Announcing...

Yes, I have become a horrible blogger! Between school, work, and stuff to do around the house, I don't seem to find time to update my blog... I haven't felt like I have had much to write about though. I stayed away from my blog for a month or more on purpose to avoid the temptation of the very exciting announcement of BABY SCHOTTMULLER!

(Baby @ 8 wks! I am now about 16 wks!)

We are THRILLED for the arrival of our little blessing in March 2012! The preparation is a little overwhelming as we currently do not have a place to put Baby, but I have faith that it will all be finished in plenty of time. I would LOVE advice from any mothers out there as I prepare to enter into motherhood. 

Oh and by the way, no, we are not going to find out if Baby is a boy or girl :)

weekend wrap-up

Today I returned home from a wonderful 2 days in the cities.  What a blessing this trip was.

I got to spend hours with my dear friend Catlin - what an encouragement she is! I have really been struggling lately with how I view myself.  I looked in the mirror and truly struggled to see BEAUTIFUL.  It was so saddening to me with how much I struggled to believe this with all my heart.  On our drive down to Bethany Church, she challenged me to come up with 3 things I love about myself. Man was this hard!  I was wonderful to spend time with a girlfriend and actually talk about things.  On Monday morning she and I went to Forever21 at the MOA and I bought a new wardrobe for very little money.  This is the first time in a LONG time that I have tried on clothes and actually felt good and excited about buying them, actually, this is the first time I have bought clothes for myself in a long time because I struggle so much with how I look.  God really opened my eyes and changed my heart in SOOOOO many ways.

Bethany Church was amazing, as usual.  Pastor Matt challenged us on helping the poor. Another eye opener and something laid on my heart. Check out his sermon!  I love how he is speaking to himself as well as the congregation.

We spent the afternoon at Ryan and Noelle's home sharing fellowship.  There were so many young married couples there, many of which are starting families.  We were able to talk about marriage, home buying, parenthood, and adoption.  What a rich time!

I ended my time in the cities with my sister-in-law, Raschelle.  It was nice to just relax and enjoy some time laughing and eating pizza and fro yo.

Praise the Lord for a beautiful time [despite the temperatures and humidity] and safe travels.

Out with the old...In with the new!

There have been a lot of changes going on in my heart over the past couple of months and they have begun to pour over into my living.  I desire to change, but it is so hard to do when life around me is so mundane.  I have become very aware of how I talk and the conversations I take part in.  I have noticed that my comfort level in everyday conversations around me has changed drastically.  I almost feel awkward when people around me are talking about going to the bars and other things that they did over the weekend.  My attitude and the way I carry myself has also seemed to change.  The Lord is doing something - and although I am not sure what it is - I want to be ready for it.  I wouldn't say I ever really turned from him, but the past several months of my life have definitely been consumed with other, less important things.

I have found a new friend! I feel so blessed as she too is a fellow believer in this faith that I strive to live and follow everyday of my life.  Just talking with her brings joy to my life.  It is nice to finally have people to join with that have the same beliefs as I, and she is in the nursing program, so he understands the stresses of my life far better than anyone else.  PRAISE THE LORD!!

Over the past couple months I have also been trying really hard to change the way that Jarrett and I eat.  Boy, oh boy is this a hard goal to accomplish!! I have been buying primarily organic foods and have started shopping at the local co-op.  I love it there!! Yes, it is a little spendy, but why not if it going to be better for my health in the long run.  I have been thinking a lot about our future family quite often, and this is part of the reason that I really want a change.  I do not want to feed my children things that, yet unnoticed, are harmful for their bodies.  It is a challenge for my husband to see eye-to-eye with me on this one.  He loves his food, and I have to admit that I do too.  But really eating healthy doesn't have to taste bad!! 

Oh... and one of our cars is not doing so well.  It is the car that we bought for Jarrett back in November.  Unfortunately we took it in today for some "minor repairs",  such as brakes and an oil change, and found out that the transmission needs to be rebuilt. Hm.... We are considering buying a new vehicle.  Since we only paid $450 for this car, it is almost not worth it to put in well over $1,000.  So I suggested to him that we look into a more "family friendly" vehicle for our near future and that he just take over my current Taurus wagon.  We are praying for a great deal and a great vehicle.  I am looking at a 2003 Saturn Vue that I found at a dealership here in town (what do you think Ria??)  And I also found a 2008 Honda CR-V that I really like, but it is a little bit over our price range.  Any suggestions?