In Limbo

While reading a devotional a couple of days ago I read something I had never really thought about before but really need to. The author told me to stop thinking about God's will as a tight and narrow path and start thinking of it as an open field. God's plan is not for us to go on a straight line from point A to point B, but to stay within his boundaries of the field.

The author explained that when we ask God for help in deciding which way to go, his answer may not be black and white but allow for us to choose. This is something I had never even thought to be a possibility. I see things more black and white so why wouldn't God? It has been hard walking blindly (not hearing anything from God for awhile on which way I should go) but now I am beginning to see that God would have stepped in and changed my direction if I started off down the wrong path.

So as I continue to seek Him and His will I am living life a little differently than what I thought I would be at 31. I am working part time at Target, still working a little for the Census, searching for a full time job, still waiting to hear from Rutgers in NJ, and living with my mom and dad for a little while.

Andrea, Aylah, and Macy came for a whole week! I loved every minute of it! Here are my most favorite pictures:

Aylah and Macy were so excited to this red wagon and ride in it that they were giggling when they climbed in! As for Aspen, well that's a whole 'nother story. Aylah has been scared of Aspen from the beginning. Macy on the other hand loves Aspen. She will pet her, feed her treats, and affectionately calls her Elmo.

Let's Get Caught Up

Saw this while walking through shops in the Fort Worth Stockyards and thought it went along with my blog address.

My life has been busy since I left Texas (the day after Easter) and I am not even working yet! Thanks to Mom we drove Monday afternoon through Wednesday early evening from Texas to Michigan and had a great shopping trip at an outlet mall in Indiana. Since getting back I am as unpacked as I'll ever be, hung out with Gramma Bea for three days (making sure she was doing okay after surgery), and went on a women's retreat with church. This coming week I will be working at Habitat a couple of times (I missed that while in TX) and then next week will begin training for US Census work. That should be an interesting job, going to people's homes who haven't filled out their census form and getting it filled out.

I am still eagerly awaiting my move to NJ but need to find a job and place to live there. It could be towards the end of May when I hear back from the two colleges I applied to for grad school. In the meantime I enjoy talking with Aylah and Macy on the phone and getting text updates from Andrea about cute things Aylah has said. The most recent was Andrea asking "Aylah, what are you going to be when you grow up?" and Aylah responding "Bigger." Now that is one smart girl!

Aspen (my dad's golden retriever) never disappoints me when I come home. She always comes running to greet me and whines because she is just so excited. This is good because I missed her tons when I was in Texas and am so happy to have her around again. The best is when she sleeps next to my bed the first night or too after I have been gone for several days :) The two of us really bonded when we first got her over seven years ago. Mom surprised Dad with her for Christmas and I was living with them at the time.

As I promised, here are some pictures:

The Fort Worth Herd is taken out twice a day to show tourists what an old Longhorn cattle drive looks like. Those crazy beasts didn't even care the road was packed three or four deep with adults and kids.

Here is where the bikers hangout on Sunday afternoons, a little place called Love Shack. Seriously, the whole road was lined with cruisers!

Next is an up close picture of a longhorn. He was tied to a fence for the sole purpose of allowing people to sit on him and get their picture taken.

As we, my friend Lynne and two of her sons Tyler and Alex, where walking along the sidewalk we came upon something very unusual: a dog, a cat, and a mouse just chilling. They have been trained to do this obviously by their owner but it made passersby laugh and take pictures.

We got to go on a nice horse drawn carriage ride around the Stockyards. On the left is one of the sites. This tower was used in my favorite t.v. series Prison Break.

Tyler and Alex loved meeting the horses after our ride, especially Alex, the younger one.

I decided that while in Texas I wanted to be a tourist once or twice. This was my second time, the first was at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, where of course no cameras are allowed. Lynne and all three of her boys accompanied me to the Mint as well :)

Moving to MI

So much has happened. I even have pictures to post. The problem is I have been very busy...packing, packing, and working. Right now I am hanging out at my friends' house with their sweet golden/lab mix, Abby. It is a nice break from it all. Today was my last day at work which made it a somewhat emotional day.

Hopefully this tiny update is good enough for now. I am headed to bed and it is only 9pm.

My mom and I will hopefully arrive back in MI Tuesday, April 6 after a very long drive. I will definitely have more time to post what all has been going on in my life and pictures from the Fort Worth Stockyard.

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

On Fire!

First of all, I changed my profile pic because I love seeing pictures of my smiling nieces all the time. So this one is of me and Macy. Isn't she just the cutest redhead?!

Okay, now for the on fire part. Within the past year I have been on fire twice. Nope, not kidding. It first occurred in June when I was diagnosed with Mono and an upper respiratory infection. The antibiotic I was prescribed gave me a rash the day after I finished taking it. By the next day my face was bright red and on fire. My nurse practitioner is awesome and takes very good care of me, I see her often as you may guess. By the next day my firey face was much better.

This past Wednesday I had finally had enough of my hands hurting so badly; they were dry, itchy, bleeding, and hurting from all the hand washing at work, that I called my doctor. I still had to work five and a half hours on Thursday before I could get in though. So by the time I went into the doctor my hands were bright red on fire and I had a temp because my hands were so hot. Yes, excessive hand washing IS hazardous to your health!

Really, I am so sick of being sick in so many different ways. I feel as if Satan is trying to attack me to the point where I will just give up. Well trust me some days it almost gets to that point. But I keeping seeking God's strength to get me through.

I was not able to go back to work on Thursday, for the remaining 2-2.5 hrs, and I missed yesterday too. My hands are starting to look better but definitely still look like I have a slight sunburn starting at my wrist. I know I will make it though because God has already healed me of my allergies, including wheat, and gotten me through the Mono.

Now if I could just kick the Anaemia...(which I was also diagnosed with in June)

This weekend I hope to finish my college apps and call the appropriate people about writing recommendations for me, something I have been putting off because I really do not like having to ask people to do things like that for me but will be so appreciative to them for doing. And I did get a ton of random stuff like laundry, filing, etc done yesterday.

Thanks for listening, I know my sickness stuff is boring. It just never ends for me.

I've Got Texas in My Corner

That's right folks. I have now lived in Texas for over a year. I had to renew my auto registration and therefore "I've got Texas in my corner". The corner of my windshield that is. The phrases used in the lone star state crack me up sometimes so this time I decided to share. Too bad I will only have to use my renewed registration for less than a month (it expires in March, I like to be proactive otherwise I completely forget when the deadline approaches). Then hopefully it will be off to NJ!

p.s. I have had several days without headaches! Although my blood tests came back with the result of anemia again so I was instructed to take more iron each day. We will see how it goes...

Being Sick

So I am usually not one to complain or tell the world that I am sick but this has been a rough year. Being diagnosed with Mono and Chronic Daily Headaches was plenty. Then, this past weekend all I did was sleep, literally. I think I was awake for about ten hours the whole weekend.
When the nurse called me in this morning I blurted out "You got a new scale!" Um yes, I have been in the doctor's office so frequently this past year that I was sick of seeing broken scale and a sudo bathroom scale next to it. Now they have a nice new digital one (that told me I way so much more than I really do because I had my winter coat, tennis shoes, jeans, bulky sweatshirt on--I'm just saying).
Then when a nurse came in to give me a shot in my rump (for congestion because I was coughing until I gagged) I thanked her. I know, kind of funny but those shots in the bum work every time!
So with nothing else to go on my doctor knew it was time to draw more blood and do more tests. I hate getting my blood drawn and always tell whom ever is taking it but somehow have become a pro at it I think.
So for now I am low on energy despite taking an iron supplement (for anemia) since June 2009 and sleeping all weekend. It's back to work tomorrow because taking care of ten babies it not tiring at all ;)
In a nut shell: I am really sick of being sick. I think it's time for a nap.

Headaches

Not a fun subject but I thought I would share because this is something I have been struggling with for several years now. I truly believe with all my heart that God brought me to Texas for healing, both spiritual and physical. For several years I have had headaches that progressively got worse. When I met with an allergist here in Texas (and also found out I no longer have allergies, including wheat) he referred me to a neurologist. Both the allergist and neurologist are amazing at their jobs and have been a blessing. However, going to the process of getting rid of my Chronic Daily Headaches (CDH) is not fun at all. The headaches may get worse in order to get better and I even had a major migraine one day. The headaches not only hurt (um, duh :) but they also exhaust me, especially now that they have gotten worse. So I am just ready to have more energy and headache free days.

Christmas/New Year's Vacation in Michigan!

Macy and Auntie Marie. I met Macy for the first time in June so she had lots of new tricks to show me :)

Aylah wearing her new Texas shirt:) I wanted her to have something that would reminder of me because I miss her so much. If you ask her about the shirt she will tell you it says Texas and that is where An Re lives. Macy is such a happy baby, always smiling, but loves to stick her tongue out in concentration. I wonder if she was eyeing a plate of my Mom's famous Christmas goodies? The banket and buckeyes are my favorite!

Favorite moments from my vacation home:

• a mobile Macy: crawling across the floor, up the stairs and pulling up to the couch


• a sleepy Macy: cuddling with Macy while rocking her to sleep


• wake-up calls courtesy of Aylah: "get up An Re" "I turn light on, tay?" "let's go play!"


• Aspen realizing I was home after almost a year: I have NEVER in my life seen her SO excited (she gave me kisses on the face-she never does that:)


• welcome at GRR: Mom, Dad, and Gramma Bea waiting for me at the airport


• a party with friends: nough said!


• lunch with a friend at Logan's: good company, good food!


• seeing all of my relatives: including one who I had not seen in quite awhile


• having a really good excuse for not sledding: I always get cold quickly and now since living in Texas I am a pansy when it comes to Michigan winter weather


• getting to drive Mom and Dad's vehicles: it's the little things in life that make me happy--I enjoy driving different vehicles, maybe because I drove different vehicles in catering and at the child care center


• Euchre with Dad, Andrea, and Josh: yeah, Dad and I only won one out of three but we still had a great time

I do not miss the Michigan weather for a minute but it was really weird not have cold temps before Christmas. Then Christmas Eve Day and Christmas Day were nasty in Texas. God was my comfort as I drove on pure ice to the slippery highways Christmas morning.

Although I have been enjoying the warm temps in Texas this winter I think it will be my last one here (I moved here in the middle of last winter). God has been speaking to me about moving to New Jersey and earning a MSW. It is also a huge bonus that my nieces live there and it is so hard to be so far away from them while they are growing up so quickly. And I really miss Andrea and Josh too.

I hope you and your families had a blessed holiday season. It is funny how two Thanksgivings ago was when God began to speak to me about Texas and now this Christmas about New Jersey. His plan is amazing and awesome and although this year of healing in Texas has not been easy I really needed it.

What I Am Thankful For

A lot of people are posting what they are thankful for on FB. I am putting it all here for you to read all at once. I like to be organized you know.

1. My LORD and Savior Jesus Christ
2. My family: Dad, Mom, Andrea, Josh, Aylah, Macy, Aspen
3. Charity, my roommate, who is allowing me to pay her rent and live with her in her home
4. My job (including my Christian coworkers and the infants that never cease to make me smile
and laugh), even though it is not my dream job
5. My car (and all of the new things I have had to install in/on it within the past 11 months) i.e.
a battery, ignition switch, tires, brakes etc.
6. Sunny and warm (notice I did not say hot!) Texas
7. The Immeker family (my Texan family) Jim, Lynne, and their sons Tyler, Justin, and Alex
8. God's plan for my life and his leading (my plans always suck and God knows what is best for
me)
9. Beautiful Lake Michigan, both the water and the squeaky sand
10. Forgiveness, nuf said
11. Walks outside
12. Hard Rock Christian music
13. All my good friends in Michigan, you know who you are ;)
14. Tall size jeans
15. Victoria's Secret underwear: it's a party in your pants!
16. Nice cold drinking water, and lots of it
17. Being able to talk on the phone with my two-year-old niece and knowing that she still
remembers me and misses me as much as I miss her
18. Meijer grocery stores, try living in a state that does not have them :(
19. Drag strips and all the guys who like to run their cars and crotch rockets there
20. Green grapes (really I think they are my favorite food)

Oops! Haven't posted in two months!

I have been one of those people who just does not post enough. Sorry! I have been thinking about this post a lot though. There are some things I have observed that deserve to be mentioned here.

1. People in Texas park in their driveway and on the street all the time and they have short driveways to begin with. This honestly perplex me for a long time! (I am embarrassed to admit). So why do they do it? Duh Marie! Texans don't have basements! (Which I feel is very unfortunate for them). Therefore all their crap ends up in their garage and thus absolutely no room for cars, not even one. Now, I have noticed that there is more than one garage that really needs my help. Why my help? Because when the garage door is open all I see is a heaping pile (as high as the garage itself) of stuff. Everything in the pile was just literally thrown into the pile! Oh these people need my help and do not even know it! I would absolutely LOVE to go through those piles one item at a time and decide if the item is worth pitching or saving. If it is worth saving then they can decide to do with it but it is not allowed back in the garage unless it belongs there...maybe Texans just need bigger garages or closets...The best garage I have seen though is several houses down from mine. I refer to it as "The Man Cave". I am not really sure if the wife/girlfriend/common law wife (another weird Texan thing) is allowed in the man cave but it definitely looks like a guy's place to hangout. The inside walls of the garage are painted a dark blueish gray, there is workout equipment (for building manly muscles), and get this: two camping type chairs and a nice sized t.v. On game nights you better believe the guys are out there. It cracks me up! (and yes I do believe I saw a fan out there on one of the hotter evenings.

2. Now I know I have mentioned the fences before but they also were perplexing me. Every house has a fence around the backyard and some about halfway up to the front yard. Why? I just could not see any reason except for the fact that the houses are all WAY too close to each other. My friend Lynne enlightened me. It is for safety. A random person cannot just go walking through a neighborhood and cannot even get there from a main road. You see, if the cul-de-sac is near the main road then there is a fence there also, expect for these are iron instead of wood. This also made me realize the neighborhoods are beyond confusing. And no I do not mean like the one-way roads in my parents neighborhood. Nope, these are worse! You can enter part of a neighborhood (which may actually go on for quite awhile but have different streets jutting off the main one) and go right only to find that after it turns the corner it is a cul-de-sac. So then if you try to go left you end up curving around several times and hit another cul-de-sac and then have to go down another street to get out. What?!? So robbers, I am sorry, you are out of luck if you plan to work in Texas. The homes are impossible to find and once you do find the one you want you will spend the next week trying to exit the neighborhood.

3. This one really is just beyond me...Right outside my bedroom window is the neighbor's front door. Huh?!? And right outside our front door is one of the neighbors' bedroom windows. This is because the front door of the house is on the side. This makes the front door area pitch black when you come home at night and if your neighbors like to slam there front door every time they use it (like mine do) you will be woken-up. Also, my neighbors like to leave their front door light on all night long. Now what man came up with this idea? ;) Note to self: never put your front door on the side of your house, especially if your neighbor's house is less than a stone's throw away. Also, do not put the pantry door right next to the refrigerator so you will never ever be able to fully open your refrigerator door. :(

4. My church has been without a pastor for maybe 4 or 5 months now. It was just announced today that the man our pastor search committee extended a call to will be visiting us the first Sunday in December so we can hear him preach and vote as a congregation (just a formality I think). We have had some really great speakers and our church has continued to flourish (adult/child baptisms and people joining) but it will be good to have a pastor again.

5. I am flying home on Christmas Day and staying through New Years!!! So excited! Cannot wait!! Want to see all y'all in Michigan :) (all y'all is plural for y'all).

6. Daily we have ten babies in my classroom at work. The ten enrolled in the infant are two-and-a-half months to ten months old and sometimes our twelve and thirteen month-olds who moved up come back to our room at the end of the day due to ratios. Yes, this means there are two teachers to ten kids and one teacher to four kids. It makes for a very busy day! I love all of the babies and never cease to be excited when they learn something new. My two coworkers are also wonderful, we make a great team.

7. My eyes and ears are still open to any job possibilities in Michigan or Texas. Working at the child care center has always been a temporary thing, especially since they lied to me about being able to apply for the assistant director's position after being there for 90 days. I continue to seek God's will for my next job but have not received any answers or nudgings yet.

8. Did you know there are only two Bureaus of Engraving and Printing in the U.S.? The one in Washington D.C. and one just down the road from me in Fort Worth. I went on a tour of the BEP with a friend and her sons. It was so cool! I learned a ton and would definitely go back again. This facility is making the new one hundred dollar bill and has been working on it for several years. So they had tarps up and windows closed in certain areas so we could not copy what they are doing ;) I highly recommend you checking it out if you ever find yourself in the area.

9. After getting lost too many times to mention a couple of weekends ago I went to Motorcycle Madness at one of the drag strips near here. It was definitely worth going! It made me laugh when I got up into the stands with my t-shirt and jeans on and there were guys with CarHeart (sp?) jackets on! (Don't worry I will still be freezing my butt off when I come home for Christmas). 60 degrees is the new 30 degrees for me :)

10. I have been on again off again sick after getting the Mono and upper respiratory infection. Please pray with me that good health will find me again soon.

11. Thank y'all for listening to my ramblings. I try to post sooner next time. Now don't forget to respond to my post and tell me if it was boring or um...whatever you thought.

Reason to Celebrate

Okay so all ya'll (I have been told this is plural for y'all) may not be celebrating with me but I sure am excited! While playing around on facebook I joined a Gluten-free group. After spending only a short time looking over their page I learned a ton and realized what a great resource this is for me. I am so excited to look into some of the information other people are sharing!

For those of you who may not know, I was diagnosed with a wheat allergy a couple of years back. It is SO hard at times to not eat wheat and actually I still do in small quantities. A gluten allergy includes wheat, rye, and barley. So when I go searching for gluten-free products I know they are wheat-free. So far it has not been easy trying to eat this way and definitely not cheap.

That is why I am so excited about learning more how to save money and find these products. Betty Crocker is making gluten-free cake, cookie, and brownie mixes and restaurants like Johnnie Carinos (they actually tell you what you can substitute to make a meal gf) and Olive Garden are adding gluten-free dishes to their menus.

My other reason to celebrate today was my Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ. I had a great time singing worship songs with one of my WOW Worship Cd's. Although I have a lot going on that is stressing me out, I still have an amazing God who is with me always.

FROGS!

A dear friend loves to remind me that before I meet my prince I must first kiss a lot of frogs. Well, one more frog down...how many more to go? Hopefully the next guy I kiss will be my prince. I have been praying for him for a looong time. Now I would not say that all of my dating relationships have been a waste. I have learned more about myself, about relationships with men, and (most importantly) lessons from God.

So now that y'all know I'm single once again, you should also know I am gaining in my fight against the Mono. I had energy last Saturday for the first time in almost two months. And I did not come home and take a nap every night last week. Now I did still sleep-in until 2:30pm yesterday but I was back in bed for the night at 11:30pm. For the short while I was awake yesterday I got so many things done and feel really good about what was accomplished!

Tomorrow starts a whole new school year at work and I will find myself drowning in the "Two's Room" as the lead teacher. Why do I say drowning? Because they are not sweet little two-year-olds (I loved being a teacher to the two-year-olds at Appletree). They are two-and-a-half year olds who do not like to listen, are potty training, and gang up on me in groups of eleven!!! (The ratio in Michigan is one teacher to eight 2.5yr olds, big difference there).

I am not happy about being the lead teacher because 1. I am only in this classroom for three hours of curriculum time a day 2. I so far have been given no time to prepare my lesson plan (and it starts tomorrow--not good when the teacher has no prep time) 3. I was promised there would be at least 12 children in the classroom requiring there to be a second teacher with me (there are going to be 11 as of the counts on Friday) 4. Actually if there are enough kids for two teachers, the one scheduled to work with me is no help what-so-ever so I guess that would not be good either

Well, I think it is my nap time now. I am really excited about starting the Beth Moore study "Esther: It's Tough Being a Woman" at church tonight. The cool thing is my mom is starting the same study at her church too!

Best Birthday Gift Ever!

The third weekend in June I flew to Atlanta, Georgia to meet my newest niece. Actually I went to babysit Macy because Andrea was in a friend's wedding and needed someone to take care of our little princess. As you can see in the picture, Macy has the most beautiful blue eyes, amazingly red hair, and the softest cheeks perfect for lots of kisses from her Auntie Marie. I had the privilege of taking care of this sweet, almost always happy and smiling angel while Andrea enjoyed helping her friend celebrate. Meeting Macy for the first time was really exciting but I also LOVED seeing my sister again.

Overall, it was a good but busy weekend and well worth it. Thank you Josh, Andrea, Mom, and Dad for the best birthday present ever (flying me to Atlanta). I cannot wait to see Macy and Andrea again soon. (I was hoping to go home in August but plane tickets cost too much!) It is so hard to know both of my precious nieces are growing up so fast while living so far away from me. Aylah is talking SO much and says the funniest things. I continue to talk to her on the phone so she will remember me (She loves to sing to me now too:). The last time I called she all of a sudden said "An Re" like she could not believe she was actually talk to me. SO cute!

This post is so overdue. Just look at the title, my birthday was at the beginning of June and now it is almost August (the hottest month in Texas I have been told). Now that I have had my first taste of 100+ days I know I was not cut-out to live in Texas forever. Although I do not enjoy cold winters in Michigan at least I can bundle up more and my summer is not wasted inside because it is too hot to handle outside.

I now live in house with a very sweet Christian girl, Charity and her dog Lillie. It is Charity's house and she actually had it built. She has scripture painted on the walls in all of the rooms, which I love. I am only 15 minutes away from work and church so it is not too far away.

For a week or two after moving I struggled with a sore throat and extreme tiredness. One Friday after work I went to the doctor and was diagnosed with Mono which explained it all. Taking a week off from work was not fun but all I did was sleep and rest. I never knew how strong Mono was until I got it. I am still sleeping more than usual and tiring out more easily.

On the left is me and John at the Chinese restaurant and on the right is me at the Fort Worth Water Gardens, they were so beautiful.

Before I got sick (and tired) my boyfriend John took me to downtown Fort Worth and Dallas. In Fort Worth we saw the Water Gardens at night which was very pretty. In Dallas we saw the place where former president JFK was shot and learned all about the possibilities of several shooters and where other shots were fired from etc. There were so many beautiful churches in downtown Fort Worth, John is sitting in front of just one of them.

On the left is part of the JFK Memorial and on the right is The Green Monster (a building lit with green lights).

I have been a floater working in all of the classrooms at work. My boss calls me her "everything girl". Working in the baby room continues to be my favorite but I have grown to love all the kids at work. It helps me miss my nieces just a little less. The "politics" of work stink though. I went to the center to apply for the Assistant Director position. Well, I was told I needed to work in a classroom for three months, I started the beginning of March, and that I could apply for the position. The position was recently filled with another teacher at the center and I was never even given the chance to apply. In fact they were training the other teacher on the job for several weeks before even admitting she was training. Needless to say I need to find a better paying job where I will be respected more.

If you have not heard from me lately I would like to blame it on the Mono. I seriously come home and take a nap before dinner most nights. So just give me a call sometime and if you talk to my voicemail I promise I will get back to you, just maybe not the same day.

My trip home this weekend did not work out due to expensive airfare but I am hoping for Christmas now. I never thought I could stand to live outside the state of Michigan for so long!

Blogging

I am enjoying blogging but cannot decide what colors to use. The layout is kind of boring... My new profile pic includes my doggie friend Abby who I got to live with and take care of for a week. She is a very nice dog and makes me miss Aspen just a little less.

Time changes things, God moves

God has brought me so far from this same day last year. I road a crotch rocket to the Saturday Parade last year, this year I am not even living in Michigan.

So many deep thoughts have been going through my mind these past few days: Where will God have me move next (in Fort Worth)? Who will he have me live with? Is God leading me towards a new job? A better paying job? A different career? Will I actually be able to go see my family in August or will I not be able to take the time off from work because other people have already requested off or I am just starting a new job? Will I ever meet my prince? (This question I have been asking for almost a decade now)

All the answers to these questions have already been answered and maybe not in the way I think they would be but only God knows. My hope is in Him.

My mom has been a tremendous help with my frustrations lately. She lets me call and just purge all my frustrations on her and tells me she is praying for me daily. I feel bad for venting to her all the time but it really helps just voicing my frustrations to someone who cares. Thank you Mom for helping once again through a hard time.

For those of you who know my mom you know what a wonderful person she is. In fact, I am crying now as I write this because sending her a card for Mother's Day just does not do my thankfulness justice. I wish I could be home to give her tons of hugs and spend all of Mother's Day with her. She has been my earthly strength while God has been my unearthly strength. Thank you Mom for caring about me so much that you continually listen to me vent and then always have something inspiring to say in response.

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you! I miss you!

Piggy Flu

Do not fear. So far I have been safe from the piggy flu. We already wash our hands and the kids' hands like crazy so hopefully no one at my work will get sick.

I have another name for you. Today one of the kindergartners called me "Mystery". I know I have heard him say it before but forgot to add it. When I tried to have him repeat my name after I said it he ended up saying "Miss Arie". I love it, they always make me smile.

Today was a record breaker. I was in six of the seven classrooms at one time or another today. That was the most in one day since I started working at La Petite. It just means I know all the kids in the center :)

Where God Leads

God has such an interesting way of teaching me lessons, all the time. I have finally gotten my car inspected, registered, and have two Texas plates (still need to figure out how to attach the front one but have not gotten the chance to ask yet) and hope to get my drivers license soon. The main reason why I do not have my drivers license is because I got completely and utterly LOST on my way to the public safety office I think is what they call it.

How was I supposed to know that when mapquest told me to take highway 183 it was the same as 121 and highway 820 kind of turned into. The directions were WAY easier on paper! That is the last time I get all independent and think I can travel some place in Texas without ask a local first. The ladies at work were so sympathetic and helpful when I got back from my wasted 2.5 hour break. It was only supposed to take me about 20-25 min to get there with traffic. And yes, I did finally find the place but who knows how I finally got there. God took care of me, even when I had not a clue where I was, where I had been, and where I was going. I have always wanted to be good with directions but it is really time that I stop thinking that and face reality:)

Starting last night I am taking a hiatus from my aunt and uncle's house to live at a friend's house. Her and her wonderful husband and sons are on vacation and I am loving the solitude and time with their lab, who reminds me a lot of my Aspen. This week alone came at just the right time. I have been needing some time all to myself to seek God and just have uninterrupted me time. This includes a longer drive to and from work and a house to myself. Believe it or not I am right in between being an extrovert and an introvert. In fact, sometimes I think people are offended by my spending a lot of time by myself but there are times when I really need it.

One of the big groups I have been attending at church sprouted a women's smaller group. We have met several times and the other women in the group are great. The purpose of the group is to work through stuff in our lives by great devotions, group time, and supporting each other. I am so thankful for this group and for God leading me there the first week I moved here. God is growing me and stretching me in so many ways.

Last Sunday was an exciting day. I was baptized by full immersion. Never thought I would become a Southern Baptist but I will be joining Harvest soon. So many people in my church family have mentioned standing up with me on Sunday as I have seen them this week. (When someone is baptized in the baptistery above the choir loft everyone who is a part of this person's life stands up in the audience during the baptism. The funny thing is there is a huge spot light on the person being baptized and the pastor baptizing them (my Adult Bible Fellowship teacher was the pastor who baptized me). So as I looked out on the huge sanctuary all I saw was darkness and a bunch of figures standing in the front row. Beyond that it was impossible to tell).

Work continues to keep me busy. I work anywhere from 35-40 hours a week. Everyday is different but I always end up in the infant room for the last 3-4 hours. It is good to hear my boss tell me how much she trusts me and is thankful she can put me in any classroom and know I will be able to handle it. The class I was in the most this week was the Early Preschool Room, three-year-olds. One of the boys in the classroom can be a bit of a handful but not as bad as others. I have had the opportunity to talk with him one-on-one and connect a little more with him than other children though.

One of the things I like about this little guy is every once in awhile he will play with my hair while I read books. Who doesn't love having their hair played with? I always have mine in a ponytail because I know the younger kids love to pull hair. So anyway, I walked in the classroom one day this week and the first thing my buddy said was "Miss Marie I like your hair". It put a smile on my face because I had left my hair down and just pulled part of it back, very different from usual. Then later that day he played with my hair while I read books. I think he is going to be a stylist someday.

Another cute thing about the children at school is they all have different ways of trying to pronounce my name. Here are a few I can remember right now: Arie, Missery (Miss Marie), Re, Miss Mary. The other teachers always seem confused when the girl who calls me Miss Mary says my name. I explain to them I have tried to teach her how to say it correctly but it always comes out the same way. They then try to help her pronounce it and get the same results.

Even though I was trying not to apply for a job in child care again because I knew the pay was low I know God led me to this job for a reason...

God has led me to a job I enjoy, is hard work, and fulfilling. However, I am never going to make it on my current income. Please pray God will lead me to the right job at the right time. My hope is to finally rent a place on my own. At this point that is not even close to being an option and I do not know if that is God's plan for me.

Cowboy Baby

I figured y'all deserved an update on the real reason I moved to Texas (yeah right, we all know God led me here for some amazing things to happen, which have not yet happened). I have met several cowboys and lots of just guys here in Texas. However, the cowboys are all married, I think they all marry young, and the other guys are younger than me or just not the right one. That's it. Nothing else to report on that issue. The search continues...

p.s. I am getting baptised at church tomorrow, full immersion, and I am super excited! Then I will become a member of Harvest (a Southern Baptist church:).

Western Michigan Accent

I was pegged by my accent the other day at work. Besides getting a lot more used to the Texan accent I have forgotten that I have one too. One of the parents at work was telling me something and I said "gotcha" without even thinking about it. Immediately she asked me where I was from with my accent and "gotcha". I laughed and told her Michigan. Then the next day I was asking a fellow teacher where the baby's pipe was. She made me repeat the word and still looked very confused. I said "pacifier, nuky, pacy, pipe". She thought I was crazy for calling it a pipe and finally understood. Now that I think about it pipe is a very weird name for a pacifier.


I finally got my car in for inspection and it passed. Next I have to find the place where I will register my car. Mapquest says it is only a 20min drive but I know it will be more than with traffic and it is in an area I have not gone yet.

Today I found out I will have to move by June so my search begins again. You would think I would be good at searching for a place to live since I have lived in five places since college but it is never easy. Especially the trying to find a roommate part because I cannot afford to live alone. Prayers on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

I miss you all and wish you could be enjoying the nice weather and green trees with me.

Strength

That is what God has been teaching me this past week. I have leaned solely on him because now of mine is left. I have always been one of those people who "if it can happen to someone then it happens to me". The two things I have always struggled with: finances and health. When I think, great now I can pay off some more bills and start saving, I end up owing even more for something or an added expense pops up. I never sick per say but I always am battling my allergies and sinuses. Just when I have my allergies better under control I get a sinus infection that makes me sleep all week, except for when I am at work. Well, that is how my past week was wasted and it ended with another unexpected financial thing. God has allowed me to lean on his strength this week and helped me make it work each day. I know he will bless me soon for fighting Satan's numerous attacks.

One a more positive note I will be starting a women's study (on Thursdays) with two or three other women from my church. I have been waiting to be apart of a group like this since I started at Harvest. Monday nights I am apart of a great group of believers who struggles with some of the same things I do. Wednesday nights I go to a bible study which is currently all about parables. Fridays I will once again be able to connect with the group of people my age (go figure that the first meeting after over a month off and I am too tired/sick to attend). Sundays I am in an Adult Bible Fellowship group learning more about the book of Daniel before Sunday service. By surrounding myself with these various unique groups of people I am hoping to grow more in God with other believers and not just learn about Him and meet new people.

Being in active relation with other believers is so important to me and who I am. I am even lucky enough to have a woman at work who I work with for at least several hours everyday to talk about faith with. Yes, we do talk to the babies also but if they are falling asleep in our laps or drinking a bottle it is good to talk faith with the other caregiver in the room:)

I hope God is doing a good work in all of you also. Please e-mail me, text me, facebook me, or something. I miss hearing from all of you. God Bless!!!