What went down in 2011

Garrett and I met June 2, 2010

We have now been married 9 months and would like to reflect major events of 2011.  Forget that it’s March and I’m just now getting to this.

April: Tana became a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA)

March 2: Garrett proposed

March-June: INTENSE WEDDING PLANNING!

June 4: Married, Thank you to all our family and friends who helped us with the wedding, we will never know just how much you did, and you will never know just how thankful we are!

August: Tana got promoted to Probation/Parole Agent (PPA).  Garrett started building his recording studio, and is laboriously making progress on recording new songs.

September: Tana got court appointed to her first family in need of a CASA worker.  She also taught herself to crochet by watching youtube video tutorials and is now taking orders from friends and family.

October: Garrett decided his talents and his heart lay in graphic design instead of Health Care Administration.  He designed his own website (garrettrussell.net) and started his own business-card design business, which has since bloomed into something much bigger than he had even imagined.  He is doing graphic design work of all kinds, building a magnificent portfolio, and gaining a reputation as a talented graphic designer and an honest and generous professional.

December: After 2 years of training and studying, Tana finally took her test to become a Certified Drug and Alcohol Counselor (CADC)…and I  passed!

Who says we are too old to dress up for Halloween?

 

"Occupy Wallstreet"

 

"Go to Jail"

 

Dr. Horrible tries to break into the bank

 

our pumpkins

Creative minds

putting the cardboard walls up

 

first attempt at sound proofing....egg cartons

walls up

 

ribbon lighting

foam mattress padding

finished to the floor and set up

ity bity living space

Tana learned to crochet. Made a sweater for a co-workers hairless dog. The back says "LITTLE RAZORBACK" Yes, that is a look of shame on his face, he hates clothes

handwarmers and matching scarf

 

 

Life keeps rolling

Garrett’s business:

Garrett has his website up and running to start selling his INCREDIBLE looking business cards!  I have been eager to share his webpage and can hardly keep from bragging on him.  So here it is…my talented husband’s very own business webpage:  garrettrussell.net

How CASA works:

I am diving into my work as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) with my appointed family.  CASA has grown so large that they are almost functioning at full capacity, which means that they are almost big enough to be able to assign a worker to every case.  The way it works is that a CASA stays with their case from beginning to end and takes no other case.  Where as a DHS worker can easily have dozens of cases at once.  So the CASA is a crucial force in keeping the ball rolling and making sure that the best needs of the child are actually being met and that the children don’t fall through the cracks of a very deep system.

Life in Searcy:

After a short break to plan a wedding, get married, and get used to married life, Garrett and I are jumping back in to greater involvement in our 20′s ministry.  What an incredibly group of friends we have here!  We have met many new amazing people this semester that we have been enjoying getting to know better.  We are in charge of recording Sunday morning and Wednesday night prayer requests and praying over them.  It’s an honor to intercede on the behalf of so many hearts and it brings with it a heaviness that I can’t describe.  It reminds me just how omnipotent our Heavenly Father is, that he can be 100% involved in the lives of every person at once.  And he cares to the fullest for each, taking no attention away from another.  When praying for others, my problems become so small.

P.S. Think of us if you need a business card. 

An Update for Family

Garrett

Garrett’s mother just had a hysterectomy yesterday and is now home.  Garrett is in FL taking care of her.  They will find out the final result of whether or not she has cancer next week but the Dr. said it looks unlikely.  Garrett’s summer class has ended and his fall classes will begin after he gets back to AR.  Garrett’s back treatment is on hold while he is in FL but he does what he can to maintain the progress he’s made so far.  Garrett knows that even if he’s not the next American Idol or Youtube celebrity (neither of which does he care anything about), I want him to continue recording because music is where his heart lies and he is incredibly talented.  The recording studio (see previous blog post) has come a little farther along but is still in progress.  Finding free supplies at first seemed an impossible task but things seem to be coming together somehow.   Garrett changed his major from Bible to a B.S. in Health Care Administration, with a double major in Vocational Ministry.  Two areas of strength and passion and he is loving it and doing well.   

Tana

I am still doing probation/parole and, yes, I still love it…most days.  I just moved to a bigger office yesterday so I don’t feel like I’m working out of a storage closet any more.  For nearly 2 years now I’ve been a Counselor in Training (CIT) and if all goes as planned, by 2012 I will be a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor (CADC), a global certification.  I’m also very close to getting promoted to a Probation/Parole Agent (PPA), a promotion that is available to all officers after a certain time of service and certain requirements are met.   I’m still planning to get my masters in Marriage and Family Therapy…eventually.  One thing at a time.  I also became a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) this year and have been assigned to my first family in the court system.  I investigate the case and do what I can to encourage and aide the parent/guardian to complete the case plan that DHS tells them they must  complete if they want to get their kids back.  By the end of 2011 I will have gotten married, become a CASA, a CADC, and a PPA (if I stay on my game and God answers my prayers the way I’d like him to that is J ). 

Us

It will take about 2 years for my CASA case to come to completion, which works out perfectly since Garrett and I plan to stay in Searcy at least 2 more years to get him graduated.   We are 2 months into marriage and loving it!  I am missing him terribly while he’s in FL and it makes me appreciate him that much more.  I think every day our love for each other and for the Lord grows stronger.  Thank you to everyone who helped make it possible by raising us to be the kind of person we were each looking for.

Music Recording Studio – Phase 1 and Phase 2

So I’m currently in the process of building a do-it-yourself recording booth in our apartment. Tana has been gracious enough to let me take up the extra bedroom and begin work on this chamber of awesomeness. The first thing to do was gather materials.

PVC pipe and connectors.

 

Part “A” of phase 2 was  trying to gather some beginning insulation which will eventually go on the inner walls. My overall budget was $50 and the PVC pipes/connectors ate up much of hat budget… so getting creative is going to have to be the major achievement from here on out. Thankfully our buddy, Freese, had a bunch of egg carton things which were being used on a vocal recording room at the now defunct Underground Cafe. Tana and I promptly harvested those bad boys which you can see in the pictures below.

 

Part “B” of phase 2 was clearing out the spare bedroom and putting together the PVC foundation. Due to my back problems, I’m not supposed to be moving stuff around, especially stuff that’s heavy, but sometimes, dreams take precedence over bodily pain.

Before:

During:

half-way

Completed:

Here’s another one:

Now it’s off to Phase 3, finding free cardboard boxes! weeeee

 

 

Pray for Norway

If you haven’t heard what happened in Norway on Friday, here’s a quick run through from 24in60.com:

NORWAY TERRORIST ATTACK
The death toll has been raised on the dual terror attacks that occurred in Norway yesterday. In addition to the car bombing that killed seven in the government district of Oslo, Norwegian police say at least 85 are dead in the shootings at the Utoeya island youth camp; several others are still missing. Police chief Sveinung Sponheim said the death toll could rise to 98. Police have charged 32-year-old Norwegian Anders Behring Breivik in both attacks. but it is not yet known if he acted alone. Behring surrendered immediately following the shootings and could face a maximum of 21 years in jail if convicted. Behring is believed to be a right-wing extremist and was the owner of an organic farming company. A farm supplier confirmed it recently sold Breivik six tons of fertilizer, which may have been used to make the car bomb.

Here’s some more links:

Survivor played dead with dead bodies and got shot in the shoulder but didn’t move

Shooter’s diary

Pope calls for unity against hatred and evil

Garrett’s back

Praise God that Garrett is finally getting his bad back treated.  Please pray that God works faster than the therapy and we see significant improvements that will drastically affect life and future!

I am awesome, this is no lie.

This is an example post which contains massive amounts of awesomeness. My ninja like abilities allow me to quietly maneuver through this post unnoticed. Out of the bushes a wombat will attempt to claw your face, do not be alarmed, he’s only searching for the magical popcorn stand. If you happen to walk past a big sign that reads: “BEARS LOVE GARRETT,” it’s a true statement, I’m the ultimate GARRBEAR. In case of extreme laughter, use the shoe by the door, it’s a good shoe to throw up in. When the homeless man who lives in my walls speaks to you, talk back. Have a good day.