many blessings!

hello all...its been a little bit since i last wrote...let me fill you in! :)

first of all, i have the most loving supportive boyfriend ever!!! he has without a doubt been there for me throughout everything so far...from crying over a lost job to just being emotional in general, to fuming over my part time job, to getting a new job! he's been amazing! my dad called me sunday afternoon with news that he needed me to come and do data and paperwork along with helping him with ladders and holding his rope while he's on roofs! so...1.5 days of packing, 1 oil change, 1 goodbye party and 14 hours of driving later, i'm here with dad!

which brings me to the next topic...i have some awesome friends! the night before i left, i planned to have some friends over so i could see 'em before i left for a bit, and wow! they all showed up and showered me with sweet hugs and loves! we had a blast! needless to say, i can't wait to get and party with 'em some more! :)

but in the meantime, i'm here with dad...running claims, learning new computer programs, making money! but of course its all about spending time with my daddy-o! ;) mom and the kids aren't here right now, visiting with her parents, so we're just kicking it the two of us! first time my dad and i have been alone to just hang out for longer than 30 minutes for probably two or three years!

so yeah...that's what's going on right now! please pray God will get me through this time while i'm away from almost all that is familiar and that i miss!

love you guys!
meg

relief at last

Wow! So i have been able to really breathe for the last couple of days like i haven't in MONTHS! I have slept better and i have physically felt better the past couple of days like i haven't in forever! Thank you Lord for the blessing of new beginnings! i had a job interview today and am praying that it went as well as i feel it did! please pray that i would hear some good news over the next couple of days and if not, that He would open some other doors here soon!
I LOVE working at claire's ; its such a wonderful job! very fun and exciting dealing with little girls shopping for accesories...what could be more fun!! :) lol! i have even reached a point of getting along with our new manager pretty well! there is very minimal stress to the job itself and i enjoy working with the other girls there!
still missing my family, and maybe here soon i'll be able to see them! but i have to say, God's truely blessed me with a second family. joel's parents are such a wonderful blessing in my life! i love my boyfriend but it is such a joy that his parents are so wonderful. God is so good! <3
i hope you're all doing well and that this finds you basking in God's wonderful love!

much love to all,
meg

The Close of a Chapter

Well...so yesterday I was laid off from CDI. The only reason i got was that they no longer "needed my services". Whatever that means - since they still need a receptionist that doesn't really make since to me. But God is in control and knows what's in store for me. I was very upset when i left yesterday afternoon. The way that i was told they were laying me off was not very nice and it was not right to treat someone who has only given her best that way! But at the same time I AM RELIEVED!!! I no longer have the stress of CDI looming over my head and do not have to worry about living with a fake smile on at work. It is truely a blessing in disguise!
The next step is going to be figuring out what the Lord has for me next. I am currently working part time at Claire's and LOVE IT! Of course...what girl wouldn't love working with jewelry and accessories all day!! :) I also may have an interview next week for a chiropractors office. please pray that i get the call Monday confirming that i do have the interview and that next wednesday the interview will go well! If this isn't the job the Lord has planned for me, pray that He would show me what is and open that door! It very well may be just taking more hours at Claire's!
Thank you thank you thank you for all your encouragements and prayers! I truely need them! <3
If you would, also just pray for my emotional strength! I miss my family - being an adult on my own is not always as fun as i thought it would be! Don't get me wrong! I LOVE my apartment and bring so close to everything, and living on my own! But I miss my best friend (Mom) and my Daddy! And my little sisters...its been way too long since we've had some girl time!! And my sweet Josh who's always the one with a ready hug or who will randomly start dancing with me! I love and miss my family dearly!!! :sigh: Just pray that I would have strength!

I love you all, and appreciate the prayers!
Meg

day in and day out

hello my friends! I hope this finds you well and healthy! my, my there has been sickness everywhere!! last wednesday i felt a little sick so i stayed home from work. then came back thursday and friday to find four or five people out sick here at the office. couple other friends weren't feeling well over the weekend and now joel is feeling a little blah! its just crazy!

i've just been working and chilling lately...more work than chill! i don't have to work Dixie tonight...I'm so excited about going home at 5pm! lol! maybe i'll pick up some stuff from the grocery store and actually cook dinner for me and joel tonight! i'm sure he'd enjoy that! we'll have to see though!

so i'm 22 days away from having been with Joel for a year!!! i think i know what i'm getting him, but i'm still not sure! what do you get someone who really has all they want! i'm having to be very creative! he already knows part of his gift, just because its something he has been specifically requesting for several months! lol! i have at least one more idea...but i'm not sure if its THE idea yet! ...any help would be appreciated! what do you get someone you've been with for a year? someone that is your best friend and closest confidant and possibly your partner for the rest of your life!? :sigh: no pressure or anything! haha! anyways...i'm up for ideas if you've got anything!

hope ya'lls week is going well and you're staying healthy!

much love,

meg

constant dripping

rain rain rain! Its been so rainy here lately! and i've been very busy...so that rain is just obnoxious! its weeks like these i think i should invest in some cute rain boots! i've just been going non-stop with work lately! this past Tuesday was 11 months for Joel and i! we're almost at a year!! :) Yay! he's been kind of stressed with school lately though, and i haven't really been helping! i just tend to frustrate him! so i'm working on really just being very patient with him and loving him enough to leave him alone for a bit! lol! which is really hard to do when all i want is to spend my free time with him! between principles of accounting and essays he's being stretched a little bit! i'm so so glad he's taking classes this semster though! I've seen God grow Joel in so many ways since we started dating! a year ago when we were just hanging out as friends, there were areas that he just hadn't seemed to grow up in, and this past year i've seen Joel mature and grow into a man that i can wait to give my life to! the other night, we had a discussion...after i pushed him too far; he told me that it really bothers him that i'm not patient, and tend to snap at him over small things. he comment to me was "love me enough to let me make a mistake!" it broke my heart because i realized he was right; i hold him up to standards i have set in my mind and when he slips the slightest bit, i just fall apart! i have really been praying the past couple of days that God would change that heart attitude and give me one of love and patience! (can you tell i'm really struggling with patience!) and not even just with joel! i love my roommate! she's a great girl, but she doesn't like to do dishes - at least that's what i assume since she usually just leaves 'em in the sink dirty! most the time, she leaves the kitchen dirty (just leaves wrappers out on the counter, dishes in the sink, pots on the stove, etc) and it frustrates me to no end! but i really don't need to let that get to me! its ok...its just a kitchen and i can clean it just as easily as she can! anyways, all that to say, please pray that i would grow in patience and love towards those i see and am around on a daily basis! i love Joel and the last thing i want to do is push him away because i require perfection - because not even i am perfect!

hope you're all doing well! and have a great weekend!

love ya,

Meg

way too long

Sorry its been so long since I last posted! life has just been busy busy! going going going! and i honestly forgot about blogging! (shame on me...I know!)
Life at CDI is just about the same...my hours have changed slightly...I now don't have to be to work until 8am, which has its pros and cons...I don't have to rush in to work so early (pro), but that's 2.5 overtime hours a week i don't have now (con)! so that's pretty much the only change here! and working at Dixie is fun, but hard work! I enjoy being a waitress! Its alot of fun! and for the most part the people i work with are cool (with a few execptions)! i definitely don't make enough money at Dixie for the amount of work...but its a good starting point!
Joel and I are going on 11 months! I'm so excited! We're getting very close to a year! I think i might just have to think something fun/sweet up to do for him! He does so much for me! and completely spoils me! :) the 15th of this month will be 11 months! :) yay!
Dante, our baby, lol, is spoiled rotten! He's been staying at Joel's and not only does Joel spoil him, but so do Joel's parents (Benny & Julie)! Its oh so funny...since they didn't want a dog in their house anyways! But little Dante charmed his way right into their hearts! :)
Apartment living is still great! There's bumps and pot holes along the way...but its that way with any point in life!
I'm loving life and living it to the best of my ability!

Much love to you all,
Meg

busy-ness of life

hello all! sorry i haven't written in a little while! i've been busy busy! i started working part-time (nights and weekends) at Dixie Cafe! I really enjoy waiting tables, at least for the time being! :)

then last weekend i went on a camping trip (we stayed in cabins) to petit jean! it was very fun and i truly enjoy spending time with my friends from Metro BCM! here's a couple of pictures from the weekend! :)

it was very beautiful! :) i don't usually enjoy hikes and such...but I really did enjoy this! if you've never hiked to Cedar Hills at Petit Jean Park, you should! its gorgeous! :)

so on to this morning! bleh...rain rain rain and more rain! its finally let up a little bit, but its still very wet and looks as though the bottom could fall out again any minute! here's some pics from my morning! :)

i hope you're doing well and that the weather, wherever you are, isn't what it is here!

much loves,

meg

new addition

so this weekend was busy busy busy! but it was fun, none-the-less! first friday night started off with rehersal and dinner for Jessica and Jonathan McNair's wedding! fun stuff! then saturday morning it was prep prep prep for the wedding! the wedding was a 3pm and went beautifully well! followed by a reception and after party...the fun just kept going! sunday joel and i spent some time at the lake with his co-workers! and on our way home from Heber Springs...his boss called and said she had me a dog!!! so we went to her house and picked up my new puppy! he's around a year old and absolutely ADORABLE!!!! we call him Donte! he's house-trained already for the most part and is pretty good at obeying! :) we've still got a little bit to do...but he's wonderful! Joel is taking him to Doggie Do's today to get him a bath and haircut! so when he sees mommy tonight he's going to be all clean and handsome! :) here's a picture...he was still kind of a mess when i took this picture this morning!

loves,

Meg

a story of my friends

i got involved in UALR's IFO (International Friendship Outreach) Conversation Club about a year or so ago and got to know several guys from Rwanda! well...I'm an dedicated Sync weekly reader and to my surprise, my friends from Rwanda were featured in this week's paper! :) here's the link to Sync Online! enjoy! And please pray for these guys! all four of those featured are professing believers and a precious friends!

http://sync.arkansasonline.com/news/2009/aug/04/building-bridges/?

much loves,

Meg

getting to the point of things!

so the rest of my week/weekend went by without too many more issues! we did have some more flooding in the apartment...but haven't seen any water since last thursday! so maybe that's done! who knows though!

friday and saturday night, joel and i went to vinos! yummy pizza! joel decided since we were right next door to 7th street tattoos he'd take me in there and get my ear pierced (my cartilage)! friday night when we went in, i was prepared and ready to go! full of adrenaline and nerve...but then we found out the piercer wasn't in anymore and that he'd be back saturday if we wanted to come back by! leaving, slightly relieved, and not planning on going back, we just left and went home! saturday, i asked joel what the plan for the day was and his response was simple - "your ear, right?"! HA! rolling my eyes...i agreed thinking we just wouldn't get around to going back downtown! boy was i wrong...we went back to vinos for dinner and what do you know!? walked back over to 7th street! and guess who was there!? chad...the piercer! so...mustering up my courage, i sit in the chair and let chad (who was very sweet and funny) stick a needle through my ear...and here is your outcome!

i love it! its cute and all...but ugh! the first night...was a pain - LITERALLY! I did not realize how much i slept on my side....

ANYWAYS...its feeling much better now! so yeah, just thought i'd share!

hope your weekend was great! :)

loves,

Meg