Well friends… March 30, 2008

I figured I should update everyone on things in the Lagasse family. I will do this in bullet form, if you don’t mind

*I am awaiting results from my gestational diabetes test. Unfortunately I flunked my screening, which meant that I had to take the 3 hour lab route. I had to fast, drink some nasty glucola (again!), and serve as human pin cushion for 3 hours at the hospital lab. I really hope I am in the clear, but this definitely runs in my family, so we shall see.

*Other than this, I am feeling TONS better these days. The best part is that I feel like myself again. For a while I was unable to do much but lay on the couch or on the bathroom floor, so things are looking up!! Baby Lagasse is growing and very feisty. He keeps me up at night with his circus tricks. Now more than ever, I do not understand how someone can deny the existence of God. The reproductive process is nothing short of a miracle and it makes no sense whatsoever apart from the character and nature of Christ. Being a part of His creation is an honor and a HUGE responsibility.

*Ben and I are moving into a 3-bedroom house in May. We really like our place now, but it only has two bedrooms, and we really want to have a place for guests to sleep! The house is on 14th street, and the best news is that it is stalkishly close to Clint and Kerry. We are pretty excited about getting settled in, but not so excited about the actual moving process.

*Just like my students, I am having a hard time recovering from Spring Break. I am seriously lacking the motivation to do anything work related. It is funny how they give us Spring Break so we can rest….and we all come back more zombie-like than when we left.

*God is teaching me so much about Himself right now. I have been trying to focus on putting other people first in all my decisions, and it is such a humbling process. I find that almost everything I do revolves around MY wants, MY needs, MY opinions, etc. Not only is this selfish and relationally destructive; it contradicts everything that scripture teaches!! Sooo I decided to take it one decision at a time, and while I still flunk miserably about 95% of the time, I am learning that this process is about dying to self over and over again. True, I have heard this my whole life, but it means so much more to me now than it ever has. Friends, I will try and put you first, because I love you, and because I’m not that cool anyway.

*I am almost 26 weeks pregnant-14 more to go

Lagasse wedding extravaganza!! March 18, 2008

Ben and I just got back from Chris and Sondra’s wedding. Everything was beautiful and it was so wonderful to see all of Ben’s family in one place. I am posting some of my favorite pictures for you to enjoy!

This is Joni, me, and Lynda at rehearsal dinner. The restaurant was on the river in San Marcos and it was beautiful!

SONDRA!!

Ben with his mom and Lou

Chris with both Grandmas

Ok…so ignore my flip-flops. I didn’t wear these during the ceremony, but my feet were KILLING me when it was over..so I changed Sondra looked gorgeous, as always!

Ben and I with Lynda. Yup…that is a tent I am wearing in case you were wondering.

This is during their first dance…I cried

These are Ben’s paternal grandparents Errol and Shirley…mind you they are in their 80′s. They were the longest married couple (62 years) at the wedding and they danced while everyone cheered…at the end they kissed each other and walked off holding hands…I cried again

It wouldn’t be a special occasion without a picture of the lips!!!

Congrats Chris and Sondra!! We love you!!

Finances :) March 3, 2008

For me, it is sooo hard to trust God with finances. I, in my controlling nature, want to keep this part of my life to myself most times. I guess this is why Jesus had so much to say about money Anyway, it is a struggle that I have to work on everyday. I remember when I came to college and started feeling conviction about tithing. I KNEW God was calling me to it (as he does every believer), but I didn’t want to do it. In fact, I couldn’t imagine how I would possibly make it if I “had” to “give up” a chunk of my income to the church. I put these things in quotations because I now realize how ridiculous these feelings were, but nonetheless, I felt that way at the time. Well, once I started walking in obedience, I found that I made it just fine without that money. Then, strangely, I started to look forward to tithing. Then, I started viewing it as an act of worship, and now I can’t imagine going back to a life where I didn’t GET TO serve the church this way. One day I got a statement from the church letting me know how much I had given over the course of a year and I about fainted looking at the number! This was not because I was impressed with my contributions, or because I regretted giving it. Rather, I was sooo humbled that I ever doubted God’s provision. I was more than ok without that money, and it was such a blessing to know that God was using it to further His kingdom!

That being said, I still have issues with finances. You know me. Recently I was humbled in a huge way..again. God re-teaches me in new circumstances, and I am grateful for that.

With Baby Lagasse due in July, Ben and I decided that I will teach during June, but not July. This will be great for my recovery and such, but it isn’t so great for our monthly income. Either way, we believe this is what is best for our family, and we had to trust that God would provide for us. Well…

I got an email from Dr. Stewart a few days ago (he is one of my graduate professors and the co-author of the Public Speaking textbook TTU uses) and he informed me that the publishing company that prints the textbook was looking for someone to author web content for the newest edition of the book coming out in September of this year. This sounded like something I would enjoy doing, so I jumped at the opportunity. The awesome thing is that it will pay MORE than what I would make in July if I were teaching, but I get to work on everything from home before the baby comes!! But wait…there’s more! The publisher contacted me again today and asked if I would consider revising the instructor’s resource manual for the new edition. This is a much bigger project, but it is well worth the time and effort, so I accepted I will also be paid for this contract job!

Moral of the story is this: God is so faithful! He asks us to be obedient to His purposes and this requires some scary decisions at times. Ben and I were concerned about how the money would surface, but God knows where we are at, and He knows exactly how much money we will need during this transitional time in our lives. I don’t say any of this to toot my own horn, but to testify of His provision. Trust Him with your money-He is worthy