Yearly Transitions

2009 has been a good year but definitely not an easy one. Thankfully, the hard times have, as always, made us stronger. I might be the only one who seems to think that 2009 passed WAY too quickly.
We moved 3 times in 2009.
We each have had 2 jobs in 2009.
We transitioned to living back in Mississippi rather than being in Florida.
I worked hard and got a 4.0 GPA for spring, summer and fall semesters of 2009.
There is so much more I could say about this year but it is so hard to sum it all up.

It has been a very hard year financially. Though there are weeks when we do work 40+ hours, neither of us have full-time jobs. There have been months when we made less than our rent total. God has provided, bottom line. We've done without a lot but we've learned so much from it and grown closer. Sometime in 2010 T will be leaving for basic training with the Army. I will be graduating in May. So there may still be months of struggling and "barely making it". I will be resting in the fact that God will continue to provide and that this will not last forever.

My goals for 2010:
- Spiritually: I want to grow more this year. I want to become stronger and have a more consistent quiet time.
- Financially: I want to continue to learn and use coupons. We will be sticking to a strict budget and try to save as much money as possible.
- Health: eat healthier, exercise. To me, it isn't necessarily about getting to a certain size or weight. I simply want to be healthy and take care of my body.
- Personally: I want to become a better wife/homemaker. I love Trevor with my whole heart and I want my actions and expressions to show that in everything that I do.

I will add to these goals and expound on them as time goes on, but those are the basics of what I intend to accomplish. I know that so many start the year out with such good intentions and lofty goals. Having goals down in writing helps me. Also, accountability is a must. For my few faithfuls out there, feel free to question me and keep me accountable about my 2010 goals as well as my 101 in 1001.
What are your goals for 2010?
I hope everyone has had a blessed 2009 and that you will continue to see God's grace, mercy and blessings in 2010.

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours! I hope everyone's holiday was filled with great joy! We have both been working a lot but it has been a season filled with much love, family and many great memories.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway if you haven't already!

Last year, I didn't get to watch much of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. This was a first for me. I always watch the parade first thing on Thanksgiving morning. I love it!
And one day I WILL be there in person (freezing my southern behind off, I'm sure).

Instead, I spent Thanksgiving working alongside Mickey and Minnie. For a person that loves tradition, the holidays were anything but traditional for us last semester. But I wouldn't trade it for anything.
We had a potluck dinner with all of the other Sunset Market Ranch cast members. It was fun because all of the International College Program students went NUTS over our Thanksgiving tradition and all of the dishes!
We all worked super long shifts on Thanksgiving day but our "family" was together so we still had a good time.

This year, I will be back with my family.Trevor's parents couldn't decide on what to do for Thanksgiving so we will probably just drop by for a little while. Then in the afternoon we will pack up the Hashbrown Casserole and Corn Casserole that I am cooking and take it to my parents house.
I am looking forward to spending time with family, food, fun and making many memories.
I have so much to be thankful for! God has been good and provided so much over the past year! He is so good!

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Fall? Yes, please!

I am beyond exciting about fall. So in honor of fall, my good mood, and the lovely fall colors cast across my living room as I watch TV by candlelight - here are some cute, but inexpensive fall decorating ideas. I am quite in love with the changing of the seasons. =)

Fall/Harvest decorative storage boxes

Adorable pumpkin candle holder. If it was a little more round, then it would look like a pumpkin coach. =)

Two tiered serving tray.

I think I might try to make something similar to this. We'll see later on if I actually follow through with this.

Seriously the most ridiculously cute pumpkin salt and pepper shakers. I love them!

I think this wagon and the wheel barrow would be super fun coffee/side table decorations!

I like crosses, so here are two fall crosses that I thought were pretty. =)

We'll see how much decorating actually get done this year since we are on a tight budget, but either way - I had fun looking through pictures... and it never hurts to have ideas for the future, right? :o)
The best part? I think the most expensive piece was $17.99. My kind of shopping. ;)

For the first time ever...

I am not really looking forward to summer. I am taking summer school so that I can have less of a workload during the fall and spring. If all goes correctly, I will graduate in the spring and I am so excited to finally get a "big kid" job.
While I know in the long run I will appreciate taking the classes during the summer, it seems like such a drag right now. I have never had to take summer school before and I love everything about summer. The weather, the leisure, the feeling of a weekend lasting all week long. :)
I have exams Wednesday, Thursday and Friday next week and then I will be done for a few weeks until summer school starts. We have today off but tomorrow starts a 10 day home stand at the Braves. I have Monday, Wednesday and Friday off but Trevor will most likely have to work the entire 10 days straight. Normally, the hours and work would be appreciated but during finals week? I think he would rather have a few days off to dedicate more time to studying.

Many things to do and not enough time to do everything, so a super short post for my non-existent readers will have to do. =)

*Happy Easter Weekend*

Tonight was the home opener for the Mississippi Braves. Trevor, of course, was working in the kitchen at the Cafe. I worked downstairs. Since it was the home opener, as well as Thirsty Thursday, tips were pretty good. I am supposed to be trained upstairs in the suites tomorrow through Sunday. Hopefully it will all work out and I will get to. I would much rather be in the Suites than in VIP.

I am excited about the long weekend break from school but the weekend will still be beyond busy. Tomorrow I am going shopping with Valerie to buy some more khakis for work. I only have one pair of shorts right now and that could be kind of difficult on a 6 day home stand. Plus, a little variety never hurt anyone. My long-time friend Nicole is coming home for the first time in over a year this weekend. We are planning to go to the zoo Saturday morning with her son and maybe do a late lunch with all of the Normals(our group of friends from high school). Sunday games are always in the afternoon. Monday we have a game in the morning(strange, not really sure why they chose to schedule it this way). And Tuesday is the (dreaded) Mississippi State vs. Ole Miss game. Unfortunately, I will be stuck downstairs for this game. This game is supposed to have one of the largest crowds of the season. I have nothing against either of the schools but, no offense, the fans tend to be a little over the top.

Somewhere in there, I will be cleaning, getting things marked off on my to do list and playing with our new puppy, Coach. =) Enough of this random post. Have a great weekend!

oooh! Here's an Easter Happy!

Here is the link.

Strawberry Festival

I just thought you might want to get excited right along with me. =)

This weekend we(my parents and all siblings minus Heather) are going to...

I have been looking forward to this for SO long. I remember going a few times when I was little and we have tried each year to go back but for the past several years there was always something else going on the same weekend. This will be the first strawberry festival for the little guys and I can't wait to see their reaction. From my understanding, it has just gotten bigger and better over the years but it still has that great small town feel to it. Right after Mardi Gras, this is supposed to be Louisiana's most attended festival. I can taste all of the goodies and treats now. YUM! Cajun food and strawberries... what more could I ask for? hmmm. Only for some Hi-Ho BBQ. If only I could find a picture for that. I just might have to take one this weekend.

Thankful for the rain

I can breath again. And the rain is washing the echo for me. =) It was looking more green than gold the last few days. All of the pollen in the air had really aggravated my allergies. But I woke up this morning(after getting to sleep in to a whopping 9am), and walked outside just to breath in the rain.
My spring break officially started at 1:30 on Wednesday. I worked most of the day yesterday and today I had to work several hours at the Trade Mart for the Jackson Garden and Patio show. I am looking forward to relaxing a good bit in the next week, but I also have a long list on my To-Do list.
We were planning on moving to Honey and BJ's house this weekend but the rain has changed those plans. We were also planning on going camping at Tishamingo State Park for the later part of the week. So the new plans(subject to change) are to spend the weekend packing, camp Monday-Wednesday night at Roosevelt, and move in the latter part of the week. We decided to camp at Roosevelt because it is not far away and we can come back to work at the baseball games on Tuesday and Wednesday night. We can still get a little bit of camping in, work the 2 games at Trustmark Park, and still get moved. Also, Common Ground(the middle school choir at Pinelake) is on their choir tour this week and their homecoming concert is Sunday afternoon. It is always a blessing to watch those middle schoolers share all that they experienced during the week and to worship with them. Makes me miss being a part of it all. :)
All in all, I want to have a relaxing but productive spring break week.
Thankfully, I only have one assignment due when I come back to school. And I am beyond pleased with my mid-term grades.
Have a wonderful, blessed weekend!

P.S. Val, hurry up and move to Pearl! Seriously...

Giving thanks

Some things I am thankful for/what makes me happy:

- A sister who is nosy enough to be asking me for an update ;) I love you, Honey!

- A family that loves me whom I regard with equal love and adoration.. I miss my parents and siblings so much. And it is a bittersweet holiday season for me because I am excited to be experiencing a full length Christmas at Disney... but it is so hard not being home with my family. It is both of our first time spending a holiday away from our families. *sigh*

- Christmas music! It love it. It is so soothing. And it makes me happy no matter what my mood might have previously been

- Being crafty and making Christmas cards and ornaments.

- The people I have met and the friends I have made over the past several months while we have been here in Orlando.

While I am looking forward to heading home to Mississippi, getting back to school, and settling down, leaving here is going to be hard. I am going to miss the amazing people that I have met. I have learned so much from this experience, grown so much and met people who I know I will stay in contact with. Words cannot fully express all that I have gotten out of this experience. I just know that Trevor and I will be making quite a few road trips and even a trip to Europe and Asia in the next couple of years.
I am going to miss playing at Disney was much as I want to. Working at Disney is... an adventure to say the least. Honestly, the guests we had today were some of the rudest I have ever encountered. Including a young man who called me a very unsavory name and told me I should be fired because we don't carry salsa on the condiment bar. If only you could see me rolling my eyes right now. It was quite ridiculous.
To sum it up, I will miss living down here(to an extent), playing down here, and the people I have met down here. But knowing that very few people who I am here with now will be here after I leave makes it a little easier.

Well, there is somewhat of a blog update. More like a scattered list. I will try to do better about updating, Honey. But I lack motivation knowing that no one really reads this. Sad I know. :)