Thanks A Latte!

Let me be the first to tell you that I do not like dressing up in costumes- but it seems I have had to for various things throughout life. I always like to be a good sport so I will dress up for an event that requires it, just to not look like a fuddy-dud who was too cool to dress up. (Although that does happen occasionally and I just get over it)

I do not consider myself crafty but I have been able to make a couple of great costumes in the past few years.

Exhibit A:

The Incredibles. I originally made my outfit for M-Fuge. My roommate Candace and I were The Incredibles for the night that were supposed to dress up as our favorite move characters. That Halloween, Weston and I were working the Fall Festival at church and wanted to dress up for the kids, so I made Weston an outfit to match mine. The Incredibles are always a big hit and from a distance, the outfits turned out pretty good!

Exhibit B:

This was probably the most successful costume ever and it didn't take much to make! Of course it wouldn't have been near as great if Leeland wasn't so cute. How can you resist the charm of a little Leeland Latte? Everyone has loved it and said that we need to send the pictures in to Starbucks or enter the pictures in a contest. I have been unsuccessful at both of those things so far.

The "cup" was so easy to make (thanks to Mud Hut for teaching me a great way to trace)!

I just bought a small white trash can then printed off the Starbucks logo. I traced the logo with pencil onto tissue paper. Then I put the tissue paper on the trash can and traced back over the lines with a sharpie. The ink of the sharpie just barely goes through the paper enough to see the lines. So then I colored in the lines and voila! Starbucks. It sounds like a long process but it was actually really fun.

I hope people don't expect us to live up to this next Halloween. I have no idea what we'll do!

Excitement

I love seeing Weston get excited and passionate about something. He is always excited and passionate about flying but I rarely get to see him excited about something else. We had one of these moments this weekend.

Weston and I support a ministry called iGo Global. iGo is a missions sending organization. Check out their website to learn more about them!

Anyways, this weekend we got to go to the iGo banquet where we had the opportunity to see a little more of the hearts of the staff and students involved with this organization. It was a great time, we got to see great friends, and we got to celebrate with this ministry that we support.

But what was even greater was that on the 2 and a half hour drive home, I got to see a little more of Weston's heart and the direction and ministry of our family. He was really excited to see what our money supports, and even more excited to think about what we could support in the future.

It all goes back to the end of Weston's senior year of high school. He wasn't really interested in going to college. He wanted to be a smoke jumper. I'm not really sure what that is but I think it has something to do with jumping out of helicopters or airplanes and landing in fires. Luckily, for us all, Weston suddenly got the urge to be a missionary pilot. So he applied to LeTourneau, got accepted and made the trek to the Glory Land (Texas!).

Somewhere along the way, beginning when he was in college, it seemed that Weston's mission as a pilot might look a little different than your typical missionary pilot. Weston and I have found that your mission field can be anywhere. It can be in China, or Africa, or Longview, Texas. People need Jesus in all of these places and there are SO many different ways to minister. Weston realized that he could go be one missionary pilot serving in one place, or he could make money and support FIVE missionary pilots serving in lots of different places.

Weston is SO wise and SO smart. The Lord has given him so much knowledge when it comes to business and finance and making money. I really believe that this is a gift from God. (and it's a good thing I'm married to Weston because I am so clueless about those things!) God has really placed the desire on our hearts to be wise in investment and use profit to support people in the work of the Lord. And this makes Weston excited!

Por ejemplo, it usually takes a while for a missionary pilot to actually get on the field because of school loans. (Well, I don't know if this applies to all missionary pilots, but it certainly applies to the majority of those that graduate from LeTourneau) Missions organizations will not send you out on the field with a large amount of debt, therefore pilots must work for a while to pay off those debts before they can get on the field. Let me be the first to tell you that pilots do not make a lot of money, especially starting out, so that can sometimes take a while. How sweet would it be to be able to pay off someone's school loans so they can immediately get on the mission field and not have to wait 10 years?!

So, to clarify, we are by no means rich. We are only starting out and the excess that we are able to give now is small. But the plan is to invest wisely and hopefully in the years to come, be generating some extra income that can be used to give. We want to live in this house for 10 years. We want to drive our cars until they fall apart. We don't want extra luxuries in life, we just want to be able to give!

It seems kind of awkward blogging about money, and giving, and such. But it is one of those things that we know is a desire from the Lord and I just wanted to share! Pray with us that we can see these dreams come to fruition. Who knows, maybe we'll be supporting YOU someday! :)

Lessons from Leeland

Having a baby has taught me so much. I have a feeling that this is the first of MANY "Lessons from Leeland" posts.

When Leeland gets hungry, he is so single minded. He starts sucking on his hands, his arms, his burp rag, my hands, ANYTHING he can get in his mouth, whatever is right in front of him. In fact, he is soooo set on sucking on all these things right in front of his face that it's hard for me to even get the bottle into his mouth. All along, I have the one thing that will satisfy him, but he can't even get it because he is too preoccupied with empty things that will never nourish him. I find myself saying, "Leeland! I have your bottle right here! I promise this is what you need!" Then I have to physically move his hands out of his face and hold them down so I can get the bottle in his mouth.

One night, at about 2 a.m., I had the thought, "This is how I treat God." I am always seeking and searching, my soul is hungry, but so many times I turn to the things that will not satisfy. I only look at what is right in front of me, whatever is easiest. And all along, God is standing there saying, "Meagan! I have what you need right here! LET me give it to you!"

I'm not only robbing God. I am robbing myself.

Leeland, thank you for this little lesson.

God, thank you for using my precious little son to bring my back to You.

Quiet.

Leeland has been sleeping for almost 2 hours. Which might be a bad thing since the day time is when we are supposed to be awake, but I'm ok with it for right now.

I turned the tv off.

I don't have any music on my new laptop yet and I'm too lazy to get up and walk over to the iPod dock.

The weather is so beautiful outside, a little chilly, making it a little cool in the house. Which is nice because the AC doesn't have to run, and I get to cuddle up in a blanket.

None of the lights in the house are on. The only light is the sunlight streaming in the windows.

My new "fall smell" candle is lit on the coffee table.

Oliver is also sleeping.

I could be cleaning the bathrooms like I said I would. I could be finishing Leeland's laundry. I could be making food because I am hungry right now. I could be showering.

But I'm not.

I'm just sitting here, enjoying the quiet.

And it is beautiful.

Thank you Lord.

Time is precious. Now, more than ever.

How do people with babies get anything done??

Goodness gracious. Maybe some people's babies are better than mine, but at this point in life, if Leeland is awake, he has to be held and fed or burped or something. At first it wasn't so bad but now that there is more and more awake time, my time is rather limited. The second he is asleep and I'm able to put him down, I start running around like crazy trying to do a million things because I know at any minute, he will be awake again and needing me. It makes for some interesting days because usually what I set out to get done that day doesn't get done at all and a million other things get halfway done.

For example:

• There is a diaper, a wet rag, and a bottle of baby shampoo on the floor in the bathroom.
• There is half of a pile of clean clothes on the bed (air mattress) in the spare bedroom- and I say only half because they have been there for about a week so we've been grabbing clothes from there as needed.
• Clothes are in the washer and dryer, waiting for my attention.
• The kitchen counter is littered with mail that needs to be sorted and bills that need to be paid.
• My closet floor is covered in clothes as I change several times throughout the day and throw the clothes there in a rush. (Although I have found a way to limit wardrobe changes- when you get spit up on, just rub it with a rag a bit and go on with life. I'm sure I smell great these days.)
• You could probably find a disgusting burp rag in about every room of the house.

And before I know it, it's 8:54p.m., I'm writing a blog, and realizing that lunch with the ladies at Olive Garden is the only meal I've had today. (Hot Pocket is now in microwave...)

And I wouldn't change a thing about it. I love motherhood!

[Disclaimer: Please take note that this post is meant to be lighthearted and fun. Although it is all truthful, I'm not complaining!]

P.S. Even though most people, including myself, would normally write some post with excuses and lots of updates after being gone for so long, I'm just going to ignore the fact that I haven't blogged in forever and pretend it never happened.

wonderful weekends...

Since we have moved into our new house, I'm pretty sure we've had friends over EVERY weekend and I simply love it! It's never planned so the house is never clean but that is so wonderful because I've learned not to worry about the small things. It usually happens this way- I come home from running errands or working or whatever and Weston says, "Some people are coming over to swim. They'll be here in 5 minutes." And then swimming turns into grilling and then grilling turns into games and it's an all around good time! It just fills me with joy. I love it, I love it, I love it.

the grocery store experience

I went to Wal-Mart on a Sunday afternoon. Here lately, I have not enjoyed grocery shopping. We have this new budget and along with the budget, a new rule that says we have to keep a running total of what we're buying while we're shopping to ensure that we do not go over our allotted amount of grocery money. You pick up an item, put it in the basket (or cart as Weston calls it...big debate...) and then enter it in the calculator. It doesn't sound that bad until you actually have to experience it. Because you see, people around you are not patient. They want you to grab your item and go, get out of their way. It's like the biggest inconvenience in the world that you actually take 2 seconds to enter something in a calculator before moving along. It makes me anxious. People stare. Why can't we all just be a little more kind and patient? :)

But that wasn't the most awkward part of my Wal-Mart experience. I get in line after an exhausting hour of shopping and I am pretty defeated. Not really feeling friendly and talkative. The guy in line in front of me is probably one of the most friendly and talkative guys ever, but luckily he is talking to the cashier, not me :) So he tells her all about his family and his daughter that had cancer and how she wasn't supposed to survive but she did and her hair grew back beautifully and she is living proof that there is a God, you know all that fun sentimental stuff. I just listened quietly and sort of smiled to myself. Nice man. He pays for his groceries and leaves.

Then it's my turn. I notice the cashier's eyes are sort of watering when she begans to scan my items and then she stops, I look closer, and notice that she is crying. A lot. Umm... What do I do?

I just give her a sort of sympathetic smile... She can't even talk at the moment because she is crying so much. All she can get out is, "That man..." and "He could have talked about anything..."

I still don't know what to do. All that is running through my mind is this conflict management stuff we learned at a conference last week. When someone is crying you give them the FSS- Friendly Silent Stare. So, that's what I do. I was sort of waffling in my head, "You do the FSS when you're in conflict with someone and they're crying, but is that what you do when a stranger is checking out your groceries and crying??" But I went with it anyways. She apologizes and I told her not to worry about it and to just take her time.

She eventually says, "He could have talked about anything but he had to talk about cancer!" I thought about asking her about it but didn't want to make her cry a lot again so I decided to go with the FSS again. We eventually get through all of my groceries and on my way out I tell her to have a great day. She says, "As long as that man doesn't come back with more sad stories!!"

That.was.so.awkward.

Sacrifice

"If we are not feeling the pinch of sacrifice, then we could be doing more."

This is the current quote on my dry erase board in my office. I used to update my quotes once a week but then I accidently left one up for an entire semester. I recently changed it and I don't know how I feel about this quote. It makes me a little uncomfortable, which is probably a good thing...but I still don't like it.

I feel like I'm always going and doing something ALL the time and I'm always looking to do less, or get a little time for myself. The problem is, do I feel like I'm sacrificing? Am I sacrificing even if I don't feel like it? I guess that is where the issue lies. Sacrifice.

Being intentional has been on my mind a lot lately. I can do stuff but if I'm not intentionally investing in people, what is it all for? nothing.

My life is still in a transition process and some big changes are coming soon. Once August rolls around, I will no longer be working. (I'll admit, I'm a little excited about that..) I'll only get a few weeks off before I begin the full-time job of "Mom." That is unless Leeland decides to come early and doesn't give me any time off at all! We'll see...

I think this time in my life will be a time that I will have to be more intentional than ever. The majority of my time will be spent at home, taking care of things and providing for my husband and my son. But how will I be impacting the Kingdom? How will I be reaching out in my community? I am confident that God will bring me opportunities and use me in ways I could never imagine. I'm excited about this new stage in life. Bring it on!

I know I've been gone from this little blog world for a while. I'm not going to promise that I'll update more often but do know that I'm certainly going to try!

Blessed.

We are at such an exciting time in our life. Two big milestones:
Buying a house.
Having a baby.

[What? I'm having a BABY?? Yes, even when I think about it every second of every day, even when I throw up every morning, even when I can't sleep all night- thank you pregnancy insomnia, even when I can't fit into my clothes... I still can't believe it sometimes.]

God has truly blessed Weston and me. I can sit and cry and whine about my troubles, which I do sometimes, but wow, we are blessed.

What a blessing it is to be pregnant! Please do not mistake me, I don't feel like that all the time. I am not to the point yet where I am saying, "I LOVE being pregnant!" But I've just recently been realizing that a baby is such a precious gift that God CHOSE to bless us with. God CHOSE to create a little Weston and Meagan combo. All of this is happening on HIS timeline. As much as I'd like to think I have control over decisions and situations, I'm slowly remembering that HE sees the big picture and HE is up there smiling, watching as I travel along this journey.

What a blessing it is to be able to buy a house! Yes, it is scary and stressful and we won't be able to afford that perfect, quaint little house we found last weekend. But we will be purchasing a home for our little family. Which is far more than a lot of people in this world can say. I do not want to take anything for granted.

It is scary taking these leaps of faith. Houses are expensive. Babies are expensive. And in the middle of all of this, come September we're going off of just one income?? Is that even possible?? And the Lord says, "Yes, Meagan. It is."

Prego Meago

My worst nightmare came true:
I'm a terrible blogger.

I'm pregnant.
For a while, that was my excuse for not blogging. I couldn't share the news on the world wide web yet but that was ALL I wanted to talk about. And then when I could, I didn't know where to start, so I didn't.

So, for now I suppose I'll share the basics on the subject:
I'm 11 weeks along.
My baby is the size of a large plum.
In one week, we get to hear the heartbeat.
My due date is August 21, 2010.
We should find out the sex in March, I think.
I got real sick for a while but that is starting to go away, thank You Jesus.
As I track the days and weeks, time seems to be creeping by so slowly.
We are VERY excited.

In other news, we're looking for a house. This will be a very interesting time in our life because Weston and I have very differing opinions on things like houses. Our lease on our duplex is up at the end of February and after that we have to pay $100 extra a month. That is WAY more money than I want to pay for this place so I'm feeling a bit of pressure. I don't think Weston's in a hurry at all. We've only just begun this process and I already feel hopeless. We shall see where this leads.

I feel like God is trying to teach me something during this season of my life but I can't quite grasp it. I know that the solution to this is to daily spend time with Him but I am at a loss for motivation. I find myself being jealous of my friends that do daily spend time with Him- that is radiated through their lives. I know that all it will take is discipline. I'm looking for that. I'm searching for the motivation to not be brought down by the simple day to day tasks of this life, but to live for Something More. We shall see where this leads as well.

FREEZE!

Something I dread every morning in the winter:
Opening my closet to pick out my clothes.

Explanation:
I HATE being cold. So it's always the worst when I get out of my nice warm bed. Then I go take a warm shower and warm up the bathroom but then I have to go back to the bedroom to get dressed- the bedroom where my husband is still sleeping with TWO fans blasting. So I get a little chilled just walking in, but here's the worst part- with the closet door closed all night, it doesn't get the warm air from the heater (no vent in the closet of course) so the cold air outside makes it nice and FREEZING. I'm sure it's just barely warmer than the temp outside. Every time, I quickly open the door, pick out something really fast, close the door, and run back to the warm bathroom. That might explain some of my outfits some days. It's not that I don't have any fashion sense, I was just soooooooo cold!!!