2 of my favorite men!

My brother Jon visiting us girls in the bride's room.
Jon and I! I love this picture!
Tim and I had a foot washing.
His socks were sooo hard to get off. They were so tight it felt like they were suctioned on to his feet. Posted by Picasa

Pictures by Brianne

Mine and Tim's Moms.
My beautiful bridesmaids posing with their flowers.
Mark with all the ladies.
The Schmoyer guys hanging out before the ceremony. Posted by Picasa

Pre-Wedding Pics

Tim and I telling Mark right before the wedding that he has a solo and that we hope he practiced.
Everyone smiling for the camera except Mark seems to be trying to figure out if he really has a solo or not. :)
Isn't my husband so cute!
Tim's brother David and his wife Adrienne. And Tim's sister-in-law Maggie and her husband (Tim's brother) Dan. Posted by Picasa

More Pictures!

Brianne mailed me the cd of her pictures she took at the wedding. Although I'm about the post a lot of pictures on here there are a ton more at http://picasaweb.google.com/danawayman. I wanted to choose a few of my favorites to put on here though. I had to delete 2/3 of my favorites that I was about to post though. :) I love these pictures!

Brooke (my sister-in-law and Matron of Honor) helping me squeeze into my dress. I cracked up seeing my expression!
Tim and his little brother Mark getting ready for the wedding

Me and my little sister waiting around before the wedding.

We took most of our pictures before hand so I had the photographer's wife clear out the foyer so Tim and I could have some alone time before all the craziness began...Well mostly alone time except for our photographer, his wife and Brianne. They are special. ;) Posted by Picasa

Work

This will be my first full week at the office. I'm glad I only had part of the week last week to get my feet wet. I'm nervous/anxious for some reason, and can't really pin point why. I think mainly I am just bummed that I'm not in my own classroom. I started helping out in the children's Sunday School class today instead of the youth, so that was nice to get to be with younger kids. I'm not really sure what God is doing right now. I'll have this job for 2 months, which makes substitute teaching impossible 'cause I'll be missing the orientation this Thursday. And even if I could make it, I'd have to turn down subbing positions for 2 months, and probably just after 1 that'd be enough to not get any more calls. So then I'll just have November and December without a job of what I can see right now...but maybe that could be time to call around to schools and see if anyone needs to hire a teacher for the 2nd semester? I have no clue. I am grateful that God has given me something stable for the next 2 months to make more of an income for Tim and I.

The people in the office are all very nice, and this keeps me busy during the day. I think I'll be feeling better after I've been there for a whole week. I think I just need to get a good night's sleep tonight.

Whew!

I am exhausted! I had a wonderful week. It seems like forever ago that Tim and I celebrated our one month on Tuesday. Work was good. That's why I'm exhausted though. I got up at 6 Wednesday morning, then after learning a little about the traffic decided I'm good for waking up at 6:30 and leaving by 7:15. Those 30 minutes make a huge difference!

Wednesday all I did was answer the phones and stuff a few envelopes. Yesterday I learned what to do with the invoices and go to go to about each one. Then today I did the invoices on my own. Fridays are crazy in the office. The phones seemed like they were ringing non-stop, and today was pay-day for their employees, so I had people constantly coming in the office. I got my user name and email set up today so I can do the rest of my duties. I'll probably be learning a few more things Monday and Tuesday also. It's defiantely the most involved temp job I've had, but it's paying better also.

I also really like each person there. I'm still meeting new people each day, and they're all very nice. My favorite is the first lady I met when I got there Wednesday. She is a very sweet hispanic lady. Theres just something about her that I'm drawn to. It's just obvious that she is a very caring person. I already know that on Monday I'll be meeting 2 more people in the office. They were out this week for some training, so that'll probably up my work in the office too.

I'm exhausted each day when I get home, but I'm happy that I'm able to help pitch in financially with my family. :) I started to feel a little sick today, and right now I'm feeling that way again. I need to go to sleep, and I will when I finish this. When I got home from work today I cooked Tim and I some hotdogs for dinner so we could make it to a volleyball game where 2 of our youth girls were playing, then left early to go to the marriage seminar at our church that our pastor is leading. It'll be most of the day tomorrow too. Then after that or on Sunday I need to clean the apartment and go grocery shopping. I also need to find time to work on thank-you notes. I thought I'd have time during the week after work, but between dinner and working out and trying to pick up a little, I didn't. Maybe next week I'll have more time. As much as I was worried about not having a job for our finances, I am really appreciating that time off I had now.

I miss Tim like crazy when I'm at the office. I took a wedding picture of ours to put on my desk so I can look at it throughout the day, and I get to call him on my lunch break for a few minutes. I'm excited to get to spend all day with him tomorrow. I need it.

First Day of Work

Today went really well. Towards the end of work I started making notes of what I could blog about, but I'm too tired to make this long. I woke up at 6 this morning to leave by 7 so I could make it in to work at 8. I didn't know how the traffic would be, so Tim suggested me giving it an hour to go 23 miles in Dallas traffic. Well, I left 5 minutes before 7 and got to work 40 minutes early. So I just sat in the car and read until 7:50 then made my way inside.

The company is a huge postal service place so it's super secure. Everyone there is completely clean with nothing on their background history. Everyone has to go through an extensive background check to work there since they're dealing with over a thousand companies in the DFW area's mail. With the security I have this really cool magnetic key card that I just wave infront of the lock thing to open the door. That was fun.

I only did part of the job today since Wednesdays are their busiest days and since it was my first day. I answered the phones for 40 different lines. Only of which 25 I really had to transfer to. I also have to page people on an intercom if they're not at their desk. It took me almost all day to stop being nervous to page people over the intercom because everyone working hears my voice on it. I also sorted the manager's business cards, just to give me something to do, and mailed out about 8 things. It kept me busy all day.

Tomorrow they're going to give me even more work to do. Today I was able to read a book in between calls, but it sounds like this was my only day I'll get to do that. I'll still bring a book just in case, but it looks like things will be picking up. I took a few pages of notes which I was able to squeeze onto one printed out sheet of paper. You have to learn fast with being a temp. I'll be here for the next 2 months it sounds like. The people are really nice and helpful. I think I'll like it there.

Happy Anniversary to me!

Today marked mine and Tim's one month of being married and 3 years of being in a relationship. To celebrate we went to dinner at On The Border. It was nice to get to go out to dinner, we've been very careful not to do anything extra, so we could save up for our dinner tonight. Tim posted a little about it at his blog too.

Yesterday I applied to be a sub, and today my cousin Jeana called me with a place needing a receptionist. Although I would like to be in a classroom, subbing isn't ideal for me since kids are usually tough on subs. Also, with subbing it'd be the luck of the draw for me waiting around until I get a phone call to come into a classroom. With the temp agency I've got a job for at least the next 2 months as a receptionist from 8-5 Monday-Friday. It'll be a pretty far commute. It's 23 miles, Tim and I drove out there after dinner so I would know where to go in the morning, but it's something stable right now to give us a little more income. Now I'll just be praying for Tim's car to be okay with a commute like that.

I'm really excited to have a place to have to wake up early and be at. I worked out to my pilates video and took a shower just a bit ago so I will sleep well tonight. I'll probably go and make my lunch before bedtime so I wont have to worry about doing it in the morning. I have to there at 8, so I'll probably leave the apartment at 7 which means I'll be waking up around 6.

I have really enjoyed not working with Tim working every other day, 'cause that gives us every other day to sleep in and spend extra time together. It'll be interesting to see how me working changes things around here.

My Day

I woke up at 7:30 this morning to make it to the district office to turn in my application to substitute teach. Luckily I didn' t leave the apartment any later than I did 'cause I was one of the last people they accepted. They cut off the number of subs at 80. I think I was #75.

I got back home, put on some grungy clothes 'cause I've gotten tired of dressing up for interviews. And I made a tunafish sandwich for lunch. It's kinda one of my comfort foods since my mom made tuna a lot at home, and I haven't had it in a while since Tim doesn't like tuna. I just felt like pampering myself a little today.

After lunch I rested for a little bit, Tim came home and we got to hang out for a little while he took his lunch break. Then I got our grocery list and shopping list and spent some time out of the house. I bought more Thank-you notes to finish up our thank-yous for wedding gifts. (If you haven't gotten a thank-you note yet, it's coming. I promise. Just give me a little time. There's a lot to write.) I also bought some labels to make my own return address labels 'cause I got tired of writing out our address over and over again. It's a long address!

Then I went to the post office to buy a roll of stamps and then on to the grocery store. I used a few coupons to go grocery shopping and absolutely loved shopping with coupons! It's so nice to see the price go down as they scan in the coupon. It's even nicer to see how much money gets taken off when they scan in the Kroger Plus Card. We saved about $13 with the plus card and coupons. Not too much, but it still makes a difference!

I rushed home to get all the frozen and cold and fresh foods in the apartment. It was so hot outside I didn't want the icecream to totally melt in the trunk or our fruit to go bad. It probably wouldn't have even if I had taken my time...but it kept me out of the heat too. :)

Lets see...I put the groceries away, cleaned up the kitchen and bedroom and bathroom and living room and vacuumed each room. Got everything organized to write a few thank-you notes. Then took a break when Tim came home and we cooked left over spaghetti and made a salad together. After dinner we got to talk to Tim's mom and Grace. It's so nice to hear when Tim comes to me saying, "They want to talk to you." I love that! Makes me feel so welcome to my new family I have entered into.
I am real big on family. I cherish my family that I grew up in. Immediate and extended. I hold my parents and siblings close to my heart and have a longing for the next time I see them. Now that Tim and I are married I have even more people who are part of my family now, and I am so excited to develop deeper relationships with each of them.

After dinner Tim and I went for a walk, which was much needed for me. I've gotten overwhelmed every once in a while lately, so it was nice to get some energy out while holding Tim's hand and talking to God while we walk and having conversations with Tim. It was a great time that I will probably hang onto for a while.

I have been so impressed with Tim. With how much he has laid aside to serve me. I can't remember when the last time was that he played Guild Wars, which before all the wedding fiasco he would play every night almost. And I got so sick of that game! So that has been my biggest amazement of him. Also, my love language is physical, so sometimes I just need a random hug, or for us to sit on the couch together with his arms around me, and Tim will drop whatever he is doing to tend to my needs. He helps out around the house, and really just makes sure I'm okay. He is really paying close attention to my needs and finding every way he can to meet them. God is really using Tim to witness Christ's love to me. And that witness challenges me to try to do the same for Tim. I am amazed by how much God has shown me and is teaching me already with our marriage, and I love it!

Ministry Change

God has started teaching me a few new things lately. I know He's got a lot of work to do in me right now. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I know it wont be the easiest times, but I can't wait to see God's work.

Tim and I got a new devotional to do together each night before bed since we finished our first one. I really love that time together, and this new devo is really challenging me, Tim too I think. It gives us discussion questions and an application after each devotion. So last night we were challenged to pray for each other every day specifically for 3 prayer requests that we gave each other. We are suppose to pray for those every single day for the next 30 days and see how God moves. I am really excited about this to not only see God move in our marriage, but to see our marriage grow stronger.

I have really enjoyed reading one of our youth's blogs. Lexi has such a sweet spirit. She is constantly looking for ways to challenge her faith and strengthen her relationship with Christ. She has really become an inspiration to me. I love commenting on her blog and getting comments back. It's started to be one of my highlights of my week.

Our church has been asking for children's ministry helpers for a while now, ever since I can remember. Everyone was asked to pray about it and see if God wants us to step up and help, so I did. I went to our youth leader meeting last week, and sat there looking at all the help the youth ministry has, which hasn't had to ask for volunteers. I didn't commit to doing small groups this year because I didn't know what I would be doing this semester, actually I still don't know. So now all I have been doing with the youth is talking to the girls at church and online, which is one of my favorite things to do. And I've been sitting in on the youth Sunday School to put another adult and a girl adult in there. Well, small groups is well covered and on Sunday mornings theres usually Tim, me, and one or two other guy leaders.

So with praying about the childrens ministry and looking at the ministry I've been active in for the last couple of years, I am switching ministries. I want to teach elementary school, but ever since I've been in college I've helped out with the youth. I'm bummed that I don't have my own classroom right now, but I know God has some amazing plans for me. So I stepped up and became a helper in the 3rd/ 4th/5th grade Sunday School classroom. I'll start next Sunday and am really looking forward to it. I will get to hang out with elem students at least once a week. I am going to watch the main teacher teach next Sunday to see how he usually does it, and then I'll lead the next lesson.

I think if I had my own classroom right now then I probably wouldn't be helping out the children's ministry. I'm bummed to not go to the youth Sunday school class, but I'll still be able to keep a relationship with the girls through aim, blogs and occasional phone calls, and seeing them at church. I'm also missing the fact of working side by side with Tim in his ministry, but this moves me into a different relationship to help Tim. Now I can help him behind the scenes in ways that I couldn't help before by being one of his volunteers. This is what I have wanted to eventually do, but it's still hard leaving a designated time with the youth. I'll still be around though...I am still the youth pastor's wife! :) So that's gotta give me some type of priveleges! ;)

Chinese Pre-School

I had an interview at a Chinese Pre-School. I laughed yesterday when I found out that the person I emailed my resume to for a pre-k position was at a Chinese pre-school because it took me by surprise. The lady called and left a message. She sounded Asian, so I looked up the school and saw what it was. I called her back 'cause I thought it'd be pretty cool to get to know another culture…and I wouldn't have to travel out of the country to do it. So I agreed to have an interview the next morning.

What it comes down to I think is that they're just really desperate to get a third pre-k teacher in their school. They're not desperate enough though 'cause they're wanting someone full time and to only pay $20,000. That's nuts! In the morning the position is teaching 4 year olds who all know English which is good. And the afternoon is teaching 3 year olds which half speak English and half Chinese. Not so good. The man I actually ended up interviewing with said that they might be able to give me $21,000 or $22,000 for full time since I have my certification, but that's still a part-time salary for full-time hours and work.

It'd be fun and a good experience, but it'd be probably a 45 minute commute in traffic, and the pay doesn't make it worth it. They asked me if I could start Monday, and I didn't have the heart to tell them right then that it wont work, so I told them that I would talk to my husband and give them a call.

Ruth's Flowers

I absolutely loved my flowers for mine and Tim's wedding. My favorite part though was working with the lady from Ruth's Flowers. She was so sweet and I could tell she really knew what she was talking about. I didn't have a picture to go by and know what the flowers would look like before hand, but I could tell she had a vision and was very excited about it. That gave me more confidence than anything. I probably would have worried if I had a florist who didn't have a passion for what they do, but had an exact picture of what I wanted.

She did such an awesome job I figured I could give her a little advertisement.

Ruth's Flowers
3501 Texas Blvd.
Texarkana, TX 75503
Phone (903) 793-6711
Or (800) 526-1106
www.ruthsflowers.net


Bridesmaids bouquet from above.
Side view of bridesmaids bouquet
My bouquet. How gorgeous is that! I don't think it could have been better.
The bouquet I tossed. Very cute!


www.ruthsflowers.net

Wedding Flowers

Mother of the Bride and Groom's corsage.
Groomsmen, Fathers and Pastor's boutonniere.
Grandmothers and special ladies corsage.
Groom's boutonniere.
Ushers boutonniere.

Today's Lesson

Haha, well one thing I learned today is that I'm really not sure if I could work at a pre-school. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't know. I went to a preschool to fill out an application and the whole time I'm sitting there filling it out all I hear is babys crying and screaming. Hopefully if they do want to interview me they'll have a pre-k position so I wont be around crying babies as much. Who knows. I think I'd just leave with a headache every day and possibly go nuts.

I'm trying to see what God is doing with me not working right now. I know one thing that I can definitely work on while I don't have any other responsibilities right now. I just get bored of sitting around the apartment. I love being outside, but right now it's way too hot to do anything outside while Tim's at work. So maybe after I get things done around the house that I can still do God will have something for me then...that way I don't stress out with too much to do. I guess I'll get off the computer and do some chores.

No Work for Me

Well, school started yesterday for most schools and I'm not working. I emailed out a few principals in a couple different districts in case something changes this week and they need an extra teacher. I also turned in my application to substitue teach at one of the districts in the area. That will take at least 3 weeks before they'll process my papers to sub. I'll apply to a couple other districts for subbing, but I can't do those until the end of the month and beginning of September.

Tim is working part time at the church and not looking for another part time job 'cause if both of us get another job then we'll have to look more into our car situation. We haven't been using my car much because theres no air conditioning, and with getting dressed up to find jobs then Tim's car is better so I don't show up all sweaty. If we both got a job where we had to be presentable then we'd have to decide who would go in all sweaty and smelly to their work.

I've gotten pretty tired of people asking what we're doing. I don't mind talking about it, but when Sunday comes around and theres lots of people wanting to know what we're up to it gets real discouraging having to tell our story over and over. I start to feel that I should just wear a big sign that says, "I'm unemployed." I feel horrible that I'm not working full time right now to help us. God has a plan, and we just have to wait and see what that is.

My Wedding Pictures

I posted a few of my wedding pictures. I have the rest of them posted on an online web album, and Tim has more on his online web album. I sent a mass email out to family with it. If I left you off of the list, I'm sorry, let me know and I'll give you the link to it.

Wedding festivities!

Jon and Brooke at the rehersal dinner.
Jon, Me and Mom
Tim and I at our Wedding morning brunch.
My cousins at the reception. Posted by Picasa

And More Wedding Pictures

My side of the family.
Tim's side of the family.
Dad walking me down the aisle.
Uncle Denny signing our marriage license. Posted by Picasa

More Wedding Pics

Bride and Groom!
Me! I absolutely loved my flowers. I didn't know what they would look like until the wedding day. I trusted my florist though, and that means a lot more than having a picture of what I want and not being able to trust the florist. If you're ever getting married in Texarkana I definately recommend Ruth's Flowers. They are very friendly and honest people!
All my grandparents!
Katelin and Jon (my sister and brother)

Posted by Picasa

Wedding Pictures!

Bridal Party
Me and my bridesmaids. I am so excited to have my sister-in-law Brooke as my Matron of Honor. She is on the left at the top.
My family.
Tim's first time to see me in my dress.

Posted by Picasa

School Starts Soon

I'm starting to get anxious about knowing if I will be teaching or not. I got a call from a principal for an interview and so I called him back to set it up, but he is in a meeting all day. I left a message for him and found out that the position has not been filled yet. So that's good news (for me). I know I'll be finding out soon what God's will is for me this semester, just a little nervous with most schools starting classes on Monday.

Chef Dana

I am really enjoying being married to Tim. I am really liking getting to experiment with cooking. Both of my parents are great cooks, so while I was at home there was always a meal, and I didn't spend much time cooking. Now that it's me and Tim I have been cooking quite a bit and really enjoying it. The other day I cooked a wonderful roast with potatoes, carrots and onions. It was delicious! I was very impressed. 'Course I guess it'd be pretty hard to mess up a meal in the crock-pot. For lunch tomorrow I am going to try cooking chicken in the crock-pot. I'm looking forward to lunch tomorrow! :) This morning I tried to cook us an omelet for breakfast, but I didn't grease the pan so I ended up with gormet scrambled eggs. I sauteed onions, tomatoes and ham first then started the omelete to add all the fixin's. While doing this I also made hashbrowns to eat with our eggs. It was a great breakfast, very filling. Hopefully next time I'll actually make an omelete.

Spur58

The summer I graduated highschool we had an awesome praise band lead us all week long at church camp. Most of the time I spent talking with the lead singer's wife who was able to come to camp also. I think they were either in their 1st or 2nd month of marriage and I loved getting to know her and learning the wisdom that Jamie had to give me. It's been 5 years since then I am still keeping in touch with what Spur58 is up to and how Jamie and Aaron and their boys are doing. I was super excited to get an email this week about a new cd of theirs coming out in October, and that it will be released in LifeWay and Family Christian stores.

I've had the opportunity to see Spur58 in concert 3 times since camp in 2001. The latest time was this past Spring. They were playing at a church near where I student taught. The youth had a retreat that weekend with Spur58 leading worship and ended the weekend with Spur58 giving a concert. It was great to see Aaron. I'm still waiting for when I get to see Jamie at another concert. :) Maybe one day it'll happen.

If you haven't heard of them or heard their music, I recommend going to their website www.spur58.com, or tonight you can hear them online at 7pm (central time). Go to www.studentlifelive.com Find the date and SPUR's name and go from there. And I definately recommend buying their album when it comes out in October.

Hope you enjoy!



The Job Front

I figured I'd give a little update on my job situation. Three days before the wedding I had a telephone interview with the school I student taught with. During the honeymoon I checked my messages one night to find out they decided to go with someone else. I also had messages from another school district and a principal in that district. I had the interview with the school yesterday, it was the principal and the three 4th grade teachers they have right now. They're looking to add another teacher so they can team teach. That was my first interview with the teaching team, before it had just been the principal and assistant. For some reason I didn't leave excited about it. I'm not discouraged, I guess I don't really have an opinion right now I guess? Today I had the interview with the district, and that was actually fun! :) I was told previously that the interview would be taped, so that made me a little nervous, but the lady that interviewed me was very nice! I got her laughing within my first minute of going into her office and we were laughing up to the point of her turning on the video camera. She still chuckled a little after turning on the camera, but composed herself to do a serious interview. :) At the end of the interview she told me that I am now in the "pool" for principals to get my information. She said that now I just wait for them to contact me. She didn't suggest me calling around to the different schools. She also told me that she has another way of speeding up my process to get on in the district and hopes to see me again in a few days to sign a contract with one of the schools.

I'm not sure how to take all of that. It sounds promising, but we'll see what happens. I know God has the perfect place for me, I just need to be patient.

Married Life

I'm really enjoying being married to Tim. He continues to amaze me day after day with his service and love to me. Before the wedding he spent every day cleaning the apartment to make it ready for me to move in. And since we've been here he has lovingly gone with me to the store to get some finishing touches for our home. He threw out the really old recliner and set up a brand new desk for me so I can have my own computer. He also put a new shower head with the extension neck in the shower for me. I loved going to Home Depot with him to buy a tool box and some tools with his gift card we got for the wedding also. Tim also helps out with some of my chores I have done around the house. Tim absolutely hates to do the dishes, but yesterday he put all the clean dishes away without me asking. I loved that! The number one thing I appreciate about Tim is his spiritual leadership he is already showing in our marriage. Starting the night of the wedding, right when we got to the hotel we started a devotional together. Every day since then Tim has initiated us doing our devotional together every morning before getting out of bed, and every night before going to sleep. I admire that most of all.

In return to show my love for Tim I have already cooked a few meals and have tried to straighten up the apartment, doing laundry and washing the dishes. Theres still lots of work to do, but we should be living here comfortably pretty soon.

Everything has been wonderful. We're learning lots of new things about each other already.

Tim, I love you so much and am so happy to have you as my husband. I am excited to find out day after day what God has in store for us.