well, it's been over a month since my last post. since then, i got a job!!!! wahooo!!!! it was a long and exhausting process. 

    i had two interviews with two different banks in one day. the same week i had an interview with a local resort. it was a long week. however, i got offers from all three!!! i accepted the position that i felt was best for me as far as work environment, pay and benefits. i couldn't be happier at the job i've chosen. : )) i'm glad i didn't choose either of the other two because one felt very cold from the beginning of the application process and the other was very impersonal. i mean, they offered me a job through e-mail, and were very hard to reach through out the whole process. i know you are selling yourself to the company through out your interview process, but the company also has to sell themselves to you. it doesn't matter how big of a name you have you still need to represent. 

   one place i interviewed with was all the rage from everyone i talked to. "you have to get a job there!", "you'll be so happy you got an 'in' with that company.", "you'll have to work hard, but the pay is worth it!" I'm sorry-i don't care how much your paying me if your impersonal, and i'm just another name on your list of employees. i don't know about y'all, but i like to feel noticed, important and part of a team at work. the place i chose has already made me feel that way in my first week. (did i mention the staff is all girls??)) <<< so cool.

   recently mountain man and i spent a fabulous weekend at a cabin in a canyon with some of his family. we got to float the river, meet a really amazing ranch owner, and i got to fly fish for the first time. it was a relaxing weekend, and i felt felt so blessed and grateful in every moment. the ranch owner we met was absolutely breath taking. i don't mean a tall, burly chiseled face kind of breath taking. he was an old man with lots of character in his face, and big fluffy eyebrows that hung down over his eyes. he has so much life experience and wisdom about life. he filled our night with humorous stories, and history of his family and the ranch. what i would have given to have my camera.

   i would have gotten some AWESOME pictures, but my camera has conveniently stopped focusing and i can't figure out how to fix it. i'm finally going to be able to take it in to town next weekend, but i've missed great photo opps in the time it's been dysfunctional.

  we drove to colorado for the most perfect wedding i've ever attended. if you know me you know i'm pretty set on have a tiny wedding and huge party. this wedding made me dream of having all of our family and friends around for a light-hearted fun weekend gathering. it was beautiful yet so simple. another great photo opp missed. ugh.

  this past week we've had family in town, and although we didn't go out and do much it was so nice to have loved ones around. i don't realize how much i miss family until i see them. out of sight out of mind, i guess.

  a great example of this is when mountain man's mom came in town (the first family we've seen since we moved), and we spent every moment possible with her. i think we probably both got a little emotional when we first saw her. it was such a breath of fresh air. 

  anywho, that's a brief summary of life lately. i'm getting settled into my new job and enjoying every second.

much love,

KB

  

encouragement

  today was just what i needed.

   yesterday was the hardest day in montana to date. i woke up with a migraine, and was completely down about not even having any interviews lined up for potential work. not even one speck of interest in employing me. i've literally walked into every business in the meadow and asked if they were hiring. 

   in the morning i sent multiple follow up e-mails out. some of them weren't the first either. i went to open a bank account and they mentioned that they were hiring. i was kind of embarrassed because i walked in there all mopey-really not wanting to be there. things have to get done though. then, they mentioned they were hiring, and i was like "shoot! i'm not being my true self right now." 

   then i got an e-mail wanting to set up an interview!!! HECK YES. then, another one!! praises! but i still felt like absolute crap. i laid down for a while, went to town with mountain man, came home, ate and went right to be. still feeling like crud.

   so, today i woke up feeling much better. this day was the first to be like our old schedule at home. mountain man started work, and i had the day to myself. i went to town to run some errands.

   the drive to town is far. i put my music on, rolled the windows down, and just sang my little heart out. music and i have always had a special connection. it helps me sort through my emotions and get emotions/stress out when i sing. i realized that more today than ever because i felt so much better belting it out. 

   at my insurance office the receptionist and i got to talking just to find out that we had a lot in common. including the fact that we were both new to town with not too many friends. as i left she slipped me her personal number, and i couldn't help but shout "yay! i'm so excited!!!" they all laughed, but i can't help but to be myself . i'm easily excited.  

   i set up a little surprise for mountain man on saturday. : ) i know he'll love getting out, especially with someone besides me! we've had nothing but time together since we haven't been working. 

   i sent my number to the girl from the insurance office, and we have plans on sunday! heck yeah!! then gunner goo and i went for a long walk, and i tuckered his little butt (and mine) out. 

  on the way home i spoke with mountain man's sister, and she and i made plans too. all of this made me feel like i had my life back and wasn't stranded here on top of a mountain. i was starting to feel that way not knowing anyone because its just us, the fur babies and this house. it's all great. really great, actually. but i needed a bit of a social life. i'm such a social butterfly!

   once i got home i got another call for an interview! (OMG, three interviews next week!!) please pray a career path comes out of one of them!

   today, i'm thankful. excited to get to know new people, for three job interviews next week, and for getting my life out here started. 

love love
~KB

   

and so it begins

   the journey to Montana began mid day tuesday. my adrenaline was rushing, and i felt like i could drive for hours. we drove all the way to Illinois that night. the first days drive was great. we went through some major cities, and the mountains. that made the drive really easy.  we found a La Quinta Inn that was pet friendly. i expected this place to be a dump, mostly because it was pet friendly. how clean could it really be if people are coming in and out with their pets? well, it was like any other hotel, so i was really impressed. we were so glad to sleep in a bed because we had been sleeping on an air mattress at our place for two nights. it was the kind of air mattress that you wake up on the floor in the morning. Ugh.

                the next morning we got up at 4:30am. just in time to take care of the pets, load up the car, and catch the 5:00am complimentary breakfast. the drive started out great passing through St. Louis and seeing the arch that is “the gateway to the west”. we pulled off a lot at first because i got traveler’s stomach, and MM’s truck engine light came on. after much debate and many phone calls to local dealer ships we decided to drive on. i felt better, and MM’s engine light finally went off (praises). we had a steady pace coming into Kansas, and then the boredom set in. first, all of the prairie land is beautiful. you wonder how people live in a place that’s so secluded. before we knew it we were bored out of our minds, and fighting to stay awake. we finally made it to Colorado where we found another La Quinta Inn that was gorgeous. we had our bags for the night, both of the pets, and opened the door to find someone in the bed!!! AH! i was so exhausted i plopped down on the floor right there in front of the wrong door, and let MM go down stairs to sort things out. my body ached from sitting all day, so i was thankful for a hot bath and a bed.

                we were still about 11 hours away. we needed rest, so we didn’t get such an early start this morning. MM wanted to break up the rest of the trip into two more days because he didn’t think i could make one more long day of driving. after living in an empty house in Atlanta, being in Florida for four days, going back to the empty house in Atlanta, packing up the car, driving for two days, and eating fast food for all of that time (for every meal)-i was ready to be at the Big Sky house with a bed, a place to call home, and a real meal without the possibility of driving for one more day (attitude and finger snap *). so, we went on our way through the 2^nd most boring state of Wyoming. the closer we got to that Montana state line the more excited i got that we were almost there. crossing that line meant we only had four more hours of driving. i could do that!

so, we did it! we made it to the house with plenty of day light. on the drive up the mountain we saw elk, mule deer, and a moose cow with her baby. it was so refreshing. not to mention, the mountain air is unbelievable. we didn’t even bother unpacking. we showered and got right into the hot tub. MM was so impressed that i pressed on and made the drive from Atlanta to Montana in 3 days. i was impressed too, and so glad to be here in this wild country.

"Go For It!!!!"

    everyone wants to know "why are you moving to montana?!" 
  
    the idea of montana started a couple months ago. the original plan was for me to leave my job, and take a month off so we could go to montana for the month of may. we would work on the house (mountain man's family has a home there) to earn money, but also go on adventures of our own in the great outdoors. talk about a great vacation!!!!

    well, as you may or may not know mountain man has his own business here in atlanta, and in january he was given the opportunity to work on his business full time. it's been great! he has learned a lot and gotten connected with people to market him. however, the consistent work isn't consistent enough for the lifestyle we're living. so, we've explored all of our options- i should get a better job, we should down size, we should sell things....and the list goes on. the math behind it all doesn't get us out of our month to month living. yea, we could get a one bedroom apartment with our lab and cat, rent a garage for mm's tools, rent a space to store the work trailer and sell most of our belongings. but we still don't come out ahead enough to get out of debt and save money. we want to move forward with our lives NOT maintain it.

   so after lots of discussion, prayer and fearful tears on my part we decided we should move to montana. mm's family is gracious enough to let us move into the mountain home and live in the loft (mm's room) rent free. <<<<< can you believe that! what an opportunity. it is not only the perfect time for us in terms of health and stage of life, but financially it's going to allow us to make great leaps and bounds.

    i kept praying for the path to be right in front of me. for there to be no questions of whether or not this is the best choice for not only us, but ME.  my devotional the first day we discussed this option was to walk by faith, not by sight. "when i gave you my spirit, i empowered you to live beyond your natural ability and strength." "if you live to safely, you will never know the trill of seeing me work through you." the second day it was waiting, trusting, and hoping. "waiting for me to work, with your eyes on me, is evidence that you really do trust me." yesterday was-learn to live. (a jump like this is the most living i've ever done. outside of going to kenya for 10 days.) this devotional moved me so much i'm going to share it all:

"learn to live above your circumstances. this requires focused time with me, the one who overcame the world. trouble  and distress are woven into the very fabric of this perishing world. only my life in you can empower you to face this endless flow of problems with good cheer.

 as you sit quietly in my presence, i shine peace into your troubles mind and heart. little by little, you are freed from earthly shackles and lifted up above your circumstances. you gain my perspective on your life, enabling you to distinguish between what is important and what is not. rest in my presence, receiving joy that no one can take away from you."

   that's what i've been given. JOY. despite leaving my family, best friends and the convenient lifestyle of gerogia- i am filled with joy. this is going to change me and cause me to grow in myself and my faith, and i couldn't ask for anything more than that.

   many of you are probably asking the big questions about work and school. we already planned to go to school online next semester to give us more freedom to work. mm has lots of connections out there and has opportunities to work lined up. i have already began to look into job opportunities and submit resumes. so now we just need to go and put in our hard work and save save save!!

   So.....what now?
~ i will be posting to my blog more often so everyone can keep up with our lives. 
~ if you know of any good apps to keep in touch with friends and family please let me know!! 
~ please e-mail me your personal contact info i.e. phone number, e-mail and mailing address to Kera.Henderson@gmail.com
~ i haven't forgotten about the juice cleanse! as soon as i can, in the midst of all of this change, i will do it and post about it!
~ be on the look out for our fairwell party information
~we plan on holding a friends a family estate sale where you all can walk through our house and take what you want for whatever donation you feel is appropriate! seriously, EVERYTHING must go down to the tp and spices, so bring anyone else you want as well. if you don't take it, it's going to goodwill.
~ we plan on leaving may 15th, so april will be filled with planning and seeing those of you we'll miss so dearly!!


faith filled,
~Kera

Cleanse Plus A Litte Chevron Love

  so, i started my juicing cleanse on wednesday, and i felt GREAT!!! i worked out REALLY hard, got a lot of cleaning done and enjoyed the new juice. it was actually really sweet and delicious! 

  the next morning i woke up and felt like a train wreck. sore throat, aches of a fever and all. needless to say, i was down and out the next three days. 

  someone asked me if i got sick because of my cleanse. although, that is highly possible (you should always consult a physician before jumping into any new type of fast, cleanse or detox your body may not be used too)i don't think the juicing cleanse is what triggered me being sick. why?

1. because i juice often enough for it not to jolt my system.
2. i was around someone who was sick for almost a whole day the day before i started the cleanse.  

  so, now i'm starting it over again, because i really want to be successful at doing it for three days. 

  the day before i started the cleanse i got super crafty! lol. mountain man and i rent a house and it's a lot of space (too much) for two people. that being said, we don't have every space filled or decorated. even though it feels like home because it's our love nest that we share with our amazing kiddos- tazana and gunner goo- i want to give it that warm personal touch its missing. did i mention i want to do it on a VERY tight non-existent budget. : )

  i decided to add our first intials to our mantle. our mantle needs a lot more work than this personal touch, but i'm doing what i can as i can. so, i bought a wood "K" to paint chevron onto with my acrylic paints that i already had at home. mountain man picked out his favorite "R" which needed no extra attention.

the horribly decorated mantle. 

  here is how I painted chevron onto my "K".

 

  to start my chevron "K" i first measured vertical lines two inches apart.  

  

   then, i did the same thing to make horizontal lines. also two inches apart. thus creating two inch squares. (i started my horizontal lines 1/2 an inch from the bottom so the squares wouldn't be perfectly aligned with the top and the bottom of the "K")

 

  now i can start drawing my chevron. i started with the first full square on the bottom right. draw a line from the bottom left corner of the square to the top right corner /. in the next square draw a line from the top left corner to the bottom right \. continue this pattern for the rest of the squares. 

  don't bother erasing any lines because your paint will cover them right up. i placed painters tape along every other chevron line so i could paint it grey blue.

   let it dry. mine didn't take long. then, i painted a second coat. after that is dry remove the painters tape. when you remove tape from something you've painted pull the tape at an angle AWAY from the part that you painted. this will help prevent the paint from peeling away with the tape. you're welcome. : P

 

  oh! i painted the sides of the "K" as well! that way it wasn't exposed layers of plywood. it created a more complete look. 

  for this next step you can re-apply painters tape to the portion you just painted in order to paint the second set of chevron lines. i free handed it because i had a brush with an angle on it. and i grew impatient and wanted my beautiful "K" and "R" on the mantle! 

 

   once it was dry i threw that baby on the mantle. so excited to make our house feel a tiny bit more like our home. loves it. 

 

   hope y'all have time to do this fun affordable project!

making our house a home-

~Kera  

 

  

  

   

detox juicing

   as you may or may not know I have dabbled in juicing this past year. i LOVE it. seriously. it makes me feel great. i haven't been consistent because my juicer is a freakin' monster~like a huge monster with a teensy tiny produce insert tube, a cup that vibrates out of it's place while you're juicing, and it leaves behind large pieces of pulp. that's one way to know that you have a shooie juicer is the pulp is moist and large.
   
   that's why i have decided that once i pay off my last credit card (yay!!) that i will purchase a breville and a subscription to birch box.<<< more on that later. when you plan to use a machine daily or more than once daily you should really invest in it. i have done a lot of research and comparing, and this is going to be the best juicer for us. it will be easy to pull out my produce and just pop it in the juicer, get the most juice out of the produce, easy to clean, prepare the perfect amount of juice for just two people, have *fine *dry pulp, have two speed setting for soft and hard produce....and the list goes on. basically, i dream about it and i can't wait. 

   but that's not what this post is about. i've completely gotten off track with taking good care of myself in between school and working full time. i've just been exhausted by it all. but as mountain man would say "we just have to stop being so d**n lazy." so, to start my body off right i'm doing a 3 day juicing detox! yay.

  because i have a shooie juicer i'm keeping it simple. for christmas i got the everything juicing book. although, i've done a lot of reading and research on juicing this book is where i'm getting my detox. 
   
   right when i wake i will have a hot glass of water with lemon. this gets your digestive system moving!
  
   i'll have a green juice for breakfast. everyone does this a little different but i like mine to taste green.

green juice:

• 2-3 kale leaves
• 1 -1.5 cups of spinach
• 2 celery sticks (including the white and leaves! FIBER)
• 1 cucumber
• 2-3 carrots
• 1 pear OR 1 red apple (to make it a little sweet)

     because i'm just doing three days i'm sticking to the same cleansing juice for the rest of the day. the cleansing juice i'll be drinking is apple grapefruit. its simply that: 

apple grapefruit:

• 2 red apples
• 1/2 pink grapefruit

DONE!

   if i'm feeling weak i'll have another green juice. during this cleanse if i feel the need to eat it will need to be limited to soft foods like a soup broth with soft veggies or some kind of fruit smoothie without milk. i'm trying to stay away from dairy these three days as well. 

Wont you join me???

here goes nothin'!! ~Kera

   

2013 already???

     so, last year I totally failed at blogging. they say third time's a charm, right? 2013 has started off with a bang.

     ~ my grampie was sent to emergency heart surgery, and that was scary for our family for a month or so.
     ~ then, on the other side of the family, my nana passed away suddenly.
   
    I was able to find the positives in all of these things. both family situations have actually brought us all a lot closer, and I hope it stays like that for the rest of the year.

   on a more positive note, mountain man finished the fence in our backyard, so now we can just let mr.gunner out to play! in celebration of that we had our friends over and their dogs. it rained. now our cream carpet is brown. rug dr. is due for a visit.

 the lovely ladies of the night

we found time for a cheap date night because we had a gift card!

we're getting more organized (ignore mountain man's drinking selection-trying to find another place for that)

i turned our unused dining room into a "creativity room"

we met a dog that could have been gunner's brother at the park! they loved to play!

that's 2013 so far. i can't wait to see what other fun adventures it will bring.

oh. and last year was great! (maybe i'll share more about that bit by bit.) mr. gunner, 6 mos, has grown a lot, and tazana is almost 4! she loves playing with gunner and cuddling up at night. here are some of their most recent pics for your viewing pleasure. i just know you're dying to know how they are doing!

playing with mr. gunner's towel together

 mama's beautiful girl

 mr.man doing what he does best.

this is why we call him "handsome prince" because he's just so handsome all the time!

'til next time ~Kera