What a fun weekend!

Last weekend, we had an all-out awesome weekend. Eric's girls' team had a game Saturday morning, and we celebrated my Luke's 11th birthday that afternoon. My sister, Chrissie, made him a chocolate cake and ordered pizza. He had a great party, but we had a slight dilemma with the gift we gave him. I got him a Nintendo DS game because I thought he was getting a DS system for his birthday. Turns out, he got a PSP instead. So, I took him to Walmart and let him exchange his game for a firefighting game he wanted. Afterwards, we went home and cooked dinner. We had some friends over for dinner, and it was a blast! I don't think we've ever had that many people over at one time, because we always thought it would be too crowded, but it was perfect. The kids loved playing together too! After we got out of church Sunday, I spent the rest of the day studying. Eleven hours straight. I had studied throughout the week, but this was my first test, so I wanted to do my best.

Here are some pics from our fun weekend! I'm hoping this one will be equally as fun. Eric is at the men's conference at our church tonight and will be going again first thing in the morning. Jaxson and I had pizza for dinner, watched a little bit of a movie, ate popcorn, I gave him a bath, dried his hair, played basketball, and we read Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Tomorrow, I think we have a pretty relaxed day. Sunday, we have church in the morning, and we're taking Jaxson to the circus for his first trip ever! I'm hoping he loves it! We're going to a Super Bowl party Sunday night. Did I mention I have 3 tests next week?

I applied for a few jobs last night. I'm hoping God shows me where he wants me to be. I just want to make sure I'm following his plan!!

Look at that shiner!

Jaxson got his first black eye Monday. We were both out of school and watching Veggie Tales when I walked to the kitchen to get him some juice. I walked back to the living room to find him playing peek-a-boo behind the curtains. Less than a second later, he tripped and fell into the entertainment center. I ran and picked him up, and immediately his eye began turning purple. I guess it happens. He had a pretty rough day, considering he was out of school. About an hour after that, I was running his bath water, and he was standing beside me waiting to get in the tub. He just walked over to the shower curtain and pulled it down, rod and all. It bumped him in the head. So, more tears. Needless to say, he was definitely ready for some Tylenol and a nap after all that! Poor baby!

Whew!

Thanks to those of you who've been praying for our family! I pray for my blog readers. I am so thankful for those of you who have sent your encouraging words to me! I briefly talked to our preacher yesterday about everything that's going on in our lives, and how I was nervous, but excited about school and not working and everything else. He told me God would provide, and I told him I've been amazed at how he has already provided. He suggested that I write about everything that we go through to have as a testimony later. Not that I'm necessarily going to write about everything on here, but I will definitely share the big stuff! Like the insurance situation. That was huge to us! This is my second week without a job, and God has provided us with a surprise financial gift both last week and this week!

This has definitely been an exciting and busy week. I didn't realize I would be attending class Monday through Thursday already. I thought Thursday would be one of my off days to study/work or whatever at least until clinicals start. We will have labs on Thursday to prepare us for our clinicals.

Monday, I had to make two trips to the school to pay my tuition in person because the nursing department needed a copy showing where I paid for my ID badge and other school fees. Tuesday is my LONG class day. Wednesday, I was supposed to take an ERI test after class, but they were cancelled, so we got done early. I had a doctor's appointment to get my physical and shots that I needed. Thursday, we had lab and practiced bedmaking and bathing. And today, I've got to go back and let the doctor check my TB test. Needless to say, I have been busy. The last few months, I've been working out in the evening, but I decided to go in the mornings. I'm so thrown off by this crazy schedule that I've actually went a few times in the afternoon this week. I usually do my grocery shoppin on Saturday or Sunday, but I should be able to get it done during the week now! Hopefully, the craziness will die down soon (at least enough to let me get my plan together!)

Jaxson is at school right now. I'm going to pick him up after I leave the doctor's office. Eric said there were only three kids there this morning because everyone in his class called in with a stomach bug! I'm praying that Jaxson avoids this one!

He knows what the future holds

Sometimes I find it hard to put 100% of my trust in Jesus Christ. I know I'm supposed to do that, but sometimes I do not have the patience to wait for an answer, so I just do what I think is best. Other times, I just allow myself to become stressed and nervous, when I should not. Just yesterday, I posted my 2009 goals on this blog. And amazingly, I have already been tested in my willingness to keep my focus on those goals.

For the past several weeks, we thought we were going to have to pay for our medical insurance on our credit card while I am in school. It wasn't a huge deal, but we paid it off last year and would like to keep it at a very minimal balance. I can't go into a lot of details, but the insurance was going to cost us a little over $900 each month, plus the cost of dental insurance if we wanted that. I know it's a lot, but our options are minimal with Jaxson being a preemie and having lots of preexisting conditions. Not that he's sick or anything, but when we have to take him to a gastroenterologist or he has a cough and they prescribe albuterol, the insurance company considers it part of being a preemie. I don't understand because lots of full term babies have issues too, but insurance is so tricky. Anyway, I got a call yesterday that very much surprised me. Eric's company will be getting their own insurance. Their plan will be lots better than the plan we had before through my job, and the price will be half of what we were paying through my company! We are thrilled about this!

On a heavier note, one of my personal goals for 2009 is to not take things to heart. I was very hurt to find out someone we know has been spreading terrible rumors about us, particularly me. I was angry at first, then my heart began to break for this person. Sunday, in our preacher's message, he told us to "Love God and love people." Jesus Christ came and died for me, even though he knew I would do things to disappoint him. If we are to be followers of Christ, we should demonstrate that same kind of love. I ask you guys to pray for this person and pray for us as we are wondering where God will lead us. I am not a confrontational person, unless I need to be. I've attempted to contact this person and have not received a response, and it is in God's hands.

Thanks for listening to my heart and for your prayers as we stay focused on our 2009 goals!

2009: What are you changing?

I posted a list of my 2009 goals on my other blog, Use Your Cents. I wanted to share them with as many people as possible, so you can hold me accountable! Here they are:

2009 GOALS
My blog friend, Phoebe, at Cents to Get Debt-Free has challenged her readers to post their goals for 2009, so here goes! I will try to give my readers an update at the end of each month (for my own accountability).

Spiritually

• To set aside specific time alone with God each day, in prayer
• To read through the entire Bible in 2009; I have made this easier on myself by purchasing a copy of The One Year Bible that our church was selling recently. It has daily readings from the Old Testament, New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs.
• To keep up with my prayer notebook, to make sure I'm specifically praying for each prayer request
• Put my full faith in God and know that He will not fail me!
• Pray for our government and nation on a daily basis

Financially
This is a tough area for me right now, because I will be a "full-time" student within the next few weeks. I'm not exactly sure what sort of income I will be able to generate. I have filed for financial aid, and we are planning to take out student loans for my school. Grand total should be no more than $10k. We've discussed our options, and this fits best for us. Anything that student loans and my income do not cover, we may have to charge on our credit card (i.e. health insurance that we will lose when I leave my job). While we are not at all excited about this, we are trying to work our way around it. But no matter what, I know that I am finally following God's plan for my life, and it will all be fine!

• Continue to contribute no less than $15 weekly to our high interest savings account
• Continue to pay an additional $30 per month towards my car note
• Keep grocery budget at or below $50 weekly = $2,600 yearly
• Find a carpool buddy for my school commute, if possible
• Find a part-time job that I love :) and that works with my school schedule, and possibly offers tuition reimbursement
• Reduce my cell phone plan to a lower plan, since I don't need the internet on it anymore
• Sell my used nursing books online to earn money back
• Create an efficient method for organizing coupons
• Donate any unused items to a charitable organization on a monthly basis
• Track all money spent and saved

Home

• Paint kitchen and hallway
• Keep pantry organized throughout the year
• Adhere to the cleaning schedule we've created
• Create my own area in the office for couponing and studying
• Purchase stockpile of toilet paper, paper towels, and other everyday items and designate a place for their storage
• Purchase food staples for stockpile and designate a place for their storage
• Watch no more than 6 hours of television per week
• Keep cars washed and maintained
• Paint front porch and front door
• Keep closets organized
• Plant and maintain garden (and have successful growth!)
• Have at least one hour every night of play/family time
• Hang laundry to dry during warm months
• Maintain a weekly meal plan

Personal

• Participate in at least one local mission ministry per quarter (the one's I'm thinking of so far are Habitat for Humanity, Ronald McDonald House, Jimmy Hale Missions, and a local event we have in our town)
• Commit to a serious workout routine, involving cardiovascular and light weight training activities
• Spend at least 6-8 hours each week studying for school
• Arrive at least 10 minutes early for everything (this one might be a toughie!)
• Maintain my 4.0 GPA
• Become happier with my appearance
• Do not take things to heart; this is hard for me sometimes especially when I think someone is blatantly being mean
• Update my blog on every one to two days (for my readers!)
• Wrap all birthday presents for children in wrapping paper (no gift bags)
• Have all Christmas presents purchased no later than December 4, 2009
• Read at least one non-school-related book per month
• Have a date night every month (with my spouse!); this can be a pizza and movie rental night, just so long as we have a date night
• Practice random acts of kindness

I know this looks like a long list, but these are not all things that we will have to do on a daily basis. Some are monthly, some are yearly. But these are my goals, nonetheless. I would love to see your goals! I'll post my first update to this at the end of January! We're a week in, and so far, so good!