Life and Times of Leish

Life is so crazy sometimes…yet so fun and frustrating at the same time.  I am nine days away from turning thirty-three, part of me is wondering where time has gone and the other half is wondering what in the world I’ve actually done.  Some would look at me and say ‘nothing’ because I’m still single with no children; others would think I’ve conquered the world since I’ve actually been outside of Ripley County, and even the United States. :)  I think that I’m balanced somewhat, though I wish I would have decided earlier in life what I wanted to be when I grew up so I would not currently be back in school with no funds and trying to make ends meet…but hey, that’s life and I’ve been very blessed to travel and see a lot of cool stuff in my life.  Though the March wanderlust is starting to stir up a little and I’m becoming very antsy…it’s time to get out of Dodge and see something different.  To bad Dodge consists of a house (that won’t sell), a job that I have to keep in order to pay the bills for the house (that won’t sell), and school that I am financing out of pocket because the government doesn’t give money freely to single females who have a house (that won’t sell) and a job that actually pays them a little bit of money so they can keep the house.  So the cycle continues! :)

Though I complain it does no good…hehe…because the cycle is continuing…but it’s good.  I have been blessed!!  The above litany may not sound like it but I am blessed.  I am blessed BECAUSE I have a house, a roof over my head, and one large enough that my brother’s family has a place to live.  I am blessed because during these crazy times I have a job that allows me to keep my house, and provide a roof over my brother’s family’s head.  Every once in awhile we get groceries!! (lol…j/k)  God has been good to me, sometimes I get frustrated and I tell Him how it is…then He comes by and wraps me in His arms and reminds me how much He loves me.  It’s all for His purpose, and He’s apparently molding me into an great being! :)

Things are going good…I have little over a month of school left, so that means four weeks.  Then I will have summer classes and take the test in July to see if I get into the nursing program.  I’m ready to find out what’s happening with my arm — it’s been numb for three weeks now, and I’m waiting to get into a doctor to see what’s happening.  Been going to the chiropractor with no change (less money at $33 a pop), but other than that still a numb arm.

We started a West Point U at church, it’s a group that is going to focus on individuals between the ages of 18-25, and some of us other stragglers that are out of that age group, but since they are the ones that we hang out with we’re allowed to join in and go along with this awesome new thing.  I think it’s going to be great…they are going to dig into the word and open up avenues that will allow the students to be focused and get a great foundation in finding out who they are at a crucial point in their lives.  It’s going to be a great journey!!

Well that about wraps things up here…I could go on and on today, but alas I have two test I need to get crackin’ on and some chocolate gravy to go eat at Coffee and More!!  Life is good…and we take it one step at a time…and eventually I will be able to travel again and go see new places!

This year is going so fast already…we’re into the month of March and things are going strong.  Good things are happening at work, we have a girl that’s coming in to take over the Oxygen (and the angels are singing Hallelujah course).  This will take a load off of me, trying to keep track of everyone that has to be re-certified BEFORE their twelfth month is up…and getting the doctors to actually get the paperwork back to us.  Ah, the joys the government makes us go through…but maybe if Obama gets his way this will all change shortly.

There is so much happening in and around my life lately.  Sometimes it makes one stop and say ‘hmmm’, and other times it makes one want to SCREAM and run away to a nice little quite place.  And I have come to realize that guys are crazy and very frustrating.  Maybe that’s just a girls perspective,  but sometimes the way they act and the things they say are so contradictory…then they wonder why we don’t ‘get’ them.  But they make life interesting.  Now just if I actually had one to make my life interesting. :)

Love.  A crazy thing.  A good thing.  Something that is elusive, yet strong.  It’s good to let people know that you love them, regardless of the cost to self…because life is short.

Take care online world…until later…ERM.

Today we will lay to rest a very special person in my family, my aunt Rose.  Her passing was a shock, but God’s timing is never wrong.  We may not understand it now, but He is with us and will sustain us.

Rose was what some would term ‘special needs’.  She was born with cerebral palsy and epilepsy.  Though she didn’t always understand what was going on, she knew that Jesus loved her.  She would sing the song “Jesus Loves Me” and smile from ear to ear.  Sad to say, I didn’t always spend time with her or see her when I went to my Grandma’s house; but this past month I had the opportunity to help Grandma with her and got to see her personality and get to know her better.  The week before she passed, I was there and she was aggravated at Grandma and not speaking to her.  I had her cooperation, so to distract her from what Grandma was doing I sang a line from one of her favorite songs  “Don’t Mess With My Toot-toot“; she loudly sang ‘toot-toot.  From there I started the lyrics to Jesus Loves Me, and she proudly sang the song word for word.  To have the understanding that regardless of life, Jesus loves us…that is priceless!!

Another one of her favorite songs that she would sing while I was growing up was “Don’t Worry Be Happy“, and I think if she had the opportunity to say one last thing to us it would be that Jesus does love us and not to worry, be happy.  She is in a much better place today, free from the confines of the body she was born with.  It’s sorrow in our hearts that she is no longer with us here on earth…but we can be happy knowing that she is in Heaven.

RIP Roseann…see you soon!

I am so thankful for how much He does love us, and though I have regrets over some of my life when I stop and actually think about everything He has done for me…I don’t have time for them.  We sing this song at church…and I love it!!  Though I would share with everyone…and know that He loves you regardless!

David Crowder Band – How He Loves Us

There are so many things going on in my life right now…sometimes I feel that I don’t have time to take a deep breath, so I just keep taking shallow ‘get-a-long’ breaths and I make it one step at a time.  Eventually the lack of good oxygen may catch up to me, but hopefully by then I’m out of school and working only one job (without having to work part time things on the side)…but God is good…ALL THE TIME!!

School so far is good.  I’ve only had one week of classes.  I’m taking an online course and I’m  not sure if I’m going to like it very well.  I’m the type of person that if I sit in class and ‘hear’ the teacher say what needs to be said I can usually succeed at the test and stuff.  But with online, they put notes up and I have to read it all myself.  I read the first chapter of my Sociology and went over it, went online to to a ‘practice’ test and made a 72%…that’s not going to go over very well.  Therefore it’s more study time for that class.  I’m taking National and State Gov. with a local Judge…my first class was very interesting, and I like the approach he has to teaching.  Overall I think this semester is going to be pretty good, and I’m looking forward to what I get to learn in some of the classes…of course I only have three (9 credit hours), but I felt that was enough when I’m still working full time at the Farm and doing my side ‘part-time, part-time job’. :)

Things are church are going PHENOMENALLY!!  Every weekend Chuck brings more ‘food’ to the table that is both refreshing and thought provoking.  Sometimes I wonder how his mind works that he can pull this stuff out…and I know that God gives him the food for thought…but wow!  We have two weeks left from today on our forty days of consecration.  I have never wanted ice cream so bad in my life!!!  I thought I would just throw that out there, yesterday was one of the hardest days so far; I ate enough crackers to single handedly support the Keebler Elves for about a year.  It’s all about sacrifice and consecration…I’m looking forward to Feb 9 though! :)

Looking forward to the weekend…going to spend some time with a friend of mine who recently got married and moved away.  My hope is that we can go eat Pizza Hut Veggie Pizza and a hug salad (that’s my hope). :)

Until later…ERM

Classes officially started today for the Spring 2010 semester at TRCC.  I am taking my first ever web course, part of me is scared to death because I don’t have a teacher that is going to be seeing me weekly to make sure that I get my stuff done; and the other part of me is excited because from what I can see as of right now I am just reading a lot and taking three exams.  Which means I will def need to do well on those three exams. :)  My other classes are on Monday and Thursday’s in Doniphan, so I will be saving money on gas this semester and won’t have to leave work early to make it to class…no skipped lunches or make up time for me this semester!!

This past Saturday the women from my office went to see Steal Magnolias at the Imperial Theater in Pocahontas, AR.  It was good, but LONG.  We had a fun time though just being together and not worrying if someone was waiting on an order to be filled…we were the ones being waiting on.

Church this past weekend was phenomenal!!  God is so awesome, and regardless of where we may take ourselves…He is there and is willing to take back over the navigation and steer us in the right direction.  Never condemning us, He may chastise us and break us…but He loves us.

Later…ERM

Last night we went to the Rodgers Theater in Poplar Bluff for Tim Hawkins stand up routine…I laughed so hard my cheeks hurt.  It was AWESOME!!  Riley (my brother) and I went with his two girls.  The girls were supper excited, and since it was general admission, they wanted to be there as soon as I finished picking up my books for school, which was 4:00 pm, when the doors didn’t open until 6:00.  We ended up going at 5:15 to stand in line (we were the second family in line) and it paid off because we sat in the fifth row back from the stage, in the middle.  By the time the doors opened the line had wrapped around the building and was up the sidewalk.  The place was PACKED out to standing room only.

Kirsten and I did a restroom break about 30 minutes prior to the show, when we walked out and was headed back to our seats we ran into Tim and was able to get our tickets autographed.  But not to be outdone, we hung around after the show and let Peyton get her ticket signed and we got pictures taken with him.  He was really cool, he was talking to everyone and making sure that all who wanted an autograph got one.

Here are some of the pics from the show…it was a great night out!!

Today is 01 10 10…October 10 will be a cool date to write…10 10 10.  We well on our way into our 40 days of consecration, today we added NO SWEETS to the list.  So for now it’s our favorite thing (mine was to give up facebook), no negative words, and no sweets.  We’ll either be really spiritual or stir crazy by the end of our 40 days…hehe…j/k, it will well be worth everything.  The services we have been having since the first of the year are phenomenal, and I know that God is going to build on this and take us to the level that He has been steering us toward for awhile.  Things are happening at West Point, and I am excited about what is going to happen in the future.  God is awesome and His love endures forever…blessed be the name of the Lord.

I went to Wal-Mart last night and spent some of my life savings…it’s amazing how it seems that everything runs out at once.  Cleaning supplies, heath/beauty supplies, food…though I did walk away with a lot of stuff this time for the money (I cut coupons and saved the amount of taxes in coupons).  Sometimes I walk with one bag and spend $50, so I was happy yesterday, and I have a lot of food, which is good.  Now to just make myself eat it all and take my lunches to work instead of eating out all the time.

Things here are good…need to go for now…until later, ERM.

Today is my first day off that I really get to do nothing and enjoy the day off…regardless of the fact that I need desperately to clean my house and do laundry, I’m enjoying the quite day and the fact that I can just relax and be.

I’ve started a part time part time job.  You ask how you can have that…well it happens when you go somewhere for 30 minutes a night and only make about $10 a week, if that.  But I’m learning things that will help me in the future if I do end up passing all my test and becoming a nurse.

I’m slowing succeeding at the whole forty days of consecration, I may not have succeeded perfectly to this point…but it’s the fact that I will succeed during this time that our church has set aside, each day may be a new day and I may have to start over…but in the end I WILL SUCCEED, and I will be the person that I want to be and one that God can use for his purpose.

Cannot put into words what I was trying to say at the end here…so I edited it out until later…I have that right. :)

Later..ERM

It’s already January 4, 2010, and each day is coming faster and faster.  I start back to school in a couple of weeks, for my second semester toward my goal of being a nurse (I will actually test next month).  Part of me is scared to death and the other part excited that I am going forward…I do have a small issue of selling my house, hopefully that happens within the next six months (Lord willing).

Kim’s wedding on January 1, was AWESOME!!!  We were all ‘very’ tired by the end of the week (what with the decorating, the endless hours of pictures, then hour long ceremony, and more pictures…then the whole breakdown of the decorations and cleaning).  But it was well worth it and I would do it again in a heart beat.  She made a beautiful bride, and the decorations went beyond even what she had envisioned.  It ended up being a group effort, the joke is that it took a village to accomplish it (I jokingly said that my parents were living vicariously through her, they were there every night helping and setting up…making sure it all came together).  We had an awesome time with it all, and everything worked.  Check out some pics of the wedding and decorating here.  It’s best if you click the ‘view as slide show’ option to the right…it makes it easier to see them all.

We are five days into our forty day Daniel Fast, that means I have thirty five more to go before I can find out what is going on in the world of my friends.  I didn’t think I was so attached to Facebook, which is what I gave up as my ‘favorite’ thing for the forty days…and I have spent more time doing other things…like reading my Bible, blogging, and relaxing (all of which needed to happen)…and the rest of the time I spend thinking about and making myself not get on facebook. :)  I am looking forward to what God has in store for us at the end of our forty days…our Pastor has received a word about Afterward and our focus is in Joel 2.  It’s going to rock our worlds.

I started a part/part time job…I go out and put my aunt to bed each night at 8:00.  I think it will be a learning experience and something that will give me time to spend with my grandma and learn some stuff for my chosen profession.

I need to head to bed so I can get up early tomorrow…another day, another dollar.  Looking forward to Thursday, when I have a day off and can sleep, sleep, sleep. :)

Later..ERM

P.S.  December  28 — I shall remember that day as a day of change.  God loves us each and everyone!