Catching Up

   I cannot believe that I haven't posted since February; I didn't think I stunk that bad. Apparently I do, so let me catch up a little from where I left off.
   Glen is still at Advanced Online and he still loves it, which is great! All I've wanted for him was to be in a work environment that he enjoyed and felt like he could grow and thrive in. That's where he is and it makes me incredibly happy.
   I took the THEA test and I got all the scores I needed to to get rolling in the education program, which I am so completely excited about. I feel like I've been fighting through this degree forever and knowing that there are only two years left is like a light at the end of the tunnel. With that said, I get to dive into the program next month. I am glad to finally get rolling on classes that really pertain to what I want to do.
   As some of you saw, we had some "fun" challenges in the past few months. One of them being that our only car died. That was a bit of a hassle but it turned out well and we got the car we have now that we like and we know it's reliable. If you want to know the full story, you can go to my personal blog because it's kind of long to repeat but it was definitely a good experience for us. If you want to read that you can do so here. My school semester ended and for the first time in my college career I ended the semester with straight A's which I was really excited about because the majority of my classes were ones that I really struggled with and i definitely worked for my grade. I have been out of work and off of school since early May and I know that I need the breather time because the next two years are going to be long and full of hard work, but I still get stir crazy. Luckily, I have a very sweet husband who works very hard to make sure I know that he doesn't think I am being lazy because he knows that is what I am worried about.
   This summer has really been spent and will continue to be spent working really hard. We've been working on the website called Task Rabbit where we pick up smaller side jobs. I haven't had the best of luck in the nature of people I worked for but Glen has done so well and he works so hard. I feel bad sometimes because he comes home from work then works really hard from home until we go to  bed. But I am also really glad that this last weekend he had a chance to have a little mini-vacation and go to Colorado and see all of his family. He got to meet Ruegar, our newest nephew and play with our nieces. I was planning on going but our family is expecting another nephew, which we are so stoked about! My sister Megan and her husband Gavin are expecting their first child, Caelan. Tomorrow he will be a week late and we have been anxiously awaiting his arrival. So I had to stay home and be on call; something I have been referring to as being on central baby time. But we know that if he doesn't come on his own, he will be evicted in a week from today.
   I think because this summer has been very work focused, I really look forward to times that I know we're going to play and have fun. Days like Friday or around our anniversary in August are ones I really look forward to because I get Glen to myself and we get to have some fun.
   So that's been our summer so far. We hope all our friends and family are safe, happy, and healthy. We love you all! Have a wonderful summer!
   I found the following quote and really like it because we have seen it. Things have been tough but somehow we have been making it and I know how that is. We are definitely blessed.

Here's to a good start!

   Hello again! It seems like I just posted and the new year was starting. I cannot believe it is February already! So crazy!
   Things are going well for us. Glen was a temp at this company called Advanced Online and they offered him a permanent position, which we are very excited about! He really enjoys his job, which is nice to see. It challenges him and keeps him busy which he enjoys.
   I started school again and it has kept me moving. In  little over two weeks (yikes...) I will be taking the THEA test which is the placement test that I need to get into UTA's education program. Then after that I will start in the fall and be done in two years. I know it's not really that long but it feels like a lifetime away. I was finding that with school, I could only work a few hours a week and only working a few hours a week barely covers the gas needed to get me there. So...I put my two week's notice in at Things Remembered last week. My last day will be next Wednesday. Scary for me because I get super stir crazy when I don't feel like I am contributing. But Glen says focusing on school is contributing, so I try to remind myself of that. I enjoyed working with people (most of the time (: ) but I can't say that I am sad to leave the retail world, because that would be a lie. I like the idea of getting weekends to have time with my family.
   Other than work and school we did some fun stuff this month. My birthday was on the 18th and my hubby spoiled me like he does so well. We had a little "stay-cation" which was nice. We also went shopping, had some dinner, and he got me a delicious cold stone cake. It took me forever to finish it but it was tasty. Then we celebrated with my family the following Monday. Overall good good birthday.
   Glen's mom, Corrine came to visit as well. She got to witness the crazy schedule we're always talking about (sorry about that!) and we got to have some fun too. She took us out to dinner for my birthday at Texas Roadhouse (yummmm) and we went with my parents to the Fort Worth Stock Show which was fun as well.
   We're keeping busy but still trying to have some fun too! It's been kinda cold here in the south and we are not enjoying that. But I refuse to admit to the need for an actual coat. I just plain refuse. :)
   We're enjoying trying to change some not so great habits, like we planned to do this year and I think it's going pretty well. To be honest, Glen is doing better than me but it's not a contest, right? :).

A Year Full of Lessons

   To give fair warning to those who may be reading this just giving a quick heads up. This is more of my thoughts and reflections of this last year and I write them because it helps me organize my thoughts and have something to look back on. I post it on here because I am a firm believer in finding random things at the time when you need it most and maybe someday someone will come across this when they need it and it can help them. These are mostly my thoughts; Glen shares many of them but this particular post will be mostly from my point of view and my words. It may seem dramatic but every word is true so if you don't want to read it, I won't be offended. 

   I am someone who does a lot of reflection around the coming of a new year about the year that has just passed. I do this because I feel it's how we learn, how we remember lessons learned, and it allows those lessons to sink in. This last year was unlike one I have ever experienced. For those of you who don't know me very well, I am an incredibly independent person that doesn't share many specifics about herself, her life, and especially her struggles. I always joke with Glen that if I were ever on undercover boss we would never get anything because I wouldn't share anything I'd just walk away. I keep my emotions and my feelings very close to myself so only close family really knows the struggles that I (and we) faced this last year. This last year was one of the hardest that I have ever experienced and that I hope I ever have to experience. While I am a firm believer in the idea that everything happens for a reason, sometimes that's hard to remember when something so life altering and scary is staring you in the face. When I am faced with challenges meant to teach me something I know I will usually only see its benefit once it is over because in the midst of it I do my best to keep my head down, keep plugging along, and don't let the universe know you're so much as breaking a sweat. As I was reflecting on lessons learned this last year I have found that in the most recent challenges as in challenges past I was reminded that even though something hurts and you feel alone, you are not really alone at all. There is always someone who loves you watching over you and helping you along your way. I didn't realize this was one of the lessons learned until over Thanksgiving we went to see Michael McLean's "Forgotten Carols." At the end of his performance he sang a song that I loved and had forgotten about that hit me right in the heart.

   Those who know me well know that music is a huge communicator to me. When I am upset I listen to music and it's an outlet, when I need encouragement often times the perfect song will come at the perfect time and be a breath of fresh air, and when I need strength I listen to a song that can give me that. My junior high and high school years were rough. Again...not something that many people know. I can mark the beginning of that struggle with when my Grandma Friday passed away. She was (and still is) such a voice of reason and understanding to me that when she passed away I felt like something in my life and in my heart was definitely missing. Right after she passed away I would listen to this song multiple times a day so I could have the strength to face each day. As I got to high school and things got harder and I faced more things that I didn't understand I stopped listening to it. I was angry and I didn't feel like there was anyone looking out for me; I felt abandoned. It was that song that after almost ten years of being forgotten Michael McLean began to play on his piano. And I cried a lot. Partially because it's a beautiful song, partially because it reminded me of the pain I had felt before, and partially because my realization about this year hit me in that moment. Those nights that I just sat awake in my bed and spoke to God begging for an understanding, for relief, for strength, for anything that could get me through, I would suddenly feel calm enough to go to sleep. Or in those moments that I was so overwhelmed and emotional that I barely felt I could breathe I would have the ability to laugh all of a sudden and it let in just enough light to get me through. All those moments were my Heavenly Father telling me that I was not forgotten. That all of these things that were breaking my heart and my will would soon be to my benefit if I could just hang on.

   Everyone sees God differently. The way I see my Heavenly Father is just as that...a father. I imagine that he is a lot like my father here on earth. He knows my heart, he is willing to comfort me in my sadness, and help lift me in my weakness. When I began on the journey I did a year ago I remember having a conversation with my dad where he asked me what I wanted to do and after I told him he said "okay...this is probably going to hurt and you're probably going to cry and I hate that. But that feeling in your gut that it's right is what you have to hold on to. You do what you know is right and we will follow you and back you up. We take our cues from you." That song I believe was Heavenly Father reminding me to go with my gut. That He knew it would hurt but that it would be for my own good if I could just hold on.

   From this year of hurt and heartache I learned more than I ever thought I could. I see my life differently. I see each day differently. I know that there are so many cases like mine where it did not turn out favorably and I count my blessings that in my case, one in a million, it did. I look back and I can identify moments where I believe some of the loved ones that have gone already that I miss so dearly were watching me steadfastly. Where they were sitting next to me without me knowing, and maybe holding my hand and saying some prayers for me. I really believe that. I count my blessings every time I wake up and look at my husband. Every time we laugh together and talk about our future together I feel overwhelming gratitude for my life. I feel overwhelming appreciation for the Atonement because I learned that it was not just for our sins but for every trial and difficulty we face in this life. I feel appreciation for my family because they have been the most amazing support system and I certainly could not have done it without them. I am grateful for my husband and who he is. The strength and the faith that he had to tap into is amazing and how different he and I both stand at the end of this year is mind blowing. I love him differently than I did a year ago. I certainly don't know all (or a fraction) of what there is to know about marriage. But looking back to what I knew the day we got married and what I know now I feel so much more enlightened. I had no clue what was coming at us that day. All I knew is that I loved this man and I would do what had to be done to keep him for eternity. I tapped into that thought and emotion a lot. And I am grateful I did.

   This is getting lengthy so I will wrap up. Looking back at the direction my life has gone and where I could have taken it has been interesting. I can point to several instances where if I had chosen another way I would not be where I am today. I don't know where I would be if I had chosen that direction, but I know I wouldn't be here and here is where I want to be. My resolutions for this next year are definitely there but the main couple I have are these:

1. Make 2014 utterly and completely different from 2013. Forget the hurt, forget the anger, always remember the lessons. Remember the blessings. Remember how I got to where I am and never take it for granted but move forward.

2. Love more. Love my husband better, love myself more, love my family, love my life, love where I am while I am there because it's time that won't come back so I better make it count.

   I am glad 2013 is done because it was so hard. But I am forever grateful for all the things I learned. The strengths I have developed, the experiences and attitudes I gained are irreplaceable and I don't think could have come another way. I am ready for 2014 so I can learn just as much and come out on the other end feeling like a better person because after all that's what life is about, right?

"Nobody gets to live life backward.

Look ahead, that is where your future lies."

Happy New Year Everyone.

Where has the time gone?

   We cannot believe how fast time has been flying! I guess that's what happens when we're moving a million miles a minute! That's definitely how it feels for us, especially lately! We have both been working really hard on all the different important aspects of our life.
   Glen has been working very hard at a job that he enjoys and is quite good at. If you haven't seen other posts (and also because I don't entirely remember what I wrote before) he is graduated and that has freed him up a great deal. He says it feels a little weird and out of place not having homework to do, but I think he's enjoying it because he doesn't ever take me up on the offer to give him some of mine. Though I do keep trying! We celebrated his birthday with dinner out at Texas Roadhouse. Then that weekend we had some cupcakes at my parents' house with the family. He just got called as the stake technology specialist which is right up his alley. He just got called so he does not quite know what all it entails but it will be good.
   I am still working at Things Remembered. I have been trained to be an assistant manager when a position opens up. I am okay where I am right now though given the workload I've got so far. I have been at UTA for a month now and I am getting used to it. There are some significant differences of course that are challenging me a little but not bad. I am excited for the 15 credit semester to be over. It gets tiring! I am also the primary chorister in our ward which I love. We just had our primary program which turned out well. I am glad to teach them some other songs that I absolutely love. So we are busy, but I am grateful to have Glen with me. He helps me a great deal and I could not keep the pace I do if he weren't there asking me how he could help and doing all he can.
   We moved into a new apartment in August. We like this one MUCH better. We are on the first floor instead of the third which all of us love except for Charlie. He hears and sees every little thing and just barks like crazy. He'll adjust! Plus we have not yet had pot smell waft into our living room like we did at the old apartment so I figure that's a step up. We are neighbors with my older sister Sarah. And that's always fun too! We're doing well, can't complain! I am really terrible at taking pictures...I really should do better. Someday I will!
   Here's a little food for thought!
"Sometimes all you need in 20 seconds of insane courage. Just 20 seconds of embarrassing bravery."
What will you do with your 20 seconds?
"Always pray to have eyes that see the best in people. a heart that forgives the worst, mind that forgets the bad, and a soul that never loses faith in God."

It's Been A Long Time!

   Hello everyone! We realize it has been a long time since we have posted (almost a year). There is no sense in trying to recap everything that has happened in that time because it would take forever, it would be really long, and let's be honest...no one wants to read that much about anyone! We will say it has been a tough year for a variety of reasons but we are excited about moving forward and meeting the adventures and things waiting for us down the line.
   Glen graduated from Brigham Young University-Idaho with a Bachelor's Degree in Communications. He also started a job he very much enjoys at a place called GST where he works with police officers and firemen to help them order their duty gear. I am working at Things Remembered now as a sales associate and engraver. I transferred from BYU-Idaho to University of Texas at Arlington and I will start in the fall. I have a year to finish up the core credits and take a big ol' ugly test so that I can dive in to the 2 year education program.
   While we aren't recapping everything from the year, I think Glen would agree with me when I say that the song attached sums it up pretty nicely. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Fall is coming!

   Hello everyone! Things are going well! We've enjoyed our first summer in Texas, but we're ready for the heat to break and to get into fall. This has been a crazy summer!
   Things at Nordstrom are going well. Being at customer service is a little more challenging than I thought it would be, but it's pushing me out of my comfort zone and I think I'll be better for it. Plus, the extra money doesn't hurt. I really like working with the customers and I haven't had many angry ones, which is always nice. I work with a good group of girls too which makes it a lot of fun!
   Glen got a job too! He is a full-time, work at home Neiman Marcus customer service representative. He's in training right now, but then will be working nights. This works out really well because normally my shifts at work are closing ones. But we are grateful for that other source of income!
   Just before our 1 year anniversary we went to an awesome concert (Loverboy, Pat Benetar, and Journey). It was really nice to be able to share something that I like to do with Glen. We had a really good time and had a lot of laughs with my family. We celebrated our anniversary with a tasty breakfast, and spent a lot of time doing what we used to do when we were dating-playing card games! We had so much fun and we laughed a lot! Then we had dinner and ate a delicious cake that my sister Megan made for us! We had been saying how we each only got one bite of our wedding cake so she made us a delicious replica!
   Glen's parents came to visit us this past weekend! It was great to spend time with them some more, and we got to celebrate Corrine's birthday! I am just bummed that I had to work half the time.Thanks for coming, guys!
   School starts on Monday and we are really anxious to get started! It's Glen's last semester so he's looking forward to get it started, and get it done! I however have always just been a nerd and am looking forward to working on school stuff again! :)
   Short and sweet. But thanks for all the love and support!

Up and then down again...

   Hello Friends. Sorry it's been a little longer than normal between posts. Things got really crazier (believe it or not). I posted last time that we found the apartment that we wanted to move into and were making preparations for that. That's still true. We verified that the apartment was looking good, then we signed a lease. That was awesome for us and we were very very excited! But that excitement didn't last very long because the day after we signed our lease (of course) Glen was let go from Vandergriff Toyota. This was really disappointing because Glen was working really hard and trying really hard. The overall reasoning behind it they said was "lack of production." Which isn't really true; he brought lots of people in and several wanted to talk numbers, but he'd go to ask the managers to talk numbers with them and they'd say "we won't talk numbers until they're committed to buy." But like any shopper knows, you don't commit to buying something without knowing the price. Then when Glen would start to get to a negotiating point and he'd ask for help from his manager, he'd tell Glen to "...be vague. I don't want them to pin me down to anything." Glen didn't like this at all because he was trying to be honest and sell a car without shanghaiing the customer. He felt (and I agree) that that was just about the same thing as lying, and taking advantage of the customer. He did sell a car within his first month, but they expected him to sell 4-6 within his first month without really any training. So, while I am not really excited about being on one income, I am proud that he was let go for having too much integrity.

   Thus it goes without saying that while we were excited to move into our new apartment, the timing was not ideal. So Glen is back on the job hunt; we're hoping he'll have one soon because he's working with a staffing agency called Burnett's Staffing and they've sent his information to a few different places. We hope to hear from them soon. Shortly after Glen lost his job, on his way to a meeting with Burnett's, he had a little incident. I was at home and had just woken up and was eating breakfast (after he had left for his meeting) and Glen came busting through the door with one of my shirts wrapped around his hand and very upset. I ask him what had happened and moved the shirt to see a cut in his hand that looked quite deep and had bled a lot. He was in the car and was fighting to get the back of his cell phone off and was using a knife to open it, and it slipped and got his palm. He panicked when it started to heavily bleed and grabbed one of the spare shirts that I kept in the car, wrapped it around his hand and turned around for home. I took him to a CareNow facility, but first he made me call Burnett's to say he couldn't make it, where they stitched it up for him and sent us on our way. So that put the job finding thing back a little because he had to reschedule a meeting with Burnett's. So we are hoping to hear from them soon, and in the mean time we are looking at some other avenues.

   Things are going well with my job at Nordstrom Rack, I enjoyed working in shoes but there are a lot of changes being made in the department. Our manager just moved up to be a manager in one of the full line stores, and we are losing a lot of associates. So the shoe team is hurting, I feel bad for the friends that I have made in that department; but not too bad because I am one of the ones leaving the department. I am moving to the customer service department. This will be a big blessing because I enjoy working up at customer service more, it pays more hourly, and I get a sort of commission off of every new Nordstrom Rewards account that is opened. I am hoping that this will be more enjoyable and that it will help our finances a little more. I am nervous to go up to customer service because I have never worked in a situation where there is a focus on opening up those new accounts, but in the last month or so I have opened about 8 or so just from being on the sales floor, so I think I will be okay. But I am excited too! 

   Something more exciting (for me anyways) is that in about 2 weeks I will finally be done with the treatments for my endometriosis. For those who haven't been following us from the start I will do a quick recap. I had to have surgery on the first of february because they suspected endometriosis was the cause of a lot of problems I had been having for quite some time, and really the only way to be sure that that's what it really is is through surgery. They did find some smaller spots, and some larger ones and they took care of it. But after the surgery I had to go on a round of medication that lasted six months total. It was two injections, that lasted 3 months a piece. This medication has caused quite a bit of discomfort including, but not limited to hot flashes; and hot flashes during a Texas summer is super not fun. So in two weeks or so my final injection will have worn off (or mostly anyways) and we will begin the next phase of precautions to prevent it for coming back soon. We know it will come back, but we are trying to do everything we can to hold that off as long as possible. I am excited for the hot flashes and stuff to stop, and Glen is excited for the mood swings to stop. It's win win. :) So there are a lot of big and exciting things coming our way.

   In about three weeks or so Glen and I will have been married for a year. I cannot believe it has been that long already, it still feels like yesterday. This year has been....interesting, to say the least. But we've agreed that it's been worth it. Thanks to all the wonderful friends and family who have supported us and stayed along side us through this year. Your help has not gone unnoticed and we are very appreciative.
   After that, fall semester of school starts up again and the super nerd inside of me is very excited. Especially, for my education classes. I guess that's a good sign though, considering I want to be a teacher. This semester (if all goes as planned) will be Glen's last semester, and he will graduate in December. He is very excited to be done with school and have his degree. It has definitely been a long time coming.

   Coming up this next week is my Dad's birthday. Happy birthday Daddy. Love you tons and I am so glad you were borned. ;). 

   So that's us for right now. Things are changing fast and there will be a lot coming our way this next little bit-so stay tuned!

“Use what talents you possess, the woods will be very silent if no birds sang there except those that sang best.” 

-Henry van Dyke