Wildcat Gorge Trail

Today, Bradford and I went on a 2 hour hike that turned into 3 hours. But I am so thankful that we got to go. It was a great time had by all....even Mr. Harley. However, Mr. Harley is now on the his pillow passed out.

Well anywho...Highlights of our journey.

1. We got to be navigators for the day.
2. Got to break in my new hiking shoes that Bradford got for me as a Christmas present.

3. Played slip and slide with the muddy paths.

4. Spent the day in a Kola Heaven...There were eucalyptus trees all along the path.

5. Great weather for hiking.

6. Almost got lost due to unclear signs but thankfully we turned around and found our way.

7. Helped a lady catch her dog named Charlie...Made my think of Harley's friend named Charlie in Charleston, SC

8. Got to try a new hobby...we will see if it last.

9. Loved seeing Brad enjoying it.

10. Spending time together. :)

Here are some pics....

New Year...New Goals

New Goals for 2010...

To be more DISCIPLINE....I have realized that I am a planner, an organizer, but not discipline. You think if I could plan and put things into action I would be discipline. Not the case.

I have a hard time doing things like...watching what I eat. I will start a week saying okay this week no treats. But all it takes is one excuse and I cave in....like oh the HOLIDAYS!!

And I am going to be really really honest to...I even have a hard time flossing. :) Bradford really doesn't understand this one. But if I am tired I crawl right into bed without batting an eye at good dental hygiene. Sad I know.

Exercise...well I will get a good running start but then after a bit I put that on the back burner. I think well I did a good 2 weeks and then take a week off that turns into a month off. :)

See what I mean....I start off with all good intentions but then it goes to pots.

Number one goal this year....Be more discipline. If I am going to set my mind to something I need to stick with it. :) I will keep posted on what I decide to set my mind to.

What about you?? Any goals for the new year??

Much Love!!! :)

Only in California...

I have to tell you a story that really happened here.

We went out with a group of people for Archie Jackson's birthday. Afterward, we decided to walk downtown a little. Stopped by Pinkberry...which is a new fav now and then on to Borders (a bookstore here). Well while we were in there Rebecca decided to use the restroom. When she returned her face was all red and she was trying to real hard to hold in laugh...Of course, we started asking her what in the world was going on??? We were puzzled and interested. So through the laughs she tells us what happen in the restroom. In the stall next to her there were a few things that were off....So the lady's shoes were face the toilet...1st clue something was off. Then the lady in a baby talking voice say "Come on, just pee pee in the toilet." ???? After repeating this saying Becca heard a whimper from a small pup. YES, a DOG!!!! A lady was trying to get her dog to pee in the toilet so she wouldn't have to walk him/her to the grass section that was 2 ft. outside of Borders.

ONLY IN CALIFORNIA....And yes, I have talked to someone personally here who has trained their cat to use their toilet. I don't think I want my 135 pound Great Dane trying to use our bathroom....too many thoughts come to mind on that note. :P

Much Love!!!

Up and coming...

So I am going to try to update and continue with this....So be expecting a few post coming.

Latest events...Christmas Parties, Family coming into town and Christmas Lights. :)

Can't wait. A lot going on...good, bad, and growth.

Hope you have an awesome day!!!

Laura

A few moments...

Quick update with a promise to come back with pics and stories....

Well we are here. Arrived on Wednesday the 21st. I am so excited but so scared at the same time. I know God has a plan but I have no way of telling what it is at this time. We are still looking for a house and more part-time jobs. Thankfully, a girl that we met when we were here in Feb. is out of town and is letting us and Harley stay at her place. So THANKFUL!! We can wash clothes, cook dinner and have Harley with us (until Wed.).

Prayer request at this time: House and jobs!!! And to not loose my mind. :)

Hopefully the next blog will be from our new home.

Much Love!!

Packing....

I have been meaning to get on here.  I have had some good days go by right recently.  And I even took pics.  :)  I said good-bye to some very dear friends, went to see Grandma, and went to another conference.  All very good and very insightful, except for the good-byes. So can't wait to share it with you. However, I can't share about it now.  I am in the beginning hours of "The Packing Day."  I can't believe it is here.  It's THE day.  Tomorrow at 5 a.m. we will be California bound and I will most likely be balling eyes out for 5 hours or more. So I will have to share all the adventures when we arrive in California and pics.  

For the East Coast....I have loved every minute of being over on this side of the US.  Loved all the people and food. :)  Can't continue on about all I love about this place b/c the crying will begin now. :) 

Look forward to what God has in store for us.  To Him be the Glory forever.

Much Love until Wednesday!!!

God and Awesomeness.

The last couple of days have been just what I needed. My man and I went to the Catalyst conference in Atlanta, GA.  At first, I thought we were crazy taking a trip right before we take a 5 day road trip. But boy did God use the conference to refresh, restore, and reassure my soul. 

This is Brad and I on Thursday morning. SO EXCITED.  You could feel God's presence just waiting to errupt. Come to find out, there was 13,000 people.  It felt so amazing to be worshiping with that many fellow believers. 

This guy right here has been influencing my life for about a year and a half.  It's Andy Stanley. I don't know what it is about him but when he speaks it clicks in my head. So if you are looking to grow and stretch make sure to pick up his books or listen to his podcast. 

Look at all the people!!! The theme was "On your mark"... the reason for the X stage.

After having two days of mind blowing information put into our heads this was all we could do at the end of the day...play the peg game in silence at Crackel Barrel. :)

Some of the things that went on at Catalyst:

1. Guy jumped from 35 ft. into a kiddie pool of 12 inches of water. 

2. Armored truck and limo pull into the Convention center. 

3. 13,000 people played football in the arena.

4. Heard from over 20 speakers in less than 48 hours. 

5. A grown Compassion kid meet his donor for the very first time. I was a puddle on the floor when that happened.

6. Got to hear from Andy twice.

7. Speakers that spoke to me - Dave Ramsey, Chuck Swindoll, Andy of course, Louie, Rob Bell, Marcus Gladwell, etc etc

8. Learned that Chuck Swindoll's sister taught him how to smoke. 

9. Learned that Chuck Swindoll hit his wife on purpose with a battery while checking the fire alarm.

10. Most important, God was there and speaking to my heart. 

Go here for podcast from this conference: 

http://www.catalystspace.com/content/podcast/archives/

Much Love!!!

S-t-r-e-s-s

Just a thought... Sometimes stress is not a big enough word. That little six letter word does not look big enough to totally explain all the feelings, emotions, situations, or the sleepless nights that come with that word. Whoever, came up with that word to explain it must have been joking around. Or thought it would be a clever idea. Well at this moment in time....I am stressed and all that comes with it. :)  But then this thought came to mind....I have a three letter word that is capable of handling my "stress"....GOD.  So take that stress. Taking a deep breathe now and thanking God for all that He handles for me. Thankful for the peace that only He can provide and being the calm within my storm.

Hope you have a stressful day to make you remember who is in control. :)

Much love!!!

PS...okay maybe not a completely stressful day but just a reminder. :)  

13 days & counting....

The last couple of days have been interesting...don't have pics but need to work on that.  Need to take more pictures of life. Can't seem to find the right profile pic for this blog but working on it. But anywho...the short version of the most recent events is....

- Got attacked by a jalepeno pepper.  Don't ever EVER cut a fresh one and then touch your nose for any reason.  It will it will feel like someone set a blow torch to your face. And vaseline is not the cure.  Taking Dial soap and scrubbing your face, like a doctor getting ready for his biggest surgery of his life, is the only to put the blazing fire out. :)

- Took a personality test...well a strengths and weakness finder test. I think the "finder" of the test was broken or I might have broke it. Lets just say I have lot to work on. :)

- Went to Florence to visit my friend and her two girls.  My friend, Rachel, and I have known each other since second grade.  So needless to say we go way back.  And her two girls, Kylie and Shaelyn, steel my heart away every time.  Even when they pass gas it makes you smile...haha

- Got to hug my grandma's neck while in Florence. She is the cutest little lady I know. I must post a pic of her as well.  

- We have sold the business. The chapter of Trimline, LLC being owned by my man is now closed. Brad said it was hard at first but he has his sights set on bigger things for CA.  So we no longer are tied here. Bitter sweet. 

- Also, dealing with a renter is not the best way to spend the afternoon. I now realize how important it is to be a great renter.  To be a good renter will make someone's life a little easier. So plan on putting this knowledge into action while renting in CA. :)

Well ta ta for now.

Much Love!!!

How Many Days????

Well yesterday, riding along doing some errands I realized what day it was. Counting in my head I realized we only had 19 days left of being on the East Coast.  SHOCKED, SURPRISED, OVERWHELMED, and EXCITED emotions hit all at once. CRAZY!!! Then a list started to form in my head of ALL that needs to be done in order for us to go.  So needless to say October is going to be quite eventful.  I am slightly nervous to say the least but ready for the change.  So yeah, just wanted to share that the Month of October is going to ROCK my world. Keep ya posted on the survival of it all. :)

Much Love!!

Who needs plans.....

Have you ever made plans with a friend and something happens last minute and plans change. Or you are riding home after a long day at work ready to be home and you get that phone call that says "Hey, we are out of this can you stop at the store on the way home?"  What about when you are leaving your house to go somewhere that you are already running late too and you had to run back for something you left behind. Oh that use to always get my goat...and my mom would always say (in her motherly tone) "Well, God could be saving you from a car accident or He may want You to see that curling iron you left on."  Good mother advice but it would just add to my frustration when I was younger. 

Well God has really been working with me about last minute changes or the ability to not make plans. Originally, I am a planning freak. I like knowing what's going on, what's ahead, and just all the whats, whens and wheres of things.  I like calendars, watches and planners. But lately, all of this has been useless. For instance, I had three errands I needed to complete in this particular day. All three of them fell apart.  One of those errands was running to the mall to get something for a friend in Indonesia. I was like "Okay God, this is a good thing I am doing to help someone else. For sure, You will let me complete this errand." But as I was walking into the mall and I got a call from my husband saying he needed me to leave right then and help him out with a work task. I threw my hands up and said "I GIVE UP!!!!"

So this is what I have learned:

1. His ways are Higher and Better than my ways.

2. I only use pencil now in the date book. 

3. Always pray over my day and ask that He plan my day. All the things in my planner are just suggestions.

4. All things that are done in His timing are better. Not EASY but just better. 

5. Changing my plans, patterns, or habits is VERY hard.  But it has made me a better person. I can deal with change better and roll with the punches a little easier. I am NOT perfect but I am a work in progress. 

6. He can use always kinds of ways to teach me....Even dog training lessons.  Let me explain. To teach my dog how NOT to pull on the leash is about changing his direction. Once he starts pulling to go somewhere he wants to you are suppose to pull on the leash and go the opposite direction. Now isn't that something, every time I planned on doing something I wanted to do God would direct me to completely different path. Kind of funny...that a light bulb came on for me while my dog trainer was teaching my dog. LOL

7. When we surrender thats when He can do work. 

Well anywho...this is what I have been learning in the last couple of months.  So if I make plans with you to get a cup of coffee or meet up at the mall just know that plans are subject to change. :)

Much Love!!

Bigger Than Me...

So....Here we go....Been thinking I need to do this but not so sure about it. I have been reading others blog for some time now. I get so much from reading each and every one. So it got me thinking....should I do this? What would I have to offer? What would I talk about? Would someone get as much out of my blog as I get from others?  Would this be just a phase or would it be much more?

Well who knows but only He...So I will give it a shot. Here's in hoping that at least the questions will stop. :) To give you an update or should I say introduce myself...I am currently in Charleston, SC but soon to be in San Jose, CA. Big stretch I know.  God is doing some crazy things so that should make this a little interesting. Second thing that will make this interesting...I am married to a manly man who is a great leader and who loves adventure. Married life is one of the greatest things and one of the hardest things that I love. I also have a great dane named Harley.  No kids but he is big enough to make me feel like I have ten kids. He is into everything and wants to love on everybody. Yes, I do even have to child proof the house b/c he can reach the fruit on the counters or knock over glass items on low dressers. :)  Thats the third thing that will make this blog interesting. Last but not least, there is me. I am a redhead who can be on an emotional rollercoaster that never seems to end.  I tend to say some of the darnest things...blame it on the southern upbringing. I love being southern but I also love knowing about the latest fashions too. (Not that I put the fashion knowledge into use...so if you see me in last years trends just remember I am a southern and it takes me a minute to put what I know into action :] )  Love cooking new recipes and seeing what reaction my man gives me.  Obsessed with making desserts even though my man is not a sweets kind of guy.  And I love the Lord with all my heart and so grateful He loves me. 

So there you have it....the VERY first post by Laura...Hope you enjoy...upcoming post....well we shall see...I am sure it will be bigger than I can imagine...

Much Love!!!