Giving Thanks {my cliché title}

Sorry I have been so busy & have neglected my blogging duties! The move is over...FINALLY! Thanks to some amazing friends that didn't mind wasting their Friday night to help us move!! Thank you so much David & Robin, we are so grateful to God for you :) Saturday we had LOTS of cleaning to do at the old place & Derek's family was a major help to us. Momee & Gramps helped out so much & his cousin Shaela was such a blessing! We are very thankful that we have all of them nearby.

After all of the lifting, moving, & unpacking we did, my body hated me! I think I pushed myself way too far. I just wanted everything done so fast & I didn't take time & rest when I felt tired. Another addition were all of the crazy chemicals that I used to clean with Saturday, I think I had some sort of reaction to the fumes or something because my face was horribly broke out & I had what felt like a cold Sunday morning. I was really upset that I couldn't go to church but my body desperately needed a rest. We put our Christmas Tree up Sunday afternoon & it felt so nice & Christmasyy because it was chilly out & I had a vanilla cookie candle going while Derek made dinner. I just LOVE this time of year!

We are heading to Dallas tonight with his family & I'm so excited! I will miss getting to see my family though :) Derek's aunt & cousins live in Texas & his Grandma is a HUGE Dallas Cowboys fan. She got his entire family are so passionate about The Boys! Haha I love it, my family was never into sports all that much so its super exciting for me to get to be a part of one that is. When we first started dating it was a given that I had to become a fan lol. &&& I most certainly did! I love all of the excitement when game day comes. Last year he proposed on Thanksgiving day at the Game & it was so precious ;) I love how much we enjoy that time together but I am constantly reminded of how many people around the world worship teams like that but show little or no worship to God. It hurts my heart. Now I love football, & I don't feel convicted about enjoying it or getting excited during the game but I do see it a problem when I put my obsession with ANYTHING, including sports, above my worship for Christ.

I know I'm writing alot but I don't care haha. Another thing that has been on my heart...Last night while Derek was praying {which is precious, I love his prayers} I couldn't help but think about this part in Crazy Love by Francis Chan-

"Haven’t we all prayed the following prayer? Lord, we pray for safety as we travel. We ask that no one gets hurt on this trip. Please keep everyone safe until we return, and bring us back safely. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen. The exact wording may vary a bit, but that is the standard prayer we recite before leaving on mission trips, retreats, vacations, and business trips. We are consumed by safety. Obsessed with it, actually. Now, I’m not saying it is wrong to pray for God’s protection, but I am questing how we’ve made safety our highest priority. We’ve elevated safety to the neglect of whatever God’s best is, whatever would bring God the most glory, or whatever would accomplish His purposes in our lives and in the world. Would you be willing to prayer this prayer? God, bring me closer to You during this trip, whatever it takes..."

This spoke so much to me when I read it this summer {while on vacation} & God brought it to my attention again while we are about to go on another trip. It should be my prayer daily...I hope that you desire this as much as I do this holiday season :) God bless you & yours! I pray that you let Him invade your hearts & lives, & are willing to let Him bring you closer...whatever it takes.

Oh & p.s....Heres a picture of the Pearson's 1st Christmas Tree ;) Its a little on the puny side but it was like $40 so what could we expect haha! & I added a LITTLE more too it after this pic but oh well!

New Crib ;)

Yesterday was crazy! The phones felt like they rang all day at work &....we got a new place! So we've been looking, praying, wishing for a place in a safer/better part of town for a few months but we just didn't know if we should mess with the hassle of moving into just a one bedroom if we're gonna move again in like a year. Because we planned on looking for houses to BUY when Derek graduates in May [because our lease was up in May] But we found out recently that Derek wont been done with school until next December so we wont be able to afford a 2 bedroom apt or a home until hes ALL done with school. We're totally okay with a one bedroom though; as long as we don't get preggers anytime soon haha ;)

We went to look at these new apartments across town yesterday at lunch & NEVER dreamed of moving things in that night...after Matt & Courtney's shower {haha shout out}! It ended up being the same owner that we rent from now so we dont have to pay closing costs or any of that because we're just moving into another one of his apartments. The rent isnt much more than what we pay now & the place is wayyy nicer & its brand new, like they were built only a few months ago. My favorite part is the kitchen though! Its still small but its so cute :) The location is really what sold us, its a much better part of town than where we are now. I will be honest, I didn't even feel safe walking from my car to our apartment at night at our old place. But I'm sure that has to do with me being from a small town. But there were sooo many people that warned us about the part of town that we lived in & that made it harder to feel safe. When we were looking at it yesterday {& taking goofy pics lol} I just had this nervous feeling & I said that I thought we needed to rest on it & pray about it more. Mainly because I'm a worry wort & I don't like change haha. Derek was okay with that; he is always so calm. I said I wanted to pray right then & He just grabbed me (in the apt, in the empty kitchen lol) & started praying... 

He said something along the lines of--"God, we just want to be good stewards of Your money & we don't want to jump into anything with out seeking Your will first. We feel that this is an answered prayer from You but we don't want our desires to over power what You have for us. So we just ask that You open or close the door to this opportunity & give us a peace about whatever it is that we should do." [can I just say that Jesus blessed me with such an amazing man ;)]

So we headed over to the office to just talk with them about possibilities & on the way there we thought about all of our expenses & decided that we weren't going to pay any more than $50 more than we pay now but we weren't going to tell them that (Derek is a good bargainer haha)...WELL, guess how much they offered us after we bargained for a while? $50 more than we pay now haha...I don't know about anyone else but I think thats a God thing for them to say that the lowest they can go is our "secret" amount & thats without them knowing it!

I've never been a big fan of renting because I feel like its throwing our money away & not getting anywhere but I feel like this is such an answered prayer! Its something we've been praying for & kind of worrying about for a while (which is silly, it goes back to my TRUST issue) but we are so grateful to God. I just cant stress enough that this is an answered prayer...&&& I really do have a peace about it now.

We have had some really great friends offer to help us move & that is such a major blessing in itself! We cant thank God enough for blessing us with such amazing friends.

I hope to get some cute pics of our new place after we get settled in & of course after all of my Christmas stuff is up ;)

Christmas time is coming!

I LOVE this time of year so much! Especially with the excitement of being a newlywed & getting to decorate together [He likes it, even if he doesnt like to admit it ;)]. We bought our very 1st Christmas tree last night but its still in the box. I hope it turns out to be a good one because I dont want to have to take it back! I was so giddy & ecstatic last night {seriously, I was jumping up & down in the store & on the way to the car!} that Derek said, "Wow, if I had known buying Christmas stuff would make you THIS happy I would've been buying you an ornament every day of the year!" To which I said, "Well the year isnt over yet sugar & you have next year ya know!" teehehe ;) OH & I bought a cute little tree for my desk at work at Hobby Lobby (LOVEE that place) last night. Its so adorable with its pine cones & the picture just doesnt do it justice!

We also did some MUCH needed grocery shopping last night. We're trying to eat out less & cook more but its just so hard with busy schedules. It is a must though because we blow way too much money eating out! Derek laughed so hard at me when I showed him my coupons {I only had 3! haha} last night in Walmart. He said it made him think of many topics to blog about [oh boy] haha...Sooo I kind of cheated today. I ate out because I didnt have time to go home for all of the errands that I made on my lunch break. This is what I ate...

It was AMAZING...they have the best Sweet Tea ever & their potato soup is pretty great too! So I figured if I wont be eating out for a while I should treat myself to something delish ;) Dinner tonight should be scrumptious too. We're heading to Walnut Ridge to see my family & visit the church that my Dad is starting so it should be a great night!

I'll leave you with a scripture that has been on my heart for the past couple days. The Holman Christian Standard Bible is my usual favorite but this translation really spoke to me. "You obey the law of Christ when you offer each other a helping hand by bearing one anothers burdens." Galations 6:2 (Contemporary English Version)

babies & showers...

Our Journey group is at the Baker's home on Monday nights & last night was so great. If I blogged everything that we talked about last night I would never go to lunch! But it was just a great discussion & I enjoy spending time with everyone there. It is always such a blessing to me to go every week, being around such amazing friends (more like family) is so uplifting. I look forward to it every single week! &&& their twins....Oh those precious girls! They make it even greater.

I cant wait (well I can wait haha) until we have a little one! Everything about babies has been so amazing to me lately. We have recently started helping out at in the preschool area on Sunday mornings & I just love it! At first Derek was nervous & I didnt want him to feel to pressured into helping there just because I was. So he decided to just try it out first....But after only teaching the 2 year olds twice he fell in love with it too. The little boys just LOVE him! They think he is the greatest thing :) & seeing him play & talk with them makes smile.

Oh & another thing, I am sooo excited to be able to be a small part of the wedding shower of our dear friends Matt & Courtney this week! They are adorable & I truly feel that God designed them for one another. It may seem weird that they havent dated for very long but after spending time with them the love that they have for each other is so apparent but more importantly is the love & passion they have for Christ.

Courtney's blog always inspires me (you need to write more often though dear haha) & Derek & I have had the pleasure of helping with the media & sound on Wednesday nights with Matt! We just love being around them & we look forward to seeing their marriage blossom through God :)

a great "case of the Mondays"

Burrr! This morning was so cold but I was glad to get to wear my tights & boots ;)

 

Now it really feels like its almost HOLIDAY season! Which reminds me, I have been sort of down thinking about Christmas when it comes to the decorating part this year because our apartment is so small & we really dont need to spend alot of money decorating it so I had planned on getting decorations afterwards this year so I could hit all of the great sales (which I still plan to do). Plus I need to focus more on others instead of just making my home look better. But I think I will make a trip to Hobby Lobby here pretty soon just for a FEW things because there is something about decorationg for our FIRST Christmas as the Pearson's that excites me, sooo I will have to see what I can do on a small budget!

Today has been a such great day. Thank you Lord for surrounding me with so many amazing people. I know that I say this alot but I never dreamed of loving this place as much as I do. My biggest fear was feeling alone & missing my friends & family. But God is WAY bigger than we think He is & I am so thankful that He had my parents moving close to us in His plans! It is so great being able to have lunch with them & hear all about the amazing things God is doing with their new church plant (Wellspring) I somewhat wish we werent both so musy & could visit more often but I'm gratefull for the time I get right now.

To top off the marvelous day my Daddy picked me up for lunch & that sweet Hubs of mine joined us!


 
I love these two men so much! They make me want to be a better person. Real godly men are very rare in this world & I am blessed with so many in my life.
 
We have Journey group tonight & I cant wait. It is always the highlight of my week! Yummy food, great conversation & amazing friends make Mondays feel not so...Monday :)

Busy being Lazyy

So I tried to blog more than once a week but I just dont think I am devoted enough. I seem lazy but we are sooo busy & sometimes I feel like I dont really have a night to just sit at home & blog or just chill. But I love our life right now so I wouldnt change it. We just have something going on every night but I love blogging as well so much so I will try harder to find time :) While getting ready for the A-State football game yesterday(btw we lost, such a bummer) I turned around to find this...
I think Derek got a liiittle lazy...

I asked why he was sitting in there & he said that he was just lazy & sat down to tie his shoes then realized he needed to update his Fantasy Football. Haha I love that Goob!

So tonight our church is hosting the Brandon Heath & Jars of Clay concert! Kinda excited because we played Brandon Heath's song, Love Never Fails, at our wedding. I loveeee that song soo much :)

&&& I also love THIS Jars of Clay song. So, I am very excited for tonight...Wish you could all join us! If you are ever in the Jonesboro area come & check Central out. God is doing some amazing things here at our church & we are so excited to be involved!

tuesday, i like tuesday...

Today has been a great day. I had lunch with my Daddy & that always makes for a good day! But Yesterday....Yesterday was like a quote right out of the children's book Alexander and The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. I could tell it was going to be a doozy and isn't that ridiculous! If I knew it was going to be a "want to run my car through a wall" kind of day then why didn't I just give it to God and let Him change my attitude. Probably because when I get in a rut I sometimes like to stay there. Stupid, I know but its true. I like to wallow in my sorrow a bit & feel sorry for myself before handing anything over to Him. Maybe I should throw a party next time, I'd call it Meagan's Party for Pity. I could send out invitations! Ones with tear drops on the front...haha. So I think I've gotten my point across. Yesterday was horrible. Now I wont go into detail because it involves others & that would sort of be bashing them & I'm not going to do that. Especially because it would be a very long story. But I will say that yesterday was a long time coming. Nothing really HORRIBLE happened on that particular day but since I was in a bad mood everything felt wrong. Just all of the emotions that I had been bottling up about a particular person exploded all at once when I found out a few things...while sitting at my desk...at work. To make matters worse the phone rang every five minutes so I had to keep composure every time it rang & every time a coworker walked by. Let me just say that I don't do well with that, the whole keeping composure thing.

All that to say that I have a trust issue.

I'm definitely not proud of it but I'm aware of it & honest about it. I have high expectations for people & especially myself. I feel crushed when people let me down & I take EVERYTHING personally. I try to fix every problem that I face. Whether its my problem or someone else's. I also wear my big fat heart on my sleeve & expect everyone to walk around it & not bump into it when its sticking out in everyones way. I cry too often & expect everyone to ignore it & not look at my tears. I'm self conscious & I have VERY low self esteem but I try & act like I'm confident. I want everyone to LIKE ME & I go way too far out of my way to make sure this happens sometimes. I hate these things about me. hate HATE hate! But they all go back to that TRUST issue.

I know exactly what I need to do, its just doing it thats the tricky part. I so often lay things at God's feet just to go right back and pick them up 5 mins later. I just desperately need to have more trust in Christ & stop trying to fix the problems myself. In Crazy Love, Francis Chan says "But God doesn't call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn't come through.." Thats my problem, I rely on myself so much & I make sure I can handle any situation I go through. I'm tired of being strong. I'm tired of holding up this front. I just want to run to His arms & cry & let Him hold me & mold me into the masterpiece that He WANTS. Because how am going to be used by Him to pour into others lives if I struggle to break away & do my own thing the entire time. That would be like a pitcher of water trying to walk away while I pour it into someone else's cup. The water would go everywhere & no one would be satisfied; the pitcher would be empty & the cup would go away thirsty for what could have been a blessing.

There has been a song on my heart for quite some time. I've mentioned it alot in my tweets & its on my playlist below. I really want to focus on the lyrics. It doesn't really have anything to do with what I've been blabbing about but it is such an amazing song & I hope that anyone that reads this sits down & truly listens to the beauty in his words. This song puts me in a good mood. It reminds me of how petty all of these little things that I worry about are & how amazing & magical & BEAUTIFUL Christ is & how amazing His creations are. I dont know if this post makes any sense but above all else, focus on His beauty & let Him mold you. So if you will, go listen to the video below...& I mean LISTEN :)

Blessings

I have been blown away these past couple months....God has blessed us in so many ways & I don't feel that I vocalize His blessings as much as I should. When we moved 3 hours away from home we were excited but also very scared. See, I've always been such a homebody & before we married I became very close to my parents. I didn't like the thought of having an entirely new world. The new job was nerve racking enough let alone new friends, church, house, everything! I was a bit of a pessimist at first; thank goodness Derek was so comforting & understanding. He was so positive & it got me excited. He is such a MAJOR gift to me. I truly feel that God designed him just for me; he makes up for all of the things I lack. I surprised him with a date night Thrursday to kind of thank him for being so great to me; little did I know, he had homework! But oh well ;) We had so much fun! The date wasn't extravagant or anything but the conversations were precious. I just love talking with him, we had such a great time. I know this is mushy but I just LOVE married life!

Another thing I'm so grateful for is our group of friends that seem to have came out of the woodworks all at the same time! Its seriously a bit creepy how amazing God works. He has brought so many great people into our lives that we didn't know we needed so desperately. When we moved here in June we started praying for friends. Now I know that seems a bit odd because society would say that if you want friends just go out & make some. But I wanted Him to direct us to people that were passionate for Him & that would not only help us grow individually but help us flourish as a couple. &&& OMGoodness that has happened!!! Many of them are married or about to be but even the people in our Journey Group that may not be going through the same things we are have been so amazing to be around. Its so great to have friends that have a hunger for God & His plan. Its such a blessing to have deep relationships with others that I feel are going to last for such a long time. We love this community & our church family so much & I couldn't have dreamed of a better group of friends.

#GOVOTE

I've heard it said many times before that it is my privilege as an American to vote. And I completely agree, but isn't it more than just a privilege? I feel like its a calling, I have a voice & by choosing not to vote for whatever reason it may be is silencing myself. I remember growing up my parents would get irritated when they would talk to certain members of our family that chose not to vote yet griped & complained about how horrible this government is & how such & such needs to be changed. Therefore, I stand by my parents when they say that if you choose to not vote, that is fine, its your decision. But by doing so you give up your rights to belly-ache about those certain things that you could've had the power to change. I turn 23 in January & in the past near 5 years I don't think I've missed an election. My dad always kept me posted on what was going on & it usually intrigued me so I never forgot to go to the polls. I want to focus on my dad for just a second. Even though he has very strong opinions, he has always pushed us girls to learn about politics on our own & to not vote for someone just because he did or just because Daddy thinks hes the right candidate. On that note, I think alot of my dad & his views. Although we disagree on some things, as far back as I can remember I have had the same opinions as he when it comes to politics.

This part makes me sick---We got married this past June & moved to a different county, which means that in order to vote here I needed to register in this county...Well you've probably guessed it, both Derek & I forgot to. My dad sent me a friendly reminder text over a month ago encouraging us to go register, but with everything going on we somehow forgot. This makes me so extremely irate at myself. I don't know why but I was looking forward to voting this time more than usual. Probably because I'm married now & feel all grown up. But nevertheless, I'll be biting my tongue when politics get brought up. So please vote & if you aren't registered, please go & do so as soon as you can. We all have a voice & I pray that you use yours accordingly. I also pray that you not only focus on candidates that might possibly benefit yourself but those that you feel are lead by God & will glorify Him.

"...praying this election won't benefit a political party, but the unborn, the poor, the hurting, & a confused society" Ed Stetzer