A month! Seriously?!?

It has been almost a month since I have posted here. Time has absolutely FLOWN by!

Guatemala was amazing and my heart is longing to go back. As long as the Lord provides, I think I'll be flying back in October. I can't wait. The children there, the people there, and God's amazing presence was overwhelming. I truly feel like God is really going to use me there. You can read and see pictures {here}. But, bare with me. I'm still updating, and since I've been slammed with things, it's a slow process. I'm trying to get it all updated though!

After I got back from Guatemala I repacked and headed for the beach for some family time. Samantha and I met my parents and little sister in Florida for a few days on the beach. It was a blast and the weather was awesome the entire time we were there.

I was able to set up a Thirty-One Gifts booth at the hairshow here in Knoxville this past weekend. I had a few sales and a few new contacts so God blessed me there.

I started back to school yesterday after a month off. It felt good to be back doing what I love. I didn't think I missed it as much as I thought until I got back.

Life in general is going great. God is moving and working in ways that I never thought He would. Everyday is a constant reminder of just how big and just how great He truly is. He has held me in the palm of His hand through some crazy storms and is now showing me the rainbow at the other end of it all. I have truly been blessed and I know that it is only going to get better from here.

Quick updates

I know I have seemingly disappeared from the Blog world, and I have, but not intentionally. Life has just been a whirlwind of events for me and I'm trying to get caught up. I do have some great blog posts that have been swirling in my head, and as soon as I have internet on a regular basis, believe me, they will all come flying out!

• Samantha and I are moving in less than two weeks. We've been packing like crazy and cleaning things out. I'll be glad to be in our new place and settled! All the clutter and mess of packing is getting on my nerves!
• School is going great! I love it! I'm excited to be working on as many as two to three clients a day and I'm learning so much!
• God has really been doing such a work in my life. I'm doing new things and He has placed new callings on my heart. Some of these things will be revealed in a later post!
• Life is still not the same without Steven. I miss him so much. Tomorrow is his birthday. We're planting a tree in front of Chili's in his memory. I wish he was here. He's not supposed to be gone :(
• I'm making a quick trip to Greenbrier on Sunday to see the family and have a little roadtrip with Samantha. It should be fun. And it will be even more fun since hopefully little Mary will make her way into the world either tonight or tomorrow night :) Pray for Celeste that her delivery go fast and smoothly!
  

And I think that is about it. Since I'm not home much and when I'm home I'm packing, I went ahead and cut the cable and internet off at my house so I'm having to rely on time at Panera to update things. But don't worry! I'll be back full swing as soon as I'm settled into my new house!

Updates...In bullet form

Because I like bullet form and they make my life a little bit easier when I'm tired, yet not tired enough to skip out on a post because I feel guilty for not updating lately. So, without further delay, I give you....bullets:

• School is great. I'm scheduled to be finished by October 16. However, I must mention that is if I don't miss ANY days between today and then. So, my realistic date will be more along the lines of November 16, I'm sure!
• Samantha and I had some great sister time last night. A whole post dedicated to last night to come at a later time, like when I get the pictures uploaded.
• Work is going well. I'm still broke all the time but I'm learning to deal with that.
• Sam and I are moving in April. We're excited. And now, I have no motivation to really clean my house. I want to pack it all up and move right now. Our new apartment will kick butt.
• Paisley is still as sweet as ever. She's actually laying on my leg as I post this. So sweet :)
• I miss my family. I miss Greenbrier and I miss my babies. I struggle with the fact that some days I want to move back, but other days I want to stay right here. I love Knoxville and all my friends here, but I long to be close to my family again.
• I've recently noticed that my life isn't what I had it all planned out to be 3 years ago. It is still outstandingly wonderful in every way. It just doesn't reflect at all what I thought I was going to be doing. Nor does it reflect the many, many MASH games Courteney and I played in the 8th grade.
  
• Also, recently, I have felt the burden of something big on my heart. I don't really feel compelled to share right now, however, I would like to request prayer on it. God knows what it is.
• A friend of mine recently had surgery. It has bothered me that I haven't been able to help her in the ways that I want. She's remained on my heart and in my prayers though. And I know she can feel it.
• I was super blessed to be able to have dinner with Michelle and the kids on Wed. before church. I love her so much and I'm so thankful for her friendship.
• Wed. night again reminded me of what special kids we have at Northstar. I love them all so much and I feel so honored to be a part of their lives, even if it is only for a couple of hours a week.
  
• At the moment I'm reading Karen Kingsbury's Between Sundays. And it's amazing. I love her books. I've almost read them all.
  

And those my blogging and real life friends, are my updates for now. I hope you enjoyed. What are you doing these days?

{Clever title to be inserted late}

So I'm feeling not so creative today. I can't think of a title for this post, mainly because I don't have anything of too great importance to write about today. Mainly just recaps on what I've done this week. Because sometimes, I like going back and reading what I did.

This week has been busy. My daddy came to Knoxville on Monday and just left today. He's been doing work for the Army in Knoxville this week. He's been busy because he's come to my apartment exhausted each night. Not to mention that the time difference here is an hour ahead of what he's used to. I'm grateful for the extra time I got to spend with him. I only had to work Tuesday night while he was here, so we got to have dinner together Monday and Wednesday nights. Monday we had Chili's and Wednesday we went to Louie's Italian, and it was AMAZING.

Work has been decent this week. I got some extra sleep over the weekend so I'm not near as tired at this point in the week as I usually am.

School has been good. We got our hours today, and so far I have 294.something. That's exciting. Only 1206 to go. There are times that I wish I could go until 4:30 or 5:30 everyday, instead of having to leave at 2:30. I know that would never work though, because I have to work as well. I'm just grateful that I have the means and opportunity to go to school and make one of my dreams come true, even if it is a struggle sometimes.

I work tonight and tomorrow night. Lucky for me, I'm the early out both nights! Tomorrow is our sweet baby's birthday! I can't believe he's going to be 2! Saturday I'm going home for a couple of days to spend time with the family and to also celebrate Davy's birthday! I can't wait.

At the top of the "To-Do" list for tonight:
*laundry: jeans, colors, whites {in that order}
*unload dishwasher
*vacuum living room
Will those things get done? Probably not. But it never hurts to try!

What have you done this week? Plans for this weekend?

Is it really...

Wednesday already?!? I suppose it is, but it sure doesn't seem like it should be Wednesday already. The last three days have flown by. I have been working non-stop the last few days and it has really caught up with me here lately. I closed Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. Monday I ended up working straight through, meaning I worked from 11am until close, at 11pm. Needless to say, yesterday I was feeling it. I ended up not going to school yesterday and staying home and doing things I needed to do around the house.

Almost November? It seems like since I started school, the months have really gone by fast. I can't believe that November is fast upon us. I love the fall weather and the leaves changing on the trees. I can't wait for Thanksgiving and some much needed family time.

less than TWO months until Christmas?! Yes, it really is. And I for one, am super excited! I can't wait to put out my Christmas decorations. I love decorating for Christmas and I'm super excited about it again this year. I can't wait! I was upstairs this weekend going through boxes and moved all the Christmas ones to the front! It seems like ever store I go into here lately has more and more Christmas stuff out too. It makes me want to put my stuff out even worse when I see it out in stores. Just a few more weeks and it's coming out! I usually wait until after Thanksgiving, but since I'm more than likely going to be stuck in Knoxville this year for Thanksgiving, I may put it out that day! I guess it all depends on how bored I get!

A Busy, Busy Week

I can't believe it's already Thursday night. I have been so busy this week, it has really flown by fast. I've worked every day except Wednesday, and even then I had school and church so I had no time to do anything around the house. Lucky for me, I have been here so little I haven't had time to dirty it up! My laundry, on the other hand, is over flowing and I have no idea when I'm going to be able to catch up! I have school and work both on Friday and Saturday and church on Sunday. I'm so swamped. Hopefully I'll have time on Sunday to really catch up, because I work Monday and Tuesday too! Life is crazy right now, but I'm super thankful for the hours because I really need the money right now.

Some friends of mine from Greenbrier are coming in on Saturday and staying the night. I'm so excited to see Cassie. I've missed her so much, and it's probably been close to a year since I've actually seen her! I can't wait!

Paisley is doing wonderful. She's laying here next to me chewing on her bone. Such a doll!

Life is great for me. I'm enjoying school and my wonderful friends.

God has blessed me greatly the last few weeks. I have been in awe at myself and how I have handled different situations that have crossed my path. I have finally let go of my past relationship and am moving on. I know that God has someone in mind for me, all in his timing. While I loved Josh dearly, I have finally realized that he may not be the one that God has set aside for me, and I'm ok with that now. I have some good memories of the times we shared together, and some not so good memories, but they are all what have made me who I am today. I've grown a lot, learned a lot, and I'm happy. Happy. I never realized it before, but I was not "happy." I was comfortable. I was comfortable in my surroundings, my relationship, and life. But I wasn't truly happy. I can honestly say now, at this point in my life, I'm happy. Thank you Lord, for giving me peace and understanding during this time. Thank you for showing me that You are all I need. I'm humbled at Your unending Grace and Love. Thank you for being the One and True friend, always there, never wavering, carrying me when I need carrying, holding when I need holding.

What a way to spend Friday night....

Tonight is definitly a lazy night for me. I was supposed to work, but got sent home due to losing my lunch. I'll spare the nasty, lovely details. Needless to say, here I am, laid up on the couch with a fever. I don't feel bad, just hot and then cold, hot and then cold. I'm really hoping this passes overnight though, I have got to go to school tomorrow! I missed last Saturday, and really don't want to miss out on another Saturday! However, if I'm still sick, there is no way I will be able to stand and do hair all day. So we'll see what happens in the morning. For now though, Paisley and I are hanging out on the couch! Speaking of Paisley, here's a cute little picture of my girl...forgive her, this is when I first got her, and before her trip to the groomer!
She is such a sweet little thing. I love coming home to her. She jumps off the couch or the chair and runs straight to the door, waits for me to pick her up and then normally lays her little head on my shoulder. She knows who her mommy is, and I love it! I'm so happy we found each other. She's exactly what I needed at this time in life. Love you little girl!

Two weeks worth of updates

I have been a horrible blogger the past two weeks. I just haven't had it in me. At all. Here are some updates, in bullet form, because today I'm still feeling lazy.

• School is going wonderful. I have worked on more clients and am getting the hang of things and learning something new everyday. I don't get near as nervous when I get a client now, and I have no problem asking my instructor to guide me through a haircut if I'm not sure how to do it. I'm super excited about getting to color and things like that. Speaking of color, I have colored my hair once again. Pictures on that to come later...
• I've been working more at Chili's, and getting home later, which is one of the causes of the lacking blog posts lately.
• Tiffany's wedding was beautiful. And interesting. I'm glad it's over. I'm happy for her, and hope she and Stephen have a long and happy marriage. I'll post pictures later tonight after work or tomorrow when I have more time.
• Life in general is great. I am still loving Knoxville and all my sweet friends here. I got a new puppy, Paisley, last week and she is absolutely wonderful. I have a few pictures here that I'll have to upload of her later as well.
  

Thank you all for the prayers concerning my Uncle Bill. While his death was something I was trying to prepare myself for, it still hit like a ton of bricks. He was such an influential man in my life, and I will miss him dearly. It is never easy losing a loved one. Please continue to pray for my family, as we have experienced another death this week. My great aunt Connie passed away yesterday morning, surrounded by many of her family. She had been sick for a while, and she is in a much better place now. She and my great uncle were married for almost 60 years. I can't imagine what he is going through right now. He was an emotional wreck yesterday, and I know it will get worse before he gets better. I can't begin to imagine what it is like for him now, to have gone to bed with the same woman for 60 years and not have her any longer. Please keep him in your prayers.

I'm off to work....but I'll post more later. I have lots of pictures to share!

The week behind...the week ahead

I'm finally getting over being sick. I'm still not 100%, but I'm getting there. Last week was super busy for and being sick did not help matters at all. I'm still alive though, so that's all that matters! I worked every night last week and by the time Friday rolled around, I was beat. I ended up being off Friday and Saturday nights so I was super happy about that. Friday was a chill night with dinner at Connor's and a lazy night in. Saturday proved to be a little hectic. I had school all day {8:30-4:30} and then headed straight to Whittani's for her baby shower {which, by the way was absolutely adorable! I can't wait to have a baby, just for all the cute, itty-bitty clothes!} and finally made it back home around 10pm. I made it to Daughters of the King at church but skipped out on regular service so that I could rest a little before work tonight. Tonight I have to be at work at 4, but since I'm first cut tonight, hopefully I'll be home by 9 or at least 10! I would love, love, love to feel good enough when I get home to finish picking up and get a couple loads of laundry done tonight before bed so I don't have that much to do tomorrow. Tonight is the only night I work this week though, so I'll have plenty of time to get caught up this week. My goal is to not let the house get so cluttered since I don't have to be on the run all that much this week.

I'm sure all of you regular readers noticed the pictures at the top of this post. Yes, that is me. Yes, I once had long, curly hair {although you can't really see how long it is in these pictures}. And that sweet little girl that copies all my moves is Raylon. She turns 6 this week. She was 4 in these pictures. My how time flies. I can't believe she is going to be 6. I remember when she was born. I hate thinking about how much I miss out on things with her since I'm so far away, but I always try to make up for it in other ways, which is why she's going to be getting little surprises in the mail each day! And one big surprise delivered to her school on Friday! I'm such a cool big cousin "sister" {She's an only child, and sometimes likes to refer to us as her sisters, which can be confusing for some}

Time is ticking, and I need to get ready for work. I hope you all have a wonderful Sunday afternoon/evening! And don't forget, if you have a prayer request for this week, be sure to let me know {either by email: emmylou924@comcast.net or by leaving a comment} so I can get it posted to our P.U.S.H. post that has moved to Mondays, starting tomorrow!