Did you miss me?!

Wow I have been OUT OF TOUCH for a while! Sorry about that. There has been LOTS going on in life and I haven't gotten around to blogging about it. I must commend my sister-in-law, Beth, for her blogging though. Even with 6 kids she keeps up with it! Wow right?!

So, let's see...

I guess the biggest news is that we found a house! The Lord has really been at work in this process and Steven and I feel SO blessed that He has found us a house that will provide for ALL of our needs.

We had been having issues with our Realtor and finally decided to start working with a different one (recommended to us by Paul and Megan.) Colleen (the new Realtor) is wonderful! She came over to meet us and listened to our wants, dislikes and concerns and wrote everything down. Afterwards, she asked if she could pray for us and we were just SO impressed and blessed by that. We knew she was the ONE! After getting to know us a little bit more, she mentioned that she had some long-time friends in Clovis that wanted to sell their house, but didn't want to list it in this market. They had prayed that if God was calling them to sell and move, then He would bring them a buyer. We agreed to look at it (just for the heck of it) and LOVED it! We told Colleen that she could let the family know what our offer would be and they countered a little and we accepted! The other family was so thankful to know that we were Believers and that their home would be a dwelling place for the Lord even after they were gone. We also feel more at peace about this house knowing that they are Believers as well.

So, escrow opened on Thursday, April 30th and we will have our Home Inspection this Thursday, May 7th. I'll be sure to take some good pictures and post them here for you to see! The family is now actively looking for a new home to buy, but we have agreed that they will rent the house back from us for a couple months to give them some more time. This works great for us too since we would like to finish school this semester and then work on our existing house and have time to pack before we move.

The Lord has been SO good and we feel so blessed and excited about this new chapter in our life. Steven told me last night that for our 5-year anniversary (June 12th) that he is going to buy me a house! I like it! :)

Stress is my middle name.

I have been so STRESSED lately. I feel like it's becoming my middle name these days. I even had a wonderful birthday two weeks ago and haven't had it together to post pictures and blog about it yet! Ugh.

I am taking 14 units this semester while working part time and trying to maintain my marriage and social life. I thought that after five years of not being a full time student that I could handle it now that I was more mature, but turns out, I'm in over my head.

I'm not sorry that I enrolled in 14 units, I'm just sorry that I don't have the discipline that a good student needs to accomplish this amount of course work. I'm taking Math-101, PoliSci-2, Music Appriciation (online) and 3 units of work experience.

My math class was my least favorite going into this semster mostly because I've NEVER been good at math and I HAVE to pass this class to get my AA Degree at the end of this semester. Turns out, I'm doing much better in the class than I had expected, which is a HUGE blessing. I failed my first test but since then I've gotten "B's" or better. Last test I got a 96%!!! That is so rare for me, but I'm thankful! Plus, the instructor will drop our lowest test score or give us the option to not take the final.

PoliSci has been fun. I enjoy the teaching style of my professor, and she is not only knowledgable of her field, she is a practicing attourney too, so we're learning a lot of the "law" that goes behind our politics. Class discussion is great! Can't you just see me in the middle of a debate on anything?!

My music appreciation class is the one I was most looking forward to, and has been the biggest dissapointment and cause of my stress this semester. The instructor has a completely UNREALISTIC expectation of how much homework is appropriate for a 3-unit class and several of the students in the class are frustrated because we're trying so hard to succeed and are not seeing the grade-results we are hoping for. I am actually in the middle of a "formal complaint" process with the Dean of Instruction about this class. Hopefully we can see a change for the better before the end of the semester.

Apart from all the school drama/stress, there is the usual work hours, worship team volunteering and various social events; baby showers, lunch dates with girlfriends, etc. AND we have been working with a realtor to look into buying a home. So, on the 1 day a week that Steven and I both have off, we are trying to find our next home. Hasn't happened yet, but we're sure that God has a place for us somewhere and we will just be faithful in prayer until He reveals it to us.

If you happen to read this blog, or just think about us from time to time, here is a perfect example of how you can be praying for me, and for Steven and I both. Thanks dear ones!

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

A RECIPE EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW:

The most dangerous cake recipe

5 MINUTE CHOCOLATE MUG CAKE

4 tablespoons flour

4 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons cocoa

1 egg

3 tablespoons milk

3 tablespoons oil

3 tablespoons chocolate chips (optional)

a small splash of vanilla extract

1 large coffee mug

Add dry ingredients to mug, and mix well. Add the egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil and mix well. Add the chocolate chips (if using) and vanilla extract, and mix again.

Put your mug in the microwave and cook for 3 minutes at 1000 watts (high). The cake will rise over the top of the mug, but don't be alarmed! Allow to cool a little, and tip out onto a plate if desired.

EAT! (this can easily serve 2 people, TRUST me!)

And why is this the most dangerous cake recipe in the world? Because now we are all only 5 minutes away from chocolate cake at any time of the day or night!

(thanks to Keirsten Craig for sending me this MOST helpful information!)

The Biggest Loser!

So, I've been determined to lose some weight lately. With wanting to have a baby soon and knowing that I have Thyroid problems, my body had begun to show me that it's not going to be easy for me to maintain a healthy weight after I have a baby, so I thought I better start NOW! I've purchased The Biggest Loser - Cardio Workout DVD from Target and have been successfully training with Bob for an entire week now. I have to say, I'm pretty proud of myself. I can feel the sleepy muscles inside me waking up and I'm excited to say that I feel GOOD! Well, the second and third day I didn't feel so good, but now I do. So, if any of you three-or-so people that read this blog happen to be wondering about my progress, don't hesitate to ask me about it. I'd welcome the accountability. Lovingly of course. Anyway, my goal right now is to be able to wear a sleeveless dress for a couple of weddings I'll be attending in June. We'll see~

In Honor of V-Day!

In honor of the upcoming Valentines Day, I would like to introduce to you...the LOVE of my life!

Steven Nahum Estes is my wonderful husband. I am sure many of you have heard the story of how we met and how we got set up by his parents and all that, but you may not know much about HIM.

Steven is the most intelligent person I know. I mean, honestly, he knows SO much. He calls it "useless knowledge" because he will inevitably know something about any sort of conversation happening near him and is an expert in many areas. He is currently a Chemistry major at Fresno State University and plans to attend pharmacology school to earn a doctorate of Pharmacy (Pharm.D degree.)

He can take a computer apart and put it back together again, and I've seen him do it! He can tile floors, he can cook, he is a fisherman, he can change the oil and the brakes on either one of our cars, he made my corsage for our high school prom as well as many other weddings, he is better at loading the dishwasher than I am, he's a WONDERFUL BBQ'er, he's very handy and can fix most anything, he cuts his own hair and he's a musician.

Steven can competently play: the bass guitar, trombone, French horn, banjo, accordion, guitar, piano, and the harmonica.

Apart from his impressive credentials listed above, Steven is no doubt a HANDSOME man. He is blond and has blue eyes. I always liked his eyebrows; they are so perfectly proportionate to his eyes. I also love his earlobes. They are so soft and although he doesn't like it when I touch them, I still do it! Recently he decided to grow a goatee. I never thought I would like facial hair on my husband, but turns out that I DO! So, he then proceeded to grow a full beard! I like it too, but if he decides to shave, then I'd like him to keep the goatee. It makes him look older, more distinguished. I have always loved the shape of his hands too. It is amazing to me that my hand fits so perfectly inside his. I'm sure God made us that way on purpose too. I love that he is comfortable. We can lay on the couch together and cuddle and he's just so comfortable! He has pretty skinny legs compared to the rest of him, but they are SO strong! HE is so strong. I sometimes tell him that he's better looking now, than when I first met him, and the truth is, I am attracted to him and love every bit of him.

He is loving and kind. He has a very long "fuse" and can put up with my quirks for a LONG time, but he is patient and forgiving too. He is compassionate and loyal. He is hard-working and has an exceptional work ethic. His co-workers and friends look to him for leadership and guidance. He is responsible and he willingly provides for his family. He loves children and they love him. He is sometimes attracted to the children at our campus' Child Development program who are disabled. He has befriended a little boy with Downs Syndrome and loves to pay special attention to him. He goes out of his way to play with these, and many other children, who might not otherwise get the attention. His nieces and nephews are so special to him. He loves to teach them new things and spend quality time with each of them. I am so anxious for us to have children of our own because I KNOW Steven will make an amazing dad!

Above all else, my husband is a wonderful man of God. It was always clear to me that he had a relationship with God and that it was very important to him. Just because he was raised in a Christian home and is a pastor's son, doesn't automatically mean he would have been a Christian. Steven chose to love the Lord and walk in faith of God's plan for his life and because of this, I am truly blessed. My husband prays with me every night before we go to bed and that has been such a HUGE blessing to me. I am so proud to have a husband who is not afraid to pray out loud and especially to lead his wife in prayer. It is truly amazing what God can do in the life of this man.

So, this Valentines Day, I will remember all the reasons why I am so incredibly thankful for my husband. This is just a short testament to how wonderful he is and I want each of you to think of your spouse and recall the wonders of what makes that person so special and such a blessing to your life.

Happy Valentines Day!

In Loving Memory of (Great Uncle) Ed Miller

Today, with family and friends, we celebrated the life of our wonderful Great Uncle Ed Miller. Ed is married to Barbara, my grandmother Alvera's younger sister. Uncle Ed was one of our favorite people in the family. He always had a great sense of humor and loved to joke with us every time we were together. He was also one of few people in our extended family that really went out of his way to welcome (my husband) Steven into the family when we got engaged and married. His wonderful smile and great joke-ster attitude were a joy to be around, but his love for the Lord was also evident in his every-day life and that is such a testimony to be proud of.

Uncle Ed and Aunt Barbara were involved in an automobile accident this past August 2008 on their way to Oregon. Uncle Ed was driving and was very tired, he nodded off for a second and when he woke up, he over corrected the car and it drove onto an embankment on the side of the road and he died instantly. Aunt Barbara's injuries were extensive and her recovery took months. Though it was hard hearing of the loss of Uncle Ed, we felt at peace knowing that he was in Heaven and that he was in no pain. We are thankful to still have Aunt Barbara with us and today she was recovered and looked lovely. She smiled, socialized and hugged everyone and was just so thankful to have her husband's life celebrated with the people that matter most to her.

The Bill Seaberg Trio sang several lovely numbers: Great Uncle Bill and Aunt Linda Seabert (my grandmother's youngest sister) and Great Aunt Dorothy (grandmother's other sister,) Grandpa Clayton Schletewitz offered a powerful prayer, 3 of the 4 Lehman sisters singing, the 4 Lehman sisters all together, Steven, my dad Mark, grandpa and my brother Daniel afterwards, and us at the dinner celebration after the service.

25 Random Things About Me

Uh oh, it's been over a month since my last posting and I thought I said I wasn't going to do that, but then I did. So, for your viewing pleasure, here are 25 Random Things About Me that you may or may not have known. Enjoy!

1. I can roll my tongue in three rolls at once. Yes, that's right.

2. I always knew I would marry a blonde-haired, blue-eyed man. Even though I was usually always attracted to the Tall, Dark and Hansom type. Guess who I married?!

3. I had a Vocal Scholarship to Fresno Pacific University my Freshman year of college.

4. I have been singing in public since I was 5 years old.

5. I had always wanted to say that I was "16 and never-been kissed." My first boyfriend, when I was 15, was 19 and he was very respectful of my wanting to wait until I was 16 and then my parents told me I had to stop seeing him because of our age difference and so he was not my first kiss after all. But, my husband WAS my first kiss, at age 18!

6. My husband and I were both virgins when we got married. (praise God!)

7. I've been to New York for a Choral Festival Competition with my high school choir.

8. My entire wedding, including my wedding dress, only cost $3,000.!

9. I have been deep-sea fishing, twice!

10. I am excited to be a full-time student again and my goal is to start the Degree Completion Program at Fresno Pacific University this Fall 2009 for my Bachelors Degree in Organizational Leadership.

11. I LOVE scrap booking and beading. (thanks to Leslie and Keirsten!)

12. I struggle with being tactful and so I pray about, and practice it regularly.

13. I've been to Ethiopia on a mission trip to teach music and English in 2008.

14. My first-ever attended concert was to see Barlow Girl in Bakersfield.

15. I am 1/2 Italian on my mother's side.

16. I serve as a volunteer on the Worship Team at Clovis Hills Community Church.

17. There were a total of 4 ministers involved with the ceremony at our wedding. (Uncle John, Uncle Paul, father-in-law Sam, and Grandpa [retired pastor.])

18. I sang the National Anthem at my high school graduation ceremony.

19. At one point, I had 5 piercing in my ears. (3 on my right lobe and 2 on my right.)

20. The place I feel the most at-peace and soulfully-refreshed is at the beach.

21. Tulips are my favorite flower.

22. I have been a brunette, a red-head and have had black hair before. (not all at once)

23. I have Hypo-Thyroidism.

24. I've been to Mexico on a mission trip in 1999.

25. I have a brother who is 10 years younger than me.