129

I can't believe how much this blog has grown since....um May?
I am honored that 129 of you want to hear what I have to say.

here are the things I am loving today.

my first day of class went so well!  I love my teacher, and love the material. 

this quote fits so perfectly in our life right now.  I've mentioned before that we're kind of in an uncomforatble place, and seeing God's provision and the love of my husband in each step has me loving them both more and more.

loving these shelves.  I actually got a pallet from work, and hoping that the husband is up for this project for the three day weekend! 

i love lions. 

have a happy wednesday.

the first day of school

today begins the first day in this new journey.
it's my first day of school.
class is from 530-830 tonight, and again on thursday.

i am so excited and pumped to begin.
i am one of those people who loves school, loves learning, and can't wait to return.
i know the Lord has led us to nursing school, and I am truly ready to begin this new adventure.
i am so thankful the Lord gave direction as to where to go back to school and what to pursue.

we had talked about doing a PhD in research, and then the idea of nursing started to come into the picture.  for us, nursing provides more freedom to be able to live where we want.  with research, we are more tied to Houston (and the research that goes on in the med center).  With nursing, we have more flexibility with choosing where to live.  we want to eventually be closer to our families (who are in Austin and Fort Worth).  it's also a much shorter program, and not as intensive.  as much as I love research and where I am now, I am excited to become a nurse.

but sometimes, the fear creeps in.
it is a little intimidating. and I am concerned about learning to balance work and school
and the needs of a husband.
we want to pay our way through, and not borrow. i know the Lord will provide. 
i want to work as long as I can, and I know the Lord will provide.

I'm trusting the Lord. He led us to this decision,
and He will walk with me through each class.through each payment, through each semester.

i have my backpack ready,

new pens and pencils and new notebooks.

i'm going back to school 

maybe i'll post my first day of school picture tomorrow.

we're all in this together

we spent this past weekend in Austin, seeing two of our friends get married.
it was wonderful, and beautiful.  the wedding was Sunday at 11.  I can't think of a better way to go to to church.

during the wedding, I was reminded of how surrounded we are.
by friends, family, and those who love and support us.
not only on the day we promise forever to our spouses.
but in the everyday. the hard days. the I hate my job days.

here in Houston we are separate from our families.
and it's easy to get discouraged when we are alone.
but this weekend was sweet time to know that we have people fighting with us.
praying for us.  knowing our joys and our hurts with us.

we are in a place right now that's uncomfortable.
we are in the midst of a change.
i will share more later, but for know, just know that we appreciate your support and encouragement.

we're all in this together.
and we are clinging to each other.

my favorite things

me: are you still up?
sam: yes
me: do you want some ice cream?  and maybe watch some criminal minds? and camping in the living room?
sam: are you saying that what you want?
me: yes.
sam: okay, come on.

my favorite thing about marriage is not that we can camp in the living room.
but that is fun.
my favorite thing about marriage is that
it's never over.
it's not over on good days at work,
or bad days,
or when we are looking for jobs, or just happy.
or crying in the kitchen over dinner

I will have my best friend on all of the days.
and all of the mornings.
and that's my favorite thing.

all things new

happy thursday friends!

isn't the new design be-a-u-tiful?

it's perfect.

it's easy to read

it's so me!

I LOVED LOVED LOVED the SWEET friend who did it.she has a heart of gold, and I would love for you to use her for your blog design. If you have been thinking of a re-design, or like me, a design for the first time, USE HER! She is sweet, fast, has GREAT prices. Really. 

She is adopting AND pregnant.  Your cash money goes to helping them pay to bring their new baby home.  you get a blog design, and the baby comes home.  does it get any better? 

this, friends, is Danielle.

she blogs over at take heart

go check her out

let her do your blog.

i'm in love with my new blog.

what do you think?



a year of work...

so sorry about yesterday.
we talked all about how to slow time on monday.
and then yesterday time got all crazy, and somehow I never got a post out.

my bad.
looks like I need some more practice.

yesterday was my one year anniversary with work.
I have been an employee of Christus Stehlin Foundation for Cancer Research for a year.

in a year, a lot has happened.

I graduated college.
got a job
moved to houston
got married.
and a week from yesterday I am going back to school!

and today, I am tackling the scary scary task
of asking for a raise.
oh boy.

say a prayer.
i'll let you know how it goes.


and I forgot to announce the winner of the giveaway yesterday.
Hannah!  I will be emailing you this morning!

this was the winning comment:
I hearted you on etsy under hmaphotography
hanner.da.nanner at gmail dot com

science had a crazy day today.

missed you friends.

see you tomorrow.

 photo from pinterest.  Is there anywhere else?

how to slow time

"Time is a relentless river. It rages on, a respecter of no one.  And this, this the only way to slow time: When I fully enter time's swift current, enter into the current moment with the weight of all my attention, I slow the torrent with the weight of me all here. I can slow the torrent by being all here."

 

"Giving thanks for one thousand things is ultimately an invitation to slow time down with the weight of full attention."

Maybe your days are slow and relaxing.  But in my neck of the woods, even with just the two of us, all of our moments seem to whirl by at the speed of sound. I have blurred the moments into one unholy smear.  I do it, still do it.  The seconds on the clock keep ticking.

But I hunger for something different.  For more fulfillment in these moments. I don't need more time, but enough time.  To take the moments I have been given and see that the wonder is here.  The beauty of God is here, in these moments of making lunches, and drives to work, and little tubes and research.

When I open my eyes and notice, and give full attention, I see the gifts.  I see the glory; I open wide and receive. 

reasons to celebrate

a year of work and a job I enjoy

football games on tv

the promise of fall

etsy sales

customers

new dawns and new days

a comfy bed

a good nights rest.

my list is growing, my heart is changing

and time is slowing

for all you E lovers

happy friday morning.
today in blogland one of my favorite blogs is having a giveaway.
and it's great.

her name is E, and part of her giveaway includes one of my necklaces.
which, I happen to think is totes adorbs.
if you don't know E, you should head over to E TELLS TALES
and see what I am talking about


or, if you are here from the giveaway
and really eying that necklace
I am here to say that you can just go buy it
with the coupon code
 ETELLSTALES for 20% off.

or, if you aren't here from E's blog,
but still want to use the coupon.
go ahead
i won't tell

there is something fun for everyone here.
it's friday.

living in the everday

I posted a week or so ago about some books I wanted to read on vacation

I haven't finished it yet, but I couldn't resist posting on 1,000 gifts.

It's a book that really will change your life. 

because it's so easy to get bogged down in the everyday.

whether the days are crazy, or quiet.

if the days are rich, or poor

if the seasons are hot or cold.

if we are overwhelmed or underwhelmed

if we are exhausted, or excited.

there are gifts.

presents from a savior

that we miss.

one of my favorite quotes from the book refelcts on naming the gifts we are given

"In naming that which is right before me, that which I'd otherwise miss, the invisible becomes visible"

So I am posting a few of my gifts. These gifts that are too precious--love gifts from a Savior. and I don't want to miss them.

early morning cuddles

reading on the beach

vacations

sounds of waves crashing

inlaws that are a second set of parents

slow mornings in pjs and coffee

bowls of lemons

compliments at work

I hope you see today some of the gifts, big and small.

something lovely in the crazy

hi friends.

I am thankful for you guys.

blogging recently seems random

good, but random. crazy even.

(in case you missed it; I made a big announcement on Monday. And no, we are not pregnant.)

so here are some things I love. 

giveaways.  who doesn't love giveaways! 

let's have a lovely giveaway in the middle of the crazy. 

so let's have one. 

here are the deets:

winner gets $10 $15 shop credit to my etsy store.

where you can buy any of these: 

Mandantory entry: 

+ follow Seek first blog

Extra entries:

+ favorite seek first on etsy

+tweet about it (include timestamp in comment)

as always, leave a separate comment for each entry.  

you guys know the drill.

bonus:  If I reach 100 followers during this giveaway, the prize will go up to $15.
because yall are the best.
YOU DID IT....PRIZE IS NOW $15!

giveaway will end on Tuesday, August 23rd at 8am CST.

beach recap

our three day beach vacation was exactly the kind of rest I had hoped it would be.
relaxing, restful.
i read Heaven is for real.  and got chills many times; it's crazy good.
and started (and am halfway though 1,000 gifts)
that book will get its own post.

have grace on my appearance, friends.  I was a burnt lobster at the beach.

now we are back to reality. 

Monday morning came with a surprise that I will be the head mentor of a college girl from Denmark that is here for two weeks volunteering.

Pray for me friends, I am selfish with my time and don't always want to teach.

i don't know what i'm doing.

sometimes the fear of failure is crippling to me. I don't want to admit that I am trying something new
because if it doesn't work
or go as planned,
then I've failed.

for all of the world to see


but if I just keep it a secret, then I can't be
ashamed
humiliated
embarrassed

when I fail. because nobody will know my little secret.

but when I keep it a secret,
I don't let those around me in.
I don't give them the opportunity to witness what the Lord is doing in my life
I don't let them pray me through it
and I don't let them see the Glory of God all the way through.

this is my little secret. that has been growing in my heart,
and that I am ready to try.

I am going back to school.
for pre-reqs for nursing school.
pre reqs start Aug 30; nursing school next summer.

and I am afraid to fail; but more afraid of not giving all of the Glory to God.
whether I fail or succeed, He deserves all the glory.

insta Friday

good morning.

it's Friday, and I'm not at work.

we're getting ready for our eye dr. appts

and then heading to the beach.

have a great weekend.

daydreaming the day away...

because tomorrow I will be here.

and call I can think about is:

the sound of the waves as I go to sleep...naptimes, night-time, beach naptime.

I am thinking lots of sleep is in my future.

the laughs and giggles I will have with my two sisters.

I am SO SO happy to finally have sisters. 

the reading!  I have purchased "Heaven is for real"

I know, it's not the books we talked about yesterday.

but it was on sale for the kindle edition.

$5 wins. 

if I finish it over the weekend (it's really really short)

I will go to one of the others.

the time with my family.

they are so sweet, so precious, and so encouraging.
being with them is rest and comfort to my soul.

I may even make a playlist for the drive down.
any music suggestions?
new worship music you are loving?
my tunes need a little spark of something new.

but for the next 8 hours I will try to get through these reports

that my interns left me to do.

things for the beach

this weekend is our family vacation to Galveston.

my second father (FIL) has rented a beach house with 5 rooms!  5 rooms!

and we will all be joining for some time away, and sweet time together.

i'm calling it battershell beach blast.

because that's cute.

and i'm still in love with my new last name.

I am so excited.  SO SO excited.  I have the day off on Friday,

and since we can't get to the beach house until 3ish anyway,

I have an eye dr appt that morning.

I love the eye dr.

I love the click click noise as they give you option 1 or 2.

I love the smell.

The eye dr is my favorite dr.

So Friday is looking up.  (and this post was not supposed to be about the eye dr, but I will let you see my new glasses when I get them).

this post is supposed to be about beach things.

all the things I am looking forward to doing at the beach.

I am trying to finish HP this week so I can start a new book this weekend. 

don't get me wrong, HP has been awesome.

but I 'm ready to know the ending and move on.

some of the contenders for beach weekend are:

I have heard so much good about both of these. 

a perfect beach weekend is some time outside and a good book.  what do you think? which of these should I read?

running in the quiet

I run without music.
yes, yes, yes, all those miles in the silence.

I have been getting a lot of weird looks about this recently.
but running is some of the most peaceful moments my mind has.
my body may be aching, screaming, and altogether throwing a huge hissy fit.

but my mind is quiet.
focused solely on getting one foot in front of the other.
and breathing.

there is no more worry about school
no more worry about where to live
no more thoughts about work

just utter quiet. 
and peace for my soul.

A Summer of Giveaways

I hope your weekend was as good as mine.  Sleeping in, reading, and relishing in days with the husband.

Halfway through book 7 of Harry Potter. 

If you are looking for a fun, easy recipe that feels any family well, check out where I am guest posting.

Elise is my newest bloggy friend, and I hope you will enjoy her as much as I do! 

Elise's pieces is where I am today; and because this summer is so hot and miserable,

it has become the summer of giveaways!

hey, it's okay

a blog friend posted a list like this yesterday, and I couldn't resist doing one myself.  because this week has had lots of things that can make the list.

IT"S OKAY..

...if today is a celebration because all the interns are gone.

...if I put on my pj's as soon as I walk in the door at 5pm.

...if I'm not quite sure of my life plan

....if I'm a tiny bit nervous about classes coming up

....if our dinners this week have been whatever's easiest

...if I have blogger, pinterst, and etsy open all day long

....if family vacation to galveson next week gets me through the day

information overload

this is my new notepad. 

i think it sums up my life right now pretty well.

SO MUCH TO DO.

which, for a planner and worrier like myself, just turns into 

SO MUCH WORRY

and not near enough trust.

I have a new print in my office from naptime diaries, and the truth in it is calming to my spirit.

"For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it too far off"

There are lots of choices the hubs and I will be making in the near-near distant future

further schooling

jobs

cities to reside in

and it all gets so overwhelming.

but it's not mine to worry about.

for today, I am just focusing on that commandment.
when the worry finds itself seeping back in
I'm turning it over to the Lord
time and time again

Sidebar:  I may have worn my hair the same as yesterday just so I would have time to finish this necklace this morning.  just maybe.

go get yourself one. 

heat induced coma

I think the summer heat has put me into a coma.
where I don't want to work, or eat, or anything.
but sit in my a/c and not move.
my brain feels fried from the demands of a summer with two interns.
and I am left dreaming of fall days
and college football

so here are some things I am loving for this fall.
and let's all stay inside and pretend we are not on our 40th day of 100+ degrees

I'm linking up with Jamie again today!

all photos from pinterest

545 am runs and a new 1% change

Yes, I woke up at 545 this morning, of my own choosing. and I don't have to be at work until 830.
and NO I do not take that long to get ready in the morning. the hubs and I went running.
because running at 5 and 6 in the evening when it is 100+ degrees outside
is about what I imagine Hell to be like. nd I actually like running.

You may remember my 1% change of getting out there and running more often.
well now, there's a little more modivation behind that

Yes, it's true. I am signed up for a new race. a half marathon
In Flordia. and I get to go to Harry Potter land.
(sidebar: I have 50 pages left in the 6th book, and don't know the ending. If you leave a comment and ruin it for me, I won't be your friend anymore.)

I am excited to be training again. I love training, but after the races I seem to fall off the running bandwagon. my hope for this time around, and with this 1% change is that it will be a life change, and I will be a runner for life, not just runner for this race.
(keep your eye on that little mileage counter down there in the bottom right)
I'm counting on you guys to hold me accountable.

Our 1% change for this week involves our food.

The hubs and I both want to be healthier people. to be around for each other, and kids, grandkids, and great grand kids. so I cleaned out our pantry. and threw out the crap. (which, there was a lot of). we made a huge huge HUGE mistake on Saturday. In a moment of weakness, we ate churches chicken. I felt like silmy greasy regret immediatly after. and I knew all the work it would take to rid that from my body.

and now I am seriously comitteed to seriously looking at the labels of everything we eat. and the goal is that most of it will be fresh--fresh veggies, fruits, and not have labels at all. lots of fiber, lots of grains. We kicked it off on Sunday by eating a raw dessert that I saw on a friend's blog a while back. it was kind of intimidating, but once I made it--super easy. and my body felt good.

I am excited to hear ya'll 1% changes!

Good Morning!

Happy Monday friends. 

The husband is back, so this monday is less scary than others.
 We had a great, refreshing weekend.
That included a 3 hour nap on Saturday.
followed by a date.

 and pinterest helped me have fun hair.
 
and I got back on the bandwagon and got a good run in yesterday with the hubs.
in the 100 degree heat.  

Today I am over at my new friend Hannah's blog.

If you are bummed this Monday because you didn't win anything.

head over there for a sweet surprise!

Go find me at Hannah's place.

and remember to smile today, because soon enough, Monday will be over, and it won't be that bad after all.