Addictions.

I have a problem.

I love Dancing with the Stars. Like SERIOUSLY. I get the giggles every Monday/Tuesday night waiting for it...and I cringe every Tuesday during the elimination. I'm so embarrassed to admit this. See...I would like to say that right now I'm doing something extremely productive; I'm not. I'm sitting on my couch googling do it yourself design blogs watching Dancing with the Stars.

Then...Taylor Swift comes on. Taylor Swift...I recently discovered I love her music. Then she sings her song Love Story, and I'm watching her sing and the pros dance and I literally have a child's grin on my face. Like a child who just got a new toy for Christmas. It's ridiculous.

Yet, I'm on edge because I'm afraid Louie is going home this week. Sad story.

That's all. It's pathetic, yes I know. I'm working on updating the blog more often though, and that's my thought for tonight.

P.S. Brad is loving his job. We're definitely in an adjustment period...I'm used to having Brad at home every day, and today was my first day off when he was at work and I was lonely. Poor me. Hahaha kidding kidding...it's AMAZING. I LOVE that he's loving what he does. Yay for new jobs!

It's official...we're staying here!

So...as previously mentioned...we have some awesome news! Now at this point you who know us probably know that Brad has gotten a job!! What you may not know is the awesome story behind this job...so I will tell you. Get excited- it may be long.

Rewind to 8 months ago...Brad was laid off from Samsung. That was frustrating. To be honest, when I planned my life that wasn't included in it. Surprised? I didn't think so. Brad really handled this well, when I struggled with bitterness at the way Samsung treated him, Brad reminded me how I needed to forgive and let that bitterness go. He has such an amazing heart.

Anyways, so for eight months I have watched Brad persevere. He applied for at least three jobs each week, and heard nothing - and I mean nothing for at least five months. That is hard on a man, but he did it with a good attitude. He did it while leaning on the Lord for our support and security.

Now, it hasn't been all bad. He was able to do lots of things that if he were still working at Samsung he wouldn't have been able to do. For example, go on a mission trip, work with Dave as a plumber, learn to fix our cars, become an AWESOME handy man, see me every day. You know, all good things! I think these past eight months have been a great experience for us.

So, like I said he had no hits for five months. At one point this summer, I think in late July/early August he scored his first phone interview, but again that was a no. Then, in August he had a phone interview with Westinghouse in Utah. He thought it went well, but was under the impression that they were looking for someone with more of a metallurgical background, and so we weren't really that surprised when they went another way.

Then our friend Mike asked Brad if he would be interested in a project managing job, and Brad said yes...and then Westinghouse contacted Brad and said they had reopened the position and would like him to fly out for an on site interview. We went ...whoa. That email came and they wanted him to come the next week. So last Thursday (as in 10 days ago) he flew to Utah for an interview.

Sidenote: After this trip was scheduled, we received a call from Greg at the Austin company asking Brad to come in and talk about the job. Brad went in on the Wednesday, the day before he flew to Utah.

We didn't really know what to do so we just prayed and asked for guidance. We really wanted to know that whatever happened we were depending on the Lord and not on ourselves.

On to this week...when Brad got home from the interview he wasn't really sure what to think. He seemed to think he wouldn't be getting an offer..so we just went about our week as normal. Then Wednesday at 5 pm he called me telling me he had a job offer in Utah. I promptly reacted with tears like a baby in front of a doctor (thankfully female) at work. I was an absolute wreck and had to finish out the day and get home as soon as possible.

Thankfully, when I got home our small group was here. There is just something about being able to pray over things together with friends that is unexplainable. So, we talked and cried..and Brad told me that we were supposed to make a decision by Friday..as in two days. SERIOUSLY?!?!

We spent that night literally in between praying and crying. This was a great job offer. It was a secure company, a great package, and an engineering job. We woke up Thursday really intending to probably take that job. However, Brad really wanted to talk to Greg again about the project managing job here in Austin just in case. It is not an engineering position..so Brad really had to decide where he wanted to take his career, so he called Greg and set up a meeting for Thursday afternoon. I spent the entire day looking up apartments, hospitals, and churches in Utah. I also spent the day just praying that if this was where the Lord was leading us he would make it so clear. I really wanted Brad to take the job that he really wanted, and to not just take a job because either a. he didn't want to take us away from Austin or b. because he thought he needed to take an engineering job.

So, he went to the meeting with Greg and Helen, and when he left had an offer for employment there also. He was so very encouraged after that meeting. They were so encouraging and supportive of whatever decision he made. He came home, and I really thought he still intended to take the Utah job. So much so we had pretty much told our parents, our families, and our friends that's where we were headed. However, Brad's heart was not in that job in Utah, but this job here in Austin was one that he was really excited about! We talked and talked and decided that this would be the job he would be taking.

So, on Thursday night he called Greg and took the job. It was a difficult decision for him, because this is a whole new deal..he's learning all about business and things I don't understand but he is so excited! We were ready to be led anywhere, including Utah, but we are so excited that God is going to use us here in Austin.

SO WE GET TO STAY! We don't have to move across the country again, and we get to stay here with these friends we love, a church we love, and a city we love. Brad is doing something he never thought he would be...I am moving to the CCU in the coming days/weeks, and we intend to plug in to serving those around us. We had been almost scared to commit to things in the fear that we were leaving, and while that was definitely wrong, I'm ready to change that.

Most of all...we're so thankful for the way the Lord protected us in this. It's so amazing to see how He has grown us in our relationships with Him, and in our marriage. It was a rough eight months, but I feel like we came out with new hearts, and knowing that our hope and security are in Him. So that's our long, wordy story. We're here and we're pumped!

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

So, remember about two years ago when I was a crazy fanatical blogger? Remember when I updated at least once a week? Now...either we are REALLY boring, or I am just extremely poor at updating. Anyways...we went to Disney last month for an amazing Disney cruise and a couple of days in the parks. We had such a good time!


I had never been on a cruise before, and it had been like 8 years since Brad had been on one, but I mean it was awesome! It was so much better than I ever imagined. I don't know if it's because it was Disney, or because I am so easily excited, or just because it was truly as awesome as it seemed but wow. We were treated like royalty. We had the best server and assistant server at dinner, which made dinner time every night perfect. The ship was beautiful. The weather was sunny. The ocean was gorgeous. Seriously it was pretty much perfect.

Now, I know that the fact that it was a Disney cruise may seem strange..especially because we have no kiddos yet, but you can't help but be happy on a cruise that is put on by Disney. It's cheerful, the characters are out, it's so stinking clean, all the employees seem to like their jobs, there are awesome activities, and it's 4 days completely away from cell phones and computers and life on land. We LOVED it!

We went with Brad's parents and are so thankful that they let us tag along. It truly was such an amazing vacation!


After we landed from the cruise we spent the last two days of our trip in the Disney parks, and Brad helped me discover new things about the parks that I hadn't know before. This was fun, although I definitely feel like he's been holding out on me. It's forgiven though.
















Some of the highlights from the trip:
1. Our bike ride...it led us to discover the other side of the island that is closed off to tourists. One of the disney staff members let us go back and hang out in the water back there. We also saw a blue crab, a barracuda, a stingray, and a starfish while we were back there. It was AWESOME!

2. The food. Seriously.

3. Reading in the sunshine.

4. Disney tune trivia..we bombed it but it was awesome!

5. Time together just being together!

Over all it was amazing!

Now I promise to attempt to get better at updating..and will start with an update on the AWESOME news of the week....read on.

2nd Anniversary! WHOA!

So, I'm a little behind, obviously. This is not because our 2nd anniversary wasn't awesome, because it was, but simply because my goodness we haven't been home in what feels like 4 years. We just got back from our cruise though, which I'll write about at a later date, but it's nice to be home.

So anyways, our 2nd anniversary came and went and we had a fantastic day! We went kayaking on Town Lake, went to lunch at Magnolia Cafe, checked out an upholstery shop, made a fantastic dinner together, and compromised on a movie and watched the Italian Job. Overall, it was the perfect day!

More importantly...here comes the sap...our second year of marriage has been amazing. Last year, I remember thinking how much we had learned the first year, but as it turned out..God wasn't finished with us yet. Not that this is a surprise, but each year it's different. I can't wait to see what is ahead when we reach years 10, 25, 50.


So here's what we've learned this year...

10. Brad can whistle, Rachael can't. Sad but true. Important things.

9. I love to shop for little things to make our house feel like a home. Brad doesn't really have a huge desire to do the same, but he lets me, because he rocks.

8. Every time I hear Brad pray I am reminded of the blessing the Lord gave me when he brought Brad into my life. He loves the Lord, and he loves me, and my life is blessed.

7. We now have a laundry basket next to our hamper, so for the clothes that don't make it in to the hamper, but only make it on top of it...it's so easy to put them in the basket. Compromises.

6. Brad's an awesome listener. I don't know how. If I had to listen to me talk all the time, I might pull my hair out.

5. Sometimes our definition of clean is different. However, we have found a way to work that out. It only took two years...we're set for the next 68.

4. I flat out love spending time with Brad. Coming home to him at the end of the day is possibly the best part of the day.

3. Brad loves football, I mean he really loves it. I love naps. You see how this works.

2. Brad is handy. Seriously. He refinished my sewing table, painted our house, fixed the shower, replaced the water heater, fixed the Rodeo, killed the bugs, and got rid of the tarantulas. I, on the other hand, am EXCELLENT at standing and pointing out the tarantulas, explaining what's broken for Brad to fix, and picking out paint color. Good thing we're married or I'd really be in trouble.

1. Circumstances are not what make us who we are. It's easy to get comfortable with a lifestyle and with our own plans and schedules, but the beauty comes when we remember that we are not in control. We have not been forgotten, the Lord works in all things according to His will. Our situation changed this year, but that was part of His plan. We are trying to be still before Him, to hear where he is leading. We know He's doing big things in us...we're still in a waiting period, but we're waiting together, and there is nowhere else I'd rather be.

Lafayette and a beautiful wedding!

So catching up a bit, we were able to head up to Indiana to spend a week with my family and to celebrate El and Ryan's marriage! It was the PERFECT visit! It had been too long since we were able to be home and not in a rush the whole time, and we just loved the opportunity to spend time catching up!

As always, I seriously considered a kidnapping of our precious nieces, but thought that would not be so wise. However, they are just perfect. We just love them! They get so big every time we go back, and it's hard to believe how much we miss, but when we're home it's just amazing to see all they've changed! Emily just is so smart and talks so much! She can make you feel like you are her best friend in the world. Anna is just so full of energy and smiles. She's just a little fire ball and we love it! Next time we're home we are sure she'll be walking like a champ!

While we were home we were able to see almost all my family, we missed those we didn't see but we had a great time with our family time at Mom and Dad's and then with the cousins at lunch at BW3's. We were able to catch up with lots of friends, we slept in EVERY DAY, I got a mani/pedi (WOOOO), ate some delicious food. It was FANTASTIC!


At the end of the week was Ellen and Ryan's wedding! Ellen was a BEAUTIFUL bride! She was so calm too, I mean, so easy and simple. That's part of what makes Ellen who she is, and I just love her for it! The wedding was beautiful and we're so excited for their new marriage! Thanks El and Ryan for letting us be a part of your day!

That was our visit, I'll spare you the play by play because I'm long-winded but it was exactly what we needed! We had such a great time!

Next update: Our 2nd Anniversary! Yay!

Wicked!

So last night we went to see Wicked with some of my coworkers. It was FANTASTIC! We (I) have been wanting to see this since college, like junior year. I know that maybe that does not seem like such a long time - but three almost four years! Whoa! So you can imagine, when the tickets came up at a decent price, I JUMPED at the opportunity! In Chicago, at least the sites I looked on, those tickets cost $100-200 and when you're in college, you know, you're broke. Brad wasn't super pleased with me when I told him I intended to buy the tickets...he told me I'm not easy to surprise since he planned on buying tickets for me. Whoops.

Anyways- it was great! We had such a good time! It's funny, cute, sad, lovey-dovey. All the good stuff. I must say I thought the costumes were so pretty too. Last night the understudy played Elphaba, the Wicked Witch, and in NO WAY could you tell she was an understudy. She was amazing. The woman who played Glenda was hilarious. As a sidenote - she had also played Sharpay in the national tour of High School Musical...and not to say I follow that sort of thing (though I have been known to be a fan) I could totally see her in that role!

ALSO - for those of you in Austin. If you're interested in going, and you don't have a ticket - they have a raffle before every production for $25 Orchestra section seats. Those are good seats! You have to put your name in 2 hours before the show, and then they do a raffle. I mean, that's a good deal! Go for it, that's all I'm saying.

In other news...the garage is officially organized! My next project that I started today was the closet. I definitely had let this get a little out of hand. I apologize deeply to my mother after her perfect organization when she was here...it went a little by the wayside. Anyways, I'm organizing and trying to get rid of clothes that my sweet husband doens't wear anymore. I had to stop in the middle, I got a little discouraged. This will be my last project of the week. Seriously.

Also - we are Indiana bound in 3 days!! Yay!

Organization

I get a thrill out of organized things.

Seriously, a thrill. Like it makes my heart beat faster.

This BY NO MEANS is meant to imply that I am all that organized. Because, truly...I'm not. I also like to read and be in the sun...which slightly hinder the organization process.

Anyways, I woke up today determined to get some things done today. We're going to paint a little this week, and since I'm pretty much worthless in that department, I thought I would rock it out in my department.

So, halfway through laundry and dishes, I decided it was time to organize our pantry. It had gotten a little out of hand. If asked, my mom could definitely vouch for the fact that closets have always been my little devil area. I fold things sometimes because I'm too lazy to get a hanger. This would work if the stacks weren't out of control. Our pantry had become my own little closet. Not for clothes, obviously, but it was the catch all. Cleaning supplies, sliding pads to make moving furniture easier, cookbooks, light bulbs, a roadside tool kit (in the house?), and then all our food. I probably only spent 30 minutes total...but it looks AWESOME! Things are where they belong. I had to just stand and smile at it for a minute. I love it.

I got the same sense of satisfaction when we moved into the apartment and I had our guest closet organized perfectly!

So now I'm on my way out to organize the garage...in the 100 degree weather. Sad the lengths for such a silly pleasure. Oh well! It's a day off and I LOVE a clean house!

The countdown is on until we head up to Indiana for a whole week! 5 Days and we will arrive!! WOOOOOOOOO! We're so excited!

Hope you have a great week!