The Shack

About a week and a half ago, a friend of mine told me about this book. She said that I'd enjoy it, and that you reevaluate the way you look at your relationship with God. Like the norm, I read the email and took a look at the website...But I figured, "it's a religious book, probably not my style of literature." On Saturday, another friend of mine came over for a visit. She said she started reading it the day before and was almost finished with it. She said I had to read it. So after church yesterday, she dropped it off at my house. I started reading it. I was wrong. This is the perfect book for me to read. It is an allegory. However, the characters of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are made into people who we can easily understand their significance, personalities, and heart. I have read up to chapter 8. I wish I didn't have to work so I could keep reading. I had to admit that at times I felt like my heart was being ripped out. I've cried, learned some lessons, and have had to search my own mind, heart, and life to see how I actually view God.

So I have been in my head the last day or so.... I was glad to get back to work and start clearing my thoughts.

I had a productive weekend. Saturday morning, I had breakfast with my family. I love biscuits and gravy. Then my sister, brother and I went to Wal-Mart. It was one of those shopping trips where I had to get necessities: laundry detergent, cleaning supplies, etc. I spent more money than I wanted, but at least I am stocked for a while. I also bought some paint. I have wanted to paint a wall in my place for a while now, but never had until this weekend. Shane and I got the wall painted. It is like a denim blue. I like it...I think. I like that there is color on at least one wall now. Slowly, my home is starting to look more like me.

My sister-in-law and niece are flying back from Maryland today, so I will be seeing them this afternoon and evening. I love visiting with Whitney. She has really become a great person, not just for my brother, but for the whole family. She is a sweet person who accepts people for who they are. Can't wait to see them today!

Well, I should get busy with work. Get the book, read it...you'll be glad you did.

Don't look Pegs

I went to Oklahoma this weekend. We had the Pevehouse family reunion. It was great getting to see some people i hadn't seen in years. I usually don't go to family reunions. That might sound bad, but I know some distant cousins could careless about seeing me, since we don't actually "know" each other. One thing that is nice about a big family, someone might not know me, but they at least know "I came from Doug."

One of my favorite memories about going to Oklahoma is that my Granny loves garage sales. My Papaw would joke every time they passed one while driving. He'd yell, "Don't look Pegs." I don't think he minded Granny garage sale-ing, but it is a cute memory I have about them.

I picked up the "garage sale bug" from Granny. On Friday, my friend, Alyssa, and I got lunch at Sonic (again, not a Slimfast) and we drove all over town to the garage sales during lunch. We were getting sad since we came to the last one and still hadn't found any treasures. It is a good thing we hadn't got anything yet, because we needed our cash for this last sale. I ended up spending $70. But, I got some great deals on some beautiful antiques.

I love antiques. I love that furniture used to be made to last forever. I love that people used to buy furniture and they expected to not have to buy a replacement a few years down the road. I know that they don't seem modern, but to me, they seem classic and timeless.

I got 4 new pieces of furniture for my home: A cabinet that now sits atop my sideboard/buffet, an accent table that has beautiful in-laid wood decals, a victrola cabinet, and a desk. The desk was a harpsichord (supposedly from the 1800's) that was gutted and turned into a desk. I love them all. But I think my desk is my favorite. I am using the victrola case to store my sheet music. Here are some pictures of my place with my "new" antiques:
This is the cabinet thing I got.


This is my desk.


This is the victrola case that store my sheet music.


And, this is my accent table. You can't see the inlaid wood from this picture that well, but it nice.

So, now that I have my camera here at work, let me walk you though my place:

Dining Room:


Living Room:




My Bedroom:




Guest room/office:



My little accent table sits between the two bedroom doors...trying to cover up the air conditioner closet. My kitchen is small, nothing interesting in there, and my bathroom is the same way.

So now that you have seen my home, and know that it is livable (ha ha ha), stop by sometime for a visit. If it gets late, stay over night. I don't want it to seem that I am boastful of my home, I am very grateful that I have been able to collect all this stuff, and don't live in a "frat house." When I first moved out of my parents house at the age of 18, I made a huge mistake of buying stuff to fill my apartment...filled up a credit card that took me five years to pay off. So, I am proud that I inherited Granny's garage sale "trait."

It is Monday, a new week with new possibilities. Let's make it a great week!

Sex and the City

My friend, Alyssa, and I went to see "Sex and the City" on Tuesday. I loved it. I have missed the girls the last few years.

I know some might find this show/movie to be provocative, but what I really appreciate about it is that it follows the lives of great friends. I love how they are all different people, with different circumstances surround their lives, but they all have the same thing in common -- each other. It is easy to see that they all don't agree that each decision the others make, but they are there for each other.

I started thinking of my closest friends through out my life: Carisa Dewees, Josh King, Bethany Kuykendall-King, Jacob Blakenship, Emily Hanson, Mark and Marla Kuykendall, Mark Tobey, Danielle, Brooke, John D. and Alyssa. I am sure I have skipped some, but these people became such great friends during pivotal times of my life. I miss so many of them now, since life has taken us down different paths.

I think one of the greatest gifts in life are friends. They are great strength and support during rough times. I like how movies can teach one to be grateful for different aspects of life.

I loved the movie...I know some don't like "Sex and the City" but lessons can be learned from every situation in life.

I am off to lunch...SlimFast again. Gotta make up for yesterday.

For shame....

Ok, so during lunch today, I went to Frisco to help my friend pick up some furniture she bought yesterday. We stopped at McDonalds for lunch. Let me remind you that I have been doing the SlimFast diet the last three weeks. I pretty much blew it today. For lunch, I had:

1.
And to add to that, I had:
2.

Needless to say, I might have ruined the diet that I have painstakingly been working at the last three weeks.

But at the same time, I loved it all. YUM!!!!

I hope everyone is having a great day...I know my tummy is!

I almost forgot....

Today happens to be this beautiful lady's 18th birthday. Miss Alyssa Joy Pevehouse has been a joy in my life for 18 years...CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Alyssa is one of the sweetest persons you will ever meet. She has a very tender spirit that is extremely encouraging to everyone with whom she comes in contact. I remember the day she was born. She brought so much change to our family's dynamics. She is the only sister I have. God has great plans for her, and I am so excited about the paths she is taking in life. I know she is going to succeed in life. I am so proud to call her my sister!

The weekend

What a busy, fast paced weekend I had!!!! On Saturday, my roommate, Brooke moved. I went over and helped her unpack some and helped hang some stuff up on the walls. She has a lovely home with a beautiful view from her balcony. It over looks a creek. I love the area of Plano where she now lives. I used to work about 1/4 of a mile from her apartment. I am so happy for her, but already miss her.

I came back to my place late Saturday afternoon to start the arduous process of rearranging, organizing, cleaning and redecorating. I surprised myself by getting everything done but my bedroom that night! Spreading all my stuff out over the whole duplex makes it look less cluttered. By 11, I was beat. I crawled into the shower and then to bed. My legs were throbbing from being on them all day. By 11:30, I was out.

I woke at 8 on Sunday morning still feeling the after shocks of the move. I had my SlimFast and coffee then went to church. The pastor is doing a sermon series on the Ten Commandment. Yesterday was #4 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." He used "Ferris Bueller" as the object lesson. He explained that God set up this schedule for us to keep up balanced physically, emotionally and spiritually. I had never heard this commandment explained this way before. God wants us to set a day aside where we can totally "check out" so that he is the only focus of that day...in return, we get rested and rejuvenated. The reason the Ten Commandments were created was for our benefit. When we follow them, not only does it strengthen our relationship with Him, it makes our lives here on earth easier...we become more balanced.

After church, we went to Jalapeno's for lunch. Since being on this SlimFast diet, I don't eat full meals like that much. I ate like a pig. I had chicken enchiladas with sour cream sauce and a chicken taco. Thank goodness I got the all you can eat plate...I had two servings. After lunch, we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few items.

My parents are letting me borrow a bed for my guest room. It is was my dad's bed from when he was growing up. I like having stuff with history tied to it. Alyssa, Shane and Trent helped me get that bed set up; making my guest room/office complete.

We finished in enough time to go back to church where we had a "pizza party." It was a fellowship where the staff gave updates. On August 10, the church is going to be moving into a permanent building. Right now they are meeting at Bill Bates Cowboy Ranch. It is a cute building, but not really conducive for a church service. The lighting is bad, the acoustics are awful...not to mention the bar that is transformed in the the donut display. It is exciting to hear of their progress. The staff is really inspiring.

On the way home from church, my parents stopped by my place to see the progress I have made with the place. My parents hardly ever come to my home, so it was a treat that they stopped over.

After the family left, I dove head first into my bedroom. I wanted to get my house done before starting a new week. Guess what...MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! I finished my room about 9:30 last night. I am very pleased with the way it all turned out. I am excited that I have a guest room and can entertain guests. I think Cappie really misses Brooke and her cat, Punk. We slept in the guest bed last night. I wanted to try out the mattress. I slept so good. The twin mattress is a better one than my full mattress. Maybe I will sleep in the guest ever so often.

So, I said all that to say this: I have room for people to come visit me and stay at my house now. I don't share a house with roommates, so feel free to come and stay a while.

Love and Blessings -- Jared

A great week so far...

I don't think I have ever been so busy at work, which is a very good thing. Last week I decided to start making small changes in my everyday life to see what the effects would be on my work life. It has been a very rewarding exercise. I have started a diet...if you call it that. I am drinking slimfast for breakfast and lunch, then I have a "more healthy" meal for dinner. I am trying to cut out the take-out/fast food side of dining. Living without a family means that I have to cook a meal that is small enough for me. That is so difficult. It is so much easier to just pick up a single serving for just one. However, I am putting that part of eating out to an end.

I am also trying to get a good night's rest every night; although last night I couldn't sleep. And, all these small changes are making a difference in my daily work. Yesterday, I closed a sale...YIPPIE! Today I have a meeting at 11 to discuss another possible sale. Then tomorrow, I have a phone conference set for 2 that is another sale to close. I am excited about getting involved with sales. It stretches me...I am not accustomed to selling a service. It is difficult for me to sell something if I can't see or feel it. But, the more I am involved with every aspect of the company, the more I am able to understand, allowing me to be more effective with sales.

My roommate, Brooke, moves this weekend. So, just Cappie and I will occupy 109 S. Kentucky! At first, I thought about getting a cat for Cappie to play with during the day, but I do not have enough energy to litter box train a cat. I will have to see how Cappie will adapts to being home alone once Brooke and her cat moves.

I had lunch with my parents' pastor yesterday. He is a great guy who truly has a pastor's heart. This was the second time we have visited over lunch. I really appreciate his concern and interest with me and my life. I have reservations about going to church with my parents...and I think Craig understand that. He understands that I am completely burned out on church. He doesn't criticize me about that; he can understand why I feel the way I do about church. He also wants to help mend some brokenness that my relationship with my mom and dad have. I have lots of questions, and he doesn't pretend to have an answer for all of them. He wants me to be me, just with the strengthening of God's power. I really appreciate his friendship.

I am so not a summer person. Other than shorts and a tan, I don't think I would miss Summer if we skipped from Spring to Autumn. It stormed a little last night, so that cooled the temperature a little. But with rain comes humidity. I hate humidity. When I lived in California, I hardly ever sweat. All I have to do here in Texas is step out the front door and I am covered in sweat drops. I wish the outdoors had a thermostat that we could set. Wishful thinking, huh?

Well, it is hump day, so I hope the downward slide to the weekend is pleasant for everyone! Talk with ya soon!

Every Season

Yesterday evening, after I got home from work, I visited with my neighbor, Gigi. We were talking about the lessons we learned through each season of our lives. Of course Gigi, being almost 80, has learned a whole lot more that I have. We also talked about the "shoulda, coulda, woulda" times in our lives. I made the comment that my late twenties are being spent cleaning up the mess of my early twenties. Gigi reminded me that everything has a purpose. She stated that through the bad decisions that I had made earlier in life, I learned more about life and more about who I am, and what I can overcome.

I never looked at circumstances in the light of learning more about myself. I just figured they were lessons I needed to learn. Gigi reminded me that because of the obstacles that I placed in my path, I learned how to stop from encountering them again...to stop bad habits and behaviors. And that is true. So, in all, I can't wish I had never done some of the things I did.... Season change, and so so people.

I think back to the different eras of my life. Even as a child, I learned valuable lessons. Yesterday, I learned a valuable lesson. It seems the older I get, the more valuable, and sometimes more severe the lessons can be, but over all each season helped create what I am today. God molded me through each stage, and I am glad that I knew His presence was with me the whole time...even when it seemed at times He shouldn't be.

Nichole Nordeman is a Christian musician, and she wrote the most beautiful song that kinda captures this whole idea in a nutshell. Please listen...I know you will understand why I was so encouraged by it.