Lessons Learned

The past few weeks, I have started to realize many things-

1)      If I start every post with “Wow, it’s been awhile since I’ve written”, it starts to lose sentiment!

2)      I am valuable! I am valuable in myself, and in Christ. I have a lot to offer  my friends, my coworkers, and in my relationships. If I don’t believe that- How could I expect anyone else to??

WARNING: This section is in no way to sound cocky. It is merely about finding self-worth in a world that continually tries to strip it away.

3)      If God is trying to show you something, and you keep pretending like you can’t see it- He will NOT relent!

Let’s start at the beginning, shall we? I moved! I am still in Webb City, yes. But I have moved into my own little 2 bedroom house. It’s not much, but God has given it to me, and it is perfect for Daphne and I! She isn’t convinced just yet, but  she still gets to stay at her Nana’s during the day, so it hasn’t been too bad for her!

My brother, Brandon, and Ashley are getting married! I love her, and I am thrilled to have a new sister! They’re getting hitched in March, and with any luck, I will be an aunt shortly after that ;) Hint Hint!

Work is going great! I adore my coworkers more than ever, and I can’t believe how blessed I am to get to come to an office everyday where we get to laugh and love what we do! As long as we don’t whistle. Never whistle.

Next is the whole “I believe in myself” segment. Feel free to skip to the following paragraph if you have an overactive gag reflex. The past few weeks have opened up my eyes in so many ways! I, by no means, have ever felt like I may or may not need a man.  Quite the opposite actually. I am very selfish with my time, and I love my sleep! (It is funny how your lazy-meter goes down, as your desires start to change!) But I have often found myself feeling as if I need to settle or lower my standards. I have started to begin praying that God would allow me to see myself how He sees me. I am still working on it- But a few things have started to click! For example, it turns out that have a lot to offer! Whether in a relationship with a man, or in my friendships! God has been pouring out blessings on me so much recently! He has given me some amazing female friends here, who share my values and beliefs. We can support each other in times of need.  I have missed that so much! As far as the dating part goes, I found out that I am worth pursuing. I am worth being chased.

And lastly- I think that God is about to slap me upside the head. He started laying something on my heart, and I chose to pretend I didn’t notice. So what did He do? He showed me again. This pattern went on for a while. Finally, He showed me, I asked Him for another sign, and in a span of about 10 seconds, He showed me THREE signs. Lol why didn’t I make it easy for Him and just do it in the first place?? This task will take a lot of prayer, bravery, and motivation, but I am excited for what lies ahead! Wish me luck :)

Oh How I Have Missed Thee! Note To Self.....

How on earth do I let my life get so crazy that I stop blogging?? No more. I have decided to make a commitment to myself (and my loyal 14 readers) to write once again! But it isn't enough to just say I am going to do it. Many of the blogs I love have a theme for different days. I have decided to implement this idea myself. As of.......now!

Mondays will be Life List Day! Every Monday I will share with you a "To Do" item from my life list. I would love to hear some of your ideas too!

Wednesdays I will share a "Note To Self" moment from throughout the week. I find myself learning new things everyday, and feel as though I am depriving you all of all of my new found Educational Gold Mine.

Yeah....so, those are the only ideas I have. But I welcome any thoughts that you may fancy.

Before I get to the only reason you are all still reading this post, (Clearly my new Note To Self moment), let me catch you up on a few things.....

And you are all caught up. Okay DRUM ROLL PLEASE.....

Note To Self:

 When "stalking" an ex on Facebook, do not accidentally friend request him.

Peacocks and Romantic Walks

Wow, I suck at the upkeep of a blog. So much has happened the last few weeks! Everything from pet peacocks to more mourning over the tornado.

Where do I start? Well, for one thing, my mom is getting married! True, they haven’t been together too long, but in my mothers words, “When you know, you just know.” I love seeing her so happy, and I am so excited for her! She even asked me to sign their marriage certificate, which means so much to me! She also may have me standing up there with her. What an honor : )

Gary (step dad to be) has several acres, and apparently they have been accruing quite the farm. So far they have welcomed a cat, some deer, a dog, bunnies, and most recently a PEACOCK! That’s right, folks. A peacock showed up put of nowhere. She is feeding it so it sticks around : ) I told her it was a very Swiss Family Robinson thing to do!

Joe and I went to Movie in the Park on Friday, but when we got there we learned that we were told the wrong night! So sad……But it was an amazingly beautiful little park! It was full of flowers and trees, and little ponds with bridges. We walked around for awhile and watched the ducks. It was very romantic!

We ended up going to see Green Lantern, which was good, but not quite the atmosphere I was going for. Saturday night we watched some movies and then went for a walk around the neighborhood. We went down to this convenience store got ice cream, and then strolled through the fish hatchery!

We are going to go to a carnival this weekend and then watch the fireworks! We are both poor, so we like to find free things to do. I look forward to just walking around and people watching. Don’t worry Wichita, I’m sure they won’t have anything on you! They can’t possibly touch your mullet count.

Sunday was Father’s Day. Shout out to my Dad! But something happened at Church that Day that I don’t think I will forget anytime soon. They asked all of the fathers to stand up and the kids were bringing around little rocks that said “Dad’s rock!” Joe and I were sitting in the balcony with our friend Leah, when I spotted someone out of the corner of my eye. He was standing off to the side waiting for his Dad’s Rock rock. He had stood up carefully out of a wheelchair, his leg in a walking cast, and his hand all bandaged up. There were some stitches on his head, and it only took me a split second to see who it was. Mark Norton.

*For those of you who don’t know, Mark is a great man who I used to work with at Keller Williams. He is so kind and warm. He was in the car with his son, Will when the tornado hit. He tried to cling to his son as the tornado sucked him out of the sunroof. About a week later, they found Will’s body in a local pond.

I watched as Mark received his rock, and made his way back into his wheelchair. Throughout the rest of the service, I sat quietly in my hiding spot in the balcony, watching Mark. Yes, he still has a living daughter, but I will never understand the strength of this man. How do you get up, go out in public, and celebrate Father’s Day, mere weeks after losing your oldest son? He clearly has a Faith that we can all learn from.

He sat throughout the service, occasionally bringing a tissue up to wipe his face. I think I was crying more than him. He has every right to lay in bed for months and be crippled with emotions. What an inspiration to see him out, celebrating his son and our Father, the way that Will would have wanted him too!

Don't drink Gold Peak Tea. It's got nothing on Red Diamond!

Boy has this been a strange week. It has been full of highs and lows, tears and laughs. I sometimes get a little carried away by my emotions, as evidenced by ‘crazy’ shown all week, but I think I finally have myself under control. I love how God is so faithful! Even when I fail to trust Him, he continues to show me how much He will provide for me. Shout out to God! Woot! (Yes, I understand that I just gave a ‘shout out’ to the savior of the world)

So, good news! I get to go home this weekend! I can’t wait to see all of my friends. I have a whopping 4 friends here in Joplin, and one of these is my boyfriend, so he doesn’t really count. But in Wichita I have approximately 1 million friends, so I should be pretty busy : ) On Friday night Daphne and I are going to go see some of my JTW friends! Holla! I miss you guys so much! Saturday we are having a family dinner where we will be meeting my mom’s newest boyfriend. I hear good things, so I am expecting it to go well. Plus he has a tractor. I think that tractors are a sign of an honest person. Think I am making that up?? I am. But it sounds pretty legit, so I will stick with it. What is more trusting that a retired truck driver with a tractor??

Sunday my momma is coming to Church with me! I am so excited! Journey The Way has been such a big part of my life, and I am excited to let her see this side of my life. Hopefully she will like it : )

*Side Note- Although random, this is very important! Gold Peak Tea is gross. Don’t drink it.

    Peace Out.

    Alyssa

Joplin Tornado

Tornado. The word alone has always terrified me. I’m from Kansas, so although I have never been in a tornado, I have had my fair share of “close calls.” Ever since I was a kid I would get sick to my stomach if we were under a tornado warning. Oddly enough, I will get so worried, that my body starts to shut down, and I start falling asleep wherever I am. Haha is that normal?? (Joe says it’s not!)

Sunday evening, I was at Joe’s house in Neosho, when I received a call from my Dad warning me that there was a really bad storm headed towards Joplin. We turned on the tv just in time to hear warnings that a tornado was probably producing, but that it would not be visible because it would be so rain wrapped. (I only threw up a couple times!) As they said this, we were watching a tornado on their tower cam! Joe and I just stared as we watched this massive black cloud hit power lines and shoot blue sparks everywhere….

Before we knew it, it was over, and 35% of Joplin was wiped out. The death toll is at 117 and counting. Many many people are still missing as well, some of which I know myself. I was overwhelmed by the number of my Wichita friends and family who called to check on me! Thank you guys so much for your support and prayers! I was very lucky to have my family and friends safe! Our home was spared, and my Uncle Audie’s business was missed as well!

I couldn’t get to work yesterday because of all the closed roads, so Joe and I went and volunteered at the main shelter. We sorted and folded clothes and did whatever we could to help. I was so glad that he was there with me. I really don’t think that I would be able to handle everything by myself. He has been so supportive and comforting the past few days! I did good when I picked him : ) We finally left when we were approached by a lady and her husband asking for directions. Their faces were cut up, but they appeared to be okay. She said that they didn’t want to leave because they were waiting to identify their children at the morgue.

My heart sank.

I looked at the husband who made eye contact with me, and then he immediately looked down at the ground. How does this happen?? My heart was broken, and I felt sick. I turned my head, angry and confused. She had said it so matter of factly. She didn’t sound sad (I’m sure it was very unreal to her still). She sounded mad. Why did this happen? Why could she keep her kids safe from strangers, and illness, and everything else that life throws out you, but in 3 mins flat, she loses her children to a storm. I was mad with her.

I’ve heard many stories very similar. One nurse was on the 6^th floor of St. Johns hospital when they got the warning. They got everyone in the hallway and watched helplessly as the windows starting blowing out. Suddenly she say a 300 lb man get sucked out the window. Can you imagine??

A friend of mine works at Home Depot, which is no longer there btw. He got everyone in the back of the store, and then was sucked out of the back door. It threw him about 50 ft and dropped him into a ditch. From what I hear, he is bruised up, but okay!

The worst of what I’ve heard actually happened to a friend of mine. He is the nicest man you have ever met. I worked with him at Keller Williams and ran into him a month or 2 ago. We talked for almost 2 hours and most of that time was spent with him bragging about his son. I believe his sons name is Will. He was about to graduate HS and Mark was very proud of him for getting into a very prestigious film school in California. Sunday was his graduation, and afterwards, they were headed to meet the rest of their family for dinner. They were in Matt’s hummer, and when Mark watched Will get sucked out of the sunroof. Mark is in critical but stable condition, but is completely distraught. Will has yet to be found.

Please continue to pray for everyone hear in the area!

Here are a few pictures. The first one is the church I have been going to. Luckly it is just church with a little "c"!

Facebook Official

Well, I suppose you can all tell my new relationship status on Fbook, that my date went very well! We really ended up hitting it off. He shares my sense of humor (Which is a great one, if I do say so myself), and he is a good kisser (Which we all know is a must.)

**Disclaimer- For all of you who are worried, I didn’t kiss him until our 4thish date.

More pluses- He’s tall- 13 inches taller to be exact. He goes to Church on his own, and I don’t have to beg him to go with me! AND he is a 5^th degree black belt. Aka- Ninja.

On another note, I told you all that Daphne was spayed a couple weeks ago. It was a horrible experience! More so for me, than for her. I even freaked out at one point because she pulled out some of the stitches. I drove her to the vet, 45 mins away, with no make up on. To those of you who know me, this is a big deal. Not the driving part- but the no make up part. I’m surprised my face didn’t scare the stitches out of her. Anyway, after the 45 minute drive, the vet took .35 seconds to tell me that she was fine and send me on my long journey back home. Daphne looked more irritated than anything. Her little puppy eyes were saying “You woke me up for this??” At least I think that is what they were saying- I’m still learning to read “dog eye.”

Today is one of those cloudy/rainy/I would rather be in sweats days. My favorite! Except I am here at work. I’m pretty sure I would rather be at Joe’s house. By the way- Pray for me! I am making him dinner on Saturday night. This could be a make or break moment people. What if I suck, and he throws me and my food to the curb?? On the Menu- Enchilada Casserole. Trust me- It’s good!

I need your help though! After dinner, we need a fun creative idea of something to do. Cheap, and preferably something we can do at home. It will be rainy outside, so please don’t send me out there! Ideas?

Alyssa

Friday Night Date Night :)

So here I am. Yet again wasting company time on my blog. Unfortunately this job doesn’t allow for near the “free” time that I was able to sneak in at my old job. The job’s gone well so far. Started out kind of negatively, but the more I get to know everyone, the better it gets. It still doesn’t beat NB though! I have to admit that I was hoping to lose weight when I switched jobs, due to lack of eating Meleah’s baked goods every day, but it turns out that isn’t going to be the case. These people keep ordering out! Darn them….

Wow, so a lot has happened the past week! Last weekend I was blessed enough to help out a Church in Cameron, MO. Their youth group was doing a D- Now conference, and I got the opportunity to get to know 4 amazing girls! We all stayed in a host home by someone in their family. Let me just say that they were so great, and their home was amazing! They had 50 acres full of ponds, creeks, rabbits, goats, sheep, cows, donkeys, cats, and dogs! And hidden in the garage were baby chicks! They aren’t cuddly chicks though. I tried.

We spent the weekend growing closer to Christ, and got an awesome chance to eat and fellowship with some people in a homeless shelter. It was such a great experience, but I’m not going to lie- I didn’t eat. I really just shoveled my food around until someone came to pick it up. For one, it really wasn’t that good. Of course, this just shows how spoiled I am. But I had a really hard time stomaching that it was on a tray that everyone else used. In all fairness, it wasn’t necessarily because it was a homeless shelter. This would have grossed me out at home. But after we “ate”, we helped clean all the chairs and tables, all the while trying to avoid Taylor, who was spraying everyone with a water hose. Later that night I was able to wash the feet of some of the girls in our group. What a humbling and sacrificial thing to experience! That was defiantly the best part of my weekend : )

On another note, Daphne had to get spayed a couple of nights ago. Now if you don’t know me, let me explain why this is a huge deal. Daphne is my little precious, amazing, sweet, angelic, almost-potty trained puppy. She has separation anxiety like you wouldn’t believe!  If I leave the room, she starts shrieking like a pig about to be slaughtered. But I do have to admit that I love coming home to a puppy who is so excited to see me she starts convulsing and crying.  It was so sad making her stay in a strange place over night. I’m sure she was terrified! The good news is that she is now at home! The bad news is that I barely slept last night because I kept trying to make sure she wasn’t licking her incision.

So, tonight is Friday Night Date Night. That’s right folks, I got me a date : ) I really hope he isn’t reading this. Remember when I told you about Shane and Leah from my last job? Well this guy is good friends with Shane. The 4 of us will be going to Downstream Casino tonight, and I’m pretty pumped about it. Stats: 31, No Kiddos, Never Married, Non Smoker, Occasional Social Drinker, and Impeccable Wit. We should have a great night! I will let all you folks know how it goes!

You guys have any advice for me??

Alyssa