Current Events in the life of me...

So I officially turned everything in for my online teaching certification. Finally being able to pursue what I really want to do with my life is just the greatest feeling. I cannot WAIT to be a COACH!! If you know me, you know that Middle school is my passion. I have such a heart for those kiddos, it really is a great age. People always ask me--"Middle school??? WHY?!? But ya know, they're still at that age where they are very impressionable and they still LISTEN and respect those in higher authority, AND I feel like I can not only coach/teach these girls, but I can also serve as a mentor. I have the utmost respect for my middle school coaches--they taught me a whole lot and were very active in their athletes/student's lives. They led FCA at Forestwood, came to my highschool basketball games, and even to my wedding! I love that I have stayed in contact with them for so long, and i hope to make that kind of impression on the kids that I am able to coach/teach. I WANT to be that for them! I am very hopefully for these next 6 months as I go through the certification process, and am looking forward with anxious anticipation as to what God has in store for me!!

One more thought...in small group last night we were discussing the passage of Romans 8. I stumbled across this while reading it in the message and loved the way it was worded...
Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good. Romans 8:26-28.

Several things there struck me as meaningful and while some of it may serve as a simple reminder that the God of all the Universe passionately pursues us and is ALWAYS right alongside helping us along, it was the next sentence that got me thinking. I cannot count how many times I have sat before God and said..."I'm seriously at a loss, don't know where to begin, don't know what to say, etc.." This passage clearly states that it's ok to feel that way and that does not matter because God does our praying in us and for us, making prayers out of our silence. Seriously, how cool is that? So many times I feel like I need to make my prayers sound pretty and use all the right words...but God says that even in our silence He can HEAR our prayers because he knows our hearts. The truth is, prayers aren't always supposed to sound pretty and they aren't always supposed to be happy, sometimes they're messy and words get stumbled over, and we get frustrated because we don't understand His will, but it's real. And I think that's all that God wants--He wants to hear our hearts...not just words put together to sound nice in a prayer--God doesn't need words to hear prayers.


EVERY DETAIL IN OUR LIVES DONE OUT OF OUR LOVE FOR GOD IS WORKED INTO SOMETHING GOOD.

wow. The message put a new spin on this verse that is so often taken out of context.

Just some thoughts...it's been a while

So, it has been quite some time since I last wrote on here. Plenty has been going on, but I do not feel as though it has been worth sharing.
Lately I have come to some major realizations that have completely changed my outlook on some things:

I have realized that it doesn't matter if the election was not the outcome I desired. People can complain all they want to and say that we made a mistake in this election, but what it boils down to is that God has called us to pray for the leaders of our country. There is just so much pressure, now more than ever, to do the right thing and make sound decisions in leading our country in this vulnerable state while we are at war and while the economy is flat out suffering. I pray that President Obama is up for the task, will make wise decisions, and constantly seek after our Heavenly Father---and I pray that we, as Americans, will not look to one man for guidance, but that we will turn to our all-powerful, all-knowing God for the comfort and wisdom that only He can provide. All of the complaining is getting really old---what is that really going to change anyway? Oh yeah....nothing! :)

I have also been reminded that God doesn't need me. Don't get me wrong, He wants all of his children to come to know Him as their personal Savior--but He doesn't NEED me. Whatever I have to offer wouldn't change or improve God in anyway because He is God, he wouldn't be all powerful or all knowing if He needed my help. This knocked me on my butt this week and actually humbled me in a weird sort of way--God doesn't NEED me, but He WANTS me! The creator of all of the universe wants my company---WHAT?!?!! He treasures and delights in me and wants the very best for me. What kind of Love is that???? I can't even fathom that---seriously. Blows me away.

I have also opened my eyes to the fact that God always provides opportunities to share our faith, but half the time we are too blind to see them. I had a really good discussion with a fellow co-worker yesterday about church and relationships and just the freedom we have in Christ if we would just embrace it. My co-worker had pretty much given up on the church and all the rules they put in to place on what you should/shouldn't be doing and was just tired of feeling like a failure and always falling short. In a very familiar verse to all of us, God tells us that we ALL fall short of the glory of God, but isn't that where Grace comes into play?

In all reality, it's not about the rules. If we spend all of that time trying do this and not do this, we have missed the point completely. God has given us freedom and tells us to WALK in it! He doesn't say do this and that so that you can walk in it, He tells us that we have it inside of us given to us by Jesus Christ and to start living that way. (Which reminds me---You should read the book Hullabaloo. I'm not a reader, but this book was amazing!) As you seek God, your desires will change, thus your actions will reflect what you believe when you are seeking. Gavin talked about this at youth one night and pretty much laid it out there like this....When you seek God, your actions will reflect that, which will result in God being glorified. You tracking?

Anyway, those are just a few things that have stuck with me over the past few weeks. God is working in me and it is refreshing to know that again. It's amazing what we find when we SEEK.

Next time I won't go so long w/out writing...i'll try to do better! :)

Love y'all.

exhausted delirious rant.... =)

Well I can honestly say I haven't been this exhausted in a long time!! This past weekend we made the trip down to Amarillo for a friends wedding that I was in. I can't say that I have too many pictures to post from it...mostly because I was taking pictures with her camera the whole time...haha hmm funny how that works! Anyway, we drove down friday and turned around and drove home after the wedding. We didn't get in until 1:45 or so, then we had to be up early and ready to go for church in the morning so Gav could lead worship! We started a new fun tradition on Sunday nights where our friends Dustin and Holly come over and we have wine and a movie night!!  They are so fun and we always have a good time, however when Dustin picks the movies they are usually like 4 hours long (haha ok so I exaggerate a little bit!) so needless to say we didn't get much sleep last night either because I have to get up at the crack of dawn for work. Boo for that.  However, while we're both extremely exhausted, it's still so worth it because of all of the fun we've had with our friends this weekend! 

Hopefully we can catch up on sleep by Friday because come Saturday we have to go BACK to Amarillo for another wedding! Except this time we're making the trip all in one day with our friends Scott and Wendy! I'm glad they are coming with us, it will be so fun!! Then the next 2 weekends after that are going to be spend in Oklahoma for another wedding and then his parents are getting ordained as ministers, so it is a month full of traveling on the weekends, it's crazy. We are definitely looking forward to seeing his parents in Oklahoma though, we have not seen them since the wedding, so it will be so great to spend some time with them!!

I am really struggling right now with learning how to be content in ALL circumstances. It's so easy to become so consumed with what I eventually want to do that I forget i'm wishing away precious time right now.  I may not love my job right now, but maybe it's just teaching me to really appreciate it when I finally do get to do what I want to do.  However, i'm probably the most impatient person ever, so I am having a really hard time finding contentment in my current employment situation knowing that it's not something I want to do forever.  It seems like even more so now that I think i've figured out what i want to do that it's gotten worse. 

I don't want to be a complainer about my job, I know that i'm not the only one who is discontent in their job situation, and i know it's all going to work out and changing jobs isn't going to answer all my problems. I might run into the same stuff I am now, but it's the simple fact that I will enjoy what i'm doing and am passionate about it that makes all the difference.  How can you have a job and not be passionate about what you are doing? How can you expect to succeed and excel if you don't have any drive or passion behind what you're doing.  I don't want a job just to pay the bills, I want it to be something that is a challenge, however still something that I look forward to going to everyday. That's what I want. It could be too much to ask, but for my sake, i'm going to say that it's not.

That's my rant. 

I love my husband very much. He's so good to me. =) That's all

MG

My Fairy Tale! =)

                                     

It has been a fabulous last few weeks!!  I am now Mrs. Greer! CRAZY!!!! On May 24th, I had a fairy tale wedding...the kind you dream of when you're a little girl! It was such a special day and my family and friends were so great and they bent over backwards to make sure everything was just the way we wanted.  Everything went so smoothly and it really could not have been more perfect!  We really appreciate everyone who played a part in making our day so special! Thank y'all so much, Gav and I appreciate you more than you know!

For our Honeymoon we went on a cruise to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel! It was such a blast!! We had so much fun and it was so amazing to go on one trip yet see 3 different places! It was my first time on a cruise so I was little uneasy about possibly getting seasick, but nope, I was fine the whole time.  We laid out on the beach at Grand Cayman and got to go on a Jeep Tour of Cozumel and then went snorkeling!! I can't even tell you what a great experience it was!!

Now we're home and it's so great to be here. I haven't gotten used to being called Mrs. Greer yet, however I suppose that will come with time.  It's funny because every time I hear someone say, "Hey Mrs. Greer" I automatically look for Gavin's mom, Kim. Anyway, what a fun time in our lives, we could not be more excited about where we are right now. Looking back and seeing God's hand in everything even way back in 3rd grade, we cannot help but just be amazed and in awe of all He has done for us....growing together, growing apart and then back together for good....He's just had this amazing plan for us.  I guess that's it on this end, just wanted to give a few updates...here are a few pics from the wedding....

getting close!!!

12....

Well...the big day is rapidly approaching, and while there is little stuff to get done, all the big decisions are made, everyone has their dresses/tuxes, and everything is falling into place. As much fun as this wedding is going to be, there were definite times in the planning when i wished we would have just eloped, but I know I would have regret it. There is going to be nothing like sharing this moment with all of our friends and family. So even though it was really stressful at times, I really don't think I would have changed any of it for the world. I've learned a lot and overall it's been fun planning our special day that i've dreamed of since I was a little girl! Not too much longer and we'll be Mr. and Mrs. and we'll be sailing off to Cozumel, Grand Cayman, and Jamaica on our cruise ship! Yay!!

That's pretty much all that's going on right now....and that's enough! I started my new job last week. It's different, but a good different. For now anyway. When I sit down and think about it though, working for the MHA Group has confirmed for me that I really do want to be a coach and pursue that.  I want to be in a gym, I miss it and I want to pour into my students lives the way that all my coaches have done for me.

Alright, that's about it on this end. Hope y'all have a great week!!

shower

Just a few pics from the shower this past weekend!! The pic above is of our cute little house =) 3 weeks from today will be my last night as a single woman! that's nuts!! Have a great weekend!!!

     Me and Molly!! Love her!

Sarah!!! =)

me and my mommy

the hostesses...minus Cindy and Connie!

LOVE these girls!

This about sums up the weekend! It was fabulous and I had a blast!!!! =)

amazing weather!

The weather has just been so beautiful lately! I love it!! So today we were just hanging out in the hammock and thought we'd do a little family photo! Anyway, today was just simply a good day. I got a lot of stuff done around the house, and even packed up alot of my winter clothes to take to Gavin's house. It's crazy to be packing up my things for good here....usually it's like, oh i'll just pack up some of my stuff for school and come back and get my other clothes when i need them....anyway, it reminds me of Friends.......'and I have to live with a BOY!!!!' Haha, cracks me up. It's going to be quite the adjustment I'm sure. In 4 weeks and something I'm going dive into a new adventure. But I cannot wait...usually I get a little uneasy about the unknown, but knowing who i am embarking on this journey with, I couldn't be more excited. I know that God has big things in store for us!

My next and final bridal shower is this coming weekend!! YAY! And two of my really good friends are coming in town for it! Molly is flying in from Virginia and Sarah is coming in from Abilene! I cannot wait to see those girls! They should really consider moving to Lewisville....i mean seriously, it would make things so much easier!! =) 

Other news....

I am transferring departments at work! I start my new job 2 weeks from Monday! I could not be more excited about this move. I think I will like this position 10X better...plus there's a nice little pay raise waiting for me, which is also a positive!! So yay for that.

I found out that my best friend is for sure moving to OKC in August for law school. Boo! I hate that! I know that it is a good thing though because she is following her dreams, and you don't find alot of people that do that anymore, it seems like everywhere you look people are just settling. Anyway i'm proud of her for not settling however it'd be nice if she could not settle somewhere in the dallas region! =) It's going to be weird not having her here and i'm going to miss her oh so much.

I think that's about it on my end. Gavin is about to wrap up school in about 2 weeks so that will be a nice relief for him. He has alot on his plate trying to juggle his church work and schoolwork at the same time. Poor guy, he's just ready to get done and graduate....

Y'all have a great week, i'll try and do better about updating....

maybe when life slows down a little bit it might be easier to do....

that'll be the day....

next month!!

Well, now that's it's April, I can officially say that we get married next month!! WOW!! It's getting very close and everything is falling into place. I had my first bridal shower at our church this past weekend and got tons of neat stuff! It was so fun! I'm hoping to post pictures soon....but we shall see.  My next shower is at the end of the month, and it's supposed to be the biggest! I can't wait! Haha i love presents! It is a display shower, which is kinda a neat idea because everyone brings an unwrapped gift, that way I can have time to visit with everyone and we don't have to waste a bunch of time having everyone watch me open presents...even though it's fun for me! So that's fun. And, possibly one of the best things about that shower weekend is that my best friend Molly is coming in town for it! I am so unbelievably excited about that! I am going to do everything in my power to get her to move back to Texas! I miss her too much!!! =)

Gav and I made a trip to OKC this past Sunday because he was playing in a concert that his parents had put together. It made for a long day driving there and back and getting back home at like 3 AM, but we had a good time. I love road trips w/ Gav....they're always just so much fun, and there's never a dull moment with us! =) While we were there we got to see his parents new house, which is so incredible! I love it. If I didn't dislike Oklahoma so much, I'd say it was a perfect house, but afterall, location is everything. And...no thanks! haha! Nothing against oklahoma...it's just not for me i suppose...

Starting this weekend, I'm going to have alot more down time after these crazy past few weeks. There will be more hanging out time, relaxation, and sleep, which I am definitely looking forward to. I feel like such an old lady because I get tired at like 930 now....

Anyway, that's all of the updating i have. Have a fantastic rest of the week!

family

I'm going to start this by saying that I am very jealous of all of you who still get a Spring Break. Yeah yeah I know, welcome to the real world. But seriously...BOO! I was envious of all of you all week!

It's been a hard past few days, not gonna lie.  Gavin's family is moving to Oklahoma City on Tuesday, and their house is pretty much empty.  They left a few hours ago with another load of stuff and the movers are coming on Tuesday to get the rest of everything. It doesn't really seem real, it hasn't hit me yet that they are going to be gone. It's going to be an adjustment not having both of our families so close by, it's going to be weird. Anyway, it's kinda been an eye opener for me, because family is something that is so easily taken for granted and then when they aren't right around the corner anymore, you realize how much you did enjoy them being there.  Anyway, just remember to keep them in your prayers as you go through the week, because this is going to be a huge adjustment for them....and for Gavin too!  However, I do enjoy reminding him that in 9 weeks, he gets me and we will get to be a family. =) That's so very exciting..

I was thinking about that this week as well. I will get to call him my husband...and say stuff like "sorry girls, I gotta go get home to my husband," well i dunno if i'll actually ever say that, but it makes me feel so grown up haha! I'm a nerd! Anyway, hooray for 9 weeks from now!

As for the wedding planning updates: I've given all the bridesmaid dresses out, bought their shoes, and taken my bridal portraits...all in like the last week haha. It's funny how when you start planning, you think that you have all the time in the world and then as it gets closer you're like, "oh crap, there's so much to do!!" I think that's all for now, or atleast all that's gotten done recently....oh my.

I hope you guys have a blessed Easter, remembering why we celebrate and enjoying lots of time with your families!! 

weekend update

This past weekend has been nuts. I don't think i've ever looked forward to a Monday before. Gavin and I have just been so busy, we are so ready for life to slow down a little bit! However, while the weekend was hectic and non-stop all the time, there were some great things that happened amidst the chaos! =) I got to see my long lost friend Sarah who was in town for a concert and stayed with me Friday night, it's always good to see her! I also got to see Mandi and Kendra for a brief moment and catch up with them--I hated that I couldn't hang out any longer but I had to get up at 5 AM the next morning for my BRIDAL PORTRAITS!!! =) Hooray! My family and Wendy went with me and we made it a great time with lots of laughs! It meant the world that they all wanted to come! And of course after that we went to Chuys! Amazing. Then Hattie and her mom were passing through on their way back from a wedding so Gav and I got to spend a little time with them as well.  Before I knew it, it was Monday, and now i'm looking forward to my relaxing weekend next weekend consisting of NOTHING...and of course payday on Friday! YAY! Well, that's my quick rundown of this weekend, hope you guys have a great and restful week!

67 days. and counting.

Eighty.

I just wanted to share with everyone how excited I am that I am getting married in 80 days.  That's like almost 2 1/2 months!  I cannot even begin to explain how much I have learned while we have been engaged.  It's amazing how much we have grown as a couple and it is such a blessing to be so sure that this is where I am supposed to be right now, and that Gavin is it for me. period. =)

Life is good.

and...80 days=Melanie Greer! =)

random rant from me =)

Not much news to report...it's been awhile, but it's mostly because I haven't had anything to say haha =).  Less than 3 months till the BIG DAY!! Hooray! 

Oh, and Gavin bought an XBOX this past week, and since he got some boy games for him, I thought it would only be fair to get something that I wanted to play...so we bought Scene It! Oh goodness, it's so fun! So now I get to enjoy the XBOX too! That's nice! =) I think we now have every gaming system that was ever created except for the PS3...haha that's so sad. Oh well, atleast we'll be entertained!!

Okay, so I had a whole post written up, but it was dumb so I deleted it, haha.  Most of it was just about conflict.  I had a brief conversation with a girl at work about it, and it really got me thinking. We talked about how lame the world would be without it. How dull would it be if we were all a bunch of cowards who avoided conflict because we disliked confrontation. There is never a time that I don't learn something from an argument, whether it be about myself, the other person, or just an understanding of the big picture and what really matters.  It's kinda funny to say something like 'beauty in the confrontation,' but it is something that I experienced last weekend.  Never have I learned so much from one discussion, and I came out a better, stronger person for it and the relationship was definitely strengthened because of it.  I used to be the one who shuts down in order to avoid an argument, but i'm quickly learning that is no way to go through life, and will certainly not allow for any progress. I honestly don't want to imagine a world without it...

In great conflict, you will either sink, or you're gonna swim. You can let it consume you, eat you up, and beat you down, or you can rise from it and learn from it.

That's all...

Love you guys!! Have a great weekend!!

update...

Well, I hope everyone had a good Valentines Day! I know I did. Gavin did his best to make it so special, and it really was! =) He even cooked us dinner....and it was really good! I might just make him the one who cooks when we get married!!

This weekend Gavin and one of his buddies get to attend Passion. They had one session last night and will have like 3 others today.  David Crowder, Chris Tomlin, and Charlie Hall will all be there leading worship, and I can't imagine that not being good! I cannot wait to hear what all he learned from this experience! Anyway, I have always heard GREAT things about it and I'm glad that the church is allowing them to go!

As for me, I am just chilling out this weekend. It is so great to just be able to relax from the stresses of the week.  Work has been draining, good but draining. I get tired around like 9:30 or 10:00 now, it's rather ridiculous! Last night, I went to dinner with Wendy at Anamias, which is probably like my favorite place ever! I love that girl! We had a great time and then came back and watched the movie Reign Over Me. It was....different.  Definitely not your typical Adam Sandler movie, but I thought it was alright.  And today....I picked up my DRESS!!! YAY!! So exciting!  And, well, with the weather like it is, I think i'm going to spend the rest of the day going to the gym, and then coming home and chilling in my sweatpants. What a great way to spend a Saturday!!!

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Super!

Things could really not be better right now! For some reason it's just been a weird/hard past few weeks, but everything just seems to be falling into place now.  God has blessed me with this amazing new job, that I absolutely love! It's not the most glamorous by any means, but the people are so great!!  Not alot of people can say that they enjoy going to work...and i'm not going to say that in a few weeks i'll be dreading it, but i do enjoy going to work for now!  It's comforting to have this assuring feeling that this is where I am supposed to be right now.  

As for Gavin and I, we are great!  I cannot wait for May 24th to get here!  These past few weeks when I have been anything but pleasant, he was the epitome of love and patience.  He is going to be such an amazing husband! =)  I cannot believe that it is almost 3 months away!  The bridesmaids dresses all came in yesterday, our final payment for our cruise is due in a week or two, bridal portraits next month, and wedding showers are a little over a month away.  It's all becoming so real! Yay!!

Hope all of you have an amazing weekend! 

Hooray!

Well, the search for my job is over---I found one!! Hooray!!  I start Wednesday and really could not be more excited.  Another thing is that it has been so cool to look back and see God's hand in it all along.  This whole time He has had this perfect plan for me, and just because I didn't get something right when I wanted it, does not mean that God had forgotten me.  Anyway, that is my exciting news! 

I got to go out with Kendra and Wendy last night for girl's night!!  I had a blast!  We went to BJs and stayed there for a good 4 hours, haha.  It was so great just to enjoy the company of good friends and have some laughs!  Lynsie and her boyfriend, Chris, also met up with us, so it was definitely good to see them too!  

As for wedding news, we went and picked out tuxes yesterday!  So that's fun....it's getting closer!!!!! =)

Welp, that's all for now..Have a good rest of the weekend!!

Just a little update for those of you we don't get to talk to as much as we like.  Gavin and I are getting married on May 24, 2008 at FBCL at 2.  We cannot wait for that day to come as all the planning is just getting on our nerves now!! haha.  The only thing that really matters to us is that, at the end of the day we will be married.  We don't really care too much about details like people do!  Ha!  We are both so excited to start this new chapter in our lives and become husband and wife!  Also, Gav and I just got a house in Lewisville and he has already moved in with a roommate, and then I will move in May!  We are so unbelievably blessed with this opporunity to rent this house---What a blessing not to have to start out living in an apartment!

Anyway I think that is all of the news I have.

This weekend was great..busy but great!  Gav has been spending a lot of time at the church lately because we just moved into the new building and he was setting up the new sound system and teaching others how to use it! He's just so smart!! =)  On Sunday nights we have been going to a pre-marital class at FBC Lewisville with 7 other couples.  It's...interesting.  It's fun to see people from all walks of life and different ages getting together with a common bond though.  After class we went to see Dan in Real Life.  It was soo good!!  I loved it. Anyway, it was nice just to chill out and have a night to ourselves, it was a good break from the craziness that life has been lately.  Well...for him atleast.  As for me,  I am in the midst of job hunting and it is completely draining.  I can't stand just sitting at home and not doing anything.  I am hoping that something will pop up soon.  Patience has never been one of my better qualities =)  But I know that in God's timing, He will provide for me the right job.

Be Blessed,

Mel

So Gavin and I decided to start this blog together....we're not real sure that what we have to say is really important, however we thought it was worth a shot...