the weather outside is frightful

I was going to update yesterday, but the internet was down, so I couldn't. I'm just grateful that we still had power because a lot of my friends lost theirs for a while.

I decided to make a valiant effort to go to work yesterday. I looked out the window when I got up and was disappointed to see that the roads looked manageable lol. So, I got up, got ready for work, jumped in my trusty car, backed out of the garage, and got stuck in a snowdrift that used to be the driveway. My dad had shoveled the 5 inches of snow off the driveway the day before, but now there was another 4-6 inches on it. I called my daddy to ask him to come help me get out heehee :), and then exchanged my dress shoes for boots and went out to attack the snow drift IN MY SLACKS!!! I lasted long enough to get it cleared away from my car so I could pull it back in the garage, and then I had to go in because my fingers were numb. Did I mention the wind chill was sub-zero?? I called the office to let them know I was going to be late. My dad got here and we tried for like 30 minutes to get my car up the driveway, but alas! Our efforts were in vain. I had to ride with my dad in his four-wheel drive truck, and after seeing the roads, I was glad I didn't try to drive in my car.

I drove my car to work today, and the roads were better, but I was still very cautious.

This brings back a memory from last winter. It was my last day at Hobby Lobby, and I woke up to find snow covering everything. I decided that wasn't going to stop me from going to work. After all, loyalty and dedication are noble qualities, and I'm no quitter, so I was determined to go, especially since it was my last day. No one was going to call me a wimp!! So I dug my car out from under 6 inches of snow and set off. I didn't get too far down the road before I realized that was THE STUPIDEST THING I have ever done. You see, my family was all gone to Oklahoma for the weekend, and only Kaley was at the house. As I drove by all the cars in the ditch, I realized that could easily be me sitting there, and I would have no one to come get me. Back in Oklahoma, I could have called my Grandpa (or a myriad of other people) and he would have come to my rescue with four-wheel drive. But up here, 10 months ago, I had no idea who I could call to come get me out. The only person I could think of was my pastor. I kept driving because there was no point in turning back, but I was praying like crazing and vowing that I would never try anything like that again!! Ah the lessons you learn when you are young!!

And so the adventure of life continues! :) I hope everyone is staying warm this winter! I'll try to post again soon!

Blizzard!!

We are in the middle of a blizzard! The excitement never ends around here lol. I couldn't make it to work today and I don't know if I'll be able to make it tomorrow, either. All the schools are canceled so everything is pretty much shut down. I'm kind of enjoying it. I love time to stay home and get stuff done. I'm still trying to get my bookkeeper's certification out of the way. I have two exams hanging over my head and I'm ready to be done with it! I worked on it a lot last week since I was off work due to the slowness of the accounting business this month.

I'm house sitting this week; hanging out with Max and Shack. Maybe I'll get bored and post pics of my furry friends. :) It almost seems like vacation since I didn't have to go to work today!

Okay, big news of the week: My little sister... my baby sister... turned 9 YEARS OLD yesterday!!! I almost cried. No kidding. Yes, I'm an emotional person! Come on, wouldn't you cry if your little sissy turned 9?? Okay fine...I'm weird. :) We took her ice skating since she's been wanting to do that for months. It was her first time to go, and she had a lot of fun. I will try to post pictures sometime because they are too cute! Even dad got out there and tried it which was hilarious and very entertaining!! I got it on film, and I'm sure we'll enjoy those memories for years to come. Then we opened presents, watched a Christmas movie, prayed that we would get snowed in. :)

I'll keep you posted on the blizzard conditions!! Hope you are staying cozy and warm where ever you are!!

{{hugs}}
Lauren

Reflections

I always get really reflective this time of year. Of course, going back to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving brought back lots memories, but I also saw things in a way I hadn’t seen before. It had been a few months since I had been to Oklahoma, so maybe that’s why going back this time was so different. Maybe I just finally understood what God has been trying to tell me all these months lol! :)

Oklahoma represents my comfort zone. Bear with me here, okay?? :) I spent most of my life in that great state, and although I moved from city to city and church to church and had to make new friends and start new things, I was still “at home.” My family was within easy driving distance. I had friends all over. I knew lots of people. I knew my way around, even in the big cities. It was familiar to me. It was comfortable. And I assumed I would be there the rest of my life. Ha! I should have known better lol! But no, Lauren Mills had her life figured out.

And then God told me to move up here. Excuse me? Um, okay…

Leave my family and friends. The dream job. The security. The comfort zone. Little did I know when I unpacked my boxes in my new home that God was getting me out of my box.

So now, 16 months later, I finally understand: God had more in mind for me. He wanted to push me to learn new things. He had bigger and better things in mind for me that He knew I wouldn’t try in my “comfort zone.” I finally see now that this experience has been good for me. I have grown in confidence, I have grown spiritually, and I have a lot more experience now than I had 16 months ago. I can’t believe how far I’ve come.

Confessions of a Military Brat

I always resented being called a brat, but today when my dad (who just got back home two days ago) told me he was leaving again this week and would be gone for Thanksgiving, I realized I fit that description quite well. The little girl inside me put her brat face on and said “WHY DO YOU HAVE TO BE GONE FOR THANKSGIVING??? You just got back and I never get to see you and I thought you would be home for the holidays!” I’ve only seen him for a total of 37 minutes since he got back, and now he tells me he’s leaving again. My heart sank inside, but I have to put on my military face and go on. It certainly makes it harder around the holidays. Why is it still so hard? I was born into the military, I should be used to this lifestyle, but it doesn’t seem to get easier.

I only spent a few minutes in self-pity before I was reminded of others who have and are sacrificing so much more than I am. My dad is going on a med-evac mission to bring wounded soldiers home. He could have been one of those wounded GI’s coming home, or he could be one of those heroes who will never come home. But he’s not. He’s alive and well. So why am I complaining that he’s leaving again? I should be grateful I still have a dad.

This Thanksgiving and Christmas, my heart goes out to the lonely families in this country because of our brave servicemen and women who are gone. Please don’t forget to pray for our military and reach out to families who don’t feel like celebrating Christmas because daddy won’t be there. It’s a difficult time for them.

I’m proud to be an American and I’m proud that my dad is a part of the United States Air Force.

In honor of our veterans...

Click on this link to watch the music video "Finally Home" by MercyMe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw0ZdHprdjk&feature=player_embedded

I love and miss you Dad, and can't wait till you get to come home again!!

xoxoxo,
Lauren

warning: ultra random thoughts ahead

"There's never a traffic jam on that extra mile."

THINK before you speak. Is it...
True
Helpful
Important
Necessary
Kind

"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden, and over-burdened, and I will give you rest and peace for your souls." paraphrasing Matthew 11:28-30

Can you trust God with your treasures???

Taco Bell. Merry-go-round. Not necessarily in that order.

Great-grandparents 70th wedding anniversary

licking vintage stamps

warm November nights

fighting to stay awake at work

Dr. Pepper!!!!

craving cheesecake

Good days don't just happen. You have to make it a great day.

Wanna say hi to me?? All you have to do is move your mouse over to the comments link below this sentence and type a message to me. It doesn't hurt...I promise. lol. :) I miss hearing from y'all. (just had to throw that Okie conjunction in there...)

Playing Dress-Up

I did my first tax return on Friday. If you think that has nothing to do with the title of this post, just keep reading. :)

I may have the title of “Accountant” but I am pretty much clueless when it comes to taxes (and actually, there's nothing pretty about it lol). My education and experience to this point have only covered financial statements, bank reconciliations, payroll and payroll taxes, analytical reviews, and introduction to auditing. I wasn’t sure that I wanted to get into the tax side of it because, to be honest, it’s rather intimidating to me. So when they decided to give me some “practice” returns, I tried not to flip out. They wanted me to get used to the system so I would be able to follow along in the tax class next week.

When I got home Friday, I told mom I felt like a five-year old girl playing dress-up. It almost felt like I was pretending to be an accountant. I was sitting in front of my computer going “Hmm…what would happen if I push this button? Where is form 8565? What line does this deduction go on? How do I enter multiple W-2s? What in the world am I doing??”

I FELT LIKE SUCH AN IDIOT!!! I love expanding my horizons, but I must admit that I don’t always enjoy the learning process. I like to feel like I know what I’m doing lol, so when I don’t, I get stressed out. New and unfamiliar things tend to scare control freaks like myself…which is exactly why this is good for me. sigh. I hate it when things are good for me…

God has been good about pushing me outside my box these last 15 months. I’m amazed when I think of all the things I’ve already learned since I started working here. I’m sure in time, I’ll be more comfortable with tax returns. Until then, I’ll just have to keep asking stupid questions lol! :)



Okay, I just couldn’t resist, I had to post these pics from my “big” brother’s bday party. Thought you might enjoy them lol! And yes, he weighs more than I do, so technically he is my big brother, which is cool because I always wanted a big brother. :)

The many faces of Christopher Mills...

He's such a dork! (Don't worry, we use that as a term of endearment around our house. If we say you are a dork, that means we think you're hilarious and we love you. )

Yeah, he got this for his birthday. Guess what met me when I came home from work today...

A-M-B-U-S-H