A New Week, A New Attitude

I have to admit that I have spent the first part of this year feeling rather out of control. Those that know me best know that that is not a realm that I can function in very well. I just like to be the one in control...you know...of everything...more or less. But this year has thrown me some real curve balls...lots really and I found myself struggling with all of the "uncontrolled" things going on around me. HOWEVER...that said...I have had a couple of friends who were fantastic sounding boards for me and who were infinitely patient in listening to my rantings and ponderings and who offered me some TOUGH, but ever so love filled feedback. And as I head back into this week I am feeling a touch of control come back over me. At least in a couple of areas! I am feeling a lot better about my business in 2008. I have had a huge range of emotions where that has been concerned. Everything from really frustrated, to really sad, to really, really, really MAD and now I am just really peaceful about it and the direction that it will head in in this new year. I have learned a LOT this past year. Thankfully, I'm a fast learner and a quick study and I have seen the error of my ways. I am putting several new things in place in the new year that I feel like will help me immensely. And that's a good thing! So I am happy in that realm again.

We have been visiting the Oro Valley Church of the Nazarene. We have enjoyed it on a lot of levels. Not so much on others. The pastor is pretty good. He preaches a great message...a bit simple...but always with a solid, relevant to life, real point. And I do so love a good relevant point in a sermon. As a matter of fact...I can pretty much remember every sermon he has preached since we started visiting in December...which is pretty impressive really. He manages to get his sermons stuck in my head and on my heart so that I revisit them often in the week! My only real complaint...well two really..are these. First of all, the music is pretty bad. Now...I'm not one to really get all hung up and uptight on music...but the music there is especially challenging for me. The mics are always too LOUD. ALWAYS. The voices of the praise team don't blend. They fight with one another and all too often I catch myself wondering if they even ever practice the pieces they sing because they seem to miss their cues fairly often. There was a duet last week that was just downright painful. It sounded like two cats being drawn and quartered. I was literally squirming and wincing in my seat. The other complaint that I have is that the people are not nearly as lovely as our friends back at Catalina. They all seem pretty old really. So there's that. I still wish we could just fly back to Pensacola every weekend for some good old southern baptist worship time in our old church. I'm not totally happy in this realm...but that's nothing new in the three years since we moved here. On the bright side...this pastor does not seem to be a crier...those make me crazy!

Everything else is okay too. We have adjusted to life without Casey and even Oscar seems to finally be settling down. He isn't eating the house at least. Of course...I'm sticking his hairy little jaws in the kennel whenever I leave...that definitely helps the house eating problem! I still catch something here or there out of the corner of my eye from time to time that makes me think it's Casey. I'm just so used to having her around. I don't think a day has gone by that I don't think about her. But we have all adjusted well for the most part.

What else? Chris has a new truck. Ford F-250 Super Duty. It's obnoxiously big...like OBNOXIOUSLY! It's beautiful for sure. But BIG, BIG, BIG! And last week we ordered our next travel trailer...a 30 foot fifth wheel. We are all very excited about that. It should be here within 8 to 10 weeks if not sooner! So this summer's camping will be WAY, way awesome!

The best news of 2008? We scheduled a sister's weekend at Nikki's house in North Carolina for April! I cannot WAIT to be out there and see my sisters and my nephews and the green of North Carolina! I am SO so excited about that!

I think that's about all the news for now! My heart is settled and quiet again and I think I am done with my crankiness for a bit! I think it helps that our bible study started again this past week. We are doing Beth Moore's Jesus the One and Only study this time around. It's a smaller group than normal...but so lovely. It was SO nice to get back into the word and into a study pattern and a habit of spending time with God again. I think that's where the greatest contribution to my peace came from! It's a new week in this new year and I'm equipped with a new attitude. And it's all good!