GOD is GOOD All the time...

And ALL the time GOD is GOOD! (Those are the words my pastor in Norman would say as the congregation chimed in with him!)

I have to give a shout out to my Jesus! I just found out that I passed one of my Teacher Certification tests! WHOO HOO! This last month, all I have had to focus on is studying for the 3 certification tests that I have to take and pass in order to complete my teacher certification (that and get ready for the biggest move of my life to Japan…but really no big deal!) Well, I took the first test 3 weeks ago. It was a 5 hour, 4 part test and if I failed any of the 4 parts, then I would have to retake the entire exam. I didn’t find out my scores the day of the test and was told it would be 3-4 weeks before I got my results! The wait has been dreadful! Talk about anxiety!!! However, today the results were posted and….I PASSED!!!! Whew! That is a HUGE burden lifted from my life!

Last Friday I took the second test. That test was actually 4 separate tests, and if I failed one section then I only had to retake that section. Needless to say, the pressure for that one wasn’t as great. However, when I walked out of the testing center, the lady at the desk handed me 3 of the 4 tests’ “unofficial” scores (only unofficial because it needs to be sent to the state and put into the system before it can be “official.” Therefore to me, it counts!) and they all said I PASSED! The 4^th test was an essay and therefore has to be graded by a panel of judges. I wont know whether or not I passed that one for a few weeks (not as worried about it). Nonetheless, I am floating on air, because now I know that I am more than half way finished with the tests!

This Friday (as in 3 days from now) I have my final test. (Prayers are much appreciated!!!) I am extremely nervous because I am not as prepared for this test as I was the other 3. It is on new information and very foreign to me. I am packing in as much info as I can, but I am praying that God will help me out on this one! I literally NEED to pass because we are moving and there is not time for me to re-take it before we leave Florida! Geez! I have set my self up for frustration I know, but I am hopeful because I did pass the other 2!

Despite my rush to study for this much-anticipated last test, I am thankful for the good news of my first test! I needed that boost of confidence! So I’ll say it again…

God is Good All the time, and All the time God is GOOD!!!

I hate posting without adding at least one picture...here are a few from Easter. Above is Nick and Beretta with her bunny (the bunny is her baby...to her it's Easter all the time)! The next picture is Nick looking for his hidden Easter eggs and B trying to help him find them. (Yes, Nick thinks he is still a kid and gets upset if the "Easter Bunny" doesn't hide eggs for him!) It is the cutest thing to watch...Beretta tries desperately to find the eggs before Nick does! She sniffs the air, looking under everything, on the hunt for whatever she can find!

Nick and I before Church!

This ain't nothing....

This ain’t nothing time wont erase, and this ain’t nothing money cant replace…thank you Craig Morgan who put it so clearly, but right now, it definitely feels like something and that something is some very sore skinny arms.

Today I got my immunizations so that we can move to Japan! Eww…yuck…OUCH, that’s what I have to say to that! When I say that I HATE shots I am not lying. I can not even look at the needle or I will hyperventilate. Luckily I had Nick there with me to clutch (more like white knuckle) onto while the kind girl stuck my arms.

Earlier this week I went to the Military hospital to get one of my “screenings” that I had to do in order to be in the clear to move overseas! I hate going to the doctor for any reason, I feel sick just being in any medical facility. However, going overseas has required us to be at the Navy clinic more often than usual. This whole “screening” bit gives me a weird feeling, like I have to check out perfectly, or they won’t accept me! Nonetheless, when I was there on Monday, I found out that the military did not have any of my shot records. No big deal right? WRONG! The man at the desk told me that if I didn’t find them I would have to get ALL of my shots over again!Ummmm no thank you!!! So I left the hospital, sanitizing my hands first, then calling my mother to inform her that I was freaking out and to please please locate my shot records ASAP!

Later that day, when my mom got home from work she called me back and told me that she did not want to worry me but that she thought she might have thrown my records away! Hello?Excuse me? Don’t worry? Ummm that would have meant that I would have to get all TEN of the shots that I needed to go overseas! I quickly called Nick, “babe, are you sure we have to go to Japan?” I mean seriously, I want to go, have always been excited, but no one told me that I would have to get shots, and now I might have to get 10! My husband being the more calm one of the two of us, said, “don’t worry we will figure something out.” Thanks. That really helped me…not really!

I then called my best friend from college, who is a nurse, and she tells me to call my college and they might have my shot records. Thank you, finally some good news! I then call my college; the lady tells me that she will have to call me back after she has looked through the stacks in the basement. I get a call back thirty minutes later, and she tells me, nope, we have no shot records for you! Ugghhh! She does however tell me that I should try my high school and they might have my shot records. After looking up the number I call the nurse at my high school, and thank you Jesus, the sweet nurse found my records and faxed them to the Navy clinic! (I have to also note that my family moved around A LOT growing up, so I know that it seems like we could have just asked our family doctor, but I don’t have one and therefore that wasn’t an option!)

Back to today, I get to the immunization desk and ask the guy behind the counter, to look up my records and tell me what shots I now would have to get, since I had my previous shot records faxed. The man starts writing down all of them as my eyes get bigger and bigger! My husband thinks this is funny and a time to joke, which clearly shots are no laughing matter, and teases me saying how much it’s going to hurt! Again, thank you Nick!

As we are waiting to get the shots, I am talking nervously while Nick is reading up on what exactly the Japanese disease is….as if I want to know! He thinks it comical to tell me all of the horrible things that happen to tourists who go to Japan and get bit by mosquitoes carrying this disease for which we have to get a shot to prevent! Ewww! The guy across from us tells me that I can either endure all that my husband has just read about or get a tiny little shot… I was pondering this when the nurse called “Holman!” Nick pulls me to my feet and into the room. I have to also mention that when we got there they told us that the shots had to be taken in 2 rounds and there had to be 30 days in between them. Since we are moving in 30 days, Nick had to get his shots that day as well. (even though he had not planned to and had just gone to hold my hand! Hahah!) Nick had to get 3 shots and I had to get 4! I made him go first while I looked the other way. Of course it was no big deal for him, he simply leaned on the counter, standing up and took the shots like a champ. Show off! I on the other hand had to sit on the exam bed, in case I fainted, and hold onto Nick while I got my shots. In between each shot the nurse kept having to tell me to stop shaking and relax…I admit, because I am laughing at myself right now, that being that nervous is ridiculous, but I am ridiculous when it comes to the doctor…I hate it!I looked the other way, hiding my eyes in Nick’s flight suit and digging my nails into his arms the entire time, but I did not pass out. However, had Nick not been there, and had I looked at the needles, it would have been a different story.

Afterwards, I got to pick out a sucker! I am like a five year old, I know, but it did make me feel better!

Now however, I am sore and hurting and scared to lift my arms. I was warned that tomorrow, I will wake up very sore…looking forward to it! Not!

Why study?

Life has been CRAZY these past 7 months but all of a sudden, in one full swoop, I have free time!!! Well, technically I have 2 major tests to study for…like if I don’t pass them the last 7 months will have been for nothing, but with no school work to do, no student teaching to attend to, and even no more work at Sylvan, why in the world would I want to study when there are so many other things I could be doing?!!

When we moved to Jacksonville, Nick and I had a list of things that we wanted to do during the short time that we lived here. (Also, we had a list of things we wanted to do in general before we left the States, but oh well!) However, I literally started my job less than a week from moving here and therefore haven’t gotten an opportunity to do all of those things. Considering we only have one more month (YIKES) here, I probably will not get to check all of the things off of my list, (Yes Sarah Lavinder I am still going to try to visit you in Savannah) but I have made a promise to myself that I will not leave this place without a tan! I must look like I lived in Florida, even if I didn’t get to explore Florida!

So this weekend, Nick and I took Beretta to the beach for the first time in 5 months! That was a long time for me, but it must have been an eternity for my dog!!! She LOVES the beach, seriously I get happy just watching her romp and run through the sand. We get to the beach and she is pulling with all her might to get to the water. (I know she is a water dog, but she is literally obsessed!) She sniffs the air the minute we get out of the car, and then is a one-track mind until I finally let go of the leash and allow her to take off at full speed into the ocean. With no fear, she dives head first into the waves and swims contently. She could do it forever if you let her. It is one of the saddest things having to finally pull her out of the water when it is time to leave the beach.

But, what a joy it must be to be a dog!?! Seriously, I envy her a lot of the time…while I sit here staring at my books, not wanting to study, she is curled up on the couch snoozing away, and dreaming of chasing something. (I know this because she is literally running in her sleep, paws going back and forth like she is on the go!) I envy the fact that she gets to lay out under the sun all the time… she is a sun goddess! Which for most people this is no big deal, but I AM SUPPOSED TO BE THE SUN GODDESS!!! I adore just sitting under the warm sun, feeling like God is smiling down on me. It is one of the simple pleasures in life that I completely love and would do every day if I could! Nonetheless, my dog gets to do this and it makes me jealous, cause she doesn’t even need a tan!!!

Anyways, I still need to study. Guess I will get back to it, however, the nap Beretta is taking does look inviting…

How many kisses is too much?

I am soooooo in love! My sister’s baby is the most precious thing I have ever seen, and on top of that, she is incredibly sweet! It has been such a blessing being able to spend time with this new little addition to our family. I have held her as much as I was allowed to (yes, for some reason, I had to share!!!) and showered her with kisses almost every second! Her skin is soft and fresh, her scent is sweet, and even her little cry is cute…

I just love babies; they are one of God’s precious blessings! I know she isn’t mine, but yes, I have already asked if I could have her! (Ironically my sister said no!) Being her aunt will have to be enough for now!

Funny story I have to share… The other day I was changing Sloane out of her nightgown and into her day clothes. (Of course clothes are my obsession and playing dress-up is a favorite past time of mine, so it is not surprising that I love dressing the little Diva up! And let me tell you, since she already has so much hair, I have put a bow in her hair every day!) As I was changing her, something fell on the ground with a thud. I looked down and noticed it was her umbilical cord! Of course I ran in the other room (with Sloane in my arms no less) and told my sister who was in the shower getting ready. I informed her I would put it on top of her dresser, and that’s where I left it. On a side note, the nurse had closed a clamp around the end of the cord before it was cut and forgot to take it off. None of us could get the clamp open, so it stayed on the end of the cord. So when my sister comes in the room tonight and asks me where I put the piece of the umbilical cord that was attached to the clamp, I was curious what she was talking about! Apparently, her dog Lilly (a weimaraner) got up on the dresser, opened the clamp (even though none of us could) and ate the cord, leaving the clamp on the floor by her bed! DISGUSTING!!! We all laughed so hard and Lilly just looked at us like we were crazy! EWWW!

Here some photos of the "Little Diva"....enjoy:

Shae's big o'l belly days before Sloane arrived...

She had the "glow"
In the nursery...

A painting from her Auntie Britty

Another painting I did for my precious niece
I did the letters too! I got a bit excited and wanted to decorate the nursery...and of course I wanted to make everything myself.
Then...she FINALLY arrived!
In the above picture you can see the little clamp on Sloane's belly that was on the umbilical cord...the one Lilly opened herself!
Mommy and baby!

Auntie Britty finally got to meet her! Love at first sight!
Look at those eyes looking at her auntie....I think she likes me too!
Even though she is still tiny, I had to get some pics of her in the nightgown I bought her...it says, "My auntie loves me" and the huge bow I made for her (both are a bit too big right now, especially the bow)!
Break your heart cuteness!
Me, bubba and my sister with Sloane!
4 generations! (My sister, her baby, my mom and her dad) My aunts drove my grandfather over to meet his new great granddaughter!

A bit big, but I had to put it on her and get a pic!

Love those bows!
Getting ready for her doctor's visit...
So cute! The socks I sent Sloane as her first gift from her auntie, the day after Shae found out she was having a girl!
She's such a stretcher, and so long limbed!
Love, love, love!!!

Things that I will miss...

Right now I am in the Great State (otherwise known as TEXAS) and I have a few confessions to make:

1st- When I crossed the border into Texas, I got a bit teary eyed!

2nd- When I arrived in Norman, Oklahoma a few days later, I was engulfed with memories of college and the days of Nick and I dating and got teary eyed again!

3rd- When I saw the picture of my niece for the first time I got REALLY teary eyed!

4th- I know when I leave here on Saturday I will be bawling!

Not only will I be driving back to Florida in a few days- back to work, back to school, back to my husband...but I will also be leaving Texas, my home and my new niece, whom I have already fallen in love with!

Despite my very busy schedule these days, it was clear for more than one reason that I needed to take off of work for a couple of weeks and head back to my roots. Not only was my sister having a baby, but a very good family friend, who is also the mother of the 2 kids I nannied for in college, was having surgery to remove cancer! So last week, I got in the car and drove the 17 hours to Austin, Texas to see my sister one last time before she delivered her little miracle, and then off to Norman, Oklahoma to keep the kids for my friend. The week in Norman was very tiring, but such a blessing. Not only did I get to see the kids who I helped raise (I was their nanny for 3 and 1/2 years and there when both of them were born; I feel like they are my own!) but I got to help out a very dear friend, and see one of my best friends/sorority sister! However, when I left Oklahoma I had the realization that very soon, I would be leaving....not just a few states away, but across the world to Japan! I got punched in the stomach with the knowledge that there was a lot of things that I would really really miss when we move overseas!

Because I was in Oklahoma, I missed the birth of my sister's baby. Therefore, I had to see her for the first time through pictures. However, when I did arrive in Austin a few days later, I met the cutest little girl I have ever seen, and immediately I fell in love! I am undoubtedly going to miss her, not just next week when I go back, but for the next three years that I will be away!

Let me also say that I am not trying to wine or complain! Nick and I are so very excited to be moving to Japan. We chose Japan, and were more than thrilled when we got it as our next military destination! However, as the months are passing, the move is getting closer and closer to a reality. Therefore, lately I catch myself getting emotional about little things that I will miss.

(By the way, I got here and realized that I left my camera cord in Florida, therefore I will have to post the rest of the photos of the baby when I get back....)

Bye 2009, Hello 2010!

Christmas came and went as well and like Thanksgiving, Nick and I spent the holidays apart. Because this was our last Christmas in the states before the BIG move, we decided (or actually our parents decided for us) that spending the holidays with each of our families was probably the most fair. Therefore, Nick was in Cali and I in Texas for Christmas. Spending time with each of our families was a blessing, and something that we would have liked more of. Then we were able to spend New Year’s Eve in Dallas with a group of our college friends, a reunion that was much over-due!

The New Year began and we both took off at full-speed...Nick has been busy studying and flying and I have not had time to stop with work, school and doing my teacher intern. The months are passing and preparations for Japan have begun.

Despite my hectic schedule, I have been making time (as in loosing sleep) to run. I am training for another ½ marathon that I will be running in early March! Also, my sister is due any minute and Nick and I soon will be an aunt and uncle! So excited!

Yikes has it been that long since I have blogged!

Yes, I am alive! I have zero free time to blog, but I had to get on here to verify that I am in fact still breathing! However, I am so engulfed in work, studying, student teaching and in my free time training for a half marathon, (in which I will probably do very poorly on due to the lack of free time...) that I do not have much time for anything else! Yes, my social life is severely suffering......but only a few more months to go and I can come up for air again!!!