Sunday six plus a little crazy in between

1. We just got in from our first session of Financial Peace University at church. It was good, very informative. Now this week for homework we have to fill out a budget form that is supposed to help us plan how we are going to spend our money. If you know me, then you know that I am 100% OCD about planning and lists. So, this budget planning is right up my alley.

2. My diet has been going pretty well. We rejoined the gym and Tiffany and I discovered Zumba (which is amazing) and Josh taught me how to do some other exercises that really feel (because of ALL of the soreness) like they are working. So far, I have lost 12 pounds. My jeans are seriously falling off already and it's very exciting. I want to keep going and tomorrow starts month #2 for me. Wish me luck!

3. My schoolwork is, well.... NOT going well so far. Can you say P-R-O-C-R-A-S-T-I-N-A-T-O-R?? Yep, that's me... I have had my first book assignment for my Vietnam class for a month now and am yet to really start. It's due Friday. NOT GOOD! It's going to seriously take me all week to get this done. (ALSO NOT FUN!) I also have a couple of tests that I have to take next week but then I should be caught up and I am seriously going to attempt to not fall so far behind again.

4. The pageant is starting to come together, which is good. I need to make a few phone calls tomorrow but other than that I have done almost everything that I can do before the week of the event.

5. February is going to be crazy for me... Josh's 21st birthday is February 9th. The weekend before we are going to have a birthday get-together/Super Bowl party for him at our house. Then we are going to go do something special together on his birthday evening. The next night we are going out to dinner with his friends from work. Josh has worked in the same office with the same people for two years now and I have never met most of them. That should be interesting. Also, this same week is cheerleading clinic and tryouts for our Varsity squad...AND Friday is the pageant and Saturday is Gracie and Sydnee's pageant.

So....

I will start on Monday going to the middle school to practice with the girls for the pageant. We will have two seperate practices (one for 5th-6th, one for 7th-8th). Then after school I will have clinic with the cheerleaders. I will leave there on Wednesday to have dinner with Josh's work friends. Thursday is the actual cheerleading tryouts. After tryouts we will be staying to decorate the gym for the pageant. Friday is going to be a SUPER crazy day for me. I am the sole sponsor/director for the pageant so I pretty much do everything myself. (I'm not complaining, I don't like for people to help. --But, on that note, I don't even work at the school this year and am doing this event out of the kindness of my heart. SO, when that same special someone from last year comes to me to tell me how crappy of a job I did (which she will) I plan to tell her that I would be glad to come by any time and tell her just how bad I think that she is at HER job.--I know that you know (if you know me at all) that I NEVER stand up to people who bully me because I am quiet and nice. I usually just smile and nod and then go stand in the corner and cry (which is exactly what I did last year when she cornered me during the event to tell me that it sucked but maybe I could learn from my obvious mistakes and do it better next year). However, I sincerely hope that God gives me the courage to stand up this year and defend my un-paid work. :)

Sorry about that rant. I know it came out of nowhere. I have a lot of pent-up emotion. Letting people run over you never really gets you anywhere. I will learn that eventually.

Back to my crazy February, I will then be doing make-up for Gracie and Sydnee the following Saturday (that's two pageants in a row, but who's counting?) for their elementary school pageant. The next week I have a midterm on Thursday and we are leaving from my midterm to go to the mountains with David, Lindsay, and Jacob. They invited us to come spend a weekend in Lindsay's parents' cabin in Gatlinburg and we accepted. That will be a nice getaway from all of the chaos. ....AND I think that's all of my crazy February that is planned out so far...

6. Since I seriously have no idea what God has in store for us in the future, I am attempting to just focus on the present and stop putting so much pressure on myself to plan everything out. Again, I am a planner, so this will be hard. We'll see how that goes. :) Although, with all of the crazy chaos that is coming up next month for me, I don't think I will have much time to think about anything at all...

Oh so random

I have had a pretty busy week and have still not managed to get much of my homework done at all. It is freaking me out because now I am working on a very limited time schedule and I have LOTS to do if I want good grades. (not really an "if" situation.) So, I worked on my calendar this morning to try to get organized for the next week or so. I have a really busy semester and I am feeling a bit overwhelmed that I won't be free until April.

Today I am going to do some laundry and clean up the house. Then I'm going to settle in and start working on my outline and study guides. For the next week I will not be able to do anything with my free time but study... Tomorrow we're going to Jasper in the morning to watch Sydnee and Olivia's Upward game. They play at 10 then Jackson plays at 1. We're staying in town because Mario has a game tomorrow night and we're going to go to the high school to watch him play too.

I have definately found an MC for the pageant and am working on judges. I have ordered the crowns and decorations but I still have to call about the trophies, flowers, and find ribbon for the sashes.

Tiffany and I have decided to take over Varsity cheerleading at WB. It's a big decision considering that I am not actually employed there yet but I am definately interning there in the fall and then hopefully will get a job there after that. Tryouts are in just a couple of weeks and then we will be doing that pretty much full time after that. I'm very excited about it and ready to get started.

We have oficially (well, almost) put our trailer back on the market. Charlotte Pugh (White Pepper Real Estate) is listing it for us and she is amazing. We have talked about putting our old furniture in there to sell and getting new stuff but now I'm thinking that we might not do that. We still have so many projects that we want to do around our house. I am just excited for it to go back on the market and praying that someone wants it VERY soon! I know that it's the right timing and I'm praying that someone has been driving past it every day thinking I wish that place was for sale (like we did). It's such a cute place and is so quiet and comfortable, I don't know why anyone wouldn't want it!

Uncertainty

Decisions, decisions.

Some have been made.

Others are hanging in the balance.

We are trusting God. Things are good. I am thankful.

In some ways I am so ready for the future. In other ways I am scared.

Uncertainty. Oh, uncertainty. I am not a fan. I like sure things. I like concrete.

We shall see, I suppose. God has our trust. It is in his hands. His ways are greater than our ways.

This week...

This has been a pretty good week for me. I have subbed two days and signed up for several more days in the next couple of months. Most people like to just call at 7 in the morning but I can't do those days because I live too far away to have time to get ready and get to the school. I am really loving being at the school though. I get bored during the day if the teachers don't leave me any work but I just do my homework and study, so it's not so bad. It just makes me want to be a teacher so much more though. It is hard. I have not been too committed to my school work either. I have really got to get going and just do it. I guess I have just been discouraged about it and let it keep me from doing what I know I need to be doing. I have my first big assignment due two weeks from yesterday and a big big test that week too. I have resolved to just commit myself to working on it everyday. I will be glad when it's over. Just about 3 more months and I will be done with all of my classes...for good....for sure...this time.

There is a very big maybe coming up in our future about my job/internship situation. Mr. McGee told me that he is going to look into getting me hired in as a first year teacher for next year and that my internship can also be my first year. However, that comes with a very large amount of "ifs" and it's quite scary. So, Josh and I have been talking alot about what we will do if we do get it and what if we don't. Everything is truly in God's hands for us right now and we are just trying to enjoy our life just as it is right now and not focus so much on the furure. After all, we are VERY blessed and have NOTHING to complain at all about.

I have been dieting and the first week I did amazing! :) However, this is the end of week three and these past two weeks have just been trying to maintain. I have lost 10 pounds but I am ready to get back to losing! It is just really hard!

This week I am going to be really busy. I am staying home Monday and Tuesday to do school work, then I am working Wednesday and Thursday. I am thinking that I will schedule my first big test for Friday. (One of my classes is an independant study and I get to schedule my own tests.) So, this week I have to do three sections of my book (crazy detailed outlines) and study for test 1 of 6. Ugh...school...

New news

So many updates for the Odom's this week...

Ok, so, first of all.... I have accepted the whole internship issue and I am currently moving on with my life. I have resolved to make all As this semester and to be super productive around the house. I still believe that its going to be a great year for us and I know that God has a very good reason for this setback... I have started my classes. They are a lot of work but I am going to stay on top of things...

Our rental unit is back on the renter's market...I had it listed in the newspaper this week and picked up the keys from our last renters yesterday. I am praying that God will give us some amazing renters that always pay on time and take good care of our little place. Maybe even that he will send someone to us that wants to buy it! (My fingers are crossed!)

I signed up to substitute at West Blocton and I really think that I will probably be working almost everyday. I'll be glad to be in the school and to be getting paid again...and also a good chance to use my new teacher wardrobe that I got for my internship.

Josh and I are starting Financial Peace University tonight at church with some of our couple friends. I have semi done it before with my Aunt Tina but Josh wasn't there and I missed some meetings and kind of gave up so I am excited to get back to it and get really dedicated. There are some really big projects that we are thinking of starting at our house (after much debate and deep consideration) and it will definately take some good saving and budgeting...

Well, I do suppose that is all that is new/different with us right now. We're going to probably go to Lowe's and start pricing things for our new and amazing kitchen/livingroom/bathroom/backyard fence... (Certainly not all...just still trying to decide...)

Sometimes God has other plans...

Sometimes God has other plans.

I am learning this lesson right now. Without spilling all of the long and boring details about yesterday being the absolutely worst day of my college career (and there have been several bad ones) I will just say that as it turns out I will not be doing my internship this semester after all. I was informed yesterday that I will have to retake 3 of the history classes that I had previously taken (and passed, I know it's crazy) in order to meet the requirments for internship and graduation.

SO...

I am now registered for 3 history classes: American Foreign Policy, 19th Century Europe, and Vietnam.

I will take these three classes this spring. Then I will intern in the fall and graduate in December. I did everything that I could to get them to cooperate with me so that I could still intern this spring. They would not budge. So, what I am left with is 6 more months of not being a college graduate. I'm dealing.

Tomorrow I am going to West Blocton to sit down with Mr. McGee to explain to him what has happened and that I will not be his intern. Then, I'm going to the Bibb County Board to become a sub. I have been applying for some managment positions in different retail stores but let's face it, I hate retail and if I can't intern, then I can at least sub and still be in the school. Since I know all of the teachers I will probably work a lot. I guess if I can't teach, and I can't intern, I might as well sub.

I have been very depressed and I have cried alot but I am going to try to find the positive side of this setback because I know that sometimes God has other plans for us that we can't understand.

A blessed life

Last night, when there was one minute left on the countdown clock, Josh and I turned to eachother and talked about everything that we would experience this next year. A lot of new things are coming for us. I will do my internship, graduate, and then start my career as a high school history teacher. Josh will begin his college career and we are going to Disney World and back to the mountains, once for sure, maybe twice. It's going to be a great year. Josh turns 21 next month and I wll be 25 in September.. :( Where has all of the time gone since I first met him when I was 18 and he was 14? Oh, and we will also celebrate our 3rd wedding anniversary in April.

God has blessed us so much with eachother and our future. We talk all the time about where we will be in 2 years or 5 years or 10 years. We talk about having a big house and lots of kids. It's exciting to think that our life together is only going to get better and better. But, for now, I don't want to rush our time away. I love our life exactly the way it is right now. To be honest, I would live in this moment of my life forever. I have an amazing husband who loves me and whom I adore. I have great parents and three amazing sisters. I am on the brink of beginning the career that I always knew I wanted to do. Everything is perfect. I couldn't ask for anything more. I get excited sometimes to have a baby and stuff like that, but for now I just want things to stay the way they are. I'm not in a hurry for anything to change at all. I pray everyday that my life will always be this happy and blessed. I did nothing to deserve it and I don't know why God chose to bless me with it, but I am ever grateful for it.

He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we may recieve the promise of the spirit. Galatians 3:14