erinfenelon's Xanga

Monday, June 22, 2009

Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:44:41 GMT

I stole this from one of my friends blogs today. It hit home with me - what am I doing?

If I were an orphan I would want someone to adopt me.

I were ill I would want someone to care for me.

If I were elderly and alone I would want someone to visit me.

If I were oppressed I would want someone to fight for me.

If I were wealthy I would want someone to teach me how to invest for eternity.

If I were addicted I would want someone to love me unconditionally.

If I were to win I would want someone to celebrate with me.

If I were on a journey I would want someone to walk beside me.

If I were weeping I would want someone to hold me.

This is the essence . . .

Sunday, April 19, 2009

Sun, 19 Apr 2009 01:19:37 GMT

Well, We bought a new car today! It will be for Jeremy to drive. He is so excited. He has not had a new car like this ever. He said I think I have always drove cars with over 90,000 miles on them. So, with this only have 29,000 he is thrilled. It is a very smooth ride and we both enjoy it! If you see us in Champaign or Spfld - make sure you give us a wave.

I think Dave Ramsey would be proud but disappointed! We brought in almost all cash to pay for this car thinking we could get a better deal - but they said it actually worked against us - getting a loan these days gives them more money then giving them cash. We went ahead and paid our cash though - it felt good to us even if it isn't the norm! I will follow Dave over car salesman any day!

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 02:47:25 GMT

Jeremy and I decided to sell our honda and buy a newer car. We were just going to trade it and Jeremy said - let's put it on facebook for 1 day and see if we can sell it - so we did and in 13 minutes after the status update we had 3 people who wanted to look at it. AMAZING!

So, we go tomorrow to Springfield to look at this Mercury Mariner again. We really like it and the price is right! We didn't have to pay in a lot for our taxes this year so Jeremy and I talked about what we wanted to do with the business money. We found a really great deal and can pay cash for almost all of it - so we are going to do it. If they don't give us the price we want, we are okay with walking away - we have my car, a scooter, and JF's truck (that is on it's last leg) - so we would be fine. When Jeremy goes to shoot a wedding he needs a vehicle with extra room for all his cameras and lights and all that fun stuff. And when we travel - we are excited to have a little extra room.

So - the next time you see us - we may be in a new ride (well, new to us)!

Thursday, January 08, 2009

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 15:36:32 GMT

Is it really 2009?

I think 2008 really flew by. It was our first full year in Champaign and we have grown to love this town so much. At first I thought I may have made a really BIG mistake and maybe we really didn't hear God calling us but as we have settled in and we are no longer the "new" people we really love it. I am praying that we make the "new" people feel like they really fit in here!

Here are a few pictures that show our Thanksgiving and Christmas and the first week of 2009. I don't know that I have ever really made goals for the new year but I did this year. I made 11 I think. Some are personal and some professional, spiritual and mental. I tried to be realistic yet push myself out of my comfort zone. So far I think I am on track. I will keep you posted as the year goes on.

Jeremy took a trip to see his great friend Matt in South Carolina

We had a great Thanksgiving with family!

Went to and hosted some fun Christmas parties!

Had a great time with friends that came to visit us from Springfield.

Watched my little Nephew dance around after getting his train set.

Celebrated our anniversary and had a couple of friends over to help.

Celebrated Priscilla's Birthday at our house. This is JF's momma!

Tuesday, September 02, 2008

Tue, 02 Sep 2008 02:02:45 GMT

Wow how time flies...
It has been a couple of months since I have last blogged on this site so I thought I would just stop in to say hello and tell you all to get a facebook account to keep up with my life. I really am on there every day and love to read what you are doing too!
Life has been moving here. Busy. Not exactly sure where all my time goes but I do know I am forever busy with project, people, problems, you name it I probably busy with it! This is not a good thing. I am aware of my business and know that I need to figure out how to manage my time better. I should probably work off lists and cross things off and work until I am done with one project before I move onto the next one but I usually have about 6 projects going on at one time. Not sure why but in the chaos of it all I do good! It gives variety to my work, I have options.
Champaign is still great. We still love our house and our jobs are rewarding. JF Image design is great and has been a fun year - with some of our friends getting married it is great to see old friends. I think Jeremy had 14 weddings this year and that is about our limit - partly because this is J's second job and we really do enjoy spending some Saturday's alone!
We had a great VBS at First Christian! We had about 380 kids and over 200 volunteers. It was a load of fun and can you believe we are already planning next year?
We are writing our own curriculum this year. I really want my kids to know the Bible. I want them to know the Bible stories and know how to apply the lessons to their life today. So this year we are focusing on the major stories of the Old Testament and next year we will focus on the New- then back and forth hitting different stories and digging deeper into God's word. I want my kids to live their life with purpose and for them to be true Christ followers - living by grace!
Family is doing great. Grandparents are still healthy. Parents are still living the dream. Brian and Sara are doing great, loving church and taking care of the best kid in town. Ben is still growing and talking a mile a minute. He now talks on the phone to me we still enjoy each other like no other! We are best friends and when we are together no one else matters. I love it.
Well, Happy Labor Day! It was a great day today. J and I were able to catch up on house stuff and just enjoy each other. I didn't do any church work and he kept his computer use to a minimum. We just enjoyed each other today and tried to laugh a lot and hug often! I do enjoy my time with Jeremy. I enjoy just sitting next to him and just holding his hand. It's funny some of the silly things we do. Right after we got married we were talking about how we always wanted to go to bed happy with each other. Never angry or bitter about something. So as we were laying there Jeremy put his leg over on my side of the bed and touched his toes to mine and said whenever we touch feet - let's make that our sign that everything will always be okay! I love to feel his feet night after night - he truly is my answer to prayer.

Continue to check back - I will try to be more consistent!

Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 23:56:37 GMT

It's funny that now that I am on facebook, I barely check my blog anymore and I don't write on it that often! It is a different night tonight, Amber moved into her house today so all of her furniture is gone and our garage is bare and it just feels different. There is something so comforting about having one of your best friends living with you and just living everyday together. Her house is great and slowly but surely she is getting all the boxes unpacked and organized but I miss her here. I miss hearing her in the mornings or the hug before bed. It's funny because she is literally in the next neighborhood and I could be there in 15 minutes if I walk, 4 minutes on my scooter or 2 minutes by car. But it is still different. I love having such great friends that you just want to be with them all the time.

I took a week vacation this week. It has been nice to just do nothing. Monday I caught up on a bunch of shopping I needed to get done and ran errands and cooked a casserole for dinner. It was really great. Today I helped Amber move all day and tomorrow 2 of my good friends are coming to have lunch with me. Jessica, my old coworker from West Side and Stephanie, the Children's minister at East View in Bloomington/Normal. We are having a girls lunch and a much needed bonding time. I love getting together with other children's ministers just knowing we do the same thing and we all know how each one feels at times. It is good to vent and encourage them and just love them where they are. I am really looking forward to tomorrow. On Thursday and Friday I am going to see my best friend Julia in Indiana. Her and her husband are working in the campus ministry at Purdue University. Julia and I have been friends for over 20 years. She knows me inside and out and speaks truth into my life all the time, and I love it. I also get to spend some great time with her kids, Mckenna and Brennan - they are so cute and amazing!

Everything is going well - I am gearing up for a busy summer so this little week break is terrific. Jeremy starts wedding season this Friday so he will be crazy busy for 2 months and then I will have my husband back.

I hope you are all doing well and staying healthy! We miss you guys back home.

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Wed, 21 May 2008 15:07:57 GMT

Spring...

Spring has arrived and brought with it lots of rain. Today is beautiful though! I am in my office and looking out my big window and it looks amazing out! It looks like a picnic day or a lazy walk in the garden day. I planted some flowers in these cute little window boxes Jeremy got me. I am hoping as they grow they look great up by my front door. I want my house to be inviting and friendly. I love to have our house filled with friends and family. I want my house to be warm and place where true friendship takes place. Where people come to laugh and cry and just share life with one another. I think as I get older I realize that life is so much more about other people and loving them right where they are and SO much less about me and what I might ~~need~~ want!

I am reading the book In His Steps by Charles Sheldon right now and it is really great. It is about a church that really tried to live the question what would Jesus do before they made any decisions. It really makes you think about some of the choices I make in life and should I REALLY be doing some of the things I am doing? Ugg. It is good to grow but not always so fun.

Hope your start of Spring is with a fresh attitude and renewed spirit.

I got to spend some time with Ben a week or so ago and took some pics.. enjoy!

Tuesday, May 06, 2008

Tue, 06 May 2008 13:47:23 GMT

I think there are times in my life that I get so confused and lose focus and that has been happening lately. I have felt God pulling me back to him but for some reason I have been resistant to his pull. Maybe it is easier to try and do things on my own then listen to Him. I really don't know. I left church on Sunday wondering what I was doing in Champaign. Did I make the wrong decision? I know this is how satan works in me - with doubt! I know with out a shadow of a doubt that I am supposed to be here, I know that He directed my EVERY MOVE in this whole process. I can go back to my journals and see Him answer prayer after prayer and cling to the truth that this is my "home" for right now. I know I am here for a reason it is just figuring out that reason that is hard at times. Amber has moved here which makes things a lot better and I was able to see Julia a couple of weeks ago which helps me put things into prospective. I am coming to realize that I have to find my niche with God. I need to find that sacred time and place where I meet him and seek him and hold tight to his truths. I do love our Lord and desire to be more like him, sometimes it is just so hard to keep my focus and allow him to break me and remold me into what he wants - not what I want!

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 23:54:57 GMT

Good News!
My grandpa's bone scan came back clear! Praise God!

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 16:05:18 GMT

Update...

My grandpa went to the oncologist and they said he has an 8mm tumor on his frontal left lobe. They are pretty sure it is benign due to the location so they are just going to do a CAT scan every 8 weeks to check for growth. They are doing a bone scan today to check for any other form of cancer in that area. We are praying there is nothing and that this one does not grow. He goes to the Alzheimer's doctor on May 2nd, so we are excited to hear what they have to say too. I bought my grandparents an alarm system that will be installed on Friday morning. It is really easy to use and it's just for them. The police will not be called it is just to alert my grandma that my grandpa has opened a door in the middle of the night. I am excited about this but my grandma is not, I am hoping she gets over it!

All is well in Champaign - we love our canoe and go out quite often!