Christmas card 2011!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
Love,
Scott, Janie & Carl Schneider

Carl-isms

In the beginning of October we got the sweetest and most handsome puppy, Carl Duane Schneider. We are both a tad obsessed...like he's our real child or something. I mean, I do hold him like a baby on my hip often. That won't last too much longer. He's getting quite large.

Carl also has the coolest and weirdest personality. Some examples: When he sleeps and you pet him, he grunts...a lot. He sounds sort of like an old man. When he eats, he doesn't chew his food. He inhales it. Sometimes he will puke it up afterward because it couldn't digest. I know, disgusting. He sleeps in any and every position he can. He still pees like a girl. He thinks he's a hound dog (especially when he catches moles at grandma and grandpa Schneider's). He can high-five. When he hasn't seen you for awhile he will cry, wag his tail, and stuff his face in your legs because he's so excited. And one of my fav's, he's really bad at licking. His tongue is so long that it gets stuck for a moment and then he tries to finish. It's weird and hilarious. You have to see it to truly understand.

He's our baby right now:)

from Greenville to STL

We've been living in St.Louis for a month this weekend! That's crazy! Time has already gone by super fast. We love it here so far. Me, being from here, it hasn't taken too much time to adjust to city life again, but my husband on the other hand....he came from Centralia, IL. Ever heard of it? Yeah, me neither until I met him:) It's a bigger town than Greenville, IL though! So we moved from Greenville, IL, population= 7,000 people to St. Louis, population= a lot more. I'm trying to get used to city life again. I think what I miss the most is being able to call up a girlfriend and tell them I'm going stop by in 2 minutes. No, here in the city, everyone is way busier and they don't live just 2 minutes away. You have to plan more. Ugh. We LOVE our apartment. Its in Richmond Heights, MO..nice and safe. Highway 40 is basically our backyard, but we are getting used to sirens, loud trucks, and people accidentally driving on the rumble strips. That first week I woke up a lot from loud noises, but now it's all good. Side note...I woke/wake Scott up a lot still from my crazy sleep talking and crazy actions I do in my sleep. I like to hear the stories every morning...I make me laugh.
We found a great church, we have great friends, we love our place, everything is convenient, but our jobs are just ok. Mine is getting a lot better, but it's just taking time to build the program. Scott is job searching again...yay!(said in a very sarcastic tone). God has still been so faithful and his provision never fails. Our awesome neighbor only made us pay him one small fee and now we have internet for almost free! Jered, my bro-in-law, gave us his bunny ears (antenna), so we get the 3 best channels (the Office, Modern Family, the news, Biggest Loser)! AND I have a sweet deal picking up kids from school everyday and taking them to sports practices or home to make some extra mula every week! Seriously, that all happened in one day. God is good all the time, for realz. Here are some pics of our new apt...it still basically looks this way except no white patches on the wall anymore:)

it's really happening!!

After a loooooonnnngggggg summer of prayer and patience (well patience at times), God has opened a door for us to move to good 'ol STL! We are moving next Friday! Oh my goodness, it seemed like it took forever to figure out where we were supposed to be and what God had for us, but now it's all happening so fast! We are so so so excited for our move for a lot of reasons: the biggest reason being we know this is where the Lord wants us right now. I will be an activities director at the Creve Couer Racquet Club. I can't wait to plan activities for kids and hang out with them all day:) Scott will be doing several different jobs at the club along with helping coach football at Westminster Christian Academy. I can't tell you how excited I am that he finally gets to coach and gain experience. We are praying something will lead to a teaching and coaching job for him. We love our new apartment too. God has taught us both so much this summer. Even though it was hard and seemed long, God had a plan all along and it's happening in His perfect timing. It has brought Scott and I closer together and closer to Christ. He is so good.

changes.

Well we moved into our new apartment in Greenville! We love it. Its all hardwood floor, 2 bed rooms, and the best parts (drum roll please): a dishwasher AND a laundry room!!! Never have I had either of those. No longer do I have to waste my Saturdays sitting at the laundry mat and no longer do I have to do dishes during my whole lunch break. PTL! Pics to come...

The title of our summer: patience and trust. Oh man, it has been super difficult. Scott has had a few great job opportunities that have presented themselves and every single one has fallen through. This has made me realize how selfish and greedy of a person I am. I know all the answers such as, everything will happen in God's perfect timing, He knows whats best for you, He's holding out for something great, He's teaching you to trust Him, etc. When life smacks you in the face for real and very tough times happen to you, the flesh gets in the way and Satan tries to reign over you. I think this is the most I have ever prayed in my life. That sounds ridiculous. We have cried out to God for clarity and direction, yet still have neither. We get the same wisdom: "you don't know the logistics behind what God is doing, but trust that He knows what's best and He has a plan for you." That is really hard to hear when we are ready for whatever or wherever the Lord wants us.

This morning I got up, turned on some Phil Whickham, and spent some time in prayer. I journaled for a long while and then decided to read the daily devotional I have: My Utmost for His Highest, by Oswald Chambers. This is when I realized I have been praying for an answer and have been becoming bitter toward God because He hasn't answered us the way we want Him to. Dwell on these words Chambers says:

First, he references Mt. 6:8, "Your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."

Then why should we ask? The point of prayer is not to get the answers from God, but to have perfect and complete oneness with Him. If we pray only because we want answers, we will become irritated and angry with god. We receive an answer every time we pray, but it does not always come in the way we expect, and our spiritual irritation shows our refusal to identify ourselves truly with our Lord in prayer. We are not here to prove that God answers prayer, but to be living trophies of God's grace. Have you reached such a level of intimacy with God that the only thing that can account for your prayer life is that it has become one with the prayer life of Jesus Christ? Has our Lord exchanged your life with His vital life? If so, then "in that day" your will be so closely identified with Jesus that there will be no distinction. When prayer seems to be unanswered, beware of trying to place the blame on someone else. That is always a trap of Satan. When you seem to have no answer, there is always a reason--God uses these time to give you deep personal instruction, and it is not for anyone else but you.

Wow. It was evident God wanted me to hear this today. I want to pray without ceasing, but not just so God will answer my prayers the exact way I want them answered. I want His Will and I want clarity, but when I pray, I want to in order to become more intimate with Him. That is why I know I have been selfish and greedy. I am so thankful God speaks truth into our lives. He is not against us.

our 1 year anniversary was perfect.

It was a great one year...man, I love marriage! I promise I'm not that controlling of a person, but in this picture I do look like I'm telling Scott how to hold his "one." Anyways, that was actually on our one year anniversary. We had too many other things going on that day, so we celebrated a few days later. Back in February I bought a deal for a one night stay at the winery in Aviston, IL. It was awesome! A perfect one night getaway. They had small, individual cabins to stay in. Basically it was one big room. It had a huge jacuzzi in the middle of the room with a fireplace (yes we used it even though it was 90 degrees out). We ate dinner there first. It was super num. We got all-you-can-eat crab legs. At first we were kind of annoyed because we were both soooo hungry and it takes forever to crack it and get a good sized piece of crab. By the end of our first batch of crab, we were pros at cracking it perfectly to pull out a huge chunk of crab. We were too full to get more:( Dern! We totally didn't take advantage of the all-you-can-eat crab legs. Oh well. It also came with delicious green beans and mashed potatoes. We ate while overlooking a beautiful lake. That night we watched our wedding DVD my brother made us and both cried AGAIN! Yep, we cried when we watched it after our wedding and still a year later. Scott was really cute and buried his face in my arm because he didn't want me to know he was crying. I was happy he was crying happy tears, probably because he is so in lub with me! I mean, he better not have been crying sad tears...kidding, I know he wasn't. We both relived that amazing day of our lives and felt so blessed to be married to one another. Well, the next day we hung out ALL day in St. Louis. It was ree fun. We ate at our favorite restaurant, Olive Garden (thanks to Trina and Alan Schneider's anniversary gift card), we went to the zoo, Scott watched me get my hair did (what a patient man), we ate dinner in the loop and of course got ice cream, and we hung out with Zach and Marsha Friedrich...who just had gotten married a week ago:) It was a perfect celebration. I love that man, Scott Schneider.

an anxious heart.

Lately our lives have been crazy. Everything is up in the air right now. It probably has been one of the hardest times of my life. God promises there will be trials and tribulation, but we will grow through them. When you are actually faced with it, wow, it's a lot harder to deal with. I know all of the answers; I know how I'm supposed to react to them. I want to fully trust God, I want to have faith that He will provide, I want to live everyday without worrying, I want to trust that everything will be o.k. I'll admit, for about a month, my anxiety has taken over. There are days I'm fine and there are more days my stomach hurts thinking about everything.

Why do I think that if I try to plan before we have answers that it will make me feel better? It won't. Wednesday night I finally hit rock bottom with my anxiety. I realized I was completely unhealthy in my thinking. I talked to Scott all about it and we prayed together. The next morning I woke up with a peace that God promises, that I hadn't had before. I wrote down tons of scripture to fill my mind with truth. What a difference it makes to fill my mind with the Word rather than with my crappy thoughts. I am so thankful for a God who is sovereign. I am so thankful for a God who knows whats best for me. I am so thankful for a God who is faithful when I'm not. I am so thankful for a God who never changes. I am so thankful for a God who already has a plan for our lives! I am so thankful for a God who loves me unconditionally. I am so thankful for a God who provided me with a husband who IS and HAS BEEN completely trusting Christ through this hard time and who has encouraged me daily. I am so thankful for a gracious and merciful God.

I am finally thankful for our situation. I have already learned a lot through it. God's promises NEVER fail. Though we don't have a plan yet, He does:) What a beautiful Savior we serve. To God be the glory forever and ever!!

"The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always accuse, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to His children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him. For He knows how we are formed, He remembers that we are dust." Psalm 103:8

the first time we hung out.

Today I was looking at some old pictures of Scotty and I. Our one year anniversary is on Sunday!! Oh my goodness, can you believe that!?!? Life just flies by when you are with your bestest friend EVA! I came across a picture from my junior year of college, his sophomore year of college. I was rooming with two of my amazing friends, Leann and Cindi. Supposedly, Scott started crushing on me his freshman year. I mean, what can I say? Joke. Well Cindi had hung out with a few people while Scott was around and mentioned one night while we were trying to fall asleep in our bunk beds, "you know who I think is really cute and that you would go well with?"
Oh great, here it goes again, another suggested guy for me to date. "Who?" I asked, completely uninterested.
"Scott Schneider."
"Hmmm...he's cute. Yeah, maybe."
Well, he somewhat began pursuing me, so one night I asked him to come to a Death Medicine concert (a friend's band) in St. Louis. I wasn't sure if he would come since he was a tad shy and probably felt uncomfortable going to a concert wtih 3 crazy "punk rock" girls he didn't really know. Well, he said yes. Adda boy Scotty! That was the first time we "hung out." I thought he was a lot of fun and we were super silly and weird with each other from day one. And now it's almost been one year of marriage!! Thank you Cindi and Leann, thank you Kate, Cristi and Jordan, thank you bunk bed talks, thank you Death Medicine concert, thank you Scott for crushing on me and pursuing me, thank you everyone else who affirmed us, thank you Jesus for THE perfect husband! There was one major thing that bugged me...call me shallow, but I hated his haircut. I thought it looked like a mushroom top...at least that was the first think that came to my mind. So our first official date, the summer going into my senior year, I told him he would look so good with a buzz! I'm a terrible person. He knows now I manipulated him, but he didn't divorce me. Whew. Man, he's one good looking man! How lucky I am.

Our first picture together proves how awkward we were...well, we still are. His hair wasn't as "mushroomy" in this pic. I have a Tinkerbell shirt on, crimped hair, a huge poof, and look ridiculous. He just looks young and cute. 3 1/2 years ago. Wuv him.

newphew E's first haircut.

E and Chrissy came in town last month, one more time before their baby girl, Lydia Grace, is born in September. One of the highlights of that weekend was when I got to spend some time with them at mom's shop, Salon Basia, giving E his very first haircut. He did awesome, especially after mom gave him a brush to distract him with!

He looks so handsome with his new haircut! Man, I miss that boy.

patience and trust.

Yesterday Scott had another interview in Centralia for the school where he really wants to be a teacher. We haven't heard anything back from his last interview yet. I have been kind of, ok, a huge nervous wreck. I try to fool myself and say that I'm not nervous and that "God knows best", but deep down I haven't been truly believing that like I know I need to. What if Scott doesn't get a teaching job again this year? I kept thinking that last night and it did me no good. I prayed last night and this morning that the Lord would help me to completely trust Him and truly believe that He already has a plan. I know all of the answers, but it's a lot harder when I'm put to the test. Thankfully my husband is a man of God and told me about five times last night, "Jane, if I don't get a job, it's alright! I don't want it if God closes both doors. For some reason he may still want me to work at R.P. Lumber and I am thankful I have a job right now." Wow. I should be the one saying those encouraging words to HIM, considering he's the one that has to interview! Wife fail. I so badly want Scott to get a job because I know how bad he wants it and I know how amazing of a teacher he will be. He will be such a light to whatever school the Lord places him in.

I woke up this morning having more of a peace than I had last night. I feel awful for not trusting our CREATOR. He DOES know what's best! I have an issue because I need to think on the things that are true as Philippians 4:8 tells me to. He hasn't even been denied anything yet. Chill out Jane!!! God has blessed us so much already and I need to be thankful for what we have. I need not to be greedy. We will be just fine! I know that, I just need to put it into practice.

I praise God for his grace on my unbelief and his faithfulness in our lives.

"Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry for itself. Each day has enough trouble of it's own." Matthew 6:34

"Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?" Matthew 6:27

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God." Philippians 4:6

"Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7

Amie's baby shower for Blakey D.

My sis-in-law, Amie, and my oldest brother, Justin, are having their first baby in July. I'll be having another sweet nephew! They are naming him Blake Douglas Hayward...Douglas is my dad's name and Justin's middle name. So presh. Last Sunday, mom and I road tripped to Chicago for her baby shower. We left at 5:30am, went to the shower, and drove back! Though it was a long and tiring day, I'd do it again in a heartbeat for Amie and Blakey D. Amie is so sweet and cute. I feel so blessed to have her as a sis-in-law. Can't wait for another baby in the family!

husband and his motorcycle.

Scott finally got a motorcycle.  He's been wanting one for a really long time now.  He diligently searched on craigslist for 2 weeks until he found "the one."  At first he was looking for one that didn't run. He knew it would be cheap and he enjoys fixing things. I like the cheap idea too and I am good at watching him fix things. It's a 1989 Yamaha Radian 600...sure, sounds great to me!  He got a pretty amazing deal...it was cheap AND it runs! The corroborator needs to be fixed (do I sound smart?)....I think that's the main problem. Thankfully his dad is a mechanic and can help him fix it.  One more thing he needs to do that is slightly important is get his motorcycle license. I asked him if he could teach me to drive it and he hesitantly said "uh...maybe!"  I guess I'll have to teach myself. Joke. I would die. The first thing everyone asks me when I tell them Scott bought a motorcycle is, "Are you scared!?!?!"  I just tell them there is a lot of things in life that are dangerous and I'm not really scared. That may change when I am actually riding on the back of it and only have Scott to hold onto.  I trust him though.  I'm pretty pumped to become a motorcycle wife. My mom gave me a 15 minute lecture on how dangerous they are and how safe Scott needs to be. Thanks mom for caring...I do appreciate your worries and your reservations.

Another bonus: Scott got a FREE helmet!! It's a nice one too. We are now on the lookout for a helmet for me. I'm thinking about bedazzling it when I get one. Scott may be embarrassed to ride with me if I do that...I guess it's not worth me not being able to ride with him. The bike had these hideous, bright green, tribal stickers on it when he first got it. Thankfully they peeled off. My friend, Jen Manning, suggested we get a tattoo to match it. Do you have an awesome picture of us on the bike with matching bright green, tribal tattoos on our arms and my bedazzled helmet?  Man, that sounds pretty.  Before Scott had his interview this past Wednesday, I made sure to take one last pic of his awesome/nasty mustache IN his new helmet.

He's such a charmer!  I already miss his nasty mustache. When we get that baby running, don't be surprised if you read in the newspaper about the new "Schneid Dog Gang" in town. Pictures to come...

a great week

This week was a great week for both Scott and I.  Work went well, Scott and I stayed up late having fun conversation a few nights in a row, God blessed Scott with the opportunity for an interview, and Scott may be bringing home a motorcycle tonight he found on craigslist....mm yeah, the motorcycle and the interview are probably tied on his list of excitement.  I'm really excited about most of that list and will be more excited when I actually get to go on a motorcycle ride. I trust when he sees it he will make a wise decision about buying it, right Scott?  Please be praying for Scott's interview on Wednesday!  Now we get to see Chrissy and Elijah for the weekend along with enjoying Amie's baby shower for Blake Douglas (I like to call him Blakey D) in Chicago on Sunday!  Lots of babies in my life right now to hold me over until I'm ready someday.  Have a great weekend!

couldn't resist

the Schneid's road trip to TX.

Scotty and I just got back from our nice, long road trip to TX on Saturday. Surprisingly, the drive was a lot of fun. I didn't think I would not enjoy it, but there is only so much you can do for 15 hours in a car. Not for Scott and I!  We made each other laugh a lot, danced, sang, at a lot, talked, listened to a book on tape, etc. Yeah, I love him. We got to Josh and Chrissy's apt on Saturday night and of course, right away, I took video of Elijah. He's the cutest ever. Our video basically consists of Elijah, Scott and I being dumb, and the awesome food we ate. So here's an overview of the Schneid's trip:

We played with Elijah...a lot.

We got to see the church where Joshie works.
We at at an awesome places like, Chewey's, Rudy's, and Round Rock Doughnuts.
We went to the pool twice...it was 90 degrees there.
We slept on an air mattress for a week.
We saw one of Scott's campers from Kanakuk.
We explored downtown Austin: the capitol, UT's massive campus, and 6th street.
We experienced Mount Banal. and $3 million homes.
We stayed with Ashley and John Barret for a few days in Dallas.
We sat 8 rows behind home plate at the TX Rangers game.
We celebrated Ashley's 24th bday with Uncle Julios and frozen custard.
We saw Troy Aikman at the frozen custard place (I didn't know who he was:))
We experienced Dallas traffic.
We experienced the love Texians have for their "country."
Scott grew a nice mustache for the week.
I cried when Lucy, the pigeon, had to have her baby eggs taken from her on Ashley's porch.
We walked around SMU's campus and Highland Park (one of the richest areas in TX)
I got to eat at a Chick Fil A.
Whataburger is not tasty like every Texan thinks.
And the cherry on top was getting to see the Kirchner's new baby Zeke!

awaiting our roadtrip to TX.

In one week Scott and I will be in Austin, TX visiting Josh, Chrissy, Elijah, and baby #2! We are pretty pumped about this road trip. We've taken a few road trips, but not this long and far of one. We are leaving on Friday, staying in a hotel in Tulsa, OK till Saturday, then driving the rest of the way to Austin, TX. We'll be there a few days then we'll go visit with my great friend Ashley and her husband, John, for a few days. Woo...lots and lots of driving! I'm glad hub and I get along because it's a good 15 hour drive to Austin. So excited to see this face:

This is the face I can' wait to kiss all over....

oh, how i long for our sweet carl...

Lord willing, Scott and I will be moving sometime in May or June. Do we know where yet? nope!! I know this may be weird, but one of the things I would say we are both most excited about moving is to be able to finally get a puppy! We have decided we probably are going to get a golden. His name is Carl. We talk about him like we already have him. We are weird, I know. I can't wait to take him on walks, to snuggle with him, to play with him in the yard, to be mad at him when he chews my shoe up, to discipline him when he pees or poops on the carpet and to love him!! I'm waaaaayyyy more excited about that right now than having a baby....I'm not ready for that yet. No thank you...maybe in a few years. Golden Retriever's are great puppies and they grow up to be awesome and beautiful dogs. My mom has a golden named Patrick, and he is definitely one of my best friends. He's the coolest dog ever! I hope Carl will be able to live up to Patrick's standard. It won't be hard for Carl to be smarter than Patrick, because Pat is pretty dumb, but he still is amazing. Carl, mommy and daddy are coming for you soon!!!

Baby K weekend.

This past weekend, Scott, Leann, and I road tripped to Springfield, MO for Kate's baby shower. She 's due next month and it is extremely obvious. She's a tiny gal as it is, but she has a massive basketball looking belly. Adorable, of course. I think that's what every woman dreams to look like when they are preggo. Right now we call her baby, Baby K. Kate and Kevin don't want people to know his name yet. I have a feeling I won't be able to get out of the habit of just calling him Baby K the rest of his life. Sorry Kate! It was a beautiful weekend so we were able to take a lovely walk in park (I think it's a requirement to have a little dog if you live in Springfield, MO) and be outside quite a bit.

it was sunny and kevin is funny

look at that belly!!!

The shower was on Sunday and it was an eco-friendly shower. Kate is my hippy all-natural friend. In the invitation it said to be creative with wrapping the presents in an eco-friendly way, SO I did just that.

I went straight to my recycling bin (see, I try to be eco-friendly too) and grabbed a granola bar box, a lean cuisine box and some newspaper. I went outside and picked up leaves, sticks and maybe tore a few pine needle branches off of our bushes (maybe not the most environmental friendly thing to do...sorry kate). I taped a little bit of each on the presents. PERFECT! I will say, Leann made a joke to wrap a present in just leaves, so I somewhat stole that idea from her. She was creative too, but hers was a lot cuter. She bought a basket and clothes pinned several onsies together and put them in there. It was really cute...Leann's just cute like that though. Anyways, the baby shower was great and Kate and Kevin got lots of goodies for when Baby K arrives on April 11th (I think that's the correct date).
p.s. Scott had to come to the shower because we were leaving straight from there, and he was the only guy there besides Kevin (who is the baby daddy). He promised he would never go to one again (unless it was his own...hopefully) because "there was way too much estrogen and emotional women in the room."