Names Anyone?

So I’ve been thinking and M and I have decided to keep the name options open. Here are the ones that I have come up with…

• Garrett
• Parker
• Ashton
• Spencer
• Blake
• Patrick
• Caden
• Tyler
• Chance
• Gage
• Keagen
• Brooklyn
• Elijah
• Brady
• Maddox
• Walker

I like a lot of these names but I can’t narrow it down. Naming a child is hard! Well, that’s all for now really. My back and chest have been killing me lately. I can’t get comfortable no matter how I sit. I guess I will have some comfort in 3 months though. At least physically.

No One

Have you heard this song by Alicia Keys? It’s just amazing. I love every type of music there is. Anyway, today was Thanksgiving. I woke up around 8:15am so I could get ready to pick up M at his house. We drove to his grandparents house which is about 45 minutes away. Ate a little there and drove back here so he could be at work by 3. I feel bad because he had to work on Thanksgiving. At 3, I went over to my grandparents house and got to see the aunt and uncle I rarely see. That was good. I stayed over there until about 8:30 now I’m home and listening to music and writing in here. For some reason I really want to write, but don’t really know what to talk about.

I realized today that I belong with M. His family and my family just…go together. We both have the normal and the crazy sides. A few weeks ago when we were laying in bed talking in the morning, he said something about the “M” word (you know, marriage) and I had no idea what to think. He didn’t really say that we should get married, but he did say he has thought about it a few times. It really surprised me. I would love to to that (of course after the baby is born…too much stress already as it is haha!). I really do love him a lot. I think we belong together. I’ve never gotten along so well with someone. I’ve never had someone treat me so well. And his grandma said I was the best thing that ever happened to him (and this was after she found out I was pregnant!).

So I believe we have decided on a name. I think it’s going to be Peyton Chandler. I think it goes well with M’s last name. Peyton is definetely going to be the first name. The middle name is what we are having trouble with. I think Chandler is good. If I decide to change it, then I’ll let everyone know. I can’t believe I only have three months left. Time has gone by so fast.

I believe next weekend I will go Christmas shopping for everyone. That’s all for now…have to be at work at 9am then going to another Thanksgiving dinner at my mom’s house!

Christianity

Religion is something I’ve never really thought of as important. As a child, I went to church occasionally (mostly on holidays and a few random Sundays) but never took anything seriously. I would eat candy, draw on notepads, and talk during the service because I was too young to fully understand what was going on. My parents stopped taking me to church when I was about nine years old. Since then I’ve been maybe twice with a friend of mine. This past January, our pharmacy got a new pharmacist and he is very religious. At first I thought this was going to be a horrible experience, but I’ve noticed myself changing quite a bit (for the better). Before he left for his three week vacation about a month ago, he took me aside and asked me about my beliefs and a few other things. At first I was a little uncomfortable with it, but once we really started talking, I realized that I need to have a relationship with God. His thoughts inspired me to better myself (so far it’s working…very slowly though). He told me that he did not want to see me go to Hell because I did not believe Jesus Christ was my savior. I cried a little during the conversation and he told me that everything would be ok. It would take time, but he believed that I could do it.

I don’t believe that I am a bad person, and neither does he (nor anyone else I hope!). I have obviously committed sins in my life (I am pregnant and not married, I’ve done drugs, cursed, stolen, etc) but I honestly do believe that Jesus will forgive me for these sins as long as I take him into my life and start changing NOW. I guess I just have a few questions for anyone out there who is Christian and willing to help someone in need….

1. I want to go to church, but I have no idea where to start looking into churches or which type of church to go to. Any advice?
2. Can my baby be christianed even though the parents are not married?
3. How did you change your life once you accepted God into it?
4. What steps should I take to start bettering myself?

If someone could maybe share their experience with me, that would be great. I guess I’m just stuck in between a rock and a hard place. I am surrounded by people who constantly curse, do things they really shouldn’t do, haven’t accepted God, etc. I know this makes it harder for me to change, but most of these people I care about deeply and I can not afford to lose the relationship I have with them (one of these people includes my boyfriend). Thank you to anyone who can offer any advice!

A Weight Has Been Lifted

Well, something I never talk about is my credit card debt. I’m about $3000 in (along with a $16,000 loan for a car payment, a $1,200 loan on a laptop, not to mention a cell phone bill, child on the way, etc) and haven’t been able to find a way out until now. In August, I got a raise which put me at the highest salary I’ve ever been at since I started working at the age of 15. Yes, I’m only 21, and no, I don’t make good money. Last year about this time I signed up for a Capital One card and it just escalated from there. Now I have a total of five credit cards, four with at least three payments past due, and I was going crazy with the creditors calling me everyday from sunrise to sunset. Finally, just this morning, I decided to end it all.

I Googled debt consolidation and found a link to Care One Credit. I entered in tons of information along with each credit card and account number with the past due balance. They calculated the total and it was nearly $3,000. They consolidated it all and gave me a monthly payment of $120 which is something I can definitely afford. I never thought I’d be one of those people to get into debt and land myself in a bad situation. My mom had about $50,000 in credit card debt and she had to claim bankruptcy. I know that I am way below that mark, but it just feels good to be able to find help and get out of this debt before it gets to be too much.

I realize that I spend way too much money on entertainment such as dining out, shopping, etc. I am going to stop all of that. I added up my total bills along with the new credit card payment and I still have some money left over, so that will go into savings for the baby. Christmas is coming up and I feel bad, but I’m not going to be able to buy any family members presents. Yes, it’s my own fault. I have thought of a few ideas that are either free or extremely cheap and I hope they work out well. Here is a list of things that I plan on doing for my family…

Dad – Getting a nice card, writing a letter, offering to make dinner (since he always makes dinner) at least twice a week
Mom – Card, letter, cleaning her house (after the baby is born) at least once a week
Zach (my brother) – Card, small gift certificate to Target
Grandparents – Card, letter, small gift certificate to Borders
Michael (my boyfriend) – Card, letter, who knows? I never know what to get this man!
Mandy and Joey (aunt and uncle) – Card and letter since they are helping me out so much with the baby!

I normally don’t buy presents for friends or family members I don’t talk to much. I will normally send out Christmas cards with a personalized note. I believe for the people at work I will make a batch of cookies (not sure what kind) and give everyone a card. It’s just so hard to buy presents for people!

I am going Christmas shopping in a few weeks, and buying Christmas cards today to get a head start. I have finals coming up and can’t afford to not study or be on top of those. Thank goodness I’m only taking two classes. I am going to write another post in a few minutes about a few things that have been on my mind in the past few months.

23 Weeks and Counting!

I am now 23 weeks along…it just seems like yesterday that I found out I was pregnant. Time flies by that’s for sure! I go to my doctors appointment next week. They are just taking measurements and doing a sonogram. It’s amazing how a life can come out of a human body. Everyday my child does something that surprises me such as moving himself around in a circle. I am so excited.

Even though I am excited, I am also scared. I am anxious and nervous, mostly about the labor. But then I start thinking to myself, “What happens next?” I know those answers will come soon enough and I shouldn’t worry about things I can’t control. It’s just hard to not think sometimes.

Anyway, I’m new to wordpress and I was just looking to make some new friends and meet new people. I have decided to randomly go through blogs and leave comments on the ones that I like. Hopefully I get some responses back!

Dolphin Masscare

Who has heard of the Dolphin Massacre occuring in Japan? If you haven’t click here. Many are saying that this should not be a big deal because cows, pigs, chickens, and many other animals are killed mercilessly everyday for food. I believe that this is true and not true. It’s true because yes, these other animals are killed for food, but in no way are they murdered. These dolphins are being lured into coves and slaughtered in a demeaning way. If one family memeber is injured, the others will not leave it unprotected. The news is showing videos and pictures so graphic that even I don’t even want to see it.

 

The Japanese fisherman are even planning to extend their killings to include humpback whales.