God is so BIG!!!!

Hello, I wanted to share a testimony of something God has got going on. I work at a Private Boarding School in Chattanooga (Baylor School). We have many international boarders who come to the states for the American education. Early in the school year I announced that I was starting a bible study that would meet in my apartment. Along with several american students, two Chinese students asked to attend. This seemed so crazy and a bit strange. We have many students from Korea who are Christian but did not know of any Chinese. On the second meeting I had a chance to talk with them one on one and found out that they were not Christians but were very interested in learning about the bible. One student (Angie) said that she had started learning about the bible from a friend in China who always talked about Jesus. The other (Angel) said that she became interested in the bible when she received a "track" or "pamplet" from someone while in China.

At our meeting last night they were the only two that showed up. We talked about the Bible a lot. I can tell that they both have started to read it more and have lots of questions. The first question, "what is the difference between God and Jesus." I am so glad that God gave me the words to help answer this question. Both talked more about their experiences in China. Angel said that she loves being in America because her mother does not allow her to read the bible and she is glad that she has a chance here to read it freely. The other, Angie, said that her father is not a Christian but encourages her to read to Bible because he believes that it is good for her to believe in something.

I am praying for these girls to come to know Christ in a personal way. I think it is so cool and such a "God" thing that seeds were sown into them while in China and now He is using me to continue sharing His message with them. If you think of them, please pray with me.

Thanks,

This is a picture of me that Justin took last night. He took me on a date to dinner and a show. We went to Fiddler on the Roof. It was so great. We had a lot of fun. The play was awesome and doing something different for a change was cool too. Hopefully we can post pics weekly of the changing belly.

Can I Be Your Baby Daddy?

This was a text I received from Justin the day we learned we were expecting.

We have waiting for many months to have the happy day. Although I have heard the heart beat many times and seen the sweet face on the Ultrasound there are moments that I can not believe it is true.

We took the test on July 19th (4 weeks 1 day) and it was POSITIVE!!!!!

Justin and I are so excited to share the news with you all.

We are 15 weeks today. Our little one is set to arrive sometime around March 27th. It is hard to believe that in less that six months we will have a baby to hold.

Something New

Yes, we are having a baby. This is a picture of our little one. We are thrilled to share with everyone that we are 15 weeks pregnant today!!! This picture was taken at our 12 week 3 day ultrasound. The profile of its sweet face is such a beautiful site. We are looking forward to sharing more pictures as the weeks continue. We have another appointment on Thursday and hopefully will get the gender then. We are not holding our breath though since we know that it is a little early. Pray that our little one is in the ideal position to tell. We are really looking forward to seeing its little face again though. Today it is about four inches long. Hard to believe that it is living and breathing in my belly.

Christmas Gift Review

As many of you I received many gifts this Christmas. All of which I am ecstatic about. One in particular I would like to tell you about.

The Teavana Perfect Tea Maker.


http://www.teavana.com/c=perfectteamaker/shop.axd/StaticPopup

I received this from our gift exchange from my cousins wife, Heather. I was so excited to get to use it today.

Let me tell you a little about it. If you like hot tea you absolutely have to have this product. You simply put the 16oz of hot water and the required amount of loose tea into the container and allow it to steep for the allotted time. After that you simply place it onto of the mug of your choice (mine is a Starbucks insulated mug - it keeps in warm for hours). The mechanism on the bottom activates when placed on the top of the mug. The warm tea beverage drains into the mug leaving the tea leaves behind.

The reason I love this so much is because I have not been able to strain the tea enough with other methods. I always end up with a little bit of tea leaves along with the tasty liquid. The strainer in The Perfect Tea Maker is very fine. It never lets any of those pesky leaves by. Oh my! It is wonderful.

I write this as I enjoy a warm mug of my favorite Earl Grey Tea - also from Teavana. This is a great tea store. I wish we had one in Chattanooga, TN.

Thanks Heather for my tea maker.

Accolades to God All Mighty

I can say that the journey of Justin’s graduate school experience was based strictly on our trust in God. When Justin lost his job in January of 2008 we were set up perfectly to rely on one income. When we got married in August of 2007 we decided to live on one income (mine) and focus his salary on debt repayment and savings. In December of 2007 we had successfully paid off all debt acquired from the wedding. We had also managed to save a good amount of money. Sooooo, when we were forced to go down to one income, (although I felt like kicking and screaming) we were primed and ready to do so. I can say that I hated many parts of it all. We had to cut in anyway that we could. We did not take any big vacations and clothing allotments were out of the question. I have become a coupon queen. Eating out was a rarity. Gifts to family and friends were small if at all. (Sorry loved ones). Well to God be the glory. I can say that it is coming up on two years since Justin had a job that significantly contributed financially to the household, we still do not have any credit card debt. We have never gone hungry. We have always been able to pay our electric, water, and gas bill. We were always able to give our tithe to God and other ministries. We still have a little savings left in the bank. And we are closer to each other and closer to God because of it.

We are now trusting in God that he has a plan for Justin’s employment. He has trained him and we believe that God has a perfect place decided for Justin to continue his business career. Please pray with us as we wait on the job hunt to produce the right job.

Dead or Done (Congrats to my husband, Justin)

I want to take a moment to publicly say how proud I am of my husband. Last week he officially graduated with his Masters in Business Administration. The journey has been a challenge to say the least. Justin has spent many hours studying in order to earn the highest possible in all of his classes. I am so proud. He finished school with a 3.92 GPA. Only one B and it was in the hardest class in the program.

We started talking about him entering the program in February of 2008. He lost his job with Sertapak in January of 2008 and the job hunt was definitely looking bleak. We thought it would be a perfect time to pursue higher education. With this decision we both knew it would mean we would have to live on a lot less income (mostly mine). I was not real keen on the idea at first and dragged my feet at putting my seal of approval on the idea. I guess I was hoping that the big paying job would come along before he actually entered the program. We decided that he would take the first step which was taking the GMAT test to qualify for the graduate program. Doubt flooded my mind again when he did not make the minimum required score to be accepted into the graduate program. I was hesitant on him spending the money on the test again if we weren’t sure that he was going to actually go to graduate school.

Well the summer semester came and we had still not made a decision and Justin still did not have a job. In the summer Justin took the GMAT again. He made a little higher but still did not reach the minimum required score. I guess you can say (despite his genius abilities in many areas) he is not a great standardized test taker. He contacted the dean of the graduate school and was told that he could be admitted on a conditional basis. He would be able to remain in the program as long as he did not make C’s in any of his classes. Well, I have to confess that I was doubtful. Justin’s GPA in undergraduate was not too stellar so I was not sure how he would do.

Classes began on August 18th, 2008. He enrolled in three classes meaning he was gone three nights a week for class. Also in the fall of 2008 Justin started a job at That Lighting Store of a sales rep. The hours were crazy. He worked on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This was hard because not having two days off in a row made it difficult for us to spend any real time together. Because of the school load and work schedule he was usually studying on Sunday’s and all day Wednesday.

Second semester began in January. He was again enrolled in three classes. In the beginning of January I asked that we pray about him quitting the lighting store job and go to school full time plus to finished as soon as possible. The job was not adding to our income too much but it was taking away from us in some many ways. We had our answer by Spring Break and Justin quit That Lighting Store in March. Now he would be able to apply his full schedule to completing the semester classes. He was enrolled in his hardest class, Operations Management. From what he said, the class was really hard and pretty much kicking his tale. I was so proud of how diligent he was at giving his school work his all. He never settled for less than best. He approached every project and assignment with the highest of integrity and determination.

At the same time of ending his work at That Lighting Store, he started doing some Marketing work on the side for an Internet graphic design company called Interactive ID. He would be promoting the company at a weekly networking meeting as well as contacting any new leads to bring in business.

In the summer of 2009, Justin took on his heaviest load. The summer semesters at UTC are divided into two short terms. Basically if you register for a class you attend two nights a week for six to seven weeks. Each of the short sessions Justin was registered for two classes. By the end of the summer Justin completed four more classes with all A’s. It was so hard on him. He really knocked things out of the park with each assignment. He developed a new interest in accounting and finance and that side of business management. I can not tell you how many times he tried to tell me about finance and the ins and outs of business accounting. I tried to listen attentively but let’s just face it; it was all a foreign language to me.

Last semester, Fall 2009. Justin was again enrolled in taking four classes. So he was again gone four nights a week. Justin was taking some pretty hard courses but also tweaked his curiosity. E-business, New Ventures/Entrepreneurs, H.R., and Strategic Management. Justin is very interested in entrepreneurial opportunities so of course he always had something interesting to share of the things he was learning. As the semester picked up it started to seem like he was never not studying. He was often meeting with a group or discussing a project via phone/text/or IM. Finally bringing the semester to a close with what seemed like a presentation in every single class. Again, all A’s. You did it baby.

I think that after all that is listed above it is most important to add that he never ceased to be attentive to my needs. He constantly strived to give me time and attention and help around the house whenever possible. He also managed to complete a huge undertaking of installing hardwood floors in our downstairs in July (with my help I might add).

For all those employers out there…. Justin is, without a shadow of a doubt, one of the most talented people I know. His sheer determination sets him apart from other candidates. He has such passion when it comes to things that are important to him. He never does anything he cares about half way. He constantly strives for the best and to be the best. When it comes to projects he scrutinizes over every detail to ensure that only excellence is submitted. He takes his responsibilities very seriously. He always strives to ensure that all of his commitments are cared for. Justin is a visionary. He knows how to create something from nothing. He is a creative thinker. I am always impressed by the new ideas and ventures he comes up with.

Justin, I am so excited to spend the rest of my life see what kind of trouble we can get into. I know God has big plans for you. This new accomplishment is a tool that I know God will use to take you to the next place both professionally and personally. Any employer would be foolish not to hire you.

If you have made it this far…. Thanks for reading.