Thursday, August 23, 2012

Let's Celebrate!!!

   
  So I've been wanting to blog and share the good news with everyone (like the good book aka the Holy Bible tells us to do), but Casey wanted to make sure everything was finalized before doing so, which was a wise move.  CASEY GOT A NEW JOB!!!!!!  PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!(Can you tell I'm excited?!) Now let me start off saying, that his current (but soon to be former job) was a job, which we know that alone is a blessing that so many do not have, and it gave us enough money to eat and help pay our monthly bills.  I will always be grateful to God for that, but his job and work environment are not what they were when he first started there 7ish year ago, and the direction it has gone has not been in the positive one.  When we first started dating in December 2010 some nights he would have to work till 7:00 at night (when he would get there at 7:00AM) and then go in on some Saturdays without being compensated for the extra hours since he was a salary employee.  Needless to say this was hard to only see each other for a couple hours on weeknights if we saw each other every day, which we did not.  Plus, when we did see each other, he was exhausted.  Casey really didn't complain (I took care of being irritated for the both of us).  It looked like the only way for things to get better and for him to progress his career any, he was going to have to leave this company.  
     Once we got the resume updated, conditions improved somewhat with such things like him getting off at 6 and the Saturday's he had to work decreased.  So he had hope that maybe he could stay with this job because of the positive changes we were starting to see, but after awhile it just got worse again and clearly Casey was not happy.  We got engaged and began the craziness of wedding planning, merging two lives into one, buying a house,etc.  Given all that chaotic-ness and stress, we decided it probably was best for Casey not to look for a new job because there was just too much other stuff going on.  He actually had an interview with another company during this time, but for reasons it did not work out and that was okay.   The wonderful man he is kept going to this job Monday through Friday (and yes Saturday's again) and it would break my heart when he would tell me on Friday night that he was sad he had to go back there again on Monday morning.  
     Meanwhile, very steadily some of Casey's coworkers were quitting for various reasons, such as going back to school, but there were many that were just moving on to other places.  Now that we were married and living in one house, it was time for the search to begin again.  We prayed very diligently that God would show us where Casey needed to be, and we knew he would answer us, but God's timing and our timing rarely coincide. so we were trying to do our best to prepare ourselves for the long road.  Casey tried looking online for jobs, but he couldn't do it while he at work, and with being there most of the day , he didn't have much time to look on his own. One of his former coworkers who was one of the first to leave this company gave Casey the name and number of a recruiter he had used to find him his next job. Casey contacted him, and after several phone calls back and forth, the recruiter found a job that seemed to match what Casey was looking for.  The recruiter submitted his resume and on July 31st Casey went in for the interview.  (Funny sidenote here:  Casey has to get his boss to sign a form whenever he wants to take vacation, well the morning of his interview that was later that day, this form to take the afternoon off still had not been signed.  Casey went in his boss's office and asked him to sign the form, and his boss jokingly replied back "I'll sign it unless you're going to an interview".  While his boss can not really stop him from interviewing, we also didn't want him to know Casey was looking to leave, so Casey recovered nicely and told him if he was, that he would bring him back something nice!)
    Casey said the interview went GREAT!  He even texted me when he was in the Human Resources area filling out paperwork by himself that there was putt putt outside.  He said everything there seemed really laid back and people seemed like they enjoyed working there, which was a very nice and welcomed change.  This company was very family oriented (YAY!), it's the kind of place where they work hard, but also play hard too.  They told him they had interviewed at least one other person, but were looking to fill the position sooner than later, so at least the waiting game wouldn't be forever, as I am definitely the less patient one of us.  We kept praying that this would work out, but knew if it didn't God had something better planned for Casey.  The following Tuesday his recruiter called and gave us the good news that he had gotten the job!  YAY!  While Casey would have loved to just given his 2 weeks notice then, we decided to wait till we had everything finalized with his new company (background check, drug test, offer letter and other paperwork signed) until he gave his 2 week notice, which he did today.  We are grateful for all that his soon-to-be former company taught him and for the friendships he was able to make over the years, but are looking forward to this wonderful new opportunity God has blessed us with!!

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28

Monday, August 6, 2012

100 Days of Marriage, 100 Things I Love About My Husband



Today marks Casey and I's entrance into triple-digit days of marriage!  To celebrate the occasion and also do something nice for my husband, I made him a list of 100 things I love about him.
  1. I LOVE that he loves the Lord!  
  2. He puts a :( on his calendar at work when it's that "time of the month" (Definitely a long week for both of us!)
  3. Knows so much about cars, because we will say my knowledge is VERY limited and that is being VERY generous!
  4. He makes me laugh!
  5. His smile!
  6. He cooks dinner pretty often, always a nice treat to see when I walk into our house!
  7. He still asks me on dates!
  8. He's a fantastic husband!
  9. He's a wonderful son, brother, brother-in-law, son-in-law, friend, etc.  It warms my heart to see him care so much about others!
  10. He kills bugs!
  11. The look on his face when I am more sensitive than usual and start crying for no reason.  The look on his face when this happened the first time was absolutely priceless!!  
  12. We read the Bible and pray together every night before we go to bed!  His prayers are very thoughtful and genuine, and how can you not LOVE hearing someone read you God's word?
  13. He is very handy!  This boy knows how to build things, drill holes in walls and connects wires so your television can be mounted, and so on!  A huge plus when you have a home of your own!
  14. That he knows I must be fed before we start any long road trips, because a hungry wife is a cranky wife!
  15. He will take time off from work and then spend 20 hours in a car in one weekend to go to a friend's wedding.
  16. He doesn't mind that I talk so long at church.   I have been educated on how to turn out the lights, and usually am the last if not close to the last person to leave.  He told me if I were an Olympian, I would be in the sport of "gab-nastics" and would win the gold easily!
  17. He takes care of the lawn! I despise mowing the grass and my brief stint at doing to make some extra money as a child did not result in a very pretty yard by any means!  Even when he has worked hard all day, he will take care of our grass!
  18. He remembers anniversaries and my monthly birthdays!
  19. He gives excellent massages!
  20. He gets me flowers for no reason sometimes other than to say I'm an awesome wife!
  21. He is so involved at church from saying prayers or reading Scriptures in Bible class or worship to helping do the podcasts each Sunday at church!  Such a servant's heart! LOVE it!
  22. His heart!
  23. He tries his hardest to make me happy!
  24. He loves ME so much even when I drive him crazy!
  25. He works hard at a job that's not the best, but continues to go every weekday and some Saturday's (Ugh!) because he's trying to be a good provider.
  26. He's my best friend!
  27. He ALWAYS prays before his meals!
  28. He LOVES giving!  Whether it's a donation to a charity or buying school supplies for a child at a children's home, he ALWAYS wants to help in some way.
  29. He holds me accountable and isn't afraid to stand up to me when I'm wrong!  I don't usually like it, but I do need it!
  30. He calls me at least once a day when I'm at work to see how my day is going!
  31. He will watch some of my girly TV shows with me!  Not too much, but some is better than none!
  32. His favorite day is Sunday because we get to go to church to worship the Lord together!
  33. He's very genuine.  You can tell his actions and words are heartfelt and sincere, and that's he not pretending to be something he's not.
  34. How much he cares and loves me.  Since our first date, I have never doubted or had to question how he feels about me, which is so wonderful!
  35. He tells me I'm beautiful even when I have just had surgery and look like a semi-truck ran over me.
  36. I always wish I could spend more time with him!
  37. He takes care of me when I am sick.
  38. He walks an insane number of steps in the warm Hawaiian sun just to get a sno-cone for his wife!
  39. He gets in the freezing cold water late at night just because his wife wanting to go swimming and wear one of the three swimsuits she brought for their honeymoon.
  40. He is super laid back, which is a great balance for me!
  41. He is overall a very clean boy, which is much appreciated by his wife/roomie.
  42. He is extremely patient.
  43. He gets along with everyone!!!
  44. He asked me to be his wife!
  45. He likes to hold my hand.
  46. He puts the worm on the hook when we go fishing and will take the fish off for me.
  47. He texts me a bible verse every day.
  48. He will wash dishes and do laundry without complaining.
  49. He knows how to use our BBQ grill and knows how to use it well! Yum!
  50. Even after working 10 hour days and being tired from that, he goes to church to work at VBS.
  51. He makes me want to be a better person!
  52. He is a dog person like me.
  53. He cares enough to send the very best with a Hallmark card, and even reads more than one now to make sure he picks out the best card.
  54. After God, I am his top priority.
  55. He doesn't mind going to preschool graduations, company Christmas parties, college graduations, or choir concerts to support those friends/family members he loves.
  56. He constantly tells me I'm the best thing that happened to him!
  57. That I get to hopefully grow old with him and then spend eternity in heaven together!
  58. He works hard to surprise me, which is something I love, but I know is hard to do!
  59. He doesn't mind going to marriage retreats or relationship seminars at church to make our marriage even better.
  60. He makes sure we stay in touch with our family and friends and don't go too long without seeing each other.
  61. He has taught me to appreciate and enjoy quiet evenings at home.
  62. Even though we had only been dating about 3 weeks and he didn't really know my family, friends, or even me that well, he came up to the hospital to visit me every single day but one (which I told him to stay home).  This was not a short trip from work to the hospital, but he was so sweet to visit and scored many points with my family and close friends!
  63. He makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world!
  64. He always can see the many blessings God has given him in his life.
  65. He is thoughtful!
  66. He doesn't complain when I come home late and tired from work that we have frozen pizza for dinner.(Definitely not a proud culinary moment here.)
  67. He spends some of his Sears card reward points that he has accumulated over many years to buy his wife a deep freeze.
  68. That he ALWAYS gives me a kiss and tells me he loves me before he leaves for work.
  69. He opens doors for me and is always the gentlemen!
  70. He is willing to apologize if he is wrong.
  71. He is very intelligent!  I definitely married a smart one!
  72. His skin tone!  He's not pasty pale like his wife, and if he spends some time in the sun, the result is a very nice tan!
  73. He comes from such a wonderful family, who I have the blessing of calling my family now!  They seriously are the BEST!!!
  74. He makes me smile!
  75. He makes me breakfast pretty much every Saturday when he's not at work or we're not out of town.
  76. He really does try to listen and understand his wife, which is not an easy task most of the time!
  77. He is willing to learn new things.
  78. That I get to have a home with him and we get to share our lives together.
  79. He is really good about thanking me for all that I do and showing me in return how much he appreciates me!
  80. He is really easy to please and appreciates the simple things in life!
  81. He always offers to pump gas in my car at the gas station.
  82. He gets over being angry very quickly.
  83. He's my hero!
  84. He's very wise and conscious in how he spends the money God has blessed him with,  He tries to be a saver and doesn't have to spend it just because it's in his wallet!
  85. He wants to go to heaven!
  86. He's very trustworthy. 
  87. He's very good at explaining things.
  88. He's very supportive of me and helps me to reach my goals and achieve my dreams. 
  89. I always feel safe and secure with him. 
  90. He's mine!
  91. He offers to help his wife clean the house.
  92. He is such a wonderful Spiritual Leader and always willing to serve!
  93. When I get into bed, he lets me put my freezing cold feet on his legs to warm them up.
  94. He spends 7 hours at Bed Bath and Beyond registering for wedding gifts without too much complaining.
  95. He's super sweet!
  96. His beautiful brown eyes!
  97. He sends me random email, texts, or calls me just to tell me that he loves me.
  98. He takes out the trash/recycling pretty much all the time!
  99. His commitment to me and making our marriage something that is great and pleasing to God.
  100. How much better my life is with just him being in it!
Happy 100 Days of Marriage Casey!

"And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love" 
1 Corinthians 13:13