Wish list

So I just posted a new status on Facebook saying "Heather's Christmas wish list keeps growing, but her money tree doesn't" and I thought I should blog what exactly my wish list is. You know....just in case SOMEBODY in my family happens to read this and has the desire to purchase any one item on my list! =)

1. Shark Steam Cleaner- I registered for this and hoped someone would have purchased it for a wedding gift. I know, I was dreaming big! But our entire downstairs is ceramic time, and even are stairs and upstairs bathroom is time/wood flooring!! Hence the reason this is #1

2. Massage/ Manicure/Pedicure- I don't care where this is, or exactly what kind, I just want them....at least a massage!!! I'll even settle for it on my birthday, which is only 5 months away!

3. Dressy Blue Jeans, or any jeans that fit (yeah, a little weight gain has happened)- I've already told the hubs about this, and he knows my size....I'd rather not post that for the world to see online!

4. These shoes- Or any that are similar.....I just can't bring myself to pay more than $20 for shoes (or any article of clothing as far as that goes...which is why I haven't bought myself the blue jeans)

5. Kitchen cart- Or once again, anything similar to this. I'm not picky, I promise!!

6. Wii Fit, Mario Cart, or Rock band for PS3. I'd take any/all of those.....

7. An entire day with my hubs, where we got to about 3 movies at the theater, and eat out and shop all day......we used to actually have time to do that back in the day!


Ok, I guess I'm finished. I started to go into my entire wish list for our house (new mattress, bed room furniture, china cabinet, etc.) , but I thought that was getting a little out of hand. Therefore, I just have my top 7 I guess you could say.

Ok, now your turn.....what's your top things on your Christmas Wish list?????

Big deal

So I guess I could a quick update on my life. I'm actually home before 8:00 for once, and I'm pretty excited about that! However, I happen to be on call this week, so with my luck I'll get a call. Let's hope not though.

I know you've all been dying to know if I'm still living after the last scary neighbor post, huh? Well, things have actually been just fine. I haven't been home alone much, but not on purpose. Everybody has been leaving us alone......and that's the way I like it. Michael and I did get to hear the guy next door bust down the bedroom door in another screaming fight with his lady. I guess she locked him out of the bedroom or something.

Ok, on a lighter, more positive note.....for those of you who aren't friends with me on facebook, ther is some big news in the Hicks family. I GOT A CAR!!!!!!!!!!! You're probably thinking, "okay big deal...." but it is a HUGE deal for me! As you probably know if you're a faithful reader, Michael and I have been sharing cars for about 3 weeks, and it has been killing us both. Not to mention the fact that ever since we got married, I took over Michael's car and he started driving the good ol' Daewoo! He has been so sacrificial in doing that, because he has a pretty nice car, and the "woo" is falling apart!

I know, I know...you want to know what I got, huh?? Well it's a 2006 Nissan Murano. It's silver, with black cloth interior. I absolutely love it! Good news is, the gas mileage isn't so bad either- at least not for an SUV. I'm getting about 24 average this week, and I hope it can stay that way! I keep saying I'm going to post pictures on facebook, but to be honest, I haven't even taken any pics of it yet! I've been pretty busy lately. Maybe I can get some posted this weekend, and I'll try and post some here too.

Well, this cold weather is getting to me, so I'm off to throw on my warm ups and cuddle on the couch!!!

Scary stuff

Wow have I been out of the "blogger loop" for a while! Let me just fill you in on a few things going on at the Hicks' house. My car is sick again, and has been for over a week. We're thinking about selling it, because we just can't stand pouring money into it all the time when it's not worth it. PLUS, we would love to have 2 reliable cars instead of 1. With that said, I'll probably be getting a new car within the next month or so. Gotta figure out all the lovely budgeting stuff first!

So while we only have 1 car, we've been car-pooling! I wake up to take Michael to work, come back home and get ready for work myself, then make sure I'm finished with my visits in time to pick him up at 7. Or on the nights when I have a late visit, I've been having to pick him up early, take him back home and THEN go to my visit.

Earlier this week, Michael told me that the car was too messy, and he would appreciate it if I would keep it cleaned for him. He went into the whole spill of how that is the only new car he's ever had, and he wants to keep it looking nice for a really long time. I guess you could say that I'm like my mother, as we both tend to leave things in the car, and let it appear as if we live in it! So I've been carrying around all THREE albums of wedding pictures (just in case somebody wanted to see them) along with jackets and other "very important" things that needed to be in the car! Well, apparently Michael didn't like that. So I agreed to clean it up this week.....more on that later.

So anyways.....yesterday was a very productive day for me. I took Michael to work and didn't have to be at my first visit until 11, and it was in Montevallo which mean I didn't have to leave until like 10:45! So instead of going back to sleep, which is what I WANTED to do, I cleaned the house. My initial thoughts were that if I cleaned it that morning, that I could take a nap when I got home that afternoon. Well, I got home around 4:30, and there was no nap for me. The wonderful wife that I am decided to clean out his car, and make it SPOTLESS for him! With the help of a $3 bottle of generic ArmorAll, my lovely DirtDevil vacuum that I got for a wedding gift, and Febreeze.... I got that car looking GOOD!!

After the car was clean I decided to go ahead and get some stuff done upstairs. Well, as I'm standing in our front bedroom, I see flashing lights. My first reaction, is "Oh, it's the cops again."

I guess I should put in a plug here that the Chilton County Sheriff's Department know our neighbors very well. The couple that live beside us fight often, and he's extremely verbally abusive towards her. It's quite sad. So it's nothing out of the ordinary for us to come home to cop cars in the parking lot.

So I see the flashing lights, and I realize that it's not the cops, but it's a Fire Rescue truck, and an Ambulance. Then my next thought is, "Oh my gosh, he's beat the crap out of her." So the nosy caring person I am decides that the trash just HAS to go out so I can see what's going on. Well, when I get outside, they're wheeling some old man out on the stretcher, and the guy that lives on the end (we'll call him Joe) said that it was his dad and he was having bad Gallbladder pain/problems. Joe then asked if he could speak with me when I got back from the dumpster, that he had something to talk with me about. So I proceeded to the dumpster.-knowing that he's going to ask me about the lovely couple (we'll call them Sue and Larry) that live between us. So I go back to Joe's door, and he then asks if we heard any clanging or banging the previous day (which was Thursday). I tell him that I was in and out all day, and didn't get home until 9, and Michael didn't get home until 7. He said ok, and tells me the following sorry....

I called Sue's phone Wednesday to let her know that I had $100 to give her to help get her car fixed. When I was on the phone with her and told her all of that all she said was "okay" and then immediately hung up the phone. Later that day, Larry called me back on that number, which was my work phone, and asked what company that was and asked what my name was and everything. I just hung up, but he called back 2 or 3 times, and I kept hanging up. So Wednesday night when I got home, Larry told me that I was to NEVER call any of his phones again, or he would blow my F-ing brains out. He kept saying that, and then asked me if I didn't believe him, and he started walking towards me saying that he was serious.

So I went to work yesterday, and when I got home last night I could tell somebody had tried to break in my house (and he showed me his door hinge from where the screws were out) and I think it was Larry. So I called the cops, but they said it was my word against his word, and they couldn't do anything about the threat he made towards me or the break-in attempt.

After he told me all of that, and a few more details......I went back to my townhouse realized that his whole time my door was left unlocked and I wasn't to where I could keep an eye on it, so I grabbed my keys and purse and left. I just didn't have an easy feeling about going back in there by myself. I called Michael and explained to him what was going on, and told him I was coming to pick him up, that I would just be early.

Oh, and Michael had plans to go out with his friends last night, so I was planning on enjoying an evening to myself. Plans were quickly changed, and my lovely friend Doerun saved me! We ended up going out to dinner and dollar movie!

Well the evening was great, got home.....no intruders, and got a great night's sleep.

Fast forward to just a few minutes ago...

I'm sitting here on the computer, home alone once again....and somebody knocks on my door. So I go peek out the window (bc our stupid peek hole is only about a foot too tall for me) and see that it's Larry. I'm freaking out, and I decide not to open the door. I then realize that my blinds in the kitchen are open, so I walk very quietly to the kitchen and close those blinds just in case he walks around to the back door.

He goes away....

5 minutes later, he comes back and knocks very LOUDLY, so I'm like well crap, let me just see what he wants. I try to call Michael very quickly so I could be on the phone when I open the door. No answer there.....So I peek my head out the door, and.....

Larry: "Hey, is your husband home?"

Me: "WHAT?"

Larry: "Is your husband at home?"

Me: "Um....nope"

Larry: "Ok, thanks"

And I QUICKLY shut the door and lock it!

So I'm thinking "why in the world would he want to know if Michael is at home? Is he stalking me now? Did he really need Michael? Can I even go back outside without being scared?"

So right now, I'm still locked in my house, a little freaked out by everything going on, and wondering how we can afford to move somewhere else. I just really don't want to live somewhere I'm scared to walk outside to my mailbox.....

Lovely story, huh??

Now I'm gonna grab lunch in town, and come lock myself back inside to watch the game!

ROLL TIDE!

Hope you're enjoying the beautiful weather with your windows raised, and blinds open a little more that I am! =)

Hubs and I

I stole this from my cousin Cherish and thought it was a cute way to tell everybody a bit about Michael and I!

1. What are your middle names? Mine is Renea.....his is Michael!

2. How long have you been together? Well, we dated for about 2 months in 2006, then started dating again on June 2, 2007 (this time for real!) So.....about 2 and a half years total?!?

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? Oh wow, we met some time around 2002 I guess......

4. Who asked who out? He asked me out, definitely!

5. How old are each of you? I'm 22, he's 28, about to be 29!

6. Did you go to the same school? Nope

7. Are you from the same home town? Nope

8. Who is the smartest? Well, he is definitely! He knows pretty much every random fact known to man, and he remembers EVERYTHING! I think he has a photographic memory, bc he'll say something about like how much something costs down to the penny or what year something happened and I'll think he's just making it up. Then I go and check on it, and he's right....every time!! GAH!

9. Who majored in what? I majored in Social Work...he sorta majored in Criminal Justice, but didn't quite finish it....now he's wanting to go back to school and some point and major in History possibly, which I think he'll be great at!

10. Who is the most sensitive? I think it depends. Me, being a Social Worker am very sensitive when it comes to other people's needs-that's just the way God made me. I can't stand the thought of anybody going without food or being homeless, it just breaks my heart. Michael on the other hand is very sensitive when it comes to family or our relationship........yet not quite as sensitive about other people as I am.

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? I guess that would be our honeymoon to Destin, Florida. Hopefully a trip to Arizona will be soon.....and I really want to go to Jamaica one day!

12. Who has the worst temper? I'm really not sure. Neither one of us really has a bad temper as far as throwing things and stuff....I get mad about some things and pout for a while, and he gets mad about other things and will sulk or whatever. We both are pretty honest, and have had some temper flares, but I'm very thankful to say that we're not very temper-tantrum type people.

13. How many children do you want? I would love to have about 3 or 4 kids, but when I really think about it, that scares me to death! So I'm thinking however many God gives us. If that's 1 or 2, great.....if it's more, then that's good too. As long as we are able to provide for them and I don't go crazy!

14. Who does the cooking? I do mostly. He's good about helping with some stuff, but he rarely cooks an entire meal by himself. I will say he's GREAT about having me something ready if he's off work and if I had to work late or something! May not be a huge dinner, but he's good about making sure I'm fed, so I won't complain!

15. Who is more social? ME definitely!!!!!!!!!!!!! He's certainly an introvert to the max, but I really think he's opened up a lot since we started dating! I could be around people and entertain every night, he can't handle that! His idea of fun is sitting at home with just the 2 of us, where my idea of fun is going out, or having people over!!! I've learned to compromise!

16. Who is the neat freak? Oh, once again, I AM! He could care less if the clothes are put up, or if the kitchen is cleaned. Me on the other hand....I get very ILL and stressed when the house isn't at least picked up! I'm happiest when it's spotless, but I learned very quickly that it's pretty much impossible to keep it spotless while working a full time job! I settle for "picked up" a lot of the time.....he does help with that! I've learned that it may not be to my standards of how I would put up groceries, or mop the floors, but who cares if he does it!?!? =)

17. Who is the most stubborn? That's a hard one. I think we both are in our own little ways. I'm more stubborn when it comes to talking about something (like me being upset about something) and he's more stubborn about other things like plans or whatever.

18. Who wakes up earlier? HIM!!! I could sleep my life away...and his idea of sleeping late is like 9 or 10!

19. Where was your first date? Well, we had 2 first dates!
First date #1 (April 2006): He took me to Ellis piano in Birmingham to let me look at and play on the pianos....and we acted like we were interested in buying a baby grand piano! Then he took me to Macaroni Grill (my fav restaurant) and to watch Ice Age II.
First date #2 (June 2, 2007): We went to Atlanta and ate at Ruth's Cris Steakhouse, then went to a Celtic Woman concert. This is where he knew I was "The One" and when I knew something was different, and that I was falling for him!

20. Who has the bigger family? I do!!! He has like 1 aunt, and 2 or 3 cousins total!!!!

21. Do you get flowers often? Well, when we first started dating, I got them almost weekly! Now, it's just a special occasion type thing! I have been hinting A LOT recently, bc there is a beautiful glass pitcher I have that I want to put flowers in so badly!

22. How do you spend the holidays? Well, we've had 2 holidays of dating/engagement. Since his family is so small....we do whatever gatherings my family has, then we eat dinner or something with his mom. His brother and sister live out of state. Maybe one year we can get his ENTIRE family toghether!

23. Who is more jealous? He used to be..... I've never been the jealous type. He's not so jealous anymore, but when we were dating, I had to constantly remind him I was completely his!

25. Who eats more? He does, unless it's chocolate or ice cream!

26. What do you do for a living? I'm a Social Worker at Gateway FOCUS, doing in-home work. He is a car-salesman at Victory Pontiac (go buy a car from him!)

27. Who does the laundry? Well, he'll do it if he needs something clean. But he tends to only wash what he needs...... I mostly do it, just because I like to make sure it's done how I want it done. But he's great about putting in loads or getting it started for me!

28. Who's better with the computer? HE IS!! I only know how to do the basics. He can build them, fix them, and anything else that needs to be done! He's great!

29. Who drives when you are together? I think I've driven maybe 2 or 3 times when we've been together....and he was probably sick during those times. I don't think he trusts my driving.....

30. What is your song? He used the song "Love of my Life" by Jim Brickman & Michael W. Smith to tell me he loves me on June 30, 2007 on the beach in Savannah, GA (I was there as a summer missionary for 6 weeks and he had come to visit me). We also danced to that song at our wedding!

Singing again

Christmas of 2007, my dad kept saying that for Christmas morning, we (mom, my brother, and I) all had to get up and eat breakfast together, and that he just wanted it to be us (not Michael or Amanda there too) because he had something special planned. So that morning, we spent time together as a family that will forever been engraved in my heart. Dad had prepared a written letter to both Alan and I just telling us how much he loved us and encouraging us to fulfill God's will in our lives. He also had created a CD for each of us with Christian songs that reminded him of us, or that were his prayer for our lives. In our letter, he stated what each song meant to him and why he included that on our CD.

I say all of that to say this.....I have kept that letter in my bible since then, and have read it from time to time when feeling down or whatever. Well, I read it this past weekend, as I stumbled upon it, and pretty much the only thing I read was this:

"He (God) also gave you a love for music and singing. You need to continue to use these God given talents and blessings to point others to Christ."

Didn't think that much about it that day, except "yeah, I haven't sang in a really long time..."

So Sunday and Monday came and went....Tuesday gets here, and when I get home from work, there is a strange car in my parking spot, and when I walk in the door to our home, there are strange people sitting on my couch! Of course Michael was there talking with them....it was people from Calera Baptist, the church we've been visiting for quite some time now.

So we chit chat and talk about a bunch of random things, and as they're leaving somehow the subject of choir comes up, and of course Michael says that I like to sing. So I got the time that practice starts at church and that was that.

Wednesday comes.....I'm sitting at a visit with one of my clients, and her adorable 6 year old girl is pretending to listen to music through some headphones. Her mother says for her to go sing, and to put on a show for us. Then the mom tells her that if you are too shy and don't use the gift that God has given you, then He will take it away. She then said that she used to sing all the time as a kid in church, and that she quit because she got scared one Sunday and never sang again.

That didn't hit me then, but later on I was thinking about how it seems like God has been telling me all week to SING!!!!! And not just sing in my car with the windows rolled down and the radio blasting!

So I had pretty much one of the longest, busiest days EVER yesterday (including my visit with the lady mentioned above) and thought all day that if I wasn't tired by the end of the day that I would go to church/choir. Well, my 5:30 visit rolls around and I have more energy that I have in a LONG time!!! Went to that visit, and still felt great...and I even wore heels yesterday! lol!

So long story short.....I went to church, then choir was afterwards. It was great! We're working on the Christmas musical and I must say, it's only been about 5 years since I've sang in a choir, so I'm having to readjust! But everybody was SO SO SO nice!

The moral of the story is......use the gifts God gave you.....remember the good ol' times at Christmas.....and SING SING SING!!!

Mini-update

Wow! I just realized I haven't posted anything all month! I must say that the month has already been flying by, and I do believe it's going to be the holidays before I realize it! While the month has flown by and is pretty much half over, not too much has happened here in the Hicks house.

Well, Michael did hang the curtains in the living room.....and I finally got a comforter for the master bedroom that we don't even sleep in. Yeah, I know-it's weird! We have a queen bed in there, but the mattress is only about 25 years old, so we decided to sleep on the full bed that's only 4 years old! Oh, the joys of being married! But I'm going to try and post pictures of our adorable little home soon....as soon as I get it spotless! =)

More Hicks family news...our Chattanooga trip is only a few weeks away, and I'm so excited! I booked the hotel last week, and I changed my mind from staying in the Chattanooga Choo-Choo, so now we're staying in Stay Bridge Suites-which I though was much nicer, and not to mention about $10 cheaper per night! For all you "old married" people, you can imagine how excited I am about our first weekend trip!

Well, that's it for the mini-update. Maybe my life will be a little more exciting in the upcoming weeks. Hope all is well with you....whoever you may be! =)

He is with you

The 1st time I heard this song, I was driving to work for a mandatory staff meeting that nobody in our department knew what it was about. The line in the 2nd chorus "He is with you in the conference room" stood out and it was like God was letting me know that no matter what happened, that HE would take care of us. During that meeting, I found out that everybody in my agency was getting a 10% pay cut. No, that wasn't fun to hear....especially since I had just gotten a promotion for getting my license, but I knew it was all God's timing! It's supposed to be temporary, but even if it's not...God is with me!

This week through my doubts and fears of life, I have been reminded of this song....my joy has been renewed through Christ's love! Praise be to Him, as He never leaves me nor forsakes me! EVER EVER!!!

He Is With You lyrics

There's a time to live
And a time to die
There's a time to laugh
And a time to cry
There's a time for war
And a time for peace
There's a hand to hold
In the worst of these
In the worst of these

Chorus:
He is with you when your faith is dead
And you can't even get out of bed
Or your husband doesn't kiss you anymore
He is with you when your baby's gone
And your house is still and your heart's a stone
Cryin' God, what'd you do that for?
He is with you

There's a time for yes
And a time for no
There's a time to be angry
And a time to let it go
There's a time to run
And a time to face it
There is love to see you
Through all of this

Chorus:
He is with you in the conference room
When the world is coming down on you
And your wife and kids don't know you anymore
And he is with you in the ICU
When the doctors don't know what to do
And it scares you to the core
He is with you

We may weep for a time
But joy will come in the morning
The morning light

Chorus:
He is with you when your kids are grown
When there's too much space and you feel alone
And you're worried if you got it right or wrong
Yes he is with you when you've given up
On ever finding your true love
Someone who feels like home
He is with you

When nothing else is left
And you take you final breath
He is with you