It's all a blur!

The Jeep is back.  Mom met up with me to exchange cars.  I had to head out of Dallas for a job interview today anyway, so Mom met me here to switch cars. 

I've been driving the Maxima around Dallas for almost three weeks now and it's been great fun. As I mentioned before, that car has power.

Something about her car really makes me want to drive fast.  I knew I would get into town before Mom, so I had some time to kill. I decided to take a little detour.  I pulled off on a country road to see what the Maxima could really do. I turned up the radio and floored it.  I won't say how fast I went, because the Rents read this blog.  Good times.  I figured I owed it to the car and the skilled workers who built it.  If I hadn't taken the opportunity, that car would have spent it's whole life being driven by a grandmother.  It's deserved to have a little fun, as did I. 

I have my interview tomorrow morning, then Mom and I are going to scope out some housing options, just in case I get the job.  I'll head back to Dallas Tomorrow evening.

Miniseries, Movies and Midnight Monsters

I've been watching the Kennedys miniseries, on demand.  It know it got bad reviews, or should I say Katie Holmes got bad reviews, but I've found it pretty interesting.  Of course I do love historical drama.  The costumes and sets are great.

I also watched the Lifetime movie William and Kate.  I'm not going to lie - it was pretty cheesy.

I also really want to see The Conspirator. I planned to see it the past couple of weekends, but it just hasn't worked out. Maybe soon. 

It was filmed in Savannah - One on my favorite places of all times.  If you review some of my other entries here , here and here you can see many of my favorite things about the beautiful Southern Gem.  Looking at these old posts made me want to go back this summer, but I don't think that will happen - boo:(

This week, I'm thinking about opportunity and new horizons.  I have two job interviews this week and possibility of a couple of more in the near future.  These verses have been on my heart this week.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do,  and he will show you which path to take.  Proverbs 3:5-6

This is most likely the last time I'll blog this week. Please say a little prayer for me during the next few days. One of the interviews is out of town so I'll be able to meet up with the Rents and switch cars again.  I'll miss the Maxima, but I'll be glad to see the Jeep.

I'm off to bed earlier then normal. I didn't get much sleep last night.  I was awakened at 1am by a noise coming from the living room. I lay perfectly still, imaging what on earth it could be.  I finally decided that if it was something really scary Zoe would have let me know - and I didn't hear her anywhere??  So I got up and crept into the living room to find Zoe - causing the commotion.  I had left  my half-eaten container yogurt on the coffee table.  She was sitting on the rug with cherry yogurt all over her- and the rug.  The main noise that woke me was the spoon hitting my hardwood floors as she knocked the yogurt off the table.  I was so relieved.  I don't spook easy - except in the middle of the night.  It took a while to clean everything up.  My heart was still pounding when I went back to bed so I turned on the TV  to help me relax, but instead ended up watching infomercials most of the night.

Here's hoping tonight is more restful.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge

The Wedding was fun to watch.

I enjoyed the hymns, especially Jerusalem. 

I also really liked the trees that were in the Abbey.  It added a natural, earthy feel to the space.  I loved the contrast of the natural elements with the grandeur of Westminster Abbey.  It kind made it seem like a garden wedding. 

 I loved the dress.  It reminded me of Grace Kelly.

The Duchess changed into another dress for the evening reception. 

Pippa looked nice too. 

It doesn't look like this little bridesmaid is having much fun.

The couple added a modern touch by leaving the palace in a traditional wedding getaway car.  Very cute.

I got up at 4:20am.  So I'm sooooo tired right now.  I about to go to bed.  I dropped Zoe off at day before school and they were serving Wedding cake and mimosas in honor of the wedding. Now that's a classy doggie day care -ha.

Amy posted this on Facebook and it was fun so I thought I'd share it here.  Leave a comment and share your Royal wedding guest name.  

In honor of the big wedding, tell us your royal wedding guest name. Start with either Lord or Lady. Your first name is one of your grandparents' names. Your surname is the name of your first pet, double-barreled with the name of the street you grew up on. Leave a comment and post yours here.  

My Royal Guest Name is . . . Lady Edna Buffy of Verna

The Royal Wedding!

The complete program for the wedding can be downloaded here.

It includes the order of service , all the music that will be included in the ceremony, a personal note from the bride and groom along with historical details about Westminster Abbey.

I'll be setting my alarm to get up very early:) 

The following schedule of royal wedding events is in Eastern Standard Time.


3:00 a.m. - 4:00 a.m. -- The morning of April 29 will start with an announcement from the Queen's office stating the titles that Prince William and Kate Middleton will take.

3:15 a.m. -- General wedding guests will start showing up at Westminster Abbey. These guests will enter the church through the Great North Door.

4:50 a.m. -- VIPs, such as Governors-General and Prime Ministers of Countries under the Commonwealth of England, Diplomatic Corps and distinguished guests, arrive at Westminster Abbey. They will enter the church through the West Door.

5:10 a.m. -- Prince William and best man, Prince Harry, depart Clarence House.

5:15 a.m. -- Prince William and Prince Harry arrive at Westminster Abbey.

5:20 a.m. -- Members of foreign royal families, including Prince Albert of Monaco and Prince Felipe and Princess Letizia of Spain, arrive at the church.

5:20 a.m. -- Kate's mother Carole Middleton and brother James Middleton, depart the Goring Hotel.

5:27 a.m. -- Carole and James Middleton arrive at Westminster Abbey.

5:30 a.m. -- Members of the Royal Family begin arriving at the Abbey

5:38 a.m. -- Father of the groom, Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, depart Clarence House.

5:40 a.m. -- Prince Andrew (uncle of the groom) and his daughters Beatrice and Eugenie; Princess Anne (aunt of the groom), and her husband; Prince Edward (uncle of the groom) and his wife, arrive at Westminster Abbey and enter church through the West Door.

5:40 a.m. -- Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip depart Buckingham Palace.

5:40 a.m. -- Prince William and Prince Harry will move into St. Edmunds Chapel until moments before the royal wedding begins.

5:42 a.m. -- Prince Charles and Camilla arrive at the Abbey.

5:45 a.m. -- Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip are the last guests to arrive at Westminster Abbey.

5:48 a.m. -- Kate's bridesmaids and William's pageboys depart the Goring Hotel.

5:51 a.m. -- Kate Middleton, accompanied by her father, will depart the Goring Hotel in a 1978 Rolls-Royce from the royal state car collection and make her way to Westminster Abbey.

5:55 a.m. -- Bridesmaids and pages arrive at the church.

5:58 a.m. -- The bride, Kate Middleton, who will be officially be known as Catherine, and her father Michael arrive at Westminster Abbey.

6 a.m. -- The ceremony begins. The service is set to last just over an hour and will include vows and a sermon delivered by the Bishop of London, private clergyman to the queen.

7:15 a.m. -- Prince William and the new Princess Catherine will depart Westminster Abbey, by carriage, and process to Buckingham Palace. The carriage carrying the bride and groom will be followed by 4 other carriages carrying their bridal party, parents and Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.

7:30 a.m. -- The Bride and Groom arrive at the Grand Entrance of Buckingham Palace.

7:40 a.m. -- Members of the royal family, foreign royal families, and other reception guests begin arriving at Buckingham Palace.

8:25 a.m. -- The married couple reappear on the balcony at Buckingham Palace with the Queen and their families for 10 minutes.

8:30 a.m. -- The Royal Air Force, where Prince William serves as a search-and-rescue pilot, will perform a flyover.

It's nice to have options!

I'm glad I have more career options than the women of my mother's generation.  However, I still sometimes feel under-appreciated in the workplace.  In my opinion, no woman better expresses this sentiment  then Dolly.

She said it best. . . . .

Workin' nine to five
What a way to make a livin'
Barely gettin' by
It's all takin' and no givin'
They just use your mind
And they never give you credit
It's enough to drive you
Crazy if you let it
Nine to five, for service and devotion
You would think that I
Would deserve a fair promotion
Want to move ahead
But the boss won't seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me
They let your dream
Just a' watch 'em shatter
You're just a step
On the boss man's ladder
But you got dreams he'll never take away
In the same boat with a lot of your friends
Waitin' for the day your ship'll come in
And the tide's gonna turn
And it's all gonna roll your way

Speaking of career options. . . . . . . .

I was surprised to get a call this afternoon about another job opportunity.  I had been told this particular school district would not be hiring counselors this year due to the statewide budget cuts.  The district is in the Metroplex, so if employed there, I would be able to stay in Dallas.

It's funny how things change.  I've been looking for a counseling job for three years.  In the past I was not open to leaving Dallas. I was absolutely closed to the idea.  However in the past few months, God has been working on me.

I guess I should start by saying that I read some ridiculous self-help article a few months ago.  This was not a Christian article, it was secular in nature and appeared in some generic home magazine, nothing scientific for sure.  The main idea of the article was this; If you continue to do the same thing, you will get the same result.  If you want different results in life, change what you are doing. I would also like to add that even though this theory seemed to stir some movement in my professional life. It was a total bust in my personal life.  I could look at it and see that in the past I would not have even considered applying for jobs outside the Dallas Metro area - and of course I never got a counseling job.  On the same hand you could say now that I open to the idea of moving, it seems that I have had more opportunities to interview, obviously increasing my chances of getting hired.

Now to set the record straight. The article itself had nothing  to do with my recent interview opportunities. I believe my life is is in the Lord's hands.  He is in control.  I''m not saying the theory is a totally bad idea.  I can see how it could apply to many areas of ones life such as weight loss, finance or time management. However, in the case of my job search. my family and I have been praying about the situation for years.  We know He is Lord. 

So why did I read the article in the first place?  I don't know.  But it's possible that God used the article to encourage me to think about the job search differently.  As I started thinking about what my life would be like in a new city, God gave me peace and reminded me that He would be there too.  He would also make a way for me to meet new friends and find a new place to worship and serve Him.  In time I began to feel open to the idea that I would move, if the Lord lead me to do so.

I shared earlier that I was ready to leave my comfort zone.  It's just been in recent weeks that I began to open my heart to the idea of moving.  Don't get me wrong, it's crazy scary.  Being a single girl, it would be a huge deal for me to just pick up and start life over, in a new place, where I didn't know anyone.  I feel like I've been on an emotional roller coaster.  One day I'm actually excited about the possibility of a fresh start in a new place and breaking out of the rut I've been in lately.  The next day I'm thinking I must be crazy to leave my friends, my church, my sweet little East Dallas Neighborhood and a good school district where I've been for 12 years. 

Over this past week I've looked at housing options online and hunted down old school mates and Facebook friends who may be living in or around my prospective new cities.  When I found out today about the local opportunity, I was a little shocked that I wasn't more excited.  I immediately began to over analyze it as only I can do.  I started thinking that of course this is the easiest option.  It's so much easier than having to move.  Lets face it - moving is a hassle. However it is the best way to clean house. There was also a little sadness about the possibility of not moving?  weird.

The fact remains that I have not yet been offered a  job.  I may not be offered any of these jobs.  I leave it in the Lords hands.  I will continue to pray for clarity and wisdom. I have two interviews next week.  Please pray for me as I seek God's will and keep my heart open to whatever He has for me.

In any case - It's nice to have options.

Zoe!

Here are some cute pics of Zoe that were taken in the past couple of weeks.

These were taken at her Day Care - Kinder Kritter - in Dallas. 

They even have a web cam so you can log on and check in on your Kritter!

Check it out here.

I''m glad I pay good money for her to spend the day at day care and get some much needed exercise - ha!

I guess she did need a nap after all the playtime.

The Tomb is Empty!

I hope you all have a wonderful Resurrection Sunday!