Infection

So I'm sorry that I haven't been commenting a lot lately...I really haven't felt very well, and have been zoning out.

Last night Nate got home from work and decided he was taking me to Urgent Care because I have been sick for over a week and my ear plugged up Sunday and was still plugged yesterday. So come to find out, I have my very first ear infection I've ever had. Which has made my congestion not go away...anyway I'm wonderful antibiotics, but when we got in the car to go to Urgent Care the car wouldn't start. It wasn't even turning over, so needless to say, we are blessed beyond words that my parents are within driving distance and they came, my dad helped Nate fix the car [which ended up getting a new battery] and my mom went with me to Urgent Care. So I got medicine the car is running nicer with a new battery and all is settled in the Bernock household again. God certainly is good.

Today I bought a new dress, [with my awesome gift card I got for a contest at work] for the Passover Seder it's purple and can be dressed up or down. I plan on saving a little and buying this fabulous scarf to go with it, and hopefully will find a nice cover up sweater type thing. It's floor length and gorgeous I'm so excited. Also some tights I've been wanting went down to $3.99 and a shirt I have been wanting to get Nathan since it came in got marked down to $9.99 it was so cool b/c there was only one more of my size dress left, the only one left of the shirt was Nathan's size and there was only one pair of tights left, an amazing shopping day it was! So off to rest, my friend Brandi is coming over tomorrow for a couple of hours to catch up and resting the rest of tomorrow. =] Hopefully next week I will be able to catch up on all your blogs I've missed and until then know I'm thinking about you.

MUAH

Easter Preperations

So April is knocking and I'm astounded at how time is just flying! This year has been a year of getting back on our feet, making tough decisions, within and reguarding others. It's a tough thing standing up for what you know is right when those whom you love don't understand, and yet it still must be done. So you look forward and focus on the good things like Easter!



I've never been a huge Easter celebrater, which may surprise some of you. However, I was always super thankful for Jesus and His sacrifice, I just never got into decorations very much on my own and after my Aunt died, well we didn't really do anything huge in our family about it...since she died shortly after Easter. I suppose maybe it was something inside of me that still felt guilty about the last time I saw my aunt...[on Easter] who knows! But I've moved past it whatever it was and am more excited about Easter than ever before! I think a lot has to do with the church we are going to, like I said before they are having a Passover Seder, which is a huge feast like the one that Jesus had when He announced His death to His disciples. Nathan and I bought tickets already, we get to dress up, and although we were hoping the whole family would be able to go, it's not really looking like that's a possibility due to the price, but I'm excited for us to go either way. Then we are also going to a Sunrise service on Easter morning! I'm sooo pumped! There are two different ones we have to choose between, our radio station is having one at Sea World and after we heard about that one we found out our church was having one as well. So we are deciding. My mom and I are making a big dinner, we invited my cousin and her boyfriend, and my mom's friend Beth...anyway it's going to be great!



I also get the magazine Country Living and I found an inexpensive craft I going to do, so I can start adding to my Easter decorations! It's a Almond Joy Wreath they called it...I'm very excited to make it! I love wreaths! So I will have to take plenty of pictures and show you my creation and how it all turns out!

Meanwhile, other than Easter decorations and fighting sickness, we have been looking at houses a lot lately, we are praying for favor so we can buy one! I'm excited to have a garden and have something we can add on to, paint and that will be ours. Something we won't be flushing rent down the drain with. =] So any prayers you want to throw at us for that would be greatly appreciated!

So any fun Eater projects going on in your homes? Hope to hear about them!
Have a blessed end of March and a Fabulous Beginning to your April!

Learning

Hey there. Still sick here. Stayed over at my rents house Sunday and Monday night. Went to ladies night on Monday with my mum...didn't care if I felt like crap and it was worth it. Sunday's sermon was amazing and was about excuses.

Our new church is amazing because it acknowledges the power the enemy has but it also acknowledges the responsibility we have for our own lives and I love that, the getting a little kick on the butt on Sunday morning is what I want, b/c I want to grow! I learned this weekend that always focusing on my flaws and how I need to change is still thinking about myself all the time and I need to be thinking about others! Wowzer, if you stop and think about that for a sec it will hit you too. So yeah Sunday was about excuses. You can go on vacations if you save money for them, you can do this or that...it's just about what's important to you. It was really amazing to say the least.

I also realized that I just need to step back from my relationships with my inlaws take a breath a break and start over. So much of our relationship I feel is built on bad first impressions. So I personally am focused on trying to get that picture out of my head and trying to prove that I'm not that person they have a first picture about, instead of just being myself. God is my defender. So I need to step away from the mess...that I have helped create and just breathe and start over again. I'm determined for this to work and I need a new approach. Please pray for me that it all works out. It's so hard standing up for what you know is the right thing when you know you will be misunderstood. I hate being misunderstood but I have to realize and accept that it's going to happen and I will just have to work my way through it. I can't betray myself.

So anyway got to jet b/c I think I got what Nathan had a couple of weeks ago and I seem to be getting worse instead of better...I was instructed to rest rest and rest some more. =] So good nite folks talk to you soon.

-Sarah

A Little Catchup

Just wanted to check in and let you all know I'm still alive...I've been really bad about blogging lately, a lot of drama that I'm trying to clean up and out of my life. It's tough making decisions telling the truth and standing for what you believe in, trying not to be judgemental, but still not just turning a blind eye...it's even harder when you are misunderstood, or when you start blaming yourself for ALL of it hoping that will make it all better. But the truth is sometimes you are meant to walk away with the other person unhappy with you, misunderstanding...and you have to continue to work on yourself, hear God's voice and let Him do your defending for you.

So I'm not feeling well...fighting off getting sick so I'm about to zonk myself out with some Nyquil after I'm done writing this and have a bowl of soup.

Nate and I are doing fabulous in our marriage...which is such a success story since we were really hitting some rough patches there for awhile. We are finding rest in life. Choosing not worry about how things will end up, focusing on today! We've been walking together! Which has been amazing, because it's cheering me up a ton, a lot of people are noticing that I've lost weight now, and we get that quality time even if it's just for 15 minutes between Nate's jobs...he's giving me that time while the sun is still up and it means the world to me.

You know how I've been wanting a puppy? Well I found some a little more inexpensive and still the kind I want....so I'm praying that shortly after our move I can get one! =]

Tomorrow I have work. Sunday, I'm dropping Nate off at work, heading to church with the rents, registering for the Passover Sader!!! oh yeah...and hanging out with the fam till I go pick Nate up and we get to hang out in the evening. Then Monday, I head back out to Lakeland for the women's night at church, Nate told me I need to go, and I'm dragging my mom along. We are going to have a great time, stepping a tad bit out of our comfort zone. I always tend to hate the before part...a couple of days before I'm supposed to hang out with someone or go somewhere I find reasons why I shouldn't go, or just completely dread it, but after I get there, I flourish, making friends with every person that steps in my path, I leave feeling refreshed and fullfilled I need to remind myself of that on Sunday...but so far so good, I'm excited. Probably because Nate and my dad have now been to two Men's nights and simply gush about them afterwards. =] I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh and for those of you who were praying for my friends Steve and Kim. I'm sorry to let you know that Steve did pass away, on March 8th. His wife his obviously having a hard time with it, being in a house all on her own now with so much more life to live. So if you could just please keep lifting her up. She is so much stronger than I have ever seen a woman. Rejoicing in the gain of her husband, to be in heaven. But now is the time where things are really hitting her so to speak and she needs some extra strength. Thank you friends.

Talk to you more later.

St. Patrick's Day

So after I wore green all day, ate some cornbeef and had some Guiness...Nathan and I wanted to know where all this hoop-la began about St. Patrick's Day, I'm sure I've heard it before but I looked it up and thought you might find it interesting. I found this information on: http://wilstar.com/holidays/patrick.htm

The person who was to become St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Wales about AD 385. His given name was Maewyn, and he almost didn't get the job of bishop of Ireland because he lacked the required scholarship.

Far from being a saint, until he was 16, he considered himself a pagan. At that age, he was sold into slavery by a group of Irish marauders that raided his village. During his captivity, he became closer to God.

He escaped from slavery after six years and went to Gaul where he studied in the monastery under St. Germain, bishop of Auxerre for a period of twelve years. During his training he became aware that his calling was to convert the pagans to Christianity.

His wishes were to return to Ireland, to convert the native pagans to Christianity. But his superiors instead appointed St. Palladius. But two years later, Palladius transferred to Scotland. Patrick, having adopted that Christian name earlier, was then appointed as second bishop to Ireland.

Patrick was quite successful at winning converts. And this fact upset the Celtic Druids. Patrick was arrested several times, but escaped each time. He traveled throughout Ireland, establishing monasteries across the country. He also set up schools and churches which would aid him in his conversion of the Irish country to Christianity.

His mission in Ireland lasted for thirty years. After that time, Patrick retired to County Down. He died on March 17 in AD 461. That day has been commemorated as St. Patrick's Day ever since.

Much Irish folklore surrounds St. Patrick's Day. Not much of it is actually substantiated.

Some of this lore includes the belief that Patrick raised people from the dead. He also is said to have given a sermon from a hilltop that drove all the snakes from Ireland. Of course, no snakes were ever native to Ireland, and some people think this is a metaphor for the conversion of the pagans. Though originally a Catholic holy day, St. Patrick's Day has evolved into more of a secular holiday.

One traditional icon of the day is the shamrock. And this stems from a more bona fide Irish tale that tells how Patrick used the three-leafed shamrock to explain the Trinity. He used it in his sermons to represent how the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit could all exist as separate elements of the same entity. His followers adopted the custom of wearing a shamrock on his feast day.

The St. Patrick's Day custom came to America in 1737. That was the first year St. Patrick's Day was publicly celebrated in this country, in Boston.

Today, people celebrate the day with parades, wearing of the green, and drinking beer. One reason St. Patrick's Day might have become so popular is that it takes place just a few days before the first day of spring. One might say it has become the first green of spring.

Pretty neat eh? I thought so. Hope you all had a Happy St. Patrick's Day!

An Amazing Church Family

I just can't say enough how much I love life right now! =] Things are amazing!
Although I can't share all of them right now, I would love to gush about our church. We are having the most amazing time! We went bowling with them on Friday night, which was a blast. Last night we went to a special Sunday night service, Christians United with Israel a night to honor Israel it was AMAZING! We saw John Hagee speak and General Consulate of Israel in Miami...yeah it was really cool. The choir even did a song in Hebrew, which was very impressive.

The thing I most excited about though, is Good Friday, apparently they do a Passover Sader, an actual Passover feast, it's a five course meal, they have dancing and it provides a better understanding of communion. Anyway we are SOOOO pumped to go! Lord willing we will go as a family, as my brother has agreed to go and we will sign up on Sunday! =]

Also in the month of April there are a few other things like young adults group we are going to go to it's called uncut, we are excited to meet other people our age, we already have connected with a few people through facebook that we met at the bowling night. This really is the most amazing thing, b/c Nathan and I have never had a home church together, we have visited churches and have stayed for awhile, but never anything like this, it's really an amazing feeling.

Like I said there are a lot more fun things going on in life right now, and I will be sure to tell you all, when I know more. =]

Blessings to you.

A Visit from a Friend

So these are just a couple of pictures from the hundreds...it was an AMAZING week! So many things to do, so many things happening for Nathan and me...life is good and I'm truly finding that place of rest inside of myself. Thank God, for hope.

Me laying on Cocoa Beach

Michelle at Busch Gardens with the Stiltwalkers.

Michelle and Me at Clearwater Beach

Us at Universal City Walk

I'll try and post more pictures later...sorry I was gone for so long. Tomorrow, I have a doctor appointment and we are going bowling with our church! It's going to be a blast...the whole day with my hubby! Tonight I have to work then we are watching Heroes before hitting the hay. Life is so good, and something amazing has happened that I never thought would, I like living in Florida. [wowzer!] It is SO amazing loving where you are at in life...and right now life is just getting better and better.

Talk to you later!

Raspberry Kamikaze Sexiness

So...The Bachelor was a major disappointment. Saturday I met Amanda from the last season of the Bachelor and she had told me that this was going to happen. Grrr....the Jimmy Kimmel interview helped me a lot though, b/c turns out he had to break up with her on tv because of the contract they had...that's a bummer and I felt bad for him, but only a little b/c I liked Melissa WAY more than I liked Molly but I really do hope that he gets his happily ever after ending.

Meanwhile, I went tanning yesterday, the first time in years! It was amazing and free, which always makes it better. The first three visits are free...how awesome is that. =] It made me miss the days I tanned on a regular basis, being tan just makes me feel so much more sexy that and I lost ANOTHER pound! I am on a roll! Losing weight, doing crunches, tanning, and....I put some color in my hair...Raspberry Kamikaze. It looks amazing! Here are the pictures:

My Mom let me put some in her hair too! She is so awesome!

Now I'm just getting ready for a BUSY week with my friend Michelle who gets in tomorrow and trying to nurse my husband back to health, yucky tummy and a fever is no fun!

Please forgive my absence if I'm not back on here until next week! =]