Assurances

I have started to write this post several different times. I'm trying to streamline my thoughts but they seem to be all over the place so I'm just going to go with it! Continuing along the lines of my last post...

When things happen and we don't understand, often the response of others is "It must not have been God's will."  In my head, you know what I hear, "blah,blah,blah". Even though I truly believe this and that His will is "good, pleasing, and perfect" (Rom 12:2), it is difficult for me to hear these words, if only because so often His will isn't what my plans were.  But the truth is: God knows what He's doing.

One of my most favorite verses of recent is Ephesians 3:20 that says "...to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine."  I love those words: Immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine. This reminds me of how marvelous God is.  He knows my hearts desires, He knows what's best for me.  He knows what's going to happen next, even though I have absolutely no idea.  I have had this plan for my life in my head for most of my life and nothing, literally nothing, that I thought was going to be happening to me at 25 is happening.  Not that that's a bad thing.  I mean, I have a great life, one that is hard to complain about when considering the other things that are going on in this world: a friend who lost a job, an uncle with a neurological disease, a friend with a brain tumor, friends with a sick baby, Haiti...but it's still hard for me to realize that things didn't go according to MY plan! He has a much better plan, a fabulous plan, for me!!  I am truly excited about what Christ is doing in my life and how He is preparing me for the next step in my life, whatever and wherever that may be.

My how things can change in such a short period of time.  A year ago today, I thought that my life was over.  I had been out of work for 3 months and had zero prospects for anything new.  I had no idea that 3 months would turn into 8. I had no clue that I would witness the wonderful support, love and encouragement of so many wonderful people over the next few months. I never would have seen myself living in Knoxville, surrounded by life long friends and actually enjoying my job. He has a plan and a time table that is perfect for my life.  He knows.  He knows what He's doing.

There's a new song I've been enjoying lately, I heard at church a few weeks ago called All I have is Christ: The chorus says: Hallelujah! All I have is Christ. Never have these words been more real to me. I also have another quote that is one of my favorites.  I actually have it up on my desk at work and read it often, as a reminder.  I had it on my blog title when I first started: God is God.  Because he is God, He is worthy of my trust and obedience.  I will find rest nowhere but in His holy will, a will that is unspeakably beyond my largest notions of what he is up to. - Elizabeth Elliott.  This is similar to the verse in Ephesians for me.  Unspeakably beyond my largest notions...I love that.

Realization

This isn't exactly something that I'm thankful for but it's definitely something that I've come to the realization of, espeically in the past year or so.  And I've been reminded of it again in the past week.  It's also something that I'm working on coming to terms with.  But, I think it will always be a struggle for me.  Maybe it's a struggle for everyone.  If it is, feel free to share your thoughts and maybe I won't feel alone! Ok, are you ready for this?

Life is hard.

This may seem so simple, but yet it is one of those things that no one tells you about.  You have to learn this one on your own.  I think our parents try to protect us from this realization when we are young - by encouraging us to dream, to be successful, to pursue what we want.  Which I am very grateful for.  I wouldn't have wanted to spend my growing up years not wanting to grow up.  Why is it that we spend our whole lives wanting to be a different age?  When we're younger, we want to be adults - to drive, to do whatever we want, to not have to go to school.  When we're adults, we wish we didn't have the responsibilities of adulthood.

Things never go as you planned.  And plans continually change.  I've heard a quote - not sure of who said it: "The only constant in life is change".  Might as well get used to that one.  Things change, plans change, friends move, jobs move, jobs end, relationships change.  I'm slowly learning to be OK with this. Sometimes. Things happen all the time that we don't understand.  And to be honest, it's a good thing that we're not in control.

When I hear of friends losing their jobs (as I did this week), I return directly to how I felt the day I lost my job.  Whether it's for just a moment or for an entire weekend.  I can't help it, my heart hurts.  It's not often that I think about that day or the time afterwards but when I am reminded of it, I have a hard time getting it off my mind. I have learned (am still learning) to change my thought process.  To have optimistic thoughts, rather than immediately go to the doom and gloom of thoughts like "I'm not going to survive this!" I saw this earlier this week: "No, I'm not a pessimist. At some point the world craps on everybody.  Pretending it ain't crap makes you an idiot, not an optimist."

Haha! But in all seriousness - optimism is one of those things that the Waters family is not blessed with so it's something that I'm learning.  However slowly.

Marie

The Gym

MAN! I am beat!  Today, I am thankful for the gym.  It's really my favorite part of the typical day.  I started back on January 9, after a two week break and feeding frenzy over Christmas and New Year's.  I actually did pretty good over the holidays with my eating and not over doing it.

I started going back to the gym last year in April.  When I lived in Greenville, I went to the Y there until I lost my job.  Then when I moved to Greer I joined the gym in town and now I've joined a gym here in Knoxville.  It was one of the first things that I did when I moved to Knoxville.

I'm not going to be as honest as one of my friends on her blog and tell you how much I weigh or weighed, but since last April I've lost almost 20 pounds!  I was pretty excited to realize this on the scale the other day.  I've only lost about 10 since I moved to Knoxville - which doesn't sound like much since it's been 6 months but I've lost several inches in addition to the pounds.  I am wearing clothes that I wasn't able to wear this time last year and feel a whole lot better about myself.  I usually go for about an hour every day.  I try to go every day, even on the weekends and yesterday was the first day that I've missed in almost 2 weeks.  I also have a friend or two who go to the same gym and encourage me to run faster and longer and take some classes.  It really makes a difference knowing that someone is going to say "where were you at the gym today" or even something as simple as "you missed a good work out at the gym today".

Anyway - I'm just really enjoying the gym and I would encourage you to do the same.  My trainer from home would say that you don't need an actual gym to go to and she's right - but it makes excuses non existent when it's freezing or raining or ridiculously hot!

Prayer Request

Friends,

Maybe I should have asked for this about 4 months ago, but please pray steadfastly that I would find a renter for my condo in Greenville.

Not-So-Thankful

I've been a little less than thankful lately.

So, I'm going to make a list of things that I have to be Thankful for...

1)   Friends - College friends, Greenville friends, Lifelong friends...
2)   Job
3)   Knoxville - even though Vol fans are crazy
4)   Parents who have been married 37 years today!
5)   Brothers and their wives and children and expected children
6)   The Internet
7)   Text messages
8)   The gym
9)   Workouts with friends
10) Sore abs
11) Beer Bread
12) Being apart of a prank played on people that I do not know
13) Hearing about someone saying "Are you the REAL Marie Waters?!"
14) Reading the Facebook posts of native Knoxvillians after the new UT football coach quits, unexpectedly!
15) A warm home
16) The fact that this list could go on and on and on....

White Turkey Chili

• This is so good :)
• 
  
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 (4 ounce) can diced jalapeno peppers
• 1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
• 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast (I substituted with ground turkey)
• 3 (15 ounce) cans white beans
• 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Slowly cook and stir the onion until tender. Mix in the garlic, jalapeno, green chile peppers, cumin, oregano and cayenne. Continue to cook and stir the mixture until tender, about 3 minutes. Mix in the chicken broth, chicken and white beans. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Remove the mixture from heat. Slowly stir in the cheese until melted. Serve warm.

Nutritional Information 

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 706 | Total Fat: 18.2g | Cholesterol: 97m

Home

Today, I am so THANKFUL to be home!

I spent the past week in Middlesboro, Kentucky.  It's a town just on the other side of the Tennessee line in Kentucky.  There's is not anything to do there and there is a pretty poor selection of restaurants - fast food, mexican, a bad Chinese buffet...

I'm just so spoiled by where I've lived.  Greer is a small town but it at least has some restaurants and is only about 15 or 20 minutes from Greenville. Middlesboro is an hour and a half from Knoxville and that's the closest places to go! And now, in Knoxville, I can be anywhere I'd ever want to eat or go within about 15 minutes.

It was so just nice to come home last night and sleep in my own bed!

New Years 2010

Katie and Phill, Joe and Rhiannon, Wes and Gillian, Brad and Anna, Nellie, me, Michael, Chris and Jason!

So, so, so much fun!

New Year's Eve

I just had the best weekend of the year!!

It was fantastic, refreshing, encouraging and FUN FUN FUN!!!

Huge props to my friends Anna and Brad (above) for planning, organizing and cooking everything!

These are all the girls

It was so much fun.  We all got in at some point Thursday night.  There were 14 for Thursday night and 13 for the rest of the weekend.  There were 12 from Greenville, 2 from Knoxville.  My friend Kellye decided to join us for New Year's Eve. Anna had precooked dinner and it was great to just hang out.  We watched UT football, we hung out, we played Apples to Apples, we ate and we toasted to a New Year.  I had SUCH a great time!  We didn't do much the rest of the weekend. We watched football all day Friday and we had bbq pork, black eyed peas, and collard greens for dinner Friday night.  Saturday we went up to Gatlinburg, messed around for a bit, until we were frozen solid and then just hung out.  We played lots of games: Pop 5 (a Cranium game of sorts), Go Mental (very hard but thanks Joe for bringing it), Fishbowl (thanks Wes and Gillian for suggesting this)....SO fun and hilarious.  I haven't laughed as hard as I did this weekend.  It was fantastic!!  I loved every minute of it and was so sad to come home today!!

I'll post a whole group pic soon!