Week One

Okay so many of you have called, emailed or texted me to see how the first week at 1300 Eastwick (my dad and stepmom's house for those of you who are a little confused) as been - it has been an adjustment that is for sure. There have been some things that have been great and then there have been moments where it has taken every ounce of my strength to just bite my tongue and a time when I actually did just have to get out of the house. But this week overall hasn't been as bad as I thought it would be but part of that is because I managed to find something to do every night this past week.

Let's start with the good things about living at 1300 Eastwick

• I have my puppy Maverick back living with me - which is great I love having him around every day - even as I am typing this he is laying on my feet because he doesn't realize that it hurts since he now weights just as much as me. Needless to say he is on a diet.
• I don't really have to go grocery shopping, which I think the whole world knows how much I hate doing that because dad goes to the store and then just calls me and asks me what I want.
• I get to see my dad in the mornings before I go to work - I am sure that sounds weird to some of you but it is nice because the stepmonster isn't awake yet so it is just a few minutes to chat before I head to work.
• If I want breakfast in the morning - besides my normal fiber one bar - dad will actually make me breakfast.

Some of the not so good or crazy moments of the week:

• Stepmonster is reorganizing the house and so stuff is every where and she is really stressed because my dad keeps telling her this isn't worth it and so he also for the most part refuses to help which leaves her in a bad mood.
• They have been having nice "discussions" which for the most part I have managed to stay out of and keep my mouth shut - my favorite line so far is I think that means it is time for me to go upstairs and go to bed and I just walk out of the room and go to my room.
• I don't have my Tivo - up and running yet, which makes me sound like a TV junkie but it is something to keep me up in my room - away from the drama.
• Stepmonster nagging me about when I am going to get my stuff but away and organized - FYI my deadline was today and everything is done - except what my stepmonster has to clear off the desk in my room so I can hook up my laptop.
• Friday night when I went was going out with Sarah - I just told my dad I would see him later and have a good night and he was fine with my answer. But stepmonster asks where I am going what I am doing and when I will be back - so I give her the same answer I gave my dad - "out with Sarah" and she looks at me and says that doesn't answer my question - to which I walk back in my dad's study and tell him that she isn't happy with my answer so he can deal with her.
• I have been locked out of the house once so far because they lock the garage door so I can't get in - goal of week two is to find the spare key and get a copy made for me to prevent this from happening.
• Stepmonster flipped out on me for trying to be nice and taking something out of the dyer for her - really she picks the littlest things to go off about.
• I turned in my keys to 1424 - which is nice to know it is clean and done but also really sad to know that I no longer have my own home and that I don't live there anymore - after 3 years that was a tough one.

Overall week one had it's up and down but it could have been a whole lot worse so I will just be thankful and I have roughly 11 weeks left at 1300 Eastwick, not that I am counting or anything. Thank you for all the prayers, phone calls, emails and text messages - it has really helped.

Happy Birthday Kelly!

Happy Birthday Kelly! So on Sunday a good friend of mine turned 30 – kind of crazy that I have multiple friends that are now either 30 or are turning 30 this year. Anyways, a group of us went out to celebrate her birthday on Saturday night. Here are just a few pictures from the fun.

Brooke & I at dinner

Kelly & the sparkler w/the birthday brownie

Me, Kelly, and Caroline at dinner


Kelly and her white cake & white icing

Moving Day

As many of you have read over the past few months I have to move out of my apartment, well that time finally came this past weekend. Moving day was on Saturday and I am not sure how it all came together as smoothly as it did considering I was not organized or thrilled about the move – more so the fact that I am living in Plano for 3 months than the actual move itself. Thanks to the help of Sarah J. and Laura I had everything packed up in boxes when the boys showed up on Saturday morning to move my life into a storage unit. Sarah J. and Laura were amazing they each came over in the evening and actually helped me pack up boxes full of stuff. I will give Amit full credit for the fact that I had guys to help me move on Saturday morning – Amit found out that I didn’t have people to help and he sent out an email to all my guy friends and friends of his that I didn’t even know. I am so thankful to the 5 guys that helped me move and load up boxes and then get it all in storage – I think they enjoyed the storage building and the rolling dollies a little to much (wish I had pictures) but we all had fun and it was all moved out of 1424 in a little over 2 hours I would say that is record time for any move I have ever made. Thanks to everyone who helped even if you just called and talked to me for hours at a time on the phone (Kelly) while I packed boxes just to keep me awake and keep me packing.

All that to say it is official I am no longer living in Dallas L but I will be back in 3 months and Plano really isn’t that far. But in all seriousness please be praying for me during this 3 month stay at my dad’s house in Plano – some of you know the details but the short version is that while it is great to save money it isn’t a really good (healthy) situation for me to live with my dad and step-mom, but I know God has me exactly where he wants me and so I am going to be obedient, but any and all prayer is appreciated.

Here are a few pictures of the apartment all packed up in boxes.

My room before it was packed

I had started to pack things up

Everything in boxes and ready to go

Jaqua Wedding

This past weekend was my roommates wedding! I have to say that it was one of the more fun weddings to be apart of – it was really well organized (anyone who knows SB isn’t surprised) and just a lot of fun. The entire ceremony was so fitting of both Jeremy and SarahBeth. SarahBeth looked absolutely amazing! The pictures tell a much better story than I am able to tell.


Me & SarahBeth

The Flowers

Jewel-toned House party

Wedding Cake

SarahBeth's pretty dress

Cutting the cake

Peanut Butter & Jelly

So for any of you that know me you know that I have a slight obsession with Peanut Butter but I can't stand jelly - so I don't think I have actually had a PB & J sandwich but I know I wouldn't like it b/c it is the texture of jelly that does me in.

Anyways I am getting side tracked. This post actually has very little to do with Peanut Butter and Jelly - as I was scanning different blogs that I follow tonight I came across one where they referenced someone else blog and usually I don't click over to follow up on what they are referring to but this time I did and I am really glad I did - so I honestly can't take credit for anything I am writing as my own but it did get me started thinking. In the post that I read the writer referenced a story of one of her vacations with her family and how one of her daughters started up conversation with a women who had cancer. The daughter started talking to the women about how God makes everything in the world and how He has the whole world in His big hands, but how she (the daughter) doesn't think that God can make peanut butter & jelly sandwich's. The writer went on to write about how so often she believes that to be true in her own life - that God can save the world but can't take care of the little daily things that are going on in her own life.

This really hit home for me in so many ways right now - I know God is amazing and I know the scriptures to back it up but right now I am just having a hard time believing that they are true in my own life. I know God can part the sea, feed 5,000, and heal sick people, and I honestly believe it! But am just struggling with believing that in His big hands that He has time for little tiny me or that I even matter to Him. No worries friends I am clinging to the scriptures daily right now - it is just between not knowing where I am going to live but being pretty sure moving to my dad's is not a good option, my mom having places cut out of her head today, my grandfather not really getting any better, and several other little issues that I just don't feel comfortable spelling out on here. I guess you can say that I just feel like God's big hands don't have time to take care of the simple little issues in my life. So I guess you can say I am like the writers daughter I know God is amazing and I can see all that He has done not only in my life but in the world around me but yet I don't think He can do something as simple as make peanut butter & jelly sandwich - right now. It just seems like to much to ask Him to do - so my prayer is that I would just cling to God's truth that I know, and know that He has it all under control and it will all work out in His timing and it will work out like He planned it to.

Bachelorette Party

So this past weekend was a weekend full of fun and surprise for SarahBeth - it was her bachelorette party - kind of crazy to think that as I write this there are only 4 days to her wedding. The day started with brunch at La Duni - great brunch if you have never been there and ended with us all talking and hanging out at the Thompson's lake house on lake Texoma. Here are just a few pictures from the weekend.


SarahBeth with BandAids on the glass acting as a blindfold.

SB - in all her bachelorette gear.

Me & SarahBeth

SB & All the hostess at the lake.

Crate Myrtle Tree

Okay so this is probably my most random post as of yet but I am sure it wont be the last if you know me at all. So today as I was driving to work something slightly colorful caught my eye among all the brown and grey that is winter in Texas and it was the first blooms of a Crate Myrtle Tree (similar to the picture above) - they are really common here in Dallas. I still don't know why it caught my attention or even more why it started my mind racing but it did - I gave up a long time ago trying to figure out how my brain works.

Anyways, when I saw the first bloom of the tree it reminded me of being a kid growing up here in Dallas - may-be that is because our entire backyard fence was lined in with these trees. We had the red ones (which are really the bright pink ones), the white ones, and the pink ones all in my backyard and while they shaded our backyard they also happened to fill our pool with the flowers every time the wind would blow. I realize I know way to much about this little tree but it was just a random fact that my dad shared with me and it has stuck with me. So while seeing the first bloom today did momentarily take me back to my childhood it also reminded me that it is almost spring and with spring always comes lots of new changes and new growth - this is where my mind really started thinking. About how in less than 10 days my roommate will be married and will no longer be my roommate. In less than a month I will move out of my apartment to a now undetermined location - hopefully not Plano aka my dad's house. I return to the Amazon in two months - which I can hardly contain my excitement about my return to Brazil (I will blog more about this one later) Two more races - I am returning to run the OKC 1/2 and then heading up to Seattle in late June for another 1/2 marathon. And these are just the changes that I know about - so part of me is really excited to see what God has in store for this new chapter in my life and then part of me is really scared because I like my life the way it is and I have actually adjusted to it somewhat. But I that is the important part about life is that we don't become to comfortable in our lives in the here and now or else we run the risk of becoming complacent in our lives and not totally depended on Christ. Just think all of this came from a simple little flower.

My prayer for this spring is just to be able to be excited about the here and now and just enjoy each moment as it comes and not over analyze the past or become anxious about the future, whatever that might be. To take on the changes and challenges as they come and not to worry or stress about them because I don't have the control anyways. To try and daily remind myself that I don't have the control and it is not my responsibility to fix everything. And to not become complacent to the things of the world around me.