Stella and Dot

Guess what! I decided to start selling Stella and Dot. I'm super excited about it. My coworker, Linda, made a cake for her friend's Trunk Show with the Stella and Dot logo on it. While she was on the website looking at it, I happened to walk by and my eye caught all the gorgeous jewelry! It was love at first site. I told her I had to go to the party with her. I went last Sunday and right away decided I wanted to host a Trunk Show, but the more I started learning about the company and business opportunities that came along with it, I prayed about it decided to give it a try. The Stella and Dot Trunk Shows are unlike the typical sit and listen for an hour or more about the products kind of show. Instead, the stylist talked for maybe five minutes and the rest of the time we tried on and played dress up with the jewelry. I had so much fun and realized that this is something I can do - by the grace of God of course! So here I am, praying and trusting the Lord to give me the strength and encouragement to do this. Please pray for me - I need it!

I'm having a Launch Party on Sunday, May 16th, from 2-4pm at my mom's house. I'd love for you to come and see all the jewelry Stella and Dot has to order. If you can't make it, then you can always go to my website or ask me for a catalogue.

I'd also love to have a Trunk Show with you. Just let me know if you're interested. The average hostess gets about $250 or more in free jewelry and get four items half off. Plus it's a ton of fun!

Thank you for your prayers and support. :)

Blog Surfing

It's been a slow day at work (I love days like this! It's a great start to the weekend.), so I've been blog surfing. I came across a series on Girltalk. It's under the heading "PMS and Menopause", but the truths can be applied to everyday life. I especially like the quote they quoted by Dr. Martyn Lloyd Jones in one of their blogs:

"This bit of advice from D. Martyn Lloyd Jones has helped to break that unhappy cycle: “There is all the difference in the world between rejoicing and feeling happy. The Scripture tells us that we should always rejoice [Phil. 4:4]....To rejoice is a command, yes, but there is all the difference in the world between rejoicing and being happy. You cannot make yourself happy, but you can make yourself rejoice, in the sense that you will always rejoice in the Lord. Happiness is something within ourselves, rejoicing is ‘in the Lord.’ Take the fourth chapter of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. There you will find that the great Apostle puts it all very plainly and clearly in that series of extraordinary contrasts which he makes: ‘We are troubled on every side (I don’t think he felt very happy at the moment) yet not distressed’, ‘we are perplexed (he wasn’t feeling happy at all at that point) but not in despair’, ‘persecuted but not forsaken’, ‘cast down, but not destroyed’--and so on. In other words the Apostle does not suggest a kind of happy person in a carnal sense, but he was still rejoicing.'

It encouraged me to think that just because we're disappointed or saddened about something, doesn't mean we're sinning. We can rejoicing in the Lord in the midst of tears... Read this quote from John Piper.

By the way, I'm a lot better after my melt down the other day, so don't worry. God is working on my heart, drawing me closer to Him, and refining me. Praise the Lord!

Waiting can be Endurable

Yesterday I had really sad afternoon. Eric and I have been praying about an issue for the past six or so months, and God has not chosen to answer us yet. I know it's His timing and yes, I trust Him. But I feel like I'm on a roller coaster of emotions in the mean time. Disappointment is hard. My sweet husband is a lot more patient than I am and reminded me again yesterday that we need to remain faithful while we wait. So that's what we'll do. I felt better by the time I got home, but I still wasn't 100%. I opened the refrigerator and saw left over creamy jalapeno dip, but we didn't have any chips, so I walked to my parents' house to steal some of theirs. I was having a hard time opening the door, so my dad opened it and screamed, "Well HI Kelly!". I didn't know anyone was home, so it startled me. I screamed and immediately started crying. It wasn't his fault, but he felt awful. He gave me a great big hug and I cried all over his shirt for a while. I finally told him what was on my mind, and he hugged me again. Although Eric and I emailed and texted through out the day, it was nice to have some one to talk to face to face. And hugs always make me feel better. After a while I started to feel better. I know sometimes God chooses for His children to wait. We may not understand it, but we can rest in the fact that all of this is in His hands. When I got to work this morning, my desk calendar said, "Believing makes waiting more endurable." So we will continue to hope, believe and wait on the Lord.

I Thought I Loved You Then

After almost two years of marriage, Eric and I finally ordered our wedding picture. We picked our favorite one and had it printed on a large wrap around canvas. It came in yesterday, and we hung it above our bed. As we set back and looked at it, I made mention that I'm not as pretty as I used to be. Let's face it, I've put on a few pounds since our wedding day. In the picture, my make up and hair were perfection, I had a nice tan, and I just had a glow about me. Eric looked at me and said, to him, I'm prettier than I've ever been. I laughed and asked how that was possible. He said he knows me and loves me more than he ever has and that's what makes me beautiful. :) Isn't he amazing? It's like he read that out of a book or something! ... But really, that's what marriage is about. Drawing closer to each other and the Lord and loving one another more as each day passes - through the hard and good times. It reminds me of the song, "I Thought I Loved You Then" by Brad Paisley. Just when I think I couldn't love Eric anymore, another moment passes, and my love grows.

Open to Suggestions

After half a year of trying, Eric and I were able to finally able to set up a blind double date between a friend of his and a friend of mine. Different things kept coming up, timing wrong, etc. I'm so excited! But on the other hand, I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. I don't know Eric's friend, but I trust his judgement. I've met him though, and I must say that he's quite the cutie and he's a strong Christian. And my friend is beautiful on the inside and out, so we'll just have to see how they mesh. I guess I'm nervous that it'll be our fault if it goes wrong or if one of them ends up getting hurt. Tell me it's going to be okay!

Anyway, I think it may be up to Eric and I to decide where to go since we set the whole thing up. Should we all meet at some one's home first or meet at the place we're going? Where's a good place for a blind double date? We need somewhere somewhat quiet so we can all talk. I thought about our house, but that may be akward... Help if you have any suggestions!

No Heels for Me, Thank You

I was one of the hostesses for my sweet friend's baby shower on Saturday. I'm sure she'll write about it, so I won't go into much detail, but she recieved the cutest things! I just love babies... Anyway, I can go on and on about that. So at the shower I wore the Easter dress my honey bought me and little kitten heels (that I've worn several times). I am a huge fan of flip flops, flats and boots - not a big fan of heels. I know I should be since I'm short, but my feet always hurt after wearing them, so I've learned to embrase my shortness. I wear them occasionally with dresses and such. When I got home Saturday, my arches were hurting pretty bad. My sweet husband gave me a wonderful foot massage, but they still hurt on Sunday. I didn't think anything of it though, and Monday they started feeling better. So I thought it would be fine to go to the gym and run on the elliptical. After about threee miles, my feet started hurting so bad I had to stop. I thought the bike would be better, so I did that a while. By the time I got home I could barely walk. Yesterday, my right foot started swelling and I could only walk slowly with a limp. I elevated it last night and tried to stay off of it as much as possible. Eric wrapped my foot before I went to bed (it's so nice having an athletic trainer as a husband). In the middle of the night my foot started swelling again and trobbing so much that I had to take the wrap off. My honey wrapped it up with tape this morning and I came to work. I may have to go to the doctor in the next day or so if the swelling and pain doesn't go away. I feel super stupid that I hurt my arch from wearing one inch kitten heels. How crazy is that? I'd much rather hurt it playing sports or something. Leave it to me! Hahaha...

As a side note - I've been feeling the need to start blogging again, so I jazzed up my page a bit and here I am blogging again. I can't promise how consistent I'll be, but for now, I'm here! :)

Blah

I feel so blah today. Two of my coworkers are out on vacation this week, so that leaves me and my boss in the office. He’s been out a lot visiting people in the hospitals and other appointments, so it’s been pretty much just me. It’s SO quiet! I need to be around people. And to add to it I’ve received several phone calls and emails with sad news. I’m fighting back tears and trusting that the Lord is in control. I’ve been praying and talking to HIM a lot this morning.

Friday Update on Thursday

Last Friday was a wonderful and relaxing night. I got my pedicure, I picked up dinner (no cooking –yay!) and I rented a movie. The pedicure felt amazing and my toes looked really cute with the French polish… And then Saturday morning hit. I don’t want to go into details because I’ll get mad all over again, but let's just say that everything that could go wrong went wrong as I set up for the meeting. I probably could have handled it better if the stupid cart I was pushing didn’t hit my toe. I, of course, was wearing sandals to show off my cute toes and when the cart hit, it broke my toenail and chipped off the polish. And I didn’t have any tools with me to fix it!!! But I must say that the day got better: the meeting was a success, I went to lunch with great friends, I got a nap, and I went to a party with my sugarbear. In case you were wondering, yes, I did fix my toenail. When I got home, I used superglue to glue my nail together and I fixed the polish. It’s not 100% but, hey, it gives me an excuse to get another pedicure soon. I think it needs to be at least a monthly event; I forgot how relaxing and stress relieving they are.

TGIF

I'm about to leave work! And I'm going to get a much needed pedicure. I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't had one since the wedding - almost a year ago. I've worked until 9pm twice this week and I'm working again in the morning for a few hours. Needless to say it's been a long week! I may just have to go home after my pedicure and watch a girly movie, oh and eat some Graters Icecream. Eric has to work late (baseball playoffs), and since he doesn't like girly movies, it's the perfect opportunity for me to watch one. Awww.... the weekend. The words are so sweet. :)

A Look Back at 5.5.07

Today marks the two year anniversary of the first day Eric and I had our first conversation and started dating. I had a crush on Eric since the first time I saw him at a home teams Bible Study, but we never had a chance to really talk. I was too nervous to go up and talk to him and I found out later that he had too much going on at the time for a relationship.
The Singles’ Spring Retreat was this time two years ago, and I drove up with a couple of friends, Erin and Alison. We had a nice relaxing time that afternoon and that night was a Cinco de Mayo party. I wasn’t in the mood for the dance, but I thought I’d go for a little while and check it out. As I was getting ready I thought, “Who knows? I may meet the man I’m going to marry tonight.”
At the dance I saw some friends of mine, so I went over to go talk to them. I saw Eric was in the group, and I got so excited when he started talking to me. We talked and talked and talked. Neither one of us likes to dance much, so we talked all night. We realized how much we had in common and got along really well. At this point the dance started winding down and people were leaving, so I told Eric I better go back to my room and I’d see him the next day. I secretly wanted him to walk me to my room, but he stayed behind. I walked out the door and saw a couple more people I knew, so I stopped to say hi. Eric came out about that time and he walked me to where I was staying – YES!!! :) We ended up walking past my room and had to turn around. I was smiling ear to ear when I went upstairs. Erin was already asleep, but I remember telling Alison all about “this guy I met.”
The next day (the last day of the retreat) we were inseparable, and I loved it. We even were able to drive home in the same car. I loved spending so much time with him. I was disappointed that he never asked for my number, but that night I received a call from Alyssa. She told me Eric asked her for my number and asked if it was okay if she gives it to him. Of course I said yes! :)
May 9, 2007 was our first date and we’ve been together ever since. I love him more and more every day and am so thankful to the Lord for bringing us together. I truly believe we were made for one another.

Pajama Church

I wasn’t feeling well yesterday morning, so Eric and I weren’t able to go to church. We decided to watch the service online. Eric hooked the laptop up to our TV and we watched the service while lying in bed in our pajamas. It wasn’t as great as being there, but it was a first for Eric and me to go to church in our night nights. I’m so glad our church has the service online for people not able to attend – what a wonderful ministry!

Stupid Hormones!

I wrote this Monday, but I forgot to post it – oops!

Friday was a bad mood day. I felt ugly and fat and mad almost the whole day. My sweet husband was having a busy day, so I couldn’t talk to him as much as I usually do and that made me even madder – even though it wasn’t his fault. I called him and just blew up at him for no reason. When I got off the phone I knew I needed to apologize, but I didn’t feel like it. I finally did via a text an hour later.
I met one of my skinny pretty friends at the mall to help her find an outfit for a party. She tried on this amazing dress that looked fantastic on her. She twirled in the mirror and asked me if her stomach was too big for the dress. I looked at her and looked at myself and I wanted to wring her neck. Skinny little thing. I convinced her she looked great and to buy the dress.

On the way home from the mall I wanted to cry but I couldn’t. That made me mad. A few minutes after I got home Eric walked in the door. I apologized again and he asked me what was going on. I spilled it all out to him. And through my frustration, I told him how fat and pale I was. I told him I looked like a big fat snowman. He tried not to, but he burst out in laughter. I wanted to hit him, but I realized how stupid I sounded and started laughing myself. I’m just going to blame it on those darn hormones. I’m much better today!

Astros Game Update

We’ll it’s no surprise, the Astros lost. :( At least they didn’t get blown out, but they couldn’t make a run to save their life!

Eric and I had a blast though. We went to Jack’s Grill and ate yummy hamburgers, and we made it to Minute Maid Park in plenty of time to walk around before the game started. So we went to The Shed (is that still the name of it?) and we bought matching sweatshirts. I know – we’re dorks. But I love the sweatshirts! They even have a pocket for your IPOD. Mine’s the girl version and his is the guy version. Anyway, I’m glad we bought it because I got cold at the game.

Our seats were perfect. We were sitting three rows back from home plate in Club Level 1. I can definitely get used to that! Oh and Eric was on TV! A foul ball came nearby and Eric stood up to get it, but it turned out it was a section over, so he didn’t have a chance. But my sister saw him on Fox Sports! I was sitting down and a guy’s head was covering me, so she didn’t see me.

Towards the end of the night, Eric bought a huge hotdog and I got chocolate ice-cream in a little helmet with whip cream and cherries. Yes, it was a wonderful night!!!

Date Night at Minute Maid Park

I should really be working right now; there’s a lot to do today, but I need a break…

Eric found us club tickets for the Astros game tonight – Yay! We have yet to go to a game this season. I’m hoping that they can pull out another win with the Dodgers. They’ve won two in a row now, so I don’t know… But I’m going to keep the faith and say they’re going to win! Regardless, we have great seats and I get to spend the evening with my wonderful husband. Astros, Eric and a hamburger – could tonight get any better?

It's been awhile...

I haven't posted anything in forever! I feel like I need to write something, but there's so much catching up I need to do, that maybe I should just skip over all that stuff and start with the here and now.

Oh, fun news that most everyone already knows:

My baby nephew, Luke Stephen Parker, was born on Thursday, April 9th.
He weighed 7 lbs 11oz and was 20 1/4 inches long.

Eric and I bought tickets to go see him the second week in June. It's our one year anniversary trip.

I don't think anyone reads my blog anymore, but I thought I'd write anyway. :)

Hallmark After Christmas Shopping

I took the day after Christmas off. My mom and I woke up ­very early on the 26th and went to Hallmark. We weren’t sure what time they opened, so we arrived a little after 7. Come to find out, they opened at 8, but there were several ladies already in line. I sat in the car for a bit while my mom put on make-up. I questioned the line and she told me that the ladies can be vicious. They stand in line and when the doors open, they scramble for a bag and run to the ornaments. She told me to grab a bag and as many ornaments as I like. You don’t have time to look and make your decision right then. After you get everything you think you may want, you find a spot towards the back of the store and go through and weed out what you don’t want. Since I was a novice to Hallmark after Christmas shopping, I appreciated the advice. A few minutes later, she kicked me out of the warm car to stay in line because more ladies were coming. The ladies in line turned out to be friendly, and we had good conversations until the door opened. Then it was every lady for herself. I held my own, and I got everything I wanted, and a few things I didn’t know I wanted until I saw them. We have so many cute ornaments for next year! We actually already hung them on the tree. I’m not planning on taking it down for a while. I enjoy looking at it and so does Eric. I think Hallmark after Christmas shopping is going to become a tradition for my mom and me.

Hide and Seek

Eric’s mom came into town last night for Christmas. After dinner, we went to his cousin Greg’s house. He and his wife have a precious little girl named Morgan (she was in our wedding). She begged Eric and I to play hide and seek with her. Morgan and I hid while Eric tried to find us. She insisted on hiding wherever I went. I found some really great spots – I was proud of myself. Morgan tried to be quiet by whispering, but her form of whispering was really loud. Eric was able to find us every time. I wasn’t much help though; when Eric would come in the room, I would start giggling. I need to work on that for next time. At one point of the game, Morgan told me to stick out my tongue, so Eric would think we were dead. I told her okay, but he would probably check our heart beat. Her reply was, “Oh, well stick it out anyway.” Of course when Eric came in the room we screamed, so he knew we weren’t dead. :) Hide and Seek is fun; I think Eric and I need to play it sometime at home.

Twilight Before Christmas

Alison emailed me this short video on this site... TOO Funny!!! Twilight fans will appreciate it. :)

Done

Christmas cards are in the mail. :)

Christmas Cards

Eric and I still haven’t sent out our Christmas Cards. Christmas really snuck up on me this year; the time has just flown by! We were going to send out picture cards, but Eric wanted to print them from home. We couldn’t find the template paper anywhere. We ended up buying some from Target that you can just insert the picture in. Oh well, we’ll try to do better next year and get more of a head start. If tonight goes as planned, we’ll have the cards ready to mail tomorrow. As long as everyone gets them by Christmas, we’ll be fine. I can’t believe it’s right around the corner – how exciting!!!