The Most Wonderful Time November 1, 2008

This past weekend, 2 dear friends of mine came to visit. A whirlwind trip, my friends Holly and Kim came from Norman and Tulsa, OK, respectively, to hear a mutual friend perform at a local coffee shop Friday night, and left Saturday at noon. I was so excited that they stayed with Dave and I the one night they were here. It has been way, way too long since I have been able to see/talk to either one of these awesome girls for any amount of time.

After the concert, we came back to my house, along with Shelli, and spent a few hours just talking, rehashing old times, and generally laughing it up. The four of us, Holly, Kim, Shelli, and I, were quite the crew in college. At different times, in college and at New Life Ranch, the summer camp we all worked at, we have all been roommates in some form of another with each other. So many of my crazy fun memories include all of them together, or at least two of them at any given time. Our conversation Friday night covered a plethora of topics ranging from flying squirrels, bubble wrap, late night runs to stores/restaurants, impromptu trips to town 3-5 hours away [Wacky Wednesday, oh yeah!], and inexpensively priced ladies of indiscretion . My husband and Shelli’s husband amused themselves by playing Wii and trying not to listen to our ‘girls only’ conversations and laughter! Oh, it was SO MUCH FUN!!! I miss all of us together. We all feed off each other’s personalities and humor. What a great time!!!

I was also very glad that Dave got the opportunity to spend time with them as well. He has been able to know Shelli quite well over the years, but this was his first time to meet Holly and Kim. He really enjoyed meeting them.

Dave and I finished our Saturday with some fun couple time shopping. We purchased our 1st anniversary gifts for each other [which is in a few weeks!], and bought new glasses. Dave needed new frames and lenses, and I had to get glasses for the first time. For the time being, I only need them when driving at night. Oh, and watching movies in a dark theater. It was an expensive Saturday, haha.

All in all, I had a most wonderful time…..

Update October 8, 2008

I’ve recently discovered that a few people still actually read, or attempt to read, my blog. I’ve decided it would be much more enjoyable for those few people if I actually updated my blog on a more frequent basis than has been my recent blogging habits this year.

So, what has been going on in the world of this green-eyed princess? WOW. Lots.

I have been married for almost 11 months now, and am digging married life! I thoroughly enjoy being a wife, even witht he challenges and growth opportunites I have had over this last year. I have learned I am a selfish woman, and God saw fit to help rid me of my selfishness by blessing me with an equally selfish husband, who is also really good at sharpening me and holding a big mirror in front of my “ugly mug”, in the spiritual sense. That has been my biggest challenge in marriage thus far, I believe: having someone know me so well that he sees every wart on my heart. However, the beautiful flip side is the greatest joy of marriage: haing that same man graciously love me unconditionally despite all those warts. God’s grace is becoming so real, near, and dear to me. It is also a joy learning to extend that same love and grace to my husband, as I see his “ugly mug” and love him anyway. Dave is a great encourager, and an awesome friend and confidant. He is so much fun! We have had many fun times full of laughter. I think he has the best laugh ever!

We move in August to an awesome house in west Fayetteville. We are renting, and have the best landlords ever-our neighbors and family friends. We love our place. It is beautiful and very spacious. Also, Jasper love the fenced-in back yard.

We became a one-car family this summer as well. Dave currently rides his bike 8 miles round trip to and from work 3 days a week, weather permitting. So far it has worked out nicely. He is getting really good exercise. On the not-so-good weather days, we carpool. Its been working out well, and saves us gas and insurance, not to mention yearly car registration and maintenance.

Speaking of biking, we have been doing a lot of that together for pleasure the last few weeks. Fayetteville has a great city wide trail system that they are continually expanding and improving. Last Sunday Dave and I biked 23 miles up and down the trail. Our dear friend Nicole joined us for most of our excursion. We had an excellent time, and Dave and I fell exhausted into bed that evening.

So as not to make this a too lengthy post, I will close for now. I will try to be more dilligent about updating more frequently, so stayed tuned for more posts coming to the green eyed view soon!

The Big 3 April 29, 2008

Today is Jasper’s birthday! Yes, I am a dorky dog “mom” who knows when my dog’s birthday is, and acknowledges said dog’s day of birth.

So, Jasper [aka Prince Jasper Shane Falkor Hamrick] is the big 3 today. According to dog years, he apparently is 21. Dave joked that he was going to take Jasper out drinking tonight to celebrate. Uh-huh. We are a weird couple. We love our dog, and humanize him way more than we should….

Jasper celebrated his birthday so far by playing with one of his birthday presents, a new “Kanga”, which is a squeaky “Boodha” brand stuffed terry cloth kangaroo. He gets one every year for his birthday, because he destroys one every year about 6 months after receiving it. He loves his Kanga. He also received a squishy “Aflac” duck from his ‘daddy’, and kept eyeing it this morning like he is not sure what to do with it. Once he gets over the joy of having a new Kanga, though, I think he will enjoy his new duck. It probably has about 2 days to live before Jas chews it to pieces. For such a small dog, he certainly likes to chew anything that belongs to him to bits. He has STRONG jaws.

Happy Birthday Jasper Shane!!! You are loved!

Whirlwind October 4, 2007

It is blowing around me, and I am along for the ride. It is almost 6 weeks until Dave and I will be married. It is amazing how the days and weeks can fly with the speed of an Indy racecar, and also creep by slower than molasses on a freezing cold day in February. In some ways I am glad for the speed, and in others I am glad for the time still left. I am enjoying this season of engagement with Dave. I am enjoying the process of growing closer with him and of learning how to grow our future marriage. It is a sweet time.

I am learning a lot through the pre-marital counseling our minister and his wife are leading Dave and I through. Kent and Kristen have really been a blessing as they have been open and shared with us their time and allowed us a glimpse into their own marital journey. We have been given wise counsel and feel better equipped for marriage.

The weeks left are filled with activity. I can count off the weekends by the showers, parties, or 10 year high school reunions we have scheduled [the reunion would be mine…sigh…time flies]. There is not a weekend left that does not have something planned. I am excited for all the events, and humbled and blessed by the upcoming showers.
My cup is overflowing. God has blown me away time after time after time with His love, His blessing, His mercy, and His grace.

This will most likely be my last post until after the wedding/honeymoon. We will be enjoying a 2 week honeymoon, and will be going to Cancun, Mexico. YIPPEE!!! I am looking forward to my first real vacation in many, many years. And this time, I will get to travel and vacation with my husband for the very first time!!

Love,

An Update August 22, 2007

So…in case you couldn’t tell, I am getting married! Yeah, I am really excited. I really meant to get back on here and post words to go with the picture….but….well….it never happened.
You can read our engagement story on Dave’s blog. I will put my 2 cents in and say I was VERY SHOCKED. I had no clue he was going to propose! He did a very good job at surprising me! He is a dear, sweet, wonderful, godly man, and I can’t WAIT to be his wife!

We will be getting married on November 17 at 3 pm. That is 2 months and 27 days away from today! Not that anyone is counting….. haha. It has certainly been a busy month. It seems either I or Dave and I have something going on most nights of the week. But it has been a fun month, so the busyness has been ok. We are in the middle of wedding planning, and I feel really good about the progress. I have a LOT done. I think I have surprised people, haha. But its been so much fun, and so good to get the big decisions and tasks accomplished. I want to enjoy these few months and not leave things until the last minute. Avoiding stress is my goal!!

Monday, Dave got his brand spanking new iMac!!!! You can learn more about it here. It was a lot of fun setting it up and seeing a bit of what it can do. Its so pretty, and FAST.

Tonight, Dave and I will be getting our engagement photos taken by our friend Jason, and after that will have our first session of pre-marital counseling with our pastor and his wife. We read the first 2 chapters in the book we will be going through, The Marriage Builder, by Larry Crabb. It is a REALLY good book–very Christ focused and centered. I think I am really going to enjoy it, and it will be a wonderful tool for Dave and I as we begin to build our marriage.

Update complete.

A Picture is Worth… July 15, 2007

…a Thousand Words!!!!!

Click on the picture to view full size!!

Pinch Me….HARD….. April 2, 2007

…if I ever try to live in a place with carpeted stairs EVER again! Vacuuming those suckers with a normal sized vacuum [b/c I do not own a handy dandy little handheld number] is a hot and sweaty and painful chore!!! BLECH! But….they do look nice now…..

Cleaning is FUN!!

Tough Day Joys March 31, 2007

It can sometimes be difficult to remember Joy on those days when a lot of “tough stuff” happens. Yesterday [Friday] I had one of those tough days at work. It was so trying that it threatened to make me forget some really sweet times that I had during my day.

I had a bad “key” day on Friday. I arrived at work a few minutes early, and realized I did not have my work keys. These keys are critical to my work day, because they let me get my cash drawer out of the vault–which I need, most epecially on a Friday. Well, my keys were not to be found. I could not remember ever taking them out of my purse, but I knew that they had to be at home, most likely on my coffee table [and they were]. Normally, it would not be THAT big of a deal, because we all have a spare key locked in a key box. But, for some reason, I did not have any spare keys in the key box for my drawer. I was absolutely unable to get my cash drawer out until lunchtime, when I was able to run home and get my keys. By using the money I had bought for the day, along with buying small bills from co-workers, I was able to function and perform my duties for the morning. Boy was it frustrating!! I was working out of the empty drawer my cash drawer goes into, and just had to pile the money up in as neat as piles as possible. Loose coin was scattered everywhere from the open coin rolls I was having to work from. I felt so disorganized–and I looked it. My boss enjoyed poking fun at me and pointing out my less than tidy and unconventional drawer to a couple of out “regular” members. I was a little embarrassed opening my drawer.

Then, at the end of the work day, I went to the corporate offices of one of our main membership groups, because we have a drop box for deposits there. When I arrived at the building, I put my keys in my purse, locked my door, and got out of my car with my entry badge and the key I needed to get into the drop box. When I returned to my car, I realized I had left my purse in the car….with my keys inside…..with my car locked. Yes, I locked my keys in my car. And the spare key….was in my purse as well. I really started feeling like I should have not left the house today. I went back inside the corporate building to the security office, to see if one of the guys had some way of helping. They apparently are unable to help people get into their cars, even though they have some of the equipment necessary to do so, and gave me the number to Pop a Lock. So…its 5:00, and I am waiting for the Pop A Lock people to come pop my lock. The ETA is 30-45 minutes. I had the deposits, which had to be posted before we closed at 5:30, and no way to get back to my office. I called my manager to explain the situation, and he had to come get the deposits in order for them to be posted on time. I felt like the most irresponsible employee in the world. I was feeling lousy, and just wanted to cry. I kept telling myself it was no big deal, and praying and asking what God was wanting to teach me through this, in order to keep my emotions at bay. I did….ok. I got teary eyed…I admit it!

These two situations, along with the whole car situation making me late in meeting my friend Nicole for her bridal shower that night, could have threatened my Joy, if I had let it. I really had to stop and realize that some wonderful, sweet things had happened that day. God had really blessed me and filled me with Joy. My day really was good, in spite of being tough and trying. I had a sweet time of prayer and journaling with God that morning, and a great run filled with praise and worship. At lunch, I had a spur of the moment opportunity to meet with my friend Kristen, and it was such a wonderful, encouraging, and sweet time. Our conversation was good, and I was given some great words of wisdom and challenge. And my evening was great. I went with Nicole to her bridal showers, and afterwards was able to spend a short time talking with her as well, which was really good as well.

I am trying to learn that I cannot let my situations and circumstances [or my EMOTION] control my responses and behavior. I admit, on my way home to meet Nicole, I almost lost it. I was ready to just forget the shower and go curl up in bed and cry and feel sorry for myself. But, by the grace of God alone, I was to get the focus OFF MYSELF, and back where it needed to be. It took conscious effort, and a lot of it. I had to fight for the Joy. I had to reflect on all God had done. And then, all was….good. Really good.

I am enjoying learning these things. I am thankful for work of God in my life. He is doing some really incredible things in my life right now! I have been amazed and blown away and awestruck at Him and what He is doing. He is SO AMAZING, and FAITHFUL, and GOOD, and HOLY and absolutely GLORIOUS!!!!

Definitions March 26, 2007

Courage: Bravery; intrepidity; that quality of mind which enables men to encounter danger and difficulties with firmness, or without fear or depression of spirits; valor; boldness; resolution. It is a constituent part of fortitude; but fortitude implies patience to bear continued suffering.

Encourage: To give courage to; to give or increase confidence of success; to inspire with courage, spirit, hope, or strength of mind; to embolden; to animate; to incite; to inspirit.

Discourage: To extinguish the courage of; to dishearten; to depress the spirits; to deject; to deprive of confidence. To deter from any thing; with from. To attempt to repress or prevent; to dissuade from; as, to discourage an effort.

Allergies March 26, 2007

Hello, my name is Sarah, and I am an allergy sufferer.

For me to admit to having allergies is significant. Growing up, I do not remember having problems with allergies. I remember in my early college years, my friends would start complaining about their allergies with the Spring weather, and I would be sympathetic and tell them I don’t have trouble with pollen, mold, and/or whatever else floats around in the Spring air.

Then, at the end of college, I began my denial period. I would get a “head cold” at the end of every winter/beginning of spring. I still didn’t believe my symptoms were allergy related, and would vehemently deny having allergies. I simply thought that I just happened to get my winter sickness after everyone else. That my malady was a Spring cold. I don’t have allergies. I never have had them before, why should that change?

The last few years, however, I have come to accept that I have developed allergies. I suffer from allergies. I have begun to notice a pattern with how I suffer. Last year, I began getting a dry cough that simply would not go away. I would cough and cough intermittently throughout the day, with it becoming annoyingly frequent in the evenings and at bedtime. With it being all in my throat, my voice was affected, and I lost the use of it for what seemed to be several weeks [although in reality it was probably only one or two].

The cough has returned over this past weekend, and I am able to finally admit and realize that it is due to allergens that love to pop up with the beauty of Spring. I have the same dry cough, and am anticipating voice loss soon. I really hope and pray this is not the case, because I very much need my voice in the upcoming weeks. I do NOT need to lose it! I further settled into my role as an allergy sufferer by taking a daily dose of Claritin. I don’t know if this will work or not, but I am willing to try anything. Not having had much experience in the area of admitted allergies, I have to start with what I think may work. We shall see [and...by 'we', I guess I mean "I" shall see....haha...such a funny little saying..."we shall see"...]

Anyway, I am now a full-fledge member in the allergy club. I guess it comes with adulthood and growing up and older and all that fun stuff!

Coughingly Yours,

Its Take and Bake, And I Helped March 23, 2007

Last night, I had an unexpected free evening when I realized my Perspectives class wasn’t meeting because of Spring Break. I decided to go out to my folks for a little while and spend some quality time with them. I introduced them to Papa Murphy’s Take and Bake Pizza. It was a success. If you have never tried Papa Murphy’s, you need to! It is yummy, in my opinion. I was a little concerned my parents might not like it, but it was for naught. My mom’s comment was that she is only getting her veggie pizzas from Papa Murphy’s from now on. I must say, it did look pretty loaded and yummy, and I don’t even like veggie pizzas [onions and peppers --YUCK!]. And she kept asking us for our crusts, because she really liked it. It is pretty good pizza. It was fun watching them make my pizzas. I had a pineapple pizza, which was yummy as well. And, I discovered a little known fact that my dad in fact really likes pineapple pizza as well. Pretty neat.

I also decided to take my Scrabble game I recently bought with me, to see if they would want to play. This may be hard to believe, but I have never played Scrabble. Its true. My mom hadn’t played it since she was young, and my dad said, “You have to be able to spell to play, and I can’t”. We never played an actual game, but I had a practice round with myself to see how I would do. I couldn’t really get beyond simple 3 and 4 letter words. I did manage a few 5 letter words, of which I was proud. My parents got in on the action, with mom reading up on the scoring, and dad coming up with some….interesting…. words for my leftover letters. Mom then occupied her time challenging some of the words he suggested, like “TOX”, and “TOL”, of which he was convinced were words. Another one he wanted me to use was “TOWL”. I believe this is where his…unique… way of spelling came into play, as the word he was actually referring to was “TOWEL”. I love my dad. He cracks me up. Half the time I don’t know if he is REALLY being serious, or if he is just trying to be funny. Regardless, I had so much fun with my parents in the world of words. And I think I could really enjoy a mean game of Scrabble, if I can find anyone who will play with me. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

S-A-R-A-H spelling out [I know...proper names are not legal]

Thankfulness March 22, 2007

I have been trying to develop a habit of naming a certain number of things for which I am thankful each morning, in order to always recognize how awesome God is and give Him all the credit for it. He blesses in so many ways that can often be overlooked when living life, if time is not taken to reflect on them. We are to always be thankful. I want my life to overflow with thankfulness to Him. So…here are some from today’s list:

I am thankful for waking up EARLY this morning, refreshed and ready to get out of bed, even before my alarm went off at 5.

I am thankful for the soreness and ache of my arm, leg, and stomach muscles. They are getting worked and will [hopefully] soon be trimmer!

I am thankful for God keeping me safe as I ran in the pre-morning darkness.

I am thankful for the worship music I listened to during my run, and for being able to praise Him even while exercising.

I am thankful for the full and deep breath of fresh morning air I took. Every breath is a gift from God [including the one I am taking now!!]

I am thankful for the head massage I got while having my hair shampooed at the salon yesterday.

I am thankful for the Word of God. I am thankful that He still speaks today through His Word, and how He uses His Word to renew my mind and transform me.

I am thankful for the encouragement God has given me over the last few days, and what a healing balm it has been.

I am thankful that He works in me to give me the desire and the ability to ‘work for His good purpose’ [do His will and what He wants me to do].

I am thankful that He is at work in every area of my life, and what He is doing is GOOD.

I am thankful for His provision, both now and in the future.

I am thankful for tomatoes. [they are oh so good!]

I am thankful for my roommate’s opportunity to serve God on the mission field. When we go in May to Oaxaca, Mexico, she will be staying on for 2 more months!

I am thankful for the strength God has given me daily as I wait upon and Hope in Him!!

So much to be thankful for!! And this is just a small snapshot of what I could remember from this morning, and what popped into my head while typing this [like the bit about tomatoes..they are in my lunch...]. Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!

JOY!

Interceeding March 14, 2007

I have been thinking about intercessory prayer a lot today. I think it is incredible how we can pray for a fellow brother, sister, friend, family member, co-worker, etc. God is so amazing in how He uses others in our lives to bring His will and to change us through their prayers. I know I have experienced so much growth and change in my own life through the faithful prayers of some awesome prayer warriors in my life. I believe in prayer. It has POWER. God works in and through prayer. In continuing with my recent style of posting a bit of verse in my posts, I wanted to post this little poem about heavy interceeding. I hope you like it.

For Him I weep

For him I weep, nay, not for me
For him I toil down on my knees
For her I struggle, I grasp my hair
For her my sobs cut through the air

The ache is deep, the yearning is real
For Your grace to flow, I pray with zeal
Lord, break his heart! Lord, mend hers, too!
Your will be done, that much be true

I seek You Lord, on his behalf
For him, Oh Lord, please spare Your wrath
For her I plead before Your throne
The night is long as awake I groan

My heart is heavy with the burden inside
My spirit grows faint, but still I abide
In Your Word and presence, Lord I remain
Expecting You, I praise Your name

Strength will rise as I wait upon You
Steadfast in faith, I await what You will do
Your answer will come though slow now it seems
In Your perfect time, Lord, Your glory will be seen

But for now I pray; my burden I must keep
I will not give up
For him I weep

SJH 2007

From the heart,

Surrender March 11, 2007

This weekend I went with many women from my church, The Grove, on a women’s retreat to Castle Bluff, which is a camp/retreat center in the Buffalo River Valley. I had an INCREDIBLE TIME. There are really amazing women at the Grove! I was blessed to have the opportunity to get to know some of these women a little better, and began friendships with some I hadn’t yet known at all. And the location–WOW. We were in the middle of God’s glorious creation in nature. He is so creative! It was BEAUTIFUL.

And, most importantly, I got to spend time with God in His word and through our study, which was on becoming a woman of excellence [essentially...becoming Christ-like and our identity in Him]. The weekend simply was not long enough!! I realized that this morning [Sunday] as we were wrapping up and were to talk on our last topic, and only had 20 minutes to do so. The topic was Surrender. I for one thought that needed a whole day, haha!

I had a teeny tiny disappointment, because I was really hoping and praying and seeking for God to speak to me in a profound way. I really wanted and yearned for an “AHA!!” moment with Him from some divine revelation. That did not happen, but it is OK!!!! God gave me some solid nuggets and gems of His Truth, which are glorious and wonderful. I had little “ahas”. I trust Him to expand on those however He chooses in the next few days as I process the weekend. I always need time to process and reflect on things….

I learned a new worship song this weekend. Its called Surrender, and the words are really powerful to me. Songs and poetry so often speak to my heart. I know I just posted a song, but I wanted to share the words of this song. I don’t know who wrote the song or performed it, so I cannot give credit to the artist. It may be a familiar song to some, but I had never heard it before.

Surrender

I’m giving You my heart And all that is within
I lay it all down For the sake of You my King
I’m giving You my dreams I’m laying down my rights
I’m giving up my pride For the promise of new life

And I surrender All to You, All to You
And I surrender All to You, All to You

I’m singing You this song I’m waiting at the cross
And all the world holds dear I count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You For the glory of Your name
To know the lasting Joy Even sharing in Your pain

That is a cry of my heart!! To surrender all to my Lord. And why shouldn’t I? The life that I live is not mine, but it is Christ’s, who lives in me. My dreams, rights, and pride are “rubbish” compared to His glory. Much is to be made of Him, and Him alone.

My Heart :) March 9, 2007

I was told to write from the heart. This song is on my heart this morning…

This Is Our God*

A refuge for the poor, a shelter from the storm
This is our God
He will wipe away your tears and return your
wasted years
This is our God
So call upon his name, he is mighty to save
This is our God

A father to the orphan, a healer to the broken
This is our God
And he brings peace to our madness and comfort
in our sadness
This is our God
So call upon his name, he is mighty to save
This is our God

This is the one we have waited for
This is the one we have waited for
This is the one we have waited for
Jesus Lord and Savior
Oh… this is our God

A fountain for the thirsty, a lover for the lonely
This is our God
He brings glory to the humble and crowns for the
faithful
This is our God

*Lyrics by Chris Tomlin-from the album |The Noise We Make|*

Oh Merciful God, You are the one I am waiting for. May this be true for me today as I wait on You. You, and You ALONE, satisfy my deepest needs and longings!

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him; God is a refuge for us. Psalm 62:5-8 [ESV]