It's a new day!

Today has started off wonderfully and I am feeling a lot better today! I have no idea why the first 2 days of this week sucked so much, but they did for whatever reason!  It was so nice yesterday to spend time with my mom and Kim... it got my mind off missing Reagan while he has been gone this week and it just gave me something to do so that I do not worry (about my job, life, etc).  I had a great day laughing with them and just doing nothing that caused me to stress and worry!  After the mall, we went to see Reagan's little brother, Robert play in his first Allstar little league game.  Robert's team won 26-0... it was a shut out for sure!  It was great to just hang with family and enjoy some baseball... two of my most favorite things!

Today, my mom and I stuck with our workout regimen and had to do 2 of the work out videos.. a little over and hour overall... it was hard and we were sweating a lot, but we had fun doing it together and that is all that matters!  It definitely also helped my mood to start off working out to get the "happy juices" flowing!  After the workout, we have just been lounging and I watched part of a movie with my little brother... I think he loves having us home more than he wants to admit -- I have also learned that it is not "cool" for a middle school boy to like hanging out with his sister... so I just make my way into his space and hang out with him whether he thinks it is "cool" or not.  Secretly, he loves it and if you look quick enough you catch him with a smile on his face all the time! :)  Tonight, as a family we will all  be going to watch Peyton play in his summer league championship basketball game... he is excited for me to be there and I am excited too because I think I have one of the cutest little brothers in the world!

Well, I am off to work on some more teacher certification stuff!  I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer day!  What do you enjoy most about getting to spend time with friends and family on a summer day?

"I love the memories I get to make with my family... nothing could be sweeter."

In a funk

Have you ever had one of those weeks where you just don't feel like yourself?  You are a little on edge, a little moody and would rather be by yourself then with a bunch of people??  Well I am having one of those weeks... I am tired, feel like I need a break (maybe from life) and quite frankly I feel like punching a boxing bag would feel really good right now.
I am not sure why I am in this funk... maybe because I had some great interviews (one in particular that went wonderfully) but things are going slower than I want them to and I haven't heard back from anyone and I am not sure what the next step is.
Or it may be that my husband is gone all week (for work) and I miss him, but before he left we were kinda in a bickering mood about random stuff and now all I want is him to be back in San Antonio so I could at least see him (and a hug from him would definitely brighten my mood).
It could also be the fact that I have just been a "debbie downer" about what will happen with my life and the negativity has finally caught up to me and smacked me in the face... so I have found myself praying even harder for God to give me a peace of heart and mind that everything will work out -- even though it doesn't feel like it right now.
Honestly I just don't know what the root of this funk is... all I know is I want it gone now!
I have so many things to be grateful for and I have been praising God for all the things that bring me joy, but Satan is definitely using the things that are question marks in my life to bring me down-- not just a little but a lot.
So, as I finish this post I am making a promise to myself that I will not allow Satan to use the weaknesses in my life right now and keep me in this funk.  I will praise my God who has blessed me with wonderful things and rejoice in the ways God is moving in my life.
Satan you will NOT control my week-- my prayer is that when I begin to have negative thoughts I will refocus my thinking on the Lord and be in prayer that God will control my heart and thoughts... so hard to do at times but I need to be positive and grateful for all God has done and will do.
First start to getting out of this funk-- working out... I need to burn some negative energy!
Second start to getting this day on a better start is going to the mall with my mom and her best friend Kim.
Today things will be better, that was my prayer as soon as I woke up this morning... God give me joy in this day!

I hope everyone has had a better start to their week than I have!  Rejoice in the Lord always and lean on Him thru all things!

Isaiah 43:1-4 (from The Message Bible), "... Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.  I've called your name.  You're mine.  When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.  When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.  When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end --- Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior.  I paid a huge price for you: all of Egypt, with rich Crush and Seba thrown in!  That's how much you mean to me!  That's how much I love you!  I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you."

I am hiding this scripture in my heart because my God loves me this much... thru good and bad times my God always loves me. WOW.

Our First Weekend

We have a week in San Antonio complete... boy has it been a week.  We had a lot of unpacking to do at my parents house just so that we could get somewhat "comfortable" before we move into our townhouse July 15th.  Half way through trying to unpack things, I realized it was impossible in a small room and I quit and just tried to reorganize stuff... this plan kind of worked (so we shall see... my OCD may go crazy before we move out).  Reagan got settled at this new job and officially went on the payroll this past Thursday and played a game of golf Friday with his new co-workers... so overall it was a productive week for him.  He loves his new co-workers and feels like he is going to learn a lot from them.  I am excited to see him excel in his job... he is a natural born sales man, so I know he is going to do great!  As for me, I had three interviews this week that I think went really well... so just waiting to hear back from the companies and leaving the rest in God's hands that is all I can do!

Big things happened for us this weekend.... we had our first weekend together since we have been married... A whole weekend!  Not just a day or a couple of hours but all of Friday night, all Saturday and all Sunday... it was incredible to say the least.  There were times I could not believe we were actually getting to spend all this time together, but I could definitely get used to spending the time together!
On Friday night (after Reagan got home from work pretty late) we did dinner with my parents and then lounged at the house and by their pool... so relaxing!
Saturday morning, we woke up a little early and had breakfast together and then we got on the road to drive to Dallas; I bet you are all wondering why the heck we went back?!  We went back for our friends Justin and Caty who got married yesterday afternoon... they were in our church small group and we would not have missed it for the world!  It was wonderful to get to celebrate with them and watch them be so in love with each other... so happy for them!  After the wedding, we spent the night at Brad and Julie's and enjoyed every minute of chatting with them (so hard to tell them goodbye this morning... absolutely killed me, so we decided it would just always be a "see ya later"... which makes it just a little better, I guess).
Once we said goodbye this morning, we got on the road bright and early this morning (7:45 am to be exact).  I am definitely not a morning person, but we enjoyed having Whataburger breakfast together, listen to praise and worship music and then a Matt Chandler sermon... it was wonderful just to be able to hold hands together!  We made great time back to San Antonio, and since my family and my aunt and cousin were running late for lunch Reagan and I decided to stop in San Marcos at the Outlet Mall to get him some "Grown UP work clothes"!!  It was so fun shopping with him and just getting to hang out!  Once we made it back, we had lunch with the fam, then laid out by the pool and then finished the night off with a delicious pizza!  It made for a great weekend... so grateful for the little moments with my husband and the memories we are getting to make with family.  All I can say, is I can definitely get used to having my hubby home on the weekends... it is a wonderful thing that I definitely missed out on for a whole year; have to make up for lost time now and I love it!!! :)

I hope everyone enjoyed the moments they got to make with family and friends this weekend... I am definitely enjoying all my memories!

"Thank you Lord for the gift of love and being able to spend special moments with my husband... I am so grateful!"

What a day...

My day started off bright and early this morning... 7:30 a.m. to be exact.  I know for some this is not early but for me it is-- I need sleep and I love sleep (I could go to bed early and sleep in late... I require so much sleep it is crazy).  Whenever we decide to start having kids I better begin to prepare myself for sleepless nights a year in advance because I am going to be a zombie with all that lack of sleep!  LOL!
So, I bet you are all wondering why a girl like me who hates waking up early was up early?! ... I had an interview this morning.  I got dressed, got my professional dress going (I was rocking the look) and I was out the door.  Well I thought I was out the door until I got in my car and realized that I had no gas (I was on E and I had to drive 25 minutes across town in San Antonio... PROBLEM)!  So, I ran inside (in heels might I add) just a little frantic and woke up my mom... I think I freaked her out a little because she was in a dead sleep.  Luckily she let me borrow her car and I booked it to the interview... I ended up getting there early, just like I like it!  I had to fill out an application first and then the interview began... it made for a long morning because the interview was longer than I expected... so we shall see how that turns out!  After the morning interview, I made it back to my parent's side of San Antonio and had a quick lunch with my mom and then headed to my second interview of the day!  The second interview went wonderfully and I really enjoyed getting to talk with the lady who interviewed me!
When I got home from my second interview, my brain felt like absolute mush, so I headed to the grocery store with my mom so we could cook dinner together for the family tonight (one thing I absolutely love about being home)!  We made an awesome dinner together (chicken cordon blue, lemon garlic pasta, peas, asparagus, sauteed mushrooms, salad and rolls.... it was so yummy and there was also fresh fruit)!! It was so great to sit down and have a big dinner with the family... I have definitely missed those dinners!  After dinner, Reagan and I went to my littlest brothers basketball game.  He absolutely loved having us there-- it was written all over the huge smile he had on his face (and to top it all off, he made an awesome 3 point shot... so he was extra proud we were there and I was one proud sister)!!

All in all, today was a long but good day.  I was very grateful for the opportunity I was given to interview with these companies, and to end my day cooking with my mom, eating dinner with family and then going to watch my littlest brother play in his middle school summer league basketball game.  I am enjoying getting settled back in San Antonio and getting to spend time with family... making memories for sure!

Ps: Reagan had a great day at work today too.  He is still getting settled with his job, so his days are not normally how they will be in the future.  So he was at the office for a couple of hours doing paperwork and then he got to spend lunch and the afternoon with his Nana (he was one happy man)!  After his afternoon with his Nana, he got to hangout in our backyard at the pool with his brother and just talk... something I know he has definitely missed since we have been away.  I have been grateful for the downtime he has been given before he starts his job (which will be intense for the next couple of months with his training) and the time he is getting to spend with family... you can definitely tell he has missed them since we have been away and that he is trying to make up for lost time.  I am feeling so incredibly blessed that God has given us the opportunity to move back here and invest more time in our families... it is an absolute joy and blessing and we are so grateful!!

So, to wrap up this day... please be in prayer for me and that God would open whatever doors need to be open for the job I need to take.  I am seeking His wisdom and guidance for which job will be best for me, and I know He will provide.  Thank you in advance for all of your prayers.

"Not my will but yours oh God..."

I love my Dad.

This Father's day was one for the books for my Dad because Reagan and I made it home to stay in San Antonio on Father's day!  The look on my Dad's face when we pulled in is one that I will remember... he was so happy and had a huge smile on his face!  I was so glad that I could make my Dad's day just a little more special by moving back home with the hubby!  We are both going to be cherishing the memories that we will get to make here with family!

All my life my Dad and I have been so close and we have an incredible relationship with one another. He is my best friend and the type of Dad that I can talk to him about anything and everything... we have had some pretty incredible talks together!  I love that he is so dedicated to providing for my family and that he loves bigger than anyone I know!  He is such a humble man with such Godly characteristics.  I love everything about my Dad and I am so blessed that God gave him to me.

I love you 10 thousand oceans Dad!

Love,
Your Sweetiepie

"God, I thank you for my Dad and the blessing he has been in my life and all that he has taught me in my lifetime.  I pray that each day I allow myself to learn more from him and to love like him more each day.  Thank you so much for the love he has given me; I am so grateful that he taught me how to love."

It is Finished.

The packing is done. I mean done. No more boxes for me to look at or analyze where things should go... Praise the Lord! The trailer is loaded and we are both ready to make our way to San Antonio, Texas!  It was so hot today while we were moving the stuff, that I completely forgot to take pictures!  Oh well I took mental pictures and I was so glad to see all the boxes put in the trailer (even though it looked like one crazy mess to me... I had to stay away from the trailer due to my OCD)!!  I was so grateful for all the help from friends, it was an absolute blessing and made the packing experience and trailer loading a much quicker experience.  So for tonight, we can finally rest after a week of going strong since everything is the way it needs to be for us to drive down early Sunday morning.  We are both ready to be down there with our families and celebrate Father's day, but we are also excited for tomorrow to come so that we can celebrate with our friends Megan and Jay as they tie the knot; so excited for them and all the blessings marriage has in-store for them!! Love you both to pieces!
Well, after a long days work... I must say there is no better way I would like to spend my last night here in Mansfield, than having dinner with my hubby and mom and just relaxing.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday night!

For those of you who read my blog, please be in prayer for us as we travel on Sunday and for our transition to San Antonio.  I know God has some big stuff in-store for us and we are excited to see what all is going to unfold.  Oh... I almost forgot!  Please be in prayer for me this coming Tuesday, I have a job interview with a great Children's Organization in San Antonio... and would love any prayers lifted up for me!!

Well Mansfield it has been real and it is bittersweet to leave all the ones behind that we love.... but, Ready or Not... Here we come San Antonio, Texas!!

"God, wrap us in your arms as Reagan and I embark on this new journey to San Antonio.  Keep us safe, and I pray that we transition wonderfully.  Thank you for your provision and love."

Dear Life...

Dear Life,

You have been way too busy for me lately and you are making me feel like I am on a roller coaster that may never end.  I am an emotional basket case who is hesitantly embracing all of the change that is about to occur (even though it is an exciting NEW change, I am still nervous... change is just not my friend and you know this life)!  Packing has become my nemesis and I hate it more than anything in the world.  The clutter freaks me out and my OCD has been on edge for the past week, which has made me feel so out of control... I DO NOT like this feeling!  To top it all off, my husband is slow at packing and that is not helping my nerves either; I feel like everything may not be done by the time we have to load the trailer tomorrow morning.  To say the least, life be easy on me the next couple of weeks... I need some easier weeks so I can finally recover from all the crazy that has been happening lately; I would really appreciate a mental break or maybe just a couple weeks of peace and quiet... a vacation sounds amazing!

I will let you know if I survive the move... as of right now it is 50/50.  I am so stressed out, my stomach has definitely not been my friend the past couple of days.... looking for better days to come; I know they are around the corner somewhere... right??

Well back to packing for me or should I say back to motivating my husband to get his packing done. At least I got to spend 15 minutes of alone time in the shower this afternoon... I couldn't take the stench that had been following me around all day anymore.

I hope everyone has a relaxing night... mine looks jammed packed with moving boxes and getting them re-arranged... WOOhoo... the joys of packing (catch my sarcasm... please)!!


"God, give me kind words to say in the next couple of days to anyone who comes into my path (I am not  in the best of moods these days) and calm my anxious spirit... because right now God I feel out of control and like I am going to go crazy.  Thank you for loving me even through my crazy/panic states."

Busy as can be!

Wow it has been a busy week and weekend... I am exhausted and I have a busy week of packing ahead of me... not sure how I am going to get thru all of this!

All last week Reagan and I were with our youth group at summer camp... this was our last camp with our youth kids, so it was very bitter sweet.  From our youth group, we had 7 kids get saved which made our last youth camp with them even more special.  The speakers were wonderful and really brought God's word to these kids.  This coming Wednesday night Reagan will get the opportunity to baptize the kids who got saved; this is going to be an awesome time to celebrate with them!!

Since being back from camp it has been non-stop craziness.  My parents have been here helping us get things in order to move and then on Saturday afternoon we had my cousins graduation and graduation dinner; it was wonderful to get to watch her walk the stage and then celebrate with family at her dinner-- so proud of her.  Good luck Katie at ACU!!

On Sunday, we had our last church service at TCAL.  It was very bitter sweet because at the end of the service they celebrated all God had done at the youth camp and what God has been doing in our lives (with our move and everything).  Celebrating all God is doing for us and the youth was wonderful, but saying goodbye to friends was very hard... when you build a life with people for so many years and then move away it is always hard to say goodbye.

Also on Sunday, Reagan and I celebrated our 1st Wedding Anniversary!  It was such a special night with him and I was so grateful for the time we got to spend together... LOVE that man to pieces!! I will post all about our first anniversary very soon... once I have enough time to post all the pics we took!

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend.  I am so grateful that my mom will be here all week to help us pack; I know I could not do it all without her and remain sane!

"Thank you Lord for the blessing of family, I am so grateful for their love and Your love."

Pack. Pack. Pack.

Packing stresses me out... any type of packing just kills me.  It is so EXHAUSTING!  I spent all day today packing up little bits and pieces of the townhouse (I am not looking forward to packing up the rest of the house once we get back from camp-- thank goodness my mom will be here to help me all that week!) and packing for camp.  Packing for camp took for FOREVER!  I had so much laundry to do before I could even begin packing... shame on me for neglecting the laundry!  Though, I must say it feels so good to have all the laundry done before we leave for camp for an entire week.  Spending this whole day running errands, doing laundry and packing for me and my husband has made me super exhausted.  I cannot wait for my hubby to get home from work... needing some TLC-- it's been a long day!

I hope everyone had a more relaxing Saturday than I did!  Ready for a good night's sleep :)

"Dear Lord, thank you for another day.  I pray that as camp approaches you allow me to be used by you instead of worrying about all the things I need to get done at home to be ready to move.  Thank you for your love and guidance. Amen."

Shoo Fly Don't Bother Me!!

The Farish Household has a PROBLEM people... We have been attacked by FRUIT FLY'S and we do not know what to do... we don't even have any fruit out, so we have no idea where these crazy critters are coming from!!  To say the least they are driving us CRAZY!  I can be anywhere in the townhouse and I can hear Reagan clapping as loud as he can with frustration because he is trying to kill the pesky little animals.  Last night, a friend told us to mix a concoction together to try and kill the FRUIT FLY'S.  The special potion was: apple cider vinegar, scented dish soap and syrup.  I will say when we woke up this morning, we had found that the bowl had captured some of these pesky bugs but not all of them... I think they got too smart and told their friends to stay away from the death trap bowl!!!  So now we are at a loss of what we should do to get rid of the remaining family of FRUIT FLY'S.  People... I want them OUT of my house; they are not only driving my OCD self crazy but they are driving my husband crazy and it takes a lot to make him crazy!!  Some people have told me that it is just FRUIT FLY season right now in Texas... but that is not what I want to hear... I want to know how to get rid of these annoying flying things (past couple of days I must admit I have questioned why God made this little creatures... they are so annoying)!!  So please, if you have any advice for how to get rid of them... TELL me!  You will make the Farish Household a much happier place... we cannot wait to be FRUIT FLY free!
Well that is all for now... I am off to read my book while Reagan finishes his paper for his mini-mester class for seminary--- are we not an exciting young married couple?!
I hope everyone has had a wonderful week... YAY for tomorrow being Friday--- bring on the Weekend!

"Each day is a special blessing... so never forget to smile; even if you have a Crazy Problem like FRUIT FLY'S!" haha :)

A New Chapter.

All my life, I have been afraid of change... good or bad I have always been afraid.  Change for me is something that rocks my OCD/type A personality world and makes me feel so out of control.  Funny thing is through each season of life there is always change, and even though I feel so out of control my God is always with me... just so hard for me to wrap my mind around at times.

So to begin the story of the new chapter of our lives... let me just say it all started a little over two months ago when God really started stirring in Reagan's and my heart for a change in life-- I was very hesitant.  I am the girl who likes everything to stay the same (which never happens) and I am married to a boy who embraces change wonderfully.  So, when we started praying diligently a little over 2 months ago where God needed us to be to further His calling for our lives I got nervous.
I must say in the beginning when we started to pray I was very hesitant because I had no idea what God's response was going to be.  Though, the more I prayed with my husband and alone the more confident I was that God was going to do a work in us.  At times, I thought I knew the plan and would try to take 2 steps forward before God called and my heart would be so unsettled... obviously God knew He was a better planner of my life than I am!
So, we continued to both pray about our life and where God needed us because we wanted to be sure that we heard God loud and clear.  When God really moved in us to be open to anywhere I thought to myself "oh man who knows where we could end up!"  Though, as we continued to pray God began to open the doors for us back in our hometown... San Antonio, Texas.  At first I could not believe it... never in a million years did I think we would have the opportunity to move back and be living around our families... (Though, knowing we will be back there to pour into the lives of our youth brothers and see them grow up into great Christian men excites me so much!  I also get very excited just thinking about when Reagan and I start a family of our own a couple years down the road we will have our families support and help with our new addition... whenever that time may be... only God knows, but I must say I am definitely looking forward to that part of our lives and loving on a beautiful bundle of joy!) So, through this journey, the more we prayed for God to really reveal if this is where we needed to be the more at peace our hearts became and the more release we felt here in Dallas.  At first we couldn't believe it, but we both knew that we had to be obedient to God's calling and the opened doors He was providing us with.
Though, here is the bittersweet side of all this change... we are leaving the incredible friends we have met here and we are leaving our amazing student youth group.  This is what makes me so sad about this change... even though we are going to something so happy (I have wished for so long to be back close to our families) I am sad for what we are leaving behind here.  For me, saying "good-bye" is so hard... I just want to be able to say "see ya later" or "come visit lots and we will come back and visit too!!" Though, I know that God has brought us this far and He knows what is best.  Looking back over this season, there has been so many triumphs and tribulations and all of those happened for a reason... so beginning this new season I know there is a reason greater than we know of as to why God is calling us back to San Antonio.  My prayer through this journey, is that our youth group and friends see that through prayer God does answer ALL things in His own perfect timing and when He calls us somewhere else we must be diligent to honor Him and His kingdom.

So as friends and family, please be in prayer for us over the next couple of weeks.  We will be headed back to San Antonio on June 19th because Reagan's first day for his new job is June 20th.   I am still diligently searching for jobs in the San Antonio area and praying that God will provide me with such a wonderful opportunity (so if you know of any wonderful companies in this area I would love to hear about them)!! We are both very excited to see what God has in store for this new season of our lives and the people we will meet along the way!

"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of itself." -- Matthew 6:34