Life is Like a Roller Coaster...

This weekend, Jimmy and I invited two of our new friends, Jordan and Lindsay, to come to Cedar Point with us (and his mom). It was so INSANE!! In fact, "insane" is my new favorite word and I said it so much over the weekend that I probably got on everyone's nerves. I have never felt so out of control than I did on those roller coasters. I felt safe the entire time but hated that there was nothing I could do to change or control what happened once I got in that line and sat in that seat. It made me realize that life is often like that...we go through INSANE situations and times in our life but God is always there to help control the situation...even if we don't notice that He's there!

After our crazy day on the coasters, we were able to chill out and spend time enjoying part of God's beautiful creation! The sun had set and we took a sheet to lay out on the beach at Lake Erie. The moon was big and bright...the stars were amazing...words cannot describe :) I think it's in peaceful times like this that we tend to notice that God is with us.

I have decided to challenge myself in knowing that God's love is always present during our INSANE roller coaster situations and during the peaceful times in our life. Remember:
Love is a choice...God chose to love us...in good times and in bad

Nagging

I might have mentioned before that one of the hardest things about being a newlywed is learning to live together. It forces you to realize some personality traits you didn't know existed. One of my goals in making this committment of marriage is to not be a NAG!!! Here are a couple of definitions to get our brain waves flowing so that we can talk about nagging (I used the very reliable source known as "Dictionary" on my iPhone):

1. nag (noun)- someone (especially a woman) who annoys people by constantly finding fault; an old or overworked horse
2. fault (noun)- a wrong action attributable to bad judgement or ignorance or inattention

So...if people (especially women) nag because of fault (see definition above), does that mean the person we are nagging at is ignorant and doesn't pay attention?! I'm just sayin'! In all seriousness, I HATE feeling like I'm a nagger!
Any thoughts on a solution to keep us from nagging? I read one article that said we should start "sharing our feelings" instead of nagging...I have a feeling that if it's our significant others we are nagging at, sharing our feelings isn't a better solution! I need different advice and ideas...
One of the things I learned from my counseler (NO...I did not go to counseling for being an excessive nagger) is to avoid saying phrases like: "you always..." and "you never..."
The other day, instead of nagging verbally, I nagged in a note! LOL. My amazing husband, who I love with all my heart, had three empty bottles in the shower (one shampoo and two body washes). I went to the store and bought him some new stuff and put it by the bathroom sink with a sweet note that said something along the lines of: "I bought you some new shampoo and body wash. You can go ahead and throw away the empty ones in the shower. Heart Lisa"
So...people...how should we handle nagging, what are ways to avoid it, etc. Let me know your thoughts!
Heart,
Lisa

My recommittment to blogging!!!

I am incredibly horrible at blogging but it's something that I really want to do so I'm officially committing to blogging once a week! It's your responsibility to hold me accountable for doing it!
For this entry, I'll just sum up the last 4 months of my life and, from here on out, I'll journal or something everyday so that I'll have fun stuff to report every week when I blog! YAY!

Has anyone heard the news?! I'm married!! Jimmy and I celebrated our 4-month-a-versery on the 17th. It's been a fun and awesome adventure so far. I knew it would be challenging but there is no way you can ever fully prepare for what marriage will be like!

I would say our biggest challenge has been learning to live together and figure out each other's "ways." Of course, I think my ways are the only ways :) I'm so glad Jimmy is patient with me because it's really hard to give up being independent and turning that into being co-dependent! YIKES! One of my goals is not to be a nagging wife but that is so hard when you live with a man! I'll spare the details for now cuz once I start blogging regularly, I'll have PLENTY of stories to tell :)

Also, in the past few months, I've changed careers. I'm still a PT but I went from outpatient ortho to skilled nursing. I am SO glad I made the change. My job is great so far and the people I work with are awesome! And the stories I have are way more fun (and gross) than the ones I had in outpatient.

Through the ups and downs the last few months, I have been so completely blessed by God. He has provided me with an amazing husband, amazing in-laws, and an awesome new job. He has also answered my prayers of protection with my family and friends in Arkansas, Nebraska, and Tennessee. Praise God!

Jimmy and I (along with our friend, Ryan) went to Nashville this weekend. It was a weekend full of celebration! Our friends Casey and Shana got married on Friday....super cool wedding! :)

The next day I spent time with my maid of honor, Rachel. She threw me an awesome shower/bach. party! She made lots of yummy snacks...Ray Tay and Sheridan joined us. Tay brought dessert and some yummy adult bevs. After eating and catching up with the girls, I opened my gifts...I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! I received more amazing gifts! Here's what the girls got for me:

• Sheridan got me a gift card to Bed, Bath, and Beyond...thanks girl! I can't wait to use it!
• Ray Tay bought me a sexy outfit to wear for Jimmy after we get married...hopefully I don't think of her when I'm wearing it...haha...totally joking! Thanks Tay!
• Rachel K. got me another awesome outfit for Jimmy to enjoy (pink polka dots, of course) and some bathroom supplies I had on my JC Penney registry...Thanks girlfriend...I loved it all!

Not only did I get gifts but my friends paid for all my festivities that night....I am so blessed to have such great friends! We all went to this awesome mexican restaurant called Cantino Laredo (I think that's how you spell it) in which we just happened to be sitting my Wynona Judd! Nathan met us there and surprised us with flashing jelly rings...super cool!
After a delicious dinner and margarita, we went to downtown Nashville. We started at Buffalo Billiards for a shot of tequila. While there, we saw a guy in a wedding dress! So I took a picture with him! It was too funny. After leaving there, we headed to Broadway but every place had a massive line and I was wanting to get the party started so we ended up going back to Rachel's crib to continue the celebration!
Because I'm an old woman now, I was super tired but managed to stay up til 130 or so...I had such a blast! I'm so thankful for my Nashville friends and can't wait to celebrate my marriage with them on April 17th!!! Now I get to look forward to one more celebration before the wedding...my small group girls and I are going out the weekend before the wedding in Columbus...should be a fun time!!!

Shower #2

I can't believe I got a bazillion more gifts!! This is crazy...our friends and families are AMAZING! This past Sunday, Jimmy's mom, Deb, threw me a shower for his side of the family. A bunch of aunts and cousins were there...lots of great women!

We started off by playing a get-to-know-each-other game. Then we did a game about famous couples. After that we ate some food (including Floyd's yummy salsa!) and cake...MMM!

Now for the even better part...presents :) Here's what they bought me:

• money and a gift card
• super cute picture frames
• lots and lots of silverware!
• slow cooker that makes cooking easier for me :)
• an electric mixer
• placemats
• soft blanket for cuddling
• toasting glasses
• utensils
• and much much more!!!

This weekend I'm super excited to spend time with my Nashville friends. Saturday, Rachel, my maid of honor, is throwing me a shower. Then we're going to dinner and then who knows what!! YAY!

Shower #1

Oh my goodness! What an amazing day Saturday was :) I had my first shower! Although I can't stand to be the center of attention, I managed to have fun anyway. I REALLY appreciate all of the women who came out to celebrate with me...that meant a lot! On top of that, I got some sweet presents:

I want to take some time to individually thank all who participated. I first want to thank Joan for putting the shower together and Amy for helping her set up! You ladies are AWESOME! I would also like to thank:

• Jen (and her hubby, Brian) for the spatula (purple one!!), whisk (small one), masher, and cookie sheets...great wrapping job Brian!
• Kelli for the super cute blanket and green basket
• Candace and Carrie for the awesome OSU grill set...Jimmy LOVES it!
• Amy for the cute coasters...you are so crafty!
• Shane, Lila, Keri, and Elizabeth for the oven mit with all of the kitchen gadgets...it makes me want to get in the kitchen and cook up some goodies! (but that probably won't happen anytime soon...lol)
• Joan for the awesome utensil you made for me...it is so pretty!
• Renee, Carrie, Suzi, and Alyssa for the can opener, ice cream scoop, salt and pepper grinders, and tea pitcher...those are probably the four things a southern girl needs the most in her kitchen!

Something I wasn't told about was this game in which Amy and Joan wrote down all of the comments I made about the gifts. Then after present opening, they said that all of the things I said about the gifts are things that I would say on my wedding night! Here are some of the highlights:

• That's really cute!
• Shoot, I'll take anything!
• What do I do with this?
• It's cool looking...I just don't know what to do with it!
• This is HUGE!
• Well, that one's a smaller one and that one's a bigger one!
• Oh...you squish it!
• He did pretty good!
• Does it slide off?!
• Jimmy is oversized!

I have never heard about that game before but it was awesome! My face was SO RED but it was worth it! Thanks again ladies! I love you all :)

5 1/2 Weeks!!!

Jump for joy everyone...it's almost time for the wedding!!! I can't believe it's almost here. I'm getting super excited :) People keep asking me if I'm stressed out, but, honestly, I'm not! I'm the least stressful that I've ever been in this process.

I've only been thrown one challenge recently and I've already taken the steps to fixing it. One of my bridesmaids called me this weekend and said she couldn't be in the wedding. I called my mom and she suggested I have my step sister do the task of filling in that last spot. I called David's Bridal and they found a dress in my step sister's size in TX. They are shipping it to my mom's house. I'm just so thankful that I was able to get a dress for her before the wedding!

For those of you interested, here is what the next 5 weeks look like:

• Showers, showers, and more showers!!! I have a shower every weekend for the next three weeks. This weekend, Jimmy's step mom, Joan, is throwing me a shower brunch style! She is making quiche and mimosas and we're gonna have a good ole time! Next weekend, Jimmy's mom, Deb, is throwing me a shower at her dad's house and her family will be attending...not sure about the details of that but I'm sure it will be equally as fun! The last weekend of the month will be the much anticipated Nashville party! Rachel K. is getting some girls together for a good time in the city! I am so excited!


• I have very little work left to do...just a few little things. I have to make corsages with Deb and Amy, jewelry shop with Joan, and make gifts with Carrie :) Oh yeah, I have to do programs too...


• On St. Patrick's Day, Jimmy and I are going to take care of marriage license stuff...maybe we'll grab some green beer after that ;)

Anyway, I cannot wait to marry Jimmy...he is my best friend and I love him so very much!!!!