I'm back!

So since my last post I have been painting practically the whole house (interior) before we moved in on March 31 - thanks to some friends for help ( robin, jonathan, mr. cox - and lee, of course). Then it was the getting settled part - does it ever end? My parents were able to come down for a few days and helped us a lot.

I like to have a clean and organized house - I guess everybody does - but, I'm learning to let a few things go for awhile. Plumbing issues definitely put a kink into the whole getting settled thing. And whoah, is it expensive. Savings came in handy then!

Also, for the whole month of April, we did not have internet. I was trying to see how long I could go. Because the library is maybe a mile away. We walked there one night. But, after about 2 or 3 weeks, I broke down and decided I wanted internet starting in may. We're still doing okay without cable. Although, our antennae won't pick up - is it abc? and not cbs very well either. so no more oprah or the view or ugly betty. I miss it rarely and less and less with every day. I'm such a tv addict, so it's so much better that we don't have cable. I already waste too much time as it is. So, what stations are left, you ask? nbc - i still get to watch martha stewart (every now and again), fox, tbs, GPB, and a Hispanic station. GPB has this great show on sunday nights about nature. one time they had a hippo fight - wow that was cool!

lee and i saw a coyote cross in front of our car in our neighborhood a few nights ago. at first we thought was a dog, then lee said it was a gray fox. but we really think its a coyote because we've been hearing in the news about how the coyote population in norcross has increased 3000 % in the past few years or something like that. maybe that's a little exaggerated but still!

I've been married 11 months!

I know at this point, many of my friends are already married, but there are a good many who aren't. If you're thinking about getting engaged soon, consider pre-engagement counseling and of course if you are already engaged, get some quality pre-marital counseling. Know where you stand on family, religion, money, how you'll raise your kids, how you communicate - gosh there's so much more. Know what you would expect of your mate if you were to get married. I have a questionnaire I can send to you if you are interested. If you are engaged, go ahead and set a budget Before you get married. Know what you can and can't afford and how to manage the money that you do have. Check out www.crown.org and check out the budget guide under the tools tab. (sorry, i can't get the link to work). I'm so glad Lee and I did this in the beginning - it's helped us a lot.

Whoever still reads this - love to you!

A funny pic

I'm 25!

Pic taken several weeks ago at Happy Sumo Japanese Restaurant in Norcross. This food is good, y'all.

Like the hair-do?

a big announcement!

no, i am not pregnant.

but, lee and i are brand-new home-owners as of a few hours ago! we will begin the minor repairs that need to be done and the painting soon, and we plan to be moved march 31 (for the most part). here's the new addy:

3900 bryn mawr court
duluth, ga 30096

so i go back to having a weird address that i'll have to spell out for everybody like the one i had most of my life in greer.

we are both very excited about this new adventure. i get to pick out paint colors for a whole house - and colors that I really like. Lee just asks for veto power. that works for me. the house is in a great location and has tons of positives. i will really miss this apartment, but we will still have it until the end of april so i plan on taking full advantage of the pool until that date.

later

our future home!

isn't it cool?

 

Help!

I just started crying while watching a commercial (don't even know what it's for) about a little boy making a valentine's cake with his mom. she thought he was going to give it to a special girl at school. but, he gave it to her!!! how sweet!

waffles and spaghetti

Did you know that "men are like waffles, women are like spaghetti?"

check out this podcast.
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Focus_on_the_Family/archives.asp?bcd=2007-1-2

it talks about how men have boxes for everything in their life while women connect everything in their life.

Our fireplace - see our Christmas cards? 

Our breakfast area - our first Christmas tree in the background! 

lee and i in charleston over labor day weekend. taken exactly 1 week before the wreck. 

a close up of my booth 

my first art show booth on 10-14 

a posty post

i had my first art show this past weekend. it was pretty cool. i have to say, i think my booth looked really nice thanks to my husband, a few of his coworkers, and my in-laws. unfortunately, i had no sales. but, it was the wrong show for my work. i'm learning that.
i'm very excited about my paintings though. paul and i have even talked about making it easier to sell my work online come the first of the year. you know about the "painting a day" bloggers? some of them have some really nice work. i might be "a painting a week" blogger.
anyway, for those of you who don't know - check out my website

www.lauracoxart.com

here is a quick run down of what's going on with me right now. lee is in bed and not feeling well so i'm trying to give him some peace and quiet. saturday is our one year proposal anniversary. i have a lot of laundry to fold. i have raw chicken in the refrigerator that i'm not sure is safe to eat. i'm still working at namb three days a week. hooray for part time jobs!!! okay, i'm making the list short for now.

jellybeans

it certainly is the year of engagements and weddings. dresses and rings. my goodness!

lee is wanting a 90's ford F150. ballpark - $5,000. anybody know of any?

i got some new pain medicine that lets me sleep peacefully and doesn't leave me with a hangover the next day. hallelujah!

i'm looking forward to going to upstate SC this weekend. it's been awhile. traffic isn't nearly as scary there.

"the kingdom of God is gonna look like a bowl full of jellybeans...better get used to it now"
my pastor said something like this a few days ago. made me laugh.

went to the world of coke on saturday. i tasted TAB. Gross!!! and i tasted this drink called Beverly? can't remember what country it's sold in. that was by far the nastiest thing ever to touch my tastebuds. my husband can do a great impression of the coca-cola polar bear.

on being too busy...

i have made it my goal, since being married - to NOT get too involved with too many things. it's hard, but i'm trying.

i have always been a bit of an over achiever. and success is good, but i think i have come to this conclusion:

"life is so much sweeter
for the non over-achiever."

what do you think?

my monthly post

okay, sorry people who still read my blog - if any of you are still out there. i do miss the blogging world every now and then. i guess it would be a lot more fun if i had a nice computer and the ability to post pictures. maybe i can work on that.
anyway, lee and i were in a bad car accident about a week ago. we were in suwanee - it was saturday night. our friends jill and david were with us. lee was driving and i was up front with him in his 87 mercury grand marquis. yeah - a hooptie - the tank or the yacht as lee called it. yes, as he called it - because it was totalled. a lady basically ran a stop sign right in front of us so we ran straight into the side of her car. thankfully!!! no one was hurt very seriously, except i do have two broken ribs from it. and they have slowed me down considerably ever since. and its very annoying. i am really hoping i can go back to work tomorrow. seems like i say that everyday. i am doing a lot better the past few days about being more still. i hope it will pay off soon.
anyway, in a few weeks i should be back to normal and the other partys insurance is supposed to pay for everything, even some lost wages, hopefully, so i do praise God for that. it could have been so much worse.

i thought i would post a few of the things i miss most by having broken ribs:

cooking
sleeping on my stomach
being outside
exercising (like fun exercise, like racquetball, swimming, shopping, etc. haha)

now, in case you were wondering, i decided i would post the five things that hurt the most when you have a broken rib:
1. sneezing (this is a big one)
2. laughing ( i love to laugh - a lot - and i am unfortunately one of those people who when they laugh, their whole body shakes so this is not fun)
3. hiccuping (sp?) (someone scare me please and put me out of my misery - speaking of scaring me, i guess i could always take one of my lovely pain pills that gives me horror movie dreams. the next time you want a big scare that will really freak you out, do not bother to pay to see a horror movie or go on one of those spook trails. no, simply ask for oxycodone) i really hope no one takes me serious on this, cause it really will mess you up. i figure i can deal with the pain better than i can deal with what my mind makes up when i am on that pill.
4. getting out of bed
5. getting in and out of my little car

those were ranked, by the way, #1 being the most painful.

so, i am reading a lot, sleeping a whole lot, watching a lot of martha stewart and oprah..hahahaha. i know martha was a criminal or whatever, but i still love her magazines, her tv show, and she has a good website. i am sorry, but i love cooking, organizing, and doing crafts. and the martha stewart wedding magazine is the best if you are planning a wedding.
okay, i hope you all still have respect for me! i hope to blog again soon!

thoughts

"the boston pops did a concert one time where they played all nintendo songs. the zelda theme was particularly good." paul - otherwise known as pb

the shoes i was wearing today squeaked when i walked. my shoes made me feel fat...

the above sentence does not sound grammatically correct. it cant be the shoes i were wearing today....hmm

"the older you get, the more it takes to fill your heart with wonder. only God is big enough to fill that heart of ours"
ravi zecharias

"what breaks your heart tells God who you are. what makes you laugh tells God who you are. it is vitally important what you laugh at...it is vitally important what you weep at."
ravi zecharias

can you believe someone lives at 150 soggy bottom drive, trout, louisiana? that is so GREAT!

everyone, please listen to this talk from frank peretti that deals with Truth. it made me die laughing and it made me cry. i found it to be intriguing and entertaining. i don't think it will be available past this weekend, so hurry and listen.

http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Focus_on_the_Family/Archives.asp?bcd=7/6/2006

http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Focus_on_the_Family/Archives.asp?bcd=7/7/2006

i'll be back i promise

back to blogging

my life is starting to calm down now! that means i get to do fun things like blogging. i have many pics to share soon of the wedding. please bare with me as i am having to use lee's dinosaur computer now so obviously it is limited in what it can do.
the wedding was Sweet. today is my one month anniversary! for 9 months, it felt like my life was on hold. i knew where i was going (in a sense) but i couldn't get there yet. time could not have gone by any slower and many dollars were spent on gas to travel up and down I85 on the weekends. (totally worth it) but, now time is flying by and i feel like i can finally move forward. now i just have to decide what to move towards....
i'm working a temp job right now with the North American Mission Board in alpharetta. it's great because it is only three days a week and it's in a very nice working environment. it will last until september. after that, who knows? i feel like i am forever temporary - which i don't really mind.
i love norcross, i love my husband, i love being married...gotta go write more thank you notes....ciao

easter sunday

me in my "i love lucy" dress as leigh hix called it.  

makeup and hair dye

me and my roomie - well, my old roomie - after we had fun with makeup. i love you jen!  

love is in the air

i have the most beautiful, stress free commute. what a blessing! lots of fields and trees and a pond and not a lot of traffic.

we're having showers in april

we're moving in may (well, he is and i'll also be transporting a bunch of my stuff). i'm excited about it and i dread it (the moving part). it will make me get rid of a bunch of stuff though so that's good. i guess i'm definitely more excited though! yay - our own place!

it is so great to have a steady job - thank you God

i made ranch chicken and macaroni pie last night for the first time!

it is a beautiful saturday - i think this is the first beautiful saturday in a month or more!

so many people i know are having babies. they either just had them or are about to. and some of them are my age!!! AHHH! crazy crazy