new new new

[chestnutcurls]

Hello! In the spirit of a new year, I have redesigned. Again. Also, I've purged and replaced almost all of my icons. I needed some cleansing, you know? :)

This weekend was busy. Friday night Evan and I had our date. We had dinner at Huey's and then went to Borders so I could use my gift card. I went a little nuts. Total: $86. Yikes. One of those was the first Shopaholic book, on the recommendation of Danielle and Casey. Also included was Evan's and my birthday present for Ryan- a coffee table book about the history of the Porsche. He will be pleased. On Saturday I had lunch with Debs and we went to the pond, where we fed the ducks. Then I came home and read. Kathy stopped by and invited me to a Grizzlies game with her, Daniel, and Daniel's best friend, so I went. It was fun, since Kathy and I hadn't done anything together in a while. Also, I had never been to an NBA game. It was very different from the Tigers games.

Sunday was a long day, but Evan and I spent it together! :) We went to church and lunch, as usual, then to Ryan's new apartment because we hadn't seen it yet. After that it was to my parents' house to wish my dad a happy birthday, to the mall to get Evan some clothes, and to Old Navy to get me some clothes. The shopping was not as much fun as I'd thought it would be. Evan's giftcard was for a (much) smaller amount than he had been told, so after an hour of shopping he ended up with one pair of pants. Old Navy was cleaned out, and nothing fit right, which left me feeling fat and depressed. I got three fairly simple shirts and a new pair of jeans. After all that we were worn out, so we settled in front of my TV to watch the Sugar Bowl. By halftime we were both fast asleep. I woke up at 11, very disoriented, and went into Kathy's room to find her and Daniel there, also asleep. So we all woke up and the guys went home. LOL.

What my pastor is calling the "Grace Venture" was kicked off yesterday at my church. This is that program I've referred to before, where we're supposed to be giving more money, time, etc. I found it kind of ironic that this happened on a weekend when I bought so much. :( I'm going to start giving a little extra, but it won't be much. The good thing about being moderately poor is that I don't have fancy things I have to give up, like cable or a nice car. Better to have never had than to have and get used to. Ryan just bought a brand-new Jeep Liberty (he's about to have a good IT job). I can't let myself covet that stuff. :P

Evan is about to (hopefully) go back to school. He registers today or tomorrow. I know he has to finish school, but part of me is really sad that the first, carefree phase of our relationship is ending. From now on he'll be tired and stressed all the time, and we'll hardly get to see each other and will have even less money for dates. But we'll have each other, so I guess that's what's important. :)

Comments

[aardwolf.livejournal.com]

About Old Navy... I went the day after Christmas and they only had three pairs of pants in my size. I ended up getting half of my clothes from the online store (now that I know what size I wear.)

If Evan is a business major like I was, I doubt he'll be very stressed... he seems like a smart guy, and it's not like business is that difficult anyway. It's cool that he's finishing up his degree... that can only help in the future when he's looking for a higher-paying job. :)

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I've never seen them so empty. Most of the racks had post-its on them indicating what was supposed to go there. I bet if I go back next week, they'll have totally restocked.

Thanks, that was a nice thing to say. :) I just worry about him working full-time, going to school, and still having time for me and all his truck activities. I mean, I couldn't do it. I had to quit my 6-hour-a-week job when I was in college. :P And if he can't get a student loan, he's not going back this semester at all. He's thinking of just teaching himself Oracle and getting a decent job that way. Ryan and two of our friends have gotten excellent jobs just knowing Oracle. We'll see.

[aardwolf.livejournal.com]

I think he wouldn't have any problems getting a student loan for the University of Memphis. At some places the cost might be a factor, but the University of Memphis just doesn't cost nearly as much as some of the better schools (not that I'm knocking our alma mater.) :) When I got my student loan, I had no credit history to speak of, and was holding down a job paying a whopping $4.75 an hour. :)

BTW, I like your new design... for some reason it reminds me of a sweater.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Thanks, that's good to know! I feel a little better about that now. :) Not that I'm thrilled about debt in general, but at least he can go to school.

Yeah, it is kind of sweatery. I was thinking more of socks. It's also kind of Valentiney, I just realized. I hope I'm not sick of it by then. :)

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

This is such a happy-sounding entry! Shopping, new design (I like!), cute new icons, Evan time, weekends, etc. Fun. :)

On the money thing, (maybe you already do this) have you ever thought of just collecting your pennies, or something? It sounds lame, but it's something small you can do and then donate them. Don't stress about it.. I'm sure you're already praying, and if God sees an area you can sacrifice, He'll make it known to you.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

That's actually a good idea! I might start doing that. I'm not as stressed about it as I was before- I guess my heart has had time to settle. :) I'll just keep praying about it and give what I can. The pastor even says that this will be an adjustment process, so he's not going to make it a high-pressure thing. I am glad.

[rawee1.livejournal.com]

Let me suggest that you go ahead and buy all three Shopaholic books... Sophie Kinsella definitely knows how women think!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

So I hear! :) I'm reading How to Deal right now and then I'm planning to start on that one. So many new books! Yay!

[jmcphers.livejournal.com]

"Grace Venture," eh? I recall your earlier discussion of that little effort. It seems a little off to be telling people what and when they should give. Some people are already overcommitted with respect to time, and some people already give the right amount of their finances and other resources. Does the Venture acknowledge that perhaps some people need balance in the other direction? I get annoyed when pastors say things like "You can't out-give God" and the like. God does not ask every person to give every second and penny they can afford; many Christians, in their zeal to feel as though they have finally given "enough", give so much to the church that they become overall bad stewards of their time and resources.

You can ask Jessica for tips on effectively dealing with tired, stressed, and poor boyfriends! (-: She's a pro at it.

I like the new design; my favorite part is the text for comments.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Well, they're reiterating that it's not about money. They want us as a church to change our priorities and develop a spirit of generosity via living more simply and creating/working in new ministries and outreaches (can you tell I went to the informational meeting?).

Yeah, I've thought about all those things you said about being good stewards. I want to give and help, but are we supposed to give up everything God gives us? That's a fine line between "Thanks for this, God, now I will use it to help others" and "I can't accept this, God, because I'm not supposed to be prosperous, so I'll give it all away." :P Like I said, I'll be figuring out over time what this will mean for me.

Thanks, I'm glad you like it. :)

[krikketgirl.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm...you know, I hadn't thought about it in those words before, but your comments on giving are exactly what I have been feeling whenever someone brings up the "you can't out-give God" comment. I do think that it's a good idea to look at your attitude and be sure it isn't a stingy one, but so often these things become an unspoken competition, with people giving for the wrong reasons and people feeling sidelined because they don't feel they can give anything.

It is such a fine line...but there are other kinds of generosity besides material goods and money. You can be generous with your time, with your support, with your friendship. That last is something that I am trying to work on in our church congregation. We are terrific at welcoming new people, but we seem to totally drop the ball when it comes to being generous with our friendship with people who have been there for a while.

[jmcphers.livejournal.com]

Good thoughts. (-: Thanks.

[violetvale.livejournal.com]

I really like your new design! Lovely colors. Your icons are pretty snazzy, too. ;-) I especially like the one you used for this entry.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Thanks Bethany! :D Someone had to take up the pink now that you've gotten rid of it. :)

[thetenthshadow.livejournal.com]

Yay! My feet are warm! :)

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Good! :)

[mrszoid.livejournal.com]

Wow - your journal looks great! Sounds like you had a fun weekend too. :-)

I visited my friend Elizabeth's church with her on Sunday, and their pastor has challenged each family as a whole to up their monthly tithe by $12-15 dollars. But I like the "Grace Venture" idea better, as it shows people that contributions to the church are more than just monetary.

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it's good to know other churches are trying to do the same type of thing!

[canticles.livejournal.com]

Yes, at least you'll have each other. It's stressful to have opposing schedules and whatnot. You have my sympathies. In fact, I'm wondering about what Phillip and I will do once the spring semester starts. He works nights, but I go to school in the day and work in the evenings. That leaves us with zero time except for the two nights he might have off each week. But if I don't get off work until 8 pm and he lives an hour away... :( There is going to be a great wailing and gnashing of teeth...

At least I know we'll have Sundays, unless I get a pianist supply gig. *sigh*

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Gosh, I'm sorry for you guys! It'll work out somehow...

[canticles.livejournal.com]

Thanks... I know it will... I'm just not looking forward to not seeing him for days on end...

[stacye13.livejournal.com]

teehee - argyle socks - if I can learn to knit, I'll make everybody a pair!!

[chestnutcurls.livejournal.com]

Woo hoo! :)