Jeff Dunham

As part of my Christmas, Wes gave me tickets to see Jeff Dunham in Birmingham for the day after Christmas. I was pumped! For those of you who don't know, Jeff is a ventriloquist. When I was first introduced to his comedy bit, I was a little unsure, but...after a while, he really grows on you! He's HILARIOUS and very talented. I was a little nervous about the live show, because I heard rumors that he wasn't as good live as he was on his DVDs...the rumors were wrong.

We began by stopping of at the in-law's house to drop off our "child", Pistol Pete. We then went to Olive Garden and had a wonderful meal for FREE because of the wonderful gift cards we got for Christmas. After we ate, we traveled to the BJCC for the show. We had great seats, in my opinion. They were squishy (lol) and they were direct so that we didn't have to turn our heads to see the show. The show began with "Guitar Guy" who is kind of like Jeff's human sidekick. He was awesome on the guitar and had some hilarious songs, even one about us being free in 2012 from Oprah, Obama, and hopefully The View. It was hilarious. We also learned that "Guitar Guy's" son is the lead guitarist in "Avenge Sevenfold". After "Guitar Guy's" bit, there was a 15 minute intermission. Finally after the intermission, Jeff came on! He did about a 10 minute bit of his own before bringing our his first puppet, Walter, the grumpy old man. Most all of Walter's material was new and it was great! After Walter was Achmed the Dead Terrorist and after Achmed was my favorite, Peanut! Then there was Jalapeno on a Steek which he does while also doing Peanut. After Peanut and Jalapeno's bit, Peanut talked a little more and then Jeff ended the show and ran off stage. People began leaving, but then Jeff ran back on stage! He said "Hold on! I haven't done this guy in a while, but I figured it was appropriate, so here's Bubba J!" Bubba J is his red reck puppet...I guess he figured it was appropriate with him being in Alabama. It was funny because everyone knew Bubba's lines and it freaked Jeff out. He said it was like some weird church service. "Everyone open your bibles to Bubba 2:16". The whole show was awesome and I was sad to see it end! We had a great time and I highly recommend his live show!

Thanks for reading!

Christmas 2009

I feel like I have so much to write!!! I will try to break this up into sections...

Christmas Eve: Every year for Wes's side of the family, we go to their Christmas Eve party. We either all meet at his parent's house or his aunt and uncle's house. This year we met at my wonderful in-law's house. All kinds of family came...many of whom I did not know... We ate wonderful food and before I knew it, it was time to help my husband into the Santa outfit. Every year Santa visits the Dunsieth's Christmas Eve party and this year my husband was chosen to be Santa. He was very excited. His mom, his aunt and, I helped him into his get-up. After he was all in costume, he went around the house and came through the front door. All the kids were very excited. "Santa" had a gift for each of them. After all the children came and sat on Santa's lap to get their presents, some of the older cousins jumped in Wes's lap, followed by his dad and his grandmother (who actually tried to straddle him...HAHA!) He then looked at me and said "And how have you been, little girl?" I got up and jumped in his lap and kissed him on the cheek! He asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I said "You, Santa!" Some of the people there did not know it was my husband and we got some pretty priceless looks! It's all caught on video, too! HAHA! After "Santa" left we played the Left, Right game. It's kinda like Dirty Santa, but not as mean. It's a very cute game. My mother-in-law read a cute story about the Right Family and we passed the presents according to when she said the word "right" or "left". At the end of the story, whatever gift you had was yours to keep. Wes got a cinnamon diffuser and I got a cool re-usable bag with a Christmas fleece blanket inside. After we played the Left, Right game, all of the extended family left and the more immediate family gave out our secret Santa gifts. (We drew names at Thanksgiving) Rachael got my name and got me the newest Nicholas Sparks book! Ethan got Wes's name and he got him "The Hangover" movie...which is quite hilarious. After we had all exchanged gifts, Wes asked his mom if we could open one of our Christmas gifts. She agreed and Wes opened his American Patriot's Bible and I opened my really cool plastic cake plate/cupcake/petit four holder. We then left for our long trek back to E-town.

Christmas Day: So this year Wes got 1 hour of sleep...HAHA! He was TOO excited to sleep! We went to bed at about 1:30am and Wes woke up and tried to get me up at 2:30am...TRIED being the key word. It was to no avail. I finally agreed to roll myself out of the warm bed at about 5:30am. When I came out into the living room, I found that Wes had already gone through his stocking...HAHA! We took turns back and forth opening presents from each other. Wes got a Burger King Kid's Toy (a joke from me), Magellan coffee mugs and thermos, a reversible belt, black dress shoes, a wind suit, Twilight the movie, Tiger Woods PGA Tour (yeh...I know...), a baseball glove, candy, and a card. Wes gave me Wii Fit! (which was a total surprise because he kept telling me he couldn't get me one), a Cool Pix touch screen camera, Breaking Dawn (the last Twilight book), an Edward bookmark, a Starbucks card, two shirts, a cami, a scarf, Up the movie, my favorite Russell Stover chocolate covered marshmallow Santas, a memory card for my camera, and a card. After I was done opening my gifts, Wes said to look in the tree. There was an envelope with "To:Nikki From: SANTA" written on it. He told me to open it. To my surprise it was two tickets to Jeff Dunham the NEXT day! I was so pumped about all my awesome gifts! After we opened our presents, my dad and grandmother came down. We exchanged gifts with them. My dad got us a DVD player and Mammaw gave us money and candy. We gave my dad a Columbia jacket which actually surprised him! (Usually I give away his presents too easily because he can read me like a book!) We gave Mammaw a Burt's Bees nail set and my dad gave her a Snuggie! After my dad and grandmother left, Wes and I made the trek back to Weogufka for the annual Christmas Breakfast at Sunshine's (Wes's gma). We had yummy waffles, bacon, biscuits, gravy, and eggs. It was great! After we ate and sat around and talked for a while, Wes and I went to his parent's house to open our gifts from them. Wes got a leather jacket, three nice button-up shirts, gift cards to restaurants, WalMart giftcard, JC Penny gift card, Columbia jacket, small flashlight, and candy. I got a COACH purse!!!!, a cute teacher bag, a zebra jewelry holder, "D" coasters, a CUTE apron with an "N" on it, a black and leopard poncho, a WalMart gift card, and Twizzlers! I was WAY TOO spoiled this Christmas! I must have been a REALLY GOOD girl this year! Not only was I spoiled by gifts, but by family who love me very much! I was just overflowing with blessings! After we left the Dunsieth's we came home and took a nap! After our nap, we went up to my grandmother's and ate lunch. We had a great time sitting around talking and visiting with my family. Wes fell asleep after a while...it seems to be tradition for him, lol and we went home to take another nap. After napping some, we got up and played the Wii Fit for a few hours. It is SO fun!!!

Ok, so in a nutshell, I had an AWESOME Christmas!! The reason for the season is God's gifts to us. I think some people get too wrapped up in how gifts are not the reason...but if you think about it, I feel like it's a good representation. God GAVE and we RECEIVED. I LOVE giving gifts at Christmas! Just as God GAVE Christ to us. I also don't mind receiving gifts. Just as God wants us to RECEIVE Christ into our lives and our hearts. I am beyond blessed and so happy for such a WONDERFUL, big family!

A Little Innocent Fun...

Just to elaborate on my Twilight obsession............. ;)

PC Beach Trip

This past weekend we went to Panama City with my best friend, Angela, and her boyfriend, Tim. We had sooo much fun! Even though it rained half the time we were there, we had a blast! We rode on the golf cart to the beach, went out to eat, went shopping, played cards, watched movies, cooked, and just hung out. It was a great time! The only downside was when we were taking pictures out on the beach, Wes lost his wedding ring. :( We looked for HOURS and never found it! That really stunk, but we had a great time overall. It was great to get away and spend some time with great friends! :)

I'm getting so excited about Christmas approaching. :) Under our tree is quite full with presents! I LOVE shopping for others and giving presents at Christmas time! It is my favorite part! This year, we bought a real Christmas tree. It smells so good! I think it was worth it! Here is a pic of our pretty tree. :) I wanted a classy tree this year and not a tacky one like we usually have. LOL.

I am SO excited that this semester is OVER! I will miss the kiddos at the preschool, but I am PSYCHED that this is my last real semester. Next semester is internship at Wetumpka and then it's graduation! Whoo Hoo! I can't believe I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now! So far I have one A. I am hoping that the rest of my grades are As too and it will raise my GPA! :)

I hope everyone is having a great Christmas season!
God Bless!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

I haven't written since our 1 Year anniversary, so I thought I would today to update everyone. Our little escape to the woods was nice. The weather, on the other hand, was not so nice. We stayed inside more than we had anticipated, but it was still a nice get-away. Hopefully next year we can go on a more romantic adventure. Camping was less romantic than I had hoped...haha! Don't get me wrong, we had a great time...it was just not what we had anticipated. Either way, it was very nice to get away :)

I CANNOT believe Christmas is just around the corner! This year has FLOWN by! Wes and I have been married a YEAR now! Unbelievable! AND once again, it's Christmas time again. We've started a lot of our shopping, decorated some, and wrapped some. I do love this time of year, although it is definitely more of Wes's favorite time. We've talked about getting a real tree this year and may get one this weekend. I love the smell of real trees! We have also ordered Christmas cards! (Something I have never done.) I can't wait to receive them in the mail soon! I love buying for others. I think that is more fun to me than actually receiving. I wish we had millions so I could buy everyone something! :)

Well...the fever has finally hit me...the Twilight fever. I told myself that I would not conform into the hysteria, but it is TOO late! After seeing New Moon this past Sunday, I AM HOOKED! I started the first book, Twilight, Sunday night and finished it last night. I am starting New Moon today! Gosh, these are some awesome books! I was so skeptical, but now I see what all the craze is about! I find myself hoping that there are really vampires out there...haha! SO, my advice is that, if you have not experienced the Twilight saga yourself, then don't knock it! ;)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful time preparing for Christmas!
Until next time,
Bella...I mean...Nikki...

Update on Wes and Life

As most of you know, Wes had a seizure episode back in October. The ER put him on seizure meds and he has been waiting for his appointment. He finally had his appointment on the 11th of this month. To our surprise, the neurologist took Wes off the seizure medication. She said that he did not have a major seizure. She said it was more like tremors. Also, to our surprise, she attributed the disoriented manner to perhaps a heart condition! Wes is a big fella, but he has a VERY low heart rate--about 50. The doctor believes his heart is not pumping out enough blood and therefore, not enough to his brain which can lead to blackouts or being disoriented. So, it looks as if Wes may be going to a cardiologist soon. PLEASE keep him in your prayers. We are just ready to have some concrete answers.

I cannot believe Wes and I have almost been married for a whole YEAR! (the 22nd) We have been through a lot, but he is the perfect man for me. God really knew what he was doing when He put us together. I am so blessed to have such a wonderful man as my husband. Well, we HAD planned on going on a cruise for our anniversary, but as you all know, life happens. And when it rains, it pours. All kinds of bills came in at one time, and we are now unable to go. We also looked into going to Savannah, GA, but we felt like it would be too much as well. SO, we have now decided to borrow his parent's camper and go camping at Mt. Cheaha (in pics). HAHA! Honestly, I just want to get away and spend some quality time with my husband. Even if we were in a lean-to, HAHAHAA! (that's an inside joke) I am excited for us to get away from all the stresses we have here and go spend about 5 days in God's beautiful creation together. We'll probably take our chihuahua, Pete, go hiking, build a camp fire, and just spend some great time together. As long as I'm away with him, it will be great! :) Well, I hope all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Thanks for reading!

Our Little Poppyseed

The purpose of this blog is to be open and honest about married life and life in general. Sometimes that is hard to do. My goal is to show others what "normal" is and maybe what to expect and just see an honest representation of marriage and life. Maybe this blog will help others going through the same things. Every relationship is different and every situation is different. It is also a type of diary for me. With that said, here is our present situation...

I have been feeling "funny" all month long. I have been cramping, nauseous, moody, craving weird stuff, very tired, and having a metallic taste in my mouth. Wes kept saying I was pregnant. I tried to wait and just see, but curiosity got the best of me.

So...I took a pregnancy test Thursday and this is what I saw [left picture]...do you see the very light left line? It was much clearer in person. If that wasn't clear enough, I took another test Friday at about 12:30 am...[right picture]. It clearly says "YES+". Wes and I had so many emotions running through our heads. We were excited, scared, worried, happy, freaking out...you name it. We didn't tell anyone because we wanted to make sure. We looked up the growth chart on the internet and found that I was about 4 weeks pregnant and it was about the size of a poppy seed and looked like the pic up top. The cells were joining together to make a baby. Very exciting. We both put a hand on my stomach and prayed for God's will. Later on Friday, I took another test and it said "NO-". I was very confused. I took another and only really saw one line. We were both very confused. We looked it up and knew that HCG levels could fluctuate so we just prayed. Even though we were NOT trying and were freaking out, we were trusting God to do His will. Yesterday, I found out that I lost it. It was a "chemical pregnancy"...which means a very early miscarriage. Click here to learn more about chemical pregnancies. I was upset, but trying to be strong. As the day continued I became MUCH more emotional. It was so much harder than I thought it would be. Even though I only knew a day that we were pregnant, I loved that little poppy seed with all my heart; we both did. Even though we were NOT trying whatsoever, we are both very heartbroken that our tiny child did not make it. This happens often and I would never had known that I was pregnant if I had not taken a pregnancy test. We are both trusting God and just trying to get through this little sad patch in our lives. It's an odd feeling. Even though we were only "parents" for a day, we feel like something is missing now. Please just say a prayer for us. We will be fine, it's just an odd time for us right now.

Update on Wes

As most of you know, my husband had a seizure Wednesday. He was at school handing out grades and his hands started shaking. His students told him that he looked very pale. When he felt he was about to pass out, he went to the nurse's office. The nurse tried to hold his hands still, but they would not stop shaking. She called me at 9:30am and told me the situation. I was in my car and on the road at 9:39am to a ONE HOUR journey to his school. I put my flashers on and flew to Autaugaville. On my way, I called my mother-in-law. Wes used to have seizures when he was 17 and they thought he had grown out of them. I asked my mother-in-law how those seizures were. What she described was exactly what the nurse had described. In that moment, I knew he had had a seizure. When I finally arrived to Autaugaville High School, I found Wes lying down on the couch in the nurse's office. His color looked good. The nurse told me that his tremors lasted for about 20 min and he had been fine since. We helped Wes up and tried to walk him to my car. He began to walk very crooked and talk like a drunk man. I ended up bringing my car to the side of the school. Wes got in and was still acting very disoriented. He continued to act disoriented until about 30 min after he got into the car. He did not remember much after he left the nurse's office. This confermed to me that he had a seizure. My brother had seizures when he was younger and would act very disoriented afterwards. I took Wes to the Baptist East ER. There, we sat for 3 hours waiting for results of several tests the nurses took. In the end, all of the tests returned fine, which was great. The Dr. concluded that he had a partial complex seizure and decided to put him on seizure medication. The doctor also made Wes an appointment with a neurologist for November 5th. Wes is adjusting to the medication alright. It just really makes him groggy. Please continue to pray for him. It was all very scary and we are very anxious about the appointment in November. Thank you so much for your sweet comments and prayers!

Unbelievable...

This is a portion of a thread on a poll about abortion on Facebook. I was APPALLED! This is just the small part where I contributed. It broke my heart! (Read from the bottom up) More on this topic on the next post...

Joseph Oct 6

There is no American race

Ideally we should strive to keep the birth rate at slightly above 2 children per family, because that will keep our population stable, and a stable population doesn't guzzle down resources at an increasing rate (advancing technology should actually help reduce resource consumption in a stable population), and it helps to keep a stable age ratio so we don't end up with a ton of old people like Japan.

A beating heart is also not required for life, sponges don't even have hearts and nobody doubts that they are alive. A fetus also doesn't suddenly become worthy of rights JUST because its heart starts beating. A heart is just something to pump your blood through your body, its not some magical key to being considered alive.

Now if you want to get into what defines a human being (being, being the important part) that might actually get at the heart of this matter, but nobody should doubt that even a zygote is an individual human organism.

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Nikki Duck DunsiethOct 6

Did you know that our social security is going down the toilet because we are "choosing" to eliminate our future? I had never thought about it that way until my preacher said that this Sunday. He also said that within the next 50 years, our American race will be outnumbered because we are again "choosing" to eliminate our population. A baby's heart starts beating at 2 weeks. That is life. I don't care who you are, that is life. There is no way to change anyone's mind, but I just thought I'd put that on here for information sake.

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Audrey Oct 6

abortion is the womans choice no matter what..legal or illegal, a woman will still do what she thinks is best for her. Nobody can make those choices for the person. A fetus is not a baby until it breathes no argument to it.

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Nikki Duck DunsiethOct 6

A "fetus" is a child!!

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Bill Oct 6

Every parent knows there is no denying the life and consciousness that is within the womb. "Fetus" is only another name for an unborn, living, feeling child.

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Joseph Oct 6

I don't think that comparing a fetus to a child is really an honest comparison.

June Oct 6

abortion is wrong it is murder if you ever lost a child you would know i cant imagine a person wanting to go thru that pain on purpose

FALL

Well, it's fall again. I can't believe how time flies! I started off my fall being sick...which is rather normal for me. I tried my hardest to avoid it...I have been taking Airborne everyday. I started off with a sore throat last Friday night and it really went down from there. I only made it to half a class this week and my teacher made me go home. Unfortunately, my insurance did not start until yesterday, so, I waited patiently and finally went to the doctor yesterday. I have felt so awful this week that I just knew I had the flu. It turns out that I just have "a bad chest, nose, and throat infection" (those were my doctor's words). I sort of felt wimpy after that, because I'm not kidding, I have felt HORRIBLE...so no swine flu for me, thank God. Hopefully I'll be back to my normal self by Monday. I hate missing school.

Everyone seems to be very excited about the weather change. I, on the other hand, am not a fan of cold weather. I am a flip-flops, jeans, and t-shirt kind of girl. I do not like closed-toe shoes, socks, jackets, scarves, sweaters, etc. I wish I could just hibernate until spring. I don't know why I am like this. I do like the holidays that cold weather brings, though. I LOVE Halloween! I don't know why, but it is my favorite holiday. LOL. And of course Christmas is always fun as well. Not to mention our 1 year anniversary is in November and of course Thanksgiving. I don't mind fall too much, but winter....ew! No leaves on the trees, it's too cold to go outside much, blistering winds, my bones ache, I just don't like it. My husband loves cold weather. Hopefully we can build a fire in the fireplace this year and maybe this winter will be more cozy...

I can't believe Wes and I will have been married one year next month. It just blows my mind. This year has flown by, but yet it feels like we've been married forever! LOL. We aren't exactly where I imagined we'd be a year ago. I thought by now we'd have a house or an appartment. I guess I also thought we'd be trying to have a baby. We are still at my dad's trailer and are not in the monetary condition to be trying for babies. I am thankful for where we are, don't get me wrong, it's just not what I had pictured. I guess I always pictured that after you got married the house came, babies came, money came....and it just doesn't exactly work that way. It requires a lot of patience and planning. I will be graduating in May and I HOPE, HOPE, HOPE I will be getting a job soon after that. Hopefully, that will add more money in our pot and we can definitely buy a house then. Just the way things are going, I worry about finding a job after I graduate. I pray that God just opens those doors.

We are still planning on going on a cruise next month! I am excited and I hope things work out! More about that later...

Thanks for reading my long blog! I'm home sick and there's nothing good on TV! :)

A New Semester

I haven't written in a while so I thought I'd do a little update. Wes is teaching 7-9th grade Algebra and coaching Varsity and JV football. It's tough but I am SO proud of him! Although it's very challenging, he's doing a great job. PLEASE keep him in your prayers! School has also started back for me...ONE more semester after this one and I'll be DONE! Yippee! It feels as if I have been in school forever! ...I guess I kinda have...since I was 5 yrs old. I'm a little nervous, but definitely excited. I am thankful that this semester is going much better than I anticipated and I hope it continues to go well. :)

We have still been looking for houses. We have found one that is SUPER cute, but it really didn't have the yard we want. We are trying to be patient. We definitely want a house, but we have to trust in God's timing.

We are looking at anniversary trips right now! :) I can't believe it has almost been a YEAR that we've been married!! (2 more months) Right now we are thinking a CRUISE...to the BAHAMAS! Whoooo! Sounds great to me! I hope we can save up the money to go. Wes has been on a cruise before, but I have never been. I think it would be a fun thing for us to do together. Well, I guess that's it for now. Thanks for reading and keep us in your prayers! God Bless!

"In his heart, a man plans his
course,but the Lord determines
his steps." Proverbs 16:9

Coach Dunsieth & Life

This week Wes signed his contract with Autaguaville. Tonight is his open house with the parents. I am so proud of him! He will be teaching 7th and 8th grade Algebra. I hope to go to the school with him soon and decorate his room. School starts the 10th! Please be praying for him as this is a big transition! I know he will do great. These are pictures that are going to be in the Autaguaville newspaper.

Things have been a little frustrating because we are getting impatient. We know he has a good job now and I will be graduating May 2010, thank God. We are SOOO ready to look for a house! I'm so thankful my dad has let us live in this trailer, but Wes and I are so ready to have our own little nest. We are trying to decide if we should buy or build. Let us know if you have any suggestions. It's very hard being patient, but we are wanting to wait for God's timing and the house He wants us to have. Please keep us in your prayers for that.

Well, Wes's school starts the 10th, my school starts back the 17th, Wes's first football game is the 21st...life is about to get crazy! We need all the prayers we can get! Thanks for reading and God bless!! :)

Life's A Beach

This past week was Wes's family's beach trip. We had an awesome time! We stayed at a NICE beach house (3 story) right on the beach. Every morning we'd get up around 8:30 and eat breakfast then go down and hang out at the beach. A few nights we stayed in and ate and a few we went out. This was DEFINITELY what we needed! This summer semester has been so stressful and it was so nice to get away and just relax at the beach. While we were down there we had to go back for a day to take finals. Although that kind of stunk, we really only missed one day at the beach. Wes ended up with all B's and I ended up with all A's. We were quite pleased. We just had such a wonderful, relaxing time. I hope we can do this every year at the same place. Wes's family were so fun and I am so blessed to have such an awesome new family! I love them so much! :)










This is the sweet beach house! 7 bedrooms and 6 bathrooms right on the beach!!



















This was our awesome view everyday! What a week! :)

Ugh

I haven't blogged in a while so I had some thoughts on my mind and figured I would now. I'm kind of upset right now. We leave for the beach tomorrow for Wes's family's big beach trip. I've been knowing about this beach trip for months and was REALLY wanting to loose at least 10 lbs. before it. Well, here I am the day before going and I have lost a few pounds, but probably gained them back these past 2 weeks. I was really enjoying working out and eating right. I had started to feel so much better....BUT...school has really taken it's toll on me the past 2 weeks. Because it's the end of the semester, so much was due and I found myself exhausted and drained. Needless to say, I stopped going to the gym and really started eating wrong again. I am still mindful of what I eat, but it seems so much harder when you are not working out and when you are very busy. I look back at pictures of myself from 2006-2008 and it just makes me sick. I was so thin in 2006. Slowly, I've packed on some pounds. My body has changed a lot (age=metabolism) and taking birth control did NOT help (gained about 25 lbs on it). I'm just ready to be back to a weight that I can feel comfortable at. I seriously feel like everyone will be starring at me the whole time at the beach (I'm going to wear a tankini and probably some shorts too). Even though no one probably pays it any attention, I feel like I'm just hanging out everywhere! Like a big protruding blob! I know I'm not obese or anything, but I've always been pretty well controlled with my weight. Anyway, I'm sorry I'm rambling, I just thought it would make me feel better to write out all these thoughts and feelings. I really hope to get back to the gym after this trip and start eating salads and stuff again. I know it's going to take a lot of effort (which is kind of discouraging) but I REALLY hope to be back at the size I want this time next year.

I Have Faith In My God Who Is Able!

This phrase kept repeating in my head all during church this morning. Needless to say, it was a quite emotional service. I really felt like God was speaking to me. All of the songs sang praises of His ability and sovereignty. All of our tiny worries seemed so vain. I guess I should first explain my and Wes's conversation before church. We were talking about babies. More specifically, whether or not I will work after they are born. My answer is no. Wes's was "more realistic". Needless to say, we got in a little tiff. I respect my husband wholeheartedly and I know he was trying to look out for us. We have no clue what our future might hold and our present financial situation is not one to be encouraged by. We were trying to figure out where our lives will go and where our bank total will go. We were so focused on OUR plans. What we failed to realize was GOD'S plans. As I said, the phrase: "I have faith in my God who is able" kept repeating over and over again in my head as soon as we found our seats in Frazer's contemporary service. All of the songs sang of his awesomeness and how mighty He is. All of the sudden it crashed upon me like a wave...if God can do such awesome things...surely and most assuredly He can make our budget available for me being a stay at home mom if He deems it so. As Christians, we know God takes care of us...but little by little this world sucks us in. We think WE are in charge. We determine our futures by going to college, we work to get that promotion, we do this, we do that. We forget the simplicity in trusting God. HE created us, HE knows where we are going and where He will allow us to go. It's actually getting out of our comfort zone sometimes to trust Him. We have our little pile of worries and dreams and plans and God is just saying maybe if you drop those for a second, I'll really blow your mind. After the service, I told my husband that I respected him. I believe that is important. I do. I also told him with tearful eyes what God had told me in church. We both agreed that before our children are even born, we will give them to God. Their furtures, our plans, our money, their lives. This will definitely be an everyday thing. We need to remind ourselves everyday who is really in charge. It is so easy to get smoke screened and believe that we are. We came home and had a great evening. While on the computer I checked my e-mail. I was deleting some spam mail when I read an e-mail entitled "Financial Aid Status". I had not seen that e-mail until today. I checked it and found that I received a Pell Grant. We will not have to pay for my school this year. I will graduate with no more loans. Already, God is showing us who is in charge and who will take care of us. I praise God and I have faith in my God who is able.

Ephesians 3:20-21 Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

What A Week!

Let's see, where do I begin? This has been such a crazy week! I guess I'll start with Monday...

Monday--Jon and Kate are getting divorced! I know, I know, it's all over the news and most people are tired of hearing it, but it still bothers me! Wes and I just stared at each other after we watched the episode. It was like watching a horrible car wreck. It's sickening and terrible, but you just can't seem to turn your eyes from it. I could go on and on about this, but basically it's just sad. They have grown so far apart. They are totally different people from when they first started this show. They used to be just a simple family from Pennsylvania, now they are "celebrities". This has really gone to their heads. Kate's a tanned, toned, Barbie woman now, and Jon is a tanned, pierced, partyer. Totally different from the NORMAL people they once were. It's just a train wreck. Many claim it's a publicity stunt...we shall see. I hate to support them by watching the show, but I can't help but to be curious as to how this is all going to pan out. Monday was also our 7 month marriage anniversary. How time flies! Also, I found out that I had a million things due in class that day and could not go to the gym, and instead became a slave to the computer and AUM.

Tuesday--Wes had a meeting with Autaugaville and they told him that he will be the assistant baseball coach and assistant football coach! Quite exciting! I'm so proud of him! It will definitely be nice to have the extra money...although I wonder if I will see him at all this year...LOL. I was also still enslaved to the computer and AUM this day.

Wednesday--QUITE sick of school and ready to quit. lol. I finally turned in my Science Resource File with 50 resources. Wow, that look a while. Finally got to go to the gym this day. It was nice to work out my frustrations on the equipment. Wes's parents surprised us and brought us groceries this day. It was such a blessing! They are so wonderful. I guess we were looking pretty poor...

Thursday--Today. The A/C went out in my car this morning. BOY was it a hot drive to school and back! I felt very unlucky today. Not only did that happen, but I was very sick to my stomach today and overflowed the toilet to make a BIG mess...TMI, I know, but I just want you to understand how rediculous this day has been. I am just hoping we can go to the beach this weekend (if Wes's loan refund comes in on time). I am totally worn out by school and totally needing a break! I am really trying to see the positive side in this week. I feel like Wes and I need to do a bible study or something. My attitude has not been that wonderful lately. I should really be seeing my blessings right now instead of all this other junk that's happening. I'm trying to seek God's will and His attitude, but I know I'm doing pretty poorly. Life can be tough sometimes, but I guess it is even tougher when your priorities are all mixed up. Marriage can definitely be tough too, and somedays I honestly feel like I suck at it. I guess I'm just really needing a break this week and hoping I can get one this weekend. Thanks for reading! (I'm sorry this is long-winded, but I felt like I needed to write it to get it off my chest.)

Summer Love

I just LOVE summertime! There is so much to do all of the time! Fishing, swimming, laying out, BBQing, grilling, flip flops, T-shirts, watermelon, gardening, movies outside, the beach...so lovely! :) We have planted the tomatoes in the garden. They are doing alright, seem to be a little scorched from this crazy heat we have been having! The heat index was 101 today and it's only June! There is no sign of our lettuce...well the packet did say lettuce likes COOL weather...so much for that. Speaking of lettuce and tomatoes, I'm doing pretty well with my diet. I basically eat salad...every day....BUT I love salad so it's really pretty easy for me. I've also worked out everyday (except the weekend) for about an hour since we've joined Planet Fitness. I really like it! I love the elliptical, the medicine balls, and the climbing machine thingy--not sure what it's called. I feel a lot better! I feel more toned already! And definitely more energized. My goal is to keep this up! Work out everyday except maybe the weekends (even though that may be hard because I'm kind of addicted!). I've also been tanning so I just feel like I look a little better, too. lol. I was beginning to feel sorry for people who had to look at me. Haha.

School is trucking along. I'm happy my classes have not been THAT hard...so far. Mainly just takes up time, which is most of the classes in the Education Dept. Funny enough, Wes is actually IN one of my classes now. Haha. It's pretty cool to sit beside my hubby in class...and play tic-tac-toe...lol. It's also funny to see him freak out about the assignments and I'm like "Wes, it's really not that hard. Just do it." LOL. Pretty interesting.

WELLL...I gave in and joined Twitter! (@kbirkeland is a bad influence, lol). It's actually pretty cool. I like knowing what my friends are up to...and getting texts about it. Pretty neat. Find me and follow me! www.twitter.com/nikkidunsieth

This is quite wordy, guess I had a lot to say...God Bless!! :)

Gym, Paint, and Gardens

Surprisingly we have been very productive lately! :) Today, we joined Planet Fitness! I am excited about going to workout. I've been eating salads for a while now and this weight is NOT budging. Ever since I started taking birth control pills, I've gained about 25 pounds and it WILL NOT budge. I am hoping some good workouts will do the trick. They also have tanning beds there so I hope to be back to my bronze self soon. I just hope I can make myself go everyday!

We have also been painting since Saturday. We painted the living room a light tannish color and the kitchen an olive color. Kirklands was having a sale so I got some stuff to go on the walls. I am happy with our progress. If we're going to be here a while, we might as well make it look good. Now if we could only replace the flooring, get a new stove, and replace the cabinets and countertops...

My dad, grandmother, uncle, and us have also started a garden. :) They planted peas and Wes and I planted lettuce and are going to plant the tomatoes soon. The tomatoes are still in pots right now. We hope to grow our own salad stuff since that's like all we eat. lol. It feels good that we have been so productive lately. :) Thanks for reading!

Wes Got A Job!!

As most of you know, Wes just got finished a few weeks ago teaching at Coosa Valley Academy. He was hired as an emergency hire so he could only teach 6 months. They invited him back, but to be honest, the pay was terrible. Ever since he tutored with Autaguaville and brought their graduation exam passing scores up 80%, they have shown a great interest in hiring him. He is tutoring with them again this summer. One day this week while Wes was turtoring, he was called in for an interview with Autuaguaville (this was not planned and he was wearing jeans and flip flops, so I actually had to turn around from going to school and get him some clothes, lol). Well.........THEY HIRED HIM!! :D He is going to be the Junior/Senior math teacher! Because his degree is not in math, he is only going to be hired for 1 year. If he passes his math Praxis, then he will probably be able to stay. If he does not, he still has a chance of staying on as a Social Studies teacher. Please pray for us! I'm ready for us to have some job security! I'm proud of you Wes!! :) (Oh, he might also be able to coach, too.)

Feels Like Summatime...

Pete in the Pool at my Mom's

This is sort of an update on what's going on with us Dunsieths. We are still living in Eclectic in my dad's trailer. Thankfully, we have no roommates as of Friday! Whoo Hoo! (Not that I don't love my brother...) My brother moved to my mom's house in Auburn and his friend Josh moved to his own trailer. It feels nice to be alone again. Wes and I have started cleaning out this place (BIG job) and hopefully will have a yard sale soon (shooting for Saturday). We are also going to try to start painting, fixing some things, and eventually doing the flooring. We figured we'll probably be here a while longer than we thought so we might as well start fixing up some stuff. I guess our goal is to fix this place up and stay in it maybe another 6months- a year. I'll be graduating in Spring of 2010 (finally) and Wes will HOPEFULLY be getting a better job soon, so hopefully we can start looking at houses within 6months- a year. Please pray for us. We are both taking classes this summer and Wes will be tutoring again at Autaguaville High School and will probably get another part-time job. I will be babysitting some and might be tutoring as well. The Autaguaville principal really likes Wes and has already told him that he'd find a job for him in the Fall at the school...we shall see...don't want to get our hopes up yet again. I am very excited about graduating soon and having my own classroom. I even started a little website for my classroom. Haha. You can view it here if you so please: http://mrsdunsieth.blogspot.com/. I guess I kinda feel like Wes does...I asked him one night what is different from what he thought marriage would be like and he said "Well, I guess I just thought we'd have a house and good jobs." It definitely does NOT just fall into your lap like you imagine it to. We are really having to be patient and wait on the Lord's timing for all these things. It's quite hard. We are just thankful that my dad lets us stay here for practically free. Like Paul said "I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am." (Philippians 4:11) And that is the attitude we are trying to take.

Jon & Kate Splitting Up??

I must say that I am so depressed after tonight's episode. Before I saw the awkward turtle episode tonight, I really thought I knew what was happening between them. I have seen the latest interviews--including the explosive one with Kate's brother and sister-in-law--and really thought I knew whose side I was on. But now...I am CONFUSED! Kate seemed very sad and hurt, but Jon really didn't seem too fazed. Kate was, as usual, very self-righteous and unabashed...but...something was raw and real in her eyes. On the other hand, Jon was quite rude and blatant. I just don't know what to think anymore. The way they were talking was like they have already decided it is over. MAN was it awkward! They barely talked and the mood was so grim! I heard that in order for them to continue with this season, they have to have marital counseling...I sure hope they do. I don't know why I'm so obsessed, but I just hate to see such a marriage go down the toilet. It is so sad! I REALLY hope they can wake up to reality here and get their heads on straight. Get back together Jon and Kate! :( I guess I almost feel like they are family. I want to just call them up or something...or bap them on the head. Sigh. I guess we'll see what happens. I just wish they had come out and said what the heck was really going on...

6 Months

Friday marked our 6 month-a-versary of being married. Little did I know we were celebrating. :) I awoke to see little post-it notes. Wes was already awake and in the living room. I read the first post-it and it said "I love everything about you. Even what you consider flaws. You are my other half. Happy 6 months. I have a surprise for you." The rest were clues that led me around the house to finally my underwear drawer. lol. In it was a sweet card where he wrote how much our marriage meant to him. At the end he wrote "Now get ready, you have an appointment at the nail salon, the tanning salon, and Dawson's." (Dawson's is a favorite restaurant of ours) So my awesome husband took me to get my nails done (pedi, mani, and eyebrows), to get a spray tan, and to eat at one of our favorite restaurants. He is so amazing! He knew I was in a wedding this weekend and needed some of that done and he knew it had been a while since I had treated myself to any of that since we are on such a tight budget. It was a much needed day of relaxation and pampering. He patiently waited for me all day and did everything he could to make my day great. I am just so blessed to have such an incredibly awesome husband!! :) I love you, Wes, and I look forward to a million anniversaries with you! :)

Jon and Kate (I just had to...)

Wes and I have been following the recent developments of Jon and Kate. We've been watching the show since we've been together (Wes, not so voluntarily, lol). We have taken their story as a lesson to ourselves. It is SO easy to take each other for granted! (Especially if you've got a smash hit show on TLC, a 1.3 million dollar house, and all the fame that follows.) In my opinion their relationship has been spiraling down for a while now. Just by body language and the way they talk (and yell) proves it. While Wes and I definitely have fights of our own, I hope I am NEVER so blind to not see his discomfort or his drifting away like Kate has. Just watching the episodes and her explosive selfishness makes ME feel bad! I wonder if she ever looks at herself objectively (YouTube--Jon and Kate "ugly moments"). After watching those, I began to reflect on my own attitudes and choice of words in my own relationship. How can she ignore all of this is beyond me...maybe she justifies it in her own mind.
Jon seems to be a very submissive person who just wants everyone to be happy (this is just my opinion based off of almost every episode of their show, I do not by any means know him personally). Kate has ran him over time and time again to where he is just exhausted and ready to give up. As evident from last season's finale, Jon is ready to quit this fiasco and go back to normal life. While it is true what they said, they really can't ever go back, Jon is crying out for Kate to see what this is doing to him. Seemingly, she doesn't care. She said that SHE wanted to keep going. From a wife's point of view, WAKE UP KATE! You're husband is dying! When's the last time you've cared about HIS needs? Kate says that her main priority is the kids. Maybe this was the mistake to begin with. From all the pastors and bible studies I've heard, it is your husband that comes first, then your kids. Don't get me wrong, children are SUPER important and are definitely a HUGE priority! But in my beliefs, it is the husband and wife relationship that is the ROCK and foundation of the family. If that crumbles, the whole family falls. That has definitely been my experience in my own family--my parents divorced when I was 15 years old. Just looking at all the stuff Kate's OWN BROTHER is saying (http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2009/05/exclusive-new-interview-kate-gosselins-family-blasts-tv-mom) is just proof that the Gosselin family is just spinning out of control. I mean a contract that they can see other people as long as they continue filming? WhAt??!! I mean, are you kidding me? And Kate still says "everything I do is for my children". Um...maybe not... I, by no means, know this family personally, but from what I have seen, I am definitely taking notes and lessons for my own marriage. NO marriage is perfect, but we can strive to be the best we can. God compares his realtionship to us to marriage. Now that I am married, I can definitely see why. Marriage is a commitment. It is a choice, a commitment, a decision, a way of life. Everyone is going to have bad days. Everyone has stressful situations. Marriage IS hard. I am NOT going to pretend that it's not. BUT, in the end it is a vow, a commitment, and a choice. I choose to love Wes everyday for who he is despite my stresses and disappointments. YES, there are days that are super hard! We have even talked about how terribly HARD it would be if 8 kids were involved. BUT, just as God chooses to love us no matter what and never forsake or turn his back on us, so should husband and wives. I am sure there are times God is wondering why in the world He created me and why He gave his only Son for my horrible, terrible sins, BUT it is a love and commitment that is deeper than anything in this world. I do not know Jon and Kate, but I feel I have sort of gotten to know them and their family through their show and I just pray for the sake of their marriage and their children (their REAL life) and their influence on others, that they wake up and see the light. I pray God does a big work in their lives. No one is perfect. God still loves them of course! And I am sure He is hurting just as bad as we are to watch them go down the toilet. I just keep thinking that years from now we're going to see their children in an interview with Oprah about how psychologically affected they are. :( C'mon and see what you are doing Jon and Kate! I know the fame is tempting (I can only imagine), but remember Who you are living for and live for Him! This has just been on my mind for the last couple of days. Thanks for reading. Their story can definitely be something to learn from, I just pray they see things before it is too late.

Super Wife

This is sort of a continuation of my last blog. I just want to say thanks to my wonderful husband for being so great and loving! As stated in my previous blog, I was in kind of a funk all month. Finally I realized that I was really putting too much pressure on myself to be perfect. My husband finally told me that I DON'T have to be super wife. He said he does not care if the dishes, laundry, etc. gets done...all he wants if for me to be happy. He made some great points about spending days together instead of worrying about every little detail. He also said you never know when your last day will be, so spend it in happiness and love. He was totally right. I was pressuring myself to be the perfect wife and to Wes, I already was. He accepts me for who I already am and not who I should be. This was just an amazing moment between us. He reminded me that he married me because of the person I already was. He made me feel so good and normal! lol! Anyway, I know I'm rambling, I just felt like I needed to write this. Thank you Wes! I love you!