Anniversary :)

We celebrated our 2 year anniversary on June 28th :) We celebrated our honeymoon by going up to Amish country!! That's right. Ain't no party like an Amish party 'cus an Amish party has wonderfully baked pretzels and home made root beer. We stayed in the Ellemaker house, seen above, which is owned by Auntie Anne of pretzel fame. How amazing. If you know me, you know I love pretzels. If you really know me, you know I have German heritage which requires I love pretzels. Soo good!

Disneeeeey

My husband and I had the distinct pleasure of celebrating with David and Dawn Mills on their 30th wedding anniversary. They have been a huge blessing in our lives and a wonderful model of a loving Christian marriage.

To celebrate, they invited 11 of their family members to a weekend celebration in Disneyworld! Their generousity was more brilliant than the sunny dispositions of the Disneyworld "cast members" (staff). Our group of 13 ranged from age 7 to 75. Magic Kingdom was the perfect destination for our gaggle of celebrators. There are rides that can accomodate many passengers of varied abilities, mostly boat rides. (Many choruses of "I'M ON A BOAT!" were sung throughout the day..)

What was my favorite part you ask? Dinner. We celebrated the Mills' with an anniversary dinner at the Floridian (that looks a lot like the Hotel Del Cornado in San Diego..). We surprised them with a cake and picked up their tab - it was the least we could do to show our love and respect. Jonathan and I sat across from David Sr. and Phil, Jon's grandparents. It was wonderful to chat with them. This was only the third time we've met them, the first being at our wedding and the second being at Jennifer and David B.'s wedding the year prior (Jon's older sister and her new husband). They now live in FL and are very active in serving through their church. It was really fun to chat, joke, and learn.

A highlight for me was the book I was reading : The Shack. I HIGHLY recommend this book to anyone who can read. Seriously, it's that good! While on the plane to Orlando, the wonderfully bubbly and welcoming flight attendant commented on the book. I could immediately tell from the aura and love emminating from her that she was a believer. I wrote her a note describing what an encouragement she was to me and how beautifully she allowed God to shine through her. I gave the note to another flight attendant to deliver. Later, I saw her walk off of the plane later with tears in her eyes - she was so touched. I approached her, we hugged, giggled, and exhanged "God bless you"'s. This book has changed my view of God for the better - it's a relationship, not rule keeping. God has used the book to give me the encouragement to encourage others.

Disney may be the happiest place on Earth, but my joy is heaven sent and heaven bound :)

From a 6 to a 10!

"I'm not fat.. I'm festively plump"

I come from a "thicker" family. My family members of German Norweigen descent are either over 6' or under 5'. Our hearty European ancestors really knew how to eat and drink and be merry. Myself on the other hand, I've always been the odd one out; I'm 5'4" and usually average size by European American standards. I've still battled with weight, but it was due to my self image issues rather than genetic makeup. 2 years ago for my wedding, my mother and I both got into the best shape of our lives. After the vows, we scurried off to our Honeymoon to eat the food I swore off for 6 months. But alas, marriage is infamous for bringing on the pounds and I don't like to disapoint the status quo in such matters.

So, 2 years later, my mom is still in excellent shape and I have gone from a size 6 to a 10. At first I was really upset about my weight gain, but after a few revelations, I've come to terms that it's not my body I'm upset with, it's my clothes. I love shopping and hate throwing things away. I adore dresses and dressing nicely. All of my favorite outfits no longer fit me due to my increased girth. As soon as I put on clothes that fit my curves, I love my shape. After a few yard sales and proper under garnments, I am more comfortable with my body than I was before my wedding day.

So now, here I sit on my couch watching Dancing with the Stars (Go Neicy Nash!) and eating popcorn, remembering that it's not the number on the scale or even the number on the dress; it's the way it makes you feel. I smile to remember that Marilyn Monroe was a size 14/16 by today's standards (look at Some Like It Hot; baby's got some major back). Most of Hollywood is under a size 6, eating their egg white omlettes and splurging on Diet Cokes. I'll take my medium rare steak with garlic mash potatoes for the win :)

Discover Downtown Lynchburg - it's not that far away

Hello. My name is Laura and I am from Virginia.

Let me re-phrase that: My name is Laura and I am from Northern Virginia. I know that those of you also from Northern Virginia intentionally make that distinction. However, after living in Lynchburg, aka "real Virginia", I prefer to call myself a Virginian without the geographical pre-fix.

Now, when it comes to Lynchburg, there is also a geographical distinction between "Liberty Lynchburg" and "downtown Lynchburg". I work at Liberty University which is a very new landmark for this 300+ year old town. Liberty has only been here for about 10% of the town's existence. My husband and I lived on the Liberty side of Lynchburg for the first two years of our marriage; close to Target, Walmart, Panera, and every other commercial necessity for a Northern Virginianer.

One day while parusing Craigslist, I stumbled up on a beautiful ranch style home that was built in the 1920s. Being obsessed with anything vintage and historical, I jumped on the chance and we moved in a week later. This house is only 4 miles away from our prevoius abode, yet it seemed to be a world away. We now sit about one mile from downtown Lynchburg and close to small businesses on nearly every corner. We still have the "necessities" of commercial fast food, but what a difference 4 miles can make!

Here is a snapshot of the fun one can have in downtown Lynchburg:

Saturday morning begins with the sound of windchimes and birds chirping. I wake up to see the church steeple of the West Baptist Church as it pokes through the hilly residential neighborhoods of Lynchburg. I kiss my husband goodbye as he heads off to work, then I start my own adventure of estate and antique shopping. A quick car ride to downtown Lynchburg later, I find myself in my normal parking lot that is jam packed with no vacancies. I drive one more block and use my mad parallel parking skills that were perfected on the streets of Washington DC.

I venture to my first antique store, Estate Specialists, where I snag some killer deals. I found the perfect $5 Mary Poppins hat that I plan to use for my newest Halloween costume, a $6 hand painted enamel ring, and a $3 "miscellaneous" bag with two brooches, huge earrings that I plan to use as tiebacks to my new curtains, and an old toy car for my husband. (total of $14)

My next stop was Hardwick's where I headed straight to the clearance section, one of my favorite destinations in any store. I find an adorable and very Southern pineapple candle. (The pineapple is the Southern symbol for hospitality). The woman was incrdibly helpful and brainstormed with me on what I can do for my new blue front porch and how to make it welcoming. She recommended a small table with stained glass or a large vase of flowers that can be brought inside if the wind picks up during one of Virginia's infamous summer storms. (total of $6)

I continued on my way to Scarlett's Main Street, one of my favorite antique and estate stores. The people who helped me were so excited to have a conversation about antiques, old coins, and old books. I found many great deals, including two beautiful $3 scarves (one for my mother and one for myself), a $10 stained glass scene that proclaims "California Perfume" that is reminiscent of my favorite artist Alfons Mucha, and I also bought two amazing $8 necklaces that can pass for modern and vintage in the same breath. (total of $33).

Any trip downtown must include a stop at the White Hart where I bought a delicious cup of organic coffee for $1.60.

All in all, my downtown soiree was a breath of fresh air from the commercial side of "Liberty Lynchburg". Small businesses rock.

is it me or..

..does there seem to be no shortage of multiple babies and little people on television?

..does it seem like makeover shows have been outrun by "real" housewives?

.. does the media's love affair with Obama seem to be going sour?

just a few things I've noticed.

Snow

I love snow when we are prepared with groceries :)

The last time it snowed almost two feet, we were planning to leave right after my shift at work to drive 3 hours north to our parents' houses. The road we take is full of hills and heavily wooded. 5 hours later, we were 10 minutes away from our halfway point and we were stopped by three jackknifed tractor trailers. We had to turn around and go back home, with cars in ditches and "manly" men showing off how cool their trucks are as they skid across the highway.

We arrived back home with an empty fridge and barren cupboards. Our plan was to be away for 10 days so we intentionally ate through everything we could prior to that. We survived on water, popcorn, and lots of canned food we forgot we had in the back of our cupboard. We made due and it turned out to be one of the greatest times I've ever had with my husband. :)

'tis the season I suppose.

New Opportunties!!

Hello Blog world! I come to you a new woman. Well, sort of :)

I have been experiencing a "holy discontent" in my job with LUO for quite some time. I loved my Director, loved my co-workers, but I knew I was being under utilized in my abilities.

Well, one October day when shopping at Target, I saw desk calendars in the $1 spot. I picked one up and said/thought to myself, "I'm going to use this calendar in my new job." I didn't know where or how soon or even how it would happen, but I had a peace that God would have be in a new place at the beginning of 2010. The next few days pass and our office admin assistant Emails everyone asking what kind of desk calendar they wanted. I did not reply because I knew I would not be needing one from that department.

A full month passes with nothing. I am feeling incredibly discouraged, but still walking in faith that I would not be in this position in 2010. Thanksgiving was a dark holiday because I knew I would have to go back to work again. (It was also a big ol' mess because I was gone on a recruiting trip on Saturday through Tuesday, had to drive back to work Wednesday, then had Thursday through Sunday off for the holiday. I drove 6 hours for a 6 hour work day. Needless to say, this did not contribute to my joy for the job.)

I applied for job after job with no responses that HR would allow me to pursue. (I did hear back from several positions but HR denied sending my application through to them because of various policies). 12 applications go by. In early December, I hear back about 3 opportunities in the same week. I interview for all three in the same week and I am called for a second round interview for 2 of them. God's hand moved and I got a job in a new department with better pay, better hours, and my own office. The Lord provided far beyond what I had been praying for initially. As soon as I started praying for God's will, He showed me what He was preparing.

So here I am today on January 28th in the 4th week of my new job in the Registrar's Office. I LOVE my new job! I wake up every morning refreshed and ready to tackle another day. I am constantly busy with something and I am a manager to 20 individuals who do a fantastic job at what they do.


If you look at my tweets and facebook statuses in the past year, you can see the progression from "okay God.. what are you doing?" to "when does this desert end!" then to "God is so good!!".

One underlying theme to all of this: "God knows what He is doing."

Drive Through Zoo

There is a fantastic drive through zoo here in Central Virginia. It is called Virginia Safari.

Check out my photos:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lomasos/

The Green Workplace

I adore this blog. This article is great in particular.

The Green Workplace

Shared via AddThis

Are you Linked?

So, I need to confess something. I'm addicted to Facebook. It's such a brilliant invention for socially driven people like me who don't like talking on the phone! I have the chance to upload photos, share great websites, and have a running blog all at the same time. Although lately, it's turned into a breeding ground of false intimacy. People I am "Facebook friends" with aren't necessarily my best buds in real life, yet they may know some details about me that my parents don't even know.

Another almost funny part about Facebook is that employers have started to look at interviewees' profiles while they are answering questions like "Where do you see yourself in 5 years?". My boss is a perfect example of this. He will interview people, find a questionable photo, flip the computer around and say "well, this doesn't look like the same person."

Don't get me wrong, I am very protective of what I put on my profile. I don't have incriminating photos that would make my mother cry. I do however tend to use this platform as a stage to show high school classmates that I'm not the same person I was. But really, who doesn't do that?

Now that I'm all grown up and have my first cubicle (look how far I've come, baby!), I have moved into another rhelm of social networking: LinkedIn. I LOVE this website. I spent hours perfecting my profile with my resume, linking to former professors, current co-workers, and future employers.

If you're looking for that extra umph to your resume, create a profile on this website. It is a brilliant way to not only connect with people you already associate with, but to get their contacts and to further get your name and your skills to hundreds of new people every day.

Here is my page: http://www.linkedin.com/in/lrmills

Check it out! Connect with me. We'll have a grand ol' time.