Well, there is nothing more frustrating than spending over an hour on writing a post and then with one accidental hit of a key, the whole thing... gone! Great....
So this post might not be as elaborate as the last but hopefully my thoughts are still there and I will be able to "re-capture" my thoughts as in the previous post.
I have been telling myself every day for about a week that I need to write a blog post but somehow, life happened and it's already a week later. And before I know it, I am left with the challenge of having to update quite a lot of stuff and the post gets longer...and longer...
I will try to keep it short and sweet. No promises though. :)
Wes's business in the studio has been great! There were actually three consecutive nights last week that he wasn't home before midnight. Most of his clients have jobs during the day so that means recording can't start until at least 6:30 at night which makes for a long night. But it is business and we are so thankful for it!
We had figured up how much we would need this month to just cover bills and have already surpassed that amount with the recent studio business. God is faithful.
This made it hard not seeing him in the evenings, especially since I was gone all week during the day hours.
Monday thru Thursday was the all day, Hurst Review at the college. This is a live review session for the NCLEX where we get all we need to know (we hope!) for passing boards. We started each morning at 8 am and didn't end until at least 4 pm if not later. Now I know this is most people's normal job hours, what's the big deal right?
Well....We are talking constant learning and LOTS of information all at one time. I think by the end of the week all of our brains felt like they might explode. Although it made for some loooong days, it was SO helpful and I feel so much more confident after taking the class. Time (and money!) well spent. Bring it on NCLEX!!!
This is our book that we worked through all week. Let's just say this book will go with me everywhere until boards are over. :)
Doesn't all this information just look crazy? What's even crazier is that we all completely understand it and it makes perfect sense to us. :)
And this is what happens during Hurst Review....candy becomes a constant source for brain food. The candy obsession usually started every day at 8 am sharp! haha
Overall, it was a great review and gave us all that little extra boost of confidence in our ability to pass boards the first time. Not sure when that will be, I am still waiting for my letter to arrive that says I can schedule my testing date. It will most likely be sometime mid September.
With my long days and Wes's long nights, it made it tough not getting to see each other except for a few minutes in the morning as I rushed out the door at 7:30 am and a few minutes at night as Wes climbed into bed at midnight.
One night Wes got home at almost exactly midnight and I decided to wake up enough to talk to him about his day and fill him in on my day as well. Best decision I ever made. We laid in bed talking until 2 am!
This is where I have to mention how much I love nights like these. There is something so wonderful and so comforting about laying in the dark, next to your spouse, talking about your day, and reminiscing on our lives together. It allows us to really realize just how lucky we are to have each other and marvel at the way God has continued to guide us and protect us throughout our lives. We are blessed!
These nights are happening more and more and I am so thankful for every single moment. Those moments are so precious and so important as we continue to grow as a couple and continue to grow in Christ, together.
Hurst Review ended on Thursday and Wes didn't have anything going on in the studio, so we decided to pack our bags, loaded up Lexi, and head to Lawton to visit my parents.
Lexi does SO well in the car. I hear a lot of people talk about how much their dogs hate car rides and even have a hard time getting them into the car. Not the case with our little pup. She sits in the driver's lap, looks out in the window a couple of times, and eventually falls asleep.
This trip was no different....
She was asleep before we were even out of Oklahoma City. And she has to sleep in the driver's lap, the passenger's lap just won't do. Wes joked and said that's because she likes to be in control. haha Maybe so! She is a Yorkie after all.
The next day, we made a trip to my dad's music store and of course Wes walked away with new "toys" for the studio. Have to put money in to make a profit, right? Well, that's what I say at least as he shows me all these expensive "toys" he wants/needs for the studio. I was glad to see him happy though. :)
After going to the "store" (that's what my family calls it) we headed up to my mom's school where she teaches. For as long as I can remember, come August I was always up at her school helping her get her room ready for the upcoming school year. I'm sure I wasn't much help when I was younger, but I always enjoyed it.
Wes and I showing off "what we did"! Getting a classroom ready for the school year means putting up lots and lots of bulletin boards. I think we get an A+!
That evening, we drove out of town to Wichita Falls to have dinner at the BEST Japanese Steakhouse EVER, Samari of Tokyo.
For those who live in Oklahoma City (or maybe those who don't) and know about how wonderful Ted's mexican food is and how you always compare any other mexican restaurant to Ted's. Well, to give you an idea, Samari of Tokyo is the "Ted's" of hibachi grills. SO good! Even Wes agreed that it was the best he's had and definitely worth the trip.
I enjoy spending time with Wes and my family so much. It has been so nice to be done with school and have a little bit of time off to do the things that I want to do, like visiting family. With Wes now not working on the weekends, we will have many more opportunities to make these trips to Lawton. Nothing compares and nothing is more relaxing than spending time with family.
We headed back home the next morning. I had a hair appointment and Wes had work in the studio to get done. Here is Lexi on the way out of town....
Not asleep yet....but if you think her eyes look sleepy it's probably because she had been awake since 5:30 am! Crazy dog...doesn't she know it's Saturday?! She fell asleep not long after this.
I started reading this book in the car on the way back. I actually read it out loud to Wes so technically we are both reading it. Such an amazing book! If you are looking for a book to read, this is one to buy!
We stayed up till 2 am Sunday night reading it. We didn't end up finishing it, but got pretty close. It's such a page turner. You just want to keep reading...and reading....But we decided it was late and called it a night.
This is another book I just picked up from Barnes and Noble yesterday. I saw an article about this book in People magazine and knew it would be a good read. Anyone read it?? I hope to start it soon.
Something new happened in our house Monday morning and I hope it is something that we keep up with and really learn to enjoy.
Before even getting out of bed, Wes and I listened to a 15 minute devotional by Joyce Meyer. We then spent a few minutes focusing on one of the scriptures she had mentioned and dicussed what it meant. This is something Wes and I have been wanting to do for a loooong time. I'm talking before we were even engaged, we would always talk about how much we needed to do a devotional time together but it never seemed to happen.
It's so easy to get busy and not make the time. But honestly...look at the things we DO make time for that are not nearly as important as our walk with Christ. There is nothing more important and it therefore deserves our time.
Before Wes headed out the door to the studio, we did something else that we have yet to do as a couple. We prayed together. Hand in hand...each praying for our day ahead.
The day felt so good after that moment. I noticed my spirit happy, excited, and ready to face the day. I noticed I started singing out loud, "Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice...Rejoice in Lord always and again I say rejoice!"
Lexi would stop and look up at me with her head titled sideways. It felt so good to sing praises to His name and start my day off with such focus on what truly matters in life....and that is my relationship with God.
We have a new commitment to God and to each other to take the time, everyday, to spend time in the Word of God and with each other in prayer.
I am in awe of the wonderful works of the Lord. He has blessed me with a husband who loves and serves the Lord and wants to grow in Christ with me. I prayed and prayed for my future husband to be such a man but I got more than I could have ever asked for.
This scripture has always been an encouragement to me. I share it with you hoping you too will be able to rejoice for the things God has done in your life and find strength in the power of Christ.
"We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love."
Romans 5:3-5
