Catch up!

I'm sitting here at my desk, completely unfocused on the things I should be focused on. It's been so long since I've written, I just haven't made the time for it, yet I've missed it so much. So, I figured today would be a great day to get back into it! We're finally over the dreadful Minnesota winter! Spring has sprung and I am so happy about that! If I had to look at one more pile of brown snow I think I would have gone over the edge! I can say one thing for certain, I miss Nevada and I have every intention on moving back to that region sooner rather than later!

Things are going well. I have a great job and I KNOW that I am blessed to have it! They are really good to me and in turn I work very hard for them *minus this time that I'm taking to write this* I have been "promoted" from Administrative Coordinator to Property Manager/Accounts Receivable. I enjoy it and it's a really great feeling to be working and contributing!

Things with Mark and me are really great. As I'm writing this we only have 45 days until our wedding! The planning is going really well and I'm so excited about it :) I think it's going to be absolutely beautiful, but it's going to be so much fun too! I'm so ready to be Mrs. Cate! I love him so much and let me tell you, that was put to the test last week in a major way! Here we were, week 4 of Rene leaving us alone completely! We had the kids still but she didn't have any communication with Mark, it was refreshing! Then, 2 Sundays ago she must have taken a lot of happy pills because she was over the top nice to him for no reason. I warned him that this was just another game, but the sweet trusting man that he is just didn't agree. So he played nice too! We argued about it for 4 days! Now, when I say argue, I don't mean yelling, screaming, calling names, throwing things etc. No, that was my past marriage, not this relationship with Mark. Nope, we argue by me giving Mark the silent treatment for a while or visa versa and then we just sit and hash it out. Then on Wednesday I looked at him and said "I actually don't know why I am even upset about this! I just need to let her run her nice course, because we both know it will be over in 2 weeks and it will go back to the way it was" And when I say she plays the nice game, I mean inviting Mark over for dinner "with the kids" but it never ends up that way...she always has something for him to do or fix or....or....or. Well, don't worry, he didn't go! So by Thursday night the nice game was over. Why? Because Mark wouldn't do something that she wanted...so to quote En Vogue it was "back to life, back to reality" Thank GOODNESS! I can handle her so much better when she is acting a fool! By Friday we just looked at each other, laughed and talked about how great it is that we have the kind of relationship that can handle that. Even though we were arguing all week, we weren't angry with each other. And we came thru it just fine. It was a great feeling. We now have a great schedule set up that she has agreed upon. It allows for us to have some time on our off time (weekends) without the kids.

So, now it's back to wedding planning! I get my ring today and I am SO excited! This man is my hero, I am so happy to be spending the rest of my life with him. I went to his moms grave side on Sunday. I sat there on the grass and talked to her. She adopted Mark when he was only a few days old. Then she convinced her husband (Mark's adopted father) to move from Arizona to Minnesota. So I sat there and thanked her for wanting him, thanked her for bringing him to Minnesota when he was a little boy and thanked her for raising such a wonderful man. See, if she hadn't wanted him, Mark and I would not have met each other. It's pretty amazing. Next I need to make a trip to Arizona (which I know I won't have to twist Mark's arm too hard for that!) so I can go to his birth mom's grave. I need to thank her too.

I'm pretty sure I'll post again within the next week. Bill's one year mark is approaching and I am starting to get very emotional about it. So I'm sure I'll be writing!

Crazy Busy Times

The past couple of weeks have been insane to say the least! I started my new job as a property manager and LOVE it! Last Sunday night *Feb 7* we had a big snow storom, on Monday morning I left for work...made it about ten miles down the freeway, spun out and got T-boned by another car! I was so shaken up, it was my first wreck EVER! I ended up bruising my left kidney, cracking one of my ribs and two more were out of place, not to mention my neck and shoulder! But all in all I was SO lucky, my guardian angel was watching over me for sure! So, I was out of work for an entire week. My boss was absolutely amazing, I mean seriously, I had only worked there a week and she told me not to worry, that I could take as much time as I needed and my job would be waiting for me! AWESOME!! I'm doing better, still quite sore but I'm on the way to being 100% again...and the most exciting part for me? The fact that I was in so much pain and made it thru without taking ANY pain killers!!!! I'm coming up on 18 months clean too!!

Mark and I have had the kids quite a bit in the past two weeks also. Their mom has decided she could care less if I'm around...really it's just because she doesn't want to deal with the kids, so she has discovered it is easier for us to have them...it's just fine with me!! We have such a wonderful time with them when they come over! Despite their surroundings at her house, they are very well mannered kids!! We take them to church every Sunday and they really enjoy it. I help Liza with her homework, give them baths *which they only get at our house* we cook together etc...it's just a really good experience for all involved!

So, I am very pleased with the way life is going. Now to just work on Shayne a little bit! The boys are doing very well though! I talk to them every day....I miss them so much. It really hurts. But, this is just a season!

There are a lot of changes happening....the biggest? We are getting married....SOON! I'll post as things happen :) My family will be coming to MN for the wedding too! Even little Miss Sassy *My neice* I CAN'T wait to marry this man! I am truly truly blessed beyond measure!!!!

Changes

Well, it's been a few days since I've written. It's been so busy! I am working...and absolutely loving it! My job is never the same and it's always busy! That's a really great thing! I enjoy it! Mark and I have gotten to spend a lot of time together this week. He came here on Sunday night, then back on Monday night, then back last night. Last night we went to Celebrate Recovery...it was so great! The message was on Sanity and accountability! After, we went to dinner. He decided it was just time to let Rene in on the status of us. He called her and just told her we are together and that's the way it is. That she doesn't have to like it and that he is NOT asking her for her approval. She threw her typical fit, insisted that he is making a huge mistake and on and on....when he was done we both looked at each other and started smiling! We both felt like we had this huge weight lifted off of us! I have to tell you, this has been a long road, and in some ways the longest part of it has been in the past several days. When Mark came up on Sunday night, we went to Chili's to have some dinner. There he looked at me and told me exactly how he felt. Told me that he loves me more than he has ever loved another person other than his kids. Told me he would never hurt me again, never walk away again. He explained more why he did what he did a few months ago. I understood it, but I was still cautious. He told me that Rene has no hold on his heart anymore, which is something he was honest about when we were together before. He was very open about the fact that he still loved her. Now, that is gone. He told me I have ALL of him for the first time. I sat there wanting to believe it so much. And a big part of me did, but there was still that part of me that was guarding myself. As we sat at Chili's, he said "we need to make a trip to Seattle very soon" I asked him why and he said because he owes my mom an apology and a big hug. So, we called my mom...we both talked to her and he made a commitment to her that he will take care of me and love me for the rest of our lives. Then, on the way home, he pulled the truck over and yelled at the top of his lungs how much he loves me! It was so hilarious! But so amazing too! So this is our life! We are happy, in love and doing things the right way! It's going to be a bumpy road I am sure of that, but we are in it together and we have the Lord with us too!

Beautiful...

Life is beautiful right now! I honestly can't imagine it being better! I arrived safely, late but in one piece! It wasn't too cold when I first got here, but boy oh boy has that changed! It MUST be love for me to move here in January! Yesterday it was twenty below zero! And the night before there was a blizzard advisory! So, I'm trying to stay warm!!

I went to Bill's old church on Sunday, it was great to see some people that I haven't seen in about ten years! I didn't realize how emotional it would be walking in there, but it was. I was overcome with emotion...Bill helped start that church when I was 19. I spent three years there and it was a huge part of all of our lives. But it was nice to be there. I went yesterday to Bible study. I thought it started at 8, but it was 9 so I got to join in with the prayer team. It was a very blessing experience! Then, yesterday afternoon, I went to visit River Valley, the church where me and Shayne, Mark and Rene all used to go to. When we first started going there they met in a school and had maybe 200 members. Now they are running around 3,000! They have an absolutely beautiful building too! I got to catch up with Pastor Rob and his wife Becca. They were a HUGE part of our lives back then and actually helped Shayne and I minister to Mark and Rene and lead them to Christ! It was awesome! So, Mark and I are going to start counseling with Pastor Rob next week! I am super excited about it! We are great together, but we have a lot of things to deal with, mostly Rene and we figured since he knows her and knows the situation, he can probably give us some good direction! Then, last night, I went to Celebrate Recovery there and was totally blessed! The lesson was on hope! I have so much of that right now!! I met some great women too!

Today I woke up and said out loud, I'm expecting things to happen today Lord! And they are! Things are happening and it couldn't be better! I have a job interview at 2 today and am going by another office to give my resume. I know a girl who works there and they are looking to hire immediately! It's exciting times right now!!

Mark will be moving into his place on Monday and will stay there for a couple of months until we can calm things down with Rene, so I will spend most of my time there. It's funny how the time apart and heartache made us grow so much closer! It's awesome!

Thanks for all of your prayers, they are working!!

This is IT!!!!

Well, today is the day that my life will change FOREVER! As I sit here writing this, I still have a hard time actually believing it is happening! I am sitting here completely amazed and in awe of how God is working in both my life and Mark's. This is right, there is zero doubt about that in me today! I have spent many hours over the past two weeks praying about this situation. And I have complete and total peace! For those of you who know both of us, you know that we are probably the most spontanious people on the face of the earth....not so much individually, ok well maybe Mark is, but I'm not. But together, we are! I mean, how many times did we wake up, look at each other and say "hey, roadtrip?" Yeah, a lot! So today is no different! I wasn't supposed to go there for another week, but this morning during our daily morning phone call and cup of coffee together, we were talking about how much we were missing each other and Mark said, "babe, the day isn't over, you can still get on a plane" and all I could say was, "today? Seriously?" Now, why I had to actually ask him if he was serious is beyond me! Of course he was! He wanted me there a week ago, and it was just like him to wake up, call me and tell me to get on a plane! It wouldn't be the first time we had done something like this! So, that was it, I booked the flight! He is picking me up from the airport tonight and taking me to dinner. And someone very special will be with him too! Tommy (his 2 year old) and I haven't seen him since he turned 1 so I am SO excited about that!!

So here starts this new journey, one that's very familiar, yet completely new! I can't wait to see all God has in store for us! It's going to be amazing and I truly believe 2010 is going to be the year! The year for us together and also individually! I can't wait!

Laughing

A couple of nights ago Mark was at Rene's and she was pulling her usual crap! He got very frustrated with her and for the first time in a long time he basically told her exactly what he thought of her. He left her house and called me. He felt horrible, he was beating himself up about losing his cool. I told him it was ok. I said "you've held this in for so long, it was bound to happen. It doesn't make it right, and you should have held your tongue, but stop beating yourself up about it." I told him he needed to pray and give all of it over to God and leave it alone. That's exactly what we did. He prayed first and then I prayed. By the following day he felt so much better! He started work that day and he absolutely loves his new job. And they love him! Not like I was surprised, but he was! We continue to have our daily and nightly conversations. I love it! Tonight he called me and we talked for about an hour. He was telling me all of the things going on at work, and talking about some old friends of ours he had seen tonight. I just love the way we laugh together, laugh at the little dumb things that probably nobody else would laugh at! So, I asked him tonight, "what is one thing you really miss most about me?" His answer? He said "I really miss the way we just sat around and acted stupid and goofy...laughing at absolutely everything" So, what did I do, that's right, I started laughing! He knew exactly why too! He said "that was what you were going to say huh?" We are in sync, this is for sure! I am getting SO excited to see him! So much lost time to be made up for! I reminded him tonight how we had prayed and he gave everything to God. He said "yeah and I just left it with him, and you know what? Everything is going fantastic" So, here we go! Thanks for reading my blog, and thanks for the prayers! Love you all!!

A Great Sunday!

Today was really great! When it first started off I wasn't so sure it was going to be a good day, but it turned out fabulous! I woke up and got all ready for the day. I wanted to take the boys to church, they never get to go and talk about it all of the time. I was really ready to go worship today, I have so much to be thankful for! Well, nobody except for Austin wanted to go. I asked Shayne and he said it was fine for me to take the Durango. Well, after we were all ready, Austin decided he didn't want to go. I was really bummed about that, but I still wanted to go. I asked Shayne if it was ok, well now he was in an irritated mood because the boys were fighting. So, he told me no, in a not so nice way. I was just so sad about it, I had tears in my eyes and I begged him, I told him I really needed to go to church today but he wouldn't budge! Mark was taking his kids to our old church in Minnesota and I called him when they were on their way. Funny how the sound of his voice can bring me encouragement and pull me out of a bad spot. So, I remembered that our old church in Vegas has their services live online. Brayden and I sat at the computer and watched church together. I have never done this before, and I must say, I was somewhat skeptical, but as it turned out I was totally blessed by Pastor Jud! He's teaching a series called $trapped! He spoke about the riches of Christ, not monetary riches but all He has to offer us! ALL OF HIS RICHES AND GLORY! It made me realize how it's so true that today life is amazing, there is SO much to offer us, everything at our fingertips, yet for some reason none of us are ever satisfied! Amazing! And I found it a little ironic, here I was sitting at the computer desk, which is located in the bedroom, at my ex husbands house, raising my hands during praise and worship, praying when they prayed and thoroughly enjoying this sermon. Ironic though because as he was preaching on how people in today's world put way too much into actual riches...MONEY! And that is him to a T! He measures everything in his life with money, relationships, friendships, etc. So, I think I was supposed to be sitting right there at that computer today. I think this house needed to be filled with that message! He might not have heard it, but the Lord was in this house today :)

After church, it was time for the Vikings/Cowboys game! I couldn't wait!!! Here I am in Dallas and I'm cheering for the Vikings! Needless to say, my status updates on Facebook weren't looked too kindly upon by my peeps in Dallas haha! So, last night Mark and I made a little wager. You see, he was just positive that the Cowboys were going to take this game, so after a few minutes of me giving him a hard time about being a trader, we put the wager on the table. If the Vikings won he has to buy my plane ticket, if the Cowboys won, I buy my own LOL! So, Dylan and I sat there together on the couch *he's my only football fan in the family* watching the game....and let me say this, from the very beginning of the first quarter that game was AWESOME! And that was it...the smack talking started via computer text ;) And then, by half time, the score was 17-3 VIKINGS! Woohoo! Well, it continued and by the end of the game we had sacked the Cowboys QB *Romo* 6 times! And the score was final 34-3! That's right, the Cowboys did not make ONE touchdown! So, I called my little Marky Mark and gloated! BIG TIME! He said he never would have imagined that happening but he knew he had to pay up! I'm posting a couple of pictures that Dylan and I took and sent to him during the game! Those are not peace signs, they are V's for Vikings!

So, now I'm sitting here writing, waiting for our nightly phone call! He's had the kids since he got to town yesterday and he's getting ready to take them back to their mom's house. He starts his new job in the morning! I'm so excited for him! He's going to be awesome I just know it! Oh I love him!