I Was Like...

What I FELT like today...

What I WAS like...

...Why yes, this is the clerks office... 

...Okay Ma'am, What kind of case do you have  (in juvenile and domestic relations court) ... "a juvenile or domestic case"...

...oh really? you have a 3 cats a parrot and a beta fish?! That's amazing....

...oh, so your court orders are from New Jersey, not Norfolk?...

....No, Sir, you can't speak with the Judge on the phone...

...well, as I've told you 3 times before, you have to come to court when you've been summoned... to come to court....

...have you read the paperwork that was sent to you?

... if I can just direct you attention to the bottom of the petition attached to your summons, you'll see exactly why you're supposed to be coming to court...

...No, Ma'am, I can't come get you...

Yes Ma'am, when you file a motion or petition you will have to come back to court to have it heard...

...No, I don't have the number to Florida's Juvenile Court...

Yes Sir, I did receive your messages from this morning...  I'm sorry I didn't get back to you very quickly... I was busy listening to the 9 messages you left me...

*Bliss*

hahah... I love my job, I love my job, I love my job.

I'm grateful for a paycheck and benefits, decent co-workers and great bosses. Seriously.  It gets me through days like this. 

2 Years

Today we celebrate 2 years of marriage and many hopes for many more years together.  We’ve made it.  The “trying two” every married couple has warned us about has come… and gone (hopefully).  We’ve adjusted to life with each other, career changes, financial changes, spiritual hardships, families and new friends. We are in the process of learning to balance work, play, service, togetherness and quiet time. 

So much has changed in these past two years.  It seems to be easier to judge the speed of time with other’s life events though. In the past two years, we’ve witnessed several of our close friends, and family members make lifetime commitments to their best friends, go through the adjustments of married life, pregnancy, career changes, the birth of little ones, moving, deployments, buying homes, family trials and loss. It’s amazing to see how much life can dramatically change in a few short years.  We have rejoiced and mourned with those we look up to and are connected with. 

Watching our friends go through these phases definitely makes me look forward to our future and know what to pray for and against as well.  I’m excited to see what the next two years have in store for us. We haven’t quite mastered marriage yet, as if that’s even a possibility, but we have learned a lot. As with any sort of growth, there have been many growing pains but I can look back and see the present well and know fully that I’ve grown so much closer and so much fonder of my dear Jed because of them.  Even the difficulties of moving and family and friend adjustment have shown me how blessed I am to have a man and leader that truly cares about me, loves God and loves the idea of making an impact on people for Christ.

I’m grateful for his motivation, his ability to dream and his ability to still remain in reality. He’s intelligent, hardworking, stable, loving and fun. He has the best sense of humor and this incredibly annoying way of showing we he loves me by picking on me until I’m either ready to scream or cry or bite him. Which always makes for an interesting play/fights and laughter. We can hang out around the house or adventure outside and be completely content. I feel completely at ease with him.  I’ve never felt so comfortable in my life and I absolutely love it. 

I we have had our moments but I’ve never regretted my decision to spend the rest of my life with my best friend.

We’ve survived graduation, marriage, a move, new friends, new family, job changes, church events, jumpy spiders, ant invasions, hurricane winds, my failed attempts at “gluten free” cooking, Jed picking on me (usually ending in some disgusting way (ie: boogers, spit or injury), road trips, family visits, youth group, young adults, emotional break-downs, grocery shopping…

I know there are plenty more adjustments to come and things to work through, but I'm so happy to have made it this far and so incredibly blessed.  <3

I Love You, Mr. Rieke

Today and Always.

My Favorite

About 1 hour until 2 Years of being your wife and still...

And ALWAYS will be, Love.

French Toast.

Clarification.

The Receiver.

I <3 My Job.

THE RECEIVER



Towards the end of the day today, my co-worker (who shall remain nameless) did something quite unexpected and it made me laugh super hard.

Back story: Her court partner has been on vacation for the last week and she was quite busy today processing normal court paperwork and handling a rather high profile case (complete with TV crews and reporters stationed outside of the courthouse), which all apparently led to a rather stressful afternoon.

I sit diagonally from her cubicle and typically around this time of the afternoon, we end up chatting about movies or music or funny calls I get at the reception desk. She always tells me that I handle myself well on the phones and am much nicer than she would be with some of our callers.  ...Today I got a glimpse into the world of her + stressful telephone calls.

***
I transfer a call to her line,
She picks up the phone, talks for a moment...
(Politely and calmly) says to the caller, "Can I put you on hold for a moment..."
Puts the caller on hold...

and proceeds to rapidly beat the telephone receiver on the edge of her desk!!!

The office went silent.

She shouts "I've had it!"
and then picks up the receiver, picks up the line again, and (just as calmly as before) continues to assist the caller.

I almost fell off my chair.  

And that's how it's done folks.  

 I wanted to give her a standing ovation, or maybe a vacation... but all I did was laugh.  

All I Want Is You...and Chik-fil-a ;)

All I Want Is You -Tristan Prettyman

CLICK TO LISTEN :)

I'm just loving my Jed today.

The last few months have been hard for the both of us.  Lots of growing pains and question marks in life.

Not an angry day, not a sad one...  journaling seems to help release my anxiety sometimes :)

Actually today was very productive and therefore very pleasant!  I took some time after work to unwind by showering (ahhh, Thank God for hot water and good smelling soaps!)  and shut my mouth for a few brief moments, since I spend all day answering questions and making conversation it seems.

And now... we are headed to 'Eat more chicken" at Chik-fil-a. !!!
...well Jed isn't 'cause he's allergic to peanuts, I I suppose we will get a snack from the competitor first.... McDonalds. dun dun duuuunnn!!!

Coldplay - Strawberry Swing

...A nice view from the car on my way back from a lovely visit with my Best Friend and Mom. 

I left friday night after work and traveled to Crownsville MD to visit my favoritest Em.  Traffic was a beast and it was misting and raining the entire way there and throughout my brief visit (which, along with tiredness, put me in an odd mood) but I have to admit, I was still incredibly encouraged while I was there.  I can't even explain how wonderful it is to have a friend like Em, who listens, understands, interjects and suggests solutions. :) I miss her so much because she truly adds so much to my day to day life.  I don't get to see her often and it's easy, due to distance, to forget how much I love and need her... but trips like these really make me remember how lovely she truly is.   

After a long, late night/early morning talk and leisurely morning, we headed out to the mall. And finally made it there after two additional trips back to her house to get forgotten items.  lol   Clearly we are incredibly thoughtful people.  And after much searching, we finally found a parking space near a lake. By lake I mean ginormous rain puddle. I guess the rain not only brings flooding but lots and lots of people out to shop! Imagine that. :)  We ate and chatted and window shopped. Went back to her house and (as usual) just hung out rather quietly until I had to leave :) The weather wasn't the most inspiring and my visit was short lived, but it was definitely worth it!

I left Saturday evening and headed to Salisbury to visit my Mom in honor or her birthday.  My sister has been staying in PA for a bit this summer, so though I missed seeing her, it was nice to see my mom and have her all to myself for once. :)  I got it pretty late, due to unexpected traffic but we had some pizza and decided to be spontaneous and go see the new Batman movies at 11ish.  I knew it was going to be a fun night when during once of the previews mom about jumped out of her seat because of an unexpected noise.  I thought... oh boy, here we are in a "premium" theatre, watching an explosively loud action/drama flick and she's already freaked out at the previews.  haha. We are in for a treat!  The movie was pretty intense but very good.  We left the theatre and headed home with the intention of going to bed but, as always, that didn't happen because we spent the next hour (and some) talking about life and past and future. It was quite nice.

This morning we went to church and I got a nice kick to the gut in the emotional sense.  The sermon was about Hoarding. (like the show... but with past and emotion and experience all in the spirit rather than a house full of stuff).  It definitely struck an important chord in me and again, verified the kind of work God's got to do in my life and the kind of emotional baggage I've got to unload/ let God unload for me.  Not the easiest things to hear or do but necessary and very applicable, so I'm incredibly grateful for the message this morning and the enthusiasm and encouragement pouring out of the pastor.

God knew what I needed this weekend and certainly provided some opportunity for relaxation and rest... not physically, but intellectually, emotionally and spiritually.  Which was a HUGE blessing! And then God showed off by giving me a sunshine-y, cartoon cloud-y, blue-skied drive back home to my wonderful husband.  :)

I'm really looking forward to the week ahead and praying hard about what God has in store for Jed and I in the coming months as we round the corner on 2 years of marriage. We feel like we may have a glimmer of direction and we are waiting on God to open and close doors.  We are really praying for clarity and opportunity as we find our way, plan for future and enjoy the moment.

Flowers

OH HOW I LOVE FLOWERS. THEY ARE JUST ONE OF THE SIMPLE JOYS OF SPRINGTIME, SUMMERTIME....ANYTIME REALLY ;)    

But they wilt so fast... poor guys... they need a little pick-me-up.

What if I put my cut flowers in coffee?! 

DELICATE, SWEET AND SO LOVELY. 

...and highly caffeinated.  

Isaiah 40:8  The grass withers and flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.  

Thank you, God for the simple things.