What I have learned since moving to Tallahassee...

Well, it's been a while since my last entry, so I thought it was time to update my blog again. Not to much has been going on, but I have been having fun cooking and crafting since, I am still not working. I have been looking for a job, but still no luck. I know one thing, this economy hasn't helped at all. I am however, still enjoying cooking and keeping the house clean and organized. I actually have never been so organized in my life, wow did I just admit that?? Well, if you were to ask my mom how my room was growing up, she would probably say it was worse than a pig pen. Actually, that's probably not even a bad enough description, but since that was back in my teenage years I will move on. I am just glad my cleaning habits changed dramatically- oh and I am pretty sure John would agree with that as well!!

Last night, for some reason I got to thinking about all the different things that I have learned in the short time we have lived here in Tallahassee. I thought it would be cool to share some of these with you, so here it goes.

1. Feeling safe and secure is something to never take for granted.
- After the neighborhood that the rental house we lived in for our first 2 months in Tallahassee had 8 burglaries over the span of a few weeks as well as getting to make my first call to 911, I quickly realized how important it was to feel safe and secure where you live!

2. It really doesn't matter if the pastor of your church wears a suit or not.
- The pastor of the church we ended up joining here doesn't wear suits or a tie, which at first bothered me, but God taught me that it's not about what he wears, but where his heart is.

3. It's not fair to compare the last place you lived to your new location.
- In order to give Tallahassee a fair chance, I had to quit comparing it to Valdosta. I will admit, there are some things I still miss from Valdosta and one of those is the wonderful people!

4. Mowing the yard can be really fun, however, this does require a riding lawn mower!!

5. It's so fun and exciting to see how much you can actually save on food by using coupons and watching the weekly sale ads!
- I never thought there would be a day where I would be looking forward to the coupons in the Sunday paper!! You would be amazed at how much you can save by using coupons and planning your meals around what's on sale that week!

6. Before you buy something in town, check the Internet.
- I have saved up to $25 and received free shipping by ordering things online!

7. It's so important to take time out of our busy lives and let others who are going through hard times know that you are praying and thinking about them.
- It doesn't take much time at all to send a note or email and you never know how that might impact their day!

8. I never leave the house without all the doors locked and without being on "guard" while in town running errands.
- It is a normal occurrence in Tallahassee for someone to get mugged. This has really woke me up and helped me realize to always be alert of my surroundings!

9. Florida is definitely not the South! Boy, are Floridians missing out on all the wonderful food and southern hospitality found in Mississippi and Alabama!!
- Until two months ago, we had some new friends here that were born and raised in Tallahassee and they had never tasted or herd of Shrimp Gumbo! It's also normal to get honked at here while driving in town, as everyone moves at faster pace than I am use to!

10. Hobby Lobby is the best craft store around and sadly Tallahassee only has Michael's and Joann's. I really do miss my Hobby Lobby, but I will survive and most likely save lots of money!!

11. Recycling is such a great option to have and it saves so much space in your regular trash!
- Tallahassee is the first place I have lived where we have the option to recycle and are provided a separate trash can for it. It really has saved lots of space in our normal kitchen trash can and it also helps the environment at the same time!

12. The worse thing you can do to the walls in your house is to texture them!
- In Florida, apparently it's a standard thing when building a house to texture the walls unless you are applying wall paper. Not only do texture walls suck up more paint, but I think they look very messy - plus you can't get rid of it unless you sand all of the walls down, which I am sure would take hours!

13. Having a separate shower and tub in your master bathroom isn't really that important.
- Our home in Valdosta had a separate shower and tub, but our home we bought here only has a large shower. To my surprise I have not even missed the tub, plus we have a tub in the guest bathroom if I need one!

14. Living one day at a time and thanking God for not only the big things but also the small things in life should be an every day occurrence!

15. I am learning how rewarding it can be to use everything God has blessed us with to help glorify Him and further His kingdom.
- To often we forget to remember everything we have is a gift from God and how important it is for us to be good stewards of His gifts!

Well, I will stop here as this post has gotten really long. It's amazing at the things God can teach us as long as we are willing to learn! Even though Tallahassee is not my favorite place I have lived, I am excited to see what God has in store for us while we are here!

Grateful God has been working in our life!

It's been a while since I have written and that's mainly because a lot has been going on.

For several weeks, we have had John's job on the prayer request list in our Sunday school class. We really have not known at all what to expect in the future and still can't predict months down the rode, however we have received some promising news in regards to the particular plant John works at. The corporate guy over the forest products industry for GP, stated that since John's plant operates on the lowest cost they would do everything to keep it running at all times over other plants that make the same product. Now I know this doesn't "guarantee" anything, but it sure did ease any worry we had of them shutting his plant down in the near future. John and I really feel that God sent us that small piece of news to remind us that he is in control and we are commanded to not be anxious. Also, on top of this great news, John is also getting the opportunity to train and learn the plants environmental manager job since they currently do not have one and have no plans of hiring one until the market turns around. He is super excited about this opportunity, as it could open up many different doors in the future. Once he is trained he will then be the manager of quality and environmental stuff for his plant. John joked and said: "I not only get to learn new things, but it will also give me better job stability since I will be managing over two of the most important aspects of the plant." Again, this is just more reassurance that God can answer prayers in more ways than we could ever expect! Boy, isn't God good!! It's so great to have the peace that passes all understanding even during this horrific economical situation our country is currently facing.

Our church here in Tallahassee, decided last year to have small group Bible studies on Sunday nights in 2009 in different members homes all over Tallahassee, instead of the normal Sunday night service. In November, when this was decided they started asking for volunteers to open up their homes to host a small group. All this required was providing a place to meet every Sunday night. I felt God kinda tugging my heart and telling me this might be a way John and I needed to serve our Church, but I was a little unsure and asked God to give me a sign. A month later on the way home from a trip to visit John's parents in Alabama, I called and check our messages at the house and to my surprise we had one from a lady at the church asking us is we might be interested in hosting a small group at our home. I don't think God could have answered me any clearer and last night was our first meeting. It went great and we had 14 people here! We are doing a study on Mark and it was great! I am so excited to see all that God has in store for our small group and look forward to getting to know some more members in our church!

Well I saved this news for last since it's probably the most surprising and exciting news for our family..... and the news is.... my sister, Katy, and her husband Craig are expecting their first child!!! This was not a planned situation, due to the fact that they still have 4 more months in veterinarian school and have not even started looking for jobs yet, but I know God will work all the details out and He will take care of their every need! This awesome blessing from God is just a reminder that God's timing may not be ours, but His is always the best! I never would have guessed that they would have beat John and I to the wonderful blessing of parenthood!! Ha!! Now, if my parents already thought they felt old, I wonder how the thought of being a GRANDPARENT makes them feel! HA! HA! No matter how it might make them feel I know they are very excited and I am super excited about being a AUNT!! So, congrats Katy and Craig!!!

Well this ended up longer than I meant, which seems to always happen! I hope every ones new year is off to a great start and that you will remember to thank God for all that he does in your life!

I will close with one of my favorite scriptures: Romans 8:28 " And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose." I can honestly say that this scripture describes our life right now!