Where are you Christmas...

I am normally a huge Christmas lover (or freak...whichever term you prefer), but for some reason this year I don't feel it...as if I'm living Faith Hill's song "Where are you Christmas". Why? Even I, myself, don't know...I wish I did but for some reason I can't put my finger on it. Maybe it is the fact that I didn't get the decorate a Christmas Tree which is one of the many things I love about Christmas...I don't really know. Christmas just doesn't really seem like Christmas this year, and that makes me sad.

WHERE ARE YOU CHRISTMAS?

Happy Birthday Celeste!!!

Happy birthday to you Celeste! I hope you have a wonder birthday, one to remember for the rest of your life. You are such a beautiful little girl that is growing so fast. You grow in beauty and intelligence day after day. You light up every room you enter, and that is a powerful gift that I pray stays with you for the rest of your life. I miss you more and more every day. Mr. Jared and I pray blessings, grace, and mercy over you for all your birthdays to come! I love you little princess!
Mrs. Elisha

Here Lately...

Here's just a little update on my life "Here Lately" :

Jared and I are making some pretty big plans (unspoken to most of the world so far) and we need some pray in that. (I'll expound on at a later date) Just know these plans do involve us having more money coming into our family. Pray that God opens the right doors at the right times for this to be possible. (sooner than later if preferable) *And no I'm NOT talking about the "pitter patter of little feet"*

We are also making plans on traveling during the Thanksgiving season to Birmingham to do Thanksgiving with my side of the family. This is setting up to be the craziness trip between here and there we have ever made. Seriously, now that I (FINALLY) have a job (at Pier One Imports) our plans might be kinked...we were planning on Jared possibly being off work the Friday after Thanksgiving (eliminating any rushing)...leaving here Wednesday after Jared gets off work and coming back late Friday. But now that I have a job (unless I can get a late shift on Friday) the "rush" as been throwing back into the equation. :-/ Oh well...(I can finally say again) at least I have a job!

I did a super deep cleaning of our room yesterday and now my back in killing me! (little random add-in...no worries...free of charge)

Please be keeping Coastline Community Church (the church we moved down here to help plant) and everyone helping in your prayers. Allen and Stephanie Drew (the pastors of the church) are starting our meetings tomorrow to introduce the vision of the church and to take those helping out throw the growth track and introducing them to the "Highlands DNA." We are super excited and KNOW that God has a ginormous plan in store for the Eastern Shore...and it just makes me giddy to know we get to be apart of the huge move that is going to take place for His Kingdom!

And that is all for "Here Lately"

Prayer Request...

So there has been a lot of stress that Jared and I have been under lately. I have had to hardest time finding a job, and some people are thinking I'm just being too picky...saying, "It's all about the money" to just find something that pays well. And no, I'm sorry tis not all about the money. Tis better to be happy than wealthy. Yes, money help us get through life, but tis not all there is to life. I've always told myself I'm not going to work somewhere where I'm not happy. It would only be a "chasing after the wind."

What does the worker gain from his toil? I have seen the burden God has laid on men. He had made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from the beginning to end. I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil--that is the gift of God I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it. God does it so that men will revere him.
Ecclesiastes 3:9-14

Some days I feel as if I am living in Ecclesiastes...while it is one of my favorite books of the Bible, I don't feel like always have to explain myself to the same people on almost a daily basis. I want to work at a place I enjoy, so I don't toil in vain...so I won't be chasing after happiness in a place where it won't be achieved. I choose HAPPINESS!

Better one handful with tranquility than two handfuls with toil and chasing after the wind.
Ecclesiastes 4:6

So to the prayer request the title insinuates...There have been a lot of open doors for both Jared and I that right as we start to step through they slam in our faces. Yes...yes...yes I know this means that they weren't the right doors, but it seems for me since we've been down here no door has been the right door, and here recently a huge opportunity opened up for Jared and totally clasped right in front of him. What I'm getting at is we need the right doors to open and stay opened...we need a way to get out of his parents' house and begin married life the way it is meant to be. We are praying for a better job opportunity for Jared, he has a great job has it is and get paid well, when he has the hours, but down here there isn't a high demand for his work right now meaning low hours. We either need a higher position, with guaranteed hours or salary. And for me I just need a job period...I had a call this morning for a job interview on Thursday, and I really need prayer on this one...prayer for peace. We also need prayer for wisdom in the steps we take and the way to handle certain situations. And a big one is prayer for understanding for both Jared and I on why things are going the way they are, and also for the people we are dealing with to understand why we live/make decisions the way we do (Biblically) because for some reason they aren't understanding.

Happy Birthday Danielle!!!

Happy Birthday Danielle!
That year flew by! I remember the kids and I making your birthday card last year...that was so much fun! I pray more blessings for you, the family, and the year to come! Hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday!

Elisha

Apologies...

This is my apology to those who may be reading my blog! Not to be making excuses...I've had a pretty rough couple of weeks. The roughness is just starting and will probably be here for a while, but God is showing me that for the last two-three weeks I've been dealing with it completely wrong. I've lost my positiveness in this aspect which totally disturbs me because positiveness is who I am. I cling to positiveness...it makes me me and keeps me happy. God is positiveness and I cling to Him which is how I discovered my short coming. Though there will be days, moments, times where I probably will slip back into my horrible, frustrated mood...we all slip, but that's where God comes in and lifts me back up! So please consider this my written apology for the past few negative...frustrating blogs!

Frustration...

Frustration plagues my life right now...almost everywhere I turn frustration is there. Seriously people I'm just trying to get life in order, trying to find a job (and so far getting no where), debt in order and paid off, unagreed on debt taking care off, and just getting to a place where I'm comfortable and able to get a place of our own. All I'm getting right now is yelled at and frustrated. God, I know you won't give me anything I can't handle...please help!!!!!! There are too many tears in my life right now and I HATE crying!

Absence...

To all you blog readers out there...
Sorry for my long extended absence. I've been going through a lot lately. Extreme sickness (Flu-ish with a temp of 102.5) for a week, a lot of emotional things are coming back up and I've been having to think...think...think! Sorry for being gone so long...

PAIN...

I'm angry for how you've hurt me! All the ways you've hurt me: broken promises, never caring, innocence turned to shame, hurtful words, lies, lies, and MORE LIES...EVERYTHING! All you've ever done is hurt me!
I did things you enjoyed in hopes you'd notice me, be proud of me, and in turn love me too...did it work? ...NO...
I quasi-excelled in school in hopes you'd noticed me, be proud of me, and in turn love me too...did it work? ...NO...
Why did you steal from me...steal everything from me? My pictures, my identity, my good name, my life?
Why did you break my trust time...after time...after time...after time?
Are you trying to ruin my life?
Why can't I believe anything you say anymore?
...even when you say "I love you"...why can't I believe you?
I'm afraid of getting hurt again...I'm afraid to trust you...I'm afraid to believe you. Though I knew it was true long before, it killed me inside when you admitted you didn't care about me the first 18 years of my life. It hurt when you told me I was the source of the problem. You've hurt me in so many ways!
::I NEED TO GET THIS OUT...I NEED TO LET THIS GO::
I want to say I hate you, but I know I don't. I want to say I've never loved you, but I always have. I use to look up to you. I use to admire you. Now I just feel sorry for you. I try to pray for you, honestly it hurts...but I still do. I also pray someday I can finally trust you, and finally believe you again...someday....

My Mother-in-law

My mother-in-law is as sweet as can be (one of the nicest people I know). Earlier while I was straightening mine and Jared's room and having a chat with Addison (the 3-year-old my mother-in-law nannys) Barb walked in to ask my advice about her hair...she likes it short but my father-in-law likes it long. While we were talking Addison was running and jumping onto our amazing pod chair (pretty much entertaining herself while trying to attract attention (like all 3-year-olds do) and I was making our bed and Barb was seated on the coffee table. I turn around to find while we were talking she was rearranging our diffuser sticks (::RED ALERT::). To recap a previous blog...I'm weird about people messing with the diffuser sticks. I held my cool and didn't freak out (on the outside) and once she left rushed to fix them back the way they go...

SAD! I know...I know, but hey at least I held my cool while she was in the room :-)

Project #5

So Project #5 was to sew/repair Jared's khaki shorts that he wore in our wedding. Project #5=COMPLETE!

BUT....
I must add another project to the list...the new Project #5: Project get back in shape!

Projects...,

I was wanting to post on here, but really didn't know what to post...so I decided to post randomly about projects that are in the middle of my mind (not front and not pushed into the back...but middle because I do think semi-regularly about them). I have more than too much time on my hands lately, with no extra money so these projects are pretty much staying ideas for right now.
(in no particular order)

Project #1:
Project Throw Pillow-
I love to sew...so I've have decided that I want to make some throw pillows for our bed. We don't really have ANY extra money to put towards this project so all I pretty much have is a few fabric swatches. Some of them I like; some of them I don't...some of them match the colors; most of them don't. I have realized that there are just too many shades of green in this world (don't get me wrong green is one of my most favorite colors)I have had a whirlwind of a time find a green that matches. But I have more than enough time to find one because as I stated before we don't have the extra money at the time to put towards this project (heads-up: this is a factor in most if not all my projects)

Project #2:
Project Birthday Presents-
So once again I love to sew...and birthdays are coming up. I have been gathering ideas here and there of birthday presents for friends and family. ::Insert on going factor here::
But soon hopefully we will have some extra money flow into the Budlong family!
I can't go into too much deal in this project because they are birthday presents and I'd hate to ruin surprises.

Project #3
Project Get Elisha a Job-
This has also sadly been an on going project, that has lasted about 2 months now. Thankfully I think I might have found a solution. It might be a little tough starting out but thankfully I learn quickly! For the past three years I've been all kids all the time, and maybe God is just wanting me to get a change of scenery for a few months before diving into this church plant where I'll be handling the nursery and preschool (which is where my heart is). But I can see God's hand in this telling me to take a break for a bit...try something new...thirst yourself for teaching children...redevelop your passion in that area so you will give it your all. So I hope this job opportunity works out and I can get a change of scenery for a bit, so when the church plant finally happens I can and will give it my all and then some. I'm going to apply for a job at JCPenney next Monday...please be praying I get the job!

Project #4
Project Find a Friend (on the Eastern Shore)-
So going from Birmingham, where I had more friends then I knew what to do with, to here on the Eastern Shore, where honestly it's been hard finding just one, has kinda been throwing me for a loop. For some reason it was more than easy for me to make loads and loads of friends in Birmingham, but here on the Eastern Shore it's been 2 full months and yeah I'm getting closer to people but MAN is this friend making business hard! I sometimes feel like everyone had their nice little friend group all set up and here I come and bust into everything and honestly at times (not all the time but sometimes) I feel like there were this imaginary blinking signs that say NO VACANCY!

*welcome to my inner self...enjoy your stay...be forewarned it can sometimes get little scary weird*

I am getting closer though. Jared and I are apart of this wonderful small group. The people are genuine and all around nice. It has taken a bit of time but it is starting to get more comfortable. ::Secret about me:: for those who know me might not believe it unless you've been around when it has happened, but for those who don't might...when I'm in a new group of people I tend to be super shy. I don't know why but I do...and sadly sometimes my shyness comes off as snobbish. Again...I don't know why and I don't mean for it too...it just does. So, I'm praying the shyness finally leaves me to just be me all the time.

Project #5
Project Sew Jared's shorts-
I'M SUCH A PROCRASTINATOR!

Project #6
Project Jewelry Maker-
I always have so many creative ideas rounding around in my head and very few of them ever get past that stage mainly because of the ::insert on going factor here::
But...I love jewelry and have for a while wanted to make jewelry, so once we get some extra money flowing in I'm going to try and jump on that because like I said I have for a while wanted to do this.

This pretty much for now sums up my project ideas...I'm sure more will come along because I have too much time on my hands..thus ideas are always popping up left and right. :-)

Update...

So, I haven't updated in a while, so here we go...

I got totally inspired to post a blog on a certain bible passage, but that never came together...started thinking maybe my hypothesis on how people viewed this passage was wrong. UGH! Maybe one day I'll go back and post it anyway to see what people think, but not today because I have a major pinkie ache and typing is just making it worse.

Speaking of, I woke up this morning with a major pinkie pain...I have no idea how or why. All I know is it has been hurting all day, but it isn't really swollen at all.

Anyway, life lately...let's see!

Jared was sick for almost a full week which is really odd because #1 the man never gets sick and #2 when he does it normally only lasts a couple of days. Thank God he is finally well for the most part!

As with me, I'll be going in about a week and a half to apply for a job. "Why wait?" because next Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I'll be in Dolphin Island on a Women's Retreat with the church that Jared and I have been attending, and I didn't feel that it would be the right thing to apply for the job and possibly get it and turn around and tell them, "I'm sorry but I'll next weekend off...Thanks!" Just not my style or my idea of good workmenship...I know it's not a word but oh well tis my blog and I can make up and misspell words if I so please! :-)

Back to the pinky hurting...on that note I'll say goodbye for now!

Rearranging...

Tonight we have been rearranging our room with the help of my lovely in-laws. We finally have all of our furniture...I do NOT plan of dealing with furniture people for and very very VERY long time. We had the hardest time actually getting our furniture...it was easy picking it out...and easy (for the most part) paying for it, but physically receiving it is a whole different story. Long story short...they lost our furniture and had to remake it, smarted off to my husband, finally finish our furniture and then forgets to ship our chair to the store with our sectional. They deliver our sectional and then three weeks later our pod chair. The chair arrived whilst we were in Birmingham this past week, so we moved it into our room last night. The way we had our room arranged there was no room for the chair, so moving the chair in made it so crowded which bothered me because it was in the room and did not have a place...and everything should have a place or it shouldn't be there. So...Today has been completely devoted to rearranging this room! This morning I measured the whole room and ALL of our furniture and then broke out the graph paper and put it all out on paper until it all fit. Then once my mother-in-law got home and helped me begin. After we emptied some cabinets and removed them from the room, I moved our king size bed (not an easy task).
~You may wonder why I didn't wait for Jared to help...I can tend to be slightly impatient when it comes to getting things done...I want them done when I want them done and I have a hard time waiting...therefore I normally just do things myself.~
Once the bed was moved and made up...Jared got home from work. Oh well...at least it got done.
Shortly after dinner we jumped on the project of getting it all done (because we have friends coming over for dinner tomorrow and I'm slightly OCD and would like it to look nice). Jared and his dad mounted the cabinets on the wall and his mom reloaded them. Jared and I moved the furniture around (it fits perfectly). And all the while (well at least whilst we were moving furniture) my silly father-in-law was reading to us (a lot like story time) this "funny" story-telling poems. I'll admit SOME of them were a little funny...SOME! The funny part is he just kept on reading...even after we obviously stopped listening...hehe...he just kept on and almost read the whole book. :-) I love my in-laws...they make me smile!

My Nightly Struggle...

Here lately it seems I've had the same struggle every night when it comes to actually falling asleep. I can be EXTREMELY exhausted, but I will have a devil of atime falling asleep...my brain will just NOT shut down. I will just lay there and think of the strangest most random things in the world...such as 'What I want for Christmas' 'Are we going to be pregnant when we attend Jared's 10 year class reunion in 3 years' 'What might Jared want for breakfast inthe morning' 'I wonder when I'm actually going to find a friend in Fairhope' 'I've got some much to sew...and when am I ever going to start that' 'When am I going get job...when is this hiring freeze going to end' 'I wonder if I'm going to be good mom when we do start having children'. And these are just a few of the many many random things go through my head at the most untimely moments i.e. when I'm trying to go to sleep,and I really wish they didn't bc at that moment I'm really wanting to go to sleep. I pray one day sooner than later this insanity will end and I can peacefully fall asleep when I lay down at night...

OCD...

Definition: Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a mental disorder with two components: obsessions, which consist of thoughts, impulses, or mental images; and compulsions, which are repetitive behaviors that the person feels driven to perform in response to the obsessions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So, Jared and I were hanging out with some friends tonight, and the comment was made that I'm OCD. I'm not sure I would call it OCD...I just sometimes like a sense of order and cleanliness (ok ALWAYS on the cleanliness). I pay attention to 'most' minute details, thus knowing where everything is most of the time, whether it be mine or someone elses.

Jared likes to tease me because we were watching a movie the other day and one of the sticks in our diffuser was out of place (reason #1 he teases me is for using that term 'out of place'). He believes (as probably most everyone) that the diffuser sticks should just go everywhere in the jar. However, in our diffuser there are 10 sticks and to me it makes the most sense to have 3 across from 3 and 2 across from 2; where they cross in the middle and make a nice little square shape at the top and the bottom. Well...back to the store and reason #2 Jared makes fun of me for. We were watching Pearl Harbor and I thought I notice one of the sticks out of place (because Jared likes to take them out to 'diffuse' the smell of his flatulation) so I simply said "Oh no, one is out of place!" and leaned up and fixed it. (reason #2 I had to fix it then and not wait til after the movie). I see nothing wrong with that but my loving husband still teases me.

And I shall restate...I would not call this OCD. I just believe things have there place and them should stay in that place whilst they are not being used.

Married Life

Marriage...with Jared it is wonderful!!! He believes in me, and helps me strive to be the best me possible. He tends to make life a lot more enjoyable with his fun loving and goofy antics...God has blessed me FAR beyond belief with this one! These are the BEAUTIFUL roses he brought home for me today!
I LOVE HIM!!!

Celeste and Caedmon

My heart belongs to (God and my husband firstly but secondly...) Celeste and Caedmon! They are these two amazingly wonderful kids that I nanny-ed last school year! I (besides their mother and father) will say that they are the GREATEST kids in the world! I have been missing them terribly since they and their parent (of course) moved to McKinney, Texas. There is not a day that goes by that Jared and I don't bring they up in a discussion...where it be silly/adorable thing that they did or said or just ways that they would look at us!Stories...oh the stories I have with/about these two crazy kids! 3 2/3 seconds around them and your hooked! From Celeste copying my every move at the lunch table to Caed laughing his little head off at me when I had the hiccups. And many many many trips to the zoo.

I loved our times with Celeste and Caedmon!

I know God has an amazing plan for these two wonderfully loving children and I pray blessings over them forever! And I pray Jared and I can one day visit them in McKinney, Texas!

Life as of now...

Here lately my life has been pretty boring since Jared has gone back to work. Thus adding blogging to my life to hopefully spice it up a little (right?!).

So where is my life now...

We moved a little over a month ago, and now my husband and I are living in Fairhope, AL (the best beautiful place in the world!) with my in-laws. I know you are probably thinking, "Oh, Dear!" but honestly it isn't that bad.

I've had a hard time finding a full-time job, so my days consist of sitting around the house doing laundry and straighten the room when it gets messed up, hoping the next morning I'll get a phone call from the preschool saying they need me to come substitute today. Alas, that hasn't happened yet. We came to late for me to be a part of their staff so I'm waiting and subing till a classroom opens up for me to start teaching full-time. You may be thinking, "Why not just get a part-time job whilest you wait?" Well, I've tried but it seems that all of Baldwin County is at a hiring freeze in all areas of work. Thankfully, God works in some crazy ways and my husband, Jared, squeezed through the hiring freeze and got an installing position of the Spainish Fort Best Buy (an answered prayer). We were expecting him to get a job instore, which meant a pay cut, and we weren't very happy about it, but we had accepted the fact. Praise God for answered prayers and Jared's new install position!

Other than that...I've just been very lonely. It seems that I suck at making friends down here, but more about that later...when I'm emotionally destressed about it (believe me it happens a lot). Alas, I know God has called us to this area so sooner or later I will have at least one friend besides my wonderfully loving husband!