Number 10

I know I'm not great in Math, but I do my basic numbers. I am fully aware that 11 does not come after 9. That being said, I did not skip #10 on my list on purpose. I actually had a great story typed out and ready to go, but I guess it got deleted when Blogger made a change to the new format (which I'm still not sure about). I promise to get that story re-written just as soon as I can. It was a lengthy one, so it may take me a little time to get it back like I had it. I'll get it posted this week though. I promise!

12. Describe a typical day in your current life.

Right now, I feel like my life through the week is very routine. The weekends still vary from week to week, but Mon-Fri feel like they repeat over and over.

My typical weekday goes something like this...

Wake Up
Shower
Go to Work
Eat Breakfast
Work
Eat Lunch
Work
Go to the gym
Cook dinner
Clean kitchen/Straighten House/Do Laundry
Shower
Watch tv
Go to Bed

Exciting, huh?!

11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.

1. Smacking While Eating
2. Slow Drivers
3. Cutting/Picking Fingernails
4. Nosey People
5. Strong Perfume/Cologne
6. Selfish/Self Absorbed People
7. Poitical Propoganda
8. People that Read over your Shoulder
9. People who make Excuses or Blame Ignorance when they know they can do it themself
10. People who bring small dogs in bags into the store like that is acceptable

9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.

This is a very tough list. Not because I can’t think of anyone to list, but because there are too many that I could describe. I am very thankful to have had so many people who have touched my life in positive ways.

I am almost nervous to do this, because I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. I could easily list 10 family members, 10 teachers, 10 church leaders, 10 friends, etc, but I will try to vary the list. If you aren’t on the list, it isn’t because you haven’t touched me. I am just trying to narrow it down to 10.

-Mom and Dad

For obvious reasons, my parents have been a significant influence in my life. They taught me most everything that I know and believe. They made sure to raise me in a Christian environment so that I would have a solid foundation of core beliefs. They gave me plenty of love and showed me what real love looks like. They encouraged me. They were (and still are) an excellent example of a godly marriage/relationship. They taught me to have fun and enjoy life. My mom even taught me in school – thus my interest in studying/teaching English and Literature.

-David

David has also been a huge influence in my life. Being David’s wife makes me want to be a better person, not because I have to, but because I want to. I want to love more, to trust more, to give more, to laugh more, to be myself more. I knew how to love before I met David, but being married teaches you how to love on a totally different level.

-Miriam, Stephen, and Deborah
I definitely have to include the siblings. Their influence on my life has probably been bigger than any of them actually know. They have known me from the beginning (well, not Bor, but she has known me long enough.) They have shared with me, laughed with me, cried with me, loved me (even when unlovable), played with me, gotten in trouble with me, encouraged me, inspired me. I know people make it every day in this world without siblings, but I am so thankful that I have mine. They are not only the best siblings that I know of, but also the best of friends!

-Doug and Kimber : Family Friends

On a lighter note, I have to give credit to Doug and Kimber for making me into an Auburn fan. We met them when we lived in Huntsville. I had just finished 1^st Grade when we moved, so this was early in my life. Doug and Kimber somewhat adopted me and let me hang out with them. They are both DIE HARD Auburn fans, and they encouraged me to be one too. I have to shout out to them for showing me the light and leading me to follow the BEST college football team there is!!

-Clifford Moulton : Softball Coach

In my early years (elementary and middle school years) softball was my life. I pretty much played year-round. Regular ball was in the spring; we played Fall Ball; and summers were all about Tournament play. Although I played on teams with other coaches, Mr. Clifford was by far the one I loved and learned from the most. He was a tough but encouraging coach. My least favorite words to hear him say were, “Drop ‘um and run!” That meant we had done something wrong, weren’t trying hard enough, had a bad attitude, or he just thought we needed to run a few laps. My most favorite words to hear him say were, “Are we having fun yet?!” He knew that I was way harder on myself than he could ever be. I tended to get too serious and would forget that the game was fun. Softball taught me discipline, hard work, teamwork, perseverance, and fun in addition to a ton of other things.

-Mrs. Mossor : 2^nd Grade Teacher

Mrs. Mossor was my 2^nd Grade teacher, my first teacher at CHA. Although that was a LONG time ago, I remember so much that I learned in her class. I probably know more than most people my age about the Gulf War, because Mrs. Mossor had a dear friend that was killed during the war. More importantly than the educational things, Mrs. Mossor made sure that we learned spiritual truths. There are many Bible verses and Hymns that I know now because I learned them in her class. I think of her whenever we sing songs and read Scriptures that were important to her.

-Mrs. Simmons : 12^th Grade English Teacher

Lakeside High School finished out my round of high schools – 3 different ones in 4 years. Although I’m not a huge British Lit fan, I really enjoyed Mrs. Simmons’ class. She was very laid back and she was very real – not like your typical high school teachers. When I taught school, I tried to be a lot like her. I tried to connect with my students on a personal level, not just an educational level. I tried to have fun and make learning fun. I tried to allow them to be creative and take learning “outside of the box”.

-Vino and Van Gogh

I would never consider myself to be an artist…a doodler, yes…artist, no. I always wanted to be, but I just never was very good at drawing or anything like that. My sister in law, Crystal, mentioned attending a painting class with her. I was intrigued, but skeptical. This was supposed to be a step by step, learn as you go, fail proof class. I’m always game for A. trying new things and 2. hanging out with Crystal, so I went. Marquin (the instructor) made the class so much fun. I learned that night that painting really isn’t as hard as I originally thought. Was my painting a masterpiece? Nope. Do I plan on having a future in the Art World? Nope, again. I did learn, though, that it is fun and something that I enjoy doing on occasion.

-Leigh Ann

LA has been a big influence in my life over the last few years. We started getting to know each other over church softball games. Who knew way back then that we would be such great friends now?! LA is one of those rare friends that I can work with all week and still want to hang out with on the weekend. We talk all morning at work and still talk on the phone almost every evening. We have shared way too many “I probably shouldn’t tell you this” moments. LA is seriously one of the best people that I know. She has been through things in her life that I can’t even begin to imagine, yet has remained one of the sweetest people that I have ever met. She has chosen to rise above her circumstances instead of letting them define her. She loves when she shouldn’t. She gives when she doesn’t have to. She helps when others won’t. She cares when others could care less. LA has literally become “one of the family.” I’m so glad to have a sister-figure here in town that I can talk to, hang out with, laugh and cry with.

It is kind of funny to sit back and think about something like this. Like I said in an earlier post, I tend to compartmentalize my life. I rarely go back into the details of each “chapter” but every once in a while it is neat to go back and revisit them.

On the flip side of this list, I thought of several of the negative influences in my life. (Of course, I am not going to list those. I figured it would be way worse to leave people out of the good list than to list off a bad list! J) It is kind of interesting to look at how negative influences/actions change the way that you think and act, even as an adult. I feel like I have learned from others about as many things that I don’t want to do/be as I have things that I do want to do/be. Ironic, huh?!

Spoiled Brat?!

 I've never considered myself to be a spoiled brat.

Growing up, we always had what we needed, but I always had friends who had much more stuff and way better stuff than I had. There were always plenty of things on my "want list". We didn’t get an allowance, and we usually had to wait until Christmas or a birthday to get anything that might be on that “want list”.

Truthfully, that’s the way is it now too. Needs are met. Not much extra for all of the wants. (When I say needs and wants, I totally understand that we have much more than most people in the world and are very blessed to have what we have.) Instead of Christmas and birthdays, I generally just learn to put things in perspective and get over most of the wants.

I did have a “spoiled brat” moment the other week though. I was talking with some co-workers about vacations. I made mention that I do not like going to Myrtle Beach. (I miss Florida beaches SO MUCH!!) She asked me where we go if we don’t go to the SC coast. I had to laugh, because I told her that my last big beach vacations were to Cancun, Guatemala, and Costa Rica. Now that sounds bratty, doesn’t it?!

I explained that Guate and CR were to visit my parents, and I had to invite myself to go to Cancun with Mir!! We aren’t international vacationers “just because”. It was kind of funny though.

I do realize that I am VERY lucky to have been able to go to all of these countries in the past few years. Hopefully, at some point, I’ll be able to go back to all of them. (Guate first though, since D&G are still hanging out there!)

Jealousy

Don’t you hate those times when you have to be happy for someone because you really do care about them, but secretly you are really jealous of them?! Yeah, that’s me today.

I really am happy for Mir today, but I am VERY jealous of her at the same time. She is on her way to Guatemala this morning for a whole week!! I wish I could have gotten in her suitcase and gone with her. I know that she kind of deserves this trip…I mean, her husband has been gone for nearly 6 months and she got bumped from a flight on the way home from Switzerland…but I still wish I could go with her!!

Although I am jealous, I can’t wait to see what adventures she and Stanley can get into while they are gone. I’ll try to post a pic or two when she sends them.

8. What are 5 passions you have?

1. God
2. David
3. My Family
4. Trying New Things
5. Working Out (that's at least for now!) J

Dollywood

David and I FINALLY talked our friends John Lewis and Savannah into joining our gym, The Rush. Last week was our first week working out together, and we can definitely tell a difference. It is AMAZING how much harder you work out when you have someone there encouraging and challenging you!!

Before we really hit it hard, Savannah had mentioned going to Dollywood on Saturday. That seemed like a great idea until Saturday came and we could all hardly walk. We were seriously like some old, decrepit people walking around that park! It was good that we all went and suffered together, because anyone else would have thought we were crazy! All that walking, though, actually ended up being a great way to work out all the soreness.

Dollywood doesn't have a whole ton of roller coasters like Six Flags or Carowinds, but they are getting more and more. We were so excited (and slightly freaked out) about riding the new roller coaster, The Wild Eagle. We all LOVED it...so much so that we rode it two different times.

The seats are on the wings of the eagle and your feet hang free, so it really is like flying. That was by far the smoothest roller coaster I have ever been on. Although it was a BIG climb, there was no clanking up the first hill like a normal roller coaster. The restraint did not hurt like some of them do. It was a smooth 2 minute ride even at 61mph. We HIGHLY recommend it!!

Sunday is Here - Easter Sunday!!!

"He is not here, for He has risen, as He said." -Matthew 28:6

video

Friday...

It's Friday...

7. What is your dream job, and why?

I have always wanted to be able to stay at home when we have kids. I know that is not considered a job to some, but to anyone that has kids or has been around someone that has kids, you know that it is. I have so many great ideas (more now thanks to Pinterest) that I would love to do with our kids. I know (and am learning more and more) that the early years can be some of the most pivital years for a child's growth and development, and I would love more than anything to be the one that teaches and molds them in those first years.

Will this happen for us? Who knows right now, but that is what I would love to happen.

6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

Wow! We are getting into some tough stuff, huh?!

Thinking back to the hardest thing I have ever experienced took a lot for me.

I have a tendency to compartmentalize. I almost look back at my life as chapters in a book. I kind of feel like this is a result of moving and changing so much in my younger days. It seems like it is easier to face change if you can view it as closing a chapter and starting a new, not ending something. The bad thing about that is, just like when you read an actual book, I rarely go back to those chapters and go over all the details. I can remember the highlights and how they got me to the point where I am now, but that’s about it.

At this point, I’m wondering if any of that makes sense to you. I hope so.

Ok, on to the real story…

David and I got married in December 2004. David had gone through the Police Academy and all of his training while we dated, so I went into our marriage knowing full well that he was a deputy and what all that entailed. I knew it was dangerous. I knew that bad things could happen to him. I also knew that I could not dwell on all that. There is too much to worry about, and there really is no point in doing that. We have always trusted that this is the path that God has chosen for him, and God would not let anything happen to Him that He did not allow.

A few months after we got married, I called David when I was leaving work to see when he would be home for dinner. David told me that he was at the hospital with someone he had arrested earlier that day, and he would probably be a little late. This was not uncommon, so I went on home and took my time before starting dinner.

Closer to 7:00 (David’s normal time to get off work), he called back to let me know he would be even later and to go ahead and eat without him. Again, this was not very uncommon. I went ahead and ate and carried on with my evening activities.

A few hours later David called me to let me know he was leaving the hospital, stopping by the Law Enforcement Center, and then would be on his way home. After that he added…”I guess I might as well go ahead and let you know what happened today. Don’t freak out…” (YEAH RIGHT!!)

He then went on to tell me that earlier in the day he had gotten out with a man who was walking down the road with a knife. The man had cut himself and was threatening to hurt other people. As David approached, the man turned on David with his weapon, which then turned into a fight. David, of course, won the fight, but not before the man was able to scratch David. Since this man had been cutting himself, his blood had gotten on David during the fight.

David took the man to the hospital to be checked and treated for his cuts. David was also treated and soon learned that the man had tested positive for both Hepatitis C and HIV. Because of the close proximity of the fight, the scratches, and transfer of blood, they immediately ran some tests on David and started him on some prophylaxis medicine.

This was what had been taking all afternoon/evening.

David assured me that he was fine and would be home soon.

I remained very calm throughout the conversation that we had on the phone, but quickly lost it as soon as I hung up. All I could think about was how different our lives would be if he tested positive for either of these diseases. I thought of the changes in our married life. The possibility of having children would be lost. There would be extensive testing and treatment. Would he even die from this?!

As you can imagine, I was scared to death. I was angry. I was sad. I was confused.

Those feelings were magnified when David called back a little later to let me know that another deputy was going to bring him home since he wasn’t in good enough shape to drive. I didn’t know what to expect or how I should act when he got home.

I finally cried myself to sleep on the couch, only to awaken when a car pulled into the driveway a few hours later. The deputy and his trainee (welcome to Law Enforcement!!) helped David into the house and began to tell me what the doctor and pharmacist had told them. He unloaded a bag full of pills and tried to tell me what each pill was for and when to give them. While David was in the bedroom getting undressed and ready for a shower, the deputy began to tell me about side effects of the meds. One in particular caused hallucinations. He told me that I should hide all of David’s weapons so that he did not hurt me, himself, or someone else if he did have one of those hallucinations. Then, they left.

Seriously?! Hide his weapons? Hurt me? Hurt himself? Hallucinations? HIV? They just left me? WHAT?!?!?

While David got a shower, I gathered his weapons and laid them out on the kitchen table. Hand guns. Shot guns. Bullets. Knives. A Taser. Most of them I knew how to use, but did not know how to unload. As I stood there staring at the weapons trying to figure out what I should do, I heard David laughing in the bathroom. This wasn’t his normal laugh. It was a weird giggle laugh. I went into the bathroom and asked him what was going on. He looked at me, still laughing, and said, “The water’s hitting me all over!”

Ok, if I wasn’t freaked out before, I was now!!

I went back to the kitchen and started grabbing weapons and hiding them – in kitchen cabinets, under the mattress in the guest room, in linen closets, under the couch. *This would make for a good laugh later when I started to retrieve them, but I was SCARED that night!

We made it through the night. David slept like a log. I, on the other hand, didn’t sleep much at all.

The next day involved going to see an infectious disease doctor. He was very informative and very helpful. He told us, based on the situation, David’s chances of contracting either disease were very slim, but there would have to be a year of testing his blood and taking meds to make sure. Thankfully, he told us that continued use of the “crazy medicine” was not necessary at this point. He still had to take a handful of other meds that would continue increases his body’s chances of fighting off any infection, but should not have any of those hallucinations.

Every month for three months, David had his blood drawn. This was a big deal because David HATES needles and blood. After he was clear on the third month, they extended the next visit to six months after the accident. At six months, he was still clear. His last testing was a year from the accident and he was CLEAR!! They had told us that clear after three months meant he would most likely be ok, but after a year, it was a definite.

Thankful is an understatement. I can’t even begin to express how we felt after that long year.

Although I felt in my heart that everything would be ok in the end, it was still a very scary time. I knew that I had married David “in sickness and in health” and nothing would change that, but it was scary to think of what our future could hold. It was hard to see him taking all those pills and suffering some of the side effects (mild compared to that first med!). It was hard to see him getting stuck all the time. It was hard to encourage him when I didn’t know how to.

Thinking back over my life, I have had some difficult times. I know, however, that my difficult times are nothing compared to most people’s. Truthfully, when I think about friends and family that I know have faced much harder things, I am almost embarrassed (although incredibly thankful at the same time) that my life hasn’t been all that tough.

I know some of you could share stories about losing parents, children, spouses, and friends. Some of you could share about disease that have affected you or your loved ones. Some of you have stories of tragedy and loss that I cannot even comprehend.

I am thankful that through it all, we know who holds the future! It is much easier to face those hard times knowing that we have a Strength that fights for us and helps us!

Rabbits

I guess you can say this is one of those "The Possibility of New Things in the Near Future" that Make Me Happy.

I wanted to wait until I knew for sure that we were going to be doing this before I shared. It is official now. Leigh Ann and I are opening our own branch of the Noisy Rabbit!! We have been members for about a month and have been getting things lined up to open our own. May 10th will be our first distribution date!!

What is the Noisy Rabbit you may ask. The best way to answer that is to pull some quotes from their website.

MEMBERS OF THE NOISY RABBIT...

 • save money
• eat healthier
• make new friends
• share recipes
• market their creations
•bless others

• The primary benefit of being a member of The Noisy Rabbit is savings: savings on your produce bill; savings on gas and the time you would spend running around from store to store to get the best deals. You will find, as other members have, that attempting to use everything in your basket each week keeps you from buying other items, jump-starts your meal planning and exposes you to new culinary experiences .
• Four times a month (once weekly), you will receive a generous basket of a variety of the freshest fruits and vegetables.  The items are purchased directly from a farmer’s market vendor who purchases locally as much as possible, and are, therefore, often fresher than your local grocery store where produce travels from the market and then sits in the bins.  The items in the basket will differ each week but will be purchased based on value (including whether or not they are in-season).

We are very excited about this!! There are so many benefits for being a member, but even more for being a branch leader. Leigh Ann and I have looked for something like this to get involved in for a LONG time! Plus, we are glad to be working together (as if we don't already work together every day!).

Let me know if you want more info, or check out their website.