Updates, updates, updates!! I think I am finally caught up. At least I'm done trying to catch up, how about that? (wink, wink)

There are new posts all the way back to December 17. Lots of pictures, a few stories, and plenty of "thoughts by Melody."

I'm sorry life has been so incredibly hectic lately, and I truly thought I would never catch back up. I hope to start posting more regularly again now. In the meantime, feel free to scroll through some of my new entries and see what has been going on in the Shulse family!

It's good to be back, blogland. It's good to be back.

We are FREEEEEE!!!

Do you know what I did yesterday? I went to the bank, and got a massive cashier's check, signed it, and put it in the mailbox.

We are officially DEBT FREE!

We have paid off our car (last year), and yesterday, we paid off my school loans. ALL of them. They are gone, and we are free.

To be honest, I never felt strapped by it, though we had chosen to make huge monthly payments, trying to speed the process along in the past two years. I wont get into numbers, but let's just say that between the car and loans, we were about 55,000 in the hole. And now, we are out.

As much as I have whined and complained about Jesse having this Elfa job, it has truly been a blessing. We have been very careful, to not spend the money- putting it all aside, building our savings, and paying off chunks as we could. This week, after Dave Ramsey, we decided it was dumb to continue to pay interest on a loan, when we have the money sitting in savings. So, we bit the bullet. And now, it's GONE.

We are going to Perry's on Friday to celebrate.

Which is good, considering it will be January 30...come February 1, we are officially on a new budget! =) Haha. Life might be tight now, but one day, we'll be millionaires. Just watch.

Here's to hoping, anyway!

Time to look in the mirror

We are going to Dave Ramsey tomorrow!!

I'm excited...but really nervous. As the main handler of our money and finances, I hope I don't get a huge guilt trip. Time to look in the mirror and decide to make a change! I hope it goes well...

A historic day

Today, the first African American took the oath of office to become our 44th President.

As most of you know, I'm not a fan of President Obama's policies. In all honesty, there is not much I agree with him on a doctrinal level. But today, as broadcasters everywhere filmed his historic inauguration, I could not help but watch. And watch. And watch.

I'm intrigued. Everyone kept referring to the new first family as the new Kennedy family. Young. Fashionable. Personable. Smart. Likeable. Smooth. I would be lying if I said I have not had moments of obsession with the Kennedy family. But at the end of the day, I did not agree with his policy either.

So, I'm in limbo. I'm happy that America has come so far to elect, with vigor, a black man, to the highest office in the land. I think it shows a lot of growth. I'm still scared to see what the future is going to hold, and I will be praying for our leaders. After all, the decisions they make today will not only effect me- but also my children and grandchildren. I pray the world that they grow up in is better than today. (Of course, "better" is an objective term.)

Dear Lord,
Please keep your hand on President Obama and his new cabinet. I pray for the minds and hearts of all our elected leaders. I pray that they remember who they are representing, and who holds the ultimate authority. Please hold our nation together during this time of transition and fear. I ask all these things in Jesus' name.
Amen

The only constant in our house IS change

So, I have been organizing pictures lately, and ran across several older pictures of our house. It helped that we have completed a few new projects lately, which inspired this post. Thought you might enjoy the transition.

The old owner's "lounge" room

Became our office, and then joint guest room when we made room for the nursery

Now, it still serves double-duty, but as an office and a playroom!

Another massive transformation has taken place in the guest bathroom:

The old owner added the metal wall on the left-- we left it in place when we first moved in, scared of what laid behind the wall.

Our version of their same bathroom
Time for an update!

We tore out the metal wall, scraped & painted the ceiling, painted the walls, added new trim, sanded and stained (dark) the cabinets, tore down the old mirror and light fixture and replaced with new, got a new toilet, and of course, fixed all the new decor. What do you think?

I am sooooo lucky to have a handy, talented husband!!

Just had to share...!!

I just received an email from my mother-in-law, Carol. She finally made it to the liver transplant list!! This is a blessing and answered prayer.

She suffers from genetic liver disease (hardly drank a drop in her entire life, and yet her liver looks like one of a raging alcoholic), and has been going through testing for as long as I have known her. In fact, five years ago, they sat the entire family down at the doctor's office and told us that if she did not receive a new liver soon she would not live another five years.

That was five years ago. And things have worsened. My MIL started the process up again last fall, but it is quite a process. There are tests and evaluations and more tests and more doctors....I think they hope the patient gets annoyed and finally gives up, which is exactly what happened with her five years ago.

But today, she was given new hope, as she left the doctor's office with a number and a pager in hand. It is official. She is on the list for a chance at a better life.

Please join me in praying for her. Pray that she continues to "stay on top of it all" and does not get discouraged with all the appointments, tests, and doctors. Pray that she is able to lose some weight and increase her chances of a healthy transplant. And pray now for the donor and donor's family- there is never an easy way to let go of someone you love, but I pray that they may know that they are giving someone else life, and feel comforted.

Hooray for good news!

Tagged!

I have been tagged by Shelley and Sarah, so I guess I better play up!

The rules are:
Go to your pictures folder on your computer.
Go to the 4th folder.
Go to the 4th picture in that folder.
Tell us about it.
This picture was taken last August at an Astros game with my parents. We wanted to take my dad to a game for Father's Day, but had to wait until we could buy tickets! I tried to catch my parents and Jesse covertly, but as you can tell from the grin on Mom's face, she noticed, and then tried to pretend like she didnt. Ha! Dad is kind of half-way looking at me, while explaining something to Jesse, which must have been important, considering he is using his hand to demonstrate. I think Jesse is the only one who was oblivious to the camera, and that's because he is getting good at blocking me out...especially when I have a camera in hand.

It was a fun night. =)


Now I tag...anyone who wants to play along!!

Trying to catch up

I cannot even begin to tell you how busy we have been. Last night, I finally uploaded all the pictures from our camera from the past 3 weeks. I had over 220 pictures and almost 10 videos! Needless to say, it has been a time full of activity with family. Lots of fun and memories. I promise I am working on it, and once I finally hit "post," you will have TONS to read and catch up on. =)

In the meantime, I sincerely hope you all had a very special Christmas and a great start to 2009!

Practice makes perfect!

Ryleigh's new obsession? "Yo-Gi? Yo-Gi??"

AKA: Yogurt

Seriously, she must have it every meal. But, the plus is that she is getting much better with the spoon. Though she still drops half of it on herself in the process.

And for the record, YES, I love a nakie baby. =)

New Year

I cannot believe it is 2009. I still remember when 2000 rolled around, and everyone was so scared of Y2K...the end of the world as we knew it. Ha! To think it has already been 9 years. Where did that time go?

I know most of the time, people list their new year resolutions. I probably should make some resolutions, but what's the point? Most of the time they inspire me to "better myself" for about a month. Then life resumes as normal.

This year, I don't want to be normal. But I know that no resolution is going to help me be a better me. It is time for me to start taking some action to fix me. I know that most of these sound stereotypical, but they are all areas I genuinely want to work on. I'm going to take a hard look in the mirror, ask friends to hold me accountable, and pray hard for God to help transform my heart.

• Find more balance in my life. Quit worrying about work so much, when they clearly do not worry about me. Relax more. Spend more time in the sun and less time at the computer. Play on the floor with my daughter and worry less about the dishes in the sink. Love on my husband when he is home rather than tackling the never-ending "to do" list. Life is a balancing act, and I want to get better.
• Hang out with people more. Be a better friend to the friends I have. Maybe make some new friends. Put myself out there, and hopefully click with someone amazing.
• Patience, patience, patience. Since having a toddler, I have seen more than ever how quick-tempered I am. I hate it. Time to let the little things roll and learn to not get upset over a little spilled milk.
• Time to get healthy. Eat better. Exercise more. Self-explanatory.
• Get on top of our finances and make smart money decisions for our future.

So, no new resolutions for me. LIFE changes. I have high hopes for 2009, and I expect it to be a year of great joy and change. Happy new year to you all!

Goodbye Grandma Gertie

We laid Grandma Gertie to rest in Alamogordo, New Mexico on Tuesday.

It was an all day event, with the memorial service that morning, a lunch reception (with more memorial events), and then the graveside service that afternoon. Emotions were high and many tears were shed. You are never ready to say goodbye to someone you love. And as "ready" as thought I was, the day was still emotionally draining.

All in all, it was a sweet day full of cherished memories from family and friends. I'm thankful, in a sense, that this portion is complete, so the family can begin to move on.

Rest in peace, Grandma Gertie. You are loved and will be missed.

On a side note, Jesse, his dad, and his brother made her urn themselves. They did not like any of the pre-made ones available, and so they decided it would be nice to make it and stain it themselves. I think it is one of the prettiest I have ever seen.