sitting on the dock of the bay watching time roll away

ryan and i are in such a weird place right now. a place of trying to figure out just what exactly we want to do with our lives. it seemed very strange and wrong that we were in this place.. i mean, we graduated from college nearly 8 months ago. so we are 8 months late in answering this question...or just REALLY REALLY slow in it. anyway, this has been on my mind a lot. i was talking with a dear friend about it last week and he pointed out that it is very natural that we are here. just a few weeks after graduation, we got engaged. and we were all about planning our wedding and the rest of our lives together from then until december. and by "the rest of our lives," i mean, we were all into how we were going to be committing to walking together for the rest of our days...that is a BIG deal. these things don't happen everyday, you know! :)

well, december came and i got to marry the love of my life...let me just interject and say what an amazing thing that is. i know you get tired of hearing about it, but i never get tired of talking about it. this man, that God had been so deeply tieing my heart to for years...this man, that i, for so long, compared every other fella to and saw them fall all to short...this man, that i and my family had been unknowingly praying for for years...this man, that i was and am all so deeply in love with...... we stood before our God, our family, and our friends and committed our lives to each other almost 2 months ago! i still cannot believe it! who would have thought?! :)

okay, so back to what i was saying...we got married and spent the next month celebrating Jesus with our family and friends. and, then came january...and here we are. this has been a month of us once again trying to answer the question of what we will do next. i found a "real" job that i enjoy (when i'm here)...which ties us down to birmingham for the next little while. it is giving us time to think hard about what we'll do next. but while we are thinking, ryan's trying to figure out what he wants to do immediately. so many questions to answer. i wish the answer could be that he'd find a GREAT job downtown so that we could be close and spend a little more time together. (i hate just seeing him in the evenings when we are both pooped from long days! i was so spoiled in us getting to spend so much time together before... :) ) but more than wanting to be with him more, i want him to find something that he enjoys doing... which isn't easy. we both are the sort of people, i think, who aren't exactly sure what all we enjoy, until we do something--then we can tell you either "yes, i enjoy that a lot!" or "no, i don't like that at all!" so, we will just wait and see. as for you, please be praying for us....

a thought in closing, i read this the other day and really liked it a lot...

"to suppose that whatever God requireth of us that we have power of ourselves to do, is to make the cross and grace of Jesus Christ of none effect."

-John Owen-

"God is in control"

Do you remember that old Twiala Paris song? If you have been a member of the southcrest youth choir in the past 15 years or so, then there's no doubt you do... back in the day, that was one of our defining songs. we sang it every where we went. some might think it was over done, but i won't comment on that. :) anyway, if you heard the song today, you would probably think "sounds a little cheesy" (the music, not necessarily the words). anyway, for some reason i was sitting here at work, thinking about things and that song came to mind.

as you might have read in previous postings, i was quite nervous about my first day on the new job. i just wasn't quite sure what to think about it or how it would be. "what would i be doing? would i be able to do it? will i fit in okay at this new place?" and so on.... as the day began, i joined the girl who was previously the receptionist (she did my training last week before she moved to her new place in the office), and i noticed a little post-it note behind the computer screen that said, "may the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in Your sight, o Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer." (ps. 19:14) tears nearly came to my eyes as i read it because this verse has been near and dear to my heart for years and years. for you see, when i was a young child, i spent nearly every day with my dear mimi and papa. my brother and i would be dropped off before school and picked up much later in the evening. every morning, we would sit with my grandparents as they did their daily devotional. and every day, my papa would pray at the end of our time together this very verse. honestly, i didn't know until quite a while later that it was from the Bible...i thought he just made it up. :) my dear papa has been with the Lord for nearly 8 years now, but memories like these are so real to me. seeing this verse posted at my desk reminded me that God is indeed in control. no doubt He has brought me to this job-and though there are parts of it that aren't easy (like adjusting to the time at work), I'm here for His purpose... and that, my friend, makes it all so worthwhile! :)

how they met

this is actually copied over from our wordpress page, just in case some of you missed it... it's the story of how we met. :) enjoy....

ryan and samantha officially began their journey together on december 1st, 2007, when they were joined before God, family and friends as husband and wife. their lives became connected long before this though. they met in a freshman fitness class at southeastern bible college a few years ago. samantha knew ryan as “the jock who played football at uab” and well, let’s face it, ryan didn’t really know samantha yet. but if he had known her then, he would have known her as the hot, punk-ish looking girl that sat in the back and didn’t say much (lol). it wasn’t until a year or so later that they became friends. they really bonded in a theology class, in which samantha sat directly behind ryan. both interested in other people, they became friends solely because of their similar personalities and interests (i think), and well, also because their friends were friends. anyway, one day, in the aforementioned theology class (in which samantha sat directly behind ryan), samantha wore these shoes to class that, well, STUNK…and she knew it. but they were her favorite shoes! as class went on, she propped those smelly shoes up in the back on the desk in front of her, which happened to be ryan’s desk. after a few minutes, she noticed ryan smelling himself-his armpits, then his shirt, then his neck, then his armpits again..then he kind of looked around. after a few more minutes, he smelled his pits, shirt, pits again. this went on for a good 20 minutes, i’m sure. then, kind of randomly, he glanced down and noticed samantha’s feet propped up on the back of his desk. he bent down and took a big whiff and said (loudly, might i add), “oh my goodness, your feet STINK!” at which point, samantha and all the people around them start laughing. he then starts talking about he was pretty sure he had showered that morning, and he also thought his clothes weren’t that dirty. it was a pretty funny event and they were friends from that moment on…it wasn’t until a few years later, though, that God brought them together as a little more than friends. it is very important to their story that you know that they know that God was the one who brought them together-otherwise, there is just no way it would have happened! through a crazy, unexpected turn of events, ryan and samantha spilled their feelings to each other (after being so moved by watching “nacho libre” together) and have been together ever since. after dating for a few months, ryan, the most romantic fella in the world, proposed at turtle point in st. john (as in the virgin islands). if you want to know more about that story, you’ll have to check out facebook or ask one of them…but let me tell you, you better have a few hours to listen/read!! it’s quite a story. soon after their engagement, the wedding plans began…and the time quickly passed, and they were wed on december 1st, 2007!

i heart high heels

i know what you are thinking, "she is SUCH a girl!" i would totally think that if i was reading someone elses blog that was entitled as such. but, as much as i love playing pick up games of basketball and taking long hikes in the woods (okay, ryan might tell you i don't really like that, but i do-just not when it's really hot or really cold, or when i'm tired or hungry), and though i made my fair share of mud pies when i was a wee one....i do love high heels. and i love dressing up every day in "nice" clothes. i may not love it forever and a day, but for now-i totally do! i love the sound that heels make when i'm walking along a non-carpeted floor! "click.click..click.click." someone needs to make a song out of it!!

well, i am very well near the end of my first week (actually, only half a week because i didn't start until wednesday) at my new job. the ratings are in....i like it a lot! i really enjoy the people i work with and the job is fun! :) last night, ryan and i got invited to go to the "President's Annual Dinner" (or something like that) at Southeastern Bible College. the vp of our company invited us to go because another couple couldn't make it and he heard that i graduated from there. i was like "oh yeah!!" not only was it a good opportunity for ryan to meet him, but it was about sebc. and for all who don't know, we so totally loved our time at that school-our lives were changed so much! so, we went and had a wonderful meal, ryan met my boss, we met my boss's wife and some of their friends. it was just a fun night all together! we also got to see some old friends, including our very dear Lynn. how we have missed her and her sweet husband! a shout out to them if they ever happen to read this: we love you guys! :) anyway, the night was fun...

welpers, though i am enjoying the job, i am SO looking forward to the weekend! a day for resting and relaxing and hanging out with my lover (haha-ryan gets so embarrassed when i call him this...but i'm like "hello, it's okay, we are married and we do love each other!!). i miss him so while i work... we used to be able to chill every afternoon when he got home from work. but, no more. :( oh well, the weekend is nearly here!!!!

later gators!

i never have good title ideas!? :(

hola all! there are a few things in life that i really want to be good at.. and knowing that getting good at anything usually takes a lot of practice. so, there are a few things i'll be working on in my "spare" time for the next little while. one of those things is cooking. i have always loved to bake, but never really gotten anywhere with cooking. however, for those of you who know my dear husband with his healthy eating habits-cooking would be a much better habit to know. so, i am going to be trying some new things. not that this will be the first time. for the last two months (and longer), i have been throwing in some new recipes with ryan and they don't always turn out so well. usually i change something minor about the recipe's ingredients (like using boneless chicken over a whole chicken) and it changes something major about the result. i'm on the look out for some great recipes that need no changing. :) if any of you out there in blog-land have recipes that you love, i would LOVE for you to send them to me so i can try them out.

i also want to be good at knitting. i really enjoy it and have been making some new things, which is fun. i am working on my second hat and it's looking pretty darn good, if i do say so myself. :) some girls at work have a new idea for me-it's called a "pidge", and it's like a neck warmer deal-io. sounds strange, but looks REALLY cool! we'll see how that goes. my goal is to make a sweater that i can actually wear. i just think that would be so fun! two thumbs up for my dear mother-in-law. the other day at lunch she was wearing one of the sweaters she made...and it looked WONDERFUL! i am very impressed and inspired by her!

i also want to be good at blogging. i love to write, but need to work on my presentation. one day, i hope to write a book-maybe about myself...or maybe about something else. anyway, blogging is great practice, i think. and, honestly, i get so much enjoyment (is that a word?) out of reading my friend's blogs...i want the same for you all as you read mine.

for now, those are the things i will be working on. i'll keep you updated.... :)

i start a new job in the morning and i'm filled with mixed feelings. i am so thankful, of course, for the new opportunity. the timing of it all couldn't be better (isn't that funny?! ;)). yet, still i am a little nervous about it...okay, "a little nervous" is a major understatement. i am very, very nervous. a new place with new people that i don't know. looking back over the years, i'm not sure i have ever worked anywhere in which i didn't know someone. peter at starbucks, everyone at sebc, ryan at valleydale, steph at the disney store, michael sheets at hydraspa....it's always nice knowing someone! but this new job will be a totally new adventure for me! i am a little nervous about having to fight traffic to get there...and then i'm just not sure what to expect for the day-other than knowing the hours i will be there. i'm one of those funny people who really likes to know what things are going to be like. which, you can hardly ever guess exactly what things will be like-so i drive myself crazy thinking of how it could be... i'm sure it's going to be great! this job is obviously totally the Lord's doing-as i talked about yesterday. and knowing that, there's really nothing to be worried about. so, i'll let you know how it goes tomorrow... :) i'm going to get back to knitting my hat...

"And now, O Lord, we surrender our hands and our heads and our hearts, knowing that Your nearness is our only good." 

I got to spend some delightful time this past week at Red Mountain Community School, and heard this prayer from the mouths and the hearts of the kids and teachers each morning. It has been rolling in my mind ever since. What a sweet way to begin each day! 

As some of you know, I have been on a serious job hunt for the past two months or so. Okay, well, the first month was me not seriously looking for a job...we were just settling into the married life and enjoying the holidays. You know how that goes. But then, Ryan and I got to talking and decided that, like it or not, it was time for me to really look for a job that provided some extra income for us. So many bills to pay in this grown up world! Anyway, I just happened to mention to magen that i was looking for a job. a few days later, she just happened to get a mass e-mail from an architecture company that was looking for a receptionist (which just so happened to be just what i was looking for). so, i called them and we set up an interview, which happened to go very well, i thought. and today, i got a call back from them and they just happened to offer me a great job! which is soooooo exciting! :) but really, i know all of this didn't just happen to happen, the Lord has led me here-which really is what is exciting about all of this. i know that He has directed my steps, even as ryan and i have been praying He would. for this, i am so thankful!! :) this is going to be my first "real" job. i mean, i have worked quite a few jobs, but for some reason, they aren't really classified as "real" jobs to most...which is a peculiar thing, if you ask me. i guess, though, there is something about working a job after you graduate from college. i mean, now, after working hard for many years, i have a college degree-which makes me "more" qualified than some. interestingly enough, in my interview for this job, they asked why i wasn't working in the "church" world with my bible college degree-i mean, "don't most people who go to that kind of school do church work?" i paused to think about the people i know who actually aren't doing church work with their bible college degree... which is not a bad thing. i mean, i think about how we are taking what we have learned (hopefully) and applying it to the world in which we live. isn't that so much of what we learned at sebc? that this stuff isn't only for working specifically in the church-this "stuff" we have learned and what we believe are to be applied wherever we go! righty-o? anyway, enough rambling for me..... for now! :) 

trying something new

well, i am giving up on our wordpress, i just can't get it figured out! we were over at dan and magen's house earlier tonight and magen and i got to talking about blogs. and the next thing you know, i set up a "blogger!" i'm currently trying to figure out how to get our stuff from wordpress over to this site, but let me just say-i'm loving it!! it is more user-friendly, i think! more to come...