black friday...
i was going to post pics but since i'm at the library using the internet, it's not going to happen...oh well. pooh and i decided to do our usual black friday shopping this year...and for the second year, we've gone with our kindred spirit shopping buddy susan. when the alarm went off at 3:30a.m., i got up right away, ready to join the other crazies out in the community, hunting bargains. we didn't have anything too major...no tvs or gaming systems, etc., but there was quite a bit of little things we wanted to pick up. luckily, jcpenney opened at 4:00 so we could stagger our shopping, since a lot of stores opened at 5. we picked susan up at 4:05 and were on our way to the mall. we walked quickly toward the "fake" magic bullets that were only going to cost us $12.88. score! we wandered around a bit after that, since no where else was open. we decided to go to shopko next, since we were already at the mall and weren't meeting steph at FM till 5:30. we stood in a civilized line, probably about 50 feet out from the entrance to the store, about 3 people wide. after 10 minutes, the door opened and what was an organized line turned into a mad dash into the store...it was either be trampled or sprint...we chose the latter. picked up a few CHEAP items and stood in the line that only got longer after us...snaking through the whole front aisle section of the store. luckily we were fast, despite the crazy lady chasing us with a cart after giving another fellow shopper a flat tire when she ran into his ankles! FM is always my favorite place on black friday. we met up with steph (you go girl!) who decided to join the crazies before work. we got lots of items 1/2 off and then decided it was safe to take a few minutes off the shopping floor to grab some free donuts. yum! found lots of stuff for my home (rubbermaid food containers, fluffy red beautiful blanket, not to mention socks, slippers, etc. for 50% off!). my mom told us to buy what we wanted and she'd pay us back and make it christmas gifts. this made shopping fun since my cash envelopes for the month are empty! we headed to the mall and went to a few different stores. found some great buys and took a break for mrs. powells till steph had to head to work. met up with pooh's old moscow roomie sarah. shopped some more. and some more. and some more. went to shoe carnival (i swore i'd never go in again, but found some nice shoes for conrad) and tjmaxx where i found some beautiful candle holders for my new house. decided it was time for lunch and went to craigos0--all you can eat salad, pasta, pizza bar. yum!! even better with a $4.99 coupon. we thought we'd call it a day and separated from sarah, ready to go take a snooze...i had a baby shower at 2. however.......on our way past goodwill, i remembered the 50% off everything sign i'd seen and we spent about 45 mins. in there. i was late to the baby shower, but luckily it was running on "African time" so i was actually early, in a sense, when i arrived at 2:15. i found a nice big coffee table for $12.50, as well as a lot of other misc. items. all in all, a FUN day. didn't cause any fights, but heard about one from a clerk about ladies fighting over a blender. my dad said someone in arkansas got killed. people are a little too hardcore for me!!! it was fun to hang out and just go with the flow, finding some good bargains. i slept like a wee babe last night........ can't wait for next year!!

my "kids"...



since i don't have any biological children yet, conrad and i tease about our kittens (almost cats now!!) being our "kids". jack and gracie LOVE to play when we are working outside. conrad was helping me dig my bulbs up last sunday when our "kids" decided to "help" us. they enjoy getting in the way of the shovel, laying on the fresh dirt right in the way, and chasing the prongs of the rake. i also discovered that jack likes to be buried in leaves!! he was so cute and the only reason his face is showing is because i wanted the picture to actually show him, not just a mound of leaves. gracie does not prefer being buried alive under leaves and was not standing for my kodak moment. after the pics, however, she went over to an existing pile of leaves and started tunneling through it. crazy girl.

on tuesday morning, i got quite emotional when i came 2 seconds from watching a coyote eat jack. i'm NOT exaggerating. they were 8-10 feet apart from each other and the only reason the coyote ran away was because i was screaming like a wild woman. last night when i got home, i got gracie in for the night but jack was being a turd. i left him out for a few minutes while i put groceries away, cuz usually he realizes his sister is in and wants to be with her. not last night. i went out for my second round of "chase jack around the yard" and heard yipping coyotes over by the equipment shed jack and gracie hang out around during the day. i couldn't find jack, though i'd seen him just minutes earlier, and started freaking out again. i started praying for jack and after a few minutes, jack came running toward me, oblivious to the predators lurking 1/16th mile away and obviously on the prowl. instead of his usual i'll let you get this close and then run away he actually plopped down on the ground for a belly rub. i snatched him up and put him in the porch area with gracie, happy my "kids" were safe!! all this to say, i love my cats...and i know it will be crazy to see how much more i feel about my real kids someday. pets are God's gift to us:) and until i have a real kid to talk about, you'll all have to deal with these "kid" stories:)

financial peace...
"two words that don't usually go together" as dave ramsey quips, as he talks about the standard americans' financial situation. i listened to the 2 lessons i've missed of our financial peace university today so i'd be on the same page going into our class tonight. this 13 week course has the potentially to literally change one's life forever. i am amazed at his stories and his successes. everytime i leave class or finished a cd i felt like i wanted to get out my pompoms and/or cry. what a sensitive subject finances is, and i wish so badly that more people would be proactive with their money, myself included. when we were in south dakota, staying with my grandma in her spacious 3 bedroom apartment, there were brief financial-related comments that made me proud. she said that some of her friends ask why she pays for a 3 bedroom apartment. her response to them is, "i can afford it and i like the space." she's been there close to 9 years now, since my grandpa died, and loves it. she also made the comment, "i could travel a lot now, i have the money, but i'm content at home." these comments are made matter-of-factly, humbly. the more i think about it, the more proud i become of my grandparents' planning ahead for a great, high quality of life future. i'm sure my grandpa is looking down, smiling on his cute little wife enjoying these latter years of life without the worry of money. i also am proud of my other set of grandparents, who lived financially free in their later years, and still had plenty to divide between 6 kids when they passed away. what great rolemodels to me and to others!! i pray that conrad and i will have the same wisdom and that God will give us discipline to follow through with what needs to be done...there has already been a lot of "lightbulb" moments since our class started 7 weeks ago, and there will definitely be more to come. it is something i am passionate about and feel like God's given us an excellent tool. can't wait for more!!

fat and happy with the fam...

this is what i've been for most of my vacation. i'm sitting here with fox news blaring and sitting on the couch after a yummy home-cooked grandma meal and my cute grandma sitting on the recliner working crossword puzzles. over dinner, and long after (dishes can wait!), grandma talked about her travels and about her and grandpa's families. she's traveled A LOT and i pray i can go half the places she's gone in her lifetime. i love when she talks about grandpa. it's been 9 years now since he died. sometimes i'm sad that i didn't know him better than i did, but then again, i do have lots of good memories and am glad i knew him through jr. high. earlier today she talked about how she's content with being home. she's in excellent health for 87 and gets out for bridge club and church, however, she said she likes being home, "i've done my working and my traveling, and now i'm just content with life where i'm at." we've eaten like queens, and some of my pants are tight!! it couldn't possibly have the urging for "eat more, there's lots left (twist my arm, grandma)" or the brownie and ice cream every night for a snack, could it?? we hung out with my 2nd cousins yesterday at a pumpkin patch and then pooh and i went to coffee with my uncle bill. it was nice. i remember that i used to be intimidated by him, mostly because i'm a shy person by nature and didn't have the maturity i think. however, i was telling pooh after he dropped us off that i'm glad we're to the point where we can all just sit and have an hour of adult conversation. we also got to spend time with his wife, my aunt cindy. i also loved that. she's easy going and has a good sense of humor. she's excited for conrad and i to have a baby....whenver that may happen. she loves her grandkids and is so cute with them. it seemed like the trip went fast, but also like we've had good times of conversation. i wish we knew when we were young that life was so fragile and to make the most of every moment with family, but i can only make the most of what i have now, i realize that. i am thankful that my kids' grandparents will all live close, what a precious relationship:) sigh

the girls...

jeannie, britt, fawn, and me:)

our presigous dining seats...the old spaghetti factory caboose!

old friends...
well, we were kidding about the fact that we are getting old-25 now (and turning 26 over the course of the next 6 months)!! i traveled with fawn to boise on friday and headed back sunday after spending some time with my "college" friends. i can't believe it's been 7 years since i started college and met these girls. it was so refreshing to catch up and reminisce, laughing and crying together. it's crazy to see where life has taken us--me getting ready to be a stay-at-home wife (gave my notice last thursday!!) and hopefully have a baby in the near future, fawn teaching/blessing a class of 4 year olds, britt working as an NP at a well-known oncology unit and owning a beautiful home with her hubby (i've heard, can't wait to see it!), and jeannie fresh out of the peace corps and using her psychology degree to work with kids and adolescents. who would've thunk it?? although we had lots of laughs, we also comforted each other as we share our disappointments, our longings, and our wanting to know we're in God's will. i pray we continue to cultivate our relationships in such a way that we can always share so openly, even with some distance between us. i don't want it to come to a christmas card every other year and maybe a phone call or text on the birthdays. God, help me to do my part to maintain and nurture all of the precious relationships in my life...

unconditional...
i've been thinking a lot lately about friendships and how unconditional love and support play a role. of course we know (hopefully) that God's and family's love and support are unconditional. i know i've been shown more than my fair share of grace. but what about when it comes to friendship? fortunately in my life, i've had amazing friends and i can't remember a time when i've set conditions or been the object of conditions. so what about when friends mess up? bad. hurt a lot of people. know they've messed up. stuck in situation because of whatever reason. what about now? do i back away and let them loose? i think that unconditional friendship means standing by someone even when their actions have turned others away. i wonder how my thoughts and actions in this situation will be seen by others. ultimately does it matter what others think, or if i remain loyal to this person? i have a history of deep friendship with a person and though we haven't talked a lot verbally over the past year, we stay in touch online and God lays her on my heart quite a bit. even though the dynamics of our friendship has changed (10 years ago i was the one lacking close friends and she was a strong tower in my life and now she's told me several times over the past year "you're the only one i can always count on. you're the only friend who is loyal and doesn't abandon me no matter what i do."), i still feel committed to the friendship. i know some may raise their eyebrows and wonder what i'm doing, but i pray they'll know my loyalties aren't tied to actions-good or bad. though i've been asked to be in a place of honor, i don't want to feel like i'm condoning a situation, though my refusing support wouldn't change the situation, only the credibility of my friendship as far as i can see it. this is just one of the many things rolling around in my head lately... let me know if you have any insight...i'm sure i'll have more to say later...

it's been awhile, again...
seems like i go in spurts...write a lot, then write rarely (mostly the latter). i guess i don't really have much to say so i keep all of nothing to myself. actually, there is a lot going on, maybe too much to keep up with on a blog?? who knows. went to ikea with steph on friday, always a joy (ikea and being with steph):) did an all day yard sale yesterday to raise money for pooh to go to thailand. i'm drained. it was fun to hang out with brandon and susan all day, but at the end of the day, i was dead tired and am still recovering. raised $262 though, and got rid of a lot of junk between all of us pack-rat manskes. conrad and i keep saying "we will not be like our parents and have multiple storage (junk) rooms when we're 50. so far i think we're doing okay. we'll see how it goes once we move into a house with lots of space!! we'll be moving in november. i'm ready to kick the couple out so i can paint and start moving my stuff in. very eager to live there!! conrad's been busy with harvest, and the crops are amazing. i'm proud of my man...he defnitely does his job with excellence. a few family issues we're trying to work through and praying the wheat market will go back up (it dropped the max amount in one day on friday). couple of things you could keep in your prayers:) well, that's all i'm going to say today. i've gotta cut myself off somewhere, so i don't overload you all. i think i have a habit of doing that and that may be why i've cut back on this thing...who knows??

crazy cats...
last night when i was bringing in my 2nd load of groceries, the cats got in the car. i didn't see them when i got the third and final load. when conrad got home and we went to get them in, we saw them in the dashboard of the car. conrad went over and said, "it's locked." long story short: they locked themselves in with the keys in the ignition and we couldn't find the spare. they were in there 12 hours before the Lock Doc could come and rescue them and me this morning at 9:50. i was late to work and brought the kittens so they could get their shots tonight. luckily, they got over the entrapment quickly and still think i'm the best mother in the world:)

a few hours of trauma...
i had a good weekend except for a few hours. friday night, gracie wouldn't come in and we didn't know where she was. we finally got jack out of the tree after 15 minutes of calling for him and him responding with whiny, scared meows. i went to bed, sure that i'd wake up to gracie meowing at the front door wanting to come in. when i had to pee at 5:45 saturday morning (grr!) the first thing i thought was gracie never came home last night and told conrad (since he was incoherent when i got into bed the night before). i started crying and he said he couldn't sleep anymore thinking about her. so we went out searching. i bawled the whole time. i was thinking i should've got her in sooner than i did, etc., etc. conrad said maybe an owl got her. 5 minutes later we saw an owl swoop into a tree. huge owl!! i yelled at it "i hate you!" as if it could understand me. it's amazing how attached you get to a pet in just a short time. conrad and i sat in the living room for awhile. jack was meowing at the door. conrad went out to see him and said, "sorry about your sister, jack". he's so sweet with the kittens. can't imagine what he'll be like with our baby-amazingly adorable, i'm sure. he finally had to go so i went on a long walk. when i got back, i held jack. he doesn't usually like to be held, but was like my shadow. when i was watering the garden, i turned for no apparent reason and gracie was running toward me with her tail about 3 inches in diameter! i've never been so happy to see her face!! i started bawling again as i held her close and called conrad. he was very happy. this was about 9:30, and i was ready for some breakfast. after i poured my cereal, i saw something coming from the dining room. why's there a bird in the house? then i realized it was a bat....coming straight for me. it chased me out of the kitchen, i grabbed my phone (screaming all the while...if you can imagine that), and went outside to call conrad...crying hysterically. long story made a little shorter...we couldn't find it but it surfaced again when i was alone so i called my knight in shining armor again and he came and flushed it down the toilet. sigh what would i do without him? better get going to pilates, but thank God gracie's back and the bat's gone. my emotions took a toll on me...especially since i was sleep deprived to begin with.

a lovely drive...
on monday, i took the day off to spend it with conrad's family, since it was ranae and josh's last day in AF. one of their family traditions on the 4th is to go on a drive. last year, we went on the back roads to where conrad's grandma's parents settled and where she grew up. it was very interesting. ranae missed it last year, so that was the one thing she wanted to do for sure during their short visit. we took the back roads to malta and then decided to head up the pomerelle mountain. i've never seen it without snow! it was absolutely beautiful. i was glad i'd thrown my camera in my purse before we left. there's a few lakes up there and there's still some snow!! i can't wait to go up there again.


Lake Cleveland

just after RaNae almost fell in while she was sitting on that log behind us and I saved her (after screaming bloody murder (i know you can't imagine that:) the water was freezing cold!)
Horse Thief Lake Pomerelle

how does your garden grow???
well, it's june 30th and my garden's going on a week old. even though it was late, i decided to plant one for fun, and it's looking like we won't be moving terribly soon. i was going to take a picture of the garden spot, but it's pretty much dirt with a few starter plants here and there. i'll post some once i'm seeing some action. i'm praying daily that the seeds come up, i don't always have luck with flower seeds, so we'll see what happens with the veggie seeds! conrad's grandma helped me figure out where to plant what and taught me how to plant what seeds, in flat ground, in a hump, in a trench, etc. thank God for her wisdom!! she's so sweet. if i planted the seeds too close together, she'd lean over and move them farther apart, gently saying, "now honey, put these a little farther apart." i treasure the time i have with conrad's grandparents. actually, they're all mine now too:) here's what i planted... tomatoes (grape, cherry, roma, big), corn, eggplants (white and purple, for the heck of it), peppers (green, yellow, orange), carrots, romaine lettuce, birdhouse gourds, string beans, cabbage, cauliflower, canteloupe (probably not time to ripen, but will be pretty green anyway), and some chives (starts from a co-worker). who knows, you might get some fresh produce from my garden this year!!

99% sure...
as far as buying the house goes, that is. the more we talk to others who have been looking at real estate, the more we are convinced we're getting a steal and if the "worst case scenario" does come to pass (though i'm praying it won't and feel like it won't...) we'll make a profit on it anyhow. i'm feeling more and more peace about this big purchase. i look back at how we've handled other big purchases (car, combine, grandpa's farm equipment, work pick-up, etc.) and see that we've paid off all but one last $25,000 equipment payment to grandpa which will happen after harvest this year. i felt like God told me that if we're smart we could pay off the house in 5 years. the natural part of me was skeptical, but the supernatural part says bring it on!! sometimes i get stuck in the whole "poverty mentality" but i've started declaring blessing on my family and am getting a more positive outlook. i still have my moments being frustrated with making less than i could in my profession and not having benefits, but God is my provider...not my boss. after all, when all this blessing happens, God gets the glory, right?! still continue to pray for wisdom and that we'd talk to the right people-lenders, our accountant, etc. also, please still pray that we'd have a special little someone to live in the house with us:)

big decision...
being an indecisive person, i don't do well with big decisions. or little decisions at that (just ask my sister what i'm like when we're shopping and she'll probably just roll her eyes). probably the biggest decision after salvation was marriage. i had no doubt about it. i can't remember any other BIG decisions being as easy to come to a conclusion. an opportunity came up to buy a house close to where we are now. we went to look at it on tuesday night and i was hoping we'd walk in and hate it. well, it's beautiful and big and has a big yard, pasture, it'd be ours, etc. my "pros" list is pretty long. too bad the "cons" list starts with money. we're praying hard for a yes or a no from God. is it His opportunity for us or is it an opportunity for us to seek Him and find that the house is not for us??? help!!! most people decide to move, decide to buy a house, decide a price, and look around. in this situation, everything came to us. it makes it tough too when we're looking at starting a family and me quitting work in the somewhat near future. i've been daydreaming about painting this room and redoing this and that. then my practical side comes in and i think our house now is fine. it's not ours (and there are strings attached here and there), but it's FREE. so if you could all be praying for us, it'd be great. right now i'm pretty much praying for God to give conrad wisdom and saying i'll be the supportive wife...

lessons for my clients...
i've been talking to my clients about being positive/having an optimistic outlook for probably 5 months now. telling them that what they speak out and even what they think has an impact on how their lives are going and how they're feeling. telling them that if they want to be happy, to think about the positive side of things, even when life isn't perfect, as it often isn't. reminding them that negative self talk destroys self-esteem and invites depression. how timely of God to stir this in me to be sharing with my clients when i need to hear it the most!!! i swear, everything i tell my clients is stuff i need to be reminded of. thanks, God. not to sound cliche, but things are often easier said than done. i've also been reading joel osteen's book your best life now. the whole last section talked about the power of our thoughts and words in our life. i've been trying to switch gears over the past few months from having a 24/7 pity party to trying to be okay that i'm not pregnant NOW. this past time i only bawled once with a few cries here and there. better than before where i was ready to weep anytime someone brought it up or i thought about it. no, i'm not perfect at this endeavor of trying to be positive, but starting today i'm going to try and be better. there's a reason i'm not pregnant right now, and God knows when this baby will grace the world with his or her presence. i built part of a rock garden yesterday...something creative and beautiful and full of heavy labor...something i couldn't do pregnant. just like laura prayed yesterday, i am healthy and there is nothing wrong with my womb. God desires us to have a family. God, i pray you'll keep me thinking positive and keep my emotions in check!!

a little piece of what's going on in my head...
i know, i know. all these things i've heard forever--God's timing is best, He knows the best way, He knows the desires of your heart, keep having faith for ________ and it'll work out. i KNOW all these things. i want it to become part of me. i want to not worry about circumstances in my life. i want to be strong!!! i feel like i've spent so much time conversing with God about my desires, declaring my faith, thanking Him for my health and my baby's health, etc., etc. when my period was 2 days late, i tried to keep a safe distance from being too hopeful, but still talked to conrad and God about my what was really going on in my head...the excitement of maybe. friday i cried the whole 1/2 hour home, grieving in a sense over the fact that, once again, i'm not pregnant. it was the first time i looked at that way. at first i thought i'm crazy. i'm grieving over something i've never had. thanks to some much needed conversation at church, i realize i'm not crazy. it felt good to have that validated. i realized i'm grieving over a hope that seems to get dashed month after month. i'm grieving over the strong desire to be a mother and it not happening (yet!). no matter how much i can tell myself that i have faith and that God's timing is perfect, the emotions are still going to be there because i'm human. sometimes i just feel the raw emotion is more than i can handle, but it's not more than God can handle. i didn't want to go to church today because i didn't want to see people, but luckily i did because i needed to talk (and hear daniel's message on God's timing...). i thank God i have people in my life who will ask how i'm doing and who really care to listen. i really treasure the encouragement and need everything i can get. maybe it's time i relinquish my "right" to be a mother and just let God do His thing. easier said than done. but i will not give up this desire in my heart.

my babies...
the newest additions to our family...gracie and jack!!!

just after we got them-7 wks.

gracie's the little princess...she loves her pedestal:)

jack is more laid back and has less attitude-9 wks.

i'll take the earrings...
since i got a $10 gift certificate to jcpenney for mother's day in the mail that expired today, i thought i'd head over after fawn's graduation party. i was excited to put my bargain shopping to work and had three separate trips to the dressing room with 5-10 items each time. junior's stuff is too small, especially the place where they expect your boobs to fit. one brand in the young women's doesn't carry my size, or else i would've bought like 5 different shirts. the dresses were way cute but i needed a 2nd opinion and talked myself out of this adorable dress because how often am i really going to wear it? and does it look too maternity (which, sadly enough i don't need yet) with the way the fabric doesn't flow? (i might just go get it anyway tomorrow...and pray the clearance price goes down more...) i was sweating my butt off cuz the dressing rooms were 85 degrees and my hair was all static-y from the shirts coming on and off. i probably lapped the store 3 times, no exaggeration. i ended up buying a pair of earrings.

rollercoaster...
so before you start diagnosing me...:) i sometimes do this to myself, but then remember that i need to NOT do that because it's not who i am. i just read an email from a close friend and between reading that (at work...naughty) and my own contemplations last night as i talked with conrad, i'm getting more insight. i didn't cry on the way to work today, already better than last monday! i know we all go through rollercoaster emotions and i think a lot of mine lately has to do with longing for a new season in my life--motherhood. everytime it doesn't happen i get all sorts of messed up. i'm no longer content with my job (did i mention i'm writing this at work?) and in my mind i think, wouldn't it just be more simple to quit because i'm pregnant rather than explain burnout to my boss, clients, in-laws? and no, this is NOT the reason i want a baby. i'm just ready to NOT be a careerwoman. it's never what i wanted. a former co-worker offered to email me about new jobs he hears about with the state and i was tempted, but that's not what i want. i want to see conrad more and i want to be a mom. God, help me as i deal with the burnout and the waiting!!! and God bless those who read this blog and my rantings and ravings!!!

in my head...
i have lots of things spinning around in my head. no, i'm not going to write them all down. it may seem as though i do give a lot of info on my blog, maybe more than some, but there are some things that i think that will never be written. thank God for conrad. and thank God for God. i don't always know how to deal with such thoughts. i pray a lot but i struggle with seeing it totally work. which leads me to the message at church today, or at least a small part of what i got out of it. God is allowing this "storm" to build my faith and trust in Him. i know this, but i just want to add that storms suck. i know i'll come out at the other side but i always pray that i'll have the strength to endure the struggle. if i hadn't had a birthday party today i would've stayed at home in bed. i guess God wanted me to get out and go to church, even if i can barely say the words during worship. i know the things that rod shares about God and out of the Bible, but any ideas how to make them a part of me...more than just head knowledge?? i'm sick of crying all the time. i'm sick of beating myself up. i'm sick of not being content and happy. i'm sick of being surface-level. like i asked before...any ideas? i'm beginning to feel like a client and am going back and forth between "publish post" and the delete key...