Napping Beauty

I just peeked in to see if my little punkin' was snoozing soundly. Sure enough, snug-as-a-bug-in-a-rug. I guess she thought that she needed to accessorize for nap time. She *must* be related to Mama(w) Darla.

Years of Waiting, Hoping, Sneaking Glances...A Love Affair Never Dies

I should get paid for this. (Hint, hint... Rold Gold, are you listening?) But I'm not. I just really love these little pretzels *that* much. I was introduced to these tasty morsels of b-utter deliciousness about five years ago. I fell in love. And then one day as a nonchalantly strolled down the snack aisle to snag another bag, they were gone! ((POOF)) Just like that. They vanished.

Not to panic, surely another store in town carried them, right? Wrong. I searched in vain for about three years. I never walked past the pretzels without wishing they would reappear-- hoping for some old, stale bag that a stock-boy had missed-- anything to get my fix.

And then it happened. We ran into Meijer yesterday to snag some Super Washing Soda (you know, because I make my own laundry detergent. I'm cool like that. Or, um... maybe not.) and strawberries. I was walking past an end cap and, of course, the pretzels caught my eye (because a love affair like ours never really dies).

The angels began singing! (They were happy for me.)

The pretzels were resurrected from the Rold Gold grave!!! My heart is happy. My life is complete.

...I'm going to go eat lunch now.

And furthermore, I cannot recommend highly enough that you go throw a bag--or 30-- into your shopping cart. Now.

The Now vs The Normal

I like life neat and tidy.

I do.

But there's just one little problem;

It's not.

(period.)

Remember this post? I'm still working on mastering intentionality. If I'm honest, I'll just throw my right hand up and admit right now that I always will be. There are moments when I feel so overwhelmed that I'm not even sure what to be intentional about.

Sometimes it feels like my little box of life is all wrapped up in shiny paper with a picture-perfect bow on top. Other times, I feel like the package was ransacked by wide-eyed toddler on Christmas morning. And it takes less than a minute to go from one extreme to the other--both literally and figuratively.

When I start to feel like things are a getting messy, I have a nasty little tendency to just hit the "pause" button. The problem is that I can't pause life, or I'll miss living in the process. I'll miss friendships. I'll miss opportunities. I'll miss...so much.

Our life has been quite a ride over the past year, and it isn't over yet. Even though "normal" (aka "neat" and "tidy") is good for my psyche, I can't allow my life to only function in that mode. Life, even the abnormal, just isn't worth missing.

So here it is, my confession to you all: I'm working at being intentional in the NOW and not waiting for the NORMAL.

(And just so you know...It physically pains me to type that. Sigh...confession over. Is it time for bed yet?)

Parker... the Rude.

I need to get this little story down for posterity sake. Parker has been our breeze of a child, but as of this week it's like she's throwing down the gauntlet. Thank goodness Peyton is moving out of his defiant phase (the 3-year-long one). Parenting is ever an adventure -- and a WHOLE LOT of work.

A wise woman (aka Beth Faulker) once told Jeremy and I to just keep being consistent and we would see the fruit. After a few days turned into weeks morphing into months...you get the picture...it's been a tough road at times, but shes was absolutely right. We're seeing the fruit.

Here's to the adventure with kiddo numero dos. And for the record: we wouldn't change a single thing about either one-- not even the tough parts.

So tonight Parker was upset that I had moved her cup from the table to the counter so that I could clean up. She looked at me and said, "Don't ever do dat a'gin!" We promptly had a discussion about respect-- as she pulled hair in front of her eyes and said, "Don't look at me." After the talk, I asked her to say"yes ma'am " if she understood-- she shook her head no. I asked if she was ready to say it and she replied, "Not yet." I left the room to give her time to contemplate her choices. She called me back and said, "I ready say 'yes ma'am' and I'm sorry, mommy." Wow.

We're in it to win it. Go team Smith parents.

The Job Hunt is Over... Whew!

Jeremy made it safely back from Dallas yesterday evening, and not a single one of us could have been more excited to have him home. He was gone for a week-and-a-half, and of all of his trips, this one felt the longest-- by a long shot!

One of the aspects of our marriage that I treasure the most is the way that Jeremy and I stay up late into the night sharing our dreams, our thoughts, our prayers and our perspectives with one another. It's pretty astounding to watch just how the Lord synchs our hearts into a simultaneous rhythm. So when lots of wheels are spinning in our lives, that's the time that I most desire to draw near to Jeremy, and for both of us, together, to draw near to God. Needless to say, we weren't able to do that (in a tangible way) over the past two weeks-- and it magnified his absence that. much. more.

So back to the news that you all REALLY want to hear: (I'll keep it short and simple for now.)

The two job opportunities that Jeremy ventured to Dallas to pursue didn't exactly go as planned.

Company #1: Great interview. Fantastic company. Second interview secured. Hire date pushed back to April 1 (or maybe later).

Company #2: Interview kept being pushed back. He had a guaranteed spot in the line-up for a solid interview, but, I mean, really... come on, without a definite interview date he couldn't crash on Josh and Terrica's air mattress forever.


What we didn't expect? When Jeremy got down to Dallas, a friend that I've been doing a little bit of side work for over the past year asked Jeremy out to lunch. His wheels were spinning-- and he had been praying. Over the course of a week and multiple meetings, he invited Jeremy to join his company, The Winn Group.

After much prayer on our part, and laying down our quest for security in larger companies (because we've seen first hand just how far that has gotten us), we agreed concurrently that this is precisely the door that we need to walk through. Furthermore, the peace surrounding it truly surpasses all understanding. That same Peace has been our measuring rod throughout this journey and it has always proven trustworthy.

Jeremy will be doing a host of things for The Winn Group (and also Winn Events and The Winn Agency), but his primary responsibilities will be(a) account management/sales and (b) consulting with clients. The Winn Group specifically works with ministries and faith-based/cause-centric nonprofit organizations and business. Truly, their goal is to help people run with the vision that Lord has given them. If that doesn't line up with our heartbeat, I'm not quite sure what does.

Jeremy will work out of our home; although, a significant portion of his time will involve travel as well. We.are.pumped!

What does this mean for the "Big Move?" We don't have any specific answers on that end at this moment, but it does mean that we won't be saying goodbye in just two or three weeks.

One
step
at
a
time.

I'm so thankful for that. So while we're not unpacking, we're not boxing anything else up quite yet either.

Who knew? Um, God did. Jeremy went to Dallas seeking and God met him there.

Now, let's get some more play-dates and coffee-dates on the books Lafayette friends! As we know now-- I'm learning not to waste a single moment, or more importantly, a single friendship. Keep praying for us.

I told mom yesterday, I feel like I'm in this action movie and Jeremy and I are secret agents and God is our commander. The script goes something like this:

"Great work, super agent Smith Family. You've successfully completed your first mission. Your next mission, should you choose to accept, will commence in precisely T-minus (X) days." We just need to be ready to suit up and go when the next mission presents itself.

I love that my journey with the Lord is always an adventure. I pray that I never take my eyes off Jesus. Even if/when He asks me to walk on water, I want act on my faith, not my fear...not ever.