Friday, December 30, 2011
Wednesday, December 28, 2011
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Money Saving Mom
OK, we all know I'm not a mom yet. So this isn't about me. And I have to admit that there is a partly selfish motive to this post!
If you've read my other posts, you've probably heard me mention Money Saving Mom's website. I've learned a lot from her...not just about getting good deals and couponing, but about money in general, and remembering that it's GOD's money, not mine....He's just letting me be in charge of it.
Well....she's releasing a book!
I'm actually excited about it!! Her knowledge comes the ol' fashioned way--by living it! She's definitely worked hard with her family, and by God's grace, has pulled through! I encourage you, at the very least, to read her blog. And, if you resonate with the struggles she's been through--and continues to go through, no one's perfect!--then consider buying the book. I dont' think you'll be sorry. :)
We'll be back to our regularly scheduled rambling this weekend :)
If you've read my other posts, you've probably heard me mention Money Saving Mom's website. I've learned a lot from her...not just about getting good deals and couponing, but about money in general, and remembering that it's GOD's money, not mine....He's just letting me be in charge of it.
Well....she's releasing a book!
I'm actually excited about it!! Her knowledge comes the ol' fashioned way--by living it! She's definitely worked hard with her family, and by God's grace, has pulled through! I encourage you, at the very least, to read her blog. And, if you resonate with the struggles she's been through--and continues to go through, no one's perfect!--then consider buying the book. I dont' think you'll be sorry. :)
We'll be back to our regularly scheduled rambling this weekend :)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Matthew 6
I’m starting this as a word document at work, while some processes are running behind the scenes that are keeping me from doing my job at this moment. :)
I’ve been filled with worry today. Lots of worry, about many different things. Not all worry, some just thinking. Like this for example….I was thinking today about how sometimes, I’d much rather be drinking tea/milk/soda than the water I am kinda forcing myself to drink to stay hydrated. Then I thought about the millions (billions?) of people around the world who don’t have access to clean water. Or, if they do, it’s half a day’s trek to get to it. And all I have to do is walk down a hallway. Let’s just say that snapped me right back into perspective on this one.
(Oh, and by the way, that’s all I got typed before lunch. Once the processes stopped running, it was full speed ahead. Eating lunch now, lest you think I have nothing to do at work, lol)
So, for the worry part……well, I just worry. I do. I try not to. But I do. I remember being young and being worried when my dad wasn’t home from work when he was supposed to be. Someone in my family (one of my uncles, I think) gave me a worry rock…a smooth stone that I could hold, rub, whatever when I was worried. The point was probably to take my mind off of the worry. I can’t remember if that worked or not. Apparently not in the long term.
Especially now that I’m a Christian, I know I’m not supposed to worry. I mean, it’s spelled right out in the bible! Matthew, chapter 6…
25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?
28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.
That’s pretty clear right there. Yet, I can’t seem to grasp it. I’ve had a few situations lately that have had me worried, and I’ve seen birds, and it’s made me think of verse 26 above. So I know God is trying to help me work through this. Yet still, because there are still evil influences in the world, my mind goes first to worry, THEN to God. I sincerely wish it was the other way around.
So today’s main worry is my “audition” for the band at church that’s coming up on Sunday. Right now, the band only has rehearsals on Sunday mornings before worship. I know how that can go sometimes…there would be weeks when we’d have to rehearse like that at Covenant, and sometimes those days can be very hectic! I’m worried that there won’t actually be time for me. Which I know is a selfish worry, but I really want to be a part of this, and I know if God has that in His plans, then it will happen.
They’re also all really good musicians. Not that the musicians at Covenant aren’t (they’re fantastic, actually, and these guys are close to the same talent), I guess it’s just that I know them and they know me, and they were (and are, and probably always will be :)) patient with me when I don’t know the right musical terms, or am not sure how to convey what I’m thinking. Some of them are downright mind readers, really! And since I don’t know these guys, I don’t know how they’ll react to my shortcomings, and if my shortcomings will outweigh my talents and abilities.
I’m also worried—and this, to me, is the craziest one—because there’s actually going to be another gal there this week. (It's usually an all-dude band) Why does this worry me? For one…it’s someone to immediately compare me to. I’m there, she’s there….they can immediately say “oh, well, Amanda’s not doing [this or that] as well as she does” etc. Yeah, I know. As I’m writing this I’m feeling kinda crazy, so I know that’s probably what you’re thinking too. Another reason is because I’ve had some negative experiences with other females in this type of setting before. I’ve had some tell me, “You’re singing my part”, "You're not doing that right" (without offering help to fix it) and things like that, that made me feel very insecure. Now, I know this girl isn’t one of the ones who has done stuff like that to me, and I bet she’s going to be wonderfully nice, but my mind automatically goes to the worst case scenario, cuz that’s just how my mind works.
I don’t know. All of that said, I’ve been a bit tense this week. I know that some people’s first instinct is to judge, and I hope that you don’t. I hope instead that you might say a little prayer for peace for me. And to remember this in other situations where people in your life are consumed with something that you find to be petty….to pray that they can overcome what it is they’re struggling against! That could be exactly what they need….
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Expectations
I've tried to write a few posts lately, but just haven't found the words. Or haven't had the motivation to finish the post(s) after starting. God has definitely been showing Himself in our lives lately, and has blessed us in many ways. Why, then, am I not feeling blessed?
I've always been a bit of a perfectionist ("a bit" might be an understatement). The first time I really remember feeling this way was in 2nd grade, when I really wanted my rocket to reach the moon (an incentive-type program done by my teacher). In fact, I remember crying when my rocket didn't move (or went backwards, I can't remember, that was a LONG time ago). My parents even had me tested for ulcers because I had lots of stomach aches, and they thought I was stressing myself out to the point of getting ulcers. How old are you in 2nd grade, 8? I was already doing this to myself at 8?
In a way, it got better AND worse as I got older. I still hated to get bad grades (I started freaking out around B-/C, lol), but my world also started to expand. If I said something stupid, I beat myself up over it. If someone bullied me or made fun of me, I beat myself up over whatever imperfection they decided to point out that day. (On a side note, something has got to be done to stop bullying. It almost single-handedly ruined part of my childhood, and although I was blessed enough to have a loving family, and to NOT be in a place where harming myself or someone else was an option, not all those who are bullied are.)
At any rate...I am hard on myself. I expect perfection of myself, and I have high expectations of myself as far as helping others is concerned. (This is more or less me in a nutshell. If you've never heard of this, take one of the free tests, and let me know what you are :)) And if I don't live up to my own (typically impossibly high) expectations, I can't forgive myself. Even though I know that God has forgiven me, my husband has forgiven me (though he usually tells me there's nothing TO forgive), I just keep beating myself up over it.
So, even when blessings flow generously from God, I sometimes can't see them...because I can't see past my own imperfections. God gives us a little extra money one month....I can't forgive myself for spending that on a dinner out instead of saving it. God gives me some extra time off....I can't forgive myself for taking that time to rest instead of doing something productive.
I've been noticing this about myself for a while now, and knowing IS half the battle (GI Joe....) but now it's time to actually DO something about it. I need to realize that not every penny needs to be saved. Not every minute needs to be productive. I mean, saving is important....productivity is important...but so is having fun and resting with my friends and family. I need to learn balance. I need to learn to just sit back and soak it all in. I need to learn to see the blessings in EVERYTHING, and to thank God for them every day! I need to learn how to powerfully end a blog post, because it's the hardest part of posting! ;-)
I've always been a bit of a perfectionist ("a bit" might be an understatement). The first time I really remember feeling this way was in 2nd grade, when I really wanted my rocket to reach the moon (an incentive-type program done by my teacher). In fact, I remember crying when my rocket didn't move (or went backwards, I can't remember, that was a LONG time ago). My parents even had me tested for ulcers because I had lots of stomach aches, and they thought I was stressing myself out to the point of getting ulcers. How old are you in 2nd grade, 8? I was already doing this to myself at 8?
In a way, it got better AND worse as I got older. I still hated to get bad grades (I started freaking out around B-/C, lol), but my world also started to expand. If I said something stupid, I beat myself up over it. If someone bullied me or made fun of me, I beat myself up over whatever imperfection they decided to point out that day. (On a side note, something has got to be done to stop bullying. It almost single-handedly ruined part of my childhood, and although I was blessed enough to have a loving family, and to NOT be in a place where harming myself or someone else was an option, not all those who are bullied are.)
At any rate...I am hard on myself. I expect perfection of myself, and I have high expectations of myself as far as helping others is concerned. (This is more or less me in a nutshell. If you've never heard of this, take one of the free tests, and let me know what you are :)) And if I don't live up to my own (typically impossibly high) expectations, I can't forgive myself. Even though I know that God has forgiven me, my husband has forgiven me (though he usually tells me there's nothing TO forgive), I just keep beating myself up over it.
So, even when blessings flow generously from God, I sometimes can't see them...because I can't see past my own imperfections. God gives us a little extra money one month....I can't forgive myself for spending that on a dinner out instead of saving it. God gives me some extra time off....I can't forgive myself for taking that time to rest instead of doing something productive.
I've been noticing this about myself for a while now, and knowing IS half the battle (GI Joe....) but now it's time to actually DO something about it. I need to realize that not every penny needs to be saved. Not every minute needs to be productive. I mean, saving is important....productivity is important...but so is having fun and resting with my friends and family. I need to learn balance. I need to learn to just sit back and soak it all in. I need to learn to see the blessings in EVERYTHING, and to thank God for them every day! I need to learn how to powerfully end a blog post, because it's the hardest part of posting! ;-)
Friday, October 28, 2011
October recap
I've kinda fallen out of the blogging world for a little while. I'm usually so tired by the time I get home that it takes all the energy I have to figure out what to do for dinner, hang out with Jeremy for a little while, and maybe watch a TV show. I'm usually ready to at least lay down in bed with the TV or a book by 9 or 9:30. So, since a few of you have asked, here's October in a nutshell (it also allows you to skip the long-winded posts about some of these things :))!
We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on 10/10. We went out for dinner and a movie the weekend right before the anniversary (since it was on a Monday). Very nice to spend time together!!
We went up to Asheville the weekend after our anniversary to hang out with friends, and to visit our church. I got to help lead worship with the band, and it was an amazing blessing! It was hard to come back, but I made a decision to CHOOSE happiness. It's actually kinda been working :)
We hit the 3-month "anniversary" of moving down here. I can't BELIEVE that it's been that long! It really does feel like just yesterday that we left the mountains. Jeremy hit 2 months with the O'Charley's down here, and I hit 1 month with my job (just last week).
Jeremy's had a few rough days waiting tables...not much different than in Asheville. We're still surprised at how inconsiderate people are...he's had at least one table completely stiff him this week (and of course the ones that decide to leave no tip are usually the ones that make him run around the most, and this was no exception). I know times are tough, but guess what? Unless you're unemployed and not receiving any benefits, you're making more than my husband does per hour. $2.13/hour. If you don't tip him, that's all he makes. I'll step off that soapbox now :)
He's still on the look-out for another job, but he's also not entirely sure WHAT he wants to do. But, he's applied several places and signed up for a handful of job sites, so I know God will lead him in the right direction!
He's still taking his grammar class on Friday nights, and even though I know it's rather annoying for him sometimes, he knows that after this, he'll get to take classes he's interested in! We're still not sure where the money is going to come from, but we're trying to have faith that if God brought us here, He will provide. We keep praying for that!
My job is going well also. I finally feel like I've got a handle on the tasks I am responsible for daily, and they're adding to my workload, so that's good. There are so many people there who are INSANELY loaded down with work, so I'm just happy that I'm able to take a little off of each of their plates to help out! I'm still an "intern"--but don't worry, a PAID intern--but am hoping that they'll decide to keep me on permanently. Rumor has it that some of my co-workers have been advocating on my behalf to get me hired on, so I'm hoping it will work :)
We're still attending the church I wrote about a few weeks back, so we'll see how that goes. I'm having one big problem, that I don't really want to toss out there at the moment, so I've been praying for God to reveal the reason for this. I'm hoping that He will let me know--let US know--what to do.
I reckon that's about all that's going on right now! I can't think of much else. I do have a story to share, but that's for a separate blog post. Maybe tomorrow. :)
We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary on 10/10. We went out for dinner and a movie the weekend right before the anniversary (since it was on a Monday). Very nice to spend time together!!
We went up to Asheville the weekend after our anniversary to hang out with friends, and to visit our church. I got to help lead worship with the band, and it was an amazing blessing! It was hard to come back, but I made a decision to CHOOSE happiness. It's actually kinda been working :)
We hit the 3-month "anniversary" of moving down here. I can't BELIEVE that it's been that long! It really does feel like just yesterday that we left the mountains. Jeremy hit 2 months with the O'Charley's down here, and I hit 1 month with my job (just last week).
Jeremy's had a few rough days waiting tables...not much different than in Asheville. We're still surprised at how inconsiderate people are...he's had at least one table completely stiff him this week (and of course the ones that decide to leave no tip are usually the ones that make him run around the most, and this was no exception). I know times are tough, but guess what? Unless you're unemployed and not receiving any benefits, you're making more than my husband does per hour. $2.13/hour. If you don't tip him, that's all he makes. I'll step off that soapbox now :)
He's still on the look-out for another job, but he's also not entirely sure WHAT he wants to do. But, he's applied several places and signed up for a handful of job sites, so I know God will lead him in the right direction!
He's still taking his grammar class on Friday nights, and even though I know it's rather annoying for him sometimes, he knows that after this, he'll get to take classes he's interested in! We're still not sure where the money is going to come from, but we're trying to have faith that if God brought us here, He will provide. We keep praying for that!
My job is going well also. I finally feel like I've got a handle on the tasks I am responsible for daily, and they're adding to my workload, so that's good. There are so many people there who are INSANELY loaded down with work, so I'm just happy that I'm able to take a little off of each of their plates to help out! I'm still an "intern"--but don't worry, a PAID intern--but am hoping that they'll decide to keep me on permanently. Rumor has it that some of my co-workers have been advocating on my behalf to get me hired on, so I'm hoping it will work :)
We're still attending the church I wrote about a few weeks back, so we'll see how that goes. I'm having one big problem, that I don't really want to toss out there at the moment, so I've been praying for God to reveal the reason for this. I'm hoping that He will let me know--let US know--what to do.
I reckon that's about all that's going on right now! I can't think of much else. I do have a story to share, but that's for a separate blog post. Maybe tomorrow. :)
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Time to grow...
Jeremy and I spent this past weekend in Asheville....and it was FANTASTIC! We got to stay with the Kaylers (well, at least Ma and Pa Kayler, as the little birds are BOTH in college now!)...we got to eat lunch and dinner with friends...we got to go back to our "home" church...we got to drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the other tourists (though I have a hard time calling myself a tourist in Asheville...I've only been gone for 3 months!!!). The weather was beautiful, being a part of the worship band again on Sunday was more of a blessing to me than I ever expected....overall, it was just an amazing weekend!!
And then, on Sunday evening, as we drove down and out of the beautiful mountains, I began to tear up. All I could think about was how wonderful our life was there, how many friends we had, all of the activities we were involved in. Of course, in times like this, you never look back to the hard times you had, just the wonderful ones because, of course, life was "perfect" back then, right?
I started to realize throughout the rest of the evening and into the beginning of this week that I had to change my outlook, or I was going to completely kill any chances I have--we have--of being happy here. Is Jeremy's school still here? Yep. Do we still feel that this is what God is calling us to? Yep. OK. So, I can't change that right now. I just have to find a way to be happy.
Over the past 2 days, I have been given--undoubtedly by God, through others--some of the tools I need to start this journey fresh. (And a few gems from a few months ago, as I was just beginning)
A friend mentioned to me a while back that she saw this situation as being similar to when a plant outgrows its pot. You have to take the plant, and re-pot it in something bigger so that it can continue to grow. She said this situation makes her think of that....that it was time for me to be re-planted so that I can continue to grow and blossom. It's wonderful imagery, and I've called upon it a few times, but not nearly enough. That is going to change.
A friend at work today passed along this scripture, as I was having a very rough day:
And then, on Sunday evening, as we drove down and out of the beautiful mountains, I began to tear up. All I could think about was how wonderful our life was there, how many friends we had, all of the activities we were involved in. Of course, in times like this, you never look back to the hard times you had, just the wonderful ones because, of course, life was "perfect" back then, right?
I started to realize throughout the rest of the evening and into the beginning of this week that I had to change my outlook, or I was going to completely kill any chances I have--we have--of being happy here. Is Jeremy's school still here? Yep. Do we still feel that this is what God is calling us to? Yep. OK. So, I can't change that right now. I just have to find a way to be happy.
Over the past 2 days, I have been given--undoubtedly by God, through others--some of the tools I need to start this journey fresh. (And a few gems from a few months ago, as I was just beginning)
A friend mentioned to me a while back that she saw this situation as being similar to when a plant outgrows its pot. You have to take the plant, and re-pot it in something bigger so that it can continue to grow. She said this situation makes her think of that....that it was time for me to be re-planted so that I can continue to grow and blossom. It's wonderful imagery, and I've called upon it a few times, but not nearly enough. That is going to change.
A friend at work today passed along this scripture, as I was having a very rough day:
Romans 8:28 (NIV): And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
When I looked this up, it made me think of the plant. God has called us here, for HIS purpose. He didn't just pick us up, drop us off, and then leave us...He's here. He will take care of us. Through Him we will be able to grow and blossom in this new pot we've been planted in.
I also was directed to this blog post during lunch after seeing it linked on the Money Saving Mom blog that I read often. The post gave some practical "tips" for giving thanks even when we're discontent with our lot in life. (Please read the article, as I'm taking these steps out of it, but not really explaining who is giving the tips!)
1. Never allow yourself to complain about anything, not even the weather.2. Never picture yourself in a different circumstance or someplace else.3. Never compare your lot with the lot of another.4. Never allow yourself to wish this or that had been otherwise.5. Never dwell on tomorrow. Remember it is God’s, and not ours.6. Choose to be thankful for exactly where you are and exactly what you have.
All of this combined really hit home today. Happiness is less a state of mind and more something I can create for myself...something I can allow myself. I can't always change the situations I'm in, but I can ALWAYS change the way I perceive them, react to them, and handle them.
So. Today begins a whole new outlook on this life. A whole new season of appreciating the pot I'm in, and ceasing to spend all of my time yearning for the pot I *was* in.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Sometimes it's the little things...
I love checking the mail, especially knowing that I've signed up for freebies and they have to come SOMETIME. :) The sad thing is, I usually don't remember what I've signed up for by the time it gets here.
Today was a nice surprise, which brightened my mood after my hour-long commute!
Two boxes! Awesome! I vaguely remember signing up for the Target freebie, but not the Walmart so much. So I opened them up....
...and we have a trial-sized lotion (which I *love* carrying in my purse) and a make-up bag from Target. But, we're not done yet!
Inside the Target make-up bag were several awesome samples! We have:
Today was a nice surprise, which brightened my mood after my hour-long commute!
 |
| Two boxes! One from Target, and one from Walmart. |
 |
| Pretttttttttty! |
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| Freebies INSIDE of a freebie! |
- Burt's Bees SPF 15 lotion
- L'Oreal Regenerating Skincare cream
- TRESemme Naturals shampoo and conditioner
- Pond's wet cleansing towelettes (5 of them!!)
- Garnier Fructis Fortifying shampoo and conditioner
- John Frieda Full Repair shampoo and conditioner
- and $20+ of coupons for the items included as well as others
Dude. I feel like I hit the jackpot this time...totally awesome!
Like I said, sometimes it's the little things that can make me happy!
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Letting it all hang out
Let's just get right down to it, shall we? I suffer from a mental illness. I suspect it's been present in my life for almost as long as I can remember, but I don't really remember it becoming stronger than me until sometime in my late teens. Even then, though, I was able to chalk it up to "hormones", or the stresses of going away to college, or the stresses of being in college. You get the picture. I was able to push it aside, and pretend it wasn't there.
It wasn't until early in the summer of 2004 that I really got a sense that there might be something real going on. One Wednesday, I started feeling mild chest pains. I figured it couldn't be anything serious...I was only 24, and 24 year olds don't have heart attacks. Thursday rolled around, and the feelings only got worse. I had made a first appointment with a new doctor for Friday, so I called them up to see what I should do. I completely expected them to say, "Oh, just come in tomorrow and we'll check you out" but instead I got a firm, but relatively calm, "Why don't you head on over to an urgent care to have them see what's going on?" So, I asked a co-worker to drive me (well, I think she insisted) and when we got there, she said she'd be right in, she was going to grab a newspaper to read. Well, turns out they don't take chest pains lightly, even when you're 24, so when my friend got inside the building, they had already taken me back to be examined. They took my blood pressure, hooked me up to an EKG, and I waited. My blood pressure is NEVER high, but it definitely was that day, probably because I was freaking the heck out. After they got me calmed down, all seemed well....heart rhythm, blood pressure, everything, so they sent me home.
Well, I went to the new doctor the next day, and let's just say I'm glad he kept me on for the next 7 years, because I just let it all out. I was scared, and I needed to hear SOMETHING. At this point, he mentioned that my pains could be caused by acid reflux, or by anxiety and depression. It was official at that point...a doctor had used those words about me. I didn't doubt it at all. I knew it was true, and it just took being told by a "professional" to make me realize it.
Over the next several months, there were many more tests...more EKGs, echocardiograms, more visits to the ER when I was completely freaking out...visits to GI doctors to see about my acid reflux and possible other problems. I don't do well with fearing for my health. Not at all.
Through all of this, though, something awesome happened. I asked a friend if I could go to church with her one Sunday, as she had invited me in the past. Of course she said yes, and we went that week. Little did I know that my brother had been attending that church for a while, and decided to come to a different service that day....the one my friend and I were at. It was like God was saying, "Here you go! How many more signs do you need?" I decided to continue attending. I decided to really learn about God, and being a Christian, and starting my Christian journey. I say "starting" because I don't know that I had one single moment of "salvation" like so many do, like my husband does. But I do remember the day that the ball was set in motion...not by date, but by feeling. I was in the shower, and singing a song from church, and as I sang these words, I just started crying, knowing that I meant them, and knowing that God was listening:
"And so I come into Your chamber, and I dance at Your feet, Lord. You are my savior, and I'm at Your mercy. And all that has been in my life until now belongs to you..."
I wish I could say that the depression and other health issues magically went away, but they didn't. I continued to struggle with reflux issues, with the depression and anxiety, and then on top of that I had eye surgery to fix a partially detached retina. But looking back, God was in ALL of those moments, whether I truly believed it at the time or not. Though I think we all wish that our memories were full of sunshine and rainbows, there's the occasional (or more-than-occasional) storm that gets in the way. I know all of the storms I've been through have been to make me stronger, to trust God more. I know that if I hadn't been to the deep, dark places that I've been, that I wouldn't appreciate the sunshine as much as I do. I wouldn't have known 100% that my husband would stand with me always...because if he could stand with me then--stand FOR me then--then he would be with me through anything.
A few years, some medication, some therapy and a husband later, and I still struggle every day. I still take my medication. I haven't found a therapist here yet, but that may come in time. I know the only thing that hasn't changed is God. His love and His grace have gotten me to where I am, and I know He'll continue taking me as far as He has planned for me, even though I don't always remember that.
I am not quite sure what--other than God, duh!--compelled me to write this when I should really be sleeping, but here ya go anyways. I guess sometimes I reckon that there are others who are going through similar situations. That you're not alone. A friend of mine from high school has been blogging about some of the troubles in her life, and it really does make me feel better knowing I'm not alone. Hopefully this will help you in the same way :)
It wasn't until early in the summer of 2004 that I really got a sense that there might be something real going on. One Wednesday, I started feeling mild chest pains. I figured it couldn't be anything serious...I was only 24, and 24 year olds don't have heart attacks. Thursday rolled around, and the feelings only got worse. I had made a first appointment with a new doctor for Friday, so I called them up to see what I should do. I completely expected them to say, "Oh, just come in tomorrow and we'll check you out" but instead I got a firm, but relatively calm, "Why don't you head on over to an urgent care to have them see what's going on?" So, I asked a co-worker to drive me (well, I think she insisted) and when we got there, she said she'd be right in, she was going to grab a newspaper to read. Well, turns out they don't take chest pains lightly, even when you're 24, so when my friend got inside the building, they had already taken me back to be examined. They took my blood pressure, hooked me up to an EKG, and I waited. My blood pressure is NEVER high, but it definitely was that day, probably because I was freaking the heck out. After they got me calmed down, all seemed well....heart rhythm, blood pressure, everything, so they sent me home.
Well, I went to the new doctor the next day, and let's just say I'm glad he kept me on for the next 7 years, because I just let it all out. I was scared, and I needed to hear SOMETHING. At this point, he mentioned that my pains could be caused by acid reflux, or by anxiety and depression. It was official at that point...a doctor had used those words about me. I didn't doubt it at all. I knew it was true, and it just took being told by a "professional" to make me realize it.
Over the next several months, there were many more tests...more EKGs, echocardiograms, more visits to the ER when I was completely freaking out...visits to GI doctors to see about my acid reflux and possible other problems. I don't do well with fearing for my health. Not at all.
Through all of this, though, something awesome happened. I asked a friend if I could go to church with her one Sunday, as she had invited me in the past. Of course she said yes, and we went that week. Little did I know that my brother had been attending that church for a while, and decided to come to a different service that day....the one my friend and I were at. It was like God was saying, "Here you go! How many more signs do you need?" I decided to continue attending. I decided to really learn about God, and being a Christian, and starting my Christian journey. I say "starting" because I don't know that I had one single moment of "salvation" like so many do, like my husband does. But I do remember the day that the ball was set in motion...not by date, but by feeling. I was in the shower, and singing a song from church, and as I sang these words, I just started crying, knowing that I meant them, and knowing that God was listening:
"And so I come into Your chamber, and I dance at Your feet, Lord. You are my savior, and I'm at Your mercy. And all that has been in my life until now belongs to you..."
I wish I could say that the depression and other health issues magically went away, but they didn't. I continued to struggle with reflux issues, with the depression and anxiety, and then on top of that I had eye surgery to fix a partially detached retina. But looking back, God was in ALL of those moments, whether I truly believed it at the time or not. Though I think we all wish that our memories were full of sunshine and rainbows, there's the occasional (or more-than-occasional) storm that gets in the way. I know all of the storms I've been through have been to make me stronger, to trust God more. I know that if I hadn't been to the deep, dark places that I've been, that I wouldn't appreciate the sunshine as much as I do. I wouldn't have known 100% that my husband would stand with me always...because if he could stand with me then--stand FOR me then--then he would be with me through anything.
A few years, some medication, some therapy and a husband later, and I still struggle every day. I still take my medication. I haven't found a therapist here yet, but that may come in time. I know the only thing that hasn't changed is God. His love and His grace have gotten me to where I am, and I know He'll continue taking me as far as He has planned for me, even though I don't always remember that.
I am not quite sure what--other than God, duh!--compelled me to write this when I should really be sleeping, but here ya go anyways. I guess sometimes I reckon that there are others who are going through similar situations. That you're not alone. A friend of mine from high school has been blogging about some of the troubles in her life, and it really does make me feel better knowing I'm not alone. Hopefully this will help you in the same way :)
Sunday, October 9, 2011
Just an off day...
I'm in a bit of a funk today. Nothing major, nothing "serious"...just one of those blah days. Where everything's in some sort of gray scale instead of technicolor.
We went to church today, still at New Charlotte for now. Some great music today. Still very much hoping to be a part of it in the near future, but I also know that God has plans, and he knows what is best for me, whether I know it or not. So...just waiting that one out. Good sermon today, too, on giving. I know a lot of pastors and churches in general get nervous about these types of sermons. In fact, the pastor today admitted he was nervous about the topic. But it's one that's so important. God doesn't need our money. God is going to accomplish His goals with or without us. God wants us to experience the sacrifice of giving, and the togetherness of the project(s). God wants us to be a part of what He's doing, but He doesn't NEED us. It's for our good, not His. Got me thinking about the faith part of giving. How we should give no matter what our financial situation is. I know a lot of people have seen their paychecks dwindle, or perhaps don't even have paychecks any more. I know ours are smaller than when we were in Asheville. It doesn't mean we've stopped giving. The amounts may be a little less, but the proportion is the same. I go back and forth between "I wish we could give more" and "If only I could add this money into the budget for something else". I hate it when I feel either of these things.
I've also just gotten to the point where I really am lonely! Of course I have my husband, and he's amazing, and I love him...but we don't have a whole lot of other people. Don't get me wrong, we do know a few people down here, but we just haven't fallen into a groove of "hanging out" with folks. Not to mention that I'm usually too tired to think about hanging out when I get home at 6 or later on weeknights. Also Jeremy has class Friday nights and works Sunday nights. It's hard. And I want to start making an effort to be more social, I really do. We're hoping we can get connected at church as a "jumping point" so to speak.
Hmmmm. What else am I randomly thinking about today. Haven't been able to save quite as much money on groceries and such lately. That's a bit of a bummer, but I guess to be expected since I've not had as much time to research the deals, coupons, etc. I'm trying to figure out a way to fit that in as well.
(Can you tell I'm using this as a venting place today? I guess we all have those days...)
I am definitely happy that Jeremy and I are celebrating our 2-year anniversary tomorrow!!!! I can't believe we've been married for 2 years, and more or less together for about 5. This man is definitely the person God chose for me, and I'm so glad to have him in my life :) <3
I'm also happy that he and I get to spend next weekend in Asheville!!! It will be good to be back in our beloved mountains, see some beautiful Fall color, hopefully see some friends...and worship with our church family at Covenant! I'm super-psyched about that part :)
I'm going to leave this on a positive note. Because that's what I need. Some positive energy :)
We went to church today, still at New Charlotte for now. Some great music today. Still very much hoping to be a part of it in the near future, but I also know that God has plans, and he knows what is best for me, whether I know it or not. So...just waiting that one out. Good sermon today, too, on giving. I know a lot of pastors and churches in general get nervous about these types of sermons. In fact, the pastor today admitted he was nervous about the topic. But it's one that's so important. God doesn't need our money. God is going to accomplish His goals with or without us. God wants us to experience the sacrifice of giving, and the togetherness of the project(s). God wants us to be a part of what He's doing, but He doesn't NEED us. It's for our good, not His. Got me thinking about the faith part of giving. How we should give no matter what our financial situation is. I know a lot of people have seen their paychecks dwindle, or perhaps don't even have paychecks any more. I know ours are smaller than when we were in Asheville. It doesn't mean we've stopped giving. The amounts may be a little less, but the proportion is the same. I go back and forth between "I wish we could give more" and "If only I could add this money into the budget for something else". I hate it when I feel either of these things.
I've also just gotten to the point where I really am lonely! Of course I have my husband, and he's amazing, and I love him...but we don't have a whole lot of other people. Don't get me wrong, we do know a few people down here, but we just haven't fallen into a groove of "hanging out" with folks. Not to mention that I'm usually too tired to think about hanging out when I get home at 6 or later on weeknights. Also Jeremy has class Friday nights and works Sunday nights. It's hard. And I want to start making an effort to be more social, I really do. We're hoping we can get connected at church as a "jumping point" so to speak.
Hmmmm. What else am I randomly thinking about today. Haven't been able to save quite as much money on groceries and such lately. That's a bit of a bummer, but I guess to be expected since I've not had as much time to research the deals, coupons, etc. I'm trying to figure out a way to fit that in as well.
(Can you tell I'm using this as a venting place today? I guess we all have those days...)
I am definitely happy that Jeremy and I are celebrating our 2-year anniversary tomorrow!!!! I can't believe we've been married for 2 years, and more or less together for about 5. This man is definitely the person God chose for me, and I'm so glad to have him in my life :) <3
I'm also happy that he and I get to spend next weekend in Asheville!!! It will be good to be back in our beloved mountains, see some beautiful Fall color, hopefully see some friends...and worship with our church family at Covenant! I'm super-psyched about that part :)
I'm going to leave this on a positive note. Because that's what I need. Some positive energy :)
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Freebies
For the past couple of months, I've been signing up with companies to have free samples sent to me. I mean, why not? If the company (or store) is offering something for completely free, and it's something I'd use, I think it's awesome! Of course, everything takes somewhere in the 6 - 12 week range to get, so most of the time, I don't even remember what I've signed up for!
A couple of months ago, I got the "quickest" sample I've ever gotten...some tampons! This was a Costco giveaway (one of the few they do where you do NOT have to be a member to get it), and they sent 5 tampons in what felt like 3 - 4 weeks. Quite a generous freebie! After I got that in the mail, I was even more hooked than before!
So, for the past couple of weeks, some of the freebies that I've signed up for have started rolling in, so I took a picture! And there's really quite a funny story that goes along with this.
You're probably looking at the Poise pads, and wondering why I got those. Well, it just pays to really READ before you sign up. I didn't realize that they were for "bladder leakage" and not for my menstrual woes. LOL. So if anyone needs some, I have 2 samples and a $2 off coupon I can send you :)
The milk coupon is really cool, as you can use it on any milk. I'm hoping that includes lactose-free, since that's what we typically get. The toilet paper roll cover...I just thought it was a hilarious idea. I think I had to show proof that I had bought Cottonelle over the past however many weeks, and since that's usually what we get, it didn't cost me any extra (pretty sure we got a really good deal on TP that week, too). The Post-It samples are kinda lame, but they did send some high-value coupons, so that was worth it. And I always love trying new hair products...especially since my hair has been weird ever since we moved to Charlotte. Oh, and the Splenda. Not sure how I ended up with two, as I only signed up for one, but I won't complain. 4 little packets (how cute) and 2 coupons (obviously 2 packets and 1 coupon per sample).
We also had a free 6oz steak and side for Outback, but we used that this week. Jeremy ended up with a 6oz steak, baked potato and chicken breast for $4. Pretty good deal :)
I know I have plenty more coming to me, I just can't necessarily remember what. :) I hope to be able to take pictures of more goodies soon!
Some of my favorite sites to get/learn about freebies:
A couple of months ago, I got the "quickest" sample I've ever gotten...some tampons! This was a Costco giveaway (one of the few they do where you do NOT have to be a member to get it), and they sent 5 tampons in what felt like 3 - 4 weeks. Quite a generous freebie! After I got that in the mail, I was even more hooked than before!
So, for the past couple of weeks, some of the freebies that I've signed up for have started rolling in, so I took a picture! And there's really quite a funny story that goes along with this.
 |
| From left to right: Poise pads and $2 off coupon, $1 off milk coupon, samples of L'Oreal hair products with a $2 off coupon, a "Respect the Roll" toilet paper cover, 4 sample packets of Splenda with two $1 off coupons, and some Post-It samples with several $2 and $3 off coupons. |
The milk coupon is really cool, as you can use it on any milk. I'm hoping that includes lactose-free, since that's what we typically get. The toilet paper roll cover...I just thought it was a hilarious idea. I think I had to show proof that I had bought Cottonelle over the past however many weeks, and since that's usually what we get, it didn't cost me any extra (pretty sure we got a really good deal on TP that week, too). The Post-It samples are kinda lame, but they did send some high-value coupons, so that was worth it. And I always love trying new hair products...especially since my hair has been weird ever since we moved to Charlotte. Oh, and the Splenda. Not sure how I ended up with two, as I only signed up for one, but I won't complain. 4 little packets (how cute) and 2 coupons (obviously 2 packets and 1 coupon per sample).
We also had a free 6oz steak and side for Outback, but we used that this week. Jeremy ended up with a 6oz steak, baked potato and chicken breast for $4. Pretty good deal :)
I know I have plenty more coming to me, I just can't necessarily remember what. :) I hope to be able to take pictures of more goodies soon!
Some of my favorite sites to get/learn about freebies:
- http://moneysavingmom.com/ I've talked about this website several times. She has all sorts of info about coupons, freebies, sales and so much more!
- http://www.pgeverydaysolutions.com/pgeds/index.jsp You can sign up every quarter (I think) for a free product, coupon booklet, etc. They take a long time to get to you, but can be very worth it.
- http://samples.target.com/ These go very quickly. You can usually find out about these on blogs (like the MoneySavingMom blog linked above)
- http://instoresnow.walmart.com/In-Stores-Now-Free-Samples-and-Savings.aspx These usually go pretty fast, too
- http://www.costco.com/ If you search "free samples" or something like that, you'll get a list of what they're offering. Some of their stuff is only for Costco members, so just pay attention to that.
It can also pay off to "like" your favorite companies on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter, as they sometimes advertise free samples or coupons on those pages.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
finding a new church...week 10
...and we're hoping week LAST! If you've read the past few weeks of our church posts, you'll know that there were 2 churches we were struggling between....the smallish church and the more Covenant-sized church (our church in Asheville). Well, the other night when Jeremy and I were driving to get dinner, we were discussing which church we wanted to try and connect with. We kept asking each other, "Which one do YOU like better?" "No, which one do YOU like better?" So we decided to say it on 3..."1, 2, 3...." and we both said the same one. :) So, my friends, I introduce you to our potential new church home, New Charlotte Church! We've asked for information about small groups, and I talked to the worship pastor today about possibly becoming involved with the music ministry. So...I guess we'll see! It kinda feels good to no longer be searching for a church, but now we get to start searching for connections (which is probably going to be harder than what we've been doing!).
We really need friends down here. I mean, we do have a few, which has definitely helped the transition, but we're kinda lonely. I mean, we're pretty big homebodies, but sometimes it's nice to do things with other people. :)
Anyways. We'll keep blogging about this adventure, as it is FAR from over! And, this may not be the place for us, but unless we try to connect, we'll never know :)
We really need friends down here. I mean, we do have a few, which has definitely helped the transition, but we're kinda lonely. I mean, we're pretty big homebodies, but sometimes it's nice to do things with other people. :)
Anyways. We'll keep blogging about this adventure, as it is FAR from over! And, this may not be the place for us, but unless we try to connect, we'll never know :)
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Slow week for deals (for me, at least)
Sunday, 10/2/11
I wanted to share a bit of deal-age with y'all today, but didn't want to create a whole new post, so I'm just editing this one from yesterday :)
I had to run by Harris Teeter to get a few things that we needed, so I checked the coupon match-ups, made a couple of plans, and headed out. Today I purchased:
I wanted to share a bit of deal-age with y'all today, but didn't want to create a whole new post, so I'm just editing this one from yesterday :)
I had to run by Harris Teeter to get a few things that we needed, so I checked the coupon match-ups, made a couple of plans, and headed out. Today I purchased:
- 4 2-L Coke products
- 2 bottles of SoftSoap hand soap
- 2 bottles of KC Masterpiece BBQ sauce
- 2 Mama Mary's pizza crusts
- Package of pepperoni
- 2 rolls of Jimmy Dean sausage (I'm going to try and make a ton of breakfast burritos so that I can grab one or two in the mornings and not stop to get breakfast every morning...)
- 18 eggs
- Lactose-free milk (which is expensive...$3.29 for a half-gallon :()
The best deal was getting the BBQ sauces for FREE. They retail for 2.25, but were on sale for $0.99!!! Then I had two $0.50/1 coupons, which were doubled, making them free! The sodas were also a great deal...retailing for $1.79, but on special sale for $0.88 each! We try not to keep soda in the house very often, but I figured it would be a nice--inexpensive!!!--treat. With sales/coupons, the soap was possibly free...I'm looking at my receipt right now, seeing that there was a deal I didn't even know about :) At the most, they were $0.70/each. The sausage was the most expensive of my "deals", but something I needed. The rest of the stuff was full-priced. Just proves that you can still save a lot of money even if you don't have a ton of coupons!
Saturday, 10/1/11
I'm sure there were TONS of good deals out there...but with my schedule lately, I haven't had much of a chance to score many of them. I set out today to get some really good deals at Target and Walmart. However, I was only mildly successful.
Target
I set out to get 3 travel size toothpastes, priced at $0.97 each. I had 3 $1 off any size coupons, so those were free except for tax. I also set out to get 2 travel size lotions, priced at $0.97 each. I had 2 $0.50 off 1 any size coupons, so those were to be $0.47 each (the travel size is so convenient to carry in my purse!).
So. I found the toothpastes no problem. Made double (and triple) sure that the coupon didn't exclude travel size, and it didn't. (From reading some couponing blogs online, I know that some stores/cashiers are reluctant to take coupons on travel size because they feel like we're "stealing" the item. I don't see it as stealing when the store is getting the money back from the manufacturer, usually plus a few extra cents for handling. Nope, not stealing)
I couldn't find the lotions in the travel size section. But, since i really did need lotion, I looked around the lotion aisle and found a great deal on two full sized Suave lotion...2 for $5.00! So, I got the two lotions and 3 small toothpastes for $5.57. Not bad....
Walmart
Now, Walmart was going to be my ultimate score for the day. My plan included:
Saturday, 10/1/11
I'm sure there were TONS of good deals out there...but with my schedule lately, I haven't had much of a chance to score many of them. I set out today to get some really good deals at Target and Walmart. However, I was only mildly successful.
Target
I set out to get 3 travel size toothpastes, priced at $0.97 each. I had 3 $1 off any size coupons, so those were free except for tax. I also set out to get 2 travel size lotions, priced at $0.97 each. I had 2 $0.50 off 1 any size coupons, so those were to be $0.47 each (the travel size is so convenient to carry in my purse!).
So. I found the toothpastes no problem. Made double (and triple) sure that the coupon didn't exclude travel size, and it didn't. (From reading some couponing blogs online, I know that some stores/cashiers are reluctant to take coupons on travel size because they feel like we're "stealing" the item. I don't see it as stealing when the store is getting the money back from the manufacturer, usually plus a few extra cents for handling. Nope, not stealing)
I couldn't find the lotions in the travel size section. But, since i really did need lotion, I looked around the lotion aisle and found a great deal on two full sized Suave lotion...2 for $5.00! So, I got the two lotions and 3 small toothpastes for $5.57. Not bad....
Walmart
Now, Walmart was going to be my ultimate score for the day. My plan included:
- 4 Men's Speed Stick deodorant for $0.49 each--on sale for $0.98 each, 2 coupons for B1G1
- 4 boxes of Barilla Whole Grain Pasta for $0.78 each--on sale for $1.28 each, 2 coupons for $1/2 boxes
- 2 Airwick Freshmatic starter kits for $0.97 each--on sale for $4.97 each, 2 coupons for $4/1
- Shout Wipes (travel size) for $0.42 each--on sale for $0.97 each, 2 $0.55/1 coupons
- Tide detergent single load for $0.47 each--on sale for $0.97 each, 3 $0.50/1 coupons
- 2 12-packs of Schick disposable razors for free (and possibly with a profit)--on sale for $1.97 each, coupon for $6/2. Since Walmart allows overage, that would have made me about $2 to apply to the rest of my order
Well, let's just say this went less than swimmingly. The store was out of the Airwick Freshmatic, Shout wipes and Schick disposable razors. So, I just stuck with my other items and went to the checkout. All was going well until I handed over my Tide coupons. The cashier said that I can't use coupons on travel sized items. I pointed out that the coupon did NOT exclude travel size. She called one of the managers over to check it out. She, too, said I couldn't use it. I tried once again to explain that the coupon did not exclude travel size, and she spouted out several different excuses, one being that "the travel size is not pictured on the coupon". Coupons do not necessarily work that way. (I'm looking for a link from one of the blogs I visit, but will have to find it later and update this post :)) At any rate, I just didn't feel like arguing, and just asked the cashier to please take those items off of my order.
I did end up getting the 4 boxes of pasta, 4 deodorants and a bag of rice (that I didn't have a coupon for, but was at a good price) for about $6.50. Not bad, but not as good as I was hoping for.
Looks like there are going to be some good coupons in the newspaper this week, so maybe I can get myself organized and actually get some good stuff this coming week :)
Edited to add picture and "stats"
The total for all of this was $12.34 and I saved at least $6.96, for a savings of about 38%. I say "at least" because Target and Walmart don't list their "normal" price on the receipt, and I know one or two items were on sale. Not the best, but saving something is better than saving nothing :)
Edited to add picture and "stats"
The total for all of this was $12.34 and I saved at least $6.96, for a savings of about 38%. I say "at least" because Target and Walmart don't list their "normal" price on the receipt, and I know one or two items were on sale. Not the best, but saving something is better than saving nothing :)
What a week...
In case you didn't see it on mine or Jeremy's facebook page, Jeremy's grandmother passed away on Tuesday night. Jeremy got a text from his mom around 5pm or so letting us know that the doctors didn't think she'd make it through the night. When I got home around 6 he told me and we got things together to head down there.
After we stopped briefly to grab something to eat, we made it down there by about 9pm. Went into the hospital, and started to get "lectured" by the old lady at the front desk. "Visiting hours are over, you'll have to come back tomorrow" is what she kept saying to us. We were trying to explain to her that his grandmother wouldn't be ALIVE during visiting hours tomorrow. She called up to the nurse's station, and she was talking very softly until she said, "So, I can let them up for a few minutes, but then TELL THEM TO COME BACK TOMORROW DURING VISITING HOURS?" and she was looking at me the whole time. I about jumped over that desk and strangled her with her phone cord. I just couldn't understand how she could be so rude when we were telling her that his grandmother was dying. She just said, "well, no one has told me that". So, they finally let us up, telling us we could only stay for a few minutes. (Yeah, few minutes my ASS. When we got upstairs, I pulled one of the nurses aside and asked if she could call down to the front desk and let them know what was going on so that no more family had trouble getting in.) I'm not knocking her for doing her job...she just didn't seem willing to take one extra step and see if what we were saying was actually true. Not once did she say that she'd check on her condition or anything. She was just adamant on not letting us up there, for whatever reason. Just glad it worked out in a relatively short amount of time...
We got up there, and she was in really bad shape. Not conscious, struggling to breathe. We had only been up there a little over an hour when she passed. Jeremy was so thankful to have made it in time. It was quite an emotional time, obviously. We left SC around 1am, made it home around 3am. Luckily Jeremy had Wednesday off. I went to work....and made it mostly awake. :)
The funeral was Friday morning. Beautiful day, beautiful location. It was a tough day, for many reasons, and the family has a lot of tough days ahead of them. Please keep them in your prayers....for peace and strength....
After we stopped briefly to grab something to eat, we made it down there by about 9pm. Went into the hospital, and started to get "lectured" by the old lady at the front desk. "Visiting hours are over, you'll have to come back tomorrow" is what she kept saying to us. We were trying to explain to her that his grandmother wouldn't be ALIVE during visiting hours tomorrow. She called up to the nurse's station, and she was talking very softly until she said, "So, I can let them up for a few minutes, but then TELL THEM TO COME BACK TOMORROW DURING VISITING HOURS?" and she was looking at me the whole time. I about jumped over that desk and strangled her with her phone cord. I just couldn't understand how she could be so rude when we were telling her that his grandmother was dying. She just said, "well, no one has told me that". So, they finally let us up, telling us we could only stay for a few minutes. (Yeah, few minutes my ASS. When we got upstairs, I pulled one of the nurses aside and asked if she could call down to the front desk and let them know what was going on so that no more family had trouble getting in.) I'm not knocking her for doing her job...she just didn't seem willing to take one extra step and see if what we were saying was actually true. Not once did she say that she'd check on her condition or anything. She was just adamant on not letting us up there, for whatever reason. Just glad it worked out in a relatively short amount of time...
We got up there, and she was in really bad shape. Not conscious, struggling to breathe. We had only been up there a little over an hour when she passed. Jeremy was so thankful to have made it in time. It was quite an emotional time, obviously. We left SC around 1am, made it home around 3am. Luckily Jeremy had Wednesday off. I went to work....and made it mostly awake. :)
The funeral was Friday morning. Beautiful day, beautiful location. It was a tough day, for many reasons, and the family has a lot of tough days ahead of them. Please keep them in your prayers....for peace and strength....
Monday, September 26, 2011
what a day
Wow. Today was quite the day.
The gal who's been training me was out today so, after 4 days of training, I was on my own! The scariest part was that she and I hadn't been able to go through this entire process from start to finish at ALL last week. There's a lot of steps, requiring approval/input from others so if they were delayed, we just moved on to something else and never got back to them. Or she'd grab me one afternoon to say that all input was back, and we'd do the last part. But never from a to z. I took copious notes, typed them up, printed them out, and brought them with me each day I trained with her. I would correct my notes, re-type them, and repeat the process the next day. So, by Friday, I figured I was pretty OK.
Well, today, everything started off well. I got to work early, fixed my notes from Friday (because I didn't have time Friday afternoon to do it all). Got the email that signaled the beginning of it all, and off I went! All of the stuff that I had to do before waiting on approvals went incredibly smoothly. (Thus I should have known that the rest of the day would be a mess) Then after I got the first round of approvals (well, 3 of the 4 I needed), I opened the program that does something to the files and then zips them, and I kept getting an error (part of which said "zippy threw an exception" which just cracked me up!). So, I asked the computer savvy guy I know and he zipped 2 of the files for me, told me to contact IT to get winzip installed on my computer, and I thought all would be good. Well, I tried working on the 3rd file (once I had winzip) and zippy was still throwing exceptions AND there were other errors. Talked to tech guy again, he said he'd look them over for errors and zip them for me too. Got the first two approved the 2nd time, uploaded and out the door.
To try and spare you the boredom of every step of my day, let's just say that:
The gal who's been training me was out today so, after 4 days of training, I was on my own! The scariest part was that she and I hadn't been able to go through this entire process from start to finish at ALL last week. There's a lot of steps, requiring approval/input from others so if they were delayed, we just moved on to something else and never got back to them. Or she'd grab me one afternoon to say that all input was back, and we'd do the last part. But never from a to z. I took copious notes, typed them up, printed them out, and brought them with me each day I trained with her. I would correct my notes, re-type them, and repeat the process the next day. So, by Friday, I figured I was pretty OK.
Well, today, everything started off well. I got to work early, fixed my notes from Friday (because I didn't have time Friday afternoon to do it all). Got the email that signaled the beginning of it all, and off I went! All of the stuff that I had to do before waiting on approvals went incredibly smoothly. (Thus I should have known that the rest of the day would be a mess) Then after I got the first round of approvals (well, 3 of the 4 I needed), I opened the program that does something to the files and then zips them, and I kept getting an error (part of which said "zippy threw an exception" which just cracked me up!). So, I asked the computer savvy guy I know and he zipped 2 of the files for me, told me to contact IT to get winzip installed on my computer, and I thought all would be good. Well, I tried working on the 3rd file (once I had winzip) and zippy was still throwing exceptions AND there were other errors. Talked to tech guy again, he said he'd look them over for errors and zip them for me too. Got the first two approved the 2nd time, uploaded and out the door.
To try and spare you the boredom of every step of my day, let's just say that:
- Installing winzip did nothing to help me. Damn zippy and his exception-throwing.
- One file that I had to upload to a vendor (not one of the ones referenced above) uploaded smoothly, but when they sent a file back to me, someone got to it before me, moved it, and I couldn't find it anywhere on the network drive. Which meant that I couldn't finish that part of the task.
- The person who was supposed to approve one of my 4 files referenced aboe took until 4:30 to approve the file, and this was one that needed 2 approvals. This is when I discovered that zippy wasn't going to stop throwing things, so I had to get tech guy to zip AGAIN. Managed to get it sent out, but by 5:10 I still hadn't heard back about the 2nd approval....so I just went home.
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Prayer
I meant to ask earlier....I need prayer for something that's going on in my life. I thought this was a good thing, and it might still be, but I am having some negative feelings about it. I'm not sure if those feelings are just me (or even satan) or if they're from God telling me to change. So...I need some discernment. I need to know what direction to go....
Thanks :)
Thanks :)
finding a new church...week 9
Well, here we are at week 9! I must say I was definitely more tired this morning than I have been because my first week at work wore me out! We had a brief moment of "maybe we should just sleep" but we both sucked it up and got ready. We decided to go back to the church we posted about on week 4, as it's the other church we like a lot. We're pretty much trying to choose between this one, and the one we went to the last 2 weeks (week 7 and week 8).
We apparently got there a little bit late, as the music had already started (even though the clock in my car said we were a minute early :)). This time, as far as song selection goes....we only knew 2 of the 5 songs. We all know this is a small pet peeve of mine. But I do have to say that the two songs we DID know are two of my favorites, so that almost made up for it :) (get an idea of what songs I love by clicking here and here!!) Another redeeming factor (and this one might be considered a little shallow) is that the guy who lead worship both on week 4 and today has an AMAZING voice. Much like my dear Scotty, I could listen to this guy sing allllllll day long. He's also a great worship leader, knows when to say things between songs, just very very awesome.
We both enjoyed the sermon. (And the sound guy(s) or gal(s) know how to keep the volume under control, which is one of the things that we have a problem with at the other church....the pastor there has a naturally loud voice, and the sound person keeps him loud the entire time....feels like you're being yelled at the entire time)
So.....basically, we're just as confused about which church is right for us as we have been :) There are pros and cons to each one. While week 7/8 church has been more welcoming as far as speaking to us, etc, week 4/9 church has more people in our age group that we could connect with if we decided to stay there. It's just going to be a touch decision. Good news is, if we are quiet and still, God will let us know where to go! We'd like to think it'll be one of these churches but, at the same time, know that it could be somewhere else. At least we really feel like we're making progress still. :)
We apparently got there a little bit late, as the music had already started (even though the clock in my car said we were a minute early :)). This time, as far as song selection goes....we only knew 2 of the 5 songs. We all know this is a small pet peeve of mine. But I do have to say that the two songs we DID know are two of my favorites, so that almost made up for it :) (get an idea of what songs I love by clicking here and here!!) Another redeeming factor (and this one might be considered a little shallow) is that the guy who lead worship both on week 4 and today has an AMAZING voice. Much like my dear Scotty, I could listen to this guy sing allllllll day long. He's also a great worship leader, knows when to say things between songs, just very very awesome.
We both enjoyed the sermon. (And the sound guy(s) or gal(s) know how to keep the volume under control, which is one of the things that we have a problem with at the other church....the pastor there has a naturally loud voice, and the sound person keeps him loud the entire time....feels like you're being yelled at the entire time)
So.....basically, we're just as confused about which church is right for us as we have been :) There are pros and cons to each one. While week 7/8 church has been more welcoming as far as speaking to us, etc, week 4/9 church has more people in our age group that we could connect with if we decided to stay there. It's just going to be a touch decision. Good news is, if we are quiet and still, God will let us know where to go! We'd like to think it'll be one of these churches but, at the same time, know that it could be somewhere else. At least we really feel like we're making progress still. :)
Saturday, September 24, 2011
This week
What a week! I started my new job this week, on Tuesday, and it has been quite the rollercoaster ride!
I did a practice drive to work on Monday, and made it in 33 minutes. So, I decided to tack an extra 10 minutes on for my drive on Tuesday so I could get there early. Sadly, the drive took 55 minutes on Tuesday, and I was 10 minutes late for my first day of work! I felt HORRIBLE!! Luckily, they were understanding, and no one seemed to say much of anything. Needless to say, I've been leaving at 7am each morning. That has put me at work anywhere from 7:40 to 7:50. Nice to be early, I just hate that long of a drive! I've started using some "back roads" (I don't think I can really call any roads in the CLT city limits "back roads") instead of the highways. It seems to take a few minutes longer, but I'm not on the highways with idiots. The "back roads" do have their own idiots, but it's usually idiots going 45mph instead of 65mph idiots. :)
I've been taught a TON of stuff. Noticed how I used taught instead of learned. I have learned a lot, but I'm not feeling comfortable with all of it. I get to do my first solo project on Monday, as the girl doing most of my training will be out of the office, so I just hope I don't destroy something. I think I'll be OK....but, there's always some nerves there!!!
I'll update more when I know for sure how I feel about the job. I know there are some things that I'll enjoy...I always seem to enjoy the mundane things...editing document templates, mail merging, etc.
In other news, my couponing time has become almost non-existent! I've been getting home at 6pm or later, which doesn't leave me much time or energy to focus on that when I have cooking, cleaning, and a husband!
When I got home last night, I looked up a few things, and went out to get a couple of items that I didn't have coupons for, and hit one little deal. Harris Teeter has some Aquafresh toothpaste on BOGO this week...$3.49 for two. I used two $0.75 off 1 coupons, which were doubled, for a grand total of $0.49, which is slightly less than $0.25 per tube. These are full-sized tubes, too, not trial. So, that was exciting. :)
Trying to enjoy the weekend and relax as much as I can...Monday will be here before I know it!
ETA: my cubicle! Now I need "decoration" suggestions :)
ETA: my cubicle! Now I need "decoration" suggestions :)
Sunday, September 18, 2011
finding a new church...week 8
So, week 8! 2 months......C-R-A-Z-Y!! Nothing *terribly* exciting to talk about this week, as we actually went back to last week's church today. It's definitely the one Jeremy likes the best so far, and I'm a little torn between it and one from a previous week (I can't remember the week right now, there've been a few!). Not to mention we were both curious about this week's worship leader candidate (we mentioned last week that they were conducting a search for a new worship leader, and we happened to come in during the search process).
So, we got there a little later than last week, so we sorta flew in and found seats. The congregation was introduced to the candidate(s?) for the position...it was a husband and wife duo, and I'm not sure which would be taking the job should they be chosen. I'm not going to get too deep into this, because I don't want to be mean, but it was NOT a good worship experience where the music was concerned today. Not at all. To the point that, if they chose these folks, I'm not sure that I could continue going to this church. And that's all I'm going to say about that!
One of the ladies who talked to us last week said hi again today...boy is she PERKY!! I had forgotten her name, and thought she was someone else, so I'm glad she had a nametag on or I definitely would have called her another name. :)
Not sure what we'll do this coming Sunday, but it's probably safe to say we'll go back to see the next candidate (I think there's one more week, but today *might* have been the last one, I can't remember). We'll update you guys next week. Who knows? This could be the one! (Or we might go back to the one I mentioned above! We shall see......:))
Saturday, September 17, 2011
This week's deals...
Yeah, I'm really starting to get into the couponing thing. Now, I will never be one of the "shelf-clearers", but I'm enjoying saving lots of money :)
Harris Teeter is tripling coupons this week, which is AWESOME and I've gotten some great deals! For my first trip, I made the mistake of going on Thursday when the triples started on Wednesday. There were several things that I almost couldn't find, but luckily, since the items I had coupons for were also on sale, there were endcaps with extra product. Here were my best deals from trip number one:
Harris Teeter is tripling coupons this week, which is AWESOME and I've gotten some great deals! For my first trip, I made the mistake of going on Thursday when the triples started on Wednesday. There were several things that I almost couldn't find, but luckily, since the items I had coupons for were also on sale, there were endcaps with extra product. Here were my best deals from trip number one:
- Grapes were on sale for $0.99/lb. No coupon for that, of course, but you can't beat that price with a stick!
- Pop Secret Popcorn for $0.84/box ($0.28/bag)--Normally priced at $3.19/box, on sale for BOGO @ $3.19 (~$1.60/box), I had 3 coupons for $0.50 off 2 boxes which was tripled, resulting in the $0.84/box price! That's a 73.7% savings per box!
- Krunchers Kettle Cooked Potato Chips for $0.25/bag ($0.026/oz)--Normally priced at $3.79/bag, they were on sale for $2.50/bag. I had 2 coupons for $0.75 off 1 bag, which were tripled, which resulted in 2 bags for $0.25 each. That's a 93.4% savings per bag!
- Fiber One Bars for $1.30/box--Normally priced at $3.69/box, on sale for $2.50/box. I had 2 coupons for $0.40 off 1 box, which tripled, and resulted in the $1.30 per box. That's a 64.8% savings per box!
Overall, I saved about 54% total on my groceries. I had to buy some things like milk and butter that I didn't have coupons for, which brought the percentage down, but that's still not bad!
I went again today because there were a few deals I hadn't noticed on Thursday (and I also realized that I had forgotten my Honey Nut Cheerios coupon on Thursday and, thus, bought a box at almost full price---the horror!!!!---so I wanted to get my deal before the price went back up). Of course, with the Harris Teeter being less than a mile from the apartment, and me not having a job until Tuesday, I still have the time to do this. Starting next week, though, I'll have to make sure I do my research more thoroughly :)
- Honey Nut Cheerios (17oz box) for $0.75--Normally priced at $4.69, on sale for $3.00. I had a coupon for $0.75 off 1 box (that I got by requesting a free sample of HN cheerios from General Mills) which was tripled, resulting in the $0.75/box price. That's a savings of 84%!
- Mitchum deodorant for $0.74/stick--Normally priced at $3.99, on sale for $2.99. I had 2 coupons for $0.75 off 1 stick, they were tripled, resulting in the $0.74/stick price. That's a savings of 81.5%!
- Gain dish detergent for $0.49/bottle--Normally priced at $2.39, on sale for $1.99. I had 2 $0.50 off 1 coupons, tripled, resulting in the $0.49/bottle price. That's a savings of 79.5%!
All in all today, I saved a total of 79.2%! Or, to spell it out, I paid about $3.75 for all of that, which is less than one of the sticks of deodorant on a regular day! Granted, I've never tried Mitchum deodorant or Gain dish detergent, but since I'm not terribly brand-loyal in either of those categories, I figured it's worth a shot! And if they don't work out, we can donate them. I don't feel bad at all spending a few quarters to donate something. :)
The only thing I wasn't able to find today were the toothbrushes I had coupons for. Either they weren't in stock, or my store doesn't carry them. But I did see something cute when I was in the toothbrush/toothpaste aisle...apparently the "Coupon Fairy" made a visit, and left a few coupons on the shelves. They expire today, and I reckon the "fairy" wasn't going to use them, so she left them for others. I checked them out, and didn't need them, so I left them there. I hope someone who needs them finds them, cuz that was just sweet :)
ETA @ 12:12 ET--I should also note that I got some good deals on clothing this week, too! I went shopping on Tuesday evening to get a shirt for my interview on Wednesday, and found 2 shirts that I liked on the sales rack at the store. One was on sale for $25 and the other ended up only being $10 (even though the sticker said more, score!!) so I got 2 work shirts for less than $40. (And we're talking about a name-brand store, not Wal-Mart or Target, which would normally be a shopping place for me, but I decided to give this store a shot to see if there were any good deals)
At the end of that transaction, they gave me a coupon for $25 off my next $50 purchase. What? Really? Ok! Since I got the job, I went back tonight and got 2 long-sleeved dress shirts (Charlotte will have a winter eventually) again for under $40. The shirts were buy one, get one for $10, which brought the total to around $57, take off the $25 and that leaves us at $34 (after tax, that's why the math is off). Totally awesome. I'm a happy girl. :)
ETA @ 12:12 ET--I should also note that I got some good deals on clothing this week, too! I went shopping on Tuesday evening to get a shirt for my interview on Wednesday, and found 2 shirts that I liked on the sales rack at the store. One was on sale for $25 and the other ended up only being $10 (even though the sticker said more, score!!) so I got 2 work shirts for less than $40. (And we're talking about a name-brand store, not Wal-Mart or Target, which would normally be a shopping place for me, but I decided to give this store a shot to see if there were any good deals)
At the end of that transaction, they gave me a coupon for $25 off my next $50 purchase. What? Really? Ok! Since I got the job, I went back tonight and got 2 long-sleeved dress shirts (Charlotte will have a winter eventually) again for under $40. The shirts were buy one, get one for $10, which brought the total to around $57, take off the $25 and that leaves us at $34 (after tax, that's why the math is off). Totally awesome. I'm a happy girl. :)
Sunday, September 11, 2011
finding a new church...week 7 (for real)
It's *actually* week 7 this week, unlike last week when I accidentally claimed it. :)
We debated this week over whether we should go to the church we had liked the best up until this point, or try a new one. After some very scientific methodology--aka writing "new church" and "________ church" on pieces of paper and making Jeremy pick a hand--we decided to try a new church!
I did a little more research, this time specifically for UMC churches, and found 3 or 4 that we hadn't visited (that have contemporary service(s)) and sent an email to Jeremy. He looked around at them, picked one, and that's where we went!
We both got the impression that this was going to be a medium - large sized church, and were surprised when we got there and found that the sanctuary was probably only set up to hold 100 or so people (there were probably 70-80 at the service we went to, they have two of them). it was also a little awkward, because they're in the process of searching for a director of music/worship, and one of the candidates was there leading worship today.
Several people came up and said hi to us, which is rare (as I touched on last week). But, with the size of the congregation, it was easy to see that we stuck out like sore thumbs. (In fact, at one point when the pastor was talking about how good it was to see old and new faces, I swear he looked right at us, lol) It was very nice, though, to feel like we might belong instead of feeling like just a couple more faces in the crowd.
The music was pretty good...we recognized every song, though I couldn't tell if the whole congregation knew the songs. Some of them are songs that I love but hadn't heard sung in church in a while (this and this). One thing that was most interesting to me was that this week's candidate was female. That simple fact isn't the interesting part, just that it made me realize that I can't even remember the last time (before today) that I had been in the congregation worshipping with a female worship leader. Considering I was really the only chick who lead songs at Covenant, I am used to dudes. :) And our search has proven to be the same (except for the church on week....2 or 3? A chick lead one or two songs, but not the whole set). At any rate, she did a good job overall, but definitely had a moment of completely going "rock star" one one of my favorite songs to sing, which was distracting, but otherwise quite talented.
The sermon was pretty good...they just started a new series (and opened with this video, which almost made me cry). I was a little distracted by the sound (even during the music) because they really kept the pastor's mic HOT and at some points I felt like I was being yelled at, but overall it was good.
We met the pastor for a few minutes afterwards, and were a little shocked to find out that he grew up in Asheville! So, we talked about that for a few moments and headed out. On our way out, one of the ladies who talked to us before the service actually remembered our names, and said goodbye to us by name. You know, I've known for a LONG time how much people love to hear the sound of their own name, but today was the first time in a long time that it actually had such an impact on me.
Seems like this church really could be a place we could stay. We're not entirely sure yet, and I think we want to visit one of the other churches again, and of course this one again, but we just might be on to something. Thanks, God. :)
We debated this week over whether we should go to the church we had liked the best up until this point, or try a new one. After some very scientific methodology--aka writing "new church" and "________ church" on pieces of paper and making Jeremy pick a hand--we decided to try a new church!
I did a little more research, this time specifically for UMC churches, and found 3 or 4 that we hadn't visited (that have contemporary service(s)) and sent an email to Jeremy. He looked around at them, picked one, and that's where we went!
We both got the impression that this was going to be a medium - large sized church, and were surprised when we got there and found that the sanctuary was probably only set up to hold 100 or so people (there were probably 70-80 at the service we went to, they have two of them). it was also a little awkward, because they're in the process of searching for a director of music/worship, and one of the candidates was there leading worship today.
Several people came up and said hi to us, which is rare (as I touched on last week). But, with the size of the congregation, it was easy to see that we stuck out like sore thumbs. (In fact, at one point when the pastor was talking about how good it was to see old and new faces, I swear he looked right at us, lol) It was very nice, though, to feel like we might belong instead of feeling like just a couple more faces in the crowd.
The music was pretty good...we recognized every song, though I couldn't tell if the whole congregation knew the songs. Some of them are songs that I love but hadn't heard sung in church in a while (this and this). One thing that was most interesting to me was that this week's candidate was female. That simple fact isn't the interesting part, just that it made me realize that I can't even remember the last time (before today) that I had been in the congregation worshipping with a female worship leader. Considering I was really the only chick who lead songs at Covenant, I am used to dudes. :) And our search has proven to be the same (except for the church on week....2 or 3? A chick lead one or two songs, but not the whole set). At any rate, she did a good job overall, but definitely had a moment of completely going "rock star" one one of my favorite songs to sing, which was distracting, but otherwise quite talented.
The sermon was pretty good...they just started a new series (and opened with this video, which almost made me cry). I was a little distracted by the sound (even during the music) because they really kept the pastor's mic HOT and at some points I felt like I was being yelled at, but overall it was good.
We met the pastor for a few minutes afterwards, and were a little shocked to find out that he grew up in Asheville! So, we talked about that for a few moments and headed out. On our way out, one of the ladies who talked to us before the service actually remembered our names, and said goodbye to us by name. You know, I've known for a LONG time how much people love to hear the sound of their own name, but today was the first time in a long time that it actually had such an impact on me.
Seems like this church really could be a place we could stay. We're not entirely sure yet, and I think we want to visit one of the other churches again, and of course this one again, but we just might be on to something. Thanks, God. :)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
More good deals
I'm going to try to not post EVERY time I get good deals, but maybe this will be my "weekly" good deal post, and I'll add to it when I get something. :)
At any rate, here's what I did today. With the whole point being to "stock up" for the next 2-3 months, I might try to find another couple coupons (there are some websites that will send you coupons for a small fee, and with some of these deals, it'd be worth paying $1-2 for the amount of savings!)
(Got all the match-ups from Cheapest Mom and Southern Savers!)
Added 9/7/11 @ 9:30pm
So, I was double checking information on Money Saving Mom and remembered she had posted about some really cheap printer paper at Staples. I looked it up on the Staples website, and realized that the deals ended today instead of Saturday like I thought. So, I quickly googled the closest Staples that was open past 8pm, conned Jeremy into coming with me, and zoomed down there! We had a little trouble finding it (it's in a fairly large shopping area with lots of side streets), but finally got inside around 8:55! Found the paper and went about our merry way! The paper cost $10.70 (including tax) and after we send in the rebate, it will have cost us only $0.02! (A penny per 500 sheets) Jeremy kept saying "Penny paper, PENNY PAPER!!!!!" on the way there to motivate me to drive faster (no worries, we didn't drive any faster than any of the other crazies out there :))
At any rate, here's what I did today. With the whole point being to "stock up" for the next 2-3 months, I might try to find another couple coupons (there are some websites that will send you coupons for a small fee, and with some of these deals, it'd be worth paying $1-2 for the amount of savings!)
- 2 Cottonelle toilet paper 12-roll packages for $4.49 each--normally priced at $10.99 each (ouch!), on sale for $5.99 each, used 2 $0.75/1 coupons which were doubled, making the final price $4.49 each
- 2 20-count Finish Powerball tabs for $1.60 each--normally priced at $5.79 each, on sale BOGO (~$2.90 each), used 2 $0.65/1 coupons which were doubled, making the final price $1.60 each
- 1-lb of Land O Frost sandwich meat for $2.89--normally priced at $4.99/lb, on sale for $3.99/lb, used 1 $0.55/1 coupon which was doubled, making the final price $2.89
- We also took advantage of their weekly "Meal Deal", where they'll group together a few items that might constitute a meal, and discount the items when you buy them all together. This week, for $6.99 we got:
- 6-pack of Johnsonville sausage
- 1 package of hotdog buns
- 1 lb bag of pretzels
- 2 L of coke
(Got all the match-ups from Cheapest Mom and Southern Savers!)
Added 9/7/11 @ 9:30pm
So, I was double checking information on Money Saving Mom and remembered she had posted about some really cheap printer paper at Staples. I looked it up on the Staples website, and realized that the deals ended today instead of Saturday like I thought. So, I quickly googled the closest Staples that was open past 8pm, conned Jeremy into coming with me, and zoomed down there! We had a little trouble finding it (it's in a fairly large shopping area with lots of side streets), but finally got inside around 8:55! Found the paper and went about our merry way! The paper cost $10.70 (including tax) and after we send in the rebate, it will have cost us only $0.02! (A penny per 500 sheets) Jeremy kept saying "Penny paper, PENNY PAPER!!!!!" on the way there to motivate me to drive faster (no worries, we didn't drive any faster than any of the other crazies out there :))
Monday, September 5, 2011
Small victories
Had to run to Harris Teeter for a few things today, and since I found my other 2 Playtex coupons that I meant to take the other day with my first coupon experiment, I decided to take them today. Today's deal ended up being even better :)
They were on sale 2/$5.29. I again used one $2/1 coupon and one $1/1, but there was also a $1/1 that I could add to my VIC card....so that means I got $4 off, and only paid $1.29 for two, which is just about $0.64/box! That is an 87.9% savings. :) I'm kinda liking this couponing thing. I *might* be a little addicted. Maybe. :)
They were on sale 2/$5.29. I again used one $2/1 coupon and one $1/1, but there was also a $1/1 that I could add to my VIC card....so that means I got $4 off, and only paid $1.29 for two, which is just about $0.64/box! That is an 87.9% savings. :) I'm kinda liking this couponing thing. I *might* be a little addicted. Maybe. :)
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