New Road...

While lately i have been getting slightly anxious about what is going to happen, i feel God has truly brought me peace about where He is leading us.

The latest update in our journey is that in a search to find a job, Brock found an add for the National Guard. There seemed to be lots of perks to this job.

• I nice bonus upon the completion of boot camp.
• Brock would get to be in the "Army" (a dream of his) without (HOPEFULLY!) going to "war"
• Training in a new job field that he chooses
• Money for higher education if he so chooses

WOW! Sign me up! So after some prayer and talking to our families, Brock is taking the test on Monday! Wow, that was quick. So we will See what happens. He hopefully will be able to choose a position he wants and then will be off to boot camp for 9 weeks. Then, depending on what other field he chooses, another 4-6 week training session.

This does seem like an answer to prayer and awesome timing. So we will see what the Lord has in store for us. We are continuing to pray for our apartment to be rented by someone else so we can end our contract. This would free up money for us to save. And then hopefully when Brock goes, if he does, to boot camp, i can move in with my parents.

So...that is the latest! But we are trusting God to lead and guide us. We appreciate your prayers.

Deanna

Summer Time... when the livin' is easy...

This summer has been fun!

• We have gone to a few bonfires, 
  
• Hit up Disneyland, 
  
• BBQs and swimming at my parents, 
  
• 1 Year Aniv trip to Palm Springs, 
  
• Family trip to Nashville, 
  
• Lake Arrowhead trip with Shawn and Laura,
• New Favorite Date: BJ's to go, books, some Mikes & a blanket at Laguna Beach
• Fun movies with friends
• Late nights at the park
• Lots of walks to get ice cream & the book store

FUN!! But i know August is coming. Marking the ending of the long days, the warm weather, and fun days outside. 

But lots to look forward to too! The FALL! My favorite part of the year.

• September, October, November & December. All months that are supposed to be cool/cold
• LEAVES.
• Rain
• Peppermint White Mochas with Red Sprinkles & CHRISTMAS at Starbucks
• Warm blankets & Fireplaces with burning candles
• Snow
• Thanksgiving = Turkey & Stuffing (YUM!)
• Christmas!

YEAH! I can't wait for the fall and winter.  But I'm sad that summer is coming to a close. 

My Top 6

My life has been uneventful as of late. So i thought I'd make Jennie feel better and post 6 "quirky" things about myself. (But they won't be as good has hers!)

6. I can fall asleep pretty much anywhere. Since being in collage i learned to take every chance i got to squeeze in a few winks. I have to say, my mom embarrassing moment was when i feel asleep on my desk at Starbucks waiting for some of the girls who i was going to to lunch with. They probably were staying late or something, so i went to the back and fell asleep. After they woke me up, we went to lunch. I fell asleep in the car on our way back to the Bux and they took a picture of me (sent it to my mom & boss)!

5.  My underwears (yes, i call it underwearS even tho it should be singular)  always has to match my clothes. If my underwears is striped, i have to wear a solid shirt. But i have to be wearing a color of shirt/pants that is in my underwears. 

Reason: I've been to the hospital before. I've been picked up by an ambulance. And there is ALWAYS a cute EMT or murse (man-nurse)! Each time, they have flipped my pants down to get my pulse and the band of my underwear is exposed as i am wheeled into the hospital. 

4. I don't brush my teeth before bed and i floss first, not after. 

Explanation: I brush them after dinner and when i get up in the morning. Is that wrong?  

3. I will do and do do ANYTHING to get out of unloading the dishwasher. I HATE IT! I HATE DISHES. 

2. I could eat Taco Bell every day of my life. Well, maybe not. But it's pretty much the most amazing midnight (or later ) snack. 

1.  Streetcorner Symphony by Rob Thomas,  is my favorite song for July. 

Reasons: It makes me happy. It makes me want to run down the street singing and jumping. It reminds me of my summers at my old Bux @ Larwin Square with A-Pizzle back in the day. It makes me feel young again!!!

Well, those were random. I don't know if they were right or not. But just a little insight into my life!

Uggly Turkling...

Most awesome story:

Our last night in Tenn, My sis and i were talking in the basement when Brock and Daniel came running down screaming like little girls. We asked them what was wrong. Brock and Daniel were walking around (this was about 10pm at night) and looking for some deer. There was a T-Storm coming in and the lighting was making the deer run around. So they were walking up a hill to go see them.  A second later Brock steeped on something. It flew up in his face and then hit Dan in the head! Scared them half to death. When they realized what it was they went back to see where it was. When they got there, they found Turkey eggs!

 

So the boys picked up some of the eggs and put them in a towel on the porch. In the morning Jake (my nephew) took the chickens eggs and put the Turkey eggs under one of the hens. They boys wanted to see what would happen. Would the hens sit on them? Would they raise them as chickens? Would they HATCH?!

So, this evening i got a call from my sister while i was out. THEY HATCHED. CRAZY?! 

So, Miss Fussy Feathers (the hen that was sitting on them) did her job! And the poor hen who's eggs are daily taken has been blessed with 3 Turkey babies. 

So i guess we are going back for Thanksgiving! =) Gotta see this thing full circle right?

Dark World...Blurring the lines of morality

This afternoon Brock and I went to see Dark Night with Laura. (I wont give anything away for those of you who haven't seen it!)

I had an observations to make on this movie:

It seems our society is trying to blur the lines of morality. Movies try and portray the "bad" or "evil" characters to be "good" and vice versa. To confuse us what is really bad and wrong with what is truly good and pure. While in this Batman movie, Batman is trying to save Gothem City right? But the citizens of Gothem City believe him to be bad and want him to turn himself in. At the end of the movie he claims that he will be whatever Gothem needs him to be, even if that is to pin murders on. But if he is a superhero, why should he take the blame for something he did not do? And why would he want to give into the evils of the city if he is to be a GOOD hero?

I really did like this movie. It had me on the edge of my seat the entire time. The Joker was very real and convincing. It made you think that even tho this was from a comic book, its not far off from where we are today and our society. The Joker gave sooooo many real like scenarios that could really happen  and puts you in between  rock and a hard place. 

I love...

Lately i've been meditating on some verse and thinking what I am thankful for. 

I'm thankful for my husband.

...for my family  My Dad, Mom, Sisters & Brothers!

 For my best friend Laura. Cause she's always there for me. And usually once one of us goes thru something, the otherone isn't far behind! She always know's how i feel and we do everything together! =)

For Italy. And Italian food. (And Italian husbands!)

.... For God's beuty in the sunset. The beaches. The ocean...     For the GRASS. I love soft grass. Even if it makes me itch... And Picnics!

... For Starbucks.  ...Soy Iced White Mochas...

 

Oh yes, the sweet taste of Dr. Pepper. 

Reading. i love reading books.

 Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) is my favorite book.  And what could be better then reading a good book and lounging around and listening to a fantastic band like U2!

I am thankful that God has so richely blessed my life in so many things.

1 Chronicles 16

8 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name; 
       make known among the nations what he has done.

 9 Sing to him, sing praise to him; 
       tell of all his wonderful acts.

 10 Glory in his holy name; 
       let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

 11 Look to the LORD and his strength; 
       seek his face always.

 12 Remember the wonders he has done, 
       his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced.

Beware when I'm in the kitchen!

After work today i decided i was hungry and Brock wouldn't be home for a couple hours so i needed a snack. Pot stickers sounded really good. So i turned the stove on and started "cooking" away. I saw some potatoes i could make for dinner too, so why not just start now. (For some reason i always expect making mashed potatoes will take a LONG time, so i start early). I started peelin' and slicen' away. My 'stickers started to smelled good, so i turned them. Wow! hadn't burned them yet! Maybe this will be the day! Plopped my taters in the water and walo! We have "water-less" pots and pans, so my taters weren't submerged in water. They usually only take a couple min, so i figured i had time to start something else after turning my stickers. DISHWASHER! I'll get ahead of the dishes and start now---i HATE dishes. Half way thru i smelled my pot stickers. Opps, 2 sides burned, 1 good. At least the fire alarm only went off once! Oh well. I set them on a paper plate on the counter a good distance from my potatoes that were a cookin'. Went back to my dishes. As i turned to put plates in the cupboard i saw my paper plate & napkin on fire! HOLY CRAP! I started blowing to try and get it out, but the "flames" grew and ash flew! I grabbed the tongs and popped my stickers into a bowl and threw the plate in the sink. I turned the water on since the fire got a little big and threatened to burn the plate till there was nothing left. SMOKE..... great, the fire alarm AGAIN. RUN RUN RUN, twirl the towel by the alarm, run back to the sink. *FEW* my fire was out! *sniff sniff*, what was burning now??? OH, the potatoes. The whole bottom of the pan was black, but the potatoes were done. So much for trying to use all the pans twice today without washing!

So now my snack is gone, (burned, but crunchy and warm so its OK!) and the mashed potatoes made an hour ahead of time. Next, the veggies. Hope those will be OK!

I know He knows what He's doing...

I know God has a perfect plan for our lives. I thought after a few days of praying and talking to people we trust it would get easier. But it hasn't. I guess im not looking for my life to get easier or for God to drop a life map on my plate or million bucks. (Even tho i wouldn't turn it down!). Maybe i'm searching too much, trying to much. I'm trying to stop. Be quite before the Lord and let Him lead me/us. 

But i am trusting. I'm letting Him lead us. Today we turned in our paper work to try and get someone to lease our apt so we can leave. That means we will be moving in with my parents. =/ In someways this is good. Less pressure to make rent & bills. But in some ways i feel like a failure. I swore i would never move back in with them. NEVER. But what else are we going to do? I'm glad they offered. But still. NOT exciting. (Disclaimer: i do love my family, but really... )

So now. Is God leading us where i feel He is? But what about what people are telling us. Those we are going to for counsel? Sticking it out here in Cali for a bit longer? Ahhh, so many things.

Romans 12:12

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

James 1:2

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds.

To God be the Glory... Peace. Deanna 

LIFE = HARD choices - READ at your own Risk

I'm 22 years old (Wow... first time I've gotten to say that!), I'm married, I have a college degree. I have a lot of things. I'm thankful God has blessed me with a lot more. But i guess when i was younger, or even a couple years ago, i would have said i would have it all figured out by now. That i SHOULD have it all figured out by now. Settled down. Starting a family. Set in my career. Have a house. Life should be great. Life should be a piece of cake. Life should be smooth sailing and peaceful. But this, i have come to find, is anything but true. 

Growing up i thought everyone gets married when they're 20. Being 8 years younger than my sister Sharyl, i just thought that was how everyone was. You got married at 18. You get pregnant a year later. Have a baby by 20. Have another one, move and settle down (and repeat a couple more times!).  I looked up to her and wanted to be just like her.... we'll, still do in most ways! But i always thought, I'll learn from her mistakes. I won't be "poor". I wont make the same bad decisions.. err make the mistakes she did. Maybe i have made "better" decisions and saved myself some un-needed grief. But in many ways i thought i was smarter and wouldn't end up here. Wondering where God was leading. Wondering why Brock doesn't have a job. Wondering all these things. I thought I'd have it figured out. Think i should have it figured out. Feel I've worked hard on these things so i wouldn't have to be scared. 

But just like Jeff talked about in Church this morning (seriously, you have to check out Jeff's sermon if you didn't hear it HERE), marriage isn't about being happy. Life isn't about being happy. Marriage, just like i believe life too is, about making us Holy. Refining us. Molding us. Changing us. Growing us. Bringing us to be closer to our Maker, like our Maker, and for our Maker.  How do i rest in this? How do i come to peace with this tho? 

I feel like things are moving fast. But too slow at the same time. Everything depends on Brock's job. Where and when. Here, OC, or there, Nashville. We can't get a home until Brock gets a job. What about loans. Did you ever think that buying a house could be so complicated? I sure didn't. How do we be financially responsible, and make good choices when those don't seem to collide with what keeps us together. It's really hard for me to process all these things and make a plan. But maybe that's what God is teaching me. I have to let go. Trust. Keep Trusting until I've completely let go. 

So why is life so hard? Why are there so many choices to make in life? And why does it have to be hard? 

Pictures!

Joseph, Brock & Jake Sharyl, Me and Gulianna Dan & Gulianna


5th of July Fire Works!
Sharyl, Justus, Ginger & Joseph

Nashville Science Center: Ginger & Grandma =)

Planet Movie: Grandpa, Joseph, Grandma

Grandma's birthday lunch @ Ruby Tuesday:
Grandma, Gulianna, Sharyl

Gulianna isn't so sure she likes Grandma....

until she gets the ice cream!
Sharyl & Me =)

Having lunch at the Mellow Mushroom: The boys... Chris, Justus, Joseph, Dan.

Family... and then some =)

Well, our trip is coming to an end. Or in some ways i hope it is! 

We landed in Nashville at 9pm last Friday, 4th of July. 24+ hours into our travels we finally were "home" in VanLeer, TN at my sisters house. It is so beautiful out there! They have +20 acres of rolling hills and woods. Daniel, my brother, and Brock we so stoked to be men in the wild. Saturday morning, the parents were still in Franklin at a hotel, so the boys went out with Chris, our brother in-law and Jakob, our oldest newphew. They went to the "back yard", about 15 acres of foresty area, to go shooting with various guns. It was great to see them all come back and hang out on the poarch talking, cleaning guns, drinking iced tea and eating. It was so good to have the family back together again! We had a BBQ/4th of July/Mom & Dee B-day party that night. We had a great time setting off fireworks.The boys had so many they went off for a good hour or more. HUGE fireworks. We miss out on so much here in CA!

Sunday was girl/boy day. All the girls headed to the "city", err Franklin & Cool Springs, for a fun day. Sharyl, Ginger and Gulianna met my mom and dad for a b-day lunch for my mom. My first time to Ruby Tuesday! Loved it! Next, dad left us and we went to get our nails done. So fun. Ginger's first time. Next we went to Starbucks of course. Then headed back home after dropping mom off. We BBQed again and had a great night. Makes me miss my sister already. Guys had meanwhile worked on Jake's quad and had nerf gun fights in the basement. 

Monday, my birthday, we went to the Science Museum in Nashville. It was ok. Then headed over to the Mellow Mushroom for Pizza!!! It was good. Drove around to properties and headed back to VanLeer.

Tuesday, Brock and i headed to Murfesborrow with mom and dad. Met with a home builder. Exciting!! Looked at more  properties with land. SCARY. Went home to VanLeer and had fun hanging out. Sad tho our trip is ending.

This morning we had thunderstorms, but thankful in a way to make it out of Nashville. So now were in Charlotte, trying to make our way home =)

Now we are praying for God's guidance to see where we should go. We are very serious bout building a house out here. God seems to be opening doors there. And surprisingly closer to my sister then i would have hoped! So exciting. But its hard since we don't know where Brock will get a job = home? So we need prayer.

Excited to come back to Cali!!! Here we come. 

What to do... What to do...

Well i'm sitting here in the Long Beach Airport. I am trying to decide what to do. I forgot Pride & Prejudice- the good one with all the extra notes, at home. I was just realy into it and can't find it in myself to start another book. But i guess i will have to. Anyway, we barely made it to the gate. Somehow our tickets didn't get entered right (our friends work in PHX and were helping us). But thankfully the lady was really nice and helped us out and we are on our way. Now we are praying that when we get to phx at 11pm tonight we will get tickets to Charlotte, NC. There are only 8 seats left as of tuesday night. And then we should be in the clear from there to Nashville! But we'll see. Were leaving ourselves plenty of time by taking this red-eye, just in case we get stuck in PHX. Which i hope we wont. BUT... it's in God's hands now =) 

Well, hopefully next time i will get to post fun pictures from our trip! 

Rock On! 

~ Deanna

The City that was Built on Rock-n-Roll!!!

Well, tomorrow night we are leaving for Nashville... Im getting scared! I haven't packed yet and we are leaving after work tomorrow so i have to be ready at 8am! But i am excited. It seems i have been waiting forever to go! We have a very busy week planned and can't wait for a little vacation! 

Anyway, Brock and i have been watching a new show called, "The Baby Barrowers". Oh my goodness it is halarious! I love it. Its so funny! IF you haven't watched yet, you should TIVO it!! 

Anyway, back to cleaning up the house and backing up!

why why why...

So these past few days have been pretty hard. I have been trying to find the silver-lining in what God is trying to teach us in this time. However, i don't know i have found it yet. 

I do praise God that He has provided jobs for Brock in this in between stage. However, it is strange how our life, errr lifestle has changed so much. I continue to pray that God gives me a good attitude and am an uplifting and encouranging wife... after all, the vows i promised Brock on our wedding day are still true, for richer or poorer, to rejoice with him on the mountaintops, and support him in the valleys... 

Anyway, thankfully today is Tuesday! That means only 2 more days until we leave for Tenn. I am so excited to see my sister, Sharyl! I haven't seen her since my wedding day (with Ginger and Gulianna - a year ago!)!!! So it will be really exciting to see her! Plus i miss my little neices and nephews so much. Even tho Jakob isn't little anymore at almost 10! And my sweet "Best Friend" Ginger who is almost 7, i can't believe! And then there is Joseph who is my love& cuddle bug who is now 5! Justus who is 3 and "Gewls" who is almost 2! Anyway, my does time fly!