Drop Kick the Devil!

SO! Isn't it funny the things God uses to get our attention? Sometimes, to me, it gets a little frustrating discerning between God wanting to get our attention, His tests to us and the straight up evil attacks from Satan. I want to believe that they are all similar in function, but at the same time, I believe the Devil attacks hardest when we are on the right path in life and doing what God has for us because let's face it, the little red man with the pitch fork hates it when we're happy in God's plans. On the other hand God wanting our attention means (to me) that there might be an area in our lives that we need to work on, something we need to give up or clean out.

The past few weeks for me seems to be a combination of all of them! It's been everything from car problems, health problems, and to top it off a creeper of a neighbor (whose creepiness only seems to keep escalating) It's been one interesting year so far! But every day is a new day. I was exhausted this morning after only 2-3 hours of edgy sleep but still found the strength to run my errands, go for my run and will shortly be going to school for the night. As I was out for my run I thought that every day is a new day. A chance to start over. A chance to make today better than yesterday. We can only live so far ahead in this fast paced life - we move so fast that we often forget to live in the moment.

So for me, today I promise myself this - I promise to take every day and make it it's personal best. To clean my body, soul and mind daily. To ask for forgiveness daily as well as learn to daily forgive myself. I promise to daily ask God for wisdom and guidance; to be able to discern the difference between tests and attacks.

For you, I hope you can learn to make every day its best. We can only live today. Tomorrow is not promised and yesterday is gone.

You will never regret yesterday if you live today to its fullest!

O! For the love of dogs!

As many (to all) of you know, we got a new puppy! YAY! We call her Mona. WELL - As I was walking her through the (1 acre fenced-in) yard to let her wander and play I got somewhere around the middle and noticed poop. I stepped again, more poop.

[Now, keep in mind I don't very often walk the entire stretch of my yard. I usually walk trigger down the road or take him hiking or for car rides and when we play fetch I mostly stay in the front half of the yard throwing the object he is to retrieve.]

Soon I noticed that every other step (if not every) was poop! Poop to my left, and poop to my right. Now, my way of thinking was that Man! My dogs have some amazing digestive tracts and brilliants amount of fiber in their expensive dog food OR maybe they just love this particular place right in the smack dab middle of the yard. I make a small detour to the left and notice the pattern is not changing but slowly only growing worse. I gaze across the yard and wonder when the last time it has been mowed (not that it needed it since it has been dead for the wintery seasons). I then concluded that my wonderful, AMAZING husband must have stopped picking up the poop since he hadn't been needing to mow.

I lightly tread back across the yard and into our cozy and clean home. I notice Rob in the room so I very curiously ask him when the last time he had picked up the dogs messes in the yard. He very honestly and innocently looks over at me and says "I thought it would dissolve into great fertilizer so I never picked it up." Now, I LOVE this man, I do! And these are the times that you want to be a little miffed, but can't do anything but stare into the big, brown, gorgeous eyes and laugh and only love him more!

Well, Rob had to leave back across the state for work so this task was going to be - you guessed it - ALL MINE! TUESDAY - I put on my big girl "trench through the poop" boots and grabbed a shovel and started to work. I started in the front of the yard scanning it like I was looking for hidden diamonds. Thirty minutes in (and probably only about 45-50 piles later I had only covered the front left section. I needed to get back in the house to clean for a house showing so the rest would have to wait.

WEDNESDAY - Yawn, stretch, whatever will I do this morning - I know! Let's pick up more poop! I gear myself up, let the dogs run free and start to scan. This was quickly cut short though due to the large vulture-like creatures that were scanning my yard as well - although unfortunately, unlike me, were not scanning for piles of dog poo to consume, they were tracking my sweet little Mona. It started with only one of which Trigger was having fun chasing into the sky, then it left and came back with three, then they settled and several more came within only minutes! I could hear them whispering in the trees and they were evilly planning on distracting the big, loud, brown one while another would swoop down and pick up their dinner - Mona. So as they were bickering over which one would do the swooping and which ones would do the distracting I put my poop cleaning desires on hold and moved quickly into the safety of my home.

THURSDAY - Day three of cleaning poo from the back yard - how much fun has this week been! Trigger is now jumping up and down the fence line and running frivolously up and down the yard SO happy that I was finally cleaning his yard! I finally reached the middle to back of the yard. Now by this time, I have deemed myself a master Pooper Scooper as well as a professional poop reader. There were all kinds, kinds with green mold growing on them, blue mold, colonies of little critters staring to live off of them and even one with a hot pink balloon inside. - What a surprise! -

Counting this day how many piles I had actually cleaned I counted well over 100!! This thought made the insides of me squirm intensely. It made me want to run (as fast as I could) to the nearest convenient store, but the largest tub of hand sanitizer and run up and down the rows of the yard squeezing it out generously yelling bye bye parasites, bye bye!!! Now, I did not do this in fear that the neighbors (who i'm pretty sure already think I'm crazy) will see me as certifiably crazy!

I did finally finish cleaning up the yard. YAY YAY! YAY! This is, needless to say, going to be added to our WEEKLY to do list from now on! My dogs are my babies and to know they were living in such filth. I wouldn't want to lay or play in my own feces either. Ugh! Eww! Gross! And to all of you out there who may think to yourself, but it'll dissolve and be a great fertilizer... it's not. It hardly breaks down and actually KILLED patches of grass. And if you're like me, who wants your pet(s) to live long, happy, healthy lives... you'll pull on your "poopy boots", grab a shovel and head to work!

Oh! Oh!Oh! For the love of our dogs! :)

Welcome Home Mona

We are so excited to announce a new member in our growing family! Mona! She was born on November 21, 2010 and came home to be with us yesterday. Our car ride home was great! She is smart and incredibly sweet! But oh! the puppy teeth! lol! She is so energetic and gets into everything! We have amazingly gone one full day as of now without any accidents in the house. Yay! Although I'm sure the worst is yet to come. She gets to meet her daddy and brother (trigger) tonight and we're all so excited! We can't wait to watch her grow up and grow into our lives and family! And hopefully we'll be able to give our family one more addition within the next year or two - but this time maybe it'll not have fur, or four legs - we can only hope!

Moving - again....

So,.. low and behold - big news! We are moving. Again.

This in and of itself does not necessarily suprise me, but it does however disappoint me. We were led on to believe that we were going to be stationed here long term but now we are finding out that the military has magically ran out of money to finish sending the guys to schools so we are being re-posted. Our orders are up. Time to move.

I am only heartbroken because we have just bought an amazing house which has so quickly become our home. We have a great place for the dogs. We are so close to the beautiful beach. We have found a great church but mostly we have made amazing friends that we are so sad to have to be leaving.

At first I couldn't do anything but just sigh. I know I married into this lifestyle (military) so I did my best to girl up and not complain but to try to think in positive ways and find the good in things.

Thus far,.. we can thank God for at least having one week to pick five places - at least we had SOME say in the matter and God granted for us to be stationed temporarily in Greensboro, NC. It's no sandy beaches and fun towns, but it is close and very practical. Rob will have a place to stay while he is working up there and I will still be here until we can sell the house. It stinks that we'll be apart - but again, blessed because we'll still see each other every weekend and even some weekdays. Then, we will be able to move again in a few years and hopefully be able to pick somewhere adventurous and beautiful!

So, all in all, I cannot compalin too much, but venting a little always feels good! I will miss all my friends here - I will be sad to go - but I know God has a purpose for everything and I am ready to seek and find!

Keep us in your prayers as we'll need much wisdom, guidance and strength in the next several months!

Through trials - I am still learning to live larger, laugh more often and love more!

August - February Update!

Well - it's been far too long! I'm surprised I didn't forget entirely about this "blog" and just leave it floating around in cyberspace somewhere completely lost!

A lot has changed since last august - although really not that much! I am finally in North Carolina with my sweet hubby! We moved into a condo right on the beach for a few months. The view was amazing.. with taking one step out your back door and landing on the oceans sandy shores.. but the space was so small!

- - -SO - - -

We bought a house! :) I love our new home purchased in October! We have been so blessed in the past months I cannot even begin to tell you!

We spent the month of October house hunting and getting settled in. Lovely November was spent painting and garage-saling for items to fill up our large empty home. We spent Thanksgiving with Rob's family and then traveled up to Michigan for Christmas -

It was SO good being home! Home for the holidays is like the smell of warm coffee (or for us who don't drink coffee, hot chocolate) on a cold winter morning. Papa Steve and I had made sweet amends shortly after my last post in August - and it was SO good being able to sew back together those temporarily lost pieces!

Both Rob and I had a blast while in Michigan - it was relaxing yet full of fun times! We were able to go see the lights in Frankenmuth, play in the snow, bowl, putt putt golf, play games until we cried from laughter! We spent quality time with family and to us - that is what it is all about!

January - Happy New Year! - 2010! I cannot believe how fast the time is flying! We were able to spend the New years with Rob's family before heading back home from our vacation. We were ready to be home after all the driving, but sad to have to end all the festivities of the holidays - BUT - that is why there are pictures - to hold memories forever!

I started school in January and it's been quite the feat to keep it all together but it will all be worth it in the end. I am glad to finally be pursing my dream and passion of doing hair... I know, I know... it seems like an insane thing to do to switch from nursing to becoming a hair stylist,.. but I love it and will be able to take this career with me wherever we travel!

Rob has ventured into his new job within the military - he has gone back and forth about where to take his career and which alleys to search down, and for now he has decided to make the military a career and get from it what he can. He is passionate about leading and being the best leader that he can be at that! I trust his channel with God and know that he will make the right decisions for us based on that!

Other than that - life has had its ups and downs - but if it didn't I would wonder if I am even human. I am currently unemployed for the first time since I left high school and its a genuinely SCARY experience! I have learned a lot though thus short time - I have learned that stressing out over something that is beyond my control is not worth my time. I have learned that just when you think you were squeezing every ounce out of every penny you earned, there is more to be squeezed. And most importantly, I have learned to trust and lean on God even more so than I did before. I feel like a feather in the wind. I let go, and let God. I am fully relying on Him to supply all our needs!

Oh! We did add a new addition to our home! His name (after much debate - of which Rob won...) is Scout! He was a Doberman who was being abused and we were alerted by someone on base - we drove on up and rescued him before they put him down that next Monday - he is now Trigger's best friend and our new little rascal! He's still a puppy - eating 20 pounds of food a week and growing like a weed!! We love them both to death and wouldn't trade a thing!

Well, I think I've said enough for today! I would promise to update more - but I don't like to break my promises - but I will do my best to write when I can!

Always remember to Live Purely, Laugh Hardily, Love like Christ!

Homesick

As I sit here surround by mounds of boxes packed with memories of all sorts - my heart aches for home. ~BUT~ home isn't what it used to be. I wish things could go back to normal. Do I even remember what "normal" is? Sure I do. It's when mom and dad were still together. Even past that,.. they have been separated for years and things were even normal after the separation. I guess people change, but your parents aren't supposed to. Going home now is like going to stay with friends you haven't seen since elementary school - it's just a bit akward. I just feel like i'm missing so much...

I miss my dad. Having not talked to him in almost a month crushes my spirit. It's hard enough being hundreds of miles away, but when the distance between two people isn't the miles that separate them,.. the pain is unbearable. I know I may have taken a new last name, but I will always be his little girl.

I talk to mom most every day. I'm so glad she supports me and lets me know daily of her love for me. She has always been my prayer warrior as well as my cheerleader. She listens and always seems to understand me. I miss her hugs and just her pure "momliness."

I even miss Rob. We see eachother often but it still seems like forever the few days that we are apart. He was in the range today and we've hardly talked at all and the ten minutes we did talk was: "an-- ju- but i'-- when d-- hello?-- are yo--".... stupid phone reception. That broke my heart even more. I can't wait to move this weekend to just be with my husband, my best friend.

I have made such great friends and memories here, but it's time to go. I'll miss them, but they will all be such a part of my life forever.

My First "Blog"

Well, I really think I am going to like this idea of "blogging." I love to journal, but sometimes I fear I forget or simply just do not have the time.

A lot has taken place in my life in the past few months - well really, the past few years - but since I don't have all day to write about the past years, I'll just catch you up on the past few months and start fresh with that!

I am currently living in South Carolina, but only for one more week. (YAY!) On the first of May this year ('09) I met Robert Byron Auman. We met on a silly website - He was informed of the website and got on from curiosity/boredom/silliness?.. and around the time he got on was the day I got on to delete my account because I never used it and was tired of getting emails from it. I received a simple email saying "Wow, your dog is big." It was unlike other dumb messages - it was simple, not dirty or a pickup line -I was intrigued. I simply stated back "thanks, I really like him."

Those simple messages started what is now our lives together! As of July 28th 2009 I became Emily Rose Auman. The very short months leading up to this even were filled with MANY long conversations, prayers, encouragement, praise, love, laughter,.. things I had longed for! I could not be more happy!

One snag in the picture is that my dad is not so happy about the decision and my sister has decided to not speak to me over the matter as well beings how they did not know about our little wedding until after the fact (we did a courthouse wedding with plans of a bigger wedding this winter). His parents as well as my mother and friends are all very supportive, but I understand why my dad is not well with it. It was fast, yes. But as cliche as it sounds - when you know, you just know - and we knew.

Rob is in the military (Navy) as a medic (for the Marines). I don't think it will be an easy lifestyle per-sae, but he just took a job where he'll be home more and away less. (and is non-deployable - yay!) He has been married previously, although the divorce was not his fault I do honestly believe that he has learned from it and has become a better man/husband because of it.

I am currently working as a medical assistant here in SC, but only a few more days of that and I move on to my new job (which God amazingly provided for me)! I will be a Podiatrist's assistant making a bit more than I make here as well as being sent back to school. I am a little nervous but very excited.

I am truly blessed!!

Life is a whirlwind, but very exciting at the moment. I know that I can't expect life (and marriage) to always be bliss, but I also know this: Lean on God. Live in the moment. Love to the fullest. Lift others up - and - Laugh as much as possible!