2009 Marriage Retreat: Tucson, AZ

So this past weekend, Aug 7-9th Thomas and I attended a marriage retreat with other couple from our church. We stayed at the Omni Golf and Spa Resort (www.omnihotels.com). We had so much fun together. Seeing as we have only been married for about a year we felt like the target audience for this retreat were couples with children, or couple who are so busy with life they never see each other. This was fine though, it was good for us to gather the materials and look at it as a preventative retreat- it taught us to keep our guards up from losing contact with each other and being romantic together. The main mission of the retreat was to learn how to plan a retreat so you and your spouse and relax, recreate and have some romance. Needless to say, being newly married we do not need to go on a retreat to be romantic, but we got the drift, haha.

We were supposed to come to the retreat with plans of what to do, topics to discuss, and time to spend "lighting our candles" (which I later found out was code for sex- we got to the retreat late which was when they first explained the candle lighting thing). Oh well, haha. So here was the Amos' itinerary:

Friday:

- Arrive in Tucson at 8pm

- Games and dessert 8-10:30

- Pool and Hot tub- 10:30- until the cows come home (the cows ended up coming home at 11:58pm)

Saturday:

- Breakfast 7am

- 1st Session (2nd session for the rest of the group)

- San Xavier del Bac mission house

- Lunch/ Session 2 - 12pm-2pm

- Bead Store!!!!

- Frog and Firkin for dinner- YUM!!!

- Frost Gelato for dessert

- Golf'n'stuff for batting cages, bumper boats, and of course- miniature golf.

- Arrive back at the resort: 1:45am- this was when we decided a late check would be great!

Sunday:

- Breakfast 7:30

- Worship service

- nap time/ relax time

- POOL TIME

- Lunch and the drive back to PHX.

Needless to say we were busy! But I am so proud of us. We set a budget for the retreat, and stayed under it!!! Here is a picture of our fun adventures. For soem reason my computer wont let me add more right now. Another post I guess.

At the resort, our room was right by the cabanas!!

Last reflections on the retreat: Thomas and I realized what a very unique stage of life that we are in right now. We pray that we are honoring God with all the luxuries we have been given. This retreat allowed Thomas and I to begin a much overdue discussion- we were able to have a great time dicussing everythnig too. I think we are even going to write up a family confession of faith. I think it is a cool idea, and glad Thomas came up with it. I will have to post that when we do it. Anyways, in short this weekend was very fun and relaxing. We are not enjoying having to go back into the real world tomorrow and work. Oh well. until next time...

Sweet Internet Connection!

Well it has been a very long time since I have last typed a message for all the blogosphere to read. I hope you all have been well!!!So Thomas and I finally got internet set up in our apt. Only what, after a year of marriage?!? SO weird to be typing in the comfort of my own home- I love it :)
Quick update: Thomas is going back to school full time at Liberty University Online. We are very excited, if he is able to handle the initial work load he wants to be down in a year and a half. It is so cool Liberty has 8 week semesters allowing Thomas to take more classes, in small doses all year long. The best part about all of this though has been that we will be able to do this without pulling loans or going into debt!!!!! Praise the Lord for his blessing upon our family. I am now employed as a payroll assistant. I am still feeling my way through it. I am learning that you need to have thick skin to work in HR, my skin isn’t that thick yet but I guess it is getting there. I am very lucky to have it though it is really helping provide the means for Thomas to finish school up.In the last year I have learn a ton, and grew up a lot.I have now been married for over a year; the joy that still fills my heart when I think about the last year of married life. Thomas is such a great husband. I cannot wait until he is a father. I know he will be great!!!

I have experience a loss of a true friend. The worst part about it is that I have lost a friend not to death but to circumstance. I think this has been the hardest thing I have had to deal with in a long time. When I moved to Phoenix I had lost essentially all my friends from KY. I can count on one hand the people I have talked with since I have moved. This major lost I have a feeling stems from this aforementioned ruined friendship. The things this is friend had said really damaged me, and crippled my mentality early on in my marriage. I was so torn up. So many questions had filled my head. A few months ago I was able to finally gain my composure, and seek a mindset of reconciliation. Not necessarily reconciliation of our current friendship, but of the pain created in the past. I can now say that a weight has been lifted off of me knowing that I did what I felt convicted to do, reconcile. I can really see how much I have learned about my sinful nature, and the grace of God and how he has matured me while recovering from this blow to my ego and friendship.I am slowly opening up to people out here in AZ, and becoming vulnerable to some deeper friendships. I am terrified, but excited at the same time. I have needed a good friend and I believe I am getting a few of those... The Lord is faithful and amidst all of this HE has been there comforting me all along.

I am proud of myself

I have finally faced a giant in my past. I feel so much better now.

A Short Blog, great updates

So it has been a while since I have written anything on here. Thomas and I moved into our apartment a few months ago, but we still do not have Internet. Don't feel too bad for me though, I am getting tons of school work done in the mean time. Thomas and I are having a blast being married. We just started our second season of Co-ed softball. We are undefeated so far... 2-0 baby, oh yeah!!!! I will be writing another blog eventually with pictures and and stories... We are loving life. Eeeep! God is great.

NFC Championship Game!!

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT???? CARDINALS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!

On Wednesday Thomas and I were surprised with an anonymous gift containing TWO free NFC Championship game tickets! So this morning Thomas and I got up and headed out to the University of Phoenix Stadium. 7 some odd hours later we were driving home on cloud nine! We had won, the underdogs had won again!!!! And so on Feb 2nd our Cardinals will face off with the Steelers. Lets go under dogs!

Getting ready to take off for the game!

In front on the Budweiser Horses!!!

From our seats!!!! The place was packed!!

THEY WON!!!!

All the Eagles fan leaving with a few minutes left, haha!!!

blog crisis

So fellow bloggers and bloggettes...

Have you ever really had something on your mind that you just wanted to talk about and get others' opinions but you feel like you shouldn't blog about it? It would be an "off topic." That is where I am at with the blog. I have tons of stuff I would love to blog about, but I feel like I should write about something else. Anyways what got me to thinking all this was inspired by a movie I went and saw: Bride Wars. I know I have joked on here about how crazy my wedding went, but at first when watching the movie I was relieved to see that they had worst things happen to them. Then, my mood began to change as the movie came to a wrap. The two girls who had been fighting reconciled and reunited as best friends. This made my thoughts change, my wedding was not as crazy, but in the end I lost my friend. Personally I am thrilled to be married and I know the sacrifices that came through that process, but I am a human and my heart still hurts when I reflect at what was lost. Time for your opinion: Which is worse a calmer wedding and losing a best friend or a wild/stressful wedding and a grand reconciliation? As for the matter of what to write: to blog or not to blog, what is the litmus test?

My prayers are with miss whit as she is feeling out her new class!! Good luck I hope you find a tutor!!!! Please pray for Thomas and I as we move on Monday.

Wedding memory: Not tonight, but I will when I have more time. love you all!

P.s. Go Cards!!! Thomas and I will be going to NFC Championship game tomorrow FOR FREE! I will have to share that story soon too!

Small tokens...

Isn't strange that something so small can either make or break your day? A passing comment can tick you off, someone returning your "lost" items can restore your faith in humanity... Anyways, yesterday I had a bummer day and today when I got home from work Thomas had cleaned up our bedroom and put flowers (pink tulips!) on my bedside table... Ahhh, I am so thankful. Something so small, but something so great. Ahh... how has someone done something small lately that has put a smile on your face??