Fire Lighting

Have you ever tried lighting a fire under someone's butt to get a move on things, but they really aren't in any hurry? That's where I am right now. I'm trying to suggest a sense of urgency on getting going full speed on the house, but I keep getting turned down. I ask Mom, please call so and so to have them come out and look at things, mainly to get their professional opinion before we do anything detrimental. She doesn't. I ask Dad, what can we do now? What can we knock down? We're about at a stand point until we get answers. He says, draw up some plans on what you'd like to have done. But I want to know what we CAN do before I spend time drawing plans. Grrrr! Don't they understand that once the house is livable that I'll be moving OUT of their house and INTO that one? Crimney!

FACTS and SECRETS

Best, Last, Today, Tomorrow, Favorite, Currently, and True or False.

Best...
1. Friend: my neighbor

2. Cousin: hummm....

3. Things to do: travel

4. Time of Day: super late at night when I get my second wind

5. Day of the week: Friday

6. Food: ice cream

7. Memory: so many, which one do I choose...?

Last...

8. Person you saw: where? right now, my brother

9. Talked to on the phone: Katie, right now.

10. Text: Rylen

11. IMed: ????

Today...

12. What are you doing now: watching Scrubs and filling this out

13. What are you wearing right now? jeans and a cute top (what I wore to work)

14. Better than yesterday? it's Friday, so yes

Tomorrow
15. Is : busy working on the house

16. Plans: maybe dinner with J&A

17. Dislikes about tomorrow? busy working on the house

Currently...

18. Missing: my childhood

19. Mood: easy going, chill, relaxed

20. Wanting: to be done with the house so I can move in

True or False:

[I am a cuddler] true

[I am a morning person] false

[I am a perfectionist] true/false

[I am an only child] false

[I am currently in pajamas] false

[I am shy with the opposite gender] pretty much true

[I can be paranoid at times] true

[I like country music] true

[I enjoy talking on the phone] true

[I have a hidden talent] false

[I have all my grandparents] false

[I have or had broken a bone] true (as long as a toe counts)

[I have changed a lot over the past year] grown, true

[I have done something illegal] true

[I have friends who have never seen my natural hair color] true. But then again if they haven't seen my natural hair, which I've had for awhile, then maybe they aren't truly my friend.

[I have had major/minor surgery] true

[I have had the cops called on me] false

Today
-----------

1. Talk to a boy/girl you like? no

2. Learn anything new? no

3. Talk to an ex? no

4. Miss someone? no

-Last Person-
------------------------

5. Laid in your bed? me

6. Made you cry? mom

7. You went to the movies with? J and G

8. Went to the mall with you? Chris

9. You showered with? no one

10. Who Made you laugh? Paige


--General stuff--
-------------------

11. Favorite location? with friends

12. What are you most scared of this second? never finding love and getting married

13. Where do you want to get married? somewhere pretty and romantic

14. Does anyone like you? doubt it

15. Do you like being around people? most of the time yes

16. Have you ever cried? duh, yes

17. Are you lonely right now? yes

18. Song stuck in your head? nope

19. Been on radio/tv: yes

20. What is your favorite color? turquiose

21. Ever liked someone who treated you like crap? no

22. What color shirt do you have on? purple

23. How much cash do you have on you right now? $1.67

24. Are you bored? yes

25. Whats your favorite show? Grey's Anatomy

26. Who got you to join Myspace? my siblings

27. Wish someone was next to you this morning when you woke up? sure

28. What web sites do you visit the most? myspace, my email, friend's blog

29. Do you have plants in your room? what room?

30. Who was the last person to hug you? Paige

Secrets

1. WHAT IS YOUR DISPLAY NAME ABOUT? my name...

2. WHERE WAS YOUR DEFAULT PICTURE TAKEN? my "room"

3. WHATS YOUR HEADLINE MEAN? exactly what it says

4. HONESTLY, IF SOMEONE WERE TO TELL YOU HOW THEY FELT, WOULD YOU LISTEN? definitely!

5. WHAT'S YOUR MOST VALUED POSSESSIONS? my puppies

6. HOW ARE THINGS IN YOUR RELATIONSHIP? what relationship? friends? going good!

7. IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, AND CHANGE SOMETHING, WOULD YOU? of course

8. IF YOU MUST BE AN ANIMAL FOR ONE DAY, WHAT WOULD YOU BE? a turtle...

9. EVER HAD A NEAR DEATH EXPERIENCE? I've had a life threatening experience.

10. WHO DID YOU COPY AND PASTE THIS FROM? Abby

11. HAVE YOU EVER SANG IN FRONT OF A LARGE CROWD? yes

12. WHAT'S THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE BOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX? general appearance

13. WHAT DO YOU USUALLY ORDER FROM STARBUCKS?? a 2 shot, tall, non fat, no whip, white chocolate mocha

14. DO YOU STILL WATCH KIDDY MOVIES OR TV SHOWS? sometimes, Disney channel isn't that bad!

15. DO YOU HAVE BRACES? not anymore

16. NAME SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED TO YOU TODAY: I purchased stuff for Rylen's bachelorette weekend... muahahahaha...

17. DO YOU SPEAK ANY OTHER LANGUAGE? spanish, kinda

18. IS THERE SOMEONE ON YOUR MIND NOW? kinda

19.WHAT HURTS YOU AT THE MOMENT? my back aches

A Work in Progress

So a few years back my family purchased the house from an elderly man that lives across the street from us. At the end of May, the man's family finally got him to move into an assisted living facility. So, now comes the remodeling of the house, being as the house hasn't been cleaned in over 30 years. It's a bit disgusting, but with the right TLC it'll be a really cute house. Here are some pictures of the house. Keep in mind, we went in last February and cleaned a majority of the trash (old newspapers, junk mail, to-go boxes) out in a giant dumpster. We had another dumpster a couple weeks ago that collected the rest of the junk/crap/trash.

This first group of pictures (taken end of June, beginning of July) were taken before we went in and cleaned with the 2nd dumpster:
View when you first walked in the back door.


Picture of the kitchen. Just think what it was like before we cleaned out the cabinet.


View from the kitchen down the hallway to the master bedroom. Ick!


Dining room area with builting cabinets. The table last winter was no joke pile about 2 feet tall of junk mail!


Part of the living room. Wouldn't you want to live there?


Picture taken of master bed room. Believe it or not, there is a bed under that pile.


The second group of pictures (take beginning of August) were taken after the bulk of the "stuff" was removed and discarded:

The house from the street. The outside needs work too, mainly just flowers and grass.


View of the living room from the front door. That pile of stuff was all for the yard sale.


Damage above the fireplace.


Shot from inside the master bedroom.


The bathroom. You don't even want to know what it was like before. But this doesn't look good, so you can only imagine...


View from the kitchen to the back door. That stuff is gone, sold in the yard sale.


Back bedroom.


Down comes the antennae.


Wow! Look at all that trash. And yes, we did recycle what we could.


So that is my current project. Now, time to get busy! There is a lot internally structurally that we'd like to do. It's gonna be work, but it'll be great! When it's all done, drum roll please, I'll be moving in! I'll rent from my parents, and after some time either approach them about purchasing it or wait until they split the lots and build another house and purchase that one. That's the plan, it's a pretty darn good one if you ask me.

Success!

The yard sale was a big success! It was pretty much all profit because the stuff didn't belong to us to begin with. We made about $500! That's $500 to go straight into the house.

Yard Sale!

For those of you who are yard sale junkies or like vintage/antique items then stop by on Saturday. My family is having one tomorrow! Most of the stuff is coming from the house across the street from us that we own and are cleaning out. Lots of unique things!

Vintage/Antique 1930's - Current

8467 Acacia Street in Hilmar
(if you know where I live, it's across the street from our driveway)

Starting at 7am - 2pm

Get a hold of me if you have any questions!

Words to Live By: Obedience

o-be-di-ence, noun.
1. acquiescence to a command.
2. an act in submission to authority.
3. fulfillment of an expectation.
4. Biblical: compliance with the voice of authority.
5. Personal: a lifestyle of deference to God's will.

We ought to obey God rather than men.
-Acts 5:29

The Christian man is the freest lord of all and the most obedient servant of all.
-Martin Luther

If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.
-Isaiah 1:19

"Obedience means relying on an authority outside of yourself to know how to fly, to know how to live your lives. You can't trust yourself, so you have to rely upon God, his Word, and the leaders he puts in your life."

Learning obedience is hard. I am a prideful human that has been affected by my forefather, Adam. Adam was disobedient towards God, and his rebellion has passed down from generation to generation and on down to me.

How is one obedient? How does one become obedient? It's actually quite simple, but it's much easier said than down. One is obedient when they submit their will to God and listen to his authority. Even Jesus had to obey, and he was perfect. I struggle with being obedient. And I struggle because I want the instant gratification. I want to be obedient and then quickly receive the fruits of my labor or my rewards. I don't want to wait, I don't want to be patient. But going through that is all part of the learning to be obedient.

For the past year and 9 months, I was working in a position, or department, that I was not happy in. But I knew that if I wanted to stay within the company I needed to just wait it out and pray that a position would become available that would be a perfect fit for me. I was obedient to God, or so I thought. I was the good Christian that was going to church, participating in a Bible Study, befriending strong Christian people, praying, going to Sunday School. You name it, I was doing it. You know what I found out though, works does not equal obedience. Obedience is matching my lifestlye and my heart to God's will for me. As I grew closer and closer to being an obedient person I grew stronger and more encouraged that although my time with my place of employment had not been pleasant, that there was a perfect place for me within it where I feel valued and be valuable.

And here I am now, 3 days into a new position where the people are friendly and understanding of the learning curve that I have. Where they want to see the employees excel and improve. Where I feel valued, yes, even after 3 days. I am where I am now because I was obeying God's command. I am reaping the fruits of my obedience. And boy does it feel good!

Now... let's see how else God will reward my obedience as I continue to obey...

We are born subjects, and to obey God is perfect liberty. He that does this shall be free, safe and happy.
-Seneca

Remember Me?

In case you didn't, here are some pictures to tide you over for a it. I know it's been awhile since I've posted self photos.


Before Rylen and Jim's engagement party.


At a cousin's wedding in Pozo, CA.

August Resolutions

I resolve in August to...

1. Actively seek God in my day to day life, worshiping Him and bring Him glory. Being like Jesus to people. Hold me accountable people, please.

2. Losing weight. Summer is almost over, and I only have 2 months left until my best friend's wedding in October. My goal, which is totally obtainable, is to lose 10 pounds (5 pounds per month) by then. For those of you that I eat out with regularly, please hold me to it.

3. Go somewhere at least an hour away from home.

4. Quit rewarding myself with food. Time to reward myself with something different. A pedicure, manicure, new shirt, or purse, or whatever (and I'm making enough money to do that and not worry too much now!).

5. Exercise. Swim, walk, Bosu ball, anything!

6. Try to be at the painting stage by the end of the month at the house across the street. Which mind you, as soon as it's done I can move it. But there is lots to do to it.

7. Do something BOLD or DARING!

Out with July!

July resolution report time:

1. Actively seek God in my day to day life, worshiping Him and bring Him glory. Being like Jesus to people.
This area is a daily struggle for me. Pray that I can do better with this. I need to daily be in the Word and in prayer.

2. Continued control from nibbling at work. No pastries, desserts, and nibblings.
I was bad at this one too...

3. Again with the losing 5 pounds. Summer is here! Not only that, but I am in my best friend's wedding in October. My goal, which is totally obtainable, is to lose 20 pounds by then. Help hold me to it everyone!
Yea, you guessed it. That didn't happen. But I didn't gain either, just maintained.

4. Go somewhere out of the area. Maybe a drive to the coast is in order...
I went nowhere. Nowhere entirely special that is. I did go to the fair!

5. Confess something to someone, and see where things go from there. I know this maybe be totally cryptic to some, but others of you know what I'm talking about. Time to encourage without pressuring :)
I did this! And I was rejected. What did I do about it? Nothing. There is nothing to do, except continue on with friendship like nothing happened.

6. Have a good attitude with current job. But seek new one in the meantime.
Yes! Found a new job! I can't say that I continued having a good attitude towards the VC position though. Oh well, no more of that.

7. Quit rewarding myself with food. If I do something good or deserving or a reward (went on a walk, lost weight, made it through a day at work, etc.) I tend to treat myself to something with calories, and lots of them. Time to reward myself with something different. A pedicure, manicure, new shirt, or purse, or whatever.
This one is going to take work. My mentality is, "You lost weight. Good job, you deserve an ice cream now." Honestly, what good does that do?!?

8. Exercise. Swim, walk, Bosu ball, anything!
Swam a fair amount of time. Will be walking more in my future.

2 more days!

Only 2 more days of working in the VC! I'm so excited to finally be done with the place and moving up to bigger and better. Although, I'm nervous. Scared that I won't live up to what they want. But confident at the same time that I can do it. Oooh, a bundle of nerves, confidence and excitement all together! And stress from having to wrap up a job, while training 5 people that are taking over what I've been doing, while lining everything up before I leave, while still doing my job, while have been mentally checked out since last week.

Oh how great Friday at 4 will be...