next week and this week

craig and i are leaving for vacation tomorrow! we are going to spend a week up in land o' lakes, wisconsin with my mom's side of the family. they are always so much fun, and the northwoods are gorgeous in the summer. we are planning on hiking around waterfalls, kayaking, visiting fort wilderness, and just relaxing with family. it seems like we have been looking forward to this time for a year and it came so fast! i hope that it doesn't go by too quickly!

on another and not so exciting note, i got into a car accident this week with my friend courtney. we were driving woody's car to ikea on wednesday and got so close. there were a lot of cars on the road, but traffic was moving pretty quickly. suddenly the car in front of us was nearly stopped and we couldn't stop in time...so we hit them at about 50 mph and they were barely moving...and they hit the car in front of them. the airbags came out (which was probably one of the scariest things i have ever expereinced), and we were both wearing our seatbelts. there was so much powder from the airbags that we couldn't see anything, and the smell was so overwhelming that i had to crack open the door so that we could see and breathe.

onstar came on and called the police for us, so we just waited...in the middle of the road (there were 6 lanes of traffic and we were in the 3rd one from the right) until the firemen and police got there to push the car over to the shoulder. while court was stearing the car, the wipers kept swishing back and forth like crazy and the horn decided to honk and honk and honk. that part was really funny. it's like the car needed to get some last words in there before it was totally, well, totaled. we are both very lucky that we are fine. i have some huge bruises on my leg from the airbags, and i was a little stiff...but that only lasted for a day. courtney pulled a tendon in her arm from the airbag, and she was a little stiff too. but, it's 3 days later and we're both moving around with no problems at all, so we are so thankful. God really protected us.

more updates

quite a bit has happened since my last post. surprise surprise. craig and i have moved into our new apartment and are finally settling in. we really love this new place. it seems more homey for some reason. maybe it's the fact that i was able to paint a wall. color adds so much, and after having nothing but white walls for the past 5 years i am so stoked about this. it is so great to be living close to so many more people. i haven't lived this close to any of my friends in 2 years. i love it.

we still don't have our orange truck. we're hoping to get it back tonight...but we'll see. haha. it seems like we will never get that thing. we really need to get 'surf ninja' off of the side so that we won't be as embarrassed to drive that piece around.

i was finally able to go to the chiropractor last friday! unfortunately i have more wrong with me than i thought. :-( i have a pinched nerve and compressed disc in my back (which i already new) and i have a pinched nerve and compressed disc in my pelvis which is causing it to be unaligned. lovely. i had laser therapy done on it which didn't hurt, but afterwards the technician had to work out the muscle and that caused me the most pain i have ever felt. it was so awful. i haven't really been able to move since then. hopefully now corporate will approve my claim so that i can get everything worked out. the chiropractor thinks that i'll have to get treatments 2 times a week for 1-2 months to fix my hips, and then 2-3 times a week for 6-8 weeks to fix my back. i have a long road ahead of me. i'd just like to be fixed.

we are now 1/2 way through sub-hub wedding season. so far they have been so much fun, and have all been unique to the couple. i can't wait to be able to go to the rest. it is so fun to be able to support my friends as they embark on this great new part of their lives. they've all been so supportive of me and craig this past year, and i love being able to return the favor.

on that note, craig and i have been married for over 11 months now. we're only 25 days away from our 1 year anniversary! it has really flown by!

the silver lining

so these past couple of weeks have been insane for many reasons.

1. we bought a $600 piece of junk truck (so that craig could use it to build/restore an old muscle car) that has had absolutely everything wrong with it...including stolen registration tags. so far, we've invested a bit over $3000 into that piece. the silver lining? that sucker will run for over 100,000 more miles, so we can either keep it and run it into the ground or sell it once we're done using it...once we finally get it back from the shop.

2. i've been fighting with corporate still about my back. i've now been out of work for 7 weeks and they don't care. my store manager and the district manager have been fighting for me (which i am so so so thankful for), but the guy at corporate couldn't care less. so, here i am at home with an incredibly painful back and no paycheck. super duper. the silver lining? i'm still trying to figure this one out...

3. we're moving to a new apt complex in fullerton, which is about 20 minutes from where we live now. the rent is hundreds of $ cheaper (phew) and we'll be so much closer to craig's family and friends. in fact, we'll be one floor above and 3 apts over from our friends courtney and woody. we are so excited for this next step in our lives, and i am looking at is as a 'fresh start' for me. i won't feel like as much of a hermit and i will hopefully be starting a new (and better) job in that area. the silver lining? pretty much everything i've already stated.

4. since we're moving i feel like i have done nothing but prepare for it for the past 2 weeks. i've moved apt complexes before, but it seems like so much more of a hassle now that craig and i are married. i have to make sure that the mail gets forwarded...pack...get this apt in tip top shape so that we can get a huge chunk of our $2000 deposit back...pack...deal with edison...pack...and on and on and on. it's such a huge hassle. the silver lining? i am feeling very helpful and worthy since i've pretty much taken on all of the moving responsibilities.

5. we puppy-sat for courtney and woody's dog bailey while they were on their honeymoon. don't get me wrong, i loved having bailey. she provided us with so much entertainment for the week that we had her...after all, she was only 7 weeks old. i've never had a dog before, so that was quite the growing experience for me. craig and i kept calling bailey a kitty, and her barks meows. the silver lining? who doesn't love a puppy?!

even though the last 2 weeks or so have been really stressful, i have been trying to find the silver linings in every situation. with all of the stress and pain every event has caused me and craig, i have to remind myself that God is in control...which has been quite hard for me to remember. it can be so easy to focus on the bad in life which will just bring you down. the silver linings may seem to be all the good that it coming out of this stressful time right now, but i know that it will get better for us. i just have to trust.

the silver lining to my life...i have a beyond-amazing and supportive husband, great friends and family, and God keeps stretching me and making me grow in ways that i couldn't have imagined.