L-O-V-E <3

I LOOOOVE Valentine's Day! I know some people think it's not a REAL holiday, but I love it! I love the candy, flowers, special dinners with the one you love, and most of all those cute little conservation hearts! I could eat them all year long! I bought some from the grocery store a few weeks back and Scott and I had a fun time picking through them and laughing at the sayings. I hope you love valentine's day as much as I do. I love just having a whole day to tell those in your life how much to love them, even though you should do that every day (which I do) but it is still fun to have a whole day where everyone celebrates it!!






So, tell me are you a fan of Valentine's Day, and if so what do you LOVE?

interesting doesn't even begin to describe that day!

I had an interesting Friday last week….actually interesting doesn’t even begin to describe it!! The day started off normal, much like any other day, but it took an odd turn around 1:30 in the afternoon. I was sitting at my desk, and I started to not feel so well, something really upset my stomach and I was feeling just awful! It came on very quickly and I felt like all I wanted to do was go home and lay in my bed. I decided after about 5-10 minutes of this feeling that I needed to speak to my boss and let her know that I wasn’t feeling so good and wanted to go home. As I was walking to her desk, I started to feel really dizzy and light-headed. I finally got to my her desk and as I was leaning up on her desk cubicle, I was able to muster out the words “Hey, I am not feeling so good…” which was immediately followed by me passing out on the floor, yes PASSING OUT ON THE FLOOR!!

I remember as I was talking to her thinking, why are my eyes closed? And then I woke up to about 4 people above me, asking me if I am ok and if I am in pain. It was the oddest feeling I have ever felt in my life! As I opened my eyes I thought that everything was just a dream, but soon as I came to, I realized that I indeed was at work lying on the floor!! My managers had me move into the conference room so they could have me rest. I was totally conscious and not in any pain, but they called the paramedics to make sure that everything checked out okay, in case I needed to go to the hospital. At this time, Scott was just about to start work and I called him in a panic to tell him what was going on and that he needed to get to my work ASAP because they might be taking me to the hospital. He wasn’t sure if he was going to be able to come, because he can’t just leave work without getting penalized for it. Fortunately he was able to come! The paramedics came and there was like 10 guys there to tend to me, needless to say it was OVERWHELMING!!! They fired question after question at me, checked my vitals, and got the story from my managers about what had happened. All my vitals checked out ok, and they gave me the option to go in the ambulance to the hospital, but since everything was ok, I didn’t go and instead made an appointment to see the doctor that afternoon.

Finally Scott came to my work to pick me up, and we went to the doctors. Again, the doctor checked me out and everything looked good, minus a little bit of temp. that I had (which was most likely a result from all commotion). The paramedics thought I could be pregnant, which the doctor didn’t think was likely due to timing of the situation, but to be precautionary she ordered some blood work and a test to see if we had a little tyke on board. Everything came back ok, and NO we are not having a baby, which we were both relieved about, not that we don’t want to have kids, but right now it’s not in our plans, and we would rather have it be more on our timing. What the doctor think happened (in laymen’s terms) is similar to when someone sees the sight of blood and faints, there is a nerve that triggers to your brain when you have a severe on set on nausea, and then you pass out! Simple as that.

Anyways, the point of this blog wasn’t just to share this story, but to share what I learned by the whole experience happening to me.

So here goes my list:
-God is such a faithful God, He is always watching over me even when I don’t know what that I need it (I always knew that, but it’s a good reminder)
-In stressful situations, Scott is my calm; he comforts me by just being by my side. When I called him on the phone to tell him what was going on, and he said he didn’t know if he would be able to come get me, I started crying. I knew that I needed him to be there to hold my hand, or be by my side, I just needed his presence around me.
-I have an AMAZING husband! He was running around trying to get a supervisor at work and even though he could have gotten in “trouble” he left work to come be with me.
-Whenever Scott & I have kids we will REALLY be ready because had the time been now, we would have been ready.
-God is always in control no matter what is going on, He was taking care of both Scott & I, bringing us health, safety, peace, joy, or whatever we needed Him to be in the most chaotic time. It’s good to be His child!

my God is a God who PROVIDES!!

the Lord has been doing some AWESOME things in my life that i would like to share with you!! He is SO GOOD!! brace yourself, cause it's a long story!!

so as everyone knows our economy right now is not so great, and everyone across the board has been making cut backs for the past 3-4 months, including businesses. back in the end of October/early November i had heard through my boss that our company was going to be making some cut backs and that they would be starting in my department. for those of you who don't know what i do, i work as a receptionist at Lube-Tech (it's a lubrication & fuel company). anyways at that time my boss told me that i would need to prepare a list to present to our department head about my duties and responsibilities, so they could review them. once i heard that news, Scott & i really started to believe and speak favor over me that my position and that i would not be laid off. being the receptionist, i was on the lower end of the totem poll, and it would be easy for them to replace me with the person who covers me for lunch and breaks since she knows my job already. the devil really tried to get me in fear about the situation, but in my heart i had peace and knew that no matter what God would provide for me. my flesh kept telling me to go look for a new job and start applying at other places, but something in my spirit kept telling me that was not the right path and to stay faithful to where the Lord has placed me for now.

now fast forward to the first Monday in December, in the morning i got pulled into a meeting with my entire department and found out that they had let my friend Connie(who was my backup for my breaks) go and that they had rearranged my department entirely, but that for the most part the positions at our building would stay the same (our company has 4 buildings in the twin cities). i was so devastated for my friend who has been let go, because i knew her situation, and it was sad to see my only fellow Christian in the workplace get booted out the door. once this happened, i felt mixed in my emotions because for the time i felt safe, but i knew that it would only be a matter of time before more changes would be made within the company again, and that didn't put me at ease. i just continued believing God for favor, and in my spirit i had complete peace that no matter what happened that He would make a way for me.

so, that brings us last week on Thursday morning. when i walked into the office to start the day i noticed that things were a bit more tense then usual, and i wasn't quite sure what to make of it. one of my coworkers walked up to me and said "have you checked your emails this morning?" i had no being that i just walked in the door, and she said "oh well you definitely will see some interesting things!" when i logged into my email there were 2 emails from people in other departments saying how much they will miss the company and the people they have worked with, and that it had been a great time. i was really shocked by this especially since one of them had been with the company for 10+ years! shortly after that, another friend of mine walked up to my desk and said, "i know it's going to my last day today. i have a meeting with my department head in the next few minutes, and they have just laid off 2 other people in the warehouse, and i know i'm next" sure enough within 20 minutes he was out the door and laid off. i was utterly shocked! however, the layoffs didn't end there! they pulled in 2 more people who had also been with the company for years and let them know that they were also going to be laid off. literally this all happened in just a few short hours. needless to say everyone in our company was on the edge of their seat wondering if they too would be called into the dreaded office where they would be laid off.

at about 11 that morning the HR manager came up to my desk and asked to speak with me in her office for a few minutes, to which of course i said yes. as we were walking back to her office i thought "this is it, they are letting me go" but oddly enough in my spirit i had complete and total peace. when we got to her office she said, "don't worry i have good news for you." the company had indeed decided to put someone else in my position, but they all like me and my work, and didn't want to lose me to another company, so they wanted to offer me a position at our st. paul office in our customer service department, which is a PROMOTION for me!!!! it really took me a second to process what was going on, in the midst of all the layoffs they were making all morning long, letting people who had been working there for 10+ years, they wanted to PROMOTE me to a bigger position and PAY ME MORE!!!!!!!! TALK ABOUT THE FAVOR OF GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

that entire day i was so overwhelmed with the goodness of God! He is faithful to provide for me no matter what the economy looks like, or how bleak a situation is, it DOES NOT MATTER, because He is BIGGER than all of that and always finds a way!!! what really amazed me was how when all these changes were being made and i was not sure about my future, He gave me peace in abundance while He worked out my promotion! what an awesome testimony of His greatness! i have only been faithful to my little job as a receptionist, but my faithfulness to that job mixed with the favor of God made a way for me to get promoted without really having to lift a finger!! PRAISE GOD FOR HIS GOODNESS!!!

i just want to encourage any of you that may be feeling the effects of what the situation in our world and economy is like right now, to just continue to be faithful to whatever it is that God is having you do, no matter how minimal it seems, you can trust that while you continue to do that, He is working out BIG THINGS for you!!! it's good to know HIM!!

2008...what a year!

2008 has been one incredible year for me!! I knew that it would be big year for me, but it was better than I ever could have thought it would be. God has been so extremely good to Scott & I and blessed us beyond what we could have asked for. I can definitely say that it has been a year of drastic change, but it's been one fun adventure. I feel like recapping the good things that happened this year because so often it's easy to push those memories aside, but they are something that I want to keep, even if I end up being the only one to ever read this!!!

January kicked off my new year with quite a bang, Scott & I closed on our home January 30th and that was such an overwhelming day! Of course on the morning we closed we got to the office like an hour before our appointment time and as we sat in Scott's car it was a mixture of excitement, nervousness, and the feeling of "is this REALLY happening?" As we sat and signed through endless amounts of paperwork that would make any one's head spin finally after what seemed like forever they handed us the key to our home and said "Congratulations!" Again, the feeling of "is this REALLY happening?" hit us as we shook her hand and said "Thanks!" I will never forget the first time that Scott opened up the front door to our empty house, and even though we had been in the house just days before we closed, it was like the strangest new feeling I had ever had. As Scott & I stood quietly in our living room, I slid across the floor in our dining room and was like "WOO HOO!!" and it broke in our home. The best part of that day came shortly after that WOO HOO moment when Scott & I prayed together and dedicated our house to the Lord because it was HIS greatness and provision that brought us to that place!

Fast forward 5 months down the road, June 13th, 2008. THE BIG DAY!! The days leading up to it were hectic and I felt the most exhausted that I think I have ever felt in my life thus far. I remember the night of our rehearsal that I was definitely tense and crabby because I literally had been going non-stop since that Monday. Shaynah came up to me in the Bride's room and was like "Are you OK? You don't seem like yourself" (or something of that nature) and I started to cry and let out an "I AM SOOOO TIRED!!" I was trying to be brave and not let everyone see me cry but in that moment the emotions overwhelmed my "braveness". Thankfully when I got back from the dinner I pretty much konked out and was refreshed for the next day. I woke up really early in the morning (as is expected) and I was the only one awake. I remember it was a beautiful cool summer morning and the sun was bright and shining. I sat outside with my dog Lilly and spent time in prayer with the Father. I remember just specifically asking him for peace and that everyone who came to the wedding and was in the wedding would be overwhelmed with peace. It was an awesome moment and He totally fulfilled my request. The one thing that I heard from all the guests was how relaxing and calming everything was and how I was the most relaxed glowing Bride most of them had seen. (Who knows if they were just saying that, but either way it made me happy!) Even those around me where like what is going on? because I was more quiet than my usual self. Everything about that day was perfect, not everything went as according to plan, but it was perfect. I had such amazing friends and family make the day more than I ever could have imagined! The most memorable moments I have were obviously with Scott although to pinpoint just one would be silly because they were all so wonderful. What I really love is looking back at his face in the pictures because if you know Scott he usually only gives one expression in photos, but in all our wedding photos his expressions are the most genuine ones that I usually only get to see when we are together. That will forever make my day.

Our honeymoon in Vegas was probably the slowest time we had after the wedding, it was such a fun experience to get to travel with Scott for the first time! He had NEVER been on a plane before and poor guy gets pretty bad motion sickness. We have 2 flights to Vegas and he was really sick when we finally got the hotel that it ruined our first day there. I felt awful for him because his first experience in flying was anything but pleasant. We fixed that problem on the flight back Dramamine is amazing!! :) Anyways, Vegas was wonderful, just relaxing and ordering room service, it was a short trip but it was the most fun!

The rest of the year went by fast and I don't have much to really do an extensive recap on, but it was great. September brought little Kaden into our lives, and he is such a blessing. November brought Avery Faith, a double blessing in a little bundle. I guess as I look back at what happened in 2008, I am so thankful for the little things, family, friends, work, life, love with all those in my life my year would have been just as extraordinary, but the Lord is such a wonderful Father that He had to add in extra blessings to make my year outstanding. I hope that you were just as blessed as I was!! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

i can't say it all..

If you went to MCA, you probably remember in Bible class or in any class where you would take prayer requests that you could give an "unspoken" request if you didn't want to tell everyone what your need was. I guess I am writing this blog today because I have that request. There is a situation going on in my life & my family's life and it could really use some extra coverage in prayer, although the details are things I will not divulge.


I wish I could write it all out, because that would make me feel better, but it's just not something I can do. I would really appreciate it if everyone who reads this would just let the Holy Spirit use you to pray for this situation. This is something that is the most difficult thing I have had to deal with, as well as those around me who are involved in this situation, and I know that only by HIS strength and guidance that a solution can be met.

I can ask you to pray for these things:
-Peace & Comfort
-Direction & Guidance
-Safety
-Joy
-Supernatural provisions


Thank you so much for caring enough to lift these things up in your prayers! I appreciate it more than words can say. Also, I would encourage you to let the Holy Spirit use you to pray for those around you who may be going through situations like me, where they can't tell you everything that is going on in their life, but they still need someone to bear up underneath them in prayer. Even though on the outside it may all look OK, you never know what someone is dealing with behind closed doors.

we go together....

scott & kimmy go together like.....


minnie & mickey


rainboots & umbrellas


milk & cookies


peanut butter & jelly


christmas trees & presents

ice cream & ice cream cones

..& last but not least,

TOM BRADY & SUPER BOWL WINS!!! :)

...i have met my perfect match!!

a little bit more personal

I feel like being a little bit more “raw” and personal with my post today, I guess mostly it’s because of what has been on my mind the past few days, and writing for me has always been a great vent. I feel like when I am able to write my thoughts out that it is a way of me dealing with whatever is going on in and my life, and even at times it’s my way to let go.

I feel like in a lot of my friendships that I have had that I invested more than I have ever received from it. I feel like in so many of those friendships that I have been the convenient friend, or the dependable friend [in the sense that I will always be there whenever they need something but not vice versa], and quite honestly I am getting a little bit tired of it all. In high school I know that there were a lot of people like this in my life, people that no matter how awful they treated me, or how much they neglected me as a friend that I would always rush to their side when they needed someone. It wasn’t until I met Scott that I was really able to see that. He was so brutally honest with me about some of those people because he saw that I deserved to have so much more than what they offered. Even in that knowledge, I don’t think I really understood until college how really untrue some of those friendships were. I met amazing people while I was at Rhema, people who are the greatest friends that I have ever had the chance to know, and my eyes were open to see a lot of the things that I was missing. I am so blessed to have those people in my life still to this day, and it makes me sad that I don’t get to see them as much as I wish I could, but they are forever the greatest friends I have.

I feel like I am in a place in my life right now where some people around make me feel again like I felt in high school. Feeling like I am not good enough to be someone worthy of their friendship, or that I am “second-string” in the sense that if nothing better comes along then I will consider you. Almost like a closet friend, meaning that you are my friend as long as no one else is around to know that you're my friend. Sometimes it feels to me like with people that it’s this front that gets put up, in the sense that they will be nice to you face to face but when it comes down to it, they don’t really care about you. Really, I know that this shouldn’t be even important to me because my life is fulfilling in its own right, but I guess some times you can’t help but feel.

I feel like with those people that they almost try to make you feel bad for being yourself, and that you should apologize for who you are because you don’t meet their standard, or that you aren't fun enough to be around them. I am sorry, but I am not going to apologize for being me, I happen to like who I am. I am not as weak as I was in the past when I would let people treat me like dirt. I am a much stronger person now and I have grown up a lot. Growing up doesn't mean I am not who I was because I have remained true to who I am. I am still the same old me, nothing has changed about that. I have the same silly fun side to me, I still love to giggle, and have a good time, never taking things too seriously. I still love with all my heart, and if you are my friend you can guarantee that as long as you offer the same to me, that nothing is more to me than keeping you in my life. So if you don’t love it, then leave it because I really think I am past that point of caring. I am not going to feel sorry or feel bad for being ME! I love me, and there are plenty of people in my life who love me for me too!! I am not going to even try to make things work with those types of people because there are too many good things & good people in my life that I don't need all that extra stuff weighing me down.

So, there is my vent. Like I said, helps me get it out, & let it go.