Thankful

I don't know about you, but I ate a lot of dressing.

I'm stuffed silly, but could continue to eat dressing every day for the rest of my life.

Only if it has the little chunks of egg in it, though.

Yum.

Back on the diet, Katie...

THINGS I AM THANKFUL FOR IN 2010:

1. My dear sweet hubby who decided to surprise me when he picked me up for lunch today with a half-dozen red roses, just because I wasn't feeling well with a cold that I can't kick. Too awesome. I love you, Ben.

2. My wonderful families that Ben and I were able to spend time with over the holiday. Grace and support flows from these people. Love them.

3. My sweet Charlotte. I don't remember life before her, and hope that she lives to be 100 years old so I never have to live without her.

4. Continuous grace from my Lord and Savior. How could you not believe?

5. My new car, even though we're pretty sure it has an electrical short and must be sent to the car doctor this week.

6. Future plans for Ben and me...and plans to start a family...

7. A Pig and A Paintbrush which is thriving!

8. You out there who read my ramblings.

9. Zaxby's and Taco Bell. OMG.

10. Shoedazzle. Really. Try it out. What an investment!

11. Waking up every day for 333 days and counting in 2010.

12. Etsy. Saving my life on Christmas presents this year.

13. Employment for me and somewhat non-employment for Ben. Things are so iffy nowadays and we are lucky to be gainfully employed.

14. The Military History Channel. No commercials! Best channel in the middle of the night!

15. The State of Alabama Department of Public Safety for perhaps giving my husband his dream job in 2011.

16. Febreze Pet Odor Eliminator, Swiffer, and OrangeGlo.

Ben and I have been so busy lately. With A Pig and A Paintbrush items flying left and right, I have no time really to do anything else at night. It's a blessing though.

We did go see Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan in concert the Friday before Thanksgiving. AMAZING. Jason Aldean is Ben's favorite. It was a rocking concert. We hardly sat down all night. And yes, we belted (along with everyone else in the BJCC)

"TAKE YOU FOR A RIDE ON MY BIG GREEN TRACTORRRRR!"

So fun. Concerts are the thing Ben and I do together. We've seen several this year.

The January after we got married, we saw the Eagles live. A dream.

August 2009, we saw Keith Urban and Sugarland for our anniversary in Nashville. Incredible concert.

For Christmas last year, he gave me tickets to see Brad Paisley and Miranda Lambert (my fave) in January. They were awesome.

We saw Lady Antebellum and Tim McGraw this summer. Another great concert.

Then, Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean two weekends ago.

Plus, we love live music and will go to fun places around town to hear cool tunes and discover new bands.

It's bonding time.

Ben is headed to Selma Sunday night to spend the night at the Trooper Academy. He takes the physical test Monday. I will be an absolute wreck at work on that day. I know he'll do fine. I get more nervous than he does. PRAY PLEASE!!!!!

Christmas season has begun! I got some AMAZING deals at the after Thanksgiving sales (and a receipt from Belk that says, "You saved $445." Yep, I'm saving that one.) There is Christmas music on the radio at work. Magic 96.5 plays non-stop Christmas music. We watched "The Family Stone" with Ben's mom last night and "Christmas Vacation" with Ben's family on Thanksgiving Day. Decorations are going up SOMETIME this week (I got an awesome new wreath for our front window!)

Here's a sneak preview of a Christmas card photo. I bought Charlotte a jingle bell collar to wear in the picture. She HATES it. Absolutely scared of it. So, once the picture was done, I gave it to Ben's stepmom for their dog, Sophie. Apparently, Sophie doesn't want to take it off and wears it constantly. I'm glad my $4 is being used.

Sorry for the long post. I just needed to ramble a bit.

RANDOM MUSIC MONDAY!!!!!

I know I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd give you one today! Here's a Jason Aldean song I can't get out of my head off his new album "My Kinda Party." It's my favorite on the album. If you are a country music fan, you should pick up this CD. It's a great one!

"TEXAS WAS YOU"

The Space Between

I don't know if you've noticed, but I like to write like I talk.

Lots.

Of.

Dramatic.

Pauses.

For some reason in the post below and in this one, my stylistic paragraph breaks are not showing up.

I.

Don't.

Like.

It.

I like to use them for emphasis, you know?

Did my high school English teacher take over my blog and delete my paragraph breaks because in a typical written paragraph, it should consist of at least 5 complete sentences?

Whatever.

Have a wonderful Sunday.

Thanksgiving for Ben and me starts TONIGHT!!!!! We have a Thanksgiving dinner tonight, then are heading to Jackson for umpteen Thanksgiving dinners with Ben's family on Tuesday, and then will return home late Thursday night. Friday, I will wake up super early to go have Black Friday with my Mom's family. It's a tradition. We shop and then we go see whatever Christmas movie is out.

And the annual Christmas celebration begins with Mom and me in the car listening to Michael W. Smith's Christmas album on the way to the mall on that Friday. Neither of us are allowed to listen to Christmas music until the opening bars of that CD.

It's the little things.

Random Thanksgiving Trivia: Did you know almost 50% of American families choose to eat somewhere other than the home on Thanksgiving day? What is WRONG with these people? They obviously have never eaten my Aunt Net's dressing.

How Great is Our God!

I am such a terrible blogger.

I apologize to you, 11 readers.

Life has been SO BUSY.

Catch u

Ben is through with his job as of November 13th. I am now married to an unemployed bum.

I lie. We totally joke about that. He's not really unemployed. He took a buy-out at his old job, so he's technically still getting paid to sit around for a while.

But it is hilarious to joke about it.

He always asks me, "How was work today?"

I tell him all about it, and then I usually ask him, "How was work for you today?"

Now, he has something entertaining to say.

"It was a really hard day today, Katie."

"I sure hope I get paid for all the work I did today."

I've asked him to do a few things around the house and the current retort is,

"Well, what else am I gonna do?"

And then that precious little crooked smile.

Love it.

TEST RESULTS!!!!!

He passed the Dothan Police test with an 84!!!!! He is ranked 6th! My man is a genius!!!

I am so freaking proud of him.

We were a little worried about the written test. Bless him, but he is super ADD. No, seriously, actually took medicine for it in high school. He is very smart, but doesn't do well when it comes to testing. We knew that if he could get past this written test, everything else is gravy as far as the physical test and background checks and such.

But he did it! Praise the Lord!

Funny story...we found out about his test results on Thursday night.

The Monday before, he got a lovely little packet in the mail...from the State of Alabama Department of Public Safety.

It was a letter from the State Troopers asking Ben if he was still interested to call Mrs. Williams at DPS Personnel by November 29th to schedule his physical test for December 6th.

STILL INTERESTED?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

This is all my hubs has ever wanted to do. This is all I've ever heard about.

Troopers. Troopers. Troopers. Troopers. Troopers.

(kind of a funny word if you say it a bunch)

He has been corresponding with a Trooper by email since he took the written test almost two years to the date ago. A few months ago, he said that they didn't forsee having a Trooper academy at all next year and maybe not even the next year. Ben had given up on Troopers until the economy (hate that word) turned back around. He was just going to join a local force and get experience until the Troopers were ready to hire again.

In other words, Troopers were the furthest thing from our mind on Monday, November 15th.

When he began reading the letter out loud to me Monday night, I busted into tears. Raw emotion. Pure happiness. This is exactly what he wanted. And it came to us on his first day of unemployment. The day that was supposed to be the scariest. Things were so uncertain.

How great is our God!

Now there's somewhat of a plan. We've decided to keep Ben out of work through the holidays, just to keep from causing scheduling conflicts with our umpteen families through Thanksgiving and Christmas. He wants to go back to school in the spring to start working towards his 4 year degree again (he never finished and really only has like a year and a half left). Pay is higher when you have a degree. :) Then he'll get a part time job in the meantime just so he's not stuck in the house all day long driving me nuts. Trooper Academy is scheduled to begin in June, so testing and background checks and interviews will take place intermittenly between now and then.

And then he goes to Selma for 24 weeks for Academy. I'll think about that later.

But, he's going to continue on with the Dothan Police also. We don't want to place all of our eggs in one basket and then be left with none when one falls through. He'll make a decision further down the road.

So, that's where we are. I am so proud of Ben. Please, someone give him a badge. :)

Random Trivia Fact: The letter he got from the DPS said there are Trooper shortages in all 67 counties of the state of Alabama. Makes you feel really safe, huh?

You're the Inspiration

Ben took the Dothan Police test on Tuesday.

We should find out in a few weeks if he's passed and can move onto the next step in testing.

I'm a giant bundle of nerves.

Not that I doubt that he'll pass. I'm positive that he will. He's a very smart guy and he feels confident in his test. He says he did well.

But I'm dying at the uncertainty.

I don't like not knowing where we'll be in a few months, or how fast it will move along, or if it's even a possibility at all.

I don't like it one bit.

And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what they call a segueway.

DAY 7 OF THIRTY DAYS OF TRUTH:

Someone who has made your life worth living.

WARNING: SAPPY POST AHEAD.

Is this obvious or what?

Trick question: There's TWO people who have made my life worth living.

Person #1: BEN

DUH.

He is unbelievable.

Why is he unbelievable? He's smart, funny, caring, generous, loyal, honest, hardworking, loving, passionate, fearless, thoughtful, strong, proud, sensitive, and the most genuine person you will ever meet. He is absolutely perfect for me in every way. He makes me smile when I'm sad, makes me laugh when I'm melancholy, and makes my stomach turn into a butterfly house multiple times a day. Everything that I am not, he is. We are like puzzle pieces that fit together.

Or as Phoebe says, he's my "lobster."

And he's freaking cute. Have you seen him?

Every morning, I am excited about what the day will hold for us and our marriage. We've experienced so much together already, and we've only been married for 2 years and together a little less than 4.

I know my life is richer because I have him. I can depend on him to be strong when I am weak. I can rest assured in the fact that he LOVES me and wants nothing but the best for me and us. I know that when we said our vows, he meant them and lives by them. I am confident that we will be with each other until death parts us, because we made the commitment that the "D" word is not used in our house.

He LOVES me.

One of the greatest compliments that we receive is that love is written all over our faces. More than one person has told me that they can literally see that he adores me and that I adore him, just in the way that we look at each other and interact with each other. I was told that our wedding was intimate and special, totally about us, and exemplified the love that we share. How cool is that?

So I think to myself, how could I NOT want to repay him for everything with my life? I strive every day to be a Godly wife who treats him with honor and respect, even when we are apart. I never do anything that I would not do with my husband present. I never want my commitment to him to be questioned. I live to make his life comfortable and easy. I try to show him with words and actions just how deep that love goes. I want to prepare a life and household for him now that will function well later as we transition to children, career paths, and eventually grandchildren and retirement.

That is what makes my life worth living...part one.

Person #2: JESUS CHRIST

Duh.

Without his grace and freedom, life would not be possible. He has saved me from the miry clay and lifted me up to be a daughter of the Lord Almighty. His death on the cross and life from the grave has given me the opportunity to leave this crappy earthly life and live with Him forever in perfection in Heaven.

When I am down, His Father's Word lifts my spirits. When I am lonely and afraid, I can cry out to Him for protection. When I sin, I depend on His forgiveness and grace to welcome me back time and time again. When I am weak, I am reminded that His strength is made perfect in my weakness and I have nothing to worry about.

If His eye is on the sparrow, I know He watches me.

So how could I not want to repay Him with my life? Of course, nothing I do will ever repay Him, but that's the beauty. All He asks is that I believe and follow. He takes care of everything else.

I believe. I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He was beaten, crucified, and raised again to give me and all sinners new life in Him. I know without a shadow of a doubt who holds my life. I am confident that my eternal life is secured. I trust in Him to provide and to guide.

I follow. I live life with no regret or fear or sadness. I proudly proclaim who saved me years ago, and continues to save me every time I fall short. I turn my worries and cares over to Jesus and relinquish control (which is so hard sometimes). I spend time with my Father in prayer and in The Word. I make Him my priority. I go because I am commissioned to.

That makes my life worth living for...part two.

Tough

DAY 6 OF THIRTY DAYS OF TRUTH:

Something you hope you never have to do.

This is a no brainer for me.

I hope I never have to go through what my mother did.

My mother is the most awesome person in the world. Not only did she work a full time job as a teacher my whole life, but she worked full time as a mother to two not so easy to handle kids, and was a full time pastor's wife. Did you count that? Three full time jobs.

Yes, being a pastor's wife is a full time job. Especially in a small church. She played the piano, organized Vacation Bible School, taught Sunday School, entertained church members in our home, and lived in the proverbial glass house. Trust me. Full time job.

And then it happened.

The Big C. Cancer.

Not to her, but to my dad.

Add another full time job - Cancer Patient Caregiver.

If you have never lived in a home that cancer has immediately touched, it is really hard to understand exactly what it entails. It's still so vivid and heartwrenching, but I will try to convey to you exactly what we lived through.

Dad's cancer was vicious. It began as malignant melanoma, but by the time it was caught, it was in his lymph system. Basically, there was no stopping it. He was never fully in "remission." Once a month, my parents would leave my brother and me with a family in our church (to whom we are forever grateful) and drive to Birmingham (3 1/2 hours away) for dad to receive chemotherapy treatments and countless surgeries. They would treat the bouts, but the cancer always came back.

Mom was constantly moving. I really don't think she rested for the five years that our family fought this battle. Her precious friends at work donated sick days for her to stay with my dad. When he had his "bad days," she was his nurse. On his "good days," she encouraged him to get up and go. Our house was always clean, our meals were always cooked (when we didn't have a generous outpouring of food from church members - we were seriously in an awesome church family), and Mom made sure life went on. We still played sports and did our homework and went to church. She made sure that the Big C was just a bump in the road of our family's life.

Mom was sort of the glue that held us all together, especially in the last year of Dad's life. Dad couldn't care for himself at all and was quickly fading. We all knew the end was near. My brother and I were never in the dark about Dad's illness. We always knew every detail.

When it came time to decide if we were going to stop treatment for Dad, Mom included Wes and me in the decision. When he died, she mourned, of course, but encouraged us that life would get better and God is always in control.

Sounds amazing, huh?

I never want to do that.

I never want to watch my husband deteriorate like I watched my Dad deteriorate. I never want to tell my kids that the doctors are not sure if their father is going to live to their graduation or not. I never want to hold my husband's hand as he passes to the Lord at 43 years old. I never want to mourn my husband's death at such a young age.

I have no clue how she did it. I cannot imagine the unbelievable pressure that she lived under every day for five years. She was the one fully capable person in our house. She did everything. My father helped when he could, but he often wasn't strong enough.

People say to my mother still, to this day, "You are so strong." Mom and I talk about this often. She's really not. I've seen her breakdown from stress and pressure and sadness. I've seen her absolutely distraught. But our family motto sort of became "one day at a time" through all of this. That's what she does. She takes each day one day at a time.

I know that every morning she wakes up wishing she could see my Dad's face. I know that she would give anything to turn back time for one more day with him. But she learned along the way that if she just put one foot in front of the other, each day she got a little bit stronger.

She had to. She had Wes and me. She had to keep pushing. If she gave up, our family would crumble. She is driven, motivated, honest, poised, confident, and yes, Mom, you are strong.

And that, I hope to be.

Random Point of Information: I love you, Mom.

YAY! I'm back!

And I sold this!

And this!

And several more! Check out my Etsy shop for more!

I'm super excited about these awesome things! I've got a loooooong list of more I want to make! Ben has been so amazing cutting them out with his jigsaw! Several women asked, "Who cuts them out for you?"

I said, "My dear sweet husband. He got a new power tool!"

They said, "He does a great job!"

It's always nice to brag on your spouse. :)

Anyways, so that's over. I made a little cash money to save up for when Ben is unemployed for a month or two (blech) and if it keeps up, it definitely could be a lucrative side business! Lots of women took my card to email me for custom orders!

Tonight, I'm taking a break. No housework. No painting. No nothing but playing with Charlotte and my new phone (I bought one from Ebay!).

I lie. I may actually fold a little laundry before bed. Only because we need it so badly! I seriously haven't done a lick of housework in weeks but just picking up here and there. Our house is disgusting.

Tomorrow.

NEXT POST IN 30 DAYS OF TRUTH:

I am a rebel, and I don't want to do 3 & 4 tonight, because they are depressing and I don't want to be depressing tonight. I am going to skip to Day 5.

SOMETHING YOU HOPE TO DO IN YOUR LIFE.

We've been married for over 2 years now.

I am DYING to be a mother.

But we can't have kids right now. Life is way to uncertain to even think about starting a family. We cannot afford pregnancy during job transitions - moving and money are too much. I cannot be pregnant while Ben is in police academy - I will be a basketcase. I cannot even THINK about starting a new job with a baby in my belly - who would want to hire me?

Too much uncertainty to have a baby.

But everywhere I look, there are babies and kids and baby clothes and strollers and everything else that goes along with babies. It feels like everybody I freaking KNOW is having a baby. New baby pictures on Facebook. Look at my cute kid.

Baby baby BABY.

I think I have baby fever.

I know when the time comes, it will be perfect and wonderful and I will love it, but I just wish it were sooner rather than later. What's even scarier is that Ben and I are on the same page about this. We BOTH want kids now, but know we aren't able to. Everyone in the family is asking, "When are you two gonna have a baby?" WE KNOW! IT'S TIME!

So, that's my one thing. I hope to be a mother.

I was never one of those girls who felt like her whole goal in life was to be a wife and mother. I wanted to be accomplished in my career before all that happened. But then I met Ben and WHOOSH! He changed my mind.

I would give anything to be a stay at home wife and mother. Wake up every day and take care of the household, pay the bills, run the errands, change the diapers, cook the food and do everything here so Ben doesn't have to do anything but work and be a father to our kids. I would be great at that.

In this day and age, with the careers that we've chosen, this dream is more than likely not possible. We would not be able to afford everything we enjoy PLUS a baby or two without both of our jobs, or Ben working so much that he would never be home. So I will have to be a mother like my mom was - a working mother. My kids will be latchkey kids and will spend afternoons in daycare. I can handle that. My brother and I turned out just fine.

Then there's the underlying fear like what if I can't HAVE kids? What if there's a medical issue that we don't know about that we won't find out about until we start to try to have a family? I will be devastated! I know there are other option out there in case of the odd chance that this happens, but I'm not sure that I want to go through all that. I don't know if I want to put my body through in-vetro and other medical procedures.

Pretty sure I'd skip all that and go straight for adoption. There are so many children who just need someone to love them. I could do that. I can provide some children with a home that they would otherwise never have.

Or could I be content with just Ben and a few pets for the rest of our lives? I don't think so. I think I need that extra slice of the pie to fulfill what I am supposed to do with my life.

I need a Jakob Allen Parrish, Benjamin Owen Parrish, Maggie Grace Parrish, or Layla Beth Parrish in my house.

Random Question: Sister Wives - WWWWHHHHHAAAAAAATTTTTTT???????? I knew polygamy existed, but seeing it like this is so bizarre that I have caught myself literally watching this show with my jaw dropped. I can't handle it. No other woman will touch my man.