Tuesday, March 2, 2010

We Need Him

As most of you know I got a job! Not just any job but a great one! I am the Counter Manager for Estee Lauder at the Belk in Washington! And I have to say that I LOVE IT! I get to meet different people every day and find out what areas of "beauty" that they need help in. I have learned so much about my job hunting experience but this is what I've learned most:

I think it's funny how we think that we have control over situations. I had put in for a ton of jobs and only had about 5 interviews. The interviews seemed to go so smoothly and everyone said they loved me but then I wouldn't hear anything back from them. Ever. I began to think "Is this it? Am I going to have to move somewhere outside of Greenville to find a job?" One of the places that I had interviewed at was with Belk. Technically the interview was with Estee Lauder (3 interviews total just with them) since I would really be working for them. Again, all of the interviews seemed to go great and then I hear...nothing. Silence. My phone didn't ring for two weeks. "Here we go back to square one" I thought.

The Sunday after the two weeks had passed TJ and I went to church and at the end I wrote down my prayer request to find a job. This was on Sunday and on Monday morning I got a phone call from Belk saying that they wanted to hire me! Why did it take me so long to ask for God's help? Why was I so stubborn and stuck in my ways? Why did I think that I had to move to another city in order to find a job? Why couldn't I be content with the fact that God knows so much more than we do and that He's looking out for us? The whole time I was unemployed (about 5 months) I never once went without food, shelter, gas in my car, electricity, etc. He had my back and I know that He has yours! Does this mean that I could have stayed unemployed for another 5 months and had those same things given to me? I can only imagine. But I do know that He is looking for us. Now, if only I had talked to the Creator of the universe a little sooner that I needed a little job compared to His, maybe I would have gotten the job 4 months ago instead of now. Little reminders like this make me realize that I NEED HIM more and more than I could ever imagine.

"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus" -Phillippians 4:19

Monday, November 30, 2009

Thanksgiving with the Phantom!

This week has been such a jam-packed, yet relaxing week (if that's possible).  Since it's Thanksgiving week we got this past Wed-Fri off of schoolThis type of break is normally spent relaxing while watching tv and reading a good book.  However, this year my break was filled with homework.  I spent Thanksgiving in Greenville this year and TJ had to work all day Wednesday and Friday so I spent all of that time doing homework.  I'm so glad to say that I finished two projects, set up two presentations, and got to study for an exam during those two days.  

Thanksgiving day we went to Washington to have lunch with TJ's family.  There was about 65-70 people there and it was jam-packed with food!  Delicious food!  We were stuffed after we were finished eating and still got to bring home a plate of food AND a plate of dessert for the both of us!  

As I was finishing up my homework on Friday I started to pack.  TJ and I decided to go to my hometown for Thanksgiving lunch on Saturday.  We knew that my brother and sister-in-law would be there so we thought that this was an ideal time to go.  We also decided to go home that weekend because TJ got the opportunity to meet my grandparents (on my dad's side), and we both got to meet my dad's girlfriend Brenda.  It turned out that my brother Jonathan and his wife Stacey couldn't make it home because Jon has pneumonia!  I really hope that he feels better soon!

The hands-down absolute best thing about the weekend was that TJ COMPLETELY surprised me by taking me to see Phantom of the Opera at the Durham Performing Arts Center.  Here's the story of how he surprised me:  As we were leaving Greenville late Friday afternoon TJ stopped by Food Lion to run in and get some canned foods.  He told me that there was a canned food drive at the Durham Bulls Stadium and that they would give us a big coupon book if we donated some cans to them.  Because I love coupons so much I thought this was a great idea!  The whole time we were driving to Durham I kept asking what type of coupons they would have, and what time it ended, etc.  As we finally got to downtown Durham I got so excited about getting our coupon book!  We passed by a sign that said "Durham Bulls Stadium Parking."  I told TJ that we had missed the sign and he said that we would find another way to get in.  I saw another sign that said the same thing a little bit down the way and I told TJ to turn there in advance, but he kept driving!  I then asked him why he  passed the sign, but right then I saw the sign that said "Durham Performing Arts Center Parking."  I told him that I didn't know that the DPAC was right downtown so close to the stadium.  (I had known about it but never knew it was *right there*).  Since it's pretty much an all glass building we could see that a few people were inside.  We decided to walk inside just to see what was playing.  When we got up to the ticket line TJ said that we would have two tickets to see Phantom of the Opera for that night!  I was completely shocked!  Completely!  How could I have not known this?  How could I have not known that there was no food drive at the Durham Bulls Stadium, and that there were no coupons?  It was such a wonderful show!  I've seen the movie before and heard the soundtrack but this just topped everything!!!  

So our Thanksgiving was spent with the Phantom!  How many people can say that?  By the way, after TJ had ordered our tickets he looked at me and said "Merry Christmas!"  It was such a great Christmas gift!  I don't know how I'll get to top that!   

Monday, November 23, 2009

Birthday Bash!

This past weekend was especially busy but sooo much fun! Friday night I went to see New Moon with Amy and Ashley. Karen couldn't come and I was talking to Ashley earlier in the day when I found out that she was a Twilight fan! So of course she had to come along! New Moon was great, and sooo much better than I thought it was going to be.

Then on Saturday we went to TJ's niece's 6th birthday party! Rachael had so much fun opening her presents and getting to count 6 money, instead of 6 dollars :) We also got to see baby Leah who had really grown! She's almost 10 months old now, and the last time we saw her she was only 1 week old! She has gotten so big! Here are some pictures of the day...





Here is Rachael beginning to open her presents



Leah is starting to play with all of the tissue paper!  :)



Uncle TJ holding Leah



TJ and I

Afterward we went out to eat at Logans with TJ's parents.  We were surprised that we only had to wait about 5 minutes considering an ECU home game had *just* gotten out at the same time.  Overall, it was such a wonderful weekend!  I can't wait for many more! 

Friday, November 20, 2009

11.20.09

Whew! What a busy day! I woke up relatively early today and met up with my research partner. We went to go see our professor and ask her some questions regarding how we read the data that we had received. You see, our entire class this semester is a huge research project and we had just collected a bunch of data from a lot of people. Anyway, I thought this was going to be a twenty minute process but it ended up lasting almost two hours! Be we did get a lot done so I'm really happy about that...especially since it's due right when we get back from Thanksgiving break.

I then went to Brown and Wood to get my oil changed and my car inspected and they told me that it won't pass inspection because two of the tires are worn down. This means that I have to get two brand new tires which I really cannot afford right now. :( Bummer...but I have to get them to pass inspection. What do I do?

The one thing that is lifting me up right now is the fact that I have already pre-ordered my tickets to see New Moon with Amy and Karen tonight. Come fast 10:00!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Thankful Thursday

Since Thursday night is the night that TJ and I go to our bible study (small group) I figured I would make Thursdays on this blog "Thankful Thursday."  

So these are the things that I am thankful for today:
  •  My health.  Sure I get a headache, sore throat, or upset stomach every now and then, but overall I am in great health!  I don't even have to take medicine for anything (which so many people do nowadays).  I only get really sick maybe once a year.  Actually, as of right now, I don't think I've been really really sick in about two years...how awesome is that?
  • That I graduate in less than a month.  Even though I don't have any plans as of right now I just know that everything will work out like it's supposed to. 
  • That my mom finally got her bedroom put together.  She completely re-did her room; I painted the walls and my oldest brother ripped up the carpet, and my aunt donated her old furniture to her.  Growing up her bedroom was always combined with all of our stuff, office stuff, books, dolls, etc.  Now it actually looks like a bedroom.  I haven't seen it yet but every time she tells me about it over the phone I can "hear" her smiling.  I am so excited for her!  She so deserves this! 
So that's my Thankful Thursday post of the day! There's always something to be thankful for!  Today I'll leave you with a picture of our small group bible study (minus Curt and Gitti).  We call ourselves DC3...(Discovering Christ through College and Careers)




Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Gobble Till You Wobble!

You know how we always tell each other to "have a great day!" Well this afternoon I was praying and I told God to have a great day. At first I thought it was really silly for me to say something like that but then it got me thinking. Why don't we tell God to have a great day? Now I do know that He is capable of having a great day...afterall, He is God but He can also have bad days right?

You see, I believe that it hurts God's "feelings" when we disappoint Him and don't obey Him. He gets frustrated with us. The only way that we can not disappoint Him is if we follow His will and do what He wants us to do...that way He can truly have a great day!

I know this all may sound silly but it makes sense to me. Hopefully it will all make sense to at least one other person too :)

On another note, this week has been so relaxing for me. It seems like all of my school work was either due last week or is due the week after Thanksgiving break. So this week has been a breeze so far as not having to frantically turn anything in. However, that doesn't mean that I've been slacking off on my schoolwork that is due right after Thanksgiving. I mean really...I think all 5 of my professors got together and plotted for us to have to turn all of our big projects in on the same day :) So I'm really trying to get things organized and started on those big projects. I know of 3 due the Monday after Thanksgiving so I've got from now until next Wednesday to complete them (before Thanksgiving break).

This weekend should be a lot of fun! As all of you have probably heard New Moon comes out to theaters Friday! My good friend Amy and I are going to go see it Friday night! Hopefully we'll get to catch up since I haven't seen her since her birthday in October. Then on Saturday TJ and I are going to his niece's 6th birthday party! I am so excited about this! I love seeing and being with TJ's family so much...they are so welcoming and loving. I'm also excited about seeing Rachael light up with joy when she gets to open her presents and see all of her friends and family there, and I'm excited to see baby Leah since I've only gotten to see her once and Uncle TJ has only seen her twice. Then on Sunday our small group bible study is going to have our Thanksgiving feast together! We're doing it on Sunday since so many people are going to be out of town of Thursday visiting their families, plus we'll have the entire afternoon to watch football and hang out together. We're calling the event "Gobble Gobble" but I think I might tell TJ about "Gobble Till' You Wobble!" Isn't it cute? All in all it sounds like a wonderful weekend and I can't wait to tell you about it!

Hey!

Welcome to my blog! I'm glad you made it here safely :) I just wanted to start this blog so that friends and family could keep up with my latest adventures throughout life.

A little bit about me...I am:
  • 23 years young
  • Living in Greenville, NC
  • Hoping to open my own clothing store one day
  • Actively seeking employment as of right now
  • I graduate from ECU one month from today!
  • A huge Pirates fan! GO PIRATES!!! ARGGGGHHHH!!!
  • In love with my wonderful boyfriend TJ :)
  • Devoted to God 100% of the way!