Summer Edition

There's been a lot of changes for our little family these past few weeks. First, as Andrew already mentioned, he's now the Associate Pastor at Village Bible Church. We couldn't be more thrilled! We're both praising the Lord at His timing and provision.

Second, my last day of work is Tuesday as Andrew & I have decided the time is right for me to be home with Alice more. It's hard to raise your child to know the Lord when she hardly sees you each week. So we're thankful for the change, but if anyone knows of something I can do to make some money from home, I'm all ears! Right now there aren't a lot of options for a mom with a 1 year old, but we trust that God has a plan for this too.

Third, I decided the blog needed a summer look. Okay I guess that change isn't such a big deal. I'm also hoping to be able to blog more frequently now since I'll be home, although I make no promises :-)

Alice is now rounding out the second hour of her nap, which means I probably won't have this lovely silence much longer. Off to laundry and other exciting stay-at-home mom things! YAY! (And I really actually meant that. I'm quite excited about doing stay-at-home mom things at 3PM!)

Post MORE??

After Happy's inspiring posts, I thought maybe I should make a resolution to post more on our blog... But then I realized that you have to actually post with some regularity before the resolution to "post more" would apply.

There is a real reason why posting doesn't happen much from my end. The main reason is based on the fact that life for me is just about exactly the same from week to week. I suppose I could share stories about the crazy lady I work with who constantly paces around my cubicle, causing my entire desk to shake and my computer to rock in such a way that I frequently think it's an earthquake... but who really wants to hear about that?

Today was bagel Friday (like every Friday) and (like every Friday) I toasted a sesame seed bagel and put margarine on it. Normally by this time on Fridays I am sitting at the front desk answering phones from 12:30-5PM. It's really exciting. Today my routine was changed by the mail arriving late, causing the "normal" receptionist to stay a little later in order to sort. I am currently waiting for her to call me so I can go down to my duty.

After work today I'm driving up to meet my mother-in-law for the rest of the drive up to Santa Maria because Mike (Happy's cousin) is getting married tomorrow! Okay, that's more exciting than my work schedule. The best part is my mother-in-law is joining me on the ride so it won't be 3-4 hours of me driving alone in traffic. She's pretty great :-) (I promise I'm not trying to suck up, I really think she's great). Perhaps when we return there will be pictures from the wedding...

Okay, I'm sure I'll be called any minute to leave my post (HA, in two ways) so I'll end here with that excellent pun. Happy weekend!

The little things...

First off, I realized that we never posted on our blog that I'm pregnant :-) Really. I am. This isn't a joke. I know it's not a joke because I threw up, ironically mainly in the morning, once each day since Tuesday. Today has been a bit of a fluke since I haven't spent any time with my head in the bowl, but I'm definitely not complaining.

Secondly, and the real reason for this post, was to share my joy in the little things that the Lord provides. This morning my Aunt Laura called me after we've played a long game of phone tag (perhaps two weeks now). It's been a blessing to keep in better contact with her since our visit to the East coast in June. Part of our conversation was talking about finances with a baby on the way. I shared that I am mostly excited and confident that the Lord will provide, but I have my what-if days. She encouraged me with what she tells her two daughters, "Somehow it always works out." I'm thankful to serve a God who does always work it out, whether through trials and difficulty or through orchestrating events in a surprisingly pleasant way. He knows just what He's doing and it is exactly what is best.

After such a lovely conversation on my ride to work I realized that I still was feeling good (as in, not queasy) and thanked the Lord for that and my aunt's call. Since then, the day has been fairly uneventful as I've had an abundance of energy (which is abnormal) and been able to get much done. The next little thing came when I was supposed to be taking my lunch but working through it because food didn't sound pleasant. At about 12:20 someone came in with Chinese food and it smelled SO good. Unfortunately, I needed to be at the front desk answering phones at 12:30 and didn't have time to go get food. Chagrinned, I came downstairs to relieve Kelly from her phone duties thinking maybe I might convince her to stay a few minutes longer so I could run and get food. Here's how the exchange went:

Amy (carrying a bunch of papers and work to do at the front desk): Are you ready, Kelly?
Kelly: Oh! I'm so sorry! It smells a lot like Chinese food! I don't want to make you sick!
Amy: No worries, I've REALLY been craving it since Alicia brought it upstairs.
Kelly: Really?? Do you want some of mine? They gave me WAY too much!
Amy: YES!!! I would LOVE some!!! You just made my day!
Kelly: Okay, just take this (handing me her to-go box FULL of chow mein) to the kitchen and get a plate and take what you want. Thanks! I thought I was going to have to throw a bunch away!
Amy: Kelly, you are my best friend right now. Seriously. I'm so excited for this chow mein.

I know, I'm a huge dork. But I walked away thinking I have nothing to fear because my God will take care of me... Even when I don't think it's "important" enough to ask. Yeah, it's been a good day all because of the little things...

Christmas Pictures!

I'm still alive--I promise! I know I haven't posted on the blog in well.... a long time.... Perhaps I've just been too busy with all that's going on, but the main reason.......... I forgot about our blog!!!!

Now that I've been graciously asked by my wonderful husband to post pictures on our blog, I thought it would be a good time to post more than just pictures. Yes, this will actually be an UPDATE by AMY.

Since..... my last post...... we've been getting more involved with church and loving it very much. We've had opportunities to get to know many of the students better and are beginning to build friendships with them that I pray the Lord will use for His glory. It's so exciting to use the gifts He's given us and see Him work!

Speaking of work, things at my job have been getting more and more busy. I've gotten many more responsibilities and have very little free time. I'm now entering about 80% of the invoices we receive and helping sort the invoices by vendor each month. I've been getting more "odd" jobs from many of the project managers as well, and am thoroughly enjoying being more of an asset to the company. My hours also changed so I now work 7am-3pm with a 15 minute lunch break. Wednesdays I work overtime for payroll, and have begun entering time cards (we have over 250 to enter each week). It also sounds as though there are some changes on the horizon, but we'll see how that goes.



For Christmas we were able to fly back to the East coast to visit my family. It was such a blessing to spend a more extended period of time with my family and enjoy the cold weather as well! Of course a lot more can be said about that--in particular about our flights there and back--but I think I'll save that for another post. However, I am supposed to post pictures, so here they are.

Things that Make Me Laugh

Is it mean to laugh at every person who insists on pulling a door that displays a clearly printed sign, such as the one above, telling them to PUSH? So, maybe they've never been here and it's their first time using that door, then I may be a bit more gracious. But what about the ones who try pulling the door every time they use it, every single day?? Personally, I find it quite hilarious. It's even better when they scold themselves for doing it. HA!

Bored at Work

Yesterday I decided that I should carry my camera around with me more often because I frequently say "I wish I had my camera right now!"

The result of that is a BRAND NEW album entitled "Bored at Work."

I think it's pretty amazing. No, seriously, I do think it's amazing. And it has nothing to do with the fact that it's 4:00 pm on a Friday and I'm sitting at work with the three other people in the office, staring outside while the phone doesn't ring. You may think I'm exaggerating about the phone not ringing.... I've been counting... SIX times in the last hour and a half. If you average that out, it's one call every 15 minutes. I'm pretty sure my husband would say "Why aren't you reading???" But, I've already been reading Oliver Twist long enough that my eyes hurt so I needed a change of pace. Anyway, here is a taste of the album I just made. You should really take the time to browse through it.

A Good Monday

Do you ever have one of those days where you are super-productive? Hopefully you have so that you can understand and appreciate this post. I'm only posting because I just finished all my invoices from Friday, Saturday and today! That NEVER happens. Usually I'm not caught up with invoices until Tuesday afternoon and I finished my invoices about a half hour ago. So, even though my eyes are playing funny tricks on me from looking at so many numbers, I'm excited to be done with invoices until the mail comes tomorrow :-)

Side note--it smells like onions in the office today. I'm not sure if it's because someone actually had something with onions in it, or if it's just some phantom smell wafting through the office for no apparent reason; but it's gross. For a while it was making my eyes water and my head hurt. I think I'm either used to the smell now or it's fading. Either way, it's not bothering me any more, which is great.

In other news, yesterday was Tom's 22nd birthday and Happy & I were able to go down to Camp Pendleton for a visit. We brought presents, cards and cheesecake for him, along with In N Out for his "birthday lunch." He'll be heading out to Florida probably on Wednesday for his next phase of training, which is school for 14 months as he trains to be an aviation mechanic. I'm glad he was out here for a little while, even if we could only see him for two days. Oh, and feel free to check out the pictures!

Some Thoughts

After the long weekend, I had the largest stack of invoices EVER. I just finished all of them. Some times that is the best feeling. I'm DONE! ....until the mail comes tomorrow :-)

Since we've been pretty bad at updating our blog over the last few weeks, I figured I should post even if I have nothing in particular to post about. But, then I realized that it'd be really boring to read and no one would want to comment and encourage my writing. Then I remembered that people commented on the "I'm pregnant... just kidding" post. But I decided I wouldn't give my dad-in-law heart failure again.

So here's what's been on my mind and heart lately: I've been quite challenged by some situations that bring up my biblical counseling training and it's really exciting, but I can't exactly share the details of that. I will say that it is a wonderfully undeserved blessing to see God working in the hearts of His children! Praise the Lord for His faithfulness! Praise the Lord for His perfect plan in our lives! Praise the Lord for His holiness and His justice and His grace! Praise the Lord that no matter how crazy life seems to us, He still knows what He's doing and it's not out of His hands! What a blessing to rest in that hope :-)

Non-Monday Morning

This morning didn't feel like a Monday to me. I'm not quite sure why, but I'm feeling better than I normally do on a Monday. I've put a little thought into this and I think these are some of the reasons for the non-Monday feel of my morning:

1. I spent an hour on Saturday doing the Advanced Tae Bo workout video and then did it again this morning. Despite all the sore muscles in every part of my body, I think my energy level has increased.

2. I went to bed last night after praying for the motivation to get up in the morning and exercise. I think God gave me the right perspective on it--I'm not a morning person.

3. Ruth is getting married on Saturday!!!! I'm a bit excited about going up on Thursday with Abigail and Heather to spend some time with Ruth before the wedding :-D

4. I just read Gunner's blog from last Thursday, which put to words much of what I've been thinking about and learning. What a blessing!

5. The project I've been working on is ALMOST finished! I worked on it for a while on Sunday afternoon and now only have "finishing touches" left. My goal is to finish it tonight.


But for now, I'd better get to my invoices. Have a wonderful Monday and praise the Lord because His mercies are new every morning :-)

Friends at work

We've had a couple visitors this morning at work. Someone decided it would be good to feed them early this morning and they've been here ever since. They are hanging out very close to the front door so that whoever comes in or out has to be sure not to let them in the office. Unfortunately they don't seem to be too intimidated by people. Right now they are napping in the shade. A little while ago they were drinking water from the bottom of the planter outside. I figure they'll only last so long before they want water and food. Then again, if someone keeps feeding them, why would they leave?

Telephone Etiquette

As many of you know, I am a receptionist. My main job description is to answer and transfer calls. Obviously this would mean that I’m on the phone for a large portion of my day, which has led me to begin a list (see below) entitled “Telephone Etiquette.” Keep in mind that this list has been compiled over the past 7 months and is intended for business use—not necessarily personal calls, although some points can certainly be applied there as well.


1. Be sure you are not eating, chewing gum, or sucking on some sort of hard candy. No matter how “quiet” you think you can be there’s always that moment where you lose control and a large “SMACK” echoes through the receiver. Very unpleasant for the person on the other end.

2. Say your name and the company you are calling from. If you forget to mention this and the receptionist asks this information, do not give it with an impatient tone in your voice. Understand that there is basically no way that you will get past the receptionist to the person you wish to speak to without relaying this information.

3. Pay attention to your phone call. It is extremely rude to converse with others nearby while you are speaking to the receptionist. Similarly, be aware when the phone has been answered. It is quite discombobulating to pick up the phone and hear someone yelling to another person on the other end. Plus, it hurts the receptionist’s ear.

4. Try to call from a quiet place. If you are on a construction site, don’t stand right next to the truck backing up or the man sawing beams or the guy running the jackhammer. Believe it or not, these things can actually prevent the receptionist from understanding what you are trying to say.

5. Never make a call from speakerphone. Most of the time it sounds like you are under water or calling from a foreign country with a bad connection. If you have some great aversion to using the actual receiver, use the speakerphone once you have gotten past the receptionist. You could also simply try to get over your aversion and use the phone as it was intended and how most people do.

6. Do not interrupt the receptionist. Not only is this rude in normal conversation, but it is incredibly frustrating to the receptionist. Most likely, the receptionist uses a phrase or two upon answering the phone. Let the receptionist finish. How would you like it if the receptionist interrupted you?

7. Do not hang up on the receptionist, even if you just found out the person you are calling is not available. If you would prefer not to leave a voicemail, it is quite easy to say that politely. Receptionists have been known to keep lists of “People to Hang up On.” Watch you don’t get added to the list!

8. Do not mumble. No one can understand what you are saying, let along someone on the other end of the phone line.

9. Know what you are going to say. Be prepared to answer questions like “Who is calling please?” and “What is this regarding?” These are very typical questions for a receptionist to ask and oftentimes the receptionist is required to ask these.

10. Do not take out your anger/frustration on the receptionist. Ninety-nine percent of the time the receptionist has absolutely nothing to do with whatever it is that has bothered you. Also, you are probably wasting your breath telling the receptionist about whatever it is that has bothered you because the receptionist is only going to transfer your call and you will have to explain it all over again. Plus, the receptionist probably has other calls coming in and doesn’t want to be rude by interrupting you. Bottom line—be nice to the receptionist.

Contentment

Yesterday I spoke in secondary chapel. It was a humbling experience. The message was entitled "Contentment: Discovering the Secret to Satisfaction - God's Way." I was given about twenty minutes to speak and spoke for about twenty-five minutes (oops!). Every day last week I studied with my Bible, a MacArthur Study Bible, a book of illustrations and quotes (thanks mom!), a dictionary, and a Bible commentary. My primary text was Philippians 4:10-19. It was challenging to me to communicate the very words of Almighty God to a group of junior highers and high schoolers.

I learned why pastors have to spend 20-30 hours every week preparing their sermon. My notes were not as cohesive as I would have liked. I also learned to make my notes in a large enough font so that I can read them when I glance at them on the podium.

All praise and honor is Gods' for all the kids and teachers that commended me for the message.

Soli Deo Gloria

Life is Good

Wednesday morning and I'm already caught up with invoices! Today my ride to work was less than 20 minutes. It was 18 minutes, to be exact. Needless to say, it made my morning :-)

In other news, the great tragedy of our VCR messing up in recording 24 last week is now behind us. Ron graciously recorded it for us (he has TiVo) and we were able to watch it before this week's episode. I'm pretty sure life would have continued if somehow we weren't able to watch it, but I'm thankful that Ron helped us out.

Since I have no invoices to do until the mail comes, I'm planning to read for most of the morning. I'm now a little less than halfway through Prince Caspian in the Chronicles of Narnia. They are such great books! I'm sure I've already said that, but they really are. I would highly recommend them for anyone, no matter how young or old. On that note, back to Old Narnia!

Ironic

Today when the mail came there were nearly 3 times as many invoices as I get on a regular day...... 12 Blessings.... bah....

Colossians and Invoices

Last night at Bible study, we studied Colossians 3:15-17 and I realized that the Lord has been trying to teach me a lesson for a while now. Verse 17 along with 23-24 (which we haven't studied yet) have been playing over and over again in my mind since then. Actually, I decided to write out Col. 3:23-24 on a post-it note and put it on my computer at work:

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve."

I'm sure this is a typical thing for Christians to post on their computer at work, but I'm hoping that it serves to challenge me in my mundane work. I don't mean that to be a complaint, but honestly... who thinks stamping, coding, and entering invoices into a program is anything less than mundane? Exactly. Yet, God doesn't say to do my exciting work heartily. He doesn't qualify the "work" at all. So somehow I need to rejoice in stamping, coding and entering invoices knowing that "it is the Lord Christ whom [I] serve."

As I've been pondering this I'm reminded of those cheesy commercials about changing your career or getting a new degree. You know what I'm talking about.

Last night we talked a lot about thankfulness too, because it is mentioned in all three of the verses we studied. Often times it seems that once I stop focusing on the bad stuff and start thanking God for the good stuff, my attitude turns 180 degrees. Some of you may have seen this coming, but I decided that I need to play 12 Blessings about Stamping, Coding and Entering Invoices. I suppose this is one I've been putting off for a while.... Hopefully this challenges some of you, but mostly I'm sure it'll challenge me!

12 Blessings about Stamping, Coding and Entering Invoices

1. I have learned 10-Key and get A LOT practice with it almost every day.
2. It gives me the opportunity to help our A/P department with the massive amount of work they have.
3. I have learned a little more about the company I work for.
4. Doing something for the company makes me feel more like I'm "part of the team."
5. I have memorized many of the codes I use, which helps to exercise my terrible memory.
6. I have memorized many of the job names that go with the job numbers, which helps in sorting paychecks by job every Wednesday.
7. I am better able to sort the mail to the correct Project Managers.
8. It doesn't demand a high level of concentration, so I can multi-task more easily.
9. I get to open a whole bunch of mail every day!
10. I get two stamps that are mine--only mine :-)
11. I get to make a big mess every time I refill the ink in the stamps!
12. It is incredibly satisfying to finish a huge stack of invoices and then READ :-D

Phew... that took WAY too long. I won't tell you how long though... At the end I remembered that sometimes it's the small things you need to be thankful for. So, those are some of the things that I like. I am so cool. Right now I have a small stack of invoices to finish and then I'm going to read. Have a wonderful evening!

BLUE?!?!

What does it say about me that the most exciting thing about my day at work--yes, I was genuinely excited--was the fact that I got to use a blue highlighter on the invoices I code instead of yellow since we need to order more yellow highlighters? Yeah, and to make it even worse... I then started thinking "How exciting would it be to use green or orange! And I could have days... or weeks where I use one color and then change it... maybe I could use a different color for each month!" Ah, the little things in life :-)

Rush hour

That's right, this is what I experience every day--TWICE! Actually, the Lord has taught me a lot about myself and Himself as I spend an hour and a half (at least) every day sitting in stop-and-go traffic. For this reason, I am inspired to play 12 Blessings about Rush Hour Traffic! These are listed mostly in no particular order.


1. I have become more patient as I join in Rush Hour (let me add that I definitely have a LOT to learn in this area and I do indeed still have impatient moments, days, weeks...).
2. Rush Hour to work is good preparation as I can pray and/or listen to worship music in the 35-50 minutes I have alone.
3. Rush Hour home is a good time to unwind, again praying and/or listening to worship music.
4. Often times the Lord uses different experiences in Rush Hour to remind me of His attributes (sovereignty, faithfulness, protection and many more).
5. There have been several Rush Hour moments (mostly on my way home) where the Lord breaks me of sin and I can just think and pray about whatever He has shown me.
6. Rush Hour never fails to remind me that I am not the only person in the world who wants to get home after a long day.
7. Rush Hour is a good time of anticipating seeing my wonderful husband again at home :-D
8. Every so often Rush Hour serves as a time to catch up with friends and family on my cell phone--using an earpiece of course!
9. Rush Hour gives me a chance to listen to the news that I'd like to hear but don't always want to make the time for it.
10. Rush Hour reminds me that life is precious but fleeting, which causes me to ask myself how I will live each day in a way that is honoring to the Lord.
11. Rush Hour reminds me to pray for others, even if I don't know all the details of their lives and struggles, I can still pray for them.
12. Rush Hour provides hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people with jobs--the police officers pulling miscreants over, the construction workers seeking to widen the already massive freeways, the guys who do smog checks, the guys who pump gas at gas stations... Just think how many people benefit!

Ok, so I got a little desperate on that last one, but it is true!

On a more humorous note... this morning as I participated in Rush Hour I saw a guy in a convertible with the top down. Not an abnormal sight you might think, but I bet you have never seen a guy in a convertible with the top down--wearing a chicken hat! Yes, that's right, this guy had a chicken hat strapped onto his head. It looked like those chickens in the Muppet Babies. I nearly burst out laughing. I suppose people do strange things on Halloween. Oh yeah, and Happy Halloween! 

Busy week!

That's right! It was a busy week for me in the office! I've been coding, entering and checking invoices like crazy and hardly had time to blog or email or anything. I'm sorry for those who haven't received emails in a while. I'm hoping to get to that next week (since we still don't have reliable internet at our apartment).

Wednesday night Mike and Raphaelle came for dinner (actually they brought dinner--Mike's tasty enchiladas). After a tour of our apartment, we talked for a while and then played cards and talked more. We then decided that we need to do dinners at least once a month, alternating between our apartment and theirs. I'm glad we are making these plans :-D I had lots of fun and am looking forward to getting to spend more time with them now that Raphaelle (and soon-to-be Mike) is in LA!!! Thanks for the visit Mike & Raphaelle!

Tonight Happy and I are having a "date night" of dinner and a movie. Happy is surprising me so I don't actually know where we are eating or what movie we'll see. I'm sure it'll be wonderful though :-)

Like most Friday afternoons, the office is like a ghost-town (minus the ghosts... and tumbleweed). There is a golf tournament that half of the office is participating in and then there are the 10 of us left to hold down the fort. The phones are quiet though so I've been entering, checking and now coding invoices. But, I did spend a good amount of my afternoon reading through the Friday Funnies at what is becoming one of my most-liked blogs. I laughed out loud at many of the funnies. Enjoy!

Football season!!

This weekend is the company retreat. It's pretty quiet around here and I'm told tomorrow will be even worse. Oh well, I have things to do now! I've spent most of today entering invoices into our accounts payable program. That's right, I've entered approximately 150 invoices. Now I have to print out the report and check my work. I decided to save that for tomorrow.

A few weeks ago I ordered Tae Bo tapes and have been waking up in the morning to exercise with them. The last two mornings I've been really energetic as I exercise (particularly compared to the mornings when I just want to get back in bed), which is fine--except for the fact that sitting all day just makes me feel more and more sore! More than once I've stood up and stretched for a while. I haven't sat on the floor to do so, but I might if no one's around :-D

Lunch today was spent upstairs at Bree's computer looking at our wedding pictures! Angie came by and looked at some with me. She said they were beautiful pictures. I agreed. Actually, the real reason I was looking at my wedding pictures (again) was to pick out ones we'd like to put in our wedding album, which I am going to put together. I'm excited for that project!

Tonight Happy is videotaping the first football game at LCS for the coach to watch later. I LOVE watching football games (in person), particularly night games when it's colder. I just love the whole atmosphere and the school spirit. It brings back fond memories of being in the marching band and sitting on the metal bleachers when it was 40 degrees in New Hampshire. We used to wear those real thin gloves that do next to nothing just because it was better than pressing your numb fingers against the keys of your metal instrument. Ah memories! I love winter! Ironic that now I'm living in southern California where "winter" isn't quite the same as the definition I grew up with. Oh well, the football game tonight will be fun! I hope you all have a lovely evening and praise the Lord because He is worthy to be praised!

Drown it!

Today is an all-day seminar called "Get Motivated!" which about a dozen of the guys are going to. This means it will be a quiet and slow day. Good thing I have stuff to keep me busy :-)

I thought I'd let you all know (mostly my Mom and Mom-in-law who may be interested) that I decided to try to drown my plant--in a good way! Up to this point I've only watered it two or three times because I stick my finger in the dirt and find that it is still very moist. I thought perhaps the plant needs more water than I think plants need. Actually, that's the only thing I could think to do. Happy and I have been trying to give it more light which only seems to wither the leaves faster. So I watered it this morning before leaving for work. I'll let you know if it starts to perk up in the next few days.

My ride home yesterday was again a little over an hour. I think it had to do with the fact that it was the Tuesday after a holiday weekend. I'm hoping that's the reason. Plus, Tuesdays and Wednesdays are characteristically worse than Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays traffic-wise. You may wonder why Thursdays aren't as bad as the other mid-week days... Thursday is carpool day at many offices! I learned this once I began working in an office. Interesting. If I were running office carpools, I'd make our carpool day on Tuesday or Wednesday simply because everyone else takes Thursday. Hm. Oh well!

Yesterday for dinner was marinated chicken with pasta salad and peas. I found the recipe for the marinade online and it tasted pretty good. I forget the name of it, but it was pretty much a pineapple-ginger flavor. Kind of sweet with a little kick. Happy liked it :-) I think it'll stay in my box of recipes! Speaking of which, Mom-in-law--I need to get your snickerdoodle recipe!

Ok, back to coding invoices! God bless and have a Christ-centered day!