so, now we know.

I feel like now is a good time for a mostly-photo-blog that will hopefully give you a glimpse in to our everyday life.

I moved into my new apartment, and this is my first craft of the fall! It's homey, right? :)

Sam studying for Hebrew, cause he's hardcore like that.

I started my new job... this is my commute. Lame, but totally worth it. I'm loving it so far.

This is how Sam spends a big majority of his time.. with JH students. And he's great at it. [Wednesday night Chaos]

And I spend a pretty big chunk of my time with students as well. And I love it! [Girls Movie Night]

And this is just one of the many perks of dating this awesome guy... love notes written completely backwards :)

That about sums it up! It turns out day-to-day life is WAY more fun in person that via FaceTime. Who knew?  I have two favorite happenings from the past week that I feel like paint a pretty clear picture of how we are learning each other as we do this crazy thing called life together.

1. Last week I was hanging out with Sam at his host home while he was doing laundry. He brought a laundry basket full of clean clothes fresh out of the dryer upstairs and I volunteered to fold them for him. I know people can be particular, so I thought I would be proactive and ask before I started, "Is there a certain way you like things folded?" "No, whatever is fine," he says. So I proceed to fold all of the t-shirts, undershirts, shorts, socks, etc. and separate them into piles of their same kind. Once I finished, I said "Okay, what do you hang and what goes in drawers?" "Umm... everything can go in drawers except the button downs," he replied. I got up and carried a stack of nicely folded solid colored t-shirts to the dresser. "Perfect. Which drawer do these nicer t-shirts go in?" I asked. "Umm..." he pulls open the second drawer of the dresser to reveal an overflowing perfect mix of shorts, t-shirts, nice shirt, hoodies, and even bathing suits. "Well, this one looks full. Lets try the next one." he says. "Whoa whoa whoa," I say, "you mean to tell me you just throw stuff in all these drawers until they're full and then you move on to the next one? There is no designated space for any particular kind of clothes?" "Pretty much no," he says, with a smile. It was like he was speaking a foreign language. This concept flabbergasted me, which he found highly amusing. Needless to say, he graciously let me spend the next hour meticulously organizing the entire dresser by clothing type and color. So, now we know who will NOT be in charge of putting away laundry for the rest of our lives :)

2. I worked 8-5 Monday-Friday last week, and I was supposed to move in to my new apartment on Thursday. Because I wasn't going to be home in time to pick up my keys, Sam went by and got them for me. And then by the time I got off work on Friday, he and some of our sweet friends had moved every bit of my stuff out of the storage unit and into my new home. Best friends ever. Anyway, so we spent the weekend basically unpacking and trying to get my junk all in the right places. At one point, I was in the bathroom hanging the shower curtain and Sam was in the kitchen attempting to unpack boxes. He hollered from the hallway "Hey, I'm gonna unpack some of this food. On a scale of 1 to 10, how particular are you about where things go in your pantry?" I hollered back "Umm... maybe like a 7." "WHAT?! A SEVEN?!" He exclaimed. Now it was like I was the one speaking a foreign language. He couldn't fathom that I could possibly care that much where the cans of corn go in the cabinet. So, now we also know who won't be putting away the groceries. :)

Missing my fam and friends in Tennessee like crazy. Missing my old job and work friends. But absolutely loving life here in Texas.

Peace and love people :)

pull-ups

Mommy, Wow! I'm a big girl now.... [sung as though you were hearing the Pull-ups commercial from back in the day]

I filed my taxes today. Online. For free. By myself. [with the help of H&R block].

I found the closest thing to Heaven in Murfreesboro today. It's the Greenway. By the river.

 

I bought my first outfit for Elizabeth and Russ's baby girl today. And it's adorable. Especially the butt.

I painted my kitty a new waterbowl. And she got a new scratch pad so she can quit tearin up my furniture. And she actually uses it.

I finally decorated the shelf in my bathroom.

And I finally painted this canvas that I've been thinking about painting for 3 months.

And that, folks, is what you call productivity.

"Idle hands are the devils playground"- The Music Man

Get busy people!

2012 [in snap shots]

January 2012

I got to go to Passion 2012, which was lifechanging and heartbreaking and really challenged us all to DO SOMETHING.

 I returned to Haiti, where I'd left my heart.

February 2012

I turned 24, in Santiago, Dominican Republic, while watching 4 kids' lives be saved by open heart surgeries that made them well.

March 2012

I got to see a little girl eat a popsicle for the first time. It was priceless.

I got to serve in Haiti with my brothers and sisters and parents in Christ, my Calvary family. I can't even explain how much of a blessing it was.

April 2012

God called me to make America my physical home again. Now I have two homes in my heart. Leaving my friends and family in Haiti and not knowing when I'll see them again was one of the hardest things I've ever done.

May 2012

I had one of the toughest months of my life trying to readjust to American life. It felt like I didn't fit in, and no one understood what I was going through. Praise the Lord for friends and family who loved me through it.

I was a bridesmaid in my beautiful friend Elizabeth's wedding!

We grieved [though some of us miles away] the loss of a precious baby boy who lost his short fight with AIDS.

June 2012

I spent a fabulous weekend at the river with the majority of my sweet fam! [missed my sis, of course]

I was a bridesmaid in my beautiful friend Kristen's wedding!

July 2012

We went on our annual vacation to Panama City Beach! So much fun!

Then, I had my heart broken by a boy like I never thought possible.

August 2012

I began the extremely long and painful process of embracing this verse with all my heart.

The baby girl that I love more than anything in the world started WALKING! And I got to see it via Skype :)

I got my first big girl job, and moved, yet again, to a new city.

September 2012

I went to the county fair and rode the Tilt-a-Whirl for the first time in several years. Basically a blast!

October 2012

I decorated tons of pumpkins for Halloween!

And only by the grace and mercy of God was I able to completely understand and conquer the bitterness in my heart and the amount of freedom that comes with forgiving others.

November 2012

I worked my first holiday [definitely won't be the last... turns out people still get sick, even on Thanksgiving and Christmas]. But because of that I got to celebrate Thanksgiving with some extended family in Murfreesboro!

And I learned how to Geocache.

December 2012

I took my Daddy to a candy store.

I gave my big dog a tasty ham bone.

And I got to spend time with my family/best friends, who I wouldn't trade for the world.

This is my life in snapshots from 2012. I got a new devotional for Christmas and couldn't wait to start it so I started on December 31st. That entry is focused on 1 Samuel 7:12 which reads "Thus far has the Lord helped us." It focuses in on the phrase "thus far." This phrase points toward the past, and as I look back on 2012 I would say it was most likely the hardest year of my life to date. I can also confidently say that my God was faithful through it all. I grew so much and learned so much and He never left me... He carried me through it all, as my Provider and my Protector, even on the toughest days. "Thus far" also points toward the future.. it indicates that there is more to come. I know there are more trials to come, more learning and growing to take place in 2013 and the years after that. But I also know that my God never leaves. He's been with me thus far, and He always will be. So it is with high expectations and great joy that I tip my hat to 2012 and say farewell, and turn my gaze forward with a smirk as if to say, "2013, bring it on."

pumpkin palooza!

The past few days off work I've been feeling super festive. I've come to the conclusion that if I don't prepare ahead of time for holidays, then they come and go and I don't have time to enjoy my decorations. So, the idea is to decorate as soon as possible for all of the upcoming holidays... which means the pumpkins and ghosts are out! [And that I'm already planning a Christmas craft day for early November]. Even though I have very few visitors, I've made it my personal goal to never let that stop me from decorating completely for holidays. Coming into my living room makes me smile... thats all that counts! So, here are the pumpkins I'm smiling at today:

Mostly all these ideas came from Pinterest or Fall magazines or Google... or a combination of the three. I'm not this creative on my own, don't worry. :) Which one is your favorite?

happy fall ya'll!

daily blessings

On a daily basis I think of multiple things that I'd like to blog about.. but usually by the time I get to sit down in front of the computer I forget what they all are. Tonight I just want to brag on Jesus a bit and tell you about a few precious things that have been my blessings lately.

1. I brought my kitty, Delilah, here to live with me again! She's loving it, and I am not nearly as lonely with her around. Plus she's super self sufficient and really enjoys her "me time", so she doesn't mind at all when I'm at work for 13+ hours.

2. On a day off last week I got to spend quality time with my sweet friend Ada who I went to school and church with in Knoxville. Once again, we live in the same town [praise the Lord!]. We went to a pottery painting place and I painted this little jewel to kick off the fall season:

3. After not having seen anyone I lived with in Haiti for about 6 months, I got a surprise call and breakfast date with two of my favorite girls, Sarah and Willow!

4. I have been going to a small group of "young professionals" at New Vision Baptist Church where I've been warmly embraced by people who love the Lord and I am more than excited to get to know them better while we study this book on apologetics:

5. Tonight I got to join in online for the Live Link for Passion 2013. If you're not familiar with the Passion Movement, please please please click here and check it out. It's absolutely mind blowing what God is doing through this generation of believers!

6. I got a very thoughtful package in the mail today from one of my sisters [Cheney] with a happy birthday note [no, it's not my birthday. thats just how she rolls] and a stack of delicious chocolate chip cookies!



 7.. My patients this week at the hospital were extraordinarily precious. I was privileged to get to care for a very sick individual who is on hospice care and who had been so sick the doctors wrote an order for the nurse to pronounce at the bedside if she passed away. During my second shift with the patient, I got to witness a remarkable comeback...  this individual went from no appetite to drinking 3 Ensures plus a meal for breakfast, lunch and dinner, a bi-pap machine 24-7 to a nasal cannula for my whole shift, not really knowing what was going on to throwing a fit over her iron pill that had been discontinued a few days prior, and telling me the same stories every time I went in the room to literally cheering "C-H-E-L-S-E-Y CHELSEY! YAY, CHELSEY!!" every time she saw my face. It was priceless. I was reminded this week that in serving others and caring for them and their families in the most desperate, helpless, and scary times, I am truly walking on holy ground. [more to come on that at a later day]

And finally, the things to come: Titan's game with my Daddy and brother and KaLee on Sunday [I don't really care if we are any good or not... just happy to see some of the fam!]. Going home next week for the county fair, which is a guaranteed good time. Starting to decorate my apartment with crafty cheap things for Halloween and Fall. Moving on up the orientation ladder and getting 4 patients this coming week [pray for me.. 3 almost killed me haha]. And of course, just the everyday life and little blessings that show me in a HUGE way how much God loves me.

I was unlovely, and He called me lovely. I was unworthy, and He called me worthy. I had no place in the world, and now I have a place in the arms of the One who created the universe. What more could I possibly want?

Goodnight :)