A Few Glimpses From May

We have been super, crazy busy this month! And unfortunately, we didn't slow down enough to get any great pictures of Hannah this month. But here are a few worthy of sharing.

My Inner Child Looks Like This

There is this upbeat, overly-positive and incredibly enthusiastic kid inside me that I imagine to be something like this.

The Cat is Out of the Bag

I just submitted my official notice of resignation this week. Whew! Such a weight has been lifted off my shoulders! It's been so hard not to share all about us moving to Fort Collins considering how excited I am, but I've kept our plans on the down low (on the most part) up until now. (I feel that my super secrecy has earned me the ever coveted Gold Baby award that we pass around the office, rewarding those who exhibit pure awesomeness. Behold it's glory in the picture below.) I chose not to say anything to my boss and coworkers just because I didn't want to create any added stress without having firmer plans in place. But since I know now that we're leaving in August, I felt that now was the time to give fair warning. I am grateful that everyone has been supportive and excited for us.

TMF has been a positive, yet challenging place to work, stretching me both professionally and personally. I have indeed learned so much about myself and my abilities in the past three years! Nevertheless, I will miss my amazing coworkers and friends. As the proverb says, "Iron sharpens iron..." so I leave here sharpened by this skillful and talented department.

A Wreck

Having just watched the series finale to my all-time favorite show LOST, I am an emotional wreck. Seriously, I'm sitting here bawling my eyes out, as if I've said goodbye to a dear friend. I know you say, "It's just a TV show, Randi. Get real." But for me, it's a bittersweet reminder that a chapter is coming to a close in my life.

You see, six years ago, Chris and I watched Oceanic Flight 815 crash to an Island. We were completely hooked as we witnessed the survivors climb out of the wreckage. And we anxiously awaited to see every new mystery uncovered. Week after week, we gathered to watch with some of our closest friends. I know it's just a TV show, but some of my favorite friendships have been born out of sharing an affinity for this show.

But what makes LOST more than just a pop-culture phenomenon of a television series to me -- what makes me such an emotional wreck right now -- is that it's been a constant (yes, LOST fans, I said constant) in our ever-changing lives.

In the past six years, I've married the love of my life, expanded our family and established a home, and poured my heart into the most incredible college students I think I'll ever know. As the time draws nearer for us to move to Fort Collins, I find myself searching for the constants in my life. There has been just so much change. But as the saying goes, "The only constant is change."

The bitter part is saying goodbye and moving away from our family, closest friends and the familiar things we hold near and dear to us. But the sweetness comes in the great memories we've made here in Tyler and the anticipation of what God's called us to do in Fort Collins.

Meal Monday - 3

So in case you - all 14 followers- haven't noticed, Mondays have rolled on by for the past month and there has not been a single post with our weekly menu. It's sad, but not planning out our weekly menus has caused me to slack on grocery shopping, resulting in us eating out like a bunch of piggies. I could throw out the excuse that we've all been sick for the past month, yada yada yada. But sick people have gotta eat, right? So that excuse doesn't work. I've gotta get back to the program! Accountability please!

So here is our menu for the week.

And I'm also quite excited to say that we just bought a George Foreman Grill with removal and dishwashable plates. I'm pumped about cooking dinner at a faster rate of speed with less clean up. What can I say? I get my kicks where I can!

A Comedy of Errors

“Am I on Candid Camera?”

“Seriously, is someone messing with me?”

Those phrases have been rolling around in my head all day. Seriously, nothing has happened as it should. For every step forward I'd take, I’d then take three giant steps backward. I’ve majorly misspoken, been chewed out, driven all over this town, paid more money than I wanted (though not as much as I could’ve) on my car and on tickets, sweat through my silk shirt (yes, I’m that gross), made less than a dent in the mountain of work I’ve got on my plate… and the list goes on. I swear. I can’t get it together today.

Then, in the middle of it all, I got a wake up call.

I was sitting in line waiting to pay my ticket - having the biggest pity party you’ve ever seen - when this lady walked in and sat next to me. She strikes up a conversation and ends up spilling her guts that her 92-year-old mother had a stroke this morning, her own health care coverage was dropped today because of her own issues, she was having some demolition done at her house that she wasn’t able to oversee because she needed to be in town with her mom, her ticket was due to be paid today, and to top things off, it was her birthday.

So at this point, I realize my day wasn’t so bad after all. In fact, I had one of those moments looking into that poor woman’s eyes where I remembered that God is in control, even when times are unbearable. I’ve seen Him work in mighty ways, and He has personally blessed me richly that I might share His comfort and joy with others. So I asked her for her name. It’s Theresa. I told her that I would be praying for her and her family because God is strong enough to take on our biggest struggles. She thanked me and we parted ways.

I don’t know what your day has been like, but I’m really sorry if you haven’t enjoyed it. I haven’t enjoyed mine much either. But I encourage you to hold on to the good because that’s where you’ll find God.

Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else. Be joyful always, pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not put out the Spirit’s fire; do not treat prophecies with contempt. Test everything. Hold on to the good. - 1 Thessalonians 5:15-21

Lastly, I also want to ask you to pray for Theresa and her family. She’s having a rough time, and my hope is that her life will change when she sees how much God cares for her.

Check Us Out, Yo

April has been a big month. Here are the highlights:

• Chris completed his certification through Berklee College of Music for studio recording. This is a huge accomplishment that he’s been working on for about a year-and-a-half. I couldn’t be more proud.

• Hannah decided she would rather walk over any other mode of transportation. Again, very proud.

• We moved the rest of our junk out of the storage unit we’ve had for a few years. Seriously, no one needs that much junk. Oh yeah, and we cleaned out and organized our front hall closet, too. I like to think that everyone has this one cluttered place in their home that they can’t keep under wraps. Well, ours is always the front hall closet. I’m here to tell you it’s clean and organized, thank you very much!

• And last but not least, we paid off our Jeep - a whole year early! Woo hoo! Goodbye car payments.

Bring it on, May. You have a lot to live up to.