Baby Swain!

Yep, Susan will have a new little brother or sister in about seven months. I am so ready for the second trimester to start (I'm so sick of feeling like I'm going to lose my breakfast....or lunch...or dinner for that matter). We go to the doctor on Wednesday to hear the heartbeat for the first time. I think this pregnancy will go smoother than the last simply because I know what to expect. I'm so excited our family's growing!

Swain Number 2!!

It's official! We're having another one! Neither of us can keep from smiling at each other all the time. I'm sure that second pregnancies are easier than the first one if only because you know what to expect. It's going to be hard to be patient to wait for things like those first kicks and knowing whether it's a boy or a girl, but I'm determined to enjoy the pregnancy while it lasts, because when that baby gets here life is going to get crazy!

EBay

So for many reasons, but mostly because teachers get paid a lump sum for the summer that must be stretched for two months, we have been a little strapped for cash as we try to make it these last few days until pay day. And what did we do in our crunch? Rush to eBay of course and make a quick $130 with the possibility at another $150 by the end of the week (we have several watchers but no bids yet:). It's not the greatest addiction, but I can think of worse things then refreshing "My eBay" every few seconds to see if you've snagged another sale. EBay might be able to help us pay off some debt!

Money Matters

I am determined not to get frustrated when unexpected things come up in life. Well, let me rephrase that...I may get frustrated, the Lord says I can even get angry, but I will not give up or lose hope.

I have made praying more of a priority these days and through that I've noticed I seem genuinely happy more often. Not just getting through...but really happy. Even when we have (what seems like) huge unexpected financial burdens, I console myself by remembering that the Lord will provide and that even if we have to wait on Him longer than we expect, we are taken care of. Money, is an area of my life where Satan knows he can hurt me. I check my balances so often (almost like an addiction) because I want to know that my family and I being frugal and not over-extending ourselves. So when we have to pay to replace car parts or when we have to pay for a teaching course out of pocket if I don't calm down and remember who's really in control I can quickly slip into financial depression.

How awesome it is when we know that even our checking accounts cannot control our happiness. I'll trust my joy to a higher power!

New Additions???

I'm praying for patience today. We are really hoping to add to our family this year and it's so hard to patiently wait to...uh...find out if that's happened yet or not. I've always wanted a family that included more than one child and I don't care how "expensive" children are or how much we have to set aside for another college fund, I think that another precious baby would be such a blessing! We love our first one so much! So August 24th is about the day we should know one way or another. Either way God's in control and He will provide!

Anniversary

Dru and I enjoyed our third anniversary today. A lot has happened in three years. A daughter. A move. A new house. New careers. I can't believe all of that happened in 36 months. When I think of problems or stress, it helps to think about how quickly times passes and that the problems we face today will not always be here to plague us. So much has changed for us in three years, it feels like we have accomplished so much and come so far from the two young-right-out-of-college-newlyweds that we were. I know that if we continue to lean on God for understanding and guidance that He will bless us in love beyond our wildest dreams.

Old Bay Broil

Dru cooked the most wonderful lunch today! In a pot that could have fit Susan in it, he broiled shrimp, potatoes, onions, corn on the cob, and sausage. We had everyone over after church and they all agreed that he had outdone himself. It was so delicious! No need for plates, we just put newspaper down, set out tongs, and let everyone go for it.

It is so fulfilling having your home filled with family and good food! My devotional today reminded me to wait on God's timing. Not too long ago, I was in college praying for a family of my own and now I'm enjoying their love everyday.

What Did You Do With What I Gave You?

My devotional today really hit home. When our culture tells us to focus on the "I wants" in our life it is hard to picture the day ahead for us when the Lord is going to ask for an account of what we did with the gifts He gave us. I certainly don't want to have to explain that I used them all for myself.

One thing that I keep coming back to is my dancing. Our church has just built an amazing new children's building and is looking for new volunteers to help with all of the new opportunities it has opened up. How wonderful would it be to get the chance to start a ballet ministry through this new addition to our church and get back to doing what fills my heart with joy: worshiping the Lord through dance.

I need to start praying really hard about this and see if this is what God has planned for me right now. I hesitate to jump into something that would take time away from my family without first praying about it, even if it is "church-related".

I hope that these daily devotionals with help ease my daily worrying and that God will really give me a clear direction of His will for my life this year. I believe that it could have some incredible surprises!

Tithing Update

It's almost the end of our first month tithing. When we checked our mail yesterday we found a surplus check from one of our accounts waiting for us. Dru also got a phone call a few days ago asking if he could do some work for someone in recreation, so there's some extra income there too!

But above all, the best thing I have received this month is the daily practice of putting all my faith in the Lord to provide. I know I worry too much, but I'm praying daily that it gets easier and easier for me to trust Him and let go to all of my worrying.

We will be tithing again at the beginning of next month.

First Kiss!

Not even three and Susan caught the affection of a sweet little boy last week. As she was running through the fountains at Sea World a little boy not much older than her accidently knocked her down. Realizing what he had done, he quickly turned around and put his arms around her to help her up. But instead of turning his mind back to the splashing water, he gave her a sweet little kiss on her forehead. My in-laws said it was the sweetest moment on the trip for them!

Avoiding the "Pitch"

I feel like a huge financial weight has been lifted!

Now, I'll be the first to tell you that I don't usually make snap decisions, but if you dangle a "great" deal on dancing lessons in front of me then you've hit my weakness.

What started out as a deal on lessons soon turned into something that was going to swallow my bank account whole! I hadn't officially signed anything on the dotted line yet, but just my interest in the deal seemed to have spawned the idea that I was committed one hundred percent. I started getting nervous. The amount they wanted me to pay was substantial and I started worrying that somehow I was already committed and that it was going to be impossible to back out.

I did a lot of praying in the car ride over to talk one last time about my "deal". I typically get caught up in trying to please people and forget that I should be able to set the parameters since I am the customer. Right? So I prayed for strength and guidance and laid all the cards out on the table.

The Lord must have heard my prayers, because they listened with understanding and fixed everything immediately. No more large sum due! I was so nervous that they would try to hit me up for some other "amazing dance package" and that I wouldn't be able to get out of the mess I had created by not asking enough questions to begin with.

I don't do well when I feel like I'm being pressured into something and unfortunately I usually cave into whatever the offer is. Especially when it's something I'm passionate about. But I stood my ground, with a lot of help, and successfully made it out of what could have really ruined my bank account for good.

Another Sunday

There are so many nice things about having a summer off. Besides the obvious (vacations!) I like having the chance to make new goals for myself and trying to break bad habits and basically doing a self make-over, if necessary, to make sure that I'm living the life I want to lead.

I heard some things in church this morning that really spoke to my heart. And if Jesus came back tomorrow, I would definitely want to make sure that I wasn't ashamed or embarrassed by how he saw me living.

1. I worry so much about things on this earth that are temporary. Colassions 3 is an excellent chapter to remind me to set my mind on things above instead of the things that will fade away. I've got to quit freaking out about money issues (there will be many times in life when the wallet is tight...) and start appreciating these moments that I have with my family, because there are no guarauntees we will all be together and healthy tomorrow.

2. I need to pray more. Period. How many times have I already stressed out about whether or not I should continue ballroom dancing, or worrying about saving for Susan's college, or about how many nights a week I should be away from home teaching dance when the truth is I haven't been praying about these things at all.

But I am encouraged. The quickest way to relieve myself of needless worrying is to lay it all down and I certainly have been blessed with enough reminders to do just that.
I feel taken care of today and my heart is at peace.
Everything is going to work out. After all, this world isn't my home, I'm just passing through.

In-Laws

I just have to say that I have been completely blessed as far as in-laws go. Not many women can say that they enjoy shopping trips with their mother-in-law or can talk with them for hours about all of life's troubles and then find yourself laughing so hard that you cry!

I just finished a nice little facebook chat with my own wonderful mother-in-law. I was teasing her about facebook just last night...right after our dance party in the living room. Both of my husband's parents have really taken me in like a daughter of their own and I hope they know how blessed I feel to have them in my life.

Changes

Just came back from another awesome afternoon at the beach! Check out my precious daughter trying to throw all of the sand back into the water. :)

Made some changes to the layout and colors. What do you think?

Beach Livin'

Spent some wonderful time out on the beach today! All it takes is some time out in the sun with sand between your toes, looking out into emerald water to really put your "problems" in perspective.

Susan has totally become a beach girl and it's all we can do to get her out of the water and back on the sand. We jumped over waves and watched schools of fish swim around our legs.

At one point we did see some mysterious black object moving out there, but we convinced ourselves it was seaweed. It was only when we got back under our umbrella that Dru told us there had been four rangers following that same shadow and wondering what it might be...

We're looking a little red now, but here's to clear weather tomorrow and more beach livin!!

Parenting Philosophy from MTV?

Spending some quality time with my cousin today, just relaxing on the couch. It's funny how terribly scripted shows like "World's Strictest Parents" on MTV can lead to such in depth conversations about parenting! We can't get over how aweful these teenagers are!

So I guess these kids' own parents haven't instilled enough respect in them themselves so they have to go live with a "strict" family for a week. These two kids we're watching now haven't even been there for an hour and they're yelling at them and going off to smoke cigarettes, cussing.

We didn't grow up in the strictest of families either, but how self-obsorbed do you have to be to be that disrespectful to complete strangers? Unbelieveable! Susan better watch out the day that she ever treats someone like that!....I'm thinking of all the channels on TV that I'm going to have to block when she gets older.:)

I wish my parents were here to see all that I've accomplished. To see my classroom and look at what my kids have learned. To take a tour of our first house and talk about redecorating. To see my little girl and hear how much she reminds them of me.

I wish they were here so I could call them up whenever I have a bad day and need come encouragement. But most of all, I wish they were here so that their granddaughter could know them and know what amazing people they were.

Today's Simple Pleasures

1. Getting a "monkey hug" from Susan.
2. Building a fort out of blankets in the living room.
3. Watching my two year old devour a watermelon.
4. Workin the cha cha in my dance lesson.
5. Playing hide and seek...("Daddy, come find us!")
6. Snuggling on the couch.

Thoughts on Prayer...

"As we come to know Him better, we shall spend more time in His presence and find that presence a constant and ever-increasing delight."

"God must help people by prayer. Those who do not pray rob themselves of God's help and place God where He cannot help people."

"Prayer is not a meaningless function or duty to be crowded into the busy or the weary ends of the day. We are not obeying our Lord's command when we content ourselves with a few minutes on our knees in the morning rush or late at night when our bodies are calling out for rest."

Happy Fourth!

9:00 pm; sitting in the parking lot of the commons, watching fireworks with my little girl asleep in my lap. Life is good!

New Goals

I have a challenge for myself and I'm excited to see what happens! I'll admit that Dru and I have not been tithing to a church for sometime and I really feel like we're missing out on the promises that God will bless a cheerful giver.

Perhaps it is hard for non-believers to understand this logic, but I think that by giving up a piece of our income we will actually start to find peace about our finances. It will become an act in trusting God to provide for us and thanking Him for all that He has blessed us with.

I can't wait to see where our faith in Him takes us!

Being Happy

I don't think it's any secret that women are constantly measuring themselves up against one another. Sometimes we catch ourselves thinking, "she can juggle all of those things and still look so happy, why can't I?"

In my twenties, I find myself looking at all my girlfriends out there living life, not married yet and with no kids, and it's easy to start feeling like I'm missing out. They can upload tons of pictures of themselves doing all kinds of interesting things in all kinds of interesting places, and I'm lucky if I even think of taking a picture between laundry loads and diaper changes.

But the truth is, I wouldn't trade my life for anything! One moment of snuggling with my daughter holds more satisfaction then anything money can buy.

After losing my parents, all I ever dreamed about was starting a family of my own. I can remember my last year in college thinking, "What in the world do I want to do with the rest of my life?" All I ever knew for sure was that I didn't want to spend it alone.

I can't imagine life without my little girl and my husband. We're even talking now about adding on to our family soon. (Which basically, would mean even less sleep:) )And while we don't get a lot of time to ourselves and we certainly aren't traveling to exotic places or wearing designer clothes, we both feel fulfilled in our lives.

Good Times

Just reminiscing about wonderful times with old friends. I love you Bryson!!!

Not Gonna Worry

Okay. Dru and I have spent so much money on courses for our permenant teaching certificate and it feels like the numbers just get higher and higher. But I've finally just decided that I can't worry and stress out about our finances to the extent that I withdraw from my family. I keep telling myself that it won't always be like this, living from paycheck to paycheck, and that the Lord is going to provide what we need. The only time I need to be afraid is if I start relying on myself for everything instead of God. Some days I just have to remind myself like every hour.

Man v. Food

So Dru and I have stumbled upon this show that takes you on a tour of awesome local food spots and ends with the host trying to complete some sort of outrageous food challenge. I'm sitting here watching him trying to eat a 12 lb burger and my heart is literally starting to hurt! What kind of health insurance does this guy have? :) This could be a sure fire way for me to swear off fast food.

My Husband

I have to take a minute and brag about my husband. I'm teaching dance classes over the summer and taking more then a few for myself and so it's taken me away from home alot. With all the time that I'm away, my husband does such a wonderful job of taking care of our daughter and I know it wears him out! She's only two. But he never complains and instead I'll come home and find him buried under stuffed animals or busy reading the same story over again for the fiftieth time. He's just wonderful!

America's Got Talent

Thank goodness for this show! In our media-obsessed culture it's so heart-warming to see someone with true talent get recognized in such a public way. I love it when the audience gets blown away by someone that they misjudge from the beginning. We are so quick to assume that talent is proportional to style and dress and hairstyle.

Some of my personal favorites from tonight's episode:
The last guy to sing - country/I think it was a Garth Brook's song
Fourteen year old that sang "I'm Gonna Change" - Amazing!

Who do you think has a goof chance of winning?

Expensive Hobbies

I have recently taken up ballroom dancing and I LOVE it! The problem is my bank account is seriously being drained. It looks like I'm going to have to hang up the shoes soon unless I can win the lottery. Anyone else have any really expensive hobbies?

Make Money from Home with Google, Scam?

So, I found this site that describes a way to make money with Google from home and it looks very convincing. Has anyone out there heard of the "Google's Income from Home Kit"? I know you get a 7-day free trial and then they start charging your credit card a monthly fee after that, but if you are pulling in the money they say you can pull in it would be worth it.

Anyone ever heard of this thing? Does it work?

Start Saving Early

After thinking it about it for awhile and doing all of the research, I've finally opened up a Roth IRA. If I save right now then I'm planning on retiring right and I still have 33 years before my targeted retirement age!

The number comparisons are outrageous! By starting now, even if I can't put more then 50 dollars aside a month, I'll gain thousands in the end compared to if I just waited another 10 years!

As a woman with credit card debt, I've often thought that I couldn't afford to save now because I have to worrying about what I owe. But I think the realization I finally came to was that if I keep putting personal savings off then it'll never happen...and that I can't afford.

It feels so good to save!