Some Things I Just Love

Happy Friday everyone. I thought I would do a fun post just "for giggles" (as my husband likes to say about everything) of Some Things I Just Love:

1. Getting a coupon in the mail from Starbucks for a free coffee on my birthday (May 10th). Pays to register for those Rewards2. Finding that pair of shoes on clearance - a moment of sheer joy. Running is much easier when you have a good pair of shoes! We both have not purchased a new item in so long that it was pretty exciting...
3. My friend Becky. It's her birthday today! Happy Birthday Becky girl! We met in Hawaii over ten years ago - I thought she was a native, and it turned out she was from the town I grew up in Montana. How random is that?
4. My mom's emails. They are the kind that make me laugh out loud, because is not trying to be funny, but comes across hilarious.
5. Running with Matt. We did speed drills last night - and we both sprint at around the same pace. We have a ten-miler tomorrow morning!6. Learning how to cook. I think I have finally mastered cooking up a mean salmon and stir fry. My baking still needs some work (like, don't drop in a whole egg - shell and all - into the mixer). I am having fun just playing in the kitchen for now :)
7. Season 3 of The Office. We borrowed the DVD set and have watched an episode every night. So...awkward and funny!8. People that have chocolate jars on their desks at work. We are instant friends!
9. Cameo apples. I have an apple in my lunch box everyday. I just love 'em!10. Crystal-clear mornings on the drive to work. Today, you could see Mt. Hood (in Oregon) and Mt. Adams (in Washington) in the same view. It was stunning! This is a closer look:
11. Hope. I love hope, because it is better to have it than not. Simple as that...
12. The Duggar Family. I know that they have their share of critics, but I am not one of them. Their show, "19 Kids and Counting" is really cute and I like to catch it on YouTube when I can. I love how creative they are with frugality and running a household. The mom, Michelle, has the sweetest spirit and never raises her voice at her kids. It is amazing.13. I love Fridays. I always have!
14. Good news. It's been a great week - Matt's work has really picked up and is growing, and my temp assignment was extended yet again. There may even be some potential to do a little work from home, which will cut out two hours of commuting a day - time I can spend cleaning the house.
15. Which brings me to #15 - I love to clean the house! Mom and dad are visiting next weekend, so I better get that list started. I'm excited!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Just a Little Excited...

Matt and I went to the running store to get some special socks for him that prevent blisters. Behold, on the horizon...
...a pair of women's size 11's on the clearance rack...
...the SAME pair that I have loved and bought three other times: the Nike Air Pegasus running shoe. Normally around $90, I got for....$30. My fourth pair in 3 years of running - they have never given me a blister. Happy feet!

Thank you Jesus!

I did a little dance in the store, and got a few stares. Oh well. RIGHT when I thought we could not afford to keep up with running - God provided!

It's been super busy at work - but I hope to get to your blogs soon. Happy "halfway through the week"!

Blooming Babies

I've had quite a lot of baby shower invites lately - babies are blossoming everywhere! One of the gifts at the one that I attended on Saturday was the cutest little tutu...my pastors' wife's daughter did a great job modeling it...
Jen, the lovely lady sitting in the middle glowing, hosted me when I first moved to the Tri-Cities area last fall. I had known her only moments when I met her at a church BBQ when she insisted that I come live with her and her husband while I was planning my autumn wedding. I will never forget when, in September of last year, we were making the floral arrangements for my wedding when she told me they were expecting. I was overjoyed!
I love taking photos at these events, so that the expecting moms, hostesses, and grandmother-to- be's can just relax and have fun.
....and I love all the food. ;)

We had a MUCH needed weekend - a lot of laughing (thanks to old episodes of The Office and Matt's sense of humor), cuddling, running (nine miles!) and naps. I felt so refreshed returning to work today and just really grateful for all we are blessed with. We really have it so good.

How was your weekend?

Financial Peace - Final Lesson: Give It Away!

Matt and I never missed ONE of the lessons in the 13-week Financial Peace University class that we have been attending on Tuesday nights. We feel so grateful for all that we learned in these amazing sessions. This last one had us teary.

It opened up with a story: a couple that has decided that they want to start the process to adopt a baby as soon as they finish paying of the remainder of their $10,000 debt snowball. A couple from their church that they hardly know decides that they want to just give them a check for $10,000 because they have a heart for adoption and want to help others be able to do so. That couple had the means to give because they had been careful with their money. It left all of us wanting to give, give, give after we watched this DVD!

Some notes:
"We have a duty to be good managers over the blessings God provides. The great misunderstanding is that we believe we’ll get more by holding on to what we already have more tightly.

A steward is a manager, not an owner. Give the first 10% of your income to your church or favorite charity. Even if money is tight because you're working your debt snowball, you should still give something. The amount doesn't matter; blessing someone else is priceless. "

Matt and I have HUGE dreams for giving. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to bless others and causes with gifts or money, which is not as often as I would like it to be. I was blessed to be sponsored nearly entirely by the blogosphere the summer of 2008 on a trip to Uganda, so I know the humbling feeling of being a recipient, too. We were also given a very expensive engagement ring by someone we had never met that had heard our story. We were recently able to give away one of our "spare" cars when we realized that we hardly ever needed two cars.

If I could do something TODAY, anything - it would be to pay for Inklings' surgery. She is one of the most generous people that I have EVER met. She blessed my socks off last year with an extremely generous gift and now herself is in a place of significant need, and I am financially unable at this time to do anything (and that kills me). If anyone out there knows someone that has experienced a traumatic birth and has a heart for moms', please send them to Inkling's blog. She has a "donate here" button on her blog, secure through PayPal, for anyone that feels led to give. Her story is incredible. What she has endured this past year is unfathomable. She just had the surgery recently, but is stuck with large bill.

The biggest lesson on giving is how it changes your heart. It helps you unclench your fists, we keep such a tight grip on our money that it can almost become an idol to us. When you are generous, you learn that our money was never even really ours in the first place - it is all God's, and we are managers of it.

Matt and I are in a huge battle right now, fighting for freedom from debt and the rat race. Taking these FPU classes helped us to both be on the same page and for that we are forever grateful. We feel pumped up and equipped to make good choices with money and our things.

If you could give in any way, what would you like to do?

A Much Needed Weekend...

Friday night we had a couple from church over for dinner. We all ended up telling embarrassing stories and laughing our heads off until 10pm. It was *just* what I needed, though I was originally so tired I was not sure if I would be able to make it past dinner. The wife brought me a bouquet of flowers called "sweet and spicy" - and I took it apart and made four bouquets that are now all over the house :)

Saturday was LAZY! We moved our long run and errands to Sunday and took advantage of the 80-degree temps with a stroll along the river, a coffee date, and watching some TV shows online (since we don't have cable). I watched a million episodes of 18 Kids and Counting. I love them Duggars! I felt so much better after the wonderfully lazy day. It'd been a hard week.
I attempted to bake bread using the bread machine, but the oil and the yeast did not make friends so it never rose. And, it tasted awful! Oh well. It made the house smell nice :)

Sunday was our long run - an 8-miler in some warm weather. We were so bushed afterwards that we took a nap and then watched some episodes of "The Office" that we borrowed from friends. Strangely, it just made me miss the Edison House girls because we used to watch those together.

We also did some major couponing this weekend. If it was on sale, we had a coupon for it, and needed it - we got it! We stocked up on cereal, yogurt, soup - all good stuff.

Afterwards, I noticed I had a lot of Buy One Get One Free coupons leftover. I stuffed them in Matt's wallet. Then I noticed he had no cash so I snuck a bill in there too. So he will be able to use the coupons ;) I know, I am so generous!
Aren't I so sweet...

We have another big week ahead of us - basically, some big efforts on the business front are taking place, and if they succeed it will mean a lot. If not, it is sort of like square one again. Matt and I would really appreciate your thoughts and prayers as we step out a little more in faith with our vocational journey. We both know that we are gifted in special and unique ways and want to use these gifts in the best capacity we can.

I hope you all have a great Monday and thanks for all your encouragement!

Friday Funk

I am in a bit of a funk today. It's been a busy week, and I am exhausted.

Sometimes busy-ness totally overwhelms me. There is just not enough time in the day, days in the week, and months in the year to get it all done.

I feel frustrated today thinking about high fuel costs. It means that I can't just plan a trip home to visit family.

I am sad when I think about people that do not keep their word. May your yes's be yes's and your no's be no's, please. Otherwise, you hurt people.

I am grateful for my job but the long commute = too many hours away from home each day. Being on the treadmill at 5:15am so I can get a run in because I am gone from 6:30 to 5:30 at night and have evening plans (and still get to bed at a decent time) makes me sometimes question whether I can continue to afford running (and a social life). I am learning the dance of balancing priorities, I suppose...

I cannot afford to eat healthy and that is just wrong wrong wrong. I am trying my best to make it work, but it means a lot of time in the kitchen that I do not have.

I got an email from my mother-in-law yesterday that sums up just about everything that I needed to hear right now. I will leave this for you this Friday.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You say: 'It's impossible'
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)

You say: 'I'm too tired'
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: 'Nobody really loves me'
God says: I love you
(John 3:16 & John 3:34)

You say: 'I can't go on'
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: 'I can't figure things out'
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5-6)

You say: 'I can't do it'
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)

You say: 'I'm not able'
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: 'It's not worth it'
God says: It will be worth it
(Romans 8:28)

You say: 'I can't forgive myself'
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: 'I can't manage'
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)

You say: 'I'm afraid'
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)

You say: 'I'm not smart enough'
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: 'I feel all alone'
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)

A Great Giveaway for Moms!

A fellow blogger and mom that I was referred to when I was looking for some baby shower gifts, Laura, has a small business making modern baby goods. Fruit is doing a giveaway this week - a fantastic diaper clutch. I have purchased three of these already and they are popular! :)

She is giving up to five entries each. The diaper clutch is worth $35 - head on over to her site!

See her blog for details! Her business website: Fruit Baby Goods.

Happy Thursday, all. Are your taxes done? :)

Financial Peace - Lesson 11 - Real Estate & Mortgages

(this is a photo of a steel frame house, built from a kit for cheap!)
It was our second to last class this week - next week is our final class all together. What a journey that it has been! Matt had been in mortgages before we met, so I knew he would enjoy this class too. I think we were the only couple there that does not own a house or pay a mortgage, but still - we learned a lot for when we do someday (and we will only get a house when we can truly afford it).

Some Key Points:
- When selling a home, think like a retailer.
- When buying a home, think like an investor.
- Never get more than a 15-year fixed mortgage. Don't tie up more than 25% of your income in house payments.

One of our questions was on how we will even qualify for a mortgage in the future if we are not using any more credit. We learned about manual underwriting:

Dave's views on manual underwriting:
"Most people we work with have never heard the phrase “manual underwriting” until they get plugged in to an FPU class or start listening to Dave on the radio. So, what does it mean? Basically, if you do the things Dave teaches, like getting out of debt and cutting up your credit cards for good, your credit score will eventually become what’s called “indeterminable.” This will leave some idle bankers scratching their heads if you try to get a mortgage!

Remember, your credit score is based on debt—how much debt you have, how much your debt payments are, how long you’ve been in debt, etc. So, when you get weird and completely debt free, your credit score is going to go into shock. With no active debt, there won’t be enough credit activity on your file to calculate a credit score, and eventually it will drop all the way down to zero. Awesome!

The thing is, though, most mortgage lenders use only your credit score to determine whether or not to give you the home loan. They don’t really look at you at all; they just care about your three-digit FICO score. So, if you don’t have a credit score because you’ve gotten your financial act together, these lazy lenders can’t—or won’t—help you.

In that case, you’ll need to see a lender who does manual underwriting. These mortgage lenders actually look at you. They take the time to see who you are, what you do, what your current financial position is and more. Sure, the process takes a little longer, but wouldn’t you rather deal with someone who knows you by name instead of by some stupid, meaningless number?

Has this changed recently due to the economy? Well, there will always be lazy lenders who don’t want to go to the trouble of manual underwriting. You don’t want to do business with those guys, anyway. We checked with our friends at Churchill Mortgage and they assured us that manual underwriting is still alive and well, and they’re approving these mortgages at A+ rates every week.

Now, this doesn’t mean that just anyone can walk into a bank and walk out with a home loan using manual underwriting. Remember, this is the way weird people do it, so there are some requirements you’ve got to live up to. Specifically, you must:

Put at least 20% down on your home.
Choose a 15-year, fixed-rate conventional mortgage.

Have a strong employment history and personal income to support the loan.
Demonstrate 4–6 trade lines that span 18–24 months. These are just regularly recurring expenses such as rent or homeowner’s association fees. Also, your old credit history has to be in good shape. Even if you have a zero score, the old history is still there and impacts the loan decision. If you have an old history of late or missing payments, then you could have some problems.

The best way to buy a house is the “100% Down Plan.” That is, pay cash for the whole thing! If you can’t do that, then Dave has always taught that you should only take out a 15-year, fixed-rate conventional mortgage with a good down payment, and you should only buy a house when you’re out of debt with a solid emergency fund. So, if you’ve been doing what Dave’s been saying, you should be fine. However, if you start messing with the requirements, like trying to put 5% down on a 30-year loan, you’re probably not going to have a good experience with manual underwriting. If you can’t meet these basic guidelines, then the truth is you can’t afford the house and we’re glad you can’t get the loan! It would break you!"

All the talk on how much a house cost got me dreaming of cheaper ways to build one. I had heard about straw bale houses that cost $6000. I looked up some photos online:



There is a ton of real estate mortgage, but really it is too much for me. I will just say that the class was really good and I think that the biggest thing that we learned is to only buy a house when we can afford to make a substantial down payment and afford the payments that come with a 15-year term.

House-buying seems long off for us, but we do dream...

Happy Wednesday, all!

Because I Take the Pictures...

...that means that I am rarely in the photos. But, my favorite photo subject being my sweetfunnycute husband, here is what we have been up to: Fixing the plumbing in the kitchen. Matt likes to go to Ace Hardware to look at all the guy stuff, so he did not mind picking up some plumbing parts and fixing our sink himself.
Ace also sells roofing nails. So...another trip there this weekend meant he could bring me along on the walk there, and he tackled a roofing project on Sunday (reattaching some shingles that flew off during a recent windstorm...). What can't this guy do?
Attend a Ladies' Tea at church, for one. That is what I did on Saturday, and it was fun. I snapped a few photos, this one being my favorite for good reasons. I love cupcakes!

Matt surprised me with a clean house when I got home . He scrubbed the showers - seriously, how did I get so lucky?!? I should also mention that he snaked the drain of my nasty hair. It was *so wonderful* coming home to a deep cleaned house!
And, I love this guy. Since I know his folks' visit my blog from Germany often, here is their fix of their sweet son. (Sorry I could talk long on Saturday, Marian!)

So we had a great weekend. Great date night on Friday (used a coupon at Quizno's and watched "Old Dogs" - so funny!). Saturday we went on a fantastic 7 mile run in a light spring breeze and used a coupon again for a pizza treat after the Saturday night church service. Then Sunday was a more restful day aside from doing errands (we walked everywhere!) and the outside work. While he did the roof project, I cut down a dead bush. It still had Christmas tree lights hidden in it and Easter eggs from years ago!

How was your weekend? Happy Monday, all!

Financial Peace - Lesson 10 - Working In Your Strengths

Woo this weeks lesson was a great one!

Matt and I both have had a lot of vocational variety. Right out of college, I did social services and worked for a gym. Then, I taught English overseas, did some temping, and was an assistant for finance and administration. Matt has been mostly in sales the past decade with a ton of variety within that sphere as well. This class was awesome because it was about doing what you love, because according to Dan Miller, "money is ultimately never enough compensation for doing a job."

Here are some of my notes!
- The average job is now only 2.1 years in length. (!)
- This means that the average worker could have as many as 20 different jobs in his or her working lifetime.
- Small business is changing the way that we think about work. 98.3% of the companies in America have fewer than 100 employees.

As you discover your strengths and weaknesses there are some main truths:
- you do not outgrow your personality.
- you grow in your strengths and you will grow the most in the areas that you already know and love the most.
- find something that blends your skills, abilities, personality traits, values, dreams, and passions.

The DISC Profile - a simple test that helps to better understand what your natural tendencies may be.
D = Dominant (driver). A person with a hard-charging driver that is task-oriented and first looks to problems. About 10% of people are Dominant.
I = Influencing (expressive). Someone that is people-oriented, fun, outgoing, and generally concerned about people-pleasing, so they first look to people. About 25% of people are Influencers.
S = Stable (amiable). This person is amiable, loyal, does not like conflict, and is concerned about pace. About 40% of people are Stable.
C = Compliant (analytical). Analytical, loves detail, factual, can seem rigid, and loves procedures. About 25% of people are Compliant.

Regarding Overtime and Extra Jobs:
Raising your income long-term is a career track issue. Raising it short-term means the dreaded part-time job. I had a hard time with this lesson because you could not pay me enough to work evenings in addition to what I already do during the day. I am newly married and need time at home with my husband. We both agreed that second jobs are not an option right now for us - our marriage comes first. There may be a time that would be the way to go, it is just not now.

The key points from this lesson were:
The key to power in your career is to first look at yourself.
Plan your work around your life, rather than planning your life around your work.

When searching for job or vocation, it is important to know what kind of personality you have, as well as your strengths and weaknesses. By identifying your traits, you are much more likely to find a job in which you will love and excel, and you will learn how to work well with people who have different personalities.

Some great information on career change is found on Dan Millers' 48 Days site.
_______________________________________

Overall, I really liked this lesson. Each week is bittersweet for us - lots of learning, and then after the class there is lots of processing and talking. Sometimes it is hard, but we are grateful for all that we are learning now.

No surprises that according to an online test, I am predominantly an I (influencer) and secondary is the D for dominant. Very interesting! What do you think you are based on the descriptions?

Two more lessons to go: real estate and mortgages is next week and the final lesson is on giving BIG. So excited!

Happy Wednesday, all!

About 5 Months Ago...

I can't believe that nearly 5 months has gone by since Matt and I tied the knot! We were talking over coffee this morning how time flies when you are having fun...

I waited for a looong time for this sweet guy. And he was SO worth the wait - God knew exactly what He was doing when he matched the two of us together!

Everyone has told us that the first year of marriage is the hardest, but my guess is that it will be when children arrive. In the meantime, we will continue laughing our days away.

(To give you an idea, this morning Matt sang to me VeggieTales songs the whole drive to work!).

I am one very blessed, happy lady!

I'm thinking we need to celebrate somehow, in some inexpensive way. Off to dig through my coupon stash :) Have a great Tuesday, all - I will have a post up tomorrow on the weekly FPU lesson on "working in your strengths" :)

Our First Easter

Image by my very own Matt, graphic designer extraordinaire! He did this for our church service :)

Well technically, it was our second Easter. Last year, Matt flew out to visit and see the cherry blossoms in DC with me. This was our first Easter as a married couple! I love being married!

It'd been a busy week. By the time that Friday had rolled around, I was exhausted and so so so ready for a weekend. We attended the Good Friday service at church and since one of our pastors was playing music and his wife was at home, we offered to hold their two kids while he played drums. I had a baby on my lap the whole service. It was delicious. I LOVE babies! Matt gave me googly eyes from time to time - we so look forward to being parents someday. It was a special evening. ;)

Saturday was a super windy day. This affected our weekly Long Run as we train for a summer marathon. Matt was off to a monthly men's breakfast, so I enjoyed doing some housework and cooking. We ended up taking a much needed nap in the afternoon instead of that run, then did our grocery errands. It was my first trip out couponing, having now collected enough of them to be worthwhile. We saved close to $40 on our first trip! I will some future posts on some sweet tricks to couponing. We got a weeks' worth of groceries for about $50 for the both of us.

We did our long run in the evening, after the wind had subsided. This week's "long" run was only 5 miles, so it was short and sweet (and hour). Matt's shin splints were pretty bad last week, so we were pleased that investing a few dollars in some compression sleeves did the trick to alleviating pain in his shins. Before bed we watched "The Blind Side" - what a great movie! I highly recommend it!

Easter Sunday was wonderful! We helped to set up the service, so we had to be there at 8am - but we woke up to a gorgeous sunrise. The service was fantastic and afterwards we went to a little potluck nearby a couple put on. I forgot my camera! Boo! We loved the homemade dishes and sweet desserts. We brought our appetites and left nice and full...that meant a long nap afterwards! Matt and I slept for close to two hours. It was a perfect afternoon.

We watched some episodes of "18 Kids and Counting" online. I love that show! That family is beyond precious. I know they get a lot of criticism, but I just love them.

I tackled some cooking in the evening - I like to make some meals ahead for the week, as well as a meal for local couple that just had their third boy over the weekend. So I whipped up fish chowder, a cheese turkey casserole, and salads. Matt read to me as I cleaned up, and we called it a night.

It was a great weekend. *Sigh*. Just got to get through this busy week at work and I will have another one to enjoy. Life with Matt is beyond fun and wonderful. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend - He is risen indeed!

Happy Monday!