Big Changes

August is the month that always seems to bring big changes in my life. In 2001, August was the month when I was diagnosed with diabetes and thyroid disease. It was the same month, and same day that year actually, that I found out I was getting laid off. See what I mean? BIG changes! Then in 2006, August was the month I found out I was pregnant! Another BIG (but very good) change. Now in 2010, August is bringing about some major life changes...even bigger than the past if you can believe that! This August we will be packing up and moving several states away to Nashville, TN.

Brad got a new job in Nashville, which has been a result of many years of searching and many prayers. My prayers were more focused on him getting that new opportunity here in Orlando, where the majority of our family is, but God has other plans it seems. I am torn because I'm so happy for him, but so sad to be leaving family and friends, my job and a whole life that we built here. Right now our whole life is in motion...my job, Evan's daycare, our house...all these things have to be figured out in a new city. We are very grateful that we do have Brad's sister and family there in Nashville, so we have smiling faces to great us when we arrive.

But all these BIG changes, even the good ones, come with at least some amount of fear and worry. Looking back I can see how God worked through what seemed so devastating 9 years ago, so why wouldn't he be working in that same way now? He is, and I need to remember that. My emotions make it hard for me, but I'm fighting them and praying a lot. Looking to God's word helps. Isn't that how He works? He puts you in situations where you are reminded how helpless and out of control you are. He wants you to come to him as He is the only true help, and he doesn't want you to lose sight of that.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

We've already seen God working in so many ways over the last few weeks. I am going to be able to continue working at my job, just remotely. God has placed me in a wonderful company with great people. This is the job he dropped into my lap, through a dear friend, right after I got laid off 9 years ago. He knew what the future held. I am in the process of hiring a marketing assistant to be in the office and support me. It had always been the plan to have a 2 person marketing department, and I'm excited that there are some very qualified candidates who are interested in the position. I had looked to fill this position 4 months ago, but had a smaller qualified candidate pool available at that time and the company decided to use internal resources instead. Again, just shows how God works in the right time.

Ideally, we would like to move up to Nashville over Labor Day weekend. Brad needs to be at his job that first full week in September. They are currently letting him work remotely for the month of August to give us the time we need for the move. But, as of now, we don't have a place to rent. We have a few options we are looking into, and keeping our eye out for anything new. It's so hard when you don't know an area...we are using our family up there as a resource, which has been a huge help! But, preschool for Evan has also been a bit hard to find in a good location to where we may rent and where Brad's job is, and is also affordable. I didn't realize how good we had it at his current preschool, I guess. Plus, I would love a Christian preschool again. I got discouraged at first but have found some possibilities that are Christian. Hoping we really like them once we visit them.

I would appreciate prayers for all the final details to work out quickly and in God's will. And prayers that my emotions don't overwhelm me as we say goodbye. My family and friends have been so supportive and helped make it so much easier for me. There encouragement means the world to me, and also reminds me why I loved living close to them. I'm going to miss everyone so much! But don't worry, we will be visiting as much as we can - definitely for Christmas. Plus, I may need to come back from time to time for my job.

Show Us Your Life - Marriage Proposal

I love thinking back to the day Brad proposed to me. It is such a special memory for us. We had been dating for just about 2 years, and had started talking about marriage several months before. We were actually considering holding off until Brad finished college but that would have been about 2-3 more years. (I already had my degree and was in the working world, and Brad was working in addition to school himself.) We prayed about it and ultimately, we just felt a tugging at our hearts and knew we were ready for this next step sooner rather than later.

So I knew the proposal was coming, but I wanted to be surprised and Brad wanted to surprise me so we left it up to him to make the decision on when to ask. I am a bit of a planner though! :) So I gave him ideas and examples of what I liked for my ring. I think he liked this anyway because he wouldn't be worried whether I would like what he picked out or not. I did mention once that it would be fun for him to propose on New Years Eve, that was only a few months away at the time. He swears he doesn't remember me saying that...but it may be what planted the idea in his head! :) Guess, we'll never know for sure. So when Brad told me he was making plans to take me out for New Year's Eve I was anticipating good things!

There were also other clues that I couldn't ignore...or maybe I was looking for them! It was all such an exciting time in my life (wrapped around a very difficult time in my life as well, but that's for another post). The biggest clue was at a Christmas gathering with his family. When his Dad prayed for the family, he said something about me being "part of the family" or an "addition to the family." Unfortunately, I can't remember the exact wording, but I picked up on it, and later (after the proposal) Brad told me he did too. It was definitely a slip up by my future father-in-law because they all knew he would be proposing soon. Another little clue, was when I bought new earrings that December (they were very small hoops that had diamond looking gems in them) and Brad commented that they looked like rings. Hmmm...could he have thought that because he'd been looking at a lot of rings while engagement ring shopping! :) I put it in my memory bank that day and just smiled.

In the end, Brad took me to Lee's Lakeside at Lake Eola in Downtown Orlando. (Sadly, it is no longer there.) We were one of the first ones seated that night right by the window overlooking the lake, and the sun was setting. I'm glad there wasn't a lot of people around. I could tell Brad was nervous. He couldn't quite sit still during the salad. Later, he told me he had planned to wait to ask until dessert but realized he just couldn't wait any longer. So during salad, he looked at me and said he had something he wanted to tell me. Then he told me how much he loved me and how he couldn't imagine his life without me. He saw an amazing future together for us, and then he got down on one knee by the table and asked me to marry him! Of course, I said yes! :) Then Brad was finally able to relax, and we talked excitedly about the future.

He did an amazing job with the ring. He had it made with the help of a friend who worked at a jewelry store. It was ever prettier than I had imagined it would be. He told me he would upgrade the main diamond to a bigger one in the future, but I thought the size was perfect. Even to this day, I still have the same diamond...and I love it! He also was a complete gentleman and asked for my Dad's hand in marriage prior to the night he proposed. I was living with my Dad and Stepmom at the time so he had to be stealthy with his planning to not tip me off.  When we got home that night they were waiting to hug us and congratulate us! Then they took our picture by the Christmas tree. That picture still sits in a frame in our bedroom today. [I will have to add the photo in later because I don't have access to it right now. We look really young in it.]

And if you want to check out more fun marriage proposals, check them out at Kelly's Korner Blog. I can't stop reading them all!

Beautiful Birthday

UPDATED: PHOTOS ADDED

The past few years my birthday has gone by without much fanfare, which is fine with me. I've been very preoccupied with my busy life and raising a little one so the days really are just flying by! But it was very nice this year when I got to have some extra fun celebrating my birthday. I felt so special as so many people wished me well on my birthday. And I got to celebrate 2 weekends in a row, with both family and friends. I had, not one, but 3 cakes! All were delicious, but one was extra special because it was homemade and amazingly decorated by a sweet friend. Plus I got to go to 2 performances, one a ballet and the other Cirque du Soleil! La Nouba - the Cirque du Soleil show - was a surprise from my husband...he did good!! :) I had no idea what he had planned and it's something I had mentioned a long time ago wanting to see.

Oh, and I've decided to start celebrating the anniversary of my 29th birthday because I really don't feel any older than that! And I won't tell you how many anniversaries I'm celebrating this year! But life is good, and worth celebrating another blessed year!

Evan loved to help me blow out my candles!

This is the beautiful cake my friend made...by hand. Isn't it amazing!

Evan's 3rd Birthday Recap

I know I'm a bit behind in posting photos and details on Evan's 3rd Birthday party, but the last two weeks just took off and I haven't been able to catch up until now.

Evan's party was a blast! Evan had a great time with all his family and friends...there were 13 kids total and lots of adults too. The weather was just perfect...not too hot or windy, and no rain! Here's a view of the party in pictures. It was a CARS theme and I really tried to have fun playing on that theme. My cake didn't turn out bad, but ended up not fairing very well in the car ride over and in the heat. The icing melted (think my mistake was using whipped icing) and the fondant was slipping down the cake so it looked squished on the bottom even before the party started. I was pretty diappointed at first, but once everyone started arriving all that disappointment melted away...I think I can look back and laugh about it now! We actually had to put Evan's remote control Lightning McQueen car up against the back end to keep the whole end from falling apart. That definitely makes me smile now! In the end, Evan's only 3 years old and he didn't care if he had a perfect cake, nor did he really notice it falling apart. He just loved his Lightning McQueen cake and kept coming over to it and pointing it out. And many other kid's eyes just lit up when they saw the cake. And I put the time and love into making it for him...that's all that matters!

Menu
Lightning McQueen Race Day Sandwiches (made to look like a checkered flag with dark and light breads)
Mater's Tater Salad
Sally's Spinach Dip
Mack's Mexican Dip (spelled CARS with the tomatos on top)
Fillmore's Fruit Skewers (Evan ate a ton of these - loves his fruit!)
Flo's V8 Cafe (lots of different drinks including capri suns, Evan's favorites)

Activities
Ramone's House of Body Art - painting wooden cars
Playing on the playground - Evan loves the swing and insisted on swinging one last time after we have finished cleaning and packing up.

Here is photos of the cake right after I finished...if only it had lasted, but oh well. That's life. :)

UPDATE: Want to learn to make marshmallow fondant and cool cakes? Check out my latest post.

Celebrating 3 Years with Our Little Ray of Sunshine

Today is Evan's 3rd Birthday! I still can't believe that it's already been 3 years since I gave birth to him and our life got a whole lot brighter! :) He was born at 8:39am and weighed in at a big 9 lbs 13 oz and 22 inches long. (Thankful I had a c-section.) And he's never stopped growing and thriving since then. I just love it!

Last night I made my famous black bottom cupcakes. Evan loves to help put the papers in the cupcake tin, and then put the topping on them, with supervision of course. If not, I'd have had batter all over my kitchen. I sent him to school with the cupcakes today. He wanted to carry them in himself and was so proud to give them to the teacher to share with his class. Right about now is their snack time and the kids should all be enjoying the yummy treats and celebrating Evan's birthday. It would be great to get some pictures of that. So, why am I not there!!??!! Oh, yea, I have to work. :( I am definitely reminising about last year though when I took the day off so Brad, Evan and I could all celebrate together. But we've got a fun CARS birthday party planned this weekend so we'll be doing plenty of celebrating and focusing on this 3 year milestone. And I'll be taking plenty of photos of that! Plus, I set up for Evan to get a birthday call from Tigger tonight using Disney Enchanted Calls. I'm so excited to see his face when he hears it - definitely going to be getting that on video! (If you want to ge a free phone call for your child, I found out about a freebie here.)

Well, now for tonight and tomorrow night, I've got my work cut out for me with final preparations for Evan's party. I'm making a Lightning McQueen birthday cake using fondant...and hoping it turns out half as good as the picture in my head! Plus the other final food preparations. We are having the party at a local park with a playground so the kids should have fun! And I'm praying for no rain or heavy wind! But right now it looks like the weather is going to be beautiful. Wish I could be outside right now actually. I'm loving the spring weather. I actually pulled out my capri pants for work today. I'm enjoying being a bit more casual and comfortable.

Hope you all are looking forward to a great weekend as well!

The Joy of Easter Sunday

On Friday I attended our church's Good Friday service. It was a great reminder that though the world sees the cross as humiliation and death we know it is about love and eternal life. Amazing how God conquered death for all of us! It was a great way to start the Easter weekend.

And today, Easter Sunday, we had a wonderful day celebrating that He is Risen at a traditional church service at the church where Brad and I got married. It's also the church I grew up in. Evan was totally adorable in the Easter outfits I got him...yes, I got two only because I found amazing deals! Pretty much got both for the price I would have paid for one elsewhere. I really don't shop there much but wasn't happy with the selection elsewhere so I ended up finding them at JCPenney. Check out my cutie below! Oh, and he just got a new haircut on Thursday. It's shorter and not so shaggy.

 

Evan and his Aunt Tara (my stepsister)

Jumping for joy on Easter!

I think here he is wondering whether he's going to like the candy in this Easter egg!
(and this is outfit #2)

On Saturday we also got the chance to dye Easter eggs. Evan loved this as he is very artistic. I got these stamps with dye that you could also paint on with a brush.

Here he is concentrating so hard! He has taken to drawing and coloring,
pretty much anything artistic. Takes after his Daddy!

I hope everyone had a blessed Easter! And that you continue to be filled with the joy that God brings through his son's death and resurrection!

Today Marks 7 Years of Marriage!

Well, today marks Brad and my 7th anniversary! It also means we've known each other and been together for over 10 years! I just can't imagine my life without him, nor would I want to! It is amazing to look back at our wedding. I posted our favorite wedding photo below. You can just see the joy on our faces! It was a beautiful day I will cherish forever. And it was a great start to a wonderful marriage. It hasn't always been easy and we don't always feel happy. But that is life. And we are taking this journey together one day at a time. We've been tested, we've seen tough times, and are actually walking through a hard time in our lives right now. But I've always felt God cementing our lives together....giving us strength and helping us learn to lean on each other and him to get through it all. So today I feel that same joy and realize how my love for my sweet husband has grown and strengthened over the last 7 years of marriage. I'm looking forward to the many years ahead!

On our Wedding Day - March 15, 2003

Recent photo - March 13, 2010
(Celebrating Brad's birthday and our anniversary
with our first attempt at making sushi. So fun!)

I definitely see a change in Brad's appearance (in a good way!) as he's matured, but I still seem to have the same baby face!

And some more fun photos from our memorable wedding day!

I'm Really Still Here - and an Award

I know, I've been a bad blogger. :( This new year just kick started into high gear and I've been feeling so behind in all areas of my life. Unfortunately, my blog is often what gets neglected in these times. It may also be that I'm on a computer all day and when I get home I find it hard to get back on when I really need a break from it. I know these are all just excuses! I'm good at excuses, but I am going to try my best to keep this blog updated more often. We also haven't been doing much but daily life things so don't have too much to post about.

Anyway, my blog friend Summer has given me an award! My first one ever! It's the "Your Blog Makes Us Smile" award. Thanks Summer...she is just a ray of sunshine herself and I find such strength and perspective when I read her blog. I know what I deal with having diabetes is minor compared to her health problems, but as I see her deal with everything she goes through day to day it helps me find the strength on those days, like today, when my blood sugars are high and making me feel terrible. She is an inspiration truly! You should check out her blog!

Now I'm supposed to pass this along, and sadly, I'm not sure if I have 7 blogger friends to list. I'm really new to the bloggy world, and a lot of the blogs I read are popular blogs that many others read and have received many other awards. But here are a few:

Stephanie Sofka - my sister-in-law can always look at a situation from a different perspective and learn from life's circumstances, all while focusing on God. And she can always lift your spirits. She's a strong and sweet Christian women and I'm so proud to call her sister and friend. Oh, and she's kinda like me - a sporadic blogger! :)

Mike Sofka - want a good laugh? Check out my brother-in-law's blog. He is one of the most hilarious people I know! When he and Brad get together, it's a laugh riot the whole time! Yet he is also serious in his faith in God, and he's good at picking out great bible verses to share that seem to be just what others need to hear.

Layne - I recently connected with Layne through another diabetes blog. She lives right in town and we just met the other day. It is so nice to have someone around here who understands what I'm going through and that I can share experiences with. We've been able to learn so much from each other already! She has a great blog where she chronicles her life and how she manages her diabetes, and her job as a nurse in a NICU, which I think is just amazing!

Elle Nault - I love how through her blog I can tell how much she enjoys being a mother. She has a sweet spirit, and is honest and open with her feelings surrounding what is happening in her life.

Now I'm to list 7 things that make me smile. This part should be easy enough!

1. My little sunshine - my son Evan who is going to be 3 years old in April
2. My husband - his sense of humor is always making me laugh!
3. Watching my husband and son play together
4. Being surrounded by family, wherever and whenever!
5. Shopping - for a sale or deal of course!
6. Getting together with girlfriends
7. A bright, sunny day - good thing I live in Florida!

Thanks again Summer for giving me motivation and a topic to get me back into blogging!

One Little Word for 2010

I'm forgoing resolutions this year and just sticking with one word to focus on in 2010. I started this last year with the word Cherish. And I really feel that word exemplified 2009. I time and again praised God and was thankful for the blessings in my life throughout the year, even among the hard economic times that hit me and many of my family members and through the struggles with my health. I also stepped up my photo taking, doing a photo a day and recording it in an album...a way I love to remember and Cherish all that happens in my life. Unfortunately, I'm not done compiling the album but I have great notes and digital photos so I know I will get it done in the next few months.

For 2010, I've chosen the word Trust.

I felt God put this word on my heart over the last few months. I have trouble giving my all to God, and fully trusting him with all aspects of my life. I always seem to keep a piece or pieces for myself, trying to handle them in my weakness. This year, I'm committing to giving it all to him and following his lead, even if it requires a large amount of Trust. I almost hate to say that because I'm scared of what that will mean...which is why I've struggled with Trust in the past. I'm asking God to take away my fears and replace them with hope. I'll be remembering this verse daily.

Proverbs 3:5-6 (New International Version)
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Anther translation says he will "direct your paths" and I like how that better clarifies it. God is in control and will direct me where he wants me to go. Thankfully, I don't have to trust in my weak and failing human nature.

He has already given me a glimpse of his trustworthiness this past week. He answered a prayer within 24 hours of me praying for it! I was awestruck at how quickly and unexpectedly it happened...it never has happened this way in the past. I think it was God's way of saying "I'm here, I'm listening and I'm providing...you can count on me." We all need a reminder of this. I know not every answer will come so easily as God has his perfect timing in everything, but I praise God for the surge of hope he gave me through this simple answer.

Well, I wish you all a great and blessed 2010! Maybe you'd like to join me in picking a word for the year? If so, I'd love for you to share it with me. :)

P.S. Click here for a bunch of words to give you ideas.

Our First Gingerbread House

I decided to get a gingerbread house for us to make with Evan this year. For our first gingerbread house, I think we did pretty good. I did start by getting a bit frustrated with the icing that started by just beating into tiny little balls (it really takes way more water than the directions said)! Then we had a mishap as I mistook the roof pieces for the side pieces. :) My hubby straightened it all out, and we were on our way, except we had to keep Evan patient as he wanted to get into the candy right away when the house was supposed to dry for 2 to 3 hours! Wish I'd know that in advance. We ate dinner to distract him and then got back to the gingerbread house. We only waited a little over an hour, but it seemed sturdy so we went ahead with decorating it. Brad did a great job piping the icing for the doors and windows while Evan and I were spreading icing on the roof, then he did a lattice pattern on the roof. Finally it was time to add the candy - Evan did one side of the roof and I did the other. It was fun for us all and I'm pretty proud of our first gingerbread house. A new family tradition is born. :)

My side of the roof

Evan's side of the roof - he did really good!

Decorating is coming along slowly...

Well, we never get the chance to put up our Christmas tree and decorations right after Thanksgiving. But it's for good reason - we are spending quality time with my Mom and Stepdad in Melbourne the weekend after Thanksgiving. So, I've had to start getting the decorations up during the work week in bits and peices each night. So far, I've only gotten the tree up and the garland over the mantle and hung our new stockings from Old Navy. Oh, and the table centerpeice I made is out. Tonight I'm hoping to have Evan help decorate the tree. I already put some new candy cane ornaments I got up, and so far Evan grabs every single one of them down calling them "candles" and saying they are his. It's going to be interesting to see what he does once all the ornaments are up! :) And Evan still refers to our stockings as socks, like he did last year!

You can see the decorations as they were last year here. I'll post pics from this year in the coming week. I'm also doing a crafty wreath project and hope that will come together over the next week. I love Christmas time! Don't you?

Halloween Recap

Here's my cutie in his Halloween costume. He LOVES the movie Cars so this was the perfect costume for him. Plus, he had Cars light up shoes (thanks to his cousin Garrett!) to go along with it. He really got the hang of trick-or-treating. Too bad not many of our neighbors were in the spirit with only a few porch lights turned on and giving out candy. Luckily, we had gone to a fall festival at a nearby church first and Evan got a big bag of candy there. Evan's Granny and Papa joined us and we had a fun night.

Check out the pumpkins I carved. Brad ran out of time to do his, but he's the one who picked the white pumpkin and wanted to do the ghost. I did the Owl for the pumpkin carving contest at work, and with a 50/50 chance I was the only loser. :( Oh well. I enjoy carving them, and Evan enjoyed helping me pull out all the guts and stir it around while I did the carving. True boy!

I hope everyone had a very Happy Halloween! Now I'm looking forward to the rest of the Holiday season as we wrap up this year.

Extremely Thankful for Life and Health

We have been enjoying time together lately with Brad's sister and brother-in-law before they leave for Tennessee. It is a bitter sweet time and I am seeing Evan bond with his cousins more than I thought he would at such a young age. He pitched a fit last night when we were leaving, saying he wanted to stay at "Garrett's house." My heart breaks for him, and for us, as we will lose this closeness we've come to cherish over the last 9 months. Our hope is to make plans for family vacations or trips to visit each other to make the time apart seem not so long.

But in the midst of the sadness, there is gratefulness. Gratefulness that God has brought a new job for Mike that uses his talent in illustration, which he loves. Gratefulness that they have good friends and a good church to go back to in Nashville. Gratefulness that Stephanie and Mike and the boys are all healthy. So much lately I've heard about people suffering, people with cancer who leave their families when they are way too young, even babies. Currently my friend April had her baby 10 weeks early and the baby is only 3 lbs. Please lift her baby girl Anna up in your prayers. She had surgery this morning because a valve in her heart hadn't closed. But she is proving to be strong, is eating well and has gained weight. I know God has his hands on her, and I've praying so hard for this new little life, and for comfort and peace for April and her husband Pete. That is why we need to remember every morning when we wake up that God has given us another day to live, another day of good health and happiness. All of this cannot be taken for granted.

This reminds me of the following verse. Thank you, Lord, for holding me and my family in your hands, finding us worthy and keeping us safe according to your will.

Matthew 10:29-31 (New International Version)
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Less Words Wednesday

There is a trend in the blog and twitter communities for a Wordless Wednesday, where you post a photo or photos for that day and not any words. Hence the name. But I am not really capable of no words, especially since I got my education and work in communications. So I've decided to change it to Less Words Wednesday. Here's my first one. These are photos of Evan from earlier this month that were taken by Brian Carlson, who goes to our church. Evan was not cooperating at all...typical terrible twos, but Brian still captured some great shots we'll treasure forever.