Another Year Gone By....

I can't believe another year has gone by so quickly!! And I had every intention of keeping up a blog during 2011... oh brother.....

This last year has literally flown by... After buying and moving into our new condo, we soon got a puppy whom we call Trip or Monkey, or Pumpkin, or Trippity, or Sweetie. :) He has grown into an adorable, curious, and spunky little guy who takes up all my extra time because he is so CUTE!! He has brought so much sunshine into my life... I will never live without a dog by my side again!

I have also been spending lots of time with my sister Hayley. I think we are about the closest we have ever been since Mom died. Getting through this year was easier just because I had someone whom I could text or call when I was missing mom and know that I would be truly understood, or to have her say she was having a bad day too, somehow made it easier. We are trying our darndest to get Baby Tay Tay on our little bandwagon.

In other news Tim and I celebrated our 2nd Anniversary this year!! We are working through a book called "Love Dare" and I feel we are a thousand feet forward from where we were last year, and are having more fun being married everyday. It is definately an adventure. I can't wait to see where we are at 10 years from now!! :)

Movie Review: Breaking Dawn

So Hayley and I convinced Baby Tay Tay to come along with us for a girls movie night to watch Breaking Dawn. After a co-worker had told me that the movie theater was full half an hour before showtime (on a Friday) I was emphatic that we get to the theater early, even though Taylor said, "Brooke no one goes to see a movie on a Monday night... besides us!" She was right. We had lots of time to kill and started having fun giving each other "new names" like changing Taylor to Rolyat or Lortay. I cracked up until I cried when we came up with Hayley's "Yelyah".

I admit I was pretty skeptical at first; I mean, how were they going to make a movie about Bella being pregnant? Wouldn't it be incredibly boring and um... awkward?

I found this movie interesting and disturbing. Compared to her acting in the first two, I thought Kristen Stewart does an incredible job in this film! There wasn't a moment of awkwardness between her and Robert Pattinson. I can't wait see what she's like as a Vampire-ess!! The movie has plenty of comedy in it and I loved how they portrayed Jacob's "imprinting".

Yet, it wasn't long before my sisters and I were squirming in our seats. I felt all color drain from my face the moment Bella's back and knees broke and was nauseous from that moment on. I noticed Taylor break into a sweat and she closed her eyes but that made it worse because she could only hear the sound effects and the rest was her imagination!! She said she wanted to get up and go to the washroom, but didn't think she would make it. She also confessed to opening her eyes for the Jacob parts. I think I know which team she's on. ;)

Anyways, apparently we aren't cut out for the intense theatrics in this movie. We thought parents who brought their young children to see the movie would be horrified of the intense birthing scene... its pretty gruesome. That being said, when I recounted my experience to others they were surprised and said, "That's funny. It didn't bother me at all!"

Alas, we have to wait one more year until final movie comes out!! I would lie if I said I wasn't curious to see it... or excited.

New Year, New Condo, New Plans

It's just the beginning of a new year and already so much has happened!! I guess the biggest news is that Tim and I put our condo up for the sale at the beginning of January and we received an offer the first day that it was on the market. (We prayed that God would give us a quick reply, to confirm our decision to move into a larger condo, and well, we got our answer!)

I'm already feeling nostalgic about leaving our first condo. I love being in the city, and close to my sister who lives a 5 min drive away. Being able to walk across to the pharmacy whenever I need to, and driving along the river on my way to and from work. At the same time I can look forward to living in a larger space that we can grow into, and one where we can actually entertain others and invite family over. To having a bedroom that isn't overlooking a parking lot where car alarms are constantly going off, at all hours of the day. To a location closer to Tim's work (though farther from mine!).

We've been constantly asked why we didn't just wait to buy a house. Truly, had we been able to, we would've bought a larger, 2 bedroom condo had we been able to afford it when we first got married. Also, the resale value of the condo that we want to buy will be much greater than that of the one we just sold. And for the size/type of house that I would like to someday raise a family in, we need to wait until Tim get's his Journeyman's for us to be able to afford it (3-7 years away), and we both know that we'd go crazy if we bought a house that needed lots of renovations as that is not exactly our forte. :)

So, in all honesty, we truly feel that this is the best decision for us at this moment. And with as scary and intimidating as this all is, I feel that with the quick sale of our condo, God is confirming us in our choice to move onto someplace else. We just need to wait to see what He has in store!

Missing You

Every day I wake up
I hope I'm dreamin
I can't believe this
Can't believe you aren't here
Sometimes its just hard to wake up
It's hard to just keep going
It's like I feel empty inside without you here
I would do anything, to bring you back
You were the greatest
You'll always be the greatest
I miss you
Can't wait till that day, when I see your face again

Every step I take, every move I make
Every single day, every time I pray
I'll be missing you
Thinking of the day, when you went away
What a life to take, what a bond to break
I'll be missing you

Memories give me the strength I need to proceed
Strength I need to believe
My thoughts, I just cant define
Wish I could turn back the hands of time
I still can't believe you're gone
I'd give anything to hear half your breath
I know your still living your life, after death

Every night I pray, every step I take
Every move I make, every single day
Is a day that I get closer
to seeing you again

(Excerpts from Puff Daddy's "I'll Be Missing You")

Rhythm

Sometimes I struggle with my inner doubts and fears and forget to place that into His hands. I forget that it’s His plans that I’m following in the first place. That He’s the one who orchestrated my life song a long long time ago. Like today… right now I’m like, bah, what am I doing here? How did I get here? And… hey, Who’s idea was this in the first place?! I’m always blown away with where He leads me to – though always excited to follow! I’m happy to be wherever He has called me to. I’m learning to call any place He leads me to “Home”. If your life is a constant adventure… that’s a good sign that you’re following closely to Him, right? So why the doubts and why the fears? Why the feelings of loneliness and anticipation? What is it about the unknown that either makes me cringe and want to curl up in a ball of cotton or jump headfirst into the wonders of something new and mystifying?

Philippians 4:11-13
Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

Those GC Teleservices days...

Ok, so about 5 weeks ago I started work as an account representative at GC services. I won't lie that I'm very relieved and happy to be done my time there but I did meet some very sweet people! One girl in particular, Katie, helped make the long days pass by faster. She's the one who would sit beside me and at random times throughout the day would lean over and say in dead seriousness, "Do you know your nose is constantly growing?" We shared quite a few laughs... and I will share them with you!! Hopefully they make sense. Just remember, my job was to contact Americans regarding their credit card debt with Capitol One. All of our customers are well aware of their situations, and more often than not, there hadn't been a payment on their account for the past 6 months. Sadly many of the times it was regarding a death, bankruptcy, fraud, or sometimes the customers were just lazy and angry. So here goes... hope you enjoy!!

Cardholder: Quit calling me!
Rep: I'm sorry ma'am, but you called me.
Cardholder: I did not! I just picked up the phone downstairs and you were there!
Rep: Ma'am, I'm working inbound. Please tell me your name so that I can look up your account.
Cardholder: But you called me at home! You should know what my name is!
Rep: Ma'am, obviously this call is going no where because you keep saying I called you when I didn't. I'm going to hang up now, ok? You'll get a call from us in a few days.
Cardholder: (long pause) But I'm not at home, I'm at work!! Stop calling!!

NOT KIDDING, on my last day of work one cardholder's account had a note stating that "Cardholder often blows whistle or airhorn into phone." Basically, I didn't hear a word he said because my headset was half way off my head!!

A one sided conversation of a rep dealing with a customer who was a little hard of hearing:
Rep: Hello... HELLO... May I speak to Mark please?... Yes, hello... No... I'm looking for Mark... MARK... Pardon?... NO, I'M NOT THE ONE DELIVERING THE FOOD... IS MARK THERE?

Rep: Hello. May I speak to Rick please?
Cardholder: ...Not here.
Rep: Ok, may I ask whom I'm speaking too?
Cardholder: Uh...(long pause) Daniel. (hangs up)

Answering machine: Hi! Well, we still have a home, and a phone!! Leave us a message!!

I'm In A Hurry (And Don't Know Why)

"I'm in a hurry to get things done. Oh I rush and rush until life's no fun. All I really gotta do is live and die, But I'm in a hurry and don't know why. "

Hmmm, I've spent my day off doing nothing but contemplating how soon I should quit my job... with the lyrics of this song by Alabama stuck in my head ALL day. Hearing this song has made me feel nothing but Anxious. Anxious to move. Anxious for change. Anxious to know what's next!!

Life has slowed down for me these past few weeks. I needed an "inbetween" job for this month before I go to camp, so I applied at GC Teleservices and got hired on the spot. Training honestly wasn't that bad - I had an awesome group of co-workers and we had a hoot together... but now, two weeks later, everything has become so monotonous that I just don't know what to do. My job consists of contacting Americans regarding their credit card debt... so basically the same script for 8 hours - starting at 6 a.m. I'm not sure about you, but I don't enjoy being yelled at first thing in the morning or being bored for hours on end. One guy that I work with said to me, "This isn't a job - this is a time waster!" Also, I've realized that when I get bored I get the munchies so I've had to make a mental note to NOT walk through the cafeteria on my breaks!!

So basically I just sit there and think, wow, there's so much more to life than this! I try to see the spiritual in my job but there just is none - there's absolutely no opportunities for meaningful conversations. The thought of camp being about 3 weeks away is absolute torture... not to mention the possibility of returning to India soon after that!! (more on that subject later!) As I entertain thoughts of how soon I should quit, I start to contemplate what His plans are... and it frustrates me because I don't know. Sometimes I just want to know!! It's weird to feel sooo stuck - knowing how "alive" I've felt before. Bah!! I'm in a hurry to get on LIVING!!!