Give Me Your Eyes

Work has been incredibly busy...let's just say that I dove in head first and I have not come back up... but I love it! I really needed to stay late yesterday, but I didn't becasue it was my coveted Bunco night! So, I decided to head into the office early this morning and was listening to 90.9 KCBI. I heard a song that I had enver heard before by Brandon Heath...and song that almost had me in awe..."Give Me Your Eyes" (click on the link and it will take you to the music video).

I started thinking about how there is so much in this world that we do not see and we do not know, but that there is Someone who knows it all. So what if we had His eyes, His arms and His love for even just one day? Would we be a kinder and gentler people? How would we be changed? It makes you think, doesn't it.

Starting my new job, I have made many new friends and I am so thankful for that. So after hearing this song it made me wonder if I had the Lord's eyes for a day, what would I see? What are in the hearts of the people that I work with? What is going on in their lives that they hide? So today, I am asking the Father, "What is my purpose here?" I believe that I am at B&B for a very specific reason, and not just to have a job. So today I pray that the Lord uses me however He sees fit, and that I might have His eyes for a time to see the hearts of these people...to know them and love them.

Great new recipe!

So, like I said yesterday, I am back to using my beloved crockpot on a daily basis. And today, I discovered a tasty and simple new recipe. It is in my favorite crockpot cookbook...
This book is excellent and has a ton of great recipes...from simple "2-3 ingredient" stuff, to exquisite and challenging dishes...everything from drinks, to soups, to dips, to side dishes, entrees and desserts!

Today, I made Cheesy Crockpot Chicken. Now, so of you may remember my several attempts to make chicken in the crockpot and their terrible outcomes, but I finally found a trick (thanks to Crockpot 365)...I PUT THE CHICKEN IN COMPLETELY FROZEN!!!

Yes, this is the picture from the book...only because I didn't take pictures of mine and I wanted you to see how tasty it looks!

This is so simple to make. You need:
4-6 chicken breasts - FROZEN
2 cans Cream of Chicken Soup
1 can Condensed Cheddar Cheese Soup
salt and pepper
Garlic powder

First mix your cream of chicken soup and cheddar cheese soup together in a bowl. Then place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your crockpot and sprinkle with salt and pepper and pinch of garlic powder. Then pour your mixed soups over the chicken. Let this cook for 8-9 hours on low ( I cooked it for 8 and the chicken was still nice and juicy...not dry). Then you serve over pasta or rice.

This was really, really good and so simple. Brant really liked this and he is actually quite picky with his chicken...he hates dry chicken! I will definitely make this again...and I hope you will too!!!

The First Week

Well, I can honestly say that I am loving my job. I actually look forward to going to work everyday...imagine that! Today, I was actually assigned to a case manager, which means that I have actually been "assigned" to certain cases. So tomorrow I am spending most of the day researching and learning about them...which is fun for me!

The only adjustment so far are the hours. Although I love not having traffic, I am an "early to bed early to rise" kind of girl, so I feel like half my "home-time" in the evenings is already gone by the time I get home. I used to beating Brant home and having dinner started by the time he gets home around 5:30, but now, either I: cook in the crockpot, made a 30 minute meal, pick it up on my way home, or we don't eat until 8:00. So, like I said, its just an adjustment, but we're beginning to get used to it.

Our weekend was good...I went shopping and got 2 new suites, as well as several new blouses. Saturday evening, we went to have a homemade pizza dinner party with friends and that was a great blast! Then Sunday, we went to church, had lunch, then I went to see my dear friend Mary. She had a precious baby girl on Thursday morning...Mallory Elyse. I took over some dinner and held that sweet baby for over an hour...but don't worry...I'm not going through a spout of baby-fever right now. Sunday night, Brant and I just relaxed together and watched "The Kingdom." It is a great movie!

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and is having a great start to their week!

Going Private

Hello blogging friends,
Well, I've decided to make my blog private because of several reasons, but I wanted to make sure everyone had ample warning! I'll begin being private on Monday, so if you would like to be added as a reader, please either email me or leave me a comment so I can make sure and put you on the list !

Thanks

God is so Good

Isn't amazing what the Lord does...all in His time. It's amazing the people that He puts in your path to achieve His goals, never your own.

About a month ago, I received an email from Jessica...it was from a friend of a friend who was a friend of a recruiter named Derek. Derek was looking for a Intellectual -Property paralegal for a law firm in Dallas and asked for anyone knowing any paralegals to forward his email. Well this email randomly got forwarded to Jessica, who immediately emailed it to me! Although I had absolutely no IP experience, I decided that I should at least network with Derek if he was recruiting for legal positions. So I called Derek and we met about a week later. He helped me with several interviews, and today, I received a job offer! Amazing that this job offer came from meeting a man through an email forward by a friend, who's friend was a friend of a recruiter! Now, you tell me the Lord did not plan every step of this!

The whole story to say that I am very excited to announce that I start my job as a litigation paralegal on Monday. The firm that I will be working for is very prestigious, housing some of the best named lawyers in Dallas. The opportunity is so great and I know that I will be living my dream of being a paralegal.

Thank you to all of my prayers warriors! The Lord has provided so much more than I ever thought possible!

A good Weekend...

But it was very busy! Brant's parents came into town Thursday night, so we spent the weekend with them. Friday, we (myself, Brant's sister Krisite, and Brant's parents) took a drive over to Dallas where Bob, Brant's dad, ordered a Smart Car!!!Then we went to lunch at Bread Winners and spent the afternoon shopping around uptown. That night, we went to the Rangers game and had tons of fun!!! Judy and I went to the Brighton store Saturday morning because she wanted to buy her first Brighton purse...and I might had found one myself. Brighton was having the Handbag trade-in event...which is where you take in any old handbag and you can receive up to $50 off a new bag! The old bags are donated to a women's shelter. So, I called Brant and asked if I could buy the bag. I persuaded him by promising to sell two of the my other Brighton handbags on ebay to make up for the cost of the new bag...if you want to take a look, click on the picture and it will take you to the auction.


But here is a picture of my new purse...
Today I am cleaning house and getting ready for a few interviews I have this week. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

MEXICO!!!

Home

Well, I'm safe and sound at home after an amazing trip to Cancun's Gran Caribe Real Resort and Spas, but I'll be honest...it was very difficult coming home to 103 degree heat from the 91 with an ocean breeze I've grown accustomed to! The only bad thing is that I've gotten a stomach bug. Thankfully, I didn't get it until the middle of the night last night, so I still enjoyed my glorious vacation, just not the journey home. So, I'm going to rest this evening, but I will post some pictures tomorrow!!!

Anniversary

Well, It's official.....


I HAVE BEEN MARRIED FOR AN ENTIRE YEAR!!!!

Yes, as of Sunday, July 20th, Brant and I had been married for one year - and it has honestly been a GREAT year! We have been so blessed and have truly fallen in love with each other since that day. I actually heard it said best by a friend of mine just the other day. She said "I loved my husband the least on the day I married him."

So on Friday evening, we went out for a steak dinner at Hoffbrau Steakhouse - it was delicious. For an anniversary present, I got Brant a new wedding band...if you haven't heard the story, Brant los this ring while installing a sprinkler system about 3 months after we got married...so, I got him a new band from James Avery. I got a size too small, so we went to exchange it before dinner and I found a rign that I wanted. So here are a few pictures from our anniversary date!


On Sunday (our actual anniversary) we went to church, then to see The Dark Knight at the Studio Movie Grill - a place where they serve you from a full menu while you watch the movie...its GREAT! Then our good friends Ryan and Kristy had a special birthday celebration at Pappa's Bar-b-que then went to ride go-carts at Speed Zone. We had a blast.

We leave tomorrow morning for our Mexico trip! Kristy and I have been emailing each other all day long talking about what we are packing and how excited we are to be going! We can't wait to get there.

I hope everyone is having a great week and I'll put up pictures as soon as I'm home!!

Karaoke at the Oasis

Well last night, mom, Jess and Jess's mom all went out to the Oasis for Karaoke night! We had so much fun together. Here are a few pictures for your enjoyment.

Ok, so this wasn't at the Oasis, but Dax was being so sweet while I was getting ready to go. I just love this pup!!!

Me and Jessica!!!

Our moms! Take a guess who's mom is who!

This is my mom doing the twist! She can out-twist just about anyone!!

Me and my mommy!

This is Jessica singing "Family Tradition"! It was hilarious!

A Great Morning

Good morning readers,
Well I had a meeting with a recruiter yesterday, he sent me on an interview yesterday afternoon, and then called with another possible job...it was a great meeting to say the least. I know that I didn't get the job from the first interview because I didn't have quite enough experience, but Carol (the lady I interviewed with) did say that she would hire me in a second if she had a legal secretary position open...but she doesn't! Hey - I don't have a job yet, but at least I know people like me!!!!

Anyways, I had an wonderful morning with the Lord. I have been doing the Breaking Free study by Beth Moore. I have had the book for years, but never taken the time to read and study the Word with it - boy am I glad I picked it up.

This morning's study was about fully experiencing the benefit of peace that the Lord has to offer. Many people have asked how I am doing since I lost my job and several can't understand that it has been a blessing rather than a curse. I have had an incredible peace about the entire situation; yes, sometimes I think about "what ifs", but then I turn my eyes upward and they all fade away. It is unexplainable. Well this morning in my reading, I ran across this and it is exactly what I needed to see:

"He is God, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, the supreme Author of all existence. He reigns over all, and in Him all things exist. He is Lord, the Master and Owner of all living creatures. He is the covenant Maker and Keeper. He is holy. As Lord, He will never ask anything of us that is not right, good, and open to the light. He is perfect and undefiled. Lastly, He is Redeemer, the One who bought us from sin's slave master so we could experience abundant life. He bought us to set us free. 'What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?' (Rom. 8:31)"

Read the bold part again - He will never ask us to do anything that does not bring Him glory. Therefore, I will wait until HE brings the perfect job my way because I KNOW that HE will put me exactly where He wants me to be. This, my friends, is why I have a peace! Oh, how it brings me such excitement to know that my God and the God of all the universe is watching out for me and is taking care of everything!

updates

I'm sorry its been awhile...I've been relaxing and busy all at the same time. This week was an interesting one. To say the least, I haven't just "stayed" home in years...I'm a busy body. So to be home alone and by myself has been different. I've cleaned, I've read, I've scrapbook'ed, I've exercised, I've walked and I've job hunted.

I have only had one job interview and it went extremely well. However, the company did decide on another candidate, but also told me that if this candidate did not accept, or if they did not work out, then I would be receiving an offer. I know it stinks that I didn't get the job, but it did make me feel better that I was "runner-up". I do have an interview on Tuesday with a legal recruiter so I hope that goes well. I think I have sent my resume out to 20 different companies and I just keep on sending them.

But I actually doing really well. I've enjoyed my time off - my time of relaxation. My house is nice and clean and I get to make my bed every day. Brant was usually still in bed when I used to leave the house, so my bed was never made...and I hated it.

I'll update more throughout the week, but I'm going to go relax with Brant for now.

This is this, and that is that...

Oh - I have so many things to say...thoughts, news, recipes...all sorts of things.

First of all - a great new recipe...for the CrockPot of course. I got the basics from Crockpot 365, but I added a few touches of my own. These are crockpot chimichangas!

First, I got a "hunk'o'meat" (as described by Crockpot 365). I just used an oven roast. Salt and pepper it, add about a cup of water and let it cook for 8-10 hours on low. I cooked mine for 10 hours and it was amazing!

Once that is ready, take two forks (or fingers) and shred the roast - you wanted to make shredded beef so it is easy to eat. Leave about 1/2 of juice from the roast in the crockpot. Once shredded, add a packet of fajita seasoning, one can of diced tomoatoes and a can of green chilies. Cover and cook on high for 30-45 minutes until heated. I also made refried beans to go in ours.



Get burrito-sized tortillas and butter. Put in your "stuffing" and as your role your burrito, smother it in butter. Once they are completely rolled, make sure the top is covered in butter as well and bake at 375 for about 15-20 minutes, or until they get crispy.








I smothered these in queso and sour cream. These were delicious...the meat was tender and so flavorful. This is definitely a new favorite in our house!


On the "News" front...I got fired yesterday! Don't panic..I think it has been more of a relief than anything. I was miserable at my job and completely disgusted with what the company stood for, so they just made a decision that I had been debating for a year. It was a rough morning though - more than anything a blow to my ego. There are a ton of details and "stuff" surrounding this and yes, I feel that it was unfair...I had no warning, I hadn't gotten in trouble, hadn't been given a review, hadn't been told that I was doing ANYTHING wrong...but I still got fired. So I cam home yesterday morning, fell to knees, and lifted my eyes. I prayed that I would have an unexplainable peace about my future and about my families' finances. Let me just tell you that our God is an amazing God and He is faithful...I have an unexplainable peace. I KNOW that He will not leave us "high and dry" and He WILL provide. I KNOW that what is unknown to me is already written by His Hands...I KNOW that He is THE FAITHFUL ONE.

So now I begin the job hunt. Its exciting though - a new chapter, a new beginning. And just in case you were wondering, yes, we are still going to Mexico because that is already paid for!!!

Now for my thoughts...I love John Grisham!!! I am a big fan of books, movies and stories that are about law, crimes, politics...all of that stuff! But I had never read a John Grisham book before last week...now I'm hooked! I read "The Summons" and couldn't put it down...so now I am on to "The Chamber". I guess I have some reading time!!! So, to those of you who are John Grisham fans...what is your favorite book???

Favorite Summer Memories

When I walked out to my car this morning to leave for work, it felt so good outside. It made me start thinking about some of my favorite things to do during the summer - of course that was when I was a kid and actually had a summer.

There was Youth Camp and family vacations at Lake Murray...playing in the sprinkler when I was young. Sister and I used to have a trampoline in our backyard growing up. We would put the sprinkler under the tramploine then jump in the water spraying up. I can even remember sleeping outside on the tramploine when the world was somewhat safe...but that's another post.

Anyways, I think one of my best summers was right after my freshman year in college - I spent the entire summer with Jessica - the bestie! This particular summer we would either stay together at my house, or at Jessica's grandparents house - both houses were somewhat close to the lake. My mom and dad had our boat at the state park marina, so we would go over to the swimming area. Everyday, we would pack our beachtowels and two floats and drive to the lake. We would get in the water with our floats, then swim all the way out to the buoy line and "attach" ourselves to the line. We would then float for 30 minutes on our backs and 30 minutes on our stomachs! It was awesome...the whole time just laying the water talking about everything under the sun...that was the life!!! Needless to say, I had an awesome tan that summer!!! Now, if I could only find a way to turn back time...any ideas?

So now tell us what your favorite summer memory is. Post your memory on your blog and link it here so we can all know what your best summer was!!!

A little more aobut me!

I found this at A Good Cup of Coffee so if you play along let me know...

1.What is in the back of your car? a hammer, old cell phone and a plastic hanger (I know, I'm random)
2.What color is your toothbrush? white
3.Name one person who made you smile today. My best friend Jessica
4.What were you doing at 8:00 AM? working
5.What were you doing 45 minutes ago? in a meeting with our IST dept. discussing a new project
6. What is your favorite candy? Peanut Butter M&M's
7. What is the last thing your said aloud? I'm so freaking busy today
8. What is the best ice cream flavor? Chocolate Peanut Butter from Pacuigo
9. What is the last thing you had to drink? leamonade from Texadephia
10. What are you wearing right now? cream colored linen pants, brown, cream and khaki flowered patterned shirt with my brown Brighton flipflops with the big flower on the toe
11. What is the last thing you ate? Hersey chocolate bliss
12. Have you bought any new clothes this week? nope...budget remember
13. When was the last time you ran? does working on my elliptical count? if so, then last night
14. What was the last sporting event you watched? Texas Rangers Baseball...a common occurance at the Williams home!
15. Ever go camping? yes - in Hondruas!!!!
16. Do you have a tan? a slight one...I'm tanning 1 or 2 times a week so I don't burn in Mexico!
17. Do you take vitamins daily? no
18. Do you go to church? Yes! South Pointe Baptist in Mansfield
19. Do you like Chinese food more than pizza? Yes...
20. Do you drink your soda with a straw? at a resaurant, yes...a home, no
21. Are you someones best friend? yes
22. What are you doing tomorrow? working then watching Brant's softball game
23. Where is your dad? either at home, on the lake, or on the road for business
24. Can you say the alphabet backwards? Um, no…but I know someone who can! and she says it fast!!!
25. Do you have a maid service clean your home? No.
26. Do you have a favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? yes..Reef fliplfops
27. What color is your car? Gold
28. How do you like your popcorn? lots of butter and salt
29. How did you get your worst scar? the sharp end of a metal hanger was sticking out from a rack at a garage sale and sliced my shoulder open
30. Look to your left. What do you see? the PDR and Store Opening Report pinned up on the wall of my cubicle.
31. What color is your watch? silver
32. What do you think of when you think of Australia? the outback and Steve Erwin
33. Do you use chap stick? Yes
34. Do you have a dog? yes...Dax!
35. Last person you talked to on the phone? Rachel Bilbery
36. Have you met anyone famous? yes, Dennis Quaid - I was an extra in "The Rookie" and I got to sit and talk with him in between scenes
37. Any plans today? work on the 14 blog desings I have on my waiting list.
38. How many states have you lived in? 1 - the grandest state of TEXAS!!!!!!!!!!
39. Do you dye your hair? I used ot highlight, but now I'm all natural.
40. Do you like cats? I used to hate them, but Brant had one when we started dating and now I like them...especially Kai because she is so sweet!