God's timing (part 2)....

Randy found out yesterday he did not get called back for a 2nd interview with Arlington FD. We were both disappointed, but know that God has a plan. We just have to trust and obey. Not really sure what the next step will be now. We'll keep looking for other departments that are hiring in the meantime. We would appreciate your prayers in all this.

One thing that I did learn (again) from yesterday, is that we are blessed with more than we realize. Yes, this is the 2nd time the job/interview process hasn't worked out for us, but we do have so much to be thankful for. We have jobs, cars, a nice apartment, clothes to keep us warm, food in our pantry, friends and family who would do anything for us, a church that we love being a part of, and so much more that we don't deserve. A friend of a friend was diagnosed with Leukemia last week and started Chemo last Saturday. She is our age. Another friend of a friend is attending college in the US, while her family is in Africa. She is grateful for hand-me-down clothes that wouldn't be missed in someone else's closet. I could go on and on. The point being, God has blessed us with more than we need and deserve. We need to be thankful for it all, even when things don't go quite as planned. :)

And I close with the 1 picture I took when we went to the State Fair a few weekends ago....enjoy!

Be Praying!

Randy is interviewing with Arlington FD today at 9:00 am. We know that the outcome is in God's hands and not ours. Thank you for your prayers. We appreciate them more than you know!

(I scheduled this post ahead of time. No, I'm not up at 6:00 am!)

What we've been up to

So what have we been up to this past month? Well, a lot actually. Randy got the conditional offer from Cedar Hill FD and went through the last round of testing. After the results were in, he didn't pass so they didn't give him the job. We were bummed. But we know that if that wasn't the job God wanted him to have, then something else is out there. So we are trusting in that. He is now in the interview process with Arlington FD. I'll keep you updated as things progress.

We also met with a Realtor to start looking for a house. Our lease is up in a few months and we both are excited about the possibility of having our own house. Keep us in your prayers. Stuff with the economy and financial markets are so up in the air right now and we want to make the right decisions.

Last weekend our church, TCAL, had its 2nd Anniversary Celebration. 2 years ago in October, we started having weekly services. Wow! Look where God has brought us now. We went from 40-50 a week to averaging 400 in September. It is all God. Randy and I have been serving in the kids minstry since the beginning and we've gone from max 15 kids to over 100 a week! Now we have 2 services, so that adds a new dynamic to the picture. We had a Celebration Picnic & Baptism on Sunday night at the property. Here are a few pics from it:

God's timing is not ours....

Ok, so if you have been keeping up any with our blog or our lives lately you know Randy has spent this past month in the job seeking process. I say process because that is what it has been. He finished school the first week of August, took his National EMT-Paramedic test (practical and written), took Cedar Hill FD's written and physical test, and then waited to get a call for an interview. Oh and I must interject and say he passed all these tests! On the first time! I have such a smart husband (just don't let it go to your head, honey!). He got a call from Cedar Hill about the first interview so we went out to look for the most "important" tool - the suit. We found the suit, he wowed them in his interview and then just had to wait to see if they called him back. They did call him back, he interviewed with the Chief and Assistant Chief and was told he would hear something in 2 weeks. We waited. All this time we had been praying that if Cedar Hill was where he was supposed to be that God would work out the details and just give us peace. So then last week Randy gets a call to come back for a 3rd interview! By this time, I would have been stressed - 3 interviews! He went in and met with the Chief and Assist. Chief again. Turns out, they weren't going to be able to hire as many as they had planned, but Randy was still in the running for the remaining spots. They were very impressed with him and couldn't believe this was the first department he had applied with. They said he had done great through the whole process and had some tough competition. They told him they would decide by the end of the day Friday. I got home from work and Randy was sitting on the couch with his phone in his lap! Cedar Hill called and he didn't get the position. They said he did very well and if some other details could be worked out, they might be hiring more later. He would be on the top of their consideration list. We were bummed but knew that God had all of it in his control, so we went out to celebrate anyway. If Cedar Hill wasn't meant to be, then there was another opportunity out there somewhere. So today I get a call from Randy. Cedar Hill called him back and asked him to come in tomorrow to sign a conditional offer! Can you believe it? Something happened and they are hiring Randy! I know God's timing is always better than our own, and something about finding out today is exciting. God always provides just what we need exactly when we need it. We just have to trust and wait. Waiting doesn't always mean sitting still either. Sometimes it means doing what we know we should do (like apply for other positions) and letting God have control. Thank you God for this blessing! Congratulations, Randy! I'm so proud of you!

Interviews, Celebrations, and Smiles

Well our week last week was quite full. It started with Randy taking his EMT-P test on Monday & PASSING!!!!! (see previous post for details.) Then he had an interview on Wednesday morning at 7:30 am with Cedar Hill FD. It went really well. He knew 2 of the 4 on the interview panel from class and his clinicals. So we were just set to wait and see what happened.

Randy's mom, Sonia, wanted to get everyone together to celebrate Randy's graduation from Paramedic School. So the festivities were planned for last Saturday. She arrived on Friday and hung out with Randy - running errands, and driving around the big D. When I got home, we went to see Kung Fu Panda (for the 2nd time). It is hilarious! We laughed as much this time as we did the last time. Saturday, we went shopping and around lunch time, Andrew, Kristi, and Bella arrived. The joke all weekend was that Sonia really came to town to see Bella and not the rest of us. (We know that isn't entirely true...love you Sonia!) Well, Randy beat his mom to the car and opened the door to see Bella. He said she took one look at him and then proceded to cry a very unhappy cry. She wasn't sure about her Uncle Randy. After Mim (Sonia) got her, she calmed down and the afternoon was spent playing with Bella, me losing at Phase 10, and secretly sneaking Randy's cake into the apartment. Bella did let Uncle Randy hold her once, but almost every other time he got close to her, she started to cry! Andrew assured Randy that his effect on Bella wouldn't transfer over to his own child - whenever that happens. :)

We headed out for dinner that evening and pull up to the restaurant and who do we see walking in? Jacob & Laura! See we secretly had invited a few of our close friends - Randy didn't know who. We got seated and Sonia pulls out this Mortar Board (grad hat) and graduation beads for Randy to wear. You can see his enthusiasim. Sonia has the rest of the pictures, so this will do for now. I'll post more when I get them.

So all in all, our weekend was wonderful. We got to celebrate 15 months of hard work and determination by Randy. We look forward to the possibilities that await us - whatever they may be. Thank you to Jacob, Laura, Brent, and Tiffany for helping us celebrate Randy's BIG Day. Sonia, thanks for coming to visit us - we love the time we get to spend with you. Andrew, Kristi, & Bella - thanks for driving over for the afternoon. We had a blast (even if I did lose at Phase 10!...lol!)

It's official - I'm married to a Paramedic!!!

After 15 months of hard work and studying, Randy took his National Registry EMT-P (paramedic) test this morning. He called me when he was finished and said it would be 2 days before he found out his results. Well, he just called me back and said his instructor called him and said, "Congrats. You passed!" I think he is on cloud 9 now! When he called he sounded so down and I didn't know what to think. Randy has this thing were he tells you the opposite of what actually happened just to see how you would react. I'm finally catching on and more aware of when he tells me something to not always assume the worst. So I didn't think either way. Then he said he passed and his voice completely changed! He was so excited! I'm so proud of him. He has worked hard for this and completely deserves it. I love you honey! Next step fire school!

Week 2 of the 100 Push-ups Challenge

Ok, so today starts week 2 of the 100 push-up challenge (read the previous post if you have no idea what I am referring to). Week 1 wasn't really that bad - or so I thought. I initially could only max out with 10 push-ups and that was literally ALL I could do. Week 1 worked me up from there to maxing out with 15 - after doing a set of 10, resting 120 seconds, a set of 8, resting 120 seconds, a set of 8, resting 120 seconds, and a set of 5, then resting 120 seconds. So all together I did 46 push-ups! 46! That's 4 times what I could do at one time when I started. I'm excited to see what week 2 does for me. Oh, and Randy is doing this with me and he maxed out with 25 (I think) after doing a set of 15, resting, a set of 13, resting, a set of 10, resting, and a set of 10, then resting. So he did 73! Wow!

And yes, to those who were wondering - I am sore today. I didn't have much soreness last week, but on Saturday night we played Wii Boxing with friends. Let's just say, I'm extra sore today! Here's to week 2!

Randy's Birthday

Just so you all don't think I forgot Randy's birthday, I didn't. I've actually just been too busy to stop and blog about it. For July 4th weekend, we went to OK to visit my parents. We had a 3 day weekend, so we headed up on Thursday night to take full advantage of being off. Friday, Randy & Daniel went mountain biking at Lake Murray. Mom and I cleaned the house and hung out. Friday evening, we all went to my aunt and uncle's for a July 4th BBQ. The whole family was there - which is hard to do now, since we are all so busy. We ate, played hillbilly golf (not sure if this is the right name for it), and got to see some great fireworks at Camp Sweeney (thanks Josh, Tiff, and Brent!).

Saturday, we went to Gawbaw's funeral. Randy lived with Gawbaw when he lived in Oklahoma and we both were close to her. She was 93 years old. Saturday afternoon, I had planned a surprise birthday party for Randy with our Oklahoma friends. We had cake, ice cream and a fun game of "Nertz." The newly-engaged couple won. Congrats Jereme & Kathleen! Sunday we went to church with my family and then just relaxed on Sunday afternoon. The long weekend was nice, I just didn't want to go back to work on Monday morning!

Randy's actual birthday was last Saturday and we got to spend the day as just the two of us. We slept in late (always nice), and I made blueberry pancakes for breakfast. We didn't really have anything planned so we decided to go see Journey to the Center of the Earth in 3D. It was definitely worth the drive. Yes, it is a kids movie, so some parts are cheesy, but overall it was a fun and entertaining movie. This was the 2nd movie I had seen in 3D and I still couldn't help but jump when it looked like water was falling on me!

Here are some pics from our July 4th weekend. The birthday boy wouldn't let me take any pics on his actual birthday. I guess I'll have to try to get some this weekend at his 3rd birthday celebration with our community group!

Dad and Charlie playing the golf game

Yes, folks, that is my husband. :)

Ah, that's better. Now why did I look away?

April & Daniel

Mom took this picture. I just love it! The power pole looks like a cross in the corner.

Randy with his cakes. How do I always get silly pictures?

The whole gang, minus Mom & Dad.

100 Pushups

So you might be wondering why I'm posting about 100 pushups. Well it is this cool workout program I found online, Hundred Pushup Challenge. I was reading a blog I just started following, Take Your Vitamin Z, and the author recently started the Hundred Pushup Challenge himself. I thought it looked interesting so I went to the website and started reading. Basically this is a 6 week work out plan that is designed so at the end you can do 100 pushups. Not bad, huh? Well, along the way you get the benefits of strength building, defining your core, and overall becoming more healthy. So I printed out the plan and decided I would try it.

Let me just pause right here and say, I'm not the type of person to work out regularly (bad, I know). I was in athletics in middle school (so glad that is in the past), then in high school I usually rode my bike or walked with my mom. In college I tried to get into working out consistently, but it wasn't until my senior year when I joined a Ball Class that I really stuck with it. For some reason the ball class was fun and I didn't dread it. Then I moved out on my own. I would walk on the treadmill or eliptical but I might go 2 weeks at a time doing nothing. So now I'm married. Randy rides his bike pretty often. By the time I get home from work, I just prefer to stay in and hang out with Randy. Randy wants to get me a bike, but we haven't found the right one yet, so currently I was doing nothing as regular exercise.

Enter the Hundred Pushup Challenge. I've always wanted to work out more often, to build up strength, and to be more healthy. This challenge, as strange as it may seem, is something I think I can do. It starts off where I am now and builds up to the 100 pushups at the end of 6 weeks. And the great thing is it requires no equipment, skill or huge chunks of my time! My perfect plan! I did the first day's workout last night, and it was tough (for my scrawny arms). I'm not too sore today, yet. I rest today and do the next workout tomorrow. Randy is doing this with me so I can't wait to see where we are in 6 weeks!

Oh, and some of our other friends have said they are going to join us in the challenge. I'm not going to post who they are, but I'd love to know how you are doing! Email me if you decide to take the challenge so we can encourage each other.

For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Anniversary Trip

So for all of you wondering how our anniversary trip went - here goes:

For our 1st anniversary, Randy & I decided to take a weekend trip to Fredericksburg, TX. I am so glad we did. It was a wonderful weekend away from work and responsibilties. We left Friday before our anniversary and drove down to Fredericksburg, TX. Who knew Texas had such fun little towns to visit? (I'm just kidding, everyone pokes fun at me being from Oklahoma...lol!) We checked in to our B&B and unloaded our stuff. Here are pics of the outside and inside of the cottage.

Buona Sera

Kitchenette

Bathroom with Jacuzzi tub

After getting settled in, we went into town to visit the shops we had heard so much about. Well, most of them close at 5 on Fridays! So we just stopped for dinner instead. The next morning we woke up early and headed to Enchanted Rock State Park. Our friends told us this was a neat place to go hiking and exploring. And since Randy can't turn down exploring - we went. :)

Enchanted Rock State Park - the rock from the bottom

We hiked all the way to the top! Whew! it didn't look that high, but the rock is bigger than you think. This was our attempt at a self-portrait.

This was after some nice gentleman offered to take our picture, much better.

A cool tree on top of the rock.

Randy looking for the cave - time to explore!

Grant & Sarah had mentioned there being a cave you could go in at the rock. So once on top of the rock, Randy began looking for the cave. We saw a group of 5th graders all heading to the cave so decided to follow them. We get the entrance and realize this isn't just a cave with a big opening at the front, it is more of a crevice in the rock that you crawl through. Great! And to top it off, we didn't bring flashlights. So Randy asked the sponsor of the 5th grade group if we could follow them through. They said yes and we were off, or in. The first of the cave wasn't too bad, pretty wide and you could still see light from the outside. Then it got really narrow and dark. If you want a funny story to tell, put 12 5th graders in a dark cave with about 4 flashlights among them, none of the dressed to go hiking, and then put 2 tag-along vacationers and you have a story. It was hilarious to listen to the 5th graders talk.

We got about halfway through and thought we were finished because the cave suddenly opened to the outside - we thought. The guys (Randy & the sponsor) went to look around to see how we would get down. Turns out, that wasn't the end of the cave. We had to keep going. Well 12 5th graders had had enough cave for one trip so they proceded to find another way down the rock. We, on the other hand, kept going. There happened to be 3 college students behind us so we followed them through the rest of the cave. This is when it got really interesting. When the sponsor of the 5th grade group was great about sharing his light, the college students weren't so much. So we walked through (climbed, scooted, and squeezed) through most of the last half in the dark. We had our cell phones, and used them when needed for light. It really wasn't that bad - I knew we had to be able to get out, there were arrows on the walls telling you to go that way. But when you hear the people in front of you say, watch out! There is hole here and we can't see the bottom - it kind of freaks you out. And I did slip one time and couldn't stop until Randy grabbed my arm. But then again, I couldn't see what I was slipping into so it wasn't that bad. :) We finally got out and then climbed down the other side of the rock. It was fun, but I am not going back without a flashlight! Randy told me he was so proud of me for doing so great in the cave and not complaining until I hit my knee on the rock. I felt proud of myself - never did I imagine going into a cave with no light - but I did it!

My mountain man

Another self portrait, not too bad.

This is for Rhett - I thought it looked like a train.

After hiking up, through, and around Enchanted Rock, we headed back to our B&B to relax and take a nice hot bath. Ahhh! We did stop at the Wildseed Farm and got some seeds to plant once we have a house of our own. That night we ate at Mamacita's - a mexican restaurant in Fredericksburg. It was so good! We ordered fajitas for two and it would have fed four people! Yum!

Sunday we headed back into town to visit more shops and walk around the town. Its funny, but I didn't take a single picture of the town, just ones outside of it! Oh well. We'll do that next time we visit. We headed home Sunday afternoon.

These were some cows we saw outside of Fredericksburg.

We don't know what kind they are, but thought they looked like "Oreo" cows. :)

Monday - we visited the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. This is a picture of the Japense Garden.

A cute little squirrel

Cool picture of some Japanese statue

Randy took this one.

And finally a funny little turtle - this guy had his back leg up in the air like that for 5 minutes!

Our first year

Preface - I know this blog is about 2 weeks late, but with the craziness and busyness of our life, I'm ok with being 2 weeks late. You'll still enjoy it all the same! :)

I can't believe we already have been married one year. It has gone by so fast and I have enjoyed every minute of it. On April 28, 2007, I became Mrs. Randy Harrelson. Wow! All my life I've only been known as Rachel Marie Dugger, now I was Rachel Marie Harrelson. Much more changed than just my name.

This past year I have learned so much about myself and about life as a whole. Living with another human who you committed your life to forever is different than just living with a roommate. I can't just not see him when I am frustrated with him - he lives here too! He has to adjust to living with a girl who forgets to put up the curling iron and hair dryer in the mornings, and who sheds - alot. We have had to learn how to do life together on a whole new level. Arguments have to be talked out (not always right away) and frustrations have to be voiced. We can't keep stuff bottled up inside us because it always eventually comes out - and sometimes that isn't pretty.

Joys and victories are shared and something about sharing them makes them that much more special. He is my encourager and I get to be his cheerleader. I've had to learn to let go of the little stuff and look beyond the annoyances, to the man I get to be married to. The man who loves to be silly and knows how to have fun. The man who can't seem to remember to put his dishes in the dishwasher, but always greets me with a hug and a kiss when I get home from work. The man who will go get milk for us at 11 o'clock at night even though he has to get up at 5:30 the next morning for work.

It's funny how much things have changed in just a year. When we first were married, I could hardly sleep for his snoring/breathing, but now when he is gone overnight for clinicals - I just don't sleep as well. We still have our moments of frustration, but I think we are learning how to communicate better and to think about the other person first. We're not perfect, believe me. And we have a long way to go, but God is good. He promised that he would carry this good work on to completion and that is exactly what he is doing.

So as we start our second year as husband and wife, I love you Randy! I can't wait to see what this year holds for us. It has been and is such an honor to be your wife and best friend. I love you (more than you know).

1 year and counting.....

So here is a slide show to celebrate our 1 year anniversary. I am going to write a post about our first year of marriage, but first wanted to let you have a flashback of our wedding day. Enjoy!

Summer Update

Here's some pics from our summer so far. Oh, and someone has a birthday on Thursday! We started celebrating early!

Rain, rain, rain, rain, and more rain!

It seems like it has been raining here all summer. I know we desperately need it, after the drought last summer and a dry winter. Still, it hasn't felt like summer here yet. We did have a cookout with our small group from church this past Sunday. That helped. We were able to eat outside on the patio and swim. Randy, Chandler, and Kayleigh even entertained us with a diving show. Quite comical!

For those who were wondering, Randy made a 97 on his test last Thursday! Yay for Randy! He is doing such a good job with EMT school. His classmates have even started calling him Valedictorian, because he has had the top grade on almost everything. My smart husband!!!!

Tomorrow is July 4th. We both have off from work and are excited about getting to relax. It is supposed to rain here most of the day (80% chance) so we may be stuck inside. Oh well! We are free, and so blessed. I asked the kids at church last week what July 4th meant. One little girl very clearly and articulately said that it was a day to remember all the people who had died to give us freedom and to celebrate the freedoms we have. Out of the mouths of babes! She also mentioned our flag and what it stood for. She is only 4!!! Makes you stop and think about what July 4th really means. Is it just another day off work? For a lot of us, that is what it has become. A day to relax, get together with friends and family, shoot fireworks, and cook out. None of these things are bad, I will be the first to say I enjoy them all. I just think that a lot of the time, we forget what the day really stands for. Freedom. Such a small word, such a large meaning. Wikipedia dictionary defines freedom as "the state of being free, of not being imprisoned or enslaved." This applies to us both in our freedom as citizens of the USA and as Christians. Just as the Revolutionary war was fought to bring freedom to the colonists, Jesus fought sin, death, and Satan to bring us freedom. Freedom to have a relationship with Him, freedom to live abundant lives, freedom to not live in guilt because of sin. We are very blessed with freedom.

So I'm in a contemplative mood today. As you can tell. :) I just challenge you to stop for a few minutes tomorrow and thank God for all our freedoms - as citizens of the USA and as a child of the King. We are very blessed!!!

He did it again! 106!

Randy did it again! He made a 106 on his second EMT test! Yay! For those who were wondering, there was a curve, but over all he only missed 3 questions on the whole test! He was pretty proud. Thank you to all who have been praying for and encouraging him.

So in honor of this second test score, I thought I would give you a glimpse of who Randy was before now. I know I will probably pay for this, but it is so much fun! And I am so proud of my smart, handsome, persistent husband. Love you, Randy!

Dog Sitting

Randy & I are keeping Paul & Shannon's dog this week for them while they are away at camp. This has definately been an experience for us and for Bailey (the dog). We picked him up Sunday evening and took him back to our apartment. I think he was excited at first - lots of new things to smell and lick. Then came bedtime. He normally sleeps in his kennel, so we put him in and went to bed. Then the wimpering started. I think he wasn't sure what was going on. :) Bailey finally calmed down and went to sleep.

Monday morning Randy & I got up and got ready for work. Randy walked Bailey and then got a call from his boss that they weren't working Monday. With all the rain, it was just too wet! So Randy & Bailey got to spend all day Monday together. What fun! Monday night our friends Jacob & Laura came over so Bailey had even more attention. Randy stayed up late that night studying. He said Bailey was already in his kennel asleep when he came to bed. I think he was beginning to get used to us.

Tuesday, Randy had class and I had work, so Bailey stayed in his kennel until we got home. We cooked dinner and then went to the park for a walk. With Bailey on his leash we were on our way. At first he was so excited and had to explore everything. But after about 15-20 mins., we could tell he was getting tired. I don't think he had walked that much in a while! We gave him a break and then started back. Bailey started off much faster this time. I think he knew we were heading home! We did carry him for a few minutes at a time to give him a rest on the way back (for those of you who were concerned about Bailey's welfare). When we got home, he drank lots of water and ate a treat. Randy had some school work to do, so I got on the computer. Next thing we know, Bailey was asleep on the couch! We had worn him out! I think he slept there until we went to bed. Lol! He was such a good sport.

Well, that's all for now. I'll hopefully get a picture of Bailey on here before the week is up. Just to prove we did take care of him and he wasn't mistreated. :) Oh, and our walk convinced Randy that he might be able to live with a smaller dog. Yay! I really like cocker spaniels, but he has always wanted a german shepherd - some BIG dog. So maybe someday.......