The Lord's Plans
Isn't it just amazing how when the Lord wills, everything just seems to fall into place?
I know it's been a minute since my last post. Things have been a little hectic at Casa de Guthrie. And it isn't all about the 16 month old that lives there either!
Oh yes, Emma is definitely keeping us on our toes. She still isn't walking without assistance but I really don't see it being very long before she gets brave and lets go. And when she does, look out world! There'll be no stopping her then! She's also been giving us a nice preview of what I dread as the terrible two's. I hope it's just a preliminary phase that she will stop soon, but it's been a test of our patience. She is testing those boundaries like a little diva. I'm beginning to think that my pops aren't enough anymore to get her attention. I may need to defer to her daddy to start popping. If I'm right in my thinking, it will be much worse coming from him than me, seeing as how she's a BIG daddy's girl. It may break her little heart but if it works to correct that little attitude and nip this 'diva'ness in the bud, I'm all for it! I know she's just a baby still, but there's no time like the present to begin training your children 'in the way they should go...' I love my daughter and I am so glad that God answered my prayer for a strong and independent child, and I am trying my best to learn my lesson of patience and stronger faith! I know some parents are reading this and laughing and nodding to themselves and remembering the times they struggled with their children. I'm taking it all in because I also know that some day, I'll miss these little temper tantrums. I have to hide my face a lot of times to keep from cracking a smile at her because it's just so funny!
God has also been working for the good for us in that I found a much needed change on the job front! I ended my 5 year experience at WattStopper at the beginning of July and began a new adventure at Teksouth. My dad has worked there for years and I always saw how happy he was there and how much he truly enjoyed the people and company he worked for. It was perfect timing as I saw myself slowly being pulled towards worldliness and discontentment. God is perfect in His timing. This new position was a step down for me but it has already shown me that the blessings I have are more than enough. I have loved every minute of this new job, even though a large portion of my days are a tad boring. I'm working on that though, trying to learn different parts of the job and even going beyond what my job is and learning parts of other jobs to make myself even more invaluable. We'll see what God has planned for me at Teksouth. Maybe this experience will teach Rory and I to consolidate and eventually lead to me staying at home with Emma! I can dream...;)
Other goings on include me owning my very first gun! For those of you who don't know my family well, we are not gun people. My brothers and I never grew up around guns or hunting or the like. My husband, on the other hand, hunted every year since he was 11 (until we met) and grew up around pistols and rifles his whole life. We've owned at least one gun since we've been married (a pistol, an AR rifle, and a pistol again) but they've been Rory's guns and they've been around for home protection. Once Rory started working over in the sketch part of town, he started carrying his gun with him and he really wanted me to have one to carry for myself. I've been stalling for the past couple of years because guns just make me a little nervous. I've been hunting several times and shot several guns and even shot a deer my senior year of high school, but not growing up around guns has made me very cautious of them. That's not a bad thing, but when you're husband insists on you having one, you have to swallow your fear and just get one. I knew that I didn't want a high caliber gun or one that I could barely hold up so I settled on the ever-popular Smith & Wesson Bodyguard. It's perfect! It's tiny enough to hide in my purse or in my pants and a small enough caliber that I'm not nervous to shoot if needed. I hope I never need it, as I'm not anxious to send anyone to an early grave, but it makes Rory feel better that I have something to defend myself if Emma or I ever got into a situation. It's kind of an empowering feeling. And knowing that the cost of a conceal carry permit is $7.50 in the great state of Alabama makes me realize that there are a LOT more people that are probably carrying guns too. When in the south....
Rory and I are also credit card debt free!!! Let me just tell you, credit cards are great to use when you need them, but they can get you in a lot of trouble in a short amount of time if you're not careful. We've learned our lessons and we are now working to make much better financial decisions for our little family of three. Not having a mortgage or credit card payments is such a freeing feeling. We've set goals for ourselves that may be a challenge, but Lord willing, it will put us in the position we want to be in the next couple of years. I know that the Lord has a plan for us and we want to open ourselves up for whatever He has in store. It also doesn't hurt to be on the road to as little debt as possible!
We're always mindful and prayerful for Rory's dad. He is about to undergo his 3rd of 4 chemo treatments and is optimistic about the results that we will get after his final treatment at the end of August. We're all praying that the treatments have worked to reduce the size of the nodes in his chest and kept the spread of the cancer in his blood stream at bay. I can definitely see a change in him from these treatments, but I wasn't expecting anything less. Chemo is nasty stuff and I can't imagine putting that kind of poison in your body wouldn't cause a reaction. I am praying, for the sake of my daughter, that these treatments show a positive result and that we can have Pappy around for a while longer.
Other great news; Rory's mother has come back to the Lord! I am so excited for her and for Ray in that they can encourage one another in the Lord and both of them are in great standings and able to be Christian examples for Rory's sister and Tevin. Ray's spiritual growth over the last year has astounded me (but then again, nothing is impossible for God) and now I'm so excited to be able to have this relationship of Sister-in-Christ with my MIL too! God is so good!
These are all the updates for now, but with summer coming to an end (I pray the weather follows suit VERY soon) and a new school year beginning, I'm sure there will be many more to come.
God Bless!
I know it's been a minute since my last post. Things have been a little hectic at Casa de Guthrie. And it isn't all about the 16 month old that lives there either!
Oh yes, Emma is definitely keeping us on our toes. She still isn't walking without assistance but I really don't see it being very long before she gets brave and lets go. And when she does, look out world! There'll be no stopping her then! She's also been giving us a nice preview of what I dread as the terrible two's. I hope it's just a preliminary phase that she will stop soon, but it's been a test of our patience. She is testing those boundaries like a little diva. I'm beginning to think that my pops aren't enough anymore to get her attention. I may need to defer to her daddy to start popping. If I'm right in my thinking, it will be much worse coming from him than me, seeing as how she's a BIG daddy's girl. It may break her little heart but if it works to correct that little attitude and nip this 'diva'ness in the bud, I'm all for it! I know she's just a baby still, but there's no time like the present to begin training your children 'in the way they should go...' I love my daughter and I am so glad that God answered my prayer for a strong and independent child, and I am trying my best to learn my lesson of patience and stronger faith! I know some parents are reading this and laughing and nodding to themselves and remembering the times they struggled with their children. I'm taking it all in because I also know that some day, I'll miss these little temper tantrums. I have to hide my face a lot of times to keep from cracking a smile at her because it's just so funny!
God has also been working for the good for us in that I found a much needed change on the job front! I ended my 5 year experience at WattStopper at the beginning of July and began a new adventure at Teksouth. My dad has worked there for years and I always saw how happy he was there and how much he truly enjoyed the people and company he worked for. It was perfect timing as I saw myself slowly being pulled towards worldliness and discontentment. God is perfect in His timing. This new position was a step down for me but it has already shown me that the blessings I have are more than enough. I have loved every minute of this new job, even though a large portion of my days are a tad boring. I'm working on that though, trying to learn different parts of the job and even going beyond what my job is and learning parts of other jobs to make myself even more invaluable. We'll see what God has planned for me at Teksouth. Maybe this experience will teach Rory and I to consolidate and eventually lead to me staying at home with Emma! I can dream...;)
Other goings on include me owning my very first gun! For those of you who don't know my family well, we are not gun people. My brothers and I never grew up around guns or hunting or the like. My husband, on the other hand, hunted every year since he was 11 (until we met) and grew up around pistols and rifles his whole life. We've owned at least one gun since we've been married (a pistol, an AR rifle, and a pistol again) but they've been Rory's guns and they've been around for home protection. Once Rory started working over in the sketch part of town, he started carrying his gun with him and he really wanted me to have one to carry for myself. I've been stalling for the past couple of years because guns just make me a little nervous. I've been hunting several times and shot several guns and even shot a deer my senior year of high school, but not growing up around guns has made me very cautious of them. That's not a bad thing, but when you're husband insists on you having one, you have to swallow your fear and just get one. I knew that I didn't want a high caliber gun or one that I could barely hold up so I settled on the ever-popular Smith & Wesson Bodyguard. It's perfect! It's tiny enough to hide in my purse or in my pants and a small enough caliber that I'm not nervous to shoot if needed. I hope I never need it, as I'm not anxious to send anyone to an early grave, but it makes Rory feel better that I have something to defend myself if Emma or I ever got into a situation. It's kind of an empowering feeling. And knowing that the cost of a conceal carry permit is $7.50 in the great state of Alabama makes me realize that there are a LOT more people that are probably carrying guns too. When in the south....
Rory and I are also credit card debt free!!! Let me just tell you, credit cards are great to use when you need them, but they can get you in a lot of trouble in a short amount of time if you're not careful. We've learned our lessons and we are now working to make much better financial decisions for our little family of three. Not having a mortgage or credit card payments is such a freeing feeling. We've set goals for ourselves that may be a challenge, but Lord willing, it will put us in the position we want to be in the next couple of years. I know that the Lord has a plan for us and we want to open ourselves up for whatever He has in store. It also doesn't hurt to be on the road to as little debt as possible!
We're always mindful and prayerful for Rory's dad. He is about to undergo his 3rd of 4 chemo treatments and is optimistic about the results that we will get after his final treatment at the end of August. We're all praying that the treatments have worked to reduce the size of the nodes in his chest and kept the spread of the cancer in his blood stream at bay. I can definitely see a change in him from these treatments, but I wasn't expecting anything less. Chemo is nasty stuff and I can't imagine putting that kind of poison in your body wouldn't cause a reaction. I am praying, for the sake of my daughter, that these treatments show a positive result and that we can have Pappy around for a while longer.
Other great news; Rory's mother has come back to the Lord! I am so excited for her and for Ray in that they can encourage one another in the Lord and both of them are in great standings and able to be Christian examples for Rory's sister and Tevin. Ray's spiritual growth over the last year has astounded me (but then again, nothing is impossible for God) and now I'm so excited to be able to have this relationship of Sister-in-Christ with my MIL too! God is so good!
These are all the updates for now, but with summer coming to an end (I pray the weather follows suit VERY soon) and a new school year beginning, I'm sure there will be many more to come.
God Bless!
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