D's Official Office Project

You would think that with all this extra room in our new home, we would have an easy time putting everything away in a nice little place.  Notthecase.  Instead, we have found that it's more exciting to recreate our home into something new and our own.  Well, that takes time... and money... one of which we have.  And that's money.  Ha, just kidding, folks.  The problem is, we have plenty of time, but I want it all to be done already!!! 

Oh well...

The first project we have fully completed is D's new office which occupies the "loft" space we got as a bonus in our new home.  As a reminder... here is the space I'm talking about:

Walk up the stairs and look to the right.

Blank canvas.

Well, D has taken advantage of my Pinterest obsession and came across a picture that I pinned about loft offices.  (See below)

Found here

D got it into his mind and has been working toward a VERY SPECIFIC idea to bring his office to life. And let me tell you... this specific idea was not the easiest to put together.

He wanted: 

• One Turquoise wall
• CLEAN white desk
• Burnt orange chairs (MUST be comfy, MUST be cool-looking)
• Plants
• Gigantic picture of the Miami skyline

We got the turquoise wall.  We got the CLEAN white desk.

We got the comfy burnt orange chairs.  We got the plants.

AND.  We got the painting.  Originally, D wanted a black and white photo, but since he couldn't find it, I offered to paint it.  Then, of course, he wanted color.  I have NEVER taken on such a humongous painting; Nor have I ever painted such a detailed painting based on a real object.  I like abstract... words, design, shapes...  Like this painting I did for my mom a few years back:

Not buildings.  Alas, I finished the project.  Voila!

Step One: Sketch

Step Two: Water and Bridge

Step Three: Sky
 

Step Four: Buildings

Step Five: Put on wall

So there you have it, people!  One room done!  

Angels and Ghosts

"I believe there are angels among us,

Sent down to us from somewhere up above.

They come to you and me

In our darkest hour,

To show us how to live,

To teach us how to give,

And guide us with a light of love."

-Alabama

Did you know that you can hear me singing on that song?  Okay so it's not actually that song.  I was with a few other children on an earlier recording on the song, but for the life of me I can't remember who it was.  I do have the music video somewhere, though... on VHS... Anyway, thanks to Ms. Dawson, our Children's Choir Director who got me and a few friends from our church into the recording studios at age 8.  I remember feeling so cool with our headphones on one ear and slightly off the other.  How many kids got to do this?!  Not many, and it definitely impacted my future in the music industry.  Not that I'm doing anything with it now... But I do have a college degree in it!

But all of that is beside the point.  It just provided a nice little entrance into the goodness I'm about to share.  I have two stories.  One involves angels.  The other involves ghosts.  

Curious now, aren't ya?

So, for Desire Church right now, we are meeting on Sunday evenings with the core team until we launch officially in January.  Jerel has challenged us to be seeking opportunities to talk with people we meet and be purposeful in our conversation that we might be able to share about Christ.  Not every conversation is going to lend to that topic, but the point is to be aware of the opportunities that are in our lives every day.  We may discover a fellow believer and have a chance to encourage each other.  We may find someone who has a missing piece to their life and is looking for answers.  Either way, we are keeping our eyes open, and that has brought some really amazing conversations.

Last week, D was looking for a new car (surprise), and we pulled into a Chevy dealership.  Those of you that know him, you will understand that it's a big deal that he was looking into the purchase of a car and not just trading.  That's because he is used to White House.  He knows how people trade there. He doesn't feel comfortable with it here, so to the dealership we went.  The salesman was definitely doing his job, checking on us every few minutes and asking us if we wanted to test drive every car.  We came to the conclusion that there was nothing there that he LOVED, so the guy took us into his office to show us how to look at their cars on-line.  When he handed us his card, it said "Engels".  I asked him how he pronounced it, and he said "Angels," though people just call him "Angel."  

We thought that was neat but didn't say anything further.  On our way out, Engels said, "I hope God gives you opportunities down here."

SAY WHAT?!

Immediately, I turned around and said, "You know, God is exactly why we are here.  We are planting a church in Pines!"  We proceeded to have a brief chat about that and walked back to our car.  Right before we left, Engels waved us down and came to get Dwayne's number so he could talk to him further about our church.  

One hour later, D and I were at El Dorado looking to get my office chair that I had been eyeing for weeks, and we had some nice conversation with that salesman about why we had moved to SoFlo.  You could tell that he was not so invested in the church aspect as he kept referencing how everyone down here "has a religion".  As we were heading out the door I asked him what his name was to thank him for his help.  Guess what he said.  

Angel.

HOLLA!  I about busted at the seams.  I said, "We just spoke with another angel about an hour ago!  You see, this was meant to be!  God sent us our angels to help us get what we need!"

He smiled and was probably thinking... Chica is crazy!

But I was too bubbly with excitement to care about that.

So there you have it.  Angels in South Florida.

Say hello to my comfy new office chair!

Say hello to Dwayne's car #20.  He now drives a Rabbit.  Yes, you read correctly.

Story number two is less exciting and more ridiculous.

So, I was at Bed Bath & Beyond getting some money back with coupons.  (Win.)  And I head out to the parking lot when all of the sudden a shopping cart rolls off of the sidewalk and into the parking lot.  At first, I just thought someone was behind it, but I looked, and I was the only one out there.  Feeling odd, but not wanting to leave the cart in the middle of the road, I grabbed it and pushed it back up to the cart rack in front of the store.  I made sure it locked in between the bars.  

Then, I proceed back to my car when I hear a whirring sound and then CRASH CRASH!  I turned around to see that ANOTHER CART was rolling into the parking lot... with no one behind or around it.  At this time, two ladies had also walked out, but didn't notice the cart.  Here I am standing in the middle of the road laughing hysterically.  They looked at me and then in the direction of the cart where I was staring... giggled... and then continued on their way.  I... feeling like I was on candid camera... once again took the cart and pushed it back up onto the sidewalk where the other carts go.  (Did I even mention that I hadn't even used a cart IN the store?!)  It was at this time that I figured out the ghost behind the carts.  Apparently, the sidewalk is not so level.  When I put the cart next to the bars, it started rolling back out.  I had to push it in really far and angle it to get it to stay.  I'm pretty sure that when I put the first cart away, it knocked the other one off balance and sent it barreling away to drive me mad.

I don't think I really am crazy.  And I don't think there really was a ghost.  But I sure did have a moment of doubt.

This Is How We Do

What is life like as a Floridian?  Well, that is certainly what I am finding out.

I sure don't have all of the answers yet, but I am quickly picking up on small things, like:

• You better put your foot on the gas before the light turns green... unless you want to be honked at
• You must be on the offense as a driver... and shopper... even the workers will run you over
• You only get tan if you go to the beach... and I've only spent about 1 and a half hours there so far
• It rains.  Every day.  Randomly.  While the sun is still shining.
• When talking about moving from Tennessee, most Floridians will tell you that the people here are not that nice... but just about everyone I've talked to HAS been nice
• By the end of the year, I should be bilingual.

This is just the beginning, and I like it.

Dwayne is on his second job since moving down here.  We were pretty grateful that a job opportunity had appeared so quickly, and the details seemed perfect.  He was working for a door-to-door business sales company selling office supplies.  Now, the job itself didn't sound so spectacular, but it was going to pay the bills... so we thought.  Unfortunately, the company wasn't really following through with the guarantees they had made when he decided to sign on with the team.

Here's the great part... on his daily route, he kept stopping by a business looking to speak with the one in charge of purchases.  Since he had been there so many times, the owner began to talk with D and he soon realized that he was being offered a job.  She sympathized with the frustrations of cold sales door-to-door and had really grown to like him as a person.  She knew his greater goal in church planting and saw that as an extra boost of trustworthiness.  Dwayne discussed the offer with me, and the next day (Friday) he quit AMI.  He started at Horace Mann on Monday.  Boom.  Just like that.

So now, my husband is becoming an insurance agent!  Woohoo!  This week he is in school and has a GIGANTIC book of info that he has to memorize.  However, he is so much happier when he comes home every day than before, and I am entirely thankful for that.  

As for my day-to-day, I am learning what it's like to be a stay-at-home wife.  It's weird.  It takes self-discipline.  That I totally don't have.  

I am working on getting this house together.  And let me just tell ya that this is a lotta house compared to what I'm used to!  I am enjoying working each room like a puzzle and figuring out the best place for each piece.  Unfortunately, moving into a bigger home means buying lots of new stuff to fill it... and though we were blessed to have some extra from the sale of our Tennessee home, we are quickly watching that disappear.  So now I am left to figure out how to make it work with what we've got!  

Two major projects will be completed for your viewing pleasure soon!  

Stay tuned for more updates on life in SoFlo!

Sayin goodbye to Coco pup

Makin the 16 hour drive with the momz (Thanks for being my travel companion!)

Droppin Daddy off at the airport to say "See you later!"