Happy Birthday, Shelby!

happy birthday, sweet shelby!

I am filled with all kinds of emotions today!  Today is Shelby's first birthday and I had to have a post especially for her!  

For those of you whose presence she hasn't graced...Shelby is by far one of the sweetest, cuddliest babies I have ever had the pleasure of taking care of!  It was by God's own design that He brought the Carpenters and me to each other earlier this year in February.  He delivered me from an almost unbearable situation and gave me one of the most amazing "jobs" I could have asked for.  I have always loved working with children, and it feels like I have raised a few myself!  After meeting with the Carpenters for the first time, I will always remember how it felt to hold barely 3-month-old Shelby and I knew this was all meant to be!  If you ask Allie her side of the story, she will tell you the same thing!  She had procrastinated in finding a nanny, and after filing through care.com, she saw a message from me and knew that I was the fit for them.  All it took was a few phone conversations and one meeting, and there I was! It was the perfect fit.  I have always called Allie my "Princess Charming"--Thank you for rescuing me!!

 I have a lump in my throat writing all this, but watching Shelby grow and being a part of her everyday life was and still is one of the biggest joys I have.  I'll say it again, she gives Justin and I unrealistic expectations about children!  She is one of the most easy-going, friendly, smiley, and fun babies we have ever been around!  Justin and I decided that if there were in fact guarantees in life, and we were guaranteed a baby like Shelby, we would have one TOMORROW.  She has brought so much joy and laughter into my life.  And it's not only Shelby.  Her two amazing parents have been so encouraging and wonderful to get to know.  How many of you can say that your boss is probably one of your best friends?? We took trips together...dressed shelby up in numerous outfits, went shopping in Mebane just for the heck of it...and on and on.  Dave and Allie are friends I know we will have for a long time, especially now that we are staying in Raleigh and are the fun married babysitters :)

I love you Shelby girl, I will miss spending every day with you! You will forever be in my heart and one of the most special people in my life! Can't wait to watch you grow even more.  You are loved more than you will ever know! Love, Molly and Justin

They love each other...

A New Chapter, A New Season

A beautiful start to the season!

You're probably wondering what in the world we are doing and where we are going to live!
I was living in that state for the past 8 months as Justin was out of work.  Gotta remember, God doesn't usually work quickly! At least not with me! He takes time with His own, shaping and molding them, and sometimes testing them to make sure they are listening.

Everything with moving to Greensboro seemed to be falling into place...until about a month ago.  Justin got an email from the company he was applying to work for saying that his application had been denied.  DENIED?! He was over 99% sure he would get this position.  We knew the right people, he had more than enough skill and experience...etc.  But this door, God closed.  I had a job lining up with a wonderful church there that seemed almost too good to be true!  As soon as I opened myself up to that job there, more opportunities became available to me here in Raleigh.  It was something I noticed and just kept tucked away in the back of my mind when I heard God whisper to me "I'm not done with the two of you here, yet."

We are called to trust and obey, right? So we didn't put limits for jobs on a city or region, or even a field of work.  We gave it all over, and it's amazing what happened when we did.  I was offered a job by Chanel (!!!!) at the #1 counter in the mid-atlantic!  I desperately wanted to be in this field, being able to interact with all kinds of people, mainly non-believers, and expanding my cosmetic skill.  God knows just what He's doing!  Soon after, Justin received a job offer from a company here that a childhood friend of his works for.  It is a great job, downtown (so exciting!), and with a steady income!  We are so beyond thankful for this! So with these two new jobs, here is what we have prayed and planned for this next year: we will be staying in our current apartment lease for another 6 months, and hopefully buying a house here in Raleigh after that. There's the info you were all waiting for :)

Opportunities in our beloved Summit Church seemed to open up almost daily.  I had the amazing opportunity of helping to lead worship at a women's conference, and Justin and I both helped lead worship for college students interested in missions.  We are ALL-IN for the mission of God not only financially, but in our time and talents.  It never feels like work to me! Only a blessing, to be able to bless others.  **We are also serving on the worship team for the Christmas services that Summit is holding, and its going to be amazing! This Christmas, the services will be held at DPAC......YES, I SAID DPAC!**

Here's the dates and times for the services, make your plans now! Justin will be playing drums and singing in gang vocals, and I will be singing a special song, and in various other parts of the program.  TRUST, you do NOT want to miss this!!

December 23: services at 11:00am, 2:00pm, and 5:00pm
December 24: services at 2:00pm and 5:00pm

Get in touch with me for more information! This church and the people here are so special to me, and all I want to do is spread the word!

A sweet post coming on Thursday :)

m o l l y

Trust Tests

Well, things have gotten a little cloudy here at the Vidovich house!  As far as Justin's teeth go, he is on the road to getting a new crown and veneer on his two front teeth.  The temps now seem to be holding up....okay....but he's ready for the permanent fix! Still as handsome as ever!

He spent most of last week at his parent's house in Greensboro helping out with yard work and hanging out with his dad while his mom and sister Melanie went to her state cup tournament for soccer! So proud of her!  It was hard having him away for a few days, but it gave me some good quality time to really focus on the weekend, preparing to lead worship at the church to give Hank a break.  However, sometimes it is really good to spend a couple days apart, because I am SO glad that he is home! Absence does make the heart grow fonder.  That has always been true for us.  We always appreciate each other more after a couple days apart :)  He did come back in time to support me at church, and I was SO thankful for that!

Two of our best friends, Seth and Kait {Mrs. DIY and the Tennis Guy} hosted a potluck dinner on Friday and we had a blast! Definitely missed Justin being there...and the Sandersons...but it was a great time of fellowship with our college friends who are here in Raleigh.  We had a pretty....interesting...game of telephone pictionary.  If you know us, you can only imagine.  And that's all I will say about that.  The food was delicious as always!  We had white chicken chili, green bean casserole, chicken pie, an amazing array of desserts...we were stuffed FULL of good food!  I wish I had taken some pictures, but I think Kaitlin did...so head over to her blog and check them out!  I am just in love with their house and hope someday to have a cute place like theirs!

I am sure you all are wondering why the subtext of the blog changed.  (We kind of are, too.)
You're probably wondering when we are moving, right? So are we.  There has been a little hiccup in Justin's job process, and while I can't really explain the full details, just pray for us.  I will only be watching Shelby until the end of November, and then hopefully starting some sort of temp job for Holiday Help after that.  Hopefully.  So...Justin has exactly 4 weeks to find a job of some sort, something to help bring in some income.  We have no idea where God wants us to be right now.  We thought it was Greensboro, and someday it will be, hopefully.  But we're not sure if He is done with our work here in Raleigh.  There are SO many things up in the air right now, and it seems as though He is giving us test after test to fully surrender all of our trust to Him.  I wish I had answers for those of you who are wondering about our living situation and job front.  I am sorry to say that I don't.  Please just pray for us.  We know that God is using us here for such a time as this, and we are willing to serve and work wherever He will have us. Answers are not even necessary right now, following Him IS.  This is definitely a step-by-step, moment-by-moment process.  We will continue to go to Greensboro whenever we can to help out my sweet in-laws as my father-in-law BEATS this stupid cancer.  

Thank you all SO much for your prayers and concern for our lives.  We are so blessed to have such great friends and family that are so prayerfully involved.  I am truly humbled.  Stay warm and safe everyone!

m o l l y

Babies, Bikes, Boo Boos...

The past couple weeks have been quite interesting, and by interesting I mean eventful!  It came to my realization that I only have less than 7 weeks with Shelby before she turns a year old and heads to day care.  We will most likely be moving to GSO around this time. I am so deeply saddened at the thought of leaving her...she has been my best little friend for the past few months and I have enjoyed SO much getting to know her, helping her learn and watch her grow every day.  The Carpenter's have been a huge blessing in my life and I will never forget what they did for me--they rescued me! I have loved being a part of their family and am excited what the next few weeks hold in prep for Shelby's first birthday!

It got chilly so we brought out the bear sweater!

Shelby LOVES the swings! Screams the whole time...

More baby things: Hannah Grace is just a few days away from being off of antibiotics and being able to walk on her leg again!  They discovered a bacterial infection in there knee and operated almost immediately.  They kept her there in the hospital for a few nights so naturally we went over to visit a couple times to catch up and check in.  She was SO brave!  What a sweet little blessing.  Its funny, we got the news that Jessi and Booney (her parents/my cousins) are moving in a couple weeks to Wilmington where Booney will serve as the campus minister.  We are SO proud of him!  I'm sad we won't be living in the same area anymore...we love seeing them when we can!  Even though HG did not like babysitters... ;)

Gobblin' down that cake...

Huge moment in October....Colt Owen Bankston turned a year old!! We had a great party! Mandi even waited for Justin and I to get in from Raleigh before he dove into the cake! I was/am so thankful....it was definitely worth the drive.  We had a great time seeing family and catching up with the Sanderson's that weekend also.  Goodness we miss them so much!  Justin got to experience NoDa in Charlotte and we had our first fast of Cabo Fish Taco---and I am speechless.  I will probably go there every time we are in Charlotte now!  We finished off the night with a salted caramel brownie from Amelie's and a quick visit with my friend Matt.  It was a great trip to Charlotte!

So, in more recent news, as in last night......

He instagrammed this himself!

Icing the swollen lip. I felt so helpless!

           
I had the brilliant idea of going for a run since it was a gorgeous day.  I suggested that Justin ride the bike along with me so he could get outside too.....because he HATES running.  So, I strapped on my iPod and was going along the sidewalk on our street making sure Justin was behind me.  As I rounded the corner, there was a girl walking her dog straight ahead and I turned around to look at Justin making sure that he saw her.  When I saw that he did and that he was still behind me...I took off, I mean almost sprinting out of the neighborhood.  At that exact moment, the front wheel of his bike came OFF and he went face first into the pavement.  The crown on his front tooth shattered and possibly cracked the other front tooth. Of course he tried yelling at me, but I had my hardcore playlist on, I think it was As Cities Burn...so I heard nothing.  So I kept running on for another mile and a half! He took himself home and cleaned himself up...then drove around to find me on my route and pick me up. I couldn't believe what I saw...I felt so awful that I had not turned around again.  When I didn't see him behind me on my route I figured he had gone another way to either try and scare me, or go faster so he could beat me back home.  SO....after remaining calm and cleaning his scrapes up, we called around to see if there was anything we could do about it immediately.  No ER, no dentist, nothing.  I called my good friends The Damesek's to see if there was anyone they knew in the area that could see him and evaluate him.  Praise the Lord...there was!  There was a endodonist available to see him and let us know what our next steps are.  Justin went back this morning for some X-rays and then a dentist appointment in Greensboro either today or tomorrow.  What a curveball, right?! I'll update you all more once we get the process started of getting Justin fixed up with a beautiful new tooth! :)

Heading to the fair with my family on Friday! Can't wait to post all the food we will consume...

Prayers appreciated! Have a great week everyone!

m o l l y

Prayers and Pumpkins

Before I even begin talking about all the pumpkin I have consumed this week, I need to ask a big favor of my readers...I am calling you ALL to prayer!
My sweet "niece/cousin" Hannah Grace was admitted to the hospital this morning. She is almost 2 and has been limping on one of her legs for the past 3 weeks.  After two X-rays, nothing showed up, but the limping persisted.  This morning Jessi and Booney (her parents) took her in for an MRI to see if the doctors could find anything.  After waiting for the results, the doctors admitted HG for a possible infection in her knee.  Please pray for this little girl, we love her so much! Justin and I are heading down to the hospital after I get off work today.

As for this week in the Viddy household...we officially kicked off pumpkin season! I am a little "late" according to the rest of the world....But...I was waiting for the official beginning of Autumn! I needed a chill in the air to enjoy a little pumpkin ale, pumpkin bread, pumpkin fruit dip (omg.) and my favorite thing in the WHOLE world...PUMPKIN FROZEN CUSTARD AT GOODBERRY'S! Which is happening TOMORROW! I'll try to contain my excitement!!

On Tuesday, I stayed after work to have a little make-up fun with my boss Allie! We had a great time and I hooked her up with some great Mary Kay products.  Well, I forgot to text Justin that I was staying later at work...and that I was also heading to the Container Store after that.....oops....Turns out he had gone to Starbucks to get me my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season! He wanted to surprise me when I got home because he knew I was waiting for fall and how much I love them.  In his words, "I even got you the skinny healthy kind! But it might have gone bad now :(" I was beside myself with excitement but was so sad I missed out on the surprise :( Its funny, because the reason I was going to the container store was to get a cosmetic organizer for our bathroom counter so HE could have more space! It is so sweet...we were thinking about each other :) I just love that man! Well, I made it home in time to enjoy it nice and hot, and my bathroom sink was transformed! Awesome day! Here's what I got:

For $12.99/each, I got the two 3-drawer clear countertop organizers and stacked them on top of each other. Let me tell you how much it has changed my life.......wait, I don't have time for that. Just go get 'em ladies!

Yesterday I had a big craving for pumpkin fluff dip so I decided to make my own recipe! I mixed:

1 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree

1 8 oz. container of cool whip lite

1 box of instant vanilla pudding

1 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. of vanilla extract

3-4 Tbsp. of Maple syrup (I just eyeballed it....add as much or as little as you like!)

It turned out SOO good, Justin and I ate some of it with just a spoon! It is my favorite apple and pear companion, but also great in a parfait! It's so versatile, you can do almost anything with it! We polished it off with a delicious seasonal Pumpkin Hard Cider by Woodchuck (shout out to my girl Elizabeth Yopp). And wow was that a treat!

Fall has arrived here at the Viddy's....any pumpkin recipes out there that you'd like to share with me? Have a GREAT weekend! We will be playing at The Summit Church this weekend so come see us!

m o l l y

Concerts, Homecoming, Weddings...

I have to say, this weekend, beginning on Thursday, was one of the most fun, eventful and exciting weekends I've had in a LONG time!  The memorable ones always involve weddings...and family. I'm about to flood this post with pictures, so enjoy!

Thursday night, I got to see one of my all-time favorite piano heroes....Ben Rector.  The first time I heard him play, I recognized that our chord progressions are EXACTLY the same.  Music people know what I'm talking about.  His singing voice also sounds JUST like my brother's...so what's not to like about this guy? Nothing.  He is awesome, so go support him and pick up his albums! He covered Whitney Houston's "I wanna dance with Somebody".  I mean come on! The guy is a rock star.  Justin was such a good sport for going with me, and running into Emmy Senger topped it all off! Great night!

Friday at work was entertainingly busy with helping my boss get her house ready to sell! We cleaned every nook and cranny of the house before the realtor came over to take photos.  Shelby went with the flow as we decided during her afternoon nap to hit up the outlet mall in Mebane! (Wait, you don't do that at your job with your boss? Oh, sorry.) JCrew...Banana Republic...it felt like the old days of shopping in Blowing Rock. Ahhh.... So Justin came and picked me up in Mebane and we headed to Greensboro to get Miss Melanie ready for representing her freshman class on Homecoming Court! She had a BEAUTIFUL black dress with a gold sequin peter-pan collar, worn with about 4" wedges.  We had her make-up done in record time and she looked stunning! Her friends didn't even recognize her.  We like to play with make-up so this was one of those times...plus, it was at night, and she was out on the soccer field so we had to do a dramatic smoky eye :) 

My father-in-law was sadly not feeling well that evening and was unable to walk her out on the field. So, my sweet sweet Justin walked her out in his place.  Not a dry eye in the stadium, folks..
We had a great time.  It was so great to see the Hunsuckers and catch up with Miss Lisa! I just adore them.

After the game, Leah and I stopped at the store to get some hair color to give her a beautiful ombré! I don't have a before and after photo....(ehhemm....leah) but we do have a during photo. She might kill me for this. Love you Leah!!!!!!

The next day, I was up bright and early to get Melanie ready for the Homecoming Banquet! This time we did hair AND make-up (I could really do this the rest of my life)...and She looked gorgeous once again. I don't have a photo because we had to leave to get to Charlotte for my cousin's wedding, but the ones on Facebook were fabulous.  Forgot to mention that two of my favorite people in the world were also at the Vidovich house this weekend..BABCI AND POP POP! If you know me, you know who they are. If not, I could and will probably do an entire post on them one day.  It was sad to leave (as it always is) but I was so ready to get to Weddington to see our other fam!

Getting ready for Ashley's wedding was a full-blown affair...Getting myself, my sister and my mom ready is always so much fun! I think that has been my job since I was 10? Am I right mom? Annie?  Yeah.  Chip's beautiful girlfriend was visiting and didn't even need my help! She's awesome. I also LOVE my siblings....So much! Spending the weekend laughing with them all day for two days is probably my favorite way to spend time with them.  Especially when we have such hilarious parents and other family members for material! HAH!  It was so great to catch up with other distant family members as well...and not so distant ones...Here is my beautiful cousin Kelly who just earned her first Mary Kay Pink Cadillac! See the family resemblance? Me too.

And I have to throw in one of my and my handsome mister :)

Sunday was a lazy morning, which was exactly what we all needed to recharge.  And then this guy showed up.....!! The littlest boy who has my heart...Mr. Colt Bankston. He is walking and talking and SUCH a joy in my life! It was great to finally sit and catch up with his mama, my Mandi! We laughed at him all morning!

We stayed as long as we could on Sunday....until an early dinner came along and I got HOOKED on the first episode of Breaking Bad.   WOW.  That's all I can say! We said goodbye to my family and headed home.  After the 3 hour drive back up to Raleigh, sitting and watching the Emmy's were so exciting! Julie Bowen definitely had the best dress, IMO.  I was sad that none of my shows won! I guess I will have to start watching Homeland.  Love and Props to MadMen, Breaking Bad, Modern Family (which did win a few!) and Game of Thrones.

Now that I've officially categorized myself as a nerd, its time to go.  Have a beautiful Monday everyone! GO OUTSIDE!

m o l l y

Overwhelmed!

 Friends, I am so overwhelmed at the beautiful responses! Its funny how there were no comments listed here yesterday, but the loving texts and Facebook posts absolutely made my day! Thank you all for your support and friendship during this difficult time.  I think I can speak for my family when I say we are so blessed and thankful for the friends and family that really reach out to us.
THANK YOU!!! 
I decided to bless you all with some updated pictures. Hah! Above is Justin and I before a date night recently.  He is so good about giving us a weekly date night, we always have a blast! I love him so much it hurts.  Below is my sweet sweet Shelby! (People that don't know me, she is not my child...even though sometimes it feels like it!) She brings me so much joy... and like I tell everyone, she is giving me unrealistic expectations about children! She hardly ever fusses, is a good eater, and giggles constantly! She is so smart, loves books and loves to clap. I think Justin and I decided that if we were guaranteed our first child would be like her... we would have one tomorrow! But ah, no guarantees in life, so I think we are going to stick to the 5 year plan... :) which means we've got one year down, possibly four to go.

 

have a lovely Thursday my friends, a tearful (full of joy) post will come this weekend!

warmly,

molly

One Thousand Gifts

I am really going to try and be better at this, I swear! Here is a brief update:

On July 19, we received a phone call that would change our lives temporarily.  My father-in-law, Paul, had gone to the doctor to get a lump in his neck checked out.  They did a biopsy, and found that he had 2 more lumps and that they were cancerous.  After more tests, they found that the cancer was located in his left tonsil and had spread to his lymph nodes. Thankfully it had not reached the status of Lymphoma, but was still full-blown cancer and would need to start treatment immediately.  The prognosis is good, but the treatment is absolutely brutal.  The number one thing I have learned about cancer is that it is an hour-by-hour process.  His health varies throughout the day.
We wanted so badly to be there with our family that day, and it really hit us hard that not living near family really, for lack of a better word, sucks.  We had always talked about settling in Greensboro one day, but that day had come.  This was the push that we really needed to go on ahead and get there.  God since then has opened door after door to get us there. 

Sadly, I will be leaving sweet Shelby and the Carpenters (Allie Carpenter of The Saturday Housewife), when she turns a year old and starts day care.  Justin has a great opportunity with Syngenta brewing up, and we are simply waiting on that call for his formal job offer. We have to be ready to go at any moment! The hardest part of all of this is leaving our beloved Summit Church.  WE LOVE SUMMIT.  More than I have ever loved any church, ever.  Few times in my life have I had the opportunity to play with such talented musicians.  However, God is seriously at work....The Summit Church has a brand new church plant in Greensboro which we are feeling led to be a part of! I am so blessed and happy to be serving a God who takes care of the details.

There is something else I am going to start doing, which will hopefully enable me to write more (gosh I miss it)....GOALS!
Here are my September Goals (which I realize it's already half over but oh well)
1. Run 2-3 miles per day instead of every other day (my new kicks really help!)
2. Lift weights 2-3 times per week to supplement cardio
3. Finish reading One Thousand Gifts
4. Start packing up the apartment
5. Have a Pumpkin Spice Latte on the first day of Autumn!
6. Start reading The Hobbit so I can actually say I've read it and go see the movie

So there we go. I have so many things to be thankful for. The book One Thousand Gifts has taught me that living in "eucharisto" is absolutely essential to the Christian life and living in reverence to God. It is the source of complete Joy! I now understand how to achieve this "joy joy joy joy down in my heart".  The root word of "eucharisto" is "charis" which means "grace". God's grace. Understanding grace, how can we not live in complete thanksgiving? The root word of "charis" is "chara" which means "joy". THERE it is. The literal root of grace and thanksgiving is Joy! Start naming what you are thankful for today and not just one day of the year.

in Jesus name,

Molly

SO, readers, if there in fact are readers....

I am terrible at blogging. Actually, that's not true, I love writing, but this past year has been so full of ups and downs that I couldn't even keep track or get away long enough to tell everyone about it! Maybe only a few of my close friends know the things I've gone through in the last year, and now I can share it here without shame or holding back.

Fact: Being married is by far the most incredible experience in life! If I didn't have Justin by my side, I swear I would probably go nuts and be emotional/irrational.  I've never met someone who is so grounded and can teach me to calm down while fighting, fighting FAIR, and encouraging me in everything I jump into. Justin, I love you with every fiber of my being and have enjoyed every minute of our marriage thus far. Happy Anniversary, beloved.

On August 15, I stepped on the scale and stepped off in shock.  I looked at myself and cried.  Not that I was terribly overweight, I just hadn't seen a number like that in months.  I worked so hard to fit into my wedding dress the year before and actually hit a number UNDER my goal weight for the big day.  Needless to say the dress fit me PERFECTLY and it is now my goal to be able to fit into the dress every year on April 10.  I decided it was time to really being taking care of myself and my husband, so I start a daily exercise regime and eating incredibly healthy meals. I knew nothing about nutrition, so I frequently consulted my friend Jared about such matters. Great friend, great advice.  To motivate myself, I signed up for my first 5k on Thanksgiving and ran it in 26:32! Not bad for my first! I then signed up for my second and ran it is 24:39! I was working my butt off and then decided to go big and run a HALF marathon.  Was I crazy? Yes.  I have severe asthma and am on lung steroids for such.  Advair is usually prescribed to older patients with COPD. I don't have COPD, but Asthma is something I've struggled with since first grade, so I've known my limitations with exercise and being outside....seeing as it is induced by exercise and allergies. I was definitely that kid with all the health issues!  After crossing the finish line of the first 5k, it was the most exhilarating feeling in the world! I had my husband at the finish line there to document my feat, and i received a big hug and a banana.

The half marathon was a different story.  I began training on January 1 of this year, making the race my NY resolution. (My other resolution was to quit my current nannying job, which if you know me, you know how running kept me sane because it was so awful).  As I increased my weekly mileage, my weight increased about 2 lbs. per month.  Now, up until this point I had lost 17 pounds and was keeping it off...so I was very confused as to how running more would make me gain weight! I did extensive amounts of research and crying to Justin about it.  I became very discouraged, no matter that I was running 10 miles+ per weekend.  I wasn't focusing on my accomplishments, I was focusing on eating raw foods and running myself to death.  There was nothing that was going to stand in my way of finishing that race and telling asthma to go to hades.  But let me tell you, finishing that race is in the top moments of my life!! I RAN 13.1 MILES IN 2 HOURS! I mean come on! Several people have told me to write my story and send it in to Ellen! Which I still may do. This is not the full story, but the highlights. SO currently, I am back at the weight in which is started, which sucks, but I have done something I could have never done before I started! (Yes people, most of the weight I gained was muscle, but the soft parts are not. so there)

Recovering has been/ was a very hard process. I went uninjured, however I was unable to exercise daily for about 3 weeks. (One of those weeks I was in Mexico for our anniversary). The rule of thumb is to take a day off for every mile you ran. So 2 weeks were spent, on my butt, focusing on nutrition and letting my body recover. I am now doing the reverse taper method and starting an exercise regime like I did when I first started this whole thing.  I've got a 5k on June 22 in Greensboro, and my father-in-law is talking a lot of smack about beating me, so my rear is in gear!! I am shooting for a time of 24 minutes!

This is probably enough writing for today, but I will close in saying that I now have a job that I ADORE, a God who is bigger than me and has a plan for my life, the world's BEST husband, family that I wouldn't trade in for anything, and new friends.  Elizabeth and Hillary, I hate that you are leaving but the Lord goes with you! I will miss you tremendously.

ta ta for now!