Presenting....

Mr. & Mrs. New!My lifelong friend Kelly and her darling Rob got married this weekend and it was just BEAUTIFUL. Kelly looked stunning and it was just a sweet sweet ceremony. They are definitely made for each other! We had a ball.

Lindsee and I sang at the wedding at that was just so much fun. I love singing with my Linds! Here we are at the reception.

Me and hubby. He tolerated about 3 photos.
Today Grant and I decided we needed an activity. We headed out to Space Center Houston since neither of us had been since we were about 12 years old. We concluded that you probably need to be around that age to actually enjoy it! :) It was fun, but definitely geared more towards the kiddos. We made it fun though. Grant asked every employee "When do we go into space?".

I took some pictures of "outer space". I would totally bring my camera to outerspace. Wouldn't you? I think this is a lunar module or something. Something Lunar.

These are some spacemen. They are totally real. We walked on the moon together. See the earth way off in the distance on the right? We orbited it a few times. I named them Walter and Leonard.

This evening we watched the movie "The Bucket List" starring Morgan Freeman and Jack Nicholson. I LOVED this movie. I got a little teary and it is just a good story and it definitely makes you think!! If you ever have a quiet evening or a rainy day, check this one out. You'll enjoy it.

And tomorrow is back to work. My goal this week is to be POSITIVE in the office and to PRAY whenever I start to feel like complaining. I feel like I have been a bit of a whiner lately!

Also, I am REJOICING for the healthy and wonderful delivery of the newest little one in our lives, Brennan Ezekiel! We prayed for his safe welcome into our world and the Lord graciously provided. What a cutie he is!! Congrats to Sally, Jon, and big brother Jude!

Love you all, gotta go fold some clothes!

REJOICE!

Ya'll aren't going to believe this.

But, I am going to be an aunt again!

AND..... it's TWINS!!!!!!!!!!!!

That's right, Grant's brother and his wife, Chase & Ronda, are expecting, at last!

It's been a long journey, and we are ecstatic, grateful, blessed, thankful, and exploding with joy.
I've been all teary at my desk! I had to reassure one of my co-workers that these are happy tears! :)

PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Aunt Jenny and Uncle Grant are HAPPY!!!!!!!!!

A Fun, Full Weekend!

I can't remember having a weekend this wonderful in a LONG time!

Friday night, Grant and I braved the long lines and saw the 9:30 showing of the new Batman movie. Man oh man! That movie was INTENSE! It was really quite wonderful. I do feel like it was about an hour and a half too long, and a little too dark for me, but, it was beyond impressive. It is absolutely a must-see. Also, this happy-go-lucky girl prefers a perfect, over the rainbow, smiley, kissy, peace on earth ending to a movie, which this one did not produce. But still, for what it is, I REALLY enjoyed the movie!

Saturday morning I woke up earlier than normal.... cause I had somewhere to be! My twin nieces and my sister Shannon were in from Austin and staying at my parent's house. I hadn't seen the girls since May and drove over to my mom's as soon as I finished getting ready.

We were giggling when we got there... my mom keeps some pretty wooden dolls on her fireplace (3 girls)..... and apparently Scarlett or Juliet thought that those girls needed to be in time out. They were facing the wall. Naughty, naughty wooden girls!!

My mom, Shannon, the twins, and I spent the morning at the mall! Scarlett and Juliet really wanted to ride on the big carousel! They had to wait their turn though, and they did so very very patiently.

Here are the girls watching the carousel with wide eyes.... wanting so badly to be on it!

Scarlett was saying: "It goes up and down! Up and down!" I love this picture of Jules!
Aunt Jen and Jules on the carousel (at last!).

The reason that Shannon and her girls were in was because my dad had bought ASTROS tickets for the whole fam a few months back. The Astros are very near and dear to my heart. I grew up going to those games. This was my first game to go to this season, and also, my very first Astros game ever in my entire life that did not involve Craig Biggio, my boyfriend. However, my second boyfriend, Brad Ausmus is still on the team, so I felt better. Plus I had a hot dog which was AWESOME.

Here is our brick outside Center Field. When the park was being built, my dad had the Martin family etched onto a brick. He did this before any of us got married (I think Jaclyn was engaged at the time). I really appreciate how this is the ONE time in LIFE that my name is at the top, not the bottom of the list!

My beautiful sisters and me at the Astros game. We had SO much fun!
LET'S GO ASTROS!!!!!!
Grant LOVES to take pictures.
Embarassing moment: I was chosen out of the crowd to do a "game" on the jumbo-tron. I had to guess the number of people in attendance at the stadium. My prize: a Best Buy gift card. My clue was "What is the Atomic Number of Technetium?". Leave it to me to get a chemistry question. Obviously, I did NOT know the answer (43), I guessed 38 (pretty darn CLOSE!) but the guy gave me the gift card anyway. 43,617 people at that game all saw my lack of chemistry knowledge. (Side note: the next fan to get chosen for a game had to name the largest city in Japan. Clearly, it is Tokyo. He got 2 tickets to Tokyo. I knew that. I do NOT know the atomic number of technetium. What. the. heck.)

It was a shining moment for me.

Sunday morning, we woke up, cleaned the house, and headed off to church, where Pastor Gregg once again preached an excellent sermon, finishing off the 10 Commandments. Our friend David joined us for church and then afterwards for some lunch at Goode Co. Barbecue. YUM!!

After church I did my grocery shopping and then Grantley and I decided to take a little nature walk. We went to the Houston Arboretum. It was very peaceful and serene. Moxie REALLY loved it!

It was a lovely walk.

Sweaty people on a nature trail.
Lily pads.
Me and the Moxie dog. I needed a rest :)
This was a pretty butterfly that was rather attached to Grant!
So we are back in a new work week. I just finished cooking some yummy dinner and may make a run up to Target. Cause there isn't many days of the week that I don't need something from Target. :)

Love ya'll, have a wonderful week!

Post It Notes

I am a generally organized girl at the office. My desk is always orderly, everything has a place, and everything is labeled. I just can't function at a messy desk.

Twice a month, I have what I call "crazy day" at work. This is the day that all the inspectors turn in their reports, and I have about 48 hours to record them, invoice them, type up certification letters, stamp them with a seal, scan each and every one of them into the computer, file a copy, take all the "back up" of the inspector's report and attach a color copy to each certification letter, and make 3 copies of the invoices and mail them to the respective builders. There are about 75 of these every two weeks. It. is. crazy. Hence the "crazy days".

During this 48 hour period, there are about 9 different piles going on on my desk, in addition to all the other stuff that is there every other day of the week. My post it notes come in very handy. Everything has a post it on top of it, reminding me of what "stage" this paperwork is in.

Today, the president of the company approached me as I was in the middle of my hectic process.

"What are all these piles?", he asked. "There is so much going on, how do you know what all this is?"

I started pointing to each pile, "These need to be invoiced, these need to be certified, an e-copy needs to be saved onto the database for these, these ones are incomplete and I need to call the builder, and these ones I am waiting on a response from the Texas Department of Insurance."

"Wow" he said. "And what is that pile over there in the corner?

"Oh, that's not regarding these inspections."

"I know, but what does that post it note say on top of it?"

"Um......... it says.... "Crap I don't want to deal with right now".

"................okay."

"I'll do it later though"

"................okay."

I am such a valuable asset! :)

Zeal

I wish I could take you all to church with me every Sunday, mainly because I feel the need to share with all of you everything our pastor said. The Lord has a mighty way of speaking through Pastor Gregg, and I always want to share it with everyone.

We've been going through Exodus the past few months, and I never thought I could learn so much from that book. I've read it too many times to count, but it has never been this real, this relevant to me. When I realized that this Sunday's sermon was going to be on the 10 Commandments, I was a little dissapointed. I've memorized them backwards and forwards, I even know a clever song..... sing along with me!

Number one, we've just begun, God should be first in your life!
Number two, the idol rule, those graven images aren't nice!
Number three, God's name should be never spoken in jest
Number four, the Sabbath's for our worship and our rest
Number five, we all should strive to honor father and mother
Number six, don't get your kicks from killing one another
Number seven, life is heaven when you're true to your mate
Number eight, don't steal or break these rules for goodness sake!
Number nine, don't be the kind that goes around telling lies
Number ten, don't covet when you see your neighbors house or wife
That's the list that God insists
We stay away from these sins
That is why we memorize Commandments 1 through 10!

Thank you for indulging me for that moment. (Angels Aware, anyone?!?). This week we focused mainly on commandments 1-4. The one that really stuck out to me though was commandment 2- the idols. Now, granted, I don't have an "idol" problem, as far as statues go. (I do, however, have a horrible addiction to American Idol. That is indeed a problem). But I've never worshipped any statues or anything. So as far as I was concerned, this commandment didn't apply to me. WRONG. It does.

Pastor Gregg told us about 4 idols that we often struggle with.

1. Environment- Yes, we need to be good stewards of our earth. We need to take care of it. But Pastor Gregg reminded us that alot of people you hear on tv or whatever talk alot about how much they love and respect Mother Earth....but nothing is ever mentioned of loving and respecting our Father God. We need to love and respect HIM.
2. Our Own Strength- We absolutely cannot do it on our own. The verse says "I can do all things, THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME". (Philippians 4:13)-It doesn't stop on "I can do all things". We have to stop relying on ourselves and remember that He empowers us to do ALL things.
3. Others-Be who God made you to be.... be YOU for HIM- don't be you for others, don't change who you are for others. This one really hit me. I have often felt that I needed to change so that others will like me...... I try so hard to please others. Be who you are and do it for HIM.
4. Success- this is another big one. I heard a few "amen"'s in the conregation that morning. This was such a cool concept..... If we have an idol of success, then most the time the result is that we a) work at our play b) worship our work and c) play at our worship. Hit home for anyone?!

Another interesting thing he mentioned: alot of us have seen that Youtube video where Oprah is saying that what turned her off to Christianity was the phrase in Exodus 20:5- where in speaking of idols, God says that He is a "jealous God". Apparently, Oprah was very upset by this. When I initially watched this video... I was shouting "He is jealous FOR you, not OF you! He wants your time, respect, fear, and your heart!!!". Pastor Gregg said it like this..... Our jealousy of people/things is based in insecurity. His jealousy is based in security. HE KNOWS WHO HE IS. He just wants us to recognize it. He is jealous for you. This was my favorite part: the Hebrew word used here for jealous is the same word as zealous. He is ZEALOUS for us!

Maybe we oughta be a bit more zealous for Him........

Out of the Rut!

A new week.

Believe it or not, I'm somewhat looking forward to it.

Last week I was a bit "over it" as I like to call it. I went to work everyday, but I don't know that I was as productive as I could've been, at home or at work. I was definitely feeling a bit stuck in a rut.

Church this morning was quite the refresher. I was reminded that my goal in life is not for the purpose of pleasing others, but pleasing GOD. My desire should be to honor Him..... and if I live my life trying to please God and glorify HIM, the rest will just fall into place. Thank you, Pastor Gregg, for that good word! :)

We had a great weekend. Friday night we saw "Kung Fu Panda" which was hilarious. Saturday morning I spent my morning with Lindsee (who wrote quite a sweet post about our time together, LOVE YOU LINDSELPIE!). Saturday evening we celebrated my brother-in-law Jeremy's birthday by meeting the fam for dinner at Hido, a fun Hibachi grill. My little Parker never ceases to be cuter each time I see her!!

We went to church this morning, and then celebrated with our friends Laura and Sergio for Laura's birthday! Woo hoo! It was a special treat. And after church, my sweet husband cleaned my car for me, inside and out. I am very grateful for sweet ways that he serves me!

I just finished the Miss Universe pageant. I find it embarassingly ironic that last year, Miss USA fell on her bootay during the evening gown segment of the Miss Universe pageant, and, sadly THIS year's Miss USA just did the EXACT SAME THING! She fell on her bumbum and looked so ticked at herself. I laughed. Don't judge me. Besides, I am equally as tan as those girls and when I am in a swimsuit my rib cage totally sticks out like that. Also, just like them, I have .2% body fat. We are so similar it is scary.

:) Love ya'll! Have a great week!

If I had $458 + Tax Lying Around....

We would be one.

On the inside, it snaps open to a little purse within a purse with two giant pockets on either side of that.

The interior lining is pink.

This is my grown-up Christmas list.

(Note: one time I put a pair of shoes that I wanted on the blog. Grantley took the hint and got them for me. I am going out on a limb here. Lord have mercy.

Perspective

A man came into our office today. He was only there a few minutes, he was just dropping something off. But he said one sentence that just has stayed with me the entire day.

As he was passing my office, he said hello, and I said hi back. And then I said, "Did you have a nice weekend?". (This was the standard question I had pretty much been asking everyone all morning). As soon as I asked it, he stopped dead in his tracks, turned around, looked at me in the eyes and said, "Ma'am, I haven't had a bad weekend in 56 years".

It startled me. I said, "Well what a wonderful way to look at things!". He then added, "Haven't had a bad day in 56 years either. Things happen. But all in all, days are good, cause everyday is from God, isn't it?".

Ummmmmmmmmmmm convicted.

WOW. I mean that just floored me. Thinking back on it, I actually don't think I responded to him at all. He just walked out of my office and I kinda sat there and stared into space.

What a concept. Can you imagine if we all just operated under the assumption that we cannot have a bad day? I cannot even count how many times I have said something along the lines of "Oh, I'm just having a bad day" or "Today was not a good day". I can't make any promises, but I feel that today that man taught me that perhaps I should take out that phrase from my life entirely.

I was on the phone the other day with Katie, and we were discussing the power of a positive attitude and the impact it can have on your day, on your life. I have typically always been a generally optimistic person, I would say, but there are times I can reflect back on that I get into a pit and refuse to pull myself out.

One of my all time favorite passages is in one of my all time favorite books of the Bible- Philippians. These verses actually popped into my mind today when I started to make a mental list of complaints. I am making it my memory verse for the week! Whenever I start to feel like it is necessary to list all the "horrible" things going on at work, or the traffic, or if my dryer continues to take 3 hours to dry, whatever it is, I'll be saying THIS instead:

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers, whatever is true, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy, think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you."- Philippians 4:4-9

Let's keep our minds on the great things, the good things. Let's praise our God for giving us so many blessings and let's not take them for granted. If you are having just a "horrible day", remember the salvation that was given to us and the mercy that was bestowed on us. I get to spend eternity with my Savior. That's a good day for me.

The Fundamentals of French Fries

I had a tragic french fry situation yesterday. It was really disheartening and made me realize that I have high standards and expectations when it comes to the standard side item.

Here's my thing: everyone has their own french fry preference. Mine is crispy. I like crispy fries. The fast food places that fit into this category are: Whataburger, Wendy's, Sonic, and sometimes Burger King. The only other non-crispy fry places that I will tolerate are Chick-fil-A (because, hey, I enjoy me a waffle fry...sidenote: I don't like the waffle fries that are not totally see-through... you know what I mean? If I hold a waffle fry up to my eye, I wanna be able to look through it and see through it. It's important. That's what makes them cool.), and Fuddruckers. Fuddruckers has the wedges that you can dip in the melted cheese. I'm all about that.

I do NOT tolerate soggy, wet fries. Also, any kinda of french fry that is totally beyond salty is off my list. Translation: McDonald's. NO THANK YOU. Also, I would rather my fries not be brown.

Yesterday I was CRAVING some crispy fries from Wendy's. I left work and I couldn't find a Wendy's anywhere. I called Grant at work and he googled one for me. I drive WAY out of the way and finally find one.

"Wendy's, can I take your order?"

"Yes, I'd like a Number 1 with cheese, plain and dry, JUST CHEESE MEAT AND BREAD, with fries and a Diet Coke"

"A number one plain?"

"Yes"

"You wanna side salad?"

"I'm sorry?"

"You wanna side salad?"

"Um, no, fries please" (at this point I duct -taped the mouth shut of the guilty conscience angel on my shoulder)

"Okay, drive around"

I drive up. Precious had some flourescent orange nail polish on, but just on the tips. I mean, it is summer.

They gave me a Diet Coke that was clearly not a small. They were just certain it was though. I stopped fighting it, since I had already duct-taped shut the mouth of my guilty conscience angel hanging on my shoulder. More diet coke = more joy.

As I drove away, I dug my hand around inside the bag to find my first fry. My mama always taught me that refusing to eat french fries in your car is just un-American. And being that it is almost 4th of July, I didn't wanna seem unpatriotic.

I was shocked and appalled to pull the fry out and see it bend over in two. SOGGY FRIES!!! from WENDY'S!!!!

ANNOYED!!!

I still ate them though. I mean, it was lunchtime. I was hungry.