Hello, Goodbye!

Goodness, gracious it's been a while!

I wanted to let everyone know that I probably won't be using this blog very much anymore (not that that's a huge surprise, as I haven't used it in about three months) because I've recently (yesterday) moved to a new blog site, and will be blogging there from now on about various things. I'll still post about Brent and I, so there'll still be a personal element, but I'm going to expand on other things as well.

Anyway, thanks for following all this time! I do hope you'll follow me over at my new blog: Our On-Purpose Life!

Have a blessed day!

P.S. - I'll still be leaving this blog up, if anyone's ever interested.

Updates are soon to come!

OK, I know I've been horrible and haven't updated like, anything since September 11th and I most definitely apologize! That was the week of orientation, and the next week was the first week of school. Today marks the last day of the third week of the first term, so...yeah, you can see it's been a bit busy. But just know that an update will happen tomorrow night! That's right: I'm setting aside some time tomorrow night to update photos, stories, and whatever else I've left out over the past four weeks. Which is like...everything, haha!

So just know that by the end of the weekend, you should be fully updated!

Now, I'm off to study for some midterm action!

P.S. - I did, however, update the look of the blog again. I also added an "our story" page. Check it out! :)

Coming soon!

It's been a crazy-busy week for us both, but I promise a new post or two will be up by or before Wednesday. Happy Labor Day weekend! Much love...

Work & School Changes

Because what kind of ME would I be if I didn't change my mind at least once since arriving, right? ;)

First off, I can't remember if I wrote in a previous post whether or not Brent got a job at Arvest Bank, but Brent got a job at Arvest Bank. He's been training this entire week and just found out yesterday that he'll be getting full-time with benefits! This is fantastic news of course, and we feel very blessed and are excited for him to be done with training next week and to start working his normal schedule. I on the other hand ended up going back to my original decision and that was to attend school full-time and not work.

It's been no secret that I really don't enjoy working. I get bored with routine, task-oriented environments very quickly, and I always want more variety and more people. Not to mention the fact that I feel like work just cuts into my creative and social time. (I'm an ENFP, what do you expect?) I've also always wanted to finish my education so that I can one day work in a career field that I actually enjoyed. Even if I didn't end up working, it'd be nice just to know that I accomplished something; that I had something to fall back on just in case we ever needed two incomes; or just to have added knowledge to fuel my creative goals and my personal ministry (which I care more about than having an actual career anyway). I had originally planned on going to Rhema in the morning and taking classes in the afternoon at a local university, but at the time I felt planning for the other school was becoming distracting from our reason in moving to begin with. So I threw it out and decided to just go to Bible school and work.

We got to Broken Arrow, and I got a job the second day we were here. Awesome! I could tell after my first day, however, that it wasn't going to work out. Nothing to do with the people - they were all awesome and they seemed to enjoy having me there. It was just the nature of the job itself. While I really wanted to be disciplined and diligent and stick to this job to prove to both myself that I could do it and to everybody else that I was capable of holding a job for more than six months (though the longest job I've ever had was 18 months), the truth is...I just didn't care about it, and I'm at a point where I no longer want or need to do things I don't care about. I could tell from day one that I'd be bored out of my mind by day two, and I was right. For me, spending the majority of my week's time somewhere that I don't enjoy and have no opportunity for personal growth at just for a paycheck isn't worth it, whether we need the money or not.

*Warning* Motivational speech ahead!

Some people can work a job they don't enjoy because they know they have to (like my mom and mother-in-law), and I applaud them for that. Others can work a boring job because the hours and the pay are great, and that's awesome too. We need people to work jobs, and there are people who want to work those jobs. People have different personalities, giftings, talents, interests and abilities and we all need to embrace our own and let others do the same, being thankful for those who have different perspectives and ways of doing things other than the way we do. They can contribute something we can't, just as we can contribute something that they can't. None of it's wrong; it's just different, and it's the way we were created - it's for a purpose! The way I see it, there will always be another job or more money that can be made...but I can't get back my time, so I'm not going to do something that I don't care about or that's taking time away from me being able to do things that I do care about. I don't want to work somewhere that doesn't excite my soul. Again, I'm an ENFP. We like our souls to be excited ones. (This ENFP link was different from the last one, just in case you were interested. From this link, you can find out awesome information about all of the Myers'-Briggs 16 different personality types. I live for that kind of stuff...it's super accurate and is the most widely used personality test to date since its formation in the early 1900s.)

OK...motivational speech over.

Anyway, I knew I needed to do something because we needed income...but what?!

Well, wouldn't you know it, there's an accredited university in Bethany, OK that has a Tulsa campus! And wouldn't you know it, that campus not only happens to have one of my three degrees of choice, but I can get that degree in 18 months! And, by golly, wouldn't you know it, the school just so happens to be located at Rhema's campus right across the street from where we live! And gee willickers, wouldn't you know it...I can get financial aid too.

Sold.

I start class next week at Southwestern Christian University's Tulsa campus across the street. I'll be getting my B.S. in Human & Family Studies, and from there can get my M.A. in Counseling or Social Work. I chatted with my boss when I decided what I was going to do, and even though I wasn't able to put in a two-week notice, everything ended just fine and she completely understood. Brent's going to begin classes at SCU as well in January (he'll be keeping his job, though). He's going to pursue his bachelors in Biblical Leadership, and from there would like to get his masters in Christian Education.

Now, I might end up getting a little part-time job at some point just to have some extra spending money, but if I do it's only going to be like, 10 hours a week. I want to focus on God, my marriage, school, my writing, and my own personal growth right now, so that's what I'm going to do. Brent's very supportive of my decision and we're excited to see what God has in store for us!

Finally, I realize that some of what I've said here might sound like I'm making excuses, being unrealistic, or that I'm being lazy or selfish. If you think that's the case, you are more than welcome to continue thinking that way, free from any judgment or defense on my part. I'm not going to force you, or even ask you to agree with my decision or change your opinion on it. All I ask is that you respect mine and my husband's choice in making it, as it was our decision for us. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I didn't care much about what people would think of me not obtaining a "real" degree, and I don't care much about what people think of me not wanting to work right now, either. Now, on the flip side, if I have kids one day and they're being neglected because their dad's working 80 hours a week to support his starving-artist wife, then feel free to contact social services, or at least call me out on a few things. Either way, those kids need attention! ;)

Have a blessed day!

P.S. - I'm very excited for and proud of my mom, who has also decided to attend school this semester! New adventures for everyone!

Single Digits!!!

We are down to the wire, folks! As I'm writing this, we have exactly 9 more days until we move. NINE! It's just so surreal - it doesn't make sense! Tomorrow is Brent's last day of work, and the day after is my last day. Again...it just doesn't make sense yet. I think I'll be emotional when I say my final goodbyes, but I just don't know...I'm not sure it'll have really sunk in by then yet. We joke that we'll probably be in Oklahoma for two months before we realize it's not a vacation, haha!

Anyway, this upcoming week will be spent saying a lot of goodbyes, and hopefully there will be a lot of wonderful pictures to go along with them! Stay tuned...

Let me explain...

For whatever reason, I feel the need to explain what exactly it is that Brent and I are doing and why for anyone who might be wondering. So, this is a post to accomplish just that!

But first things first: Brent and I got into student housing! We weren't expecting it since we had applied so late and they fill up quick, but we got in! God is good. Student housing is great for a few reasons:

It's literally right across the street from Rhema. We can walk to and from school every day and to and from events (they have a lot of international goings-on throughout the year) and not having to worry about finding a parking space. Like, ever. It'll save us money on gas and, from the mouth of Brent, "we can sleep in later." Hehe...

It's also about $70 cheaper than the other place we were going to rent. In my excitement, I may have suggested it was $200 cheaper; I was obviously exaggerating. That, or I'm just really bad at math. But cheaper is cheaper! It doesn't have a washer or dryer in the unit like the other one did, but there's an on-site laundry facility and we can deal. Plus, there's a pool!

Also, neighbors. This was a big one for me. Moving to a new city that only three years ago had a violent crime rate that was higher than the national rate (don't tell our moms), not knowing anyone yet, and knowing that Brent would probably be working late most nights, I was a bit concerned with what kind of place we'd move into. Obviously, crime has no address and can happen anywhere, but you still want to feel safe. False security is better than no security, am I right? Yes? No? OK...

Anyway, with Rhema housing, there's a bit more security in knowing exactly who our neighbors are going to be: ministry students. I know religion-affiliated schools often get a lot of flack for secretly being party schools, but Rhema isn't a Christian college or university, it's a ministry training center, so it's a bit different than a typical college setting. People are going their specifically to enter some aspect of the ministry career field after graduation. Also, the school has quite a few black & white policies that they follow pretty strictly from what I've heard from graduates and former students.

Which brings me to my whole explaining thing. I don't think I've ever shared much about Rhema, or what exactly it is that Brent and I are doing with our lives at the moment. So I want to A) gush about the school for a moment because I think it's awesome and I can't wait for it to start, and B) share a bit about what Brent and I are actually doing and why.

First, the gushing. Rhema is widely international and fairly prestigious, at least in the charismatic church world. They have standards of excellence that are known well in the community and around the world (again, at least in the charismatic church world), and they take their reputation very seriously. People in the community also know Rhema well. In fact, we were told by graduates to put down that we were Rhema students on our job applications because companies really like to hire Rhema students. Sure enough, I received a phone call from a potential job just last week and the lady was like, "Oh, I see you'll be attending Rhema. Great - we love Rhema students here!" (Not sure if that could be considered a form of discrimination, but hey...I'll take it.) Even the apartments we were originally going to move into had a Rhema student discount. They didn't have any other student discounts, just a Rhema discount - and they weren't the only apartments to offer that either! Apartment complexes in the area know when they get Rhema students, they're getting responsible tenants. The school just has a very good reputation and very high standards are placed on their students; standards that they've made known and proven to the community since 1974.

OK, I've finished my brag-...gushing session. Obviously, their reputation isn't the only reason we want to go. I'm just super excited, and already feel a great sense of school pride, and can tell that I'm going to have a lot of school spirit as well. Now on to what the heck we're doing with our lives:

Both Brent and I want to work in the ministry. Sure, I want to be a writer too, but I have no plans to go to school for it. It's more of a hobby and a passion that I hope one day pays off, but I'd do it even if I never made a dime. Brent and I love God and we love people, so that's really the only thing the two of us want to do with our lives. Of course you can love God and people regardless of what one does for a living or majors in, but Brent and I have never really had a clear vision of what it is we should study at college, or what we should be when we "grow up." Personally, I've always wanted to dabble a bit into several different things and no one career path (save writing and ministry) has ever seemed like something I'd want to do for the rest of my life. I don't do monotony very well - I need variety even in my day-to-day or I get bored. God offers variety. People offer variety. Writing offers variety.

Awesome.

Ultimately, our plan is to attend all three years of Rhema. All first year students take the same classes, second year you pick a specific track to follow, and third year is a more focused, almost internship-style year, again with a chosen focus. Brent's top choice as of this moment for second year is Biblical Studies, and I'm planning on Evangelism. Third year we'll both do the World Missions track. We're both interested in working with a church or a missionary organization. I'd also like to incorporate more of my writing into ministry.

Some might wonder why we'd pay out-of-pocket for an unaccredited school that will really only get us a diploma that's only recognized by churches and missionary organizations, which is a valid question and concern...at least in our Western society. Well, as I said the previous paragraph, "we're both interested in working with a church or a missionary organization." So, you know...that's one reason. But even more so, we feel the big reason is because neither of us is seeking what many in Western society would consider a "normal" or "traditional" career, we don't need to attend a "normal" or "traditional" school. We also don't feel like we need to live up to society's definition of what success is, because it's just that: society's definition. We're a bit more interested in what the Kingdom of God's definition of success is. Now don't get me wrong: I'm not bashing getting a college education or having a career at all! I'm just saying that for us, it's not what we're looking for. At least not right now.

I will say though, I do plan on finishing my associates degree online - I only have one class and a test left, so I might as well! I also plan on receiving my TESOL certificate online. It's an 80-hour online program that results in...well, a TESOL certificate (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages). This will allow me to teach English on the mission field.

There's still so much to discover about what God has for our lives, but this is where we are right now and we're so excited for what God is (and will be) doing in and through us. We're just anticipating the adventure!

So there you go, a little bit of information for anyone who may have been wondering what it is we're doing and why. To Him be the glory forever...and you have a blessed day!

Wedding Thank Yous

I am horrible. HORRIBLE.

I have not written any wedding thank yous, and it's been almost 7 months! I was told that you technically have up to a year to get the thank yous sent out, but I just feel bad. We got some wonderful gifts and I want everyone who gave to know that we're appreciative - and believe me: we are incrdibly appreciative! But I swear, I am one lazy card writer. Seriously - I was always so bad at writing thank yous growing up, and obviously that bad habit has carried over into adulthood.

Probably time to change that.

I just want everyone to know that I really will finish writing thank yous this month and send them out.

Promise!

Registered at NSU!

Yesterday I got register for courses at Northeastern State University. It was an ordeal, let me tell you! Transferring can be a frustrating thing. It's the fist time I've ever had to do so and getting everything sorted out literally took from 9 to 5!

But finally, it's all over and done with. I was short a few credits of meeting the general education requirements, so even though I'm a junior I have to take about four 100 & 200-level courses. I'm totally fine with that, however, because I'll have a lot on my plate, so starting off a bit easier is probably the best way to go. I'll be dealing with coursework from two schools and be in an entirely new place, so there will be a lot to get used to.

I'm enrolled in two online courses, and they're two of the four general education requirements I have to take - American Federal Government and Film Appreciation. Then I'm taking two courses in class that are for my major (and they're my very first 300-level courses!) - Young Adult Literature and Traditional Grammar & Usage.

It comes to a total of 12 credits, and of course I'll be at Rhema full-time as well. I can't find to find out what my first semester courses will be there! Everyone takes the same classes their first year at Rhema, but they have a quarterly schedule and different blocks, so first-years (Harry Potter, much?) may take different classes at the same time - just depends on which block they get put into. There's always a chance that Brent and I might be in different blocks too, which we're hoping doesn't happen. But even if it did, we'd make it work. We'd have the same 8am-12pm schedule, so that'd make it a lot easier. And besides, we could help each other out with a class that the other one's already aced!

But we're still believing we'll get to be in the same block. Either way, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

LAPTOP!!!

WE GOT A NEW LAPTOP!!!

We have my amazing mother-in-law to thank for it, as she got Brent and I both our Christmas and birthday 2012 gifts all in one, haha!

It's left me feeling excited, relieved, and...overwhelmed! No joke. I've lived so long with a crappy computer that I almost don't know how to use this one. I ifnally began downloading wedding pictures, so that was good. I've been wanting to do that forever so that I could order prints, but never could because our laptop (our now "old" laptop) couldn't handle the pressure. But like I said, I feel like I have no idea what to do with this baby! I feel like my blogging can take on a whole new life, and that's exciting...but I just don't know where to begin, haha! Oh, and I would like to just throw a quick shout out to Kera Butler, who allowed me usage of that old laptop in the first place - it still works, and it was a huge blessing...so thank you!

Well, that's it for the moment. As I've said before, more exciting things to come as we get closer to the big move!

Skype!

Today, Brent and I joined the rest of the social netowrking world today and got our very own Skype account!

We've sent requests to a few people, and searched for others but were unsuccessful. (Apparently, a lot of people have the same name, live in the United States, and don't have profile pictures.) Our Skype name (for lack of a better term...we're still learning the ropes) is BrentBrittanyB. We can also be searched using Brent and Brittany Butler. (I think...again, still learning.) Unfortunately, at this time we do not have a webcam so we can't really use Skype right now. But we plan to get new laptops when we move this June, and then we'll have to make Skype dates with everyone!

Anyway, just wanted everyone to know. Have a happy weekend!