewart Tree from Kmart. I hate shopping at Kmart but I guess I have been brainwashed to believe Martha doesn't put her name on a product unless it is high quality. Boy wouldn't she lose my viewership if this tree totally SUCKS!!! LOL

Speaking of trees...I have been trying to get in touch with someone to remove a big blue spruce that is in our back yard. It is half dead and out of place. It was planted 50 years ago by the man we bought the house from and I think it was their first Christmas tree. He said that he just couldn't bear to take it down even though he knew it needed to be done.

How ironic that today of all days the tree removal people called back and said that they could take it down today. It makes me a little sad to think of someone's history being torn down and thrown away. I know all the facts...the tree is too big, too close to the house, to dead, too everything... but it was someone's CHRISTMAS TREE!!!! Maybe it is just the cycle of the house. New owners, new tree.

Getting in the Holiday Spirit

Well, I am finally feeling "Christmassy." There is snow on the ground and I have been listening to holiday music all day today at work (by choice if you believe that!) and I think that my DH and I will get our Christmas tree tonight or Friday!! I am so excited. We just bought a house in May and this will be a first for the both of us.

I only wish we had better news about children. It is so wonderful to watch the parents having fun at the holiday celebrations in town and at their homes. I have to admit I am more than a little jealous of them. We have my brothers and nieces and nephews to buy for but it just doesn't have that magical impact on me without children around. We are going to Tennessee for Christmas and I am really believing to have a great time with my family out there. I love getting up Christmas morning to Mom's cinnamon buns and overflowing stockings. I am not sure what this Christmas Eve will be like because my Grandmother always had it at her house. Even when she was so sick she had everyone over on the 24th. I hope we still go to her house even though she is gone so that my Grandpa CD feels loved and knows that we all still love him and he is still a part of this family.

I have to work on my teaching for fellowship tomorrow night. I am teaching on Ambassadors for Christ: Given to Hospitality. I love the subject because there are so many wonderful examples in the Bible of people who were hospitable (Abraham entertained angels unawares) and there are so many practical applications for this teaching in today's day and time. I just have to figure out which way I want to go with it.

I have been going to other blogs and reading what others say. I have wanted to say hello and leave a comment but I just don't know the etiquette on that. I suppose if there were someone reading what I post I would love to have them say hello. I guess I could just say "Hey, I'm your blog neighbor, just wanted to say hello."

Sad News

Well, as much as I have to be thankful for in this wonderful life there are a lot of things that force me to dig deep to be thankful. My maternal Grandmother died on Friday November 18th. My DH and I got in the car that day and drove to Tennessee (a 7 hour trip which we made in less than 6...can you say lead foot?). My grandma was 70 years old and has been fighting cancer for the last two years. Over the last few months she has had complication after complication and finally she said she was just tired. She told my mother (who was her rock and strength) that she was ready to be done fighting and that she was just tired. She told the doctor to either fix her or not but none of this back and forth crap! It is so hard to hear how much pain she was in and that she had finished her fight. I always picture my Grandma so strong and this just doesn't seem like her.

So I have three little brothers (16,10, and 9) who were taking it really hard. My family moved to Tennessee after my dad retired from 30 years in the Air Force so that they could be closer to family. That was 3 years ago and they have been loving every minute of it. My parents are both from the same small town in East Tennessee and all my Aunts, Uncles and the like are right there in that area (except the few in Florida). My brothers had a really close relationship with my grandma and I was so greatful that I was able to know her as an adult and not just as her "grandkid". My DH and I travelled to Tennessee many times just to visit with my side of the family so I was able to spend some quality time with her. She was an AWESOME woman! I am so thankful to have had her in my life...

Ah ha...that is what I can be thankful for. I guess God was right when he said to be "thankful in all things" NOT for all things but in all things. I am not thankful she is gone but I am thankful that I had her to begin with. I guess this entry has been helpful for me to see the positive in one of the hardest things I have had to face this past month.

Here's to a thankful month and a great holiday season!
God Bless

Some hopes are further away than others.

My husband and I went to the doctor yesterday and received some sad news. The only way that we will be able to have our own child is through IVF (invitro fertilization). What a blow to my hope of becoming a mother. For a little background (because I haven't posted that yet) the biggest thing I wanted to do with my life is to be a wife and mother. So far I am a GREAT wife but the mother part has eluded me for over 3 years. I guess it is time to do some research on IVF as well as adoption.

Cherry bustin'

I guess I am at a point in my life where I need some kind of record to validate who I have become and where I want to go. I tend to start something and not complete it so I suppose this is another way to see if I can be successful at one aspect of my life. Hopefully I will be able to contribute to the world by bettering myself a little each day. Here goes nothing!!