Upheavel

Wow. It's been a week. Well, sorta. Still no news on anything to do with Clayton's situation from July. Hoping to hear something soon.

I got news this past week that the doctor I've been typing for for the last 2.5 years is dropping us. There were some files missing (that I never got) and some files repeated (I can't do anything about that) and he's blaming us. So, at the end of the month it's very possible that I will be out of work. I love the way God works, though. I got this news Wednesday. After mildly panicking on Wednesday, God gives me his Word on Thursday. The first instance was on Facebook. A friend whom I've never met posted a quote and scripture about trusting God. I read it, it strikes a chord, and I keep going with my day. In the afternoon, on the radio, the afternoon host reads a quote that she read in her devotional that morning. You guessed it. It's about trusting God. Okay, God, I get it. That's twice now. Later in the evening, again on Facebook (see? It can be used for good) Proverbs 31 Ministries posts Psalm 55:22 - Cast all your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall. That's three. Three times in less than 24 hours that God has said to me "trust me." "Cast your cares on me." And the kicker? Clayton comes home from work and said that on his drive home God pretty much asked how much it's going to take for us to trust him. How much indeed? To fully trust in the God who sent his only son to die for my sin. What else will it take? I hope I'm there. Fully trusting and relying on him. He cares. He knows me by name. He knew me before I was even conceived. How awesome is that? He chooses to love me, a sinner so black that I can't even see my way out sometimes or see sin for what it is. I am so thankful that he provided a way out of that sin and that he called me to himself so many years ago. It's time to quit sitting in that knowledge and do something with it. Trust him fully. He's got me covered. He wants to show off in my life and it's time for me to let him.

Almost a month

We're coming to the end of Spring Break. We've not done a lot...yet. We had a play date at the park and got cupcakes one day. We ate lunch with Clayton today. Planned on hanging around downtown Greenville after lunch, but the temperature dropped yesterday with the rain we had, so we came on home. Tomorrow is the big day. We're heading to Atlanta to spend the day at Six Flags. Roller coasters, here we come!

Clayton's case is starting to move. Hopefully it will be over soon.

I'm still running, but haven't gone out this week at all. It's tough with the kids home all week. I've finally broken through my weight loss plateau. The Wii finally told me that my weight is NORMAL! I'm not in the overweight category anymore. Hoping to keep losing; I need to lose about 10 more pounds. I've also gone down a pants size. I'm excited to have hit single digit clothing again!

Total weight loss: 32 pounds!

Exciting things going on around here. I decided a couple weeks ago that I want to be a Scentsy consultant and signed up and got my stuff and am preparing for my launch party that is this Saturday. I'm really excited about where I can go with this.

Andrew had an allergic reaction to something a week and a half ago. We didn't have any idea what the reaction was in response to, but it was scary enough to me to make him an appointment with an allergist. We went Tuesday and he's allergic to several types of tree pollen, weed pollen, grasses, dust mites, cat, dog, and mold. So, we're in the process of cleaning up his room. I've ordered dust mite covers for his mattress and pillows. He's on Flonase nasal spray and taking Zyrtec. We go back in 6 weeks for a check up. We're also toying with the idea of pulling up all the carpet and replacing it with hardwood floors. I would love to do that, but we haven't actually sat down and really talked about it yet. I would love to have a couple pretty throw rugs that would brighten up the rooms. Besides that, our carpet is stained with watercolor paints.

Running is still going fairly well. The temperature all of a sudden jumped up this week (from 60s to 80s) and I was actually able to run a mile and a half before walking yesterday afternoon. I might survive warmer weather running after all. I've decided not to do the half marathon in April. I missed a week of training and I just don't want to push it too much again. I'm aiming for something in the fall/winter.

Where Can I Go?

The song is in my head. "Where can I goooo from you, Oh Lord? Where can I go from you?" Indeed, where CAN I go from the Lord? The simple answer is nowhere. I can go nowhere apart from my Lord. He is with me everywhere I go. Everywhere. He is in the depths of the sea. He is in the highest heaven. The darkest cave. The brightest meadow. Everywhere. I'm so thankful that he is where I need him...and even where I don't think I need him.

Praise be to the LORD, for he has heard my cry for mercy. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. -Psalm 28:6-7

I was just driving and thinking about how God's presence has been evident throughout the last 6+ months of my life. He has been so faithful through all of the hard times we've experienced. He provided us with money to pay our bills and buy groceries with while Clayton was out of work. He provided Clayton with a job in the area that he is going to school for. And, consequently, Clayton loves it. He has given me a sense of peace about Clayton being in this line of work rather than being a police officer. I had gotten used to having that patrol car in my front yard. After all, it had been there for 9 years. Two days before he resigned, God told me it is okay by allowing me to drive up into my yard and think "It looks normal without that car there." No matter what happens, He is faithful.

I was listening to the radio this morning and God spoke to me through a story about Shrinky Dinks. The morning host, Heather, found these things for her kids and they made them over the weekend and last night. They put her son's in the oven for it to shrink and while they were watching, it folded over and looked like it wasn't going to do right, so her son wanted them to take them out before it got too badly mangled. Heather, in her wisdom (and knowing what the end result was going to be) told him that they would leave them until time to take them out. How like our God! He allows us to go through bad things, through fire because he knows the end. He knows that when everything is said and done, we will be holy as he is holy. Holiness comes by being tested, by going through the fire. The impurities are burned away and we are left with Jesus in us.

This really resonates deep within me this morning as I have made a commitment to be in God's Word daily - something I struggle with. My prayer is that if I can make it routine to begin with that God will ignite my routine into passion and I will long to be in the Word as often as possible and grow closer and closer to him and more like him and through the fires that will surely come I will be tested and the impurities will burn away and I will see His reflection in all that I do.

Seriously considering it

A half-marathon, that is. There's a local one in 9 weeks. I just so happen to have a 9-week training plan downloaded. I'm scared slap to death to commit to it. I'm sure that's normal, though, for people who have never done a half. I think I'm most scared of taking longer than 3 hours to do it. But, I can do 5 miles in about an hour, give or take a few minutes, so logic says that I should be able to do 10 miles in about 2 hours and then 3 more miles after that, so around 2.5ish hours. Still scares me. Like butterflies-in-my-stomach-already scares me. I think I am going to do the first week of training and then register. Maybe it will be what I need to break through my stinking weight loss plateau.

Yeah, I'm behind.

I've hit 5 miles again and am hoping to push it a little farther this week. I've been subjecting the kids to my runs here lately because I seem to have lost my will to run in the mornings. I've been taking them to the track after Andrew gets out of school and running at least 5K each time. Today was run club and since I didn't get out this morning, I went to the track a little early today. Ran 2.75 before the kids got there and then tacked on another 1.26 with the kids for a total of 4.01 in 50.13.

Everything else has been pretty much the same around here. Found out that Clayton's parking isn't totally paid for, but we won't be paying as much as before. Insurance doesn't kick in until May 1, so we're living with temporary insurance right now. He's working tickets now and likes it much more than answering the phone. When they hired him on, the only open spots were the Saturday through Tuesday shifts, but he was told to stay where he is until further notice. I'm liking that because it's Monday through Friday and he gets off work at 4:30.

My nephew, Levi William, arrived on February 3. I haven't gotten to meet him yet, but that will be taken care of tomorrow since my loving husband has arranged a GNO for me. Evidently, LeeAnna is in town a little earlier than planned and Clayton talked with her and we're going out tomorrow night. I'm looking forward to some girl time. Can't wait until I can get some girl time planned with my sisters from church, too.

As far as weight loss goes, I'm still hanging around the same 27ish pounds. At least I'm keeping off the same weight rather than gaining again. Hoping to eventually drop some more.

Oh, and one other thing! I'm helping teach in GAs and am loving it. I actually taught last week and had a blast! It's much more laid back than I was making choir to be.