Approaching 27 weeks!

So, I know I haven't blogged in a while... but I feel like I haven't had much of an update. Pregnancy is still going amazing. Still feel awesome, but boy this baby girl is starting to do some serious growing!

Here's last weeks and this weeks bump :) Yeah I'm thinking I like the black wardrobe right... they say it's more slimming, right? hahah!

Will write more later!
Love ya'll,
D

Friday already?

Hey guys!

Wow this week flew by!! Hope your week was wonderful! Here's my recap of the week:

Sunday I finally broke down and bought some *gasp* maternity clothes. My pants surprisingly were still fitting, but I have officially reached the point where it would just be a little more comfortable to wear something... different. So, I set out to go shopping! My mother-in-law gave me money for my birthday and insisted that I buy some maternity clothes with it. She must know its hard for me to spend money on myself :) I got such good deals! I bought a pair of grey jeans & khaki capris from gap, and a pair of white jeans & blue jeans from H&M and my total came to a whopping $45.00!! This girl here is a sale shopper! Normally one pair of maternity bottoms are around $60. I was proud of myself, and I think Trav appreciates his sale shopper wife too :)

Trav and I went to my monthly baby appointment on Wednesday. It's such a quick visit but it's always so refreshing to hear her heartbeat and know that everything is okay with her. Her heartbeat this time was at 160 bpm and my uterus is officially way over my belly button. I've heard once you hit the 20 week mark the baby grows very fast! Let's see what my baby bump app says about her size right now... hang on... okay apparently she's as big as a spaghetti squash and weighs 1 lb! Don't you just love how they compare her to a food every week? I think it's funny.

So, in addition to my rockin' sales on Sunday, I was also blessed with a few other things this week. Over the weekend I was telling my sister and her hubby how I really wanted to invest in the angel care monitor. I've heard amazing things about it. It actually detects your baby's breathing and will send off a little alarm if the baby stops breathing for a certain amount of time. The alarm should startle the baby to breath again and also wake up the parents. Being that this is Trav's and my first rodeo we thought it would be extremely beneficial to us. You can't put a price tag on your peace of mind... and a sleep without worrying about SIDS or suffocation or something to that effect. So, anyways, this monitor is a couple hundred dollars and my sweet co-worker has offered to let me have/borrow (I'm not sure... but who cares!) her angel care monitor! She has five children and says there's other stuff I can have too! Yayy! The Lord is certainly providing and it's so amazing to see. 

As I was reading some Proverbs this morning I couldn't help but be drawn to the parenting verses... the exact ones I used to overlook. Now they mean so much more to me! Check them out:

Proverbs 22: 6 "Start children off on the way they should go, 
   and even when they are old they will not turn from it."

Proverbs 22: 15 "Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, 

   but the rod of discipline will drive it far away."

Alright, I supposed it's time for some baby bump picture updates. Here they are!

Here I am on 4th of July, roughly 19 weeks.

My face says I'm not sure about the beer belly looking deal ;) I'm about 21 weeks here.

And here I am with the most recent. This was taken on Wednesday. 22 weeks or 5 1/2 months! This would also be the day that Trav told me I'm beginning to look very.... pregnant. hahaha! What's he going to say when I'm 8 and 9 months! ;) ps- I typically wear shirts that don't accentuate the bump as much as these do, but for those of you who don't get to see me in person I figured I could show you the real deal. :)

Guess that's all for now!

Have a fabulous weekend!

Love, D

It's FRIDAY!

A quote that I'm enjoying this morning...

Okay, so I'll admit that I "borrowed" this quote from a website that they then "borrowed" from a Weight Watchers meeting. But, I like it :) Not only can it pertain to food (and this mama sure doesn't want to gain tons of baby weight!! ;)) but to me this can apply to many different areas in our lives.... think about it. I hope it inspires you to make smart choices today!!

And a couple of verses that stuck out to me this morning:

Oh how much better some situations would go if I would believe and act on that first verse right now. A gentle answer... that's my goal today! No matter the situation or topic, I want to be gentle. And the second verse, I wonder what my life would look like if I truly believed that it is better to have a little with the fear of the Lord than great wealth with turmoil...

Happy Friday!

Love, D :)

Let's try this blog thing out again, shall we?

On our way to get my Ultrasound to find out is baby Baggett is a boy or girl! 07/06/11

It's hard to believe I am nearly 21 weeks pregnant already... FIVE months!! Wow, I can only imagine how the rest of this pregnancy is going to fly by and before we know it our little girl will be in our arms.

Pregnancy is such a surreal experience. Especially the beginning stages when the bump isn't there yet and you don't feel any movement, but you keep reminding yourself your have a little baby growing inside of you. In my case it was even more surreal because I truly didn't have any of the horror side effects that some women have told me about. No morning sickness, acne, mood swings, cravings, NOTHING! The only noticeable difference for me is that some days I am more tired that normal... but, come on what do you expect, I'm growing a person inside of me! :) I consider myself blessed with this pregnancy. So far (and I almost hate to say this...) it has been easy! I'm trying to marvel in it and embrace everyday. I don't ever want to take this time in our lives for granted.This time of carrying our little one is so very short, and who knows if we will conceive again!

The other night I was laying in bed and I just got overwhelmed with how blessed Travis and I are. No, we're not rich or famous, and we definitely have our struggles... but at the end of the day we can confidently say that we have amazing families and are completely in love with each other. And now, we get to add a little one into our lives!

You see.... there's something you may not know about Travis and I. When we were dating, and even in our first year of marriage our philosophy was that we were not going to have children. We were entirely too spontaneous and adventurous to slow down for a baby. Yet somehow, our hearts began to change because I don't think we could have been any more excited to find out that I was pregnant! And then I got to thinking... "why Lord have you blessed us with this amazing miracle? For so long we weren't even wanting children... and some couples out there desperately try and try again, yet can never conceive, yet you have so easily given us this gift?". Truth is I don't know why He blesses us when we are so undeserving, but that is the beauty of the God that we love and serve. He is Sovereign and all knowing, full of love and mercy, and His ways are ALWAYS greater than our own!

Baby GIRL! Isn't she beautiful?

So now a little update on our peanut :) According to my lovely iPhone app (don't you just LOVE technology!?), our baby girl is currently 11 oz, and 10.5 inches long. For those of you visual learners, she is apparently the size of a banana or a small cantaloupe.

Oh, I almost forgot to tell you! My husband bought her the most darling little sleepers over the weekend in Lake George. It's her very first gift from him. I am FAR FROM a pack rat or hoarder, in fact I'm very much the opposite, but, I think these will be saved for a long time. It's something so very sweet and special. I love how much he already loves her.

I think that's all for now!

Love, D

ps- and to my long distance family, my intentions are to update this frequently so you can know all the details of what's going on with our growing family- love you!

You moved, again?

Yes. It is true. We moved again.

But...

This time it is a permanent move. Or at least a move intended for us to plant some roots.

So, how did we end up in Upstate New York anyway?

Well, after trying and trying to move up here and Travis being unable to find a job. We finally started to settle down in Houston, coming to grips with the fact that we would be there for at least five years, or so we thought. In a sense we finally stopped trying with our own efforts and we began learning how to be content right where we are.

And then it happened.

The Lord opened wide a door of opportunity for Travis to work up in New York. At first we were thrown off guard. I had planned to teach and he had planned to continue his career at ITC. We both unintentionally continued on with this void in our hearts. Feeling as if we were wandering around aimlessly, like we weren't where we were supposed to be. (Let me add also that yes I did miss my family, however, I wasn't complaining and miserable about it... this wasn't the reason we moved). Honestly, we missed a lot about NY, the seasons, the mountains, the fresh air, things to do outdoors, etc. Anyways, back to the story... so this company had a phone conference all with Travis and loved him! They decided to fly him up to the port of Albany to interview in person. They offered him the job on spot, and we were AMAZED! It all sounded too good to be true. But, there was one issue... we were still recovering from our loses in DR and quite frankly we didn't have the money to pick up and moved cross country, again. So we prayed.

Lord, if you want us to move, then you must provide the way. Even though we desire to be up there, we cannot do it in and of ourselves. Let your will be done.

And then the first miracle happened. They offered us a relocation package. The miracle part, they DO NOT offer relocation packages, ever, to anyone! Whoa Lord!! Thank you!!

So we continue the process of finalizing this job and the day we hear they are ready for us we begin packing. 36 hours of straight packing we hop into our truck and begin the 48 hour journey (which normally takes 30).  During the middle of our packing one of Travs' sweet uncles comes by and tells us that the Lord laid it on his heart to give us a certain amount of money, so he acted in obedience and gave us the gift. This is yet another blessing from the Lord because we had car trouble in New Orleans, and this money covered exactly what we owed the mechanic. WOW!! After the truck was fixed we continued on... we were so determined to get up there asap that we didn't even stop to sleep (yes, probably not the smartest thing we've done).

Hillbilly style*

*My hubby driving :)

*Proof that I drove this massive haul! (and going on 50 hrs of no sleep!)

We finally reach NY on Sat. night and Travis started work on Monday morning. I naturally start to worry and be anxious about my vocation. What am I going to do? Where am I going to work? How much will I make? Worry worry worry! A week or so later I apply for a job at Grace North, an awesome church! I wasn't too confident because they didn't even know me... but I interviewed anyway. To be honest, I thought I totally blew the interview. I never really interviewed before because the Lord has always just handed me jobs... so I was a bit unprepared to say the least. The next day I get an email from the pastor who wants me to take a spiritual gifts and personality test to see if I would even be a good fit for their staff. A couple days after I hand that in, he tells me that he needs me to fill out an application, and by this point I'm trying to now get ahead of myself... but I'm getting excited!!

So, officially as of today... I am offered a job at Grace North (and for those you who know me, know that my calling is to ministry and I love being creative). I will be the communications coordinator & event planner... basically I get to be creative, everyday!

Yayy!! So now we are both doing what we love, and with the Lords divine orchestration of our lives, the vocational void is no longer present! God is so good!

And now its time for the Baggett's to settle down :)

Be Blessed!
*D

www.wix.com/dnbaggett/design

Finally, a chance to blog :)

I finally have a day off, but only because I'm feeling a sicky... So you take the good with the bad! :)

This past week has been so crazy and the Lord has put me into so many situations that I have really had to wrestle with... for so long I have just adapted the views of everyone around me, but I have rarely ever thought for myself. For example:

Last week I worked in a severely low functioning special education class for three days. I have worked with special education for a very long time, and it's something I am not uncomfortable with. But this population was different from all the others I have experience with. They are teenagers, in junior high, and all bound by wheelchairs. They could barely move, unable to speak, were fed through feeding tubes, and had to wear diapers. I mean take my heart out of my chest and rip it into a million pieces here!! Some days its very hard for me to work in this environment because it does hurt my heart so bad. Two of the teens would occasionally lift up their delicate heads and muster up a smile at me, and that makes everything worth it. However, this third boy would never open open his eyes, and never ever move on his own. He slept all day at school and frequently would make this little noise like he was agonizing in pain. So as I sit in the classroom and just look at him, I can't help but wonder, "why, Lord?". I mean truly the only thing this 14 year old does is breathe, he doesn't know when someone is talking to him, he can't see, is he even aware of anything? And if not... what then is the point of life if he is merely breathing? I don't have an answer... just something I've been wrestling with. Modern medicine is amazing and has enabled some amazing miracles, but what if this boy was supposed to be with sweet Jesus and modern medicine is prolonged his life here just to exist? I don't know... and please don't think badly of me... It's just when you witness a day in their life, it makes you wonder....

On a POSITIVE note... I had something awesome happen at the public High School here last week. After I got done taking roll for my class this sweet girl raised her hand and asked if she could say something... she went on to say two of her guy friends got in a bad car accident the night before and they were in severe condition and asked if we would pray for them. Well obviously I wanted to jump all over that and pray right then and there, but as a teacher I am not allowed. So as she started to sob, I stood there with a heavy heart and clueless how to handle this and keep my job. The whole class was silent except for her little cry, and then this 11th grade boy stood up and said "come on guys! She means this! We need to pray right now!!" So everyone bowed their heads and he prayed for these two boys in front of the whole class, unashamedly... wow. I was blown away! Praise the Lord!!

The Second Positive note! Travis' love for the Lord is growing daily, and I have to give the glory of that to the Lord! The ladies who took the prayer challenge are now on day 16 and I can first hand say I have seen the Lord working in his life. He is blessed to have today off too, and he's running around doing things around here with his ipod in his ears singing sweet worship songs to Jesus. There is no time that makes him more attractive then when he's loving our Lord. If you aren't actively and intentionally praying for your husband, I encourage you to! It's the best marriage revolution you will ever experience!!

Be Blessed ya'll!
D

If there was one thing I wanted YOUTH to BELIEVE...

(This has been on my heart for some time now... and it's time to get it off my chest!! It's not one of my "cheery" make you feel good blogs, but its real and its raw :) )

As I sit here and think about the sweet teenagers that I sub for, and other young teens that I just know from moving around so much, I can’t help but be heartbroken when I think about the way they believe that their actions do not have long-term effects on them… Specifically their actions regarding impurity.

 As I sit here and think about the sweet teens that I sub for, and other young teens that I just know from moving around so much, I can’t help but be heartbroken when I think about the way they believe that their actions do not have long-term effects on them… Specifically their actions regarding impurity.

If I could give one message to the youth, one message that they would actually believe, take hold of and APPLY to their lives it would be this…

No matter HOW appealing it is to mess around with the opposite sex, there is absolutely no positive outcome from it. Not one, not even half of one. That is the absolute truth, because believe me I have been there! I desperately want them to realize that they do not need boyfriends or girlfriends in Junior High and High School, save it for college! Those are the best times of your lives that you never get back… they should be spent hanging out with your girls or your guys enjoying life with no responsibility of work and money.

Perhaps you think I am a hypocrite because I did indeed have a boyfriend throughout High School, and I did indeed make poor choices. But, now that I can look back on it, I can honestly share that it was utterly destructive on my life. It wasn’t worth it to lose my girlfriends, it wasn’t worth it to have a boyfriend and all the drama that comes with that, it wasn’t worth it to slowly give myself away, and it wasn’t worth it to have to carry the pain and memories with me into my marriage.

If youth could only see how devastating immorality really is, if the temporary “high” could no longer blind and seduce them they would be so much better off! Even too, that “high” does not last very long, especially if you are a believer, because the Spirit inside of you will rid you with guilt. Not only do you walk around with a guilty conscience from the Lord, but you worry about your parents catching you, you worry about what your friends might say, and you worry if that boy/girl will even like you tomorrow! It’s truly is the best way to waste your precious teenage years…

And after that, after you realize that “fun” is no longer appealing to you, you finally want to settle down with that amazing man/woman who loves the Lord and who is capable of having a great marriage…. You have to share with him or her all your dirty laundry, every person you have fooled around with and given a piece of yourself to. As you tell them, you feel humiliated and full of regret. Oh how you wish you could go back in time and choose to do the right thing. How you wish you have saved ALL of yourself for that special man or woman who you have finally met!! And then, you get to wait for their response… will they forgive you and give you a clean slate? Or will they choose to wait for someone who has “not even a hint” of sexual sin in their past? You won’t know until you get there… but believe me that is the most painful conversation you will ever have to have with your future spouse.

Instead of completely disregarding what I wrote… think about it, soak it in. If it seems like a feat that is too big for you then I encourage you to take it one situation at a time, and “DO THE NEXT RIGHT THING”! I promise you it will make your life much more enjoyable and in the end, you will thank me and believe me!!

 

Love ya’ll!

D

Product of the WEEK!

Happy Monday ya'll!!

So the weather is starting to get a bit cooler (well not so much here in ol' Texas, but for all you northern folks I know it is... and I am oh so jealous!!) and the cooless has inspired me to do a "product of the week"!!

This week I am zoning in on Satin Hands & Lips, because that skin during these seasons needs a bit of extra attention. I'm a northern girl and I KNOW the uncomfortableness that dry/cracking hands and lips brings. LUCKILY, Mary Kay has designed this fabulous product that fights this irritation and leaves your hands more "satin-y" than ever!! Believe me, it's AWESOME! They offer it in non-frangrance, peach, and my favorite, VANILLA!!

This week I'll run a special for this SET (Satin Hands & Satin Lips) $5 off AND free shipping!! If you refer a friend, I'll give you $10 off AND free shipping!!

Check it out ladies! If by chance you don't love it, which I have no doubt you will, MK backs all their product with 100% satisfaction guarentee! They are THAT confident in their product!!

email me at dbellanti@liberty.edu or check out my website: www.marykay.com/dnbaggett ((You can place your order here or via email and I will alter the price for the deal of the week!))



Be Blessed!!
Danielle

Have your way

I think one of the most difficult aspects of Christianity for me to accept is the idea that God desires to be fully in control of my life. Its not that I don't want him to be!! I want Him to more than anything else in life. I just struggle sometimes to find the balance between trusting the Lords good and perfect will and trying to plan things out anticipating the Lord to help you see it through. I guess that's where His peace comes in and if the Holy Spirit in me grants me that overwhelming peace, then I walk in that direction.

"You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you." Isaiah 26:3

And that's my prayer for yall today!! That you can find the peace of God to navigate you through this crazy and unexpected journey we like to call LIFE

Be Blessed!
Danielle

At what AGE does your skin begin to age? You'll never believe it...

Some guessed in their twenties...


Wrong.


I was SHOCKED to find out that your skin on your face begins to age at the ripe young age of SEVENTEEN!! Oh my word! That is so young! Therefore, my face has already begun creating those oh so lovely fine lines and wrinkles for a whopping SIX years...


the sad part. I have done NOTHING about it, up until 4 days ago that is!


But, with this newfound knowledge I am now choosing to combat it... not necessarily to never have wrinkles, but rather to have my skin in the best possible condition I can. I mean lets be honest, your face is the first thing people see on you... not your outfit or jewelry. Anyways, I just began my journey using Mary Kay Time Wise Miracle Set.. and I absolutely love it!! (I had Travis try it last night and we woke up this morning and told me his face felt amazing ;))

The TimeWise® Miracle Set™ provides incredible age-fighting results to help you maintain younger-looking skin. The set offers 11 age-defying benefits in one skin care regimen: cleanse, exfoliate, freshen, energize, hydrate, smooth, firm, soften, protect, rebuild and reduce fine lines and wrinkles

That's enough information today... soak that all in and I'll give you some statistics about Time Wise Tomorrow!! You will be amazed!! (Oh and did I mention, all MK products have a 100% satisfaction guaranteed!!)

If interested... check out this line on my website: 

www.marykay.com/dnbaggett

Be Blessed!!

Danielle

ps- ladies don't forget what truly matters... 

Proverbs 31:30 - "Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; 

but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Website!!

I now have my own website you can look through all our fabulous products & order from me!

Check it out!!

My Mary Kay!

Be Blessed!
Danielle

By FAITH alone

Ever since I started "31 Days of Praying for my Husband" (I will blog more about this later!!) I have finally gotten myself into a wonderful morning routine that begins with time with the Lord. To be honest, it's hard having a consistent quiet time, I mean it's hard finding quiet time PERIOD in this crazy, jam packed schedule society... go go go!! So anyways, I have finally found this routine, and it truly has revolutionized my days. I believe in the power of James 4:8 "Draw near to the Lord, and He will draw near to you". The peace that comes along with walking closely to the Lord is indescribable... and it's right where I want to be. 


I usually read from "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers and a week ago I began reading Jerry Falwells book, Building Dynamic Faith. Some call it irony that I chose this book before the Mary Kay opportunity even came about, but I believe it was all apart of the Lords divine plan. He was equipping me and encouraging me to step out in faith, and believe! This morning as I was reading from this book I came across two quotes that absolutely fit me right now, and I want to share them with YOU!

"God continually pushes us out of our comfort zones and into a new challenge. And when a challenge is bigger than our ability to handle it, we grow our faith we we attempt to do this new task."


"New steps of faith are not about the things you do, but they're about God working in you."

"it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure" Phil. 2:3


So here goes the journey of faith!! Who wants to jump on board?

Be Blessed,
Danielle

I'll have to admit...

I have NEVER been the type to sign up for "self-starter businesses" such as Pampered Chef, Avon, Christmas around the World... you get the point. I guess they intimidate me. How could I go up to random people and offer my product? Do I even have enough friends to get me going? It just seems so very complicated and not for me...

Until... the Lord opened a door and told me to walk through it.

Just a few days ago, one of my girlfriends down here in Texas told me about how she just started doing business with Mary Kay as a beauty consultant. I was so very excited for her, and kept thinking about how fun that would be to be my own employer. But again, it's just not for me. So anyways, a few days after our coffee date she was having her "Debut Party", she invited me to come and of course I did! I wanted to show my support for her! Well, while I was there I felt an overwhelming call from the Lord to step out in faith and get into the business as well.

I gave it a few days. I wanted to pray, HARD about it. Perhaps let the Lord change His mind about it, because surely I am NOT the girl for this!! Well, turns out He definitely wants me to pursue this. So as of yesterday, I am now a beauty consultant for Mary Kay.

I'll have to admit, I'm very excited now. Because I, without a doubt, realize that I am incapable of doing this on my own. I believe though, in a huge God who can equip me and provide for me. One element that gets me excited is that Mary Kay is a Christian based company. Their priorities are God first, Family second, Business third. I mean really, how many companies hold true to that these days? I can't think of very many...

Also, I am excited because there is no pressure with this business. I can go as fast or as slow as I want. I make my own hours. Not to mention the start up cost is only $100 for the kit (which is $350 worth of product!!), AND I get 50% off all of their products. Surely I can make at least $100, or at least I hope! :)

The flexibility is what I desire most. My sweet husband works SO many hours... unfortunately not only is it so many hours but it is shift work. He flops back and forth from days and nights, weekends and weekdays. It truly is insanity. This summer hasn't been too terrible because I haven't been working a normal job. I've been blessed to work with the designer (and one of my besties!) Tristian, with Gracylu Originals. She has been so wonderful with letting me make my own hours and such. However, now that school is about to begin I'm a little nervous of the toll of me working M-F, 7-4 is going to take on our relationship. So, as you can see, I would be thrilled to build a business where I can have the flexibility to spend time with my husband, while also knocking out some school loans!

Please pray for this business, above all else I want this to be a form of ministry for me. I want to see lives changed first and foremost through the Lord, and secondly through self-confidence with Mary Kay!

You might also want to pray about jumping on this opportunity! :)

Be Blessed,
Danielle

Birdies & Sunshine

Okay ya'll! You can breathe now! I know you've been fretting about my poor mother-in-laws car keys, but they are found! Woohoo!!

This morning I went over to my in-laws after dropping my hubby off at work because I had a few minutes before I had to leave for my job and well my apartment is the opposite direction. Even though they're not home they still let me hang out... thanks Baggetts :) Anyways, by the time I pull up to their home the sun is just starting to rise, and it is absolutely stunning! As I walk up to the house you can hear the birds chirping and singing away. For whatever reason this morning I noticed it. So much so that I stopped in my tracks and just paused, soaking in the natural beauty that surrounded me. I don't ever want to become so busy that I don't appreciate the small beauties in life, such as the morning sun rising or birds innocently singing in the wee hours of dawn.

So then I got to thinking, I wonder what kind of verses are out there that talk about the sun, and here are a few!

Psalm 37:6 (NLT) "He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn, and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun."

Psalm 50 (ESV) "1The Mighty One, God the LORD, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting. 2Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty, God shines forth."

Psalm 84:11 "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless."

What things did you stop and appreciate this morning?

Love you!
me

St. Patty's Day!

*Sigh*

Warning: The first few paragraphs of this blog will be ranting about my not-so-perfect morning :) Proceed if you wish...

You know those mornings when you would give anything to go back to sleep, wake up again, and start over?

Well that was mine today.

Last night Travis and I (along with Uncle Robert, Cullen, Austin, & Kim-- Thank you all!!) moved into our new apartment, which we absolutely LOVE! I was running around like a crazy woman trying to organize before I would collapse and call it a night. I wouldn't call myself OCD, but I definitely prefer a put together and clean home. So to no surprise I went 90 to nothing and looking around 3 hours later, I think we've made amazing progress! We passed out late last night, woke up at 5:30am, ate breakfast, got ready super fast, grab the keys and... where is my lovely purse? My heart starts racing... All the women out there KNOW how detrimental her purse is. I mean a missing purse is like missing a piece of your life, your purse is vital! It has every little detail to aid our days. It is possible to even have a sucessful day withour your beloved purse? Okay, maybe I'm being a little dramatic... maybe not? So I'm racking my brain trying to figure out where it would be hiding amongst this still not-completley-put-together apartment. Luckily after a few minutes I thought "maybe I left it in my sister-in-laws car"... and I did!! We quickly flew over to her place before having Trav at work by 6:40am.

*Phew* Now here comes my commute to work.

I'm driving to work all frantic because I hate being unorganized and losing things. I set my life, I mean purse down at my desk and see my phone has three missed calls from my mother-in-law. She had given me her keys last night to use her car if I needed it to move. Oh no!! My heart starts racing again... I tell her where I think they are, and they aren't there. I'm downtown, 40 minutes from home, and feel utterly helpless and HORRIBLE that I'm putting her in a bind. It's one thing to lose something and drive myself crazy, but when I have to drag someone else in... then it really bugs me. Luckily, she has a great friend who works close to her and offered to drive her. As for the keys, well they're still playing hide and seek, and quite frankly I'm over this game. But, that doesn't solve the fact that I'm racking my brain here at work trying to figure out where in the world they are! Sorry Valerie :(

I blame it all on St. Patrick... Clearly the luck o' the Irish isn't working for me :)

Speaking of St. Patrick... Here are some fun facts for you, even though I'm not Irish.

-According to the Guinness Book of World records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14!

-Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.

That's all I have for now... maybe once I relax & de-stress I'll write more...

Love ya'll!
me

North Vs. South

So the other day at work, the mailman found out that I was from New York and he asked "Tell me three things that are different between NY and Texas..." Well, I'm blatantly aware of how very different these states are, but I've never specifically noted the differences. So this morning as I'm driving to work, I'm noticing, and I figured I would share!

Here I go...


-New Yorkers only dress Cowboy-ish on two occasions: 1. Halloween 2. When we go to Country Fest in which we pose as if we're country. Here, they wear cowboy attire any chance they get.
-The common car in Texas is as big of a truck as you can find, where as in New York people generally drive cars, occasionally some SUV's but RARELY a jacked up F250 turbo, or whatever they're called :)
-People look at me like I have three heads when I order unsweetened iced tea and sweet n' low, you would have thought not drinking sweet tea was a sin!
-There are TONS of mega churches and most of the people here claim Christianity. Up in New York, it's almost epic when you find out someone is a Christ follower.
-Vacation to Texans means go skiing, vacation to New Yorkers means going somewhere/anywhere warm!
-Now Texans, don't get offended on this one... but quite a few Texans use improper English. For example: "I don't have nothing" or "She don't know I'm coming". It makes me giggle inside because for whatever reason, you never hear people speak like that up north.
-Yes it's true, people in the south ARE nicer than people up north.
-Texan's have this crazy Texan-pride thing going on. There are Texas flags EVERYWHERE, I mean does anyone even know if New York has flag??
-Both states enjoy dancing, however when referring to dancing, both are on entirely different ends of the spectrum. Going dancing in Texas means getting your cowboy get-up on, and going to Two-step, Polka, and occasionally some Hip Hop songs, going dancing in New York means dressing very slinky for girls, and very preppy for boy, and bumping and grinding until the wee hours of the morning. There is no "two-step", unless of course it's Missy Elliott style.
-Texas certainly enjoy their fried food... fried okra, fried tomatoes, chicken fried steak... I have to pass on this one :)
-When going out to eat in Texas the restaurant choices are the following: Gringos, Las Hadas, Border Grill, Taqueria, Casa Ole', On the Border, Bullritos, Chipotle'... I mean do you see a theme? If you don't like tex-mex, you won't survive here. Up in the north, we're a bit more diversified in our eating habits.
-When you drive down the road in Texas it is very common to see signs in Spanish, up in the North we prefer the native language of English.
-Ever heard the quote "The bigger the hair, the closer you are to heaven?". Well women most definitely live by that quote here! But I love it, I love me some volume and hairspray :)
-Where I live in Texas, EVERYONE works for some Oil & Gas company. The first time Travis introduced me to a group of guys it went like this... "This is Bob he works for Shell, this is Frank he works for Chevron, this is Andy he works for Lubrizol, this is Peter he works for BP". I'm thinking, is there any other kind of work here! Up in the North I wouldn't say that one sector of business is dominate, it's much more diversified.
-Texas is flat, and to my utter amazement the first time I visited here I learned they have palm trees! New York has seasons and mountains, and trees, lots of trees!
-Texas has the Rodeo, which is absolutely fabulous, and Texans flock to it every year. Pre-Texas I didn't even know rodeo's were real...
-In Texas people love to hunt and shoot things. They have things called "deer leases" in which they set out every weekend and prowl around on some acreage and look for deer to kill. In New York we might go away into the wilderness for the weekend too, but its generally to watch wildlife and soak in the beauty, not so much to seek and kill it. :) (But yes, I do like shooting guns!)
-Texan's say "ya'll", while New Yorkers say "You guys".
-You can drive all day long in Texas and still be in...well Texas. You can drive a day in New York and be two states away.
-It's very common to walk into a Texas household and see some animal hanging up on the wall, up in New York that is virtually unheard of.
-Texas has AMAZING sunsets.

I think that's a pretty good list for now... I'll add more as I notice more.


And at the end of the day, I love them BOTH! It's wonderful to be able to experience such different styles of life!

Sugar Baggett

Yesterday Travis and I decided we had to give away our little puppy, Sugar. We both love her and she has been quite the traveling little pup, however with us both working full time and moving into a small apartment we felt like it wouldn't be fair to her. Not to mention the pet deposit is $500, yikes!

So the bad news is, we had to give her away. The good news is, Travis' aunt and uncle decided to take her. They live an hour and a half away, have another dog, and have 20 acres in the country. She LOVES playing outside and she is going to be in heaven on earth. We'll miss her, but it's the right thing to do at this stage of our lives. :)

Hold fast to the vision

Does life ever throw drastic curve balls at you that leave you utterly clueless? Or perhaps you busy your schedules with so much that your life doesn't even feel like your own? You thought you had such a grasp on what this season of your life should look like, when all of the sudden your world gets rocked...

For me, that seems to be the theme of my last year. Go here, go there, do this, do that, change plans, now wait, don't change plans... I mean sometimes I really feel like my head is spinning out of control. It's at these moments when I find it hardest to maintain a clear vision of why I'm here, what I'm called to, and who I am really am. My Utmost for His Highest devotional for the day was absolutely amazing, and I wanted to share it with you. It blessed my life and inspired me to hold fast to the vision, I hope it does for you too!

Check it out!

VISION-- March, 11, 2010

"I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision." Acts 26:19

If we lose the vision, we alone are responsible, and the way we lose the vision is by spiritual leakage. If we do not run our belief about God into practical issues, it is all up with the vision God has given. The only way to be obedient to the heavenly vision is to give our utmost for God's highest, and this can only be done by continually and resolutely recalling the vision. The test is the sixty seconds of every minute, and the sixty minutes of every hour, not our times of prayer and devotional meetings.

"Though it tarry, wait for it." We cannot attain to a vision, we must live in the inspiration of it until it accomplishes itself. We get so practical that we forget the vision. At the beginning we saw it but did not wait for it; we rushed off into practical work, and when the vision was fulfilled, we did not see it. Waiting for the vision that tarries is the test of our loyalty to God. It is at the peril of our soul's welfare that we get caught up in practical work and miss the fulfilment of the vision.


Watch God's cyclones. The only way God sows His saints is by His whirlwind. Are you going to prove an empty pod? It will depend on whether or not you are actually living in the light of what you have seen. Let God fling you out, and do not go until He does. If you select your own spot, you will prove an empty pod. If God sows you, you will bring forth fruit.

It is essential to practise the walk of the feet in the light of the vision.

my favorite quote at the rodeo

DOUBLE good news!

First good news: my Poppop is doing EXTREMELY well! He is already sitting up and they have moved him from ICU into a regular room. Please continue to have faith and pray for his healing and recovery process.

And on a side note: I want to add that my Poppop is a very healthy man who is not overweight, and religiously takes long walks. If someone with such discipline can get a blockage in his heart, imagine how your heart looks when you eat french fries and cokes regularly. Not preaching, just saying... :)

Second good news: Travis and I signed a lease for our apartment yesterday! We get to move in on Saturday and I am SOO excited! Pictures to come...

Much love,
me