Life in Overdrive

Forge On or Shake the Dust?

2010-08-06T11:53:00.004-05:00

I had my feelings hurt this week...don't be worried about me though...I'm a big girl. I can take it.

What I can't seem to get over though is where the issue lies. Is it with me? Is it with the other person? Is it insecurities of my past or in who I am? Is it insecurities on the other side? I've often felt as though it's my duty to give an account or an excuse for my actions and decisions. I ALWAYS try to base my decisions upon what God wants for me and for my family. I know that the decision I made was right, justified and exactly the decision that needed to be made. I can be strong in that decision BECAUSE I know that I sought God's direction in it.

Does that mean it will be easy to live that decision out? No. Does that mean it will always be clean and neat and handsomely packaged? No. Does that mean everyone else will understand the decision I made? Unfortunately no.

Do I forge ahead and try to maintain what is left of a friendship hanging by the threads or is this where I'm supposed to shake the dust and move on? Is it supposed to be this much work? I know relationships are hard, but do I keep setting myself up for continual punishment? I don't want to walk away, but is that what I'm SUPPOSED to do?

What happens when both people are doing their best to walk in the Truth and yet still can't see eye to eye? Do you agree to disagree? I was ready to do so...but is that the right thing to do?

Cutting ties is hard when you love someone. I guess all I can say is that I love you and I hope one day you can learn to forgive me for the decision I made, but I will not apologize for that decision.

Making Changes Left and Right

2010-07-30T15:44:00.003-05:00

Down 12 pounds in three months!! It's hard to believe it's only been three months though with all of the changes I've been making, but I've been taking it slow so that's really helping me stick with it!!

Change #1: Started "dieting" with the help of the ladies in my office and their experience with Weight Watchers. I didn't sign up for any classes or anything, but I was keeping track of points, eating carefully, etc. This lasted for about a month before I got lazy with the point tracking. Not so much the CONSUMPTION of points, but I would never write down and document where I stood as far as points go. It just wasn't working for me.

Change #2: Went vegetarian. Yup. I did. And you wanna hear something surprising? It wasn't hard. I'm serious! It wasn't hard at all and I haven't missed meat at all!! My sister (who is vegan) encouraged me to try some different meat substitutes to help any cravings, but I never really got any. I'm still eating fish/seafood as there is no way this Florida girl is giving that up...plus it's a good source of protein for me as I'm not a huge bean eater.

Change #3: This week I implimented change #3 as I've been trying to take this whole thing slowly. What is that change you ask? Well, I joined a gym!! Shocker...I know. But this girl who will not wake up for anything in the morning is getting up at 5:45 in the morning and at the gym by 6:45 at the latest. I work out until 8am and then shower and head to work. I'm LOVING it!!!

Change #4: Well, this change hasn't happened yet...I guess you could call this more of a GOAL, but I'm contemplating running a 5K in September. I say running only because I'm well on the way of being able to run MOST of it as long as I stick with the plan I'm on. My goal at this point is to get registered and hold myself accountable to DOING it. I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

I'm actually very proud of myself and the fact that I've actually been sticking with this and have actually changed my whole lifestyle. I don't crave the crap anymore. I seriously WANT to eat healthier. I feel better and have more energy...well, I did until I started at the gym this week, but I'm told as I continue there the energy will come back.

The biggest thing has been to take it slow...make changes one at a time. A good friend gave me some great advice in that I should only change one thing every 30 days. This has been a great way for me to not feel overwhelmed and to focus on getting used to that change and turning into a habit or a way of life for me.

Whatever it is, I'm feeling like I'm able to handle the day to day so much better and I'm able to be a better wife and mommy to my family and that's the most important thing to me.

The New and Improving ME!!

2010-06-03T19:57:00.004-05:00

No, I'm not here to promise to blog more...we all know how that will turn out. I'm here to tell you (my endearing throng of reader...yes, singular) that I am making changes (yes, plural!)!!!

The ladies at work and I have been doing Weight Watchers together and really documenting what we're eating and holding each other accountable...and let me tell you, accountability is awesome!! Who knew!?!?!? :)

So far I have only lost 5 pounds, but I'm not down about it! I've lost FIVE POUNDS IN THREE WEEKS!!!! I think that's pretty awesome if you ask me :)

But the bigger changes I've seen this week is that I'm not only opting for the healthier choices, but I'm WANTING the healthier choices!! I'm working out every day and I really, REALLY want this!! About time right?

Right now I'm at my heaviest (non-pregnancy) weight. I'm so not happy about that. I mean, I could seriously care less what other people thing about me, but I DO care about how *I* feel about me. I care about being desirable for my husband (NOT that he's ever complained mind you) and I care about being healthy for my kids.

I'm proud to say that I am actually grasping this whole change and running with it. Change has never been easy, but it's always seemed to be a part of my life whether I've liked it or not. This time I'm grasping it and embracing it and never, ever going to let this go!!

"Hello Friend!"

2010-03-22T20:17:00.002-05:00

Wow...over a year? Really? Has it been that long? Well I guess it goes without saying that life has been crazy, busy and full. It's also brought a lot of great things about...and in this week some not so great. It's been so crazy that I haven't really had much time to reflect. To reflect on who I am, my faith, or on anything really.

This week I lost a friend. She was a friend from college whom everyone loved. She had a spunky personality and was filled with unbreakable joy. Now I know that when someone close to you dies everyone talks about how great they were and often overidolize that person, but that's really not the case here. She truly ALWAYS had a smile on her face. Smiley Kylee. She greeted everyone she met with the same greeting, "Hello Friend!"

Kylee Boden went to be with the Lord this past Wednesday. She was pregnant with her forth baby and passed out. They rushed her to the hospital where she had an emergency C-Section and baby Caleb was born. He was a few weeks early, but otherwise healthy. Kylee never woke up to welcome her new baby into this world. She never got to hear him cry. Never got to kiss his perfectly soft and warm forehead. Never got to hold him in her arms. They said she had a stroke due to preeclampsia.

This is only supposed to happen in the movies. Not to people I know. Not to someone I called friend. How is this fair?

It's not. But life isn't fair right? At least not in this life. Fairness can't be defined by our culture. We as Americans DEFINITELY can't define it. But that's a whole 'nother blog post...one that I won't wait a year to post. In the meantime I trust that God IS fair and just. I trust that Kylee has walked through the gates of heaven after seeing her name in the Book of Life with a big fat check mark next to it. Jesus is standing there greeting her saying, "Hello friend...well done my good and faithful servant."

I'm HERE! I'm ALIVE! I'm BUSSSSSY!!!!

2009-02-20T20:43:00.002-05:00

*sigh*

How pitiful that it takes a comment from Bedky to make me realize that I haven't updated my blog since before Christmas. Sad. sad. sad.

BUT...I haven't just been sitting around twiddling my thumbs. Did you know I got a job in October of last year? Of course you did. I probably told you...that, or you heard me screaming from my roof how thankful I was ;)

I'm working for a promotional company in the Model & Talent department. It's a very stressful job, but also very fun work. It makes me excited to go to work every morning which is very helpful considering I did NOT want to go back to work. I would still rather be home and truly feel that's where God will have me end up, but He's got something in store for me at this company...there are just too many things that have happened to NOT be the case.

The family...yes...they're still happy and healthy. Mike turns 33 tomorrow. Crazy. It's weird to think I'm married to someone who's in their mid-thirties...heh. But then again *I* will be 30 this year so I'm not teasing him...much.

Jackson is WALKING!!! I'm so not dealing with this well either. He's into EVERYTHING :)

Blake is doing well in school and is learning how to read.

Ryley is reading like crazy and doing well in school. If I could just keep him out of trouble we'd be doing well...heh

Did I mention that my MIL moved in? She came up to live with us right before Christmas and has been here ever since. Things are going really well and I couldn't ask for a better person to watch my children for me during the day.

That's about it...I'll probably update again in about a month...or 6...heehee...

Christmas time is HERE!!

2008-12-06T09:39:00.002-05:00

Does it seem to anyone else that Christmastime is just really short this year??

We actually put our tree up a week before Thanksgiving so it's SEEMED Christmasy in our house, but I don't think our hearts were really into it yet. Mike and I were talking about this last night as he was hanging Christmas Lights on the front of the house. He has been VERY anxious to get everything up and decorated this year. Don't get me wrong, he USUALLY loves Christmas (as do I) and we often go over the top with decorating (3 years running as the winners of the decorating contests at FCC!!), but for some reason we just have this NEED to decorate this year.

We came to the conclusion that it is probably due to the fact that this has been one of the HARDEST years in our marriage that we've ever faced. Praise God we've grown closer during a time that would probably break up a lot of other marriages, but it's almost like we're trying to get this year over quickly. We need the refreshment of Christmas and then the cleansing of the new year...We NEED IT!

But is that how we should be going about this? I mean...shouldn't the anticipation come from wanting to remember the anticipation people felt of meeting the Messiah? Even the eve of Christ's birth was BUSY...it comes with the territory of the season I think (yes, I know that Christ was most likely born in the springtime...just hear me out). The night of Christ's birth was busy due to people returning to their hometowns for the census. They were being reunited with families, I'm sure mom's and grandma's were preparing their homes for lots and lots of company. Meals were being cooked, bread baking, houses being cleaned. It's really not much different from what we see now.

But...amidst all of the hullabaloo there was something so beautiful as a baby being born. Everyone was so busy that I'm sure they didn't notice the poor woman who was forced to sleep in a barn and lay her baby in a feeding trough. I'm sure they didn't notice the poor man who wanted nothing more than to offer his wife the best possible service and place to deliver her baby, and only be disappointed that he had to go with this alternative. I'm sure they didn't notice the smiles as they looked down at this precious baby and no longer worried about where they were sleeping. From that point forward all they could see was his beautiful sleeping face.

Peace, Peace.

That is the true meaning of Christmas...it was before the shepherds came. Before the wise men visited with gifts. It was the peace and the love of this precious gift sent from heaven.

May you all have a blessed and PEACEFUL Christmas this year.

Psalm 5:1-3

2008-09-25T09:26:00.001-05:00

"Listen to my words, O Lord, and hear my sighs.

Listen to my cry for help,

My God and king!

I pray to you, O Lord;

you hear my voice in the morning;

At sunrise I offer my prayer and wait for your answer."

(Psalm 5:1-3, TEV)

Friday Felicities

2008-09-19T09:00:00.002-05:00

* Diet Coke in the can straight from the fridge (No FF would be complete without mentioning it)

* Sipping said Diet Coke with the windows open.

* Spending my Quiet Time with God with my windows open.

* Cleaning house while the windows are open (it's the BEST way to motivate myself to clean).

* Having hubby home today so he can reach the window over the sink.

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!

Psalm 51 according to me.

2008-09-16T09:34:00.003-05:00

Be gracious to me God, because you love me;
Because of your compassion, erase the crap I've stored up.
Wash me fully from my past and keep me clean from the sin I seem to encounter daily.
I know what I've done, and it's always on my mind.
You are the only person against who I've sinned
And done what is evil according to You,
I have made it so that you are justified when You speak
And without any blame when You act in my life.

I came into a sinful world.
But still you expect and desire truth in my heart,
And in my mind You expect me to use wisdom.
Purify my heart and I will be clean;
Forgive my mind and make me white again.
Allow me to hear all that is good,
Let the pain I feel, rejoice to know that I FEEL
Don't look at all of the dirty stuff in my heart
Clean that all out please.

I want a clean heart God
Fill me with longing for You
Keep me close
Keep your Spirit in my heart
Give me a new fire
Keep me willing to do your work
So that I can teach others about You
and they will come to know You.

Keep me from that guilty verdict
And I will sing daily of your glory
Speak through my words
So that Your name will always be praised.
It's not about how much I give up, but how my heart gives it up.
You aren't pleased with the things I do
The sacrifice is in my spirit
Only when I come before you broken and humbled
That is when you love me most.

Be good to the church Lord
Build us up.
Delight in the spirit of the work we do.
In the work and in the way we accomplish it
Our work will be lifted to You.

I'm such a slacker.

2008-08-30T08:02:00.002-05:00

I have nothing to share. Wow. Obviously doesn't take a full mind to write a blog post, b/c my MIND is overflowing with things to tell you, witty remarks to make about the status of our country and where it's headed, funny stories about the antics my kids have been up to lately, an update on the status of our FAMILY and we we're headed...

But today? Today...I cannot for the life of me put it all into words...so you'll have to be patient and expectant of the next post in which I will blow your socks off with my intellect.

Oh stop the laughing.

Til then my friends!!

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

2008-08-10T16:35:00.002-05:00

Today is my dad's 60th birthday. He doesn't know I'm posting this today and I'm not sure just how excited he'd be that I'm proclaiming to all blogdom that he is now in fact SIXTY years old. *insert a little giggle here*

We all went to dinner last night and totally sweat our butts off (literally) as we sat in an open air restaurant...in Florida...in August....yes...we're a crazy bunch. He said that he wasn't really celebrating anymore birthdays but of course WE wouldn't allow that...heehee...

The truth is, my dad should be celebrating this milestone. Several times over the last 7 years he's faced death head on. By the grace of God he has stared death in the face and laughed. A stroke that left him paralyzed on one whole side of his body, cancer that leaves anyone terrified just by the mere mention of the name, a heart attack that left us praying he'd make it through surgery, and finally a bacterial infection that turned out to be the greatest threat to his life yet.

For my whole life growing up my daddy was my hero. He could do no wrong and nothing could harm him. The older *I* get the more I realize how enthralled I was in my dream world...and really how much I wish I could stay in that dream world. But alas...I see that my daddy wasn't perfect...I see how imperfect and flawed I am as a parent. I can only hope and pray that my kids can one day look back and think with fond memories on their childhood like I can mine.

I can stand here today and say that I am a proud daughter of a man who taught me right from wrong, who introduced me to Jesus, baptized me, and showed me the path in which to walk. I am one of VERY few of my friends who can proudly say that her parents are still married and still LIKE each other. I can also say that I am able to look upon my heavenly father with fondness b/c of my amazing relationship with my earthly father.

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!

Where I've been :)

2008-06-28T07:17:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around much...didn't I say that I would be around more? Haha...

I'm LOVING my job. It's really nice to work somewhere and feel appreciated for what you do...even the LITTLE things LOL...

The boys are adjusting well. I actually think that what I THOUGHT was a tough schedule is probably the most amazing schedule I've ever had for work. I'm home all day long and miss out on having to cook dinner for the family!! No more stressing over what to cook!! LOL! Ok...I LOVE to cook, so that part isn't all THAT fun for me, but I at least get to see my boys all day long and I can prepare meals ahead of time to make sure they're still not eating junk when Mike is home (MUST put in a plug that he is an amazing cook himself so I don't have TOO much room to worry here) :)

Ryley is reading up a storm. I swear this kid was holding out on me :) He's SUCH a smart boy and is doing great in all areas except listening (anyone who knows Ryley is giggling maddly here). We've been doing a bit of school during the summer and will go full fledged into a homeschooling set up next week to keep them fresh and to hopefully get them a head start in the new school year. Ryley loves Math and Science and was so excited to show me the volcano project he did with grandma while I was at work the other night :)

Blake is loving summer b/c he can go out and play with his friend (also named Blake) down the street. Any extra playtime is ALWAYS appreciated by him LOL. We're working on HIS high frequency words so that he's ready for kindergarten in the fall (OH.MY.WORD where did the time go?).

Jackson is growing like a weed!! He's already on solids (well, baby food...not steak yet) and had his first experience with cheerios the other day...he LOVES food!! He's weaned himself over the last few weeks which makes me sad, but also happy that he seems to be adjusting to me be gone more. I was mostly worried about how he would handle me going back to work, but he loves it :)

Mike is still part time with Lowe's. He really likes working there and has been promised a spot in their management training program in October once his 6 months are up. However, he has heard rumors that he may be going full time WAY before that (he heard by the end of June, but that's quickly approaching). We are praying that this comes SOON!!!!

We are digging ourselves out of the pit of creditors that we found ourselves in the past year. This is going to be a slow and tedious crawl out, but we know with God's providence that we can do it. He's provided all of the money up until now, I know that he will continue to provide for us...making our paychecks stretch as far as they can.

Anyway...this is our life right now...crazy as it is it's my life and I love it!!

Life Remembered

2008-06-08T18:09:00.003-05:00

December 15, 1973 - June 7, 2008

He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair

When sorrow seems to surround you
When suffering hangs heavy o'er your head
Know that tomorrow brings
Wholeness and healing
God knows your need
Just believe what He said

He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair

When what youve done keeps you from moving on
When fear wants to make itself at home in your heart
Know that forgiveness brings
Wholeness and healing
God knows your need
Just believe what He said

He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair

I once was lost but God has found me
Though I was bound Ive been set free
Ive been made righteous in His sight
A display of His splendor all can see

He gives beauty for ashes
Strength for fear
Gladness for mourning
Peace for despair

~ Crystal Lewis

I got a J-O-B

2008-06-04T18:57:00.002-05:00

So yeah...I totally had an interview yesterday for an aviation company. Got the call yesterday afternoon and started today. It has been a whirlwind day LOL...

God has provided what seems to be a VERY great company for me to work for. Unfortunately it is really going to cut into my commitments with the Worship Team at church which I am not overly thrilled about, but hopefully the hours will be temporary. I will be working 2pm - 10pm Thursday - Sunday nights.

Life is going to go through a HUGE adjustment, but it seems that things will be ok. Please pray for Mike and I as we face this next hurdle of getting our bills back under control and playing "catch up."

God is good ALL THE TIME and gave me a job that I can be proud of. A company that is run by an amazing Christian man is hard to find and I was blessed to find this one.

If you ever charter a jet into Daytona Beach I'll most likely be there waiting to greet you with a cold bottle of water and a red carpet. No...I'm not kidding.

Sleeping When The Winds Blows

2008-05-22T08:18:00.000-05:00

Sleeping When the Wind Blows
David Langerfeld
May 22, 2008

Years ago a farmer owned land along the Atlantic seacoast. He constantly advertised for hired hands. Most people were reluctant to work on farms along the Atlantic. They dreaded the awful storms that raged across the Atlantic, wreaking havoc on the buildings and crops. As the farmer interviewed applicants for the job, he received a steady stream of refusals.

Finally, a short, thin man, well past middle age, approached the farmer. "Are you a good farmhand?" the farmer asked him.

"Well, I can sleep when the wind blows," answered the little man.

Although puzzled by this answer, the farmer, desperate for help, hired him. The little man worked well around the farm, busy from dawn to dusk, and the farmer felt satisfied with the man's work.

Then one night the wind howled loudly in from offshore. Jumping out of bed, the farmer grabbed a lantern and rushed next door to the hired hand's sleeping quarters. He shook the little man and yelled, "Get up! A storm is coming! Tie things down before they blow away!"

The little man rolled over in bed and said firmly, "No sir. I told you, I can sleep when the wind blows."

Enraged by the response, the farmer was tempted to fire him on the spot. Instead, he hurried outside to prepare for the storm. To his amazement, he discovered that all of the haystacks had been covered with tarpaulins. The cows were in the barn, the chickens were in the coops, and the doors were barred. The shutters were tightly secured. Everything was tied down. Nothing could blow away. The farmer then understood what his hired hand meant, so he returned to his bed to also sleep while the wind blew.

MORAL: When you're prepared - spiritually, mentally, and physically - you have nothing to fear. Can you sleep when the wind blows through your life? The hired hand in the story was able to sleep because he had secured the farm against the storm. We, as believers in Christ, secure ourselves against the storms of life by grounding ourselves in the Word of God. We don't need to understand, we just need to hold His hand to have peace in the midst of the storms.

One redeeming quality...

2008-04-29T08:35:00.001-05:00

Last year we bought a dog. Yes, I gushed all the way through that post about how cute he was and how special he was. Now...the dog and I aren't the best of friends...heh

He chews everything. Digs up our yard. Gets too rough (in MY opinion) with the boys (although they love it).

But last Saturday he may have redeemed himself. Well, a little bit anyway.

The boys came running in the house from the backyard yelling "Freddy caught a rat!!" Thank the LORD Mike was home. We went out back and Freddy didn't have a rat in his mouth, but he was rooting in the grass trying to get SOMETHING.

Sure enough he pulls a MOLE OUT OF THE GROUND!! So, Mike then jumps into action and gets a shovel and tries to get the mole out of Freddy's mouth. He eventually drops it and Mike takes care of the problem.

After talking to our neighbor we find that he put mole away in his yard. Great. Well, at least we have our own Mole Catcher now. :)

Ramblings of my Overdriven Life...

2008-04-23T07:04:00.002-05:00

Jackson is running a fever. Poor baby. He had his shots yesterday and was up ALL FREAKING NIGHT! I MAYBE got 2 hours TOPS...oh well...it's not like it's EVERY night. He's a VERY good sleeper usually.

I'm about to take boy #2 to preschool and then swing by boy #1's school to register boy #2 for Kindergarten. If I didn't have the baby I'd probably be balling my eyes out today. Where did all of the time GO!?!?!?!?!?!? I'm not going to be able to handle this if the school years continue to fly by so quickly. UGH!

Boy #1 has been doing a BIT better in school lately. He's still struggling with his behavior. I think a lot of the stress around here may be trickling down on to him and he doesn't know how else to handle it...sigh. He's doing GREAT academically and I'm considering having him tested for the gifted program. My only concern is that his teacher will nix it DUE to the fact he won't stay on task. I believe he's bored.

Boy #2 has been throwing temper tantrums lately. Who knew we'd bypass the toddler years with no problem only to have him pitch fits when he turned 5!?!?!? He's still way too cute though. He had to have shots yesterday too. He was such a big strong boy and would NOT let the nurse see him cry. LOL. After he was done (he went first before the baby)he went and sat in a chair in the corner and teared up a bit, but he was VERY brave.

Boy #3 is growing like a weed...well, a slow growing weed I guess. They told me yesterday he's not gaining weight fast enough. But all of my boys were that way. So I'm not really worried about it. Blake never outgrew it...Ryley did.

The man has a new job working at Lowe's. He's only part-time right now and he's doing the construction stuff on the side when his boss has work for him. He's such a hard worker and does such a good job trying to support his crazy family. Now, if we could do something about this crappy economy we'd be alright...heh

Me? I'm looking for a job still. I had to postpone an interview I had scheduled (due to afformentioned fever) for this morning. I'm meeting with a lady who would like to hire me to teach group piano lessons for preschoolers. It's right up my alley and I really hope it is something that I can consider doing. The problem is it is 30 minutes away and I don't know what the pay rate is yet. So pray that it will be enough to warrant me going back to work. My mil is kind enough to come up in May and stay through June to help us out so we don't have to pay child care. This will help us catch up on bills and what not too.

Anyway...this is my crazy overdriven life. But I love it. I didn't even mention church activities, T-ball games, spending time with my family. Oh the list goes on, but I won't wear y'all out with it...that's MY burden to bear ;)

I'm HERE!!

2008-04-21T08:02:00.002-05:00

OMIGOSH! Can you BELIEVE it!?!?!?!?!?

It's my THIRD DAY of posting in a FOUR day period! I must be improving :P

Mike is working all morning and then coming home to sleep b/c he's got to do some tile work tonight at Bubba Gump's. I'm PRAYING he'll get to bring me home some coconut shrimp!! YUMMO! He'll be there from 1am til around 5am and then he'll go straight to Lowe's to work until 10am. Then he'll probably come home and crash...good luck with three kids in the house. LOL

Things are good here. Really, really good. I've decided that I will NOT be looking at my bank page every morning like I have been for the past month. I refuse to. God is bigger than my bank statement.

Today I plan on getting Jackson down for a nap (he's usually asleep by now but is fighting tooth and nail) so I can run on the treadmill while I listen to some Francis Chan. My friends and I are doing a study on the Holy Spirit based around a sermon series he did last year. I'm too lazy to link it right now, but I WILL. It has been incredibly eye opening and I DO believe that God has me listening to this RIGHT NOW for a very specific purpose. I do not rely fully enough on Him. I am changing that. I have to.

Love you all. Have a wonderful and productive day!!!!!!!

Reason #5,734 not to let your kids wear flipflops

2008-04-20T17:42:00.002-05:00

They'll flip them off their feet in the middle of Factory Card Outlet and you'll have to dig it out from among 300 rolls of wrapping paper.

*sigh*

I would hope that God would allow my patience to grow exponentially before Ryley turns 10. Please pray with me that that would happen LOL!

What does Faith look like?

2008-04-19T20:56:00.003-05:00

Wow. I just sat through a worship service alone. Not a single person around me. I sat with some of the worship team before the service, but then they moved up to the stage and left me alone.

I think it may have been ordained by God that Mike worked with the kids tonight, Jackson went silently into the nursery, and that not a SOUL sat behind me. At least, I don't THINK anyone slid in behind me. If they did, I didn't notice.

Tonight...it was me and God. I couldn't ask for a better worship time then to be able to tune OUT all of the distractions around me and to focus on HIM.

Want to know the theme for this series...Weathering the Storm...yup...

I've had a TERRIBLE stomach ache all day today and contemplated staying home tonight. I now fully believe that it was because SOMEONE didn't want me to hear the message tonight. SOMEONE doesn't want me to live by faith. SOMEONE likes this storm I'm in and doesn't want me to look to God for answers. I went. I cried. I bawled.

Sometimes faith is so preety. Nicely bound in a pretty bow. Easy to grasp. Easy to understand.

Then there's the flipside. More OFTEN faith is dirty and messy. It's through those times that if your KNEES aren't dirty than you're not truly living on faith. The storms we face can be just downright SCARY. I know the one we're facing is. But God is the author of this storm. He's stripping away the dirt and the grime and the filth that has accumulated on our souls and is cleaning us to a bright shiney new us.

When Jesus was in a boat with his disciples they feared for their lives one night during a terrible storm. They thought it was the end. They asked Jesus, "Teacher...aren't you going to SAVE US?" Jesus replied, "Why are you scared? Where is your faith?"

I often ask God...WHY???????????????????? Why am I going through this? Why does my husband have to feel like he's failing? Why do I have to go back to work? Why can't you give us a break?

His reply: Why are you scared? Where is your faith?

Sometimes faith looks like a lone girl on the front row with her hands held high and not a cent to her name.

A Life Renewed

2008-04-14T08:23:00.002-05:00

Back in January...wow...that would be 4 months ago already...yeesh...I had a theme for my new year. My theme: Renewal.

Over the last 2 months I've begun to question why God would have me choose a theme of renewal when things were still going OH SO VERY wrong. I realized this weekend that He had me choose this theme to PREPARE MY HEART for the renewal HE was placing in my heart and in our family.

Last year was hard. But last year was also incredibly amazing. We started a church and we still love every person there. We found out that I was pregnant and God allowed for ANOTHER amazing pregnancy for me. I had another beautiful little boy who continues to make me love him every day. Our marriage grew stronger. Ryley started Kindergarten. Oh the list could go on. And sometimes I need it to go on. I need the reminder of JUST HOW BLESSED I AM.

When I felt God lay the theme of renewal on my heart I thought that meant He would make things all better. That the hard times would be left to 2007. Oooh boy. Was I wrong.

Instead I feel that God is CONTINUING to strip away the old me. I hadn't been stripped enough. I'm like Shrek...an onion with many layers. I am stinky and smelly and need those layers scrubbed away. My prayers have gone from "Oh Lord please provide." to "Oh Lord, show me what you want from me."

God has not been quiet through all of this. As a matter of fact there have been times that I KNOW He's been shouting it out loud and I have been too caught up in my own worries to really listen to what He's trying to tell me. After all, didn't *I* pray for this. Back when things were going well...didn't I pray to have the faith of Job? Why would I not expect God to say, "Ok...you asked for it...I'm going to build you up." So should I be surprised that my prayers have turned to, "Ok God...thank you. I appreciate your tests, but that's enough. I'm beginning to understand. Now. Can you give me all that 'stuff' back?"

Seems kind of ridiculous when I type it out like that.

The truth is...I cannot be renewed until the garbage is gone. God didn't abandon me when life got tough. He's holding my head up while I walk through the muck. I can yell and scream and throw all the tantrums I want, but that doesn't change that God is working. I may not be able to see HOW just yet, but he's working. And as always, he's going to come through when I LEAST expect it and in a way I never planned. B/c THAT is how my God shows me His glory and His grace.

I was talking to a friend this weekend and I was telling her about how I used to ask Jesus to wait for his return until I got married. Then after I got married I asked for him to wait until I had kids. Then after having kids it all changed. Now I'm praying COME JESUS COME while throwing in there, "I'd prefer before they're teenagers!!"

It's not about me and what I want. It's about God's timing. Just like in my scrubbing away. As much as I want the bills to be paid, money in the bank (just a little Lord), and gas in our cars...it's not going to happen in my time. I need to get out of the way and let the Lord work. Get my oniony-stank self OUT.OF.THE.WAY. And let God do what HE does best.

The Hole in the Wafer

2008-03-23T18:38:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter!

What a crazy, hectic weekend. It's so easy to lose ourselves in the hubbub of Holiday madness. For me, it usually involves extra rehearsals, figuring out childcare, taking the kids off their normal schedule, dealing with the after effects of taking kids off said schedule. Throw in the candy, the egg hunts, and the immense amount of energy my boys have it makes for an incredibly crazy and confusing time.

This year included SEVEN (yes, you read that correctly)...*whispers* "SEV.VEN* services. Oh man...I'm exhausted just typing that. Anyone who is involved in church in a leadership or servant role knows how much time and effort goes into ONE service, so yeah...I'm tired...and throw in the fact that I just can't get my worship on without sweating and MOVING...I got a workout folks.

But still, God peeked through to my heart.

Life has been rough lately. I found out this week that I will most likely be returning to the workforce full time. Gone are the dreams of being a Stay at home mom, of homeschooling my kids, of being the one to pick them up from school and ask them how their day was even...In some ways I am mourning what is about to happen. But I know that God will bless me and my family for following my husband's lead. He has been out of work for almost 3 weeks now. Things have just been HARD since last year, and we KNOW that God has our back, we're just waiting for God to fill us in on his plan. But for now, He's silent...and that's okay...

But last night, He spoke to my heart.

As the communion was passed I took my wafer. Of all the wafers I could have picked, I picked one with a hole. I was a bit distracted at first that my wafer had a HOLE in it. All the way through...I could feel my finger on the other side of it.

But then God spoke to me. Not in an audible voice, but I could feel him speak to my heart. I pressed my finger against that hole. And I remembered.

I remembered the holes that matter. The holes that the nails left. The holes that filled the one in my heart. The holes that wiped every sin clean. The holes that allow me to live my life FREE from sin. The holes that allow me to enter the throneroom of the Almighty God and lay myself at his feet.

I pressed my finger against that hole and imagined that I was pressing my finger into the hole in Jesus' hand. The hole that he made for me.

It is today that I remember that it is not only because of that hole, but because of the EMPTY TOMB that I am able to stand as a forgiven child of God.

Happy Resurrection Day!

State of the House

2008-02-24T12:32:00.004-05:00

So...you're probably wondering why I haven't posted anymore on my whole organization/housecleaning schedule. Well...I fell of the horse. I broke a few bones. I sat and wallowed in my misery. Ugh.

SOOOOOOO....tomorrow is Monday. The day for fresh starts. I plan on getting off my butt and getting back ON the horse I vowed I would ride throughout the rest of this year. I have several goals in mind:

1. My home to be clean/straightened every day by the time Mike gets home from work.

2. To do at LEAST one load of laundry a day so that I'm not catching up on the weekends.

3. Take care of the contacts I need to make FIRST before doing any other thing that needs to be done. I have several phone calls and appts that need to be made that I have put off too long...

I think that's a pretty decent start. Next week I hope to add the declutter calendar to my list. It's such an easy tool I need to USE IT!!

Hey...who knows...maybe one day I'll have my life so organized I can schedule time to blog every day...ok ok...I'll stick with my three goals above...heh

Stolen From...well EVERYBODY!

2008-02-22T16:23:00.006-05:00

I saw this on Jojo's sight as well as Pattie's, Becky's, and I'm sure it's on just about every blog right now...heh...(btw...you can find these lovely ladies in the Women At Home Blog Roll on my sidebar)...without further ado:

60 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me

1. What is in the back seat of your car right now?
Car seats, books and toys that Blake (mainly...although Ryley is the book culprit) stashes in the cup holders and every other nook and cranny he can find

2. When was the last time you threw up?
October 2004...it was the last time I caught the stomach bug from the boys...blech
(I know you're thrilled to see if the other questions are this interesting)

3. What's your favorite curse word?
CRAP...but I'm a lady who lives in the south so we can't forget DANGIT!!

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today?
my husband, my 6 year old and my 5 year old

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
Taking Ryley to school

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
Parusing the World Wide Web

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now?
Probably making dinner.

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
HELL No (whoops there's a dirty word)

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
STOP ASKING ME FOR FOOD!!!!!!!!!

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
If I HAD to pick I'd say Mint Chocolate Chip OR Cookies in Cream...I love both...please don't make me choose.

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Sweet Tea

12. What are you wearing right now?
t-shirt and pants...who wants to know?? heh

13. What was the last thing you ate?
Yeah...I ate McDonald's for lunch...so WHAT!

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
Not for ME, but I did buy some pants for Jackson earlier this week...the kids' growing like a WEED!!!

15. When was the last time you ran?
Ok...this isn't fun for me any longer.

16. What's the last sporting event you watched?
The Super Bowl...i think...heh

Um...what happened to question 17??

18. Who is the last person you emailed?
My GalPals

19. Ever go camping?
You must not know me very well to ask me this stupid question.

20. Do you have a tan?
Uh no. Yes...I live in FL and look like an albino...you can laugh all you want to when you're old, wrinkly and have skin cancer.

Joanne? Did you not like some of these questions? Is that why we're skipping along?? heehee

24. Do you drink your soda from a straw?
If we're in a restaurant, b/c that's just nasty to drink from restaurant cups *shudder*

25. What did your last IM say?
Nothing...although a smiley face from Marisa says a LOT :)

26. Are you someone's best friend?
I'm a lucky one :)

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
Absolutely nothing...well, that's not true...normal stuff like laundry, dishes, baby feeding, baby changing still goes on.

28. Where is your mom right now?
Am I my mother's keeper? I guess she's at home...how should I know?

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
Closet system

30. What color is your watch?
Pale? I don't wear one...

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
LOST

32. Would you consider plastic surgery?
Absolutely...although I would never do anything to my face or to "upgrade" my appearance, but I WOULD have plastic surgery on some *ahem* areas to help my back feel better and to reduce headaches if you catch my drift.

33. What is your birthstone?
Pearls

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
Usually drive thru since we only eat there when we absolutely have to...ick...yes, I DID drive thru McDonald's today...shuddup

35.How many kids do you want?
I want for no more :)

36. Do you have a dog?
Ugh...yes

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
my hubster

38. Have you met anyone famous?
I met Jeff Gordon when I was about 11 or 12...he used to date my old babysitter. I sat on his lap and he gave me a kiss on the cheek...the next week he won his first 500...yep...I gave him good luck.

39. Any plans today?
I need to go figure out dinner here soon...first I'll have to feed the bebe...

40. How many states have you lived in?
2: Kentucky, Florida, Kentucky, Florida...in that order :)

41. Ever go to college?
Yes...Florida Christian College

42. Where are you right now?
I'm sitting on the toilet...where do you THINK I am...I'm on the computer...duh...

43. Biggest annoyance in your life right now?
Government's waste of paper...I've received 5 notices in the past 3 days to tell me my kids are not eligible for Medicaid (which is NOT what I was told over the phone) and then today I receive a whole packet on choosing a plan for our kids' Medicaid...seriously making me want to beat my head on a wall.

44. Last song listened to?
All I Want is You (Planetshakers...I think)

46. Are you allergic to anything?
I only have seasonal allergies but nothing that will send me to the hospital.

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
Flipflops...and I wear them all.the.time.

48. Are you jealous of anyone?
Oh please...

San Francisco has 49'ers

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
What? They like my broken tooth?

51. What time is it?
4:56 pm

52. Do any of your friends have children?
Yes

53. Do you eat healthily?
Starting Monday...yeah...Monday

54. What do you usually do during the day?
Oh I am SOOO Not going to bore you with my life here. Just imagine a chicken...now see this chicken with no head...yeah...that would be me :P

55. Do you hate anyone right now?
I've got enough to worry about in my life without hating other people...life's too short people...let's feel some LOVE!

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
I suppose... when I answer the phone. Dude...I'm stealing Joanne's answer *giggles*

Here we go skipping questions again...

58. How old will you be turning on your next birthday?
25 <~~ Joanne's answer makes me laugh...heehee...I'll be 29 in June...I can admit my age for one more year :)

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
Yes...we used to take our youth group every year...

60. How did you get one of your scars?
Oh my gosh...funny story...the ONLY scar I have is on my knee. I skinned my knees in the parking lot of Pizza Hut when I was in 6th grade. We used to go to Pizza Hut on Friday nights for dinner then walk to the movie theatre and our parents would pick us up when it was over (my how times have changed). Well, the boy I liked was at PH and being a 6th grade girl I did what any girl my age would do. I chased him. And then I tripped over one of those parking curbs. Yep. I was a dork.

I fell in love all over again this Valentine's Day

2008-02-19T11:45:00.003-05:00

I know you're probably thinking I'm talking about Mike...but I'm not...heehee...although WHAT I feel in love with directly relates to that wonderful husband of mine. He bought me THIS for my minivan. Yup...I have completely fallen in love all over again with my iPod. I think this is by FAR one of the greatest inventions of all time. I've been listening to podcasts for LOST, housecleaning (yes...I am STILL working on motivating myself more in this area), Relevant, Focus on the Family, and some others. AND I can download children's books for my kids to listen to in the car...it saves me from having to suffer hearing loss from the fights in the backseat.

This is SO NOT a Pay Per Post blog...I just LOOOOOOOOOVE my iPod...LOVE LOVE LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!! I told Mike for my birthday he can get me the iPod Alarm Clock...if and when I get that I will not be going ANYWHERE (except the shower) without it by my side...

Friday Felicities

2008-01-25T19:41:00.001-05:00

Going to the Post Office with three children
Having oldest child accuse you of child abuse by telling a woman in line that I make him throw away ALL of his baby brother's dirty diapers...and they STINK.
Having middle child tell a woman that she needs a boyfriend after learning she had no brothers growing up.
Being able to lock baby into his seat...that way he can't go anywhere...how I wish I could still do this with the older two.
Having a baby who's still too young to speak, b/c who KNOWS what else those poor people at the Post Office would have been privy to otherwise...

You would think...

2008-01-25T18:32:00.000-05:00

Oh you would think that life would be awful with less than $100 in the bank at all times. You would think that life would be awful when I hardly ever see my husband anymore. You would THINK that life would be awful when you can't get a full night's sleep and don't see it happening in the next 18 years...

You would think.

But, I have a hope.

It reminds me of a song we sang when I travelled with my college:

I have a hope
That will never fade away
It's alive in me
Living day to day

I have a hope
And my hope has a name
His name is JESUS!

Praise God He's put this hope in my heart that there is relief on the horizon. I'm not sure when it will come or in what form, but He has proven faithful time and time again and I just have to rely on that hope.

But friends, you're not in the dark, so how could you be taken off guard by any of this? You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. People sleep at night and get drunk at night. But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

~I Thessalonians 5:4 (The Message)

Monday, Monday

2008-01-14T17:58:00.000-05:00

Monday is a new day...a new beginning...you don't have to wait for a new year, a new piece of paper, a clean slate...just wait for Monday. Why do we always push everything off? Heh...this is coming from the QUEEN of procrastination. BUT...BUT...I have a secret.

This queen is changing her platform. That's right!! I posted about my goal towards organization this year but today I finally put my PLAN into action. Anyone who struggles with procrastination knows how difficult it can be to actually DO it.

I was the student who waited until Sunday to start the science project that was due Monday morning. Yet, I am a functioning procrastinator. My waiting until Sunday got me 3rd place in the school science fair. One year I actually competed in the county wide fair...I don't remember if it was the same year or not, but I can guarantee you it was a project that took me about 3 hours to do...heh.

I was the student in college who pondered themes and rolled ideas around in her head for term papers, only to spend an all nighter the night before the paper was due. You can bet those papers got at LEAST a B. In some ways it's a gift. I don't waste time doing something and then deciding later I don't want to do it that way.

But, mostly, it's a hindrance. It keeps me from getting things done on a daily basis. I've been making lists, creating schedules, scouring organizational themed websites...all in the name of creating ideas of grandeur. But no more. OOOOHHHHH NO MORE!

Here's the before pics:

Here are the afters:

Not 100% better, but at least it's clean :) We're having some major space issues that will be resolved once I get around to doing a thorough clean out...

So...there you have it...nothing a little listy and some good friends to hold me accountable can't handle ;)

My baby's growing TOO FAST!!

2008-01-13T17:14:00.000-05:00

I think I expected this last baby to stay an infant forever. I truly did. I don't want to see him crawl, I don't want to hear him talk. I just want to snuggle him forever :) Ok...on MOST days I want that :)

Guess what he did Saturday night? He rolled over...

Yep...only 8 weeks old and he's already rolling over. Not EVERY time, but if he gets mad enough he flips right on over. I'd have thought it was a fluke, but he's done it several times since.

*sigh* They grow up too fast.

Jackson Reed!!

2008-01-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

I don't know if I posted his middle name earlier or not...but we had to change the spelling. Well, we didn't HAVE to, but had the hubby and I discussed it before the day he was born we would have saved ourselves the trouble :) I assumed we would spell it Reid (I WAS the one to come up with the name..heh) but I was in the shower when they came in to do his baby pictures. Because we didn't discuss the spelling, Mike had assumed it would be spelled REED. So that's what he told them and instead of worrying about it I just went with the alternate spelling :)

As for his birth story...This baby is amazing...can I just say that? He was born on November 16, 2007 at 1:49 pm. The Monday morning before he was born, I went to my final OB appt. We had been keeping a close eye on his size since my belly was HUGE and my doctor thought he was going to be a ginormous baby. My doc was ready to induce me that DAY...I however really wanted a natural experience with no drugs and since I hadn't been having regular contractions, I wasn't ready to do that.

He informed me that he didn't want me going past my due date b/c of my size. So we settled on that Friday (one day past my EDD)since he would be on call. Sure enough I went in Friday morning for my induction. I arrived at 7:45, had my water broken at 9:00, they gave me a chance to go on my own for a couple of hours and after no change started the pitocin around 11am. As SOON as they started the pitocin things started moving QUICKLY. I think I was really making my nurse nervous b/c I like to rock when I'm in labor. I was standing through most of my labor rocking back and forth while Mike held me. My sister was able to be there and she said we danced all morning :) I rocked until I was around 9cm and then got back in bed where things happened VERY quickly.

We started taking bets as to when he would be born...everyone but me thought it would be after 2:30...I said 1:45...he was born at 1:49 :) I won!! heh

Anyway, while the doctor was delivering him, Jackson's cord RIPPED! I had never heard of this happening before. My doctor said he had seen it happen, but it had never happened to him. The cord was lightly wrapped around Jackson's neck and was surprisingly short as well so the doc didn't realize it when he was trying to get the cord off his neck. I'll spare you the details here but it was rather bloody ;)

The cool part of all of this...BESIDES the fact that I was blessed with a healthy pregnancy, delivery, and baby for a third time...my delivery nurse's husband is the pastor at a church our church helped get started. My mother/baby nurse was a girl I grew up with in youth group!! He had me completely and totally surrounded by amazing CHRISTIAN people and I was so blessed.

So that's my story. Baby Jack was born a healthy (but SMALL...heh) 7lbs. 14 oz...definitely smaller than the 10 pounder we were expecting...he's my ONLY baby that was under 8 lbs :)

So without further ado...another picture:

New Year...New...Me?

2008-01-09T09:35:00.000-05:00

HAHAHAHAHA!!! This title totally cracks me up...why, you ask? Because I KNOW me. Several of you who truly know me will soon be laughing once you read what this post is REALLY about.

But guess what?

I'm getting organized. Alright, alright...stop laughing. Seriously truly I am. I'm tired of living my life scrambling around trying to get things done. It's not conducive for happy kids, for a happy hubby, and especially for a happy ME. I don't like that I procrastinate. Really, I don't. Yes, I have totally procrastinated HERE and I plan on changing that as well!

First I'll give you an update on my crazy life...Jackson was born! Haha! He'll be 8 weeks old this Friday! He's growing like a weed and as soon as I'm done with THIS post I promise to do a post dedicated to his birth story. I promise...it is a really good story and one of which you will totally see how God held my hand...

Anywho...

Back to the organizational stuff...

I am planning on doing something organizational HERE on my blog once a week. My friend Dana is doing a special blog each week devoted to this:

1. How do you want to feel this week? What is one action you can take?

I want to feel satisfied. Satisfied with myself that I accomplished at least SOME of my goals. What action? Just do it. I like to OVER plan sometimes, almost to a fault...I have to stop that.

2. Identify one time waster you can decrease.

Heh...definitely the computer.

3. You are enough. Write down 5 accomplishments from today.

Well, I haven't really done MUCH today...BUT here's my goals:
a) Do my daily chores

b) Clean the office

c) Clean the boys' bathroom

d) Clean MY bathroom

e) Vaccuum the entire house

4. Calm yourself down with deep breathing during stressful situations.

I'll remember that...thanks...heh

5. Make a list of things you would like to finish up from last year.

Organize the laundry room
tile the kitchen
organize the boys room
get bookshelves for the boys room
organize art supplies in the dining room

6. Do one task that has been on your to do list since 2007

I'm hoping THIS WEEK to get the boys room completely DONE! Well, minus the detail painting...we're going to paint some coral and a shark on their wall...and I still need to get my sis' surfboard from her...we're going to hang that on their wall...OH and I still need to buy them new bedding, but that will have to wait.

7. Do something you are passionate about

I haven't played the piano in AGES...I'm going to be sure to do that this week.

So that's it...not too bad, right?

I've also decided that I have to set goals for myself. Having a new baby that is constantly eating and needing me, I can't possibly get it ALL done and be the mom that I need to be to my children. SO...I have set goals that I expect of myself and what gets done, gets done. Besides the daily chores, whatever I DO get done is more than I was getting done before...right?

So here's to a new year and a new ME! MUAH!!

Seasons of Change

2007-11-12T15:44:00.000-05:00

Yes, our family is in the process of ANOTHER transition...the one that includes adding a family member. It seems like I've been pregnant forever. I mean, I don't even remember my shape before I was just a massive belly...I know it wasn't pretty, but I don't remember really what I look like without a basketball under my shirt.

I had my FINAL OB appointment today. My doctor actually asked me if I was ready to be induced today! GULP! I really don't want to be induced but at the same time I know that I don't want a baby on the week of Thanksgiving either. Blake was born the day before Thanksgiving of 2002 and it was not fun to spend the holiday in the hospital. I'd much rather have him on my due date and be able to relax with family and my new baby while we stuff our faces.

So, I scheduled an induction with the hospital and my doctor for Friday morning at 8am. We're going to have a baby before this weekend!

Please pray though that I will go naturally before then. I am still planning on going drug free and don't want to be tempted by the intense pain brought on by the harder contractions that come with inductions.

I also found out today that we won't owe the doctor or the hospital ANYTHING after insurance PRAISE GOD! It seems that we've been hit HARD in the wallet left and right for the past few months and it's just getting harder and harder to stay afloat...I feel like God is giving us a bit of a break right now with this news. All we'll have to pay is $260 to have his little man procedure done :)

So, I'm hoping to blog a bit more this week as the time approaches. I'll also be sure to let all of my friends know once he's here and have Mike post some pictures. I just have to teach him how to post pics and use my blog first...heh.

If I don't get back here before this baby's born then I'll be sure to post as soon as I get home to let you know that Jackson Reid has arrived!!

Rain, Rain, Go Away!!

2007-10-02T13:48:00.000-05:00

And bring in some cooler fall temps while you're at it!! :) I can almost FEEL the weather getting a *teensy bit* cooler but the humidity is still there due to all of this yucky rain.

I did get to enjoy an hour or so of complete silence this morning as I sipped my coffee and read up on Exodus for my Bible Study tonight...I revel in days that I can do that lately. I know that these moments will VERY soon be over and I need to enjoy the silence for as long as possible.

Here it is 10 minutes til 3:00 and I'm blogging away while my houligan children are lying in their beds with a mandatory rest time due to their incessant need to drive me batty.

Why do I smell fire??

Pshew...okay I'm back...Blake turned the heater on on the fan in our room...sigh...I'd better go...

So here's to a sunny day tomorrow!

Romance

2007-09-30T17:33:00.001-05:00

Today is my mom and dad's 35th Anniversary! THIRTY FIVE YEARS!! Isn't that amazing? It seems most people today can't even make it past 10 years let alone 30! To this I say Congratulations Mom and Dad and thank you for being such a great example to my sister and I.

I often wonder in my own marriage how Mike and I will keep that spark alive. Thankfully in the eight years we've been married we've found that despite the low points, the high points seem to get higher and higher every year. I've often hinted at some ways that Mike could be a bit more romantic, but for the most part he does a pretty decent job. However, in order to continue encouraging him I've found a wonderful site that offers every husband ideas to romance their wife.

Romance for Everyone is a great site in which you can find great ideas for showing your wife you love her, from taking her on a romantic date to writing her romantic love letters. If you are looking for a way to spice up your marriage or show your spouse you love them, this site is FULL of excellent ideas in which to do just that.

As for me, I think I may just set Romance For Everyone as my hubby's homepage so that he gets some good ideas ;) Think he'll notice??

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

Ready or Not?

2007-09-29T11:55:00.000-05:00

I don't usually cover political topics here on my blog. First because I don't really get into all of the hype that surrounds political figures and their beliefs. Secondly because it's normally a topic that steps on more toes than I am willing to step on.

Today marks an interesting day in this country's existence. The invitation and arrival of a known terrorist supporter on our country's soil. The thought of it really makes me shudder. I've heard over and over how this is what makes our country so great, the ability to free speech and the ability to protest that speech if we so feel inclined. I've walked that line over the last day or so since hearing this story of understanding why they would want to hear from him all the way to the other side of being down right MAD that they would be stupid enough to invite someone like this man to our country.

I know his arrival is not being celebrated, not even by those who invited him, but at the same time, I can't help but feel sorry for those who will have to sit there and listen to this man talk about what is mentioned in this quote taken from FoxNews:

"When we take a look around us, we are not happy with what we see," Ahmadinejad said through an interpreter, via video. "Threats of war have affected everyone. Continuous wars have in fact hurt the human spirit. If we look at the root cause of some of these problems, we will be able to think about how to build a better future, a more prosperous future based on peace and security of all humanity."

This man has ADMITTED to aiding in terrorist attacks, selling weapons to Iraq that have killed OUR soldiers, and now building nuclear weapons. It is a well known fact that he is a liar and that he is as big an anti-semite as they come! He has been known to question the reality of the Holocaust by calling it a myth and wanting to wipe Israel out.

I can't help but wonder if we are hearing the antichrist himself. Our pastor is doing a sermon series right now on the end times. We've been looking at the "signs" which Christ tells us to look out for in order to know the end is coming.

To hear Columbia University's reasoning behind their invitation I wonder just how much we need to know about the enemy...quote:

"It's extremely important to know who the leaders are of countries that are your adversaries," Bollinger told ABC's "Good Morning America." "To watch them to see how they think, to see how they reason or do not reason. To see whether they're fanatical or to see whether they are sly."

Do we need to invite him onto our soil to watch him to see how he thinks or reasons? No. Ahmadinejad's idea of justice is to kill those who speak out against him. Can't we look at his actions as we know of them without having to listen to the lies that come out of his mouth?

Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, is probably the only one who seems to get how stupid this whole idea is. He said, "I think he's said enough that I find disgusting and despicable." Bloomberg has stated that he will not be hearing what Ahmadinejad has to say.

"So if they say, 'Run to the country and see him arrive!' or, 'Quick, get downtown, see him come!' don't give them the time of day. The Arrival of the Son of Man isn't something you go to see. He comes like swift lightning to you! Whenever you see crowds gathering, think of carrion vultures circling, moving in, hovering over a rotting carcass. You can be quite sure that it's not the living Son of Man pulling in those crowds." Matt. 24:26-28

The Growing Kitchen Table

2007-09-28T08:55:00.000-05:00

Our kitchen table will soon be moot. It was after all made for a family of four and as you all know that is about to change very soon. We're deciding now if we should look at adding a chair and expanding our table (it is a butterfly table so it has a leaf) or if we should start looking for a whole new table and chair set.

Well, Furniture from Home has a ton of dining room furniture. All from the more traditional type of dining furniture to the more modern dining furniture. Some of the modern furniture looks like something right out of the Jetson's, and while it's not really MY style, it's pretty cool to browse their site and see what people decorate with. I also like some of their more formal dining room furniture, but my style lands somewhere in between the modern and the formal.

I like how this site allows you to look at each piece closely. Buying furniture like this is a HUGE investment and not being able to see for your own eyes before purchase is often difficult. This site at least allows you to get a good idea of what you're buying before it lands on your front door.

William Tell Overture for Moms

2007-09-27T12:17:00.001-05:00

Every mom should memorize these lyrics...of course, it wouldn't take us long since we say them over and over every day :)

My Disclosure...

2007-09-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

This policy is valid from 21 September 2007

This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog accepts forms of cash advertising, sponsorship, paid insertions or other forms of compensation.

The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements.

The owner of this blog is compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. Even though the owner(s) of this blog receives compensation for our posts or advertisements, we always give our honest opinions, findings, beliefs, or experiences on those topics or products. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the bloggers' own. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer, provider or party in question.

This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

To get your own policy, go to http://www.disclosurepolicy.org

Myspace User?

2007-09-20T13:35:00.000-05:00

So about a year and a half ago I was sucked into this world on the internet known as Myspace. While it has undergone a TON of criticism, I really enjoy keeping up with all of my friends from high school and college now that we're all living in different areas around the country. I've even gotten entrapped in adding widgets and quizzes and all that fun stuff to my Myspace page.

MySpace blog quizzes has a ton of great quizzes and other widgets that you can add to your blog or myspace page. You can create your own quizzes or choose from thousands of quizzes that have been created by other users. You can even customize the colors to match your page.

Did you know that you can post Quibblo quizzes in your MySpace profile?

Survey by Quibblo

2007-09-14T10:29:00.001-05:00

* A hardworking husband who loves me
* Friends who love me despite my flaws
* Diet Coke
* Crunchy ice
* A God who never seems to stop blessing me
* A full night's sleep!!! (hey...it has been almost 3 weeks since I've experienced that!)
* Whites fresh out of the dryer
* my boys who CONSTANTLY make me laugh..or scream...or both :)

I'm a payperposty!

2007-09-13T09:33:00.001-05:00

I know several of you use Pay Per Post and I've always THOUGHT about trying it, but not until recently did I really investigate the opportunity that it provides. As of last week, I am now a Pay Per Post blog. Don't run off yet. I know that some people just run and say, "How can your blog be serious if you're trying to make money off of it?"

My response? "Was my blog ever serious to begin with?" Haha...just kidding. Why aren't you laughing?

Seriously, Pay Per Post is a great opportunity for me. Since I've been posting them I've made almost $30.00, well, once the blogs I posted are approved, I'll have made that much. In a week. Not a WHOLE lot of money, but definitely a start. I plan on using this money to buy stuff online for piano lessons and my music class with the local homeschool co-op.

It's really simple. You just check out their sponsored content, or opportunities and start posting about them. Several of the posts I've made have gotten comments...many more so then my normal blog posts, but I won't dwell on that :) So, I hope that you all continue to check out my blog and see what I'm posting about...I promise that even if I make money on the blog itself, I'll still make it fun and enjoyable to read...well, I'll try at least, I mean, I don't want to change my blog up too much...you may wonder what happened to me?

The days drag on...

2007-09-13T09:24:00.000-05:00

I haven't done an update in a while on my preggo self...okay...I'm not sure I've done one here at ALL...heh

I am 31 weeks today which means I am equal in size to a tour bus...at least that's according to my good friend Dana. Love you too :) I have a completely round and somewhat cute baby belly. However, the cuteness stops there...

You see, being in the third trimester in AUGUST (yes, I know it's September already but I was in my third trimester in August...and it makes it more dramatic...so sue me) in FLORIDA is just plain miserable...ugh. It's hot, hot, hot, hot, hot. I can no longer sleep a full night. I'm either up popping Tums for the heartburn or up b/c my bladder is about to explode (love my imagery don't you?). My hips hurt, my back hurts, my belly contracts in a moment's notice (don't freak...just braxton hicks)...I'm tired.

I seriously could sleep for 3-6 months straight..heh

But...I'm about to have a BABY!!! Another little bundle that doesn't talk back (yet) doesn't scream as he runs through the house (yet) doesn't punch and pick at his brothers (yet)...sigh...this is the life...at least for the next 6 months and then he'll start to show himself...heh...

It's hard for me to even fathom life with three little boys in the house. Ryley was only a single child for 11 1/2 months so I BARELY remember that. It's been Ryley and Blake for almost 5 years now...it's kind of hard to grasp the idea of there being THREE of them. THREE!!!!!!!!! What have I gotten myself into?? HELP!!!!!

The Holidays are quickly approaching...ACK!!!

2007-09-12T12:02:00.000-05:00

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm already feeling stressed about the holiday season this year. Sheesh. I've tried to get organized, but my life is just way to hectic and well, with this baby belly hanging in front of me...it's just plain hard to get motivated.

It's September already. Stores are already stocking shelves full of candy for Halloween, we have birthdays GALORE, a new baby, Thanksgiving, more birthdays and finally Christmas. Every year as I rush around the week before Christmas finishing up my shopping, I make myself promise that I will NEVER do that again...yet, I continually find myself doing it year after year after year.

I finally decided that with the new baby coming I was just going to get family portraits taken and be done with it. Everyone who knows us will be receiving a framed picture of US. Who would want anything else? Heehee...I kid. However, I really don't like getting something so generic for people. It's not about what I get people, or how much I spend, but the thought that I put into each gift.

Well, now I can do that without stressing over my budget. Coupon Chief allows you to do someonline shopping and save money all at the same time. You can make a wishlist for each of your loved ones and decide what you would buy for them and then browse through the different stores that are represented on their site to find the perfect gift. You can buy CD's using Best Buy coupons or check out Leaps and Bounds deals on educational toys.

Now, don't go telling all of my family that I'm buying with coupons...they just better be happy their not getting my picture for Christmas :)

Week 2: Day 5: Psalms 104; 150; John 1:1-5

2007-09-11T12:40:00.000-05:00

Psalms 104; 150 (praise) and John 1:1-5 (the Word)

It is not a hidden fact that I love music. I feel that God created me for several purposes, but my main purpose here on earth is to worship Him...to bring HIM glory. I think that's why today's reading resonated with me so much...

Psalm 104:33-34 "I will sing to the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my meditation be pleasing to Him; As for me, I shall be glad in the Lord."

Psalm 150:6 "Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord."

The hymn for today is "How Great THou Art"...Singing verse 4 has always made me imagine what singing for the last time on this Earth will be like...

When Christ shall come with shouts of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart.
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim MY GOD HOW GREAT THOU ART!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How Great Thou art, how great Thou art..."

How Great you are Lord!!

Save the Drama for your Mama!

2007-09-11T10:27:00.001-05:00

I hate drama. I REALLY do. So why is it I am finding myself smack dab in the middle of it lately? I am NOT an argumentative person NORMALLY, but here lately that has been changing. I blame hormones...these stinking pregnancy hormones :)

Did you know there is an actual website where you can go just to debate stuff? Political Message Boards actually has an argue with everyone discussion forum. How great is that? So now, instead of upsetting friends and family, I can just go and argue with people all over the world over nothing!! Why couldn't I have learned about this in prior pregnancies...my husband thanks you Argue with Everyone!

Week 2: Day 4: Job 38-39; 40:15-41;34

2007-09-10T14:33:00.000-05:00

OOOOOHHHHH!!! I found LOTS of good stuff in here today!!!

I'll start by recording the hymn for the day..."This Is My Father's World" And truly after reading these passages, my eyes were opened to verse 3...

"This is my Father's World,
O Let me ne'er forget
That though the wrong seems oft so strong
God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father's world,
The Battle is not done,
Jesus who died shall be satisfied
And earth and heav'n be one."

That though the wrong seems oft so strong...GOD IS THE RULER YET!!! AMEN! No matter how hard the temptation how severe the struggle, GOD IS THE RULER YET!!! These several chapters in Job are chapters in which God is asking Job "did I not create this world?" He often questions Job and asks Him if he (Job) was the one who created the animals and how they behave...

There are several controversial passages in these Scriptures that I wanted to explore a bit. The first being Job 40:15, ""Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox." My NIV Study Bible mentioned to remember that this was being described in a highly poetic and hyperbolic way, but I wasn't buying it...Chapter 39 describes MANY animals in a very normal and honest evaluation of the types they are. Job 39:13-18 describes the ostrich as being a rather dumb animal and God saying pretty much, "I made him that way." Love it. Chapter 41 describes Leviathan a sea creature that my NIV Study Bible says is described in a highly poetic and hyperbolic way. I wanted to do more research...This is what I found so far.

Behemoth - Hebrew for "beast par excellence" Wikipedia had this to say:
"In Jewish belief, Behemoth is the primal unconquerable monster of the land, as Leviathan is the primal monster of the waters of the sea and Ziz the primordial moster of the sky." Ziz is not mentioned in Scripture but in Jewish legend it was a massive bird-like creature.

Wikipedia also says, "Suggested animals include the water buffalo, rhinoceros, and the elephant, but the most common suggestion is the hippopotomus...Others disagree, pointing to the fact that the animal's tail "moves like a cedar," an unlikely description for any of these animals...moreover, some suggest that "tail is a euphemism for male genetalia. Support for this is based on another meaning of the Hebrew word "move" which means "extend" and on the second part of verse 17 describing the sinew around it's "stones"...Many Young Earth Creationists propose that the Behemoth is a dinosaur. Some sort of sauropod is usually proposed."

Other ideas of what the Leviathan may have been? Some suggest a crocodile while others suggest it could have been a sea monster or even a marine dinosaur.

What do you think? I love reading stuff like this in Scripture...

The Boys' Room

2007-09-10T14:13:00.000-05:00

So Mike's still plugging away at the boys' new bedroom (aka the garage). We've been going back and forth on whether we want to carpet, tile, or do wood flooring in their room, but I think I've found a solution!!

Garage floor paint!! This stuff looks REALLY nice and you can pick from a bunch of different colors too! I'm thinking if we do something like this then if we sell the house we can sell it as an easy REconvert to a garage again :) Plus it is VERY durable...much more so than carpet with two and eventually three boys playing on it.

I'm thinking if we choose a more neutral color and then get a HUGE rug to soften the sound then we'll be golden :)

Week 2: Day 3: Psalms 19:1-6; 33 (God's glory and greatness)

2007-09-09T14:23:00.000-05:00

I LOVE Chapter 33...I think it SHOULD speak to all musicians or anyone really, but even more so to musicians...

My favorite verse is 33:3 - "Play skillfully with a shout of joy" God gives us His best on a daily, hourly, second-ly (heh) basis...Why should we offer any less? We MUST offer God OUR greatness. There are so many people who think that mediocre worship is okay...it's not. We should constantly be striving to be better so that we can SKILLFULLY offer our worship to our Creator.

The hymn recommended for today is "All Creatures of Our God and King"

I chose to record the 4th verse...

"Let all things their Creator bless
And worship Him in HUMBLENESS (Caps are mine ;) )
O Praise Him! Alleluia!

Praise, praise the Father, praise the Son,
And praise the Spirit, three in One!
O Praise Him! Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!"

Week 2: Day 2: Genesis 2:4-25; Psalm 8

2007-09-08T14:18:00.000-05:00

Day 2 is covering the Second telling of creation (Genesis 2:4-25) as well as the Praise to the Creator in Psalm 8. The recommended hymn is "For the Beauty of the Earth"...

I chose to record the first and last verses of this hymn as well...

"For the beauty of the earth,
For the glory of the skies
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies.

Christ our God to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise.

For the wonder of each hour
Of the day and of the night.
Hill and vale and tree and flower
Sun and moon and stars of light.

Christ, our God to Thee we raise
This our hymn of grateful praise."

Week 2: Day 1: Genesis 1:1-2:3 (Creation)

2007-09-07T13:59:00.000-05:00

This week's readings are showing the WONDER of God. They also recommend listening or singing the recommended hymn of the day and I must say that I really enjoyed that part of it. Of course, being a musician, that is the way I express my wonder of God the best.

In Genesis 1:1-2:3 we read of God's Creation of the Earth.

I love reading the creation story and I think it very fitting that the hymn for the day is "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee" I chose to write down the last verse as it tied in the most with the Scripture reading for me...

"Mortals join the mighty chorus
Which the morning stars began
Heaven's love is reigning over us
Brother love binds man to man.

Ever singing, march we onward
Victors in the midst of strife.
Joyful music lifts us sunward
In the triumph song of life."

Check THIS out!

2007-09-06T09:24:00.000-05:00

How perfect will this be for me this year? As you all know, my baby is due November 15th. Which will make it VERY difficult to enjoy Black Friday as I usually do. That is, until now!!! Now, there is a website that I can shop Black Friday sales from my computer while I sit and hold my newborn....I AM SO GIDDY RIGHT NOW!

www.black-friday.net also has a place where you can enter your email and they will email you the latest sale items that have been added to this year's list. If you are familiar with how Black Friday works, then you know you can't find out the sale items and prices until you get the newspaper on Thanksgiving morning. This site allows you to shop BEFORE hand and even order online so you can miss out on standing in the long lines.

Last year I spent Black Friday racing from store to store only to stand in mile long lines. No more. This year I can shop all of the Toys R Us deals right from my living room. No more having to wake up at 4am just to make it to the stores in time to TRY to catch the deals. No more having to fight over the last toy that my kids have been dying for. How cool is THAT!?!?!?

Week 1: Day 5 and 6

2007-09-04T08:54:00.000-05:00

Day 5: Philemon (Letters), Luke 15 (Gospels)

Philemon

- Written around the same time as Colossians

Characters:
- Paul: author of the letter
- Philemon: recipient. Christian living in Colosse or nearby and the owner
of the slave Onesimus.
- Onesimus: Slave stolen from Philemon and then run away. Met Paul and
became a Christian. Now willing to return to his master.

vv. 1-3: INTRODUCTION. Written to the church but very personally to Philemon.
vv. 4-7: Paul is praising Philemon and thanking him for all of his faith and love for the saints.
vv. 8-16: Paul is letting Philemon know Onesimus is on his way home, but Philemon should not punish him but embrace his as the brother in Christ that he now is.
vv. 17-20: I love this. vv. 17-18 sound like something Christ would say on OUR behalf. Paul is being Christ for Onesimus - his redeemer and savior almost. Talk about being Christ like. v.19 just proves how serious Paul is in these verses.
V. 20: The Greek word for "benefit" is another play on the name Onesimus...I thought that was really interesting.
vv. 21, 22: Paul plays on his friendship and brotherhood with Philemon. Paul plans on visiting Philemon when and if he can.

Luke 15

Luke was a doctor who wrote with the carefulness of a historian who takes us consecutively through the days of Christ. In this Gospel we see OT fulfillment that is not shown in any other Gospel record.

*DISCIPLE is a key word throughout the book of John.
- Pharisees and Saducees were angry b/c Jesus was not only talking with the tax collectors and sinners but EATING with them as well. Eating with a person indicated acceptance and recognition. I don't believe Christ was ACCEPTING their sin, but he was definitely recognizing their life and their value to the kingdom of God.
- Parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings.
- Prodigal Son. WOW! I love this parable and always related myself to the younger son. However, re-reading this made me realize in my selfishness that I am the older brother. I have been a Christian for almost 20 years and have often been jealous of the zeal that new believers have and instead of trying to jump on board with them and grab some of that zeal, I pray, "Oh God, help me be like them." Without ever TRYING to be like them. I never think to praise Him for keeping me in his grip my whole life. The father PLEADED with the older son when he just deserved a good old "quite your whining!" The father loved both of his sons. All that was his now belonged to both of them.

Day 6: The Bible Teaching and Marks of Discipleship

John 20:31 "but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God; and that believing you have life in His name."

Why am I participating in Disciple? I want to delve deeper into Scripture and develop a better routine for my personal study.

Why am I planning to study the Bible with intensity, faithfulness, and serious inquiry? It is my duty as a Christian, but more importantly my right to know what God says. I believe as American Christians we take our freedoms and thus our Bibles for granted. We're getting closer and closer to losing these rights so I want to hide His words in my heart so that I can continue to find solace and support from my Lord.

Week 1: Day 4

2007-08-31T15:54:00.000-05:00

Heh...if anything this is going to help me stay very active on my blog :)

Day 4: Exodus 20; Deuteronomy 5-6 (Law); Micah 4 (Prophet)

Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments: The NIV Study Bible States: "The Decalogue reflects the structure of the contemporary royal treaties. On the basis of 1) a preamble, in which the great king identified himself ("I am the LORD your God"), and 2) a historical prologue in which he sketched his previous gracious acts toward the subject king or people ("who brought you out..."), the Lord then set forth 3) the treaty (covenant) stipulations to be obeyed (in this case, ten in number vv. 3-17). Use of this ancient royal treaty pattern shows that the Lord is here formally acknowledged as Israel's King and that Israel is His subject people. As his subjects, his covenant people are to render complete submission, allegiance and obedience to him out of gratitude for his mercies, reverence for his sovereignty, and trust in his continuing care."
God deals in absolutes, in black and white. I am thankful that he does so I don't have to guess at how to be saved.

v. 5 "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God." This commandment has always thrown me for a loop. How can God say he's a jealous God and then a couple verses later say we're not to covet anything belonging to our neighbor? NIV SB says, "God will not put up with rivalry or unfaithfulness. Usually his "jealousy" concerns Israel and assumes the covenant relationship (analogous to marriage) {LOVE THAT!} and the Lord's exclusive right to possess Israel and to claim her love and allegiance. Actually, jealousy is part of the vocabulary of love. The "jealousy" of God (1) demands exclusive devotion to himself, (2) delivers judgment to all who oppose him, and (3) vindicates His people. In some of these passages the meaning is closer to "zeal" (the same Hebrew word may be translated either way, depending on context).

v. 5 "to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me." NIV Study Bible: "In covenant contexts the terms "hate" and "love" were conventionally used to indicate rejection of or loyalty to the covenant Lord." Okay...so we're expected to adhere to these commands if we've enterred into a covenant relationship with God. What about those who don't? Are they not expected to adhere to these laws? v. 5 says they're punished and generations are punished for not doing so. Are we helpd to a higher moral standard due to this covenant? I think so.

Deuteronomy 5-6

This is Moses' reiteration of the Ten Commandments. I'm not sure if Israel needed to be reminded of their covenant or not. I thought vv 26 and 27 were interesting - the Israelites had never heard of a man who has heard the voice of God speaking from fire and lived. Heh...they're TALKING to one. Moses' first experience with hearing God's voice was out of a burning bush. Had Moses not shared his testimony with Israel?

Micah 4

v. 4 "Each of them will sit under his vine and under his fig tree, with no one to make them afraid, for the mouth of the Lord of hosts has spoken." The fear is gone. Once we are all on the mountain, we'll have nothing to fear :)

Week 1: Day 3

2007-08-30T14:04:00.000-05:00

Week 1: Day 3: I Kings 19; I Chronicles 22; Acts 9 (History)

I Kings 19

Yesterday we saw God's judgement in Hosea 11. Today we're seeing destruction, but God was not in it. He was the gentle whisper. When the Israelites DESERVED God's judgment, God was instead the gentle whisper. God was giving them (mainly Elijah) a second chance to answer his question of "What are you doing here?" Elijah didn't change his answer though - did he not realize what he had just seen? God instructs him to go back. God is going to give Elijah exactly what he needs--HELP. He's giving him Elisha. God is once again protecting Israel by keeping a remnant who still love Him and have not bowed to Baal nor kissed him.

I Chronicles 22

Once again we see God using details, providing everything Solomon and the Israelites would need to construct the temple. I love that Israel was given a break--a rest. After all the wars and battles under David's rule-God gives David Solomon who becomes a man of rest. He gives Israel a time to rebuild and renew their covenant w/God. It's an ebb and flow that I see in my own life. A roller coaster of highs and lows. I don't necessarily love God LESS on the lows, but He definitely uses these times for renewal and rebuilding to the point I end up loving Him more and more.

Acts 9

How comforting is it to know that Jesus feels persecuted when we are? I love the story of Saul's conversion. I love that God can turn the hearts of those who hate Him. I can't understand why anyone would feel they're not worthy of God's love after hearing about Saul. I also love that during a time of rest (v. 31) and peace the church continued to grow and that the Holy Spirit was so evident in every congregation.

Week 1; Day 2

2007-08-30T13:55:00.000-05:00

Day 2: Psalm 84; Hosea 11; Exodus 15:1-18 (Poetry)

Psalm 84
"For a day in your courts is better than a thousand outside.
I would rather stand at the threshold of the house of my God
Than dwell in the tents of the wicked." (Vs. 10)

WOW! I picture myself standing at the gate of this beautiful, luxurious home and never growing tired of what I am seeing. All the while never wanting to go back to the shabby tent that I thought I was so happy in. Once I saw this home I no longer wanted anything to do with my tent. What an allegory. Once I saw this life that God could offer me, I no longer wanted to live the life the world had to offer.

Hosea 11

Ouch. Makes you want to think twice before making God angry. I love how God told us early in the chapter how much loved and took care of Israel and Ephraim. Then there is this flip. God goes from being the loving, doting Father God to the disciplining (yet still loving mind you) Father God. God disciplines us BECAUSE He loves us and wants us to turn back to Him and trust Him. I don't think I ever truly understand the love behind discipline before I had my own children. I mean, I know my parents tried to protect me from things because they loved me and didn't want to see me hurt, but I never truly UNDERSTOOD the love behind that protection.

Exodus 15:1-18

Hmmm...makes you wonder why the Israelites didn't continue singing this song later on. If they had continued to praise Him maybe they would have avoided the wrath we read in Hosea. Makes me rethink MY prayers. How often do I grumble and complain that things aren't going well only to forget to thank and praise God for all He's already done for me. Makes me look like the bratty child that I am.

Disciple: Week 1: Authority

2007-08-30T13:46:00.000-05:00

I have joined a new Bible Study at church called Disciple. This is an in depth study of Scripture that last 32 weeks and involves reading up to 75% of the Bible. Pretty cool if you think about it. Anyway, I want to start posting what sticks out to me here on my blog so I can get my thoughts down on paper as well as rabbit trail if I need to...heh

There is an assignment for 6 days of the week and you rest on the 7th...kinda like God did :) I will post the day and the assignment as well as my thoughts so that if anyone wants to follow along, they may. :)

Without further ado........Disciple....

Day 1: One Bible: Many Books
Assignment: Write your first impressions

My first impression of my Bible today was the weight and size. Have you ever heard the quote "God is in the details?" Looking through Scripture I hold this to be true. Seeing the names of the books representing some of the writers of Scripture, along with pictures of the tabernacle and then Solomon's temple, you can't help but marvel at the details. Seeing books like Numbers in which the census was taken of Israel. All of this was important to God. So why do I bypass so much of it?

I've often heard the Old Testament referred to as the window to the New Testament. What a true statement. Without the ability to see the laws of the OT, I feel like we'd become complacent with our Savior. We'd never understand the redemption, the gift that He has given us. The OT is so vast, full of bloody battles, talking bushes, talking DONKEYS, etc. But how blessed are we that we fall under God's grace? We don't need to hear His voice from a bush that's on fire. We have His Word to hold in our hands no matter how bulky or thin your Bible may be.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-08-29T10:15:00.001-05:00

Experiment or Exploitation?

2007-08-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

Have you all seen the previews to the new CBS show starting next month called Kid Nation?

Here's a link to an article in the LA Times regarding the investigation that New Mexico is now doing on the show itself. Some people feel that this is a violation of Child Labor Laws while others see this as an interesting experiment.

What do you think?

First Day of School

2007-08-23T13:45:00.001-05:00

First Day of School, originally uploaded by piano_gal_79.

Ryley started Kindergarten this past Monday...sniff, sniff...He's getting so big!!

Blake has started Pre-K and is SLOWLY getting used to going to school every day. He's only been to preschool and that was a part time thing. He's learning that he can't just stay home with mommy and it's been a bit of an adjustment. But he LOVES it once he's there.

Ryley is so excited to go to school that it's all I can do to get a hug and kiss from him before he's running to his classroom...

Where did my babies go? Poor Jackson (I don't think I shared this yet, but that's the new baby's name) will be so smothered he WILL run to his first day of Kindergarten :)

Where the Rubber Meets the Road

2007-07-20T09:17:00.000-05:00

Must I start every blog with an excuse as to why I haven't blogged in a while...well, this being my blog I get to make the rules...so I think I shall pass this time :)

Life is about to become even more crazy than it has been this last month. I have enjoyed my time of "reprieve" in that I have been able to stay at home and see what it's really like to be a SAHM as I have been wanting for such a long time. And I must say that I LOVE IT...but, some things just aren't meant to be forever. Or are they?

I leave for a whole week for the Nat'l Worship Leader Conference in Austin TX. I'm very excited as there will be MANY awesome worship leaders (such as Paul Baloche, Big Daddy Weave, Mac Powell, Brenton Brown...I could go on and on)...I think Mike has really gotten used to me being home full time and doesn't really realize it...yet...he will next week...I expect MUCH thanks and gratitude when I get home :)

Starting in August, I will be advertising my new business. I am FINALLY starting my own music school. This has always been a dream of mine, and maybe this is why things have gone the way they have in the past several months. Maybe I needed this shove in the right direction...who knows...

So as soon as I get back from my trip, I will start advertising for piano, voice, and music lessons. I'm really excited as I have worked out my schedule that I can take the boys to school, come home and teach for two hours, eat lunch, teach for another hour, go pick up the boys from school, come home and spend time with them for a couple of hours (do homework with Ryley) teach for a couple more hours and be done for the day. This also works out (in theory) for after the baby is born I won't be working for more than 2 hour time slots so I'll still be able to nurse/pump (some days he may have to spend at a sitters, but that's okay)...So this is my PLAN...and WITH this plan I can theoretically fit 36 students in a week. And I can make my schedule how I want it. I couldn't ask for a better "part-time" job...

Mike's job seems to be going well, but it will be a while before he's making enough to fully support us. Which is completely fine, b/c he is SOOOOOO happy. I would trade all the money in the world for him to come home happy every day. It makes me WANT to keep the house clean for him b/c I really feel like he now notices and really thanks me for what I do around here...and for us that is no small thing...heh

So after my trip next week, it will be time to put my feet to the pavement and get my name out there. I have several wonderful friends who have already told me they would help me out by hanging flyers in their offices, churches, etc. I've never had problems getting students before, but this is on a whole new level as I have never run it as a business before...just having a few students in my home...now to rethink my whole music corner...expect to see some before and after posts on that...I have some ideas but it should be rather interesting, especially once we start converting our garage into a bedroom for the boys...heh

Well, I guess that's all for now. I've promised to take the boys to the park before the afternoon thunderstorms startup. As my dear Nattie would say...TTFN!!!!!11

Big Brother 8!!

2007-07-06T11:46:00.000-05:00

Ok...so I have a bad reality tv habit every summer called Big Brother...heh

I have watched EVERY season of this show and I love it! CBS has created a widget for the show that you can find in my sidebar to get updates. I think CJ is probably the only friend I have that watches as religiously as I do, but that's okay...I promise you won't have to weed through TOO many blogs about it :)

The new HGs (Houseguests)seem REALLY interesting, but I was kind of disappointed they didn't have more of the "older" generations represented. I guess the oldest person would be Dick who we found out last night is one of the other HG's Danielle's father...he's also a club owner and looks a LOT like Tommy Lee IMO. So not the typical parental figure on the show.

They have added a new twist this season as is normal for BB producers. There is a play who is known as "America's Player" and Mike and I were excited when they introduced Nick as that player. America can call or email in things that he must do in the house and for every 5 things he does he wins $5,000. I've been reading some of the blogs this morning and they have said that he seems to really like the F-word, so THAT will get really old really quick...but he seems like a character so he should be fun to watch.

If you like BB be sure to leave me a comment so I know I'm not alone! ;)

Fun Times!

2007-06-28T18:50:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a total FUN TIME!! :) Yes, it's Thursday night and I'm just now getting around to blogging about it, but I THOROUGHLY enjoyed my weekend...

I've told you all before just how wonderful my husband is, but in the 8 years we've been married, I seriously love him more and more every day...

My weekend started off with a sonogram Friday afternoon that revealed we are having ANOTHER BOY! Yes, that means a husband, 3 boys, and 2 male dogs in the house with lit'l ol me :) Heh... The funny thing is, I've had a couple people actually express condolences that I didn't get my girl...I am really not sad AT ALL...I spent Thursday of last week walking through the baby aisles at Target and after looking at all of the pink realized I would have NO CLUE how to take care of a girl. I love my boys and I am thrilled to add another to the team...heh

After that it was Birthday Celebration weekend. Being our first weekend NOT at Palm Coast we really just wanted to keep busy and not think about it. SO, my birthday was a great excuse to do just that. We spent Saturday hanging around the house not doing much at all, but Sunday we skipped church (gasp) and spent the day shopping (mostly window). We went to lunch just the four of us, bought me a hammock (JOY), ate ice cream, went to eat with the entire family AND friends who were visiting from KY.

It truly was a time that we were able to focus on our family. Something we haven't really been able to do in quite a while. The time I've had with my boys and with my hubby in the evening has been trully special and I'm thankful that God is granting us healing already.

The Big Picture

2007-06-19T18:57:00.000-05:00

I could say I'm sorry yet again for my lack of blogging, but I think I'll pass. This month has been incredibly difficult. First with the loss of our jobs and then with the loss of a friend. Sigh...Satan sure likes to kick you when you're down. But, it's amazing to me how even in the midst of dark times, God reveals Himself with a brighter light then I have ever previously experienced.

In a vocational ministry that is SO taxing on families that it is considered the MOST difficult and stressful type of ministry, so much in fact that church planting has the highest rate of divorce as well as the highest rate of burnout...God protected Mike and I from both. It sure didn't feel like it in the midst, but God brought us back around to see the big picture.

When I was in Middle School I was a part of our Teen Choir at church. We did a play called "The Big Picture" that was written by Michael W. Smith. It was the story of a group of friends who lost their dear friend Leesha. I've thought back to this play often in the past few weeks and can remember MOST of the songs with great clarity. One of the songs, Secret Ambition, talks about Christ's plan to save the world. But, I have seen especially in these past few weeks that my salvation is not God's only secret ambition. He is revealing a new ambition for us right now. Mike and I are just realizing what this all entails, but it is rather exciting. Scary? Heck yes. Faith building? You betcha.

It's only after being drug through the much and then being shown the beauty of the track you walked and seeing the Big Picture does it really make sense. I have seen a maturity in my husband that I never saw before. A spiritual leader like no other man I've ever met. He's taken the high road when most would have gone kicking and screaming and you know? It REALLY has been better for our marriage. This isn't the first time we've had to deal with church politics and it won't be the last. We realize that churches are made up of imperfect people...we're definitely not perfect so why should we expect that of anyone else. We were able to leave a church that will remain healthy and intact. No gossip, no spite...just a bit of anger, but even that will be smoothed over. After all, love covers a MULTITUDE of sins right? We love our church and while we don't always agree with decisions that are made, we do trust and we do have faith that the leadership is making a decision based on a lot of prayer.

I sat through Tuesday church today (I had to play piano)...it is mainly geared towards the older generation, but I love to listen to Pastor Ed preach. He said something today that really touched me. Scripture tells us once that we are to go into all the world and make disciples. It (in essence) tells us twice that we are to love the Lord our God. But, Scripture tells us roughly FOUR TIMES that church is to be a house of prayer. When I think about that in regards to the Big Picture...hmmm...really makes me think that we WEREN'T doing what God called us to do in Palm Coast. After all, it IS about the Big Picture...

Mike is now happy. I am now happy. Natalie is in heaven. Onward and Upward as she would say.

One more thing...

2007-06-08T19:19:00.000-05:00

We at Women at Home are taking up donations for flowers for Natalie's memorial service on Monday. If you would like to contribute, you can click HERE. We are in the process of deciding what we will use the extra money (if any) for. Thank you for continuing to lift up Jonathan and Anna her two children.

FRIDAY FELICITIES

2007-06-08T17:38:00.001-05:00

In honor of my dear friend Nattie all of us at Women at Home are continuing with a meme that Nattie started a while back...Friday Felicities

Here's a list of what I love...

1. Friendship even if we've never met face to face
2. The knowledge of having the best prayer warriors around
3. I have to echo Nattie in a nice cold diet coke...nothing better
4. A place to feel safe
5. Friends who are completely honest no matter what!
6. The peace that passes all understanding

I love you Nattie and I am so happy that I had the pleasure to meet you and call you my friend.

To our dear Natalie Rose

2007-06-07T12:45:00.000-05:00

We will miss you dearly. Your love and your laughter will leave a void for a long time, but I rejoice knowing that you are now experiencing the love and laughter of our Savior as you sit on his knee...My heart breaks selfishly, but my soul rejoices with you in your salvation. I love you and I miss you...

Thank you!

2007-06-05T15:54:00.000-05:00

I love all of you...thank you so much to those who left such sweet comments and emails...this week has been difficult, but only by the grace of God are we doing okay...really.

To make a long story short, Mike and I have lost our positions at the church...which we're not really sure why, but at the same time it was done in a very loving manner...we have plans now to just go back to working our secular jobs again...I'll most likely take up piano lessons again and maybe a very part time job somewhere...

Who knows?

But, we would appreciate all of your prayers in the meantime...we have a LOT of changes headed our way...

I long for my home

2007-05-30T16:34:00.000-05:00

I hate this feeling...it just sucks. I can't wait until God will wipe away every tear from my eye and just hold me in his arms.

Maybe my gut instinct was right, maybe I needed to take this leap anyway. Who knows?

Either way the pain is the same and it just sucks.

Sigh...

2007-05-29T16:41:00.000-05:00

Nattie had surgery yesterday to remove the tumor in her stomach. The doctors came back with the scary news that it is inoperable. She will now undergo chemo to extend her life. I can't IMAGINE what her family must be going through because I'm just plain MAD. She's too young. WAY too young. And she's my friend. This isn't supposed to happen to people who are close to you...maybe grandparents or parents, but friends? Our dear friend Dana has endured cancer herself at way too young an age and has seen several friends suffer. She has been an amazing source of strength and knowledge for all of us. We're all leaning on each other while praying Nattie knows she can lean on us. But what we all need is rest. I then I found this poem on Rocks in My Dryer that pretty much spoke directly to my heart.

There is nothing--no circumstance, no trouble, no testing--that can ever touch me until, first of all, it has gone past God and past Christ right through to me. If it has come that far, it has come with a great purpose, which I may not understand at the moment. But as I refuse to become panicky, as I lift up my eyes to Him and accept it as coming from the throne of God for some great purpose of blessing to my own heart, no sorrow will ever disturb me, no circumstance will cause me to fret, for I shall rest in the joy of what my Lord is--that is the rest of victory!

--Alan Redpath, former pastor of Moody Church

This is EXACTLY what I plan to do...I will rest in the Lord for THAT is the rest of victory!

Please be praying for Nattie...you can click the picture in the sidebar for updates.

Please Pray for a dear friend of mine

2007-05-22T08:04:00.000-05:00

My dear friend Natalie aka Nattie just found out she has adenocarcinoma or stomach cancer. It is very rare in American women and actually is most common in non-American men over the age of 65. Nattie is a single mom to two kids and has had her fair share of troubles over the past few years.

Please join me in the bombarding of heaven's gates as we lift up Nattie before the throne of heaven. As another dear friend mentioned, Nattie is not a statistic and therefore we refuse to believe the scary "facts" about this type of cancer. Instead we're going to fight through prayer and we're going to have the faith that God can and WILL deliver our Nattie from this terrible and sucky disease.

We love you Nattie and we're praying.

This button will also be located in my sidebar where you can go for updates.

Death and Life...all in a day's work

2007-05-11T13:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a very different day for us. One we don't usually like in the ministry. One of our families in our church has been praying very hard for the husband's brother. Well, he went to be with the Lord last Saturday morning. While we didn't KNOW the brother, as this family's pastor we attended the memorial service. This man had been an alcoholic and a drug addict, yet the room was packed with people he loved and who loved him. This man struggled through life trying to cure the pain he felt from a life long illness. He had struggled with his life the last few weeks and hours before returning home to be with the Lord he got his life right.

It just reminds me that life is too short. This man was in construction and was a general contractor. The worship center was filled with men and women, many of whom probably had never stepped foot inside a church. And that was pretty evident in some of the comments made by those offering well wishes that were laiden with swear words. But in the celebration of his life, our pastor was able to share the good news of Jesus Christ with his friends and family. We don't know what tomorrow holds, we must rely on Jesus the author and perfector of our faith to guide us in our walk.

Last night was spent celebrating life. We attended a banquet for the Alpha Pregnancy Center in Palm Coast. We celebrated a ministry that believes in standing up against a battle that is raging across our nation and the world that is MUCH more devastating than any war on terror. Over 3,000 babies are aborted every day! OVER 3,000!!!! That number just blows my mind.

We as a nation stand against terrorists who fly planes into buildings and kill 3,000 people, we are upset to see men and women dying in the name of freedom as they fight a war. WHY can't we stand up and say ENOUGH when it comes to innocent lives? When it comes to a CHILD who is defenseless and a mother and father who want what is best for themSELVES?

Yesterday was a very emotional day. A day in which we celebrated life. A life that has gone on to an eternal peace and the life that was saved because people stood up against this war on terror I call abortion.

Struggling to Breath

2007-05-04T15:08:00.000-05:00

Some days I feel like we're doing good. Things are going well.

But most days lately are spent feeling as though I can barely keep this family above water. It's like I'm constantly doggy paddling and I'm wearing out quicker than I can find relief.

Our house is still on the market. We've had a few calls, but the reality is I'm scared. I have no CLUE how to sell a house, but we can't afford a realtor. So I have to sell it. People call and kind of laugh when I mention the price but we have to break even.

Things are church aren't going as well as they once were. We've just never done this before and it's hard. That's all there is to it. It's hard when we have a house and live 45 minutes away from people we're trying to minister to. When I can't seem to get any instrumentalists/singers. When I get some from our main campus only to find they've been rescheduled to sing/play there instead of with me. Frustrating I tell ya.

And being pregnant on top of all of this?? Argh. Hormones, frustrations, and stress do not mix well. I need a free realtor, a free housekeeper, free musicians, and a nap. Until then I head to rehearsal tonight, church tomorrow and Sunday, and planning new things for church all next week. We totally need to change our strategy.

Happy Belated Resurrection Day!

2007-04-12T13:46:00.000-05:00

BUT! It's NOT belated!! We should celebrate Resurrection Day EVERY day...yes, I know we OFFICIALLY celebrated it almost 5 days ago, but it was a busy 5 days and that's my excuse...don't like it? Too bad. Heh

Our Easter was amazing. We celebrated our risen Lord with 215 in worship this weekend at our video plant while we had a total of 2,988 in worship at Tomoka. Many of our sister churches also celebrated amazing weekends this weekend. It's truly exciting to see God's hand at work in our community.

This also meant for an incredibly busy weekend. The EB (that would be the bunny) visited our house LATE Saturday night and left baskets for the boys to open at 5:00 Sunday morning. Yes, EB was up til the wee hours of the morning finishing up church stuff and then getting baskets ready. I'm thinking next year we may just bypass baskets all together. We normally don't do much anyway except for Summery type toys. With our boys birthdays being so close to Christmas they only really get gifts once a year, which I TOTALLY am not complaining about...BUT, they don't get yard toys b/c it's winter. We use Easter to prepare them for the summer. Shovels, pails, baseball T's, etc are the normal fare.

Sunday afternoon we came home and slept. Mike didn't sleep at ALL Saturday night so we all made up for it by sleeping the afternoon away and ended up being late for Easter Dinner at my mom and dad's. We ate a LOT and then watched a movie. It was a nice relaxing night.

OH! I forgot to mention a book I ordered for the boys that I included in their baskets. It's called The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name. It is TRULY amazing. I saw this on Shannon's blog and ordered it right away so it would be here in time. We're reading a story a night and the boys LOVE IT!! It truly shows how the Bible (the OT especially) whispers the name of Christ in EVERY story. I can't recommend it enough!

Hmm...what else?

I am outgrowing my clothes. I finally had to wear a maternity shirt to church last night. I'm only 11 weeks along and I'm sticking out like I'm 4 months preggo! I've heard that the more kids you have the earlier you start showing, but this is crazy!! But...I'm loving it. I keep telling myself just a few more weeks and I should start feeling some twitters...I can't wait.

Our puppy is driving my batty! He keeps digging holes in our yard and under our fence into our neighbor's yard where he goes and steals their dogs' bones...sigh. He has PLENTY of toys and bones in his own yard...I think he's rebelling to us not being at home. Either way, we've limited him only to the porch when we're not home.

Our house is just about ready to be put on the market. I'll have to post some pics of how the yard looks. Hubby and I have worked our tails off (okay...so he worked a BIT harder than I did) planting flowers and bushes, laying borders, mulching, etc and the yard looks GREAT! I just wish we hadn't waited until it was time to SELL to do all of this...heh. Now we just need to finish painting our bedroom and the hallway and then touchup the kitchen cabinets and steam clean our carpets. We're going to put our house on the market by the end of the week anyway...well, that's tomorrow...okay...so I guess tomorrow our house will be official :)

Sigh.

I'm excited about moving to Palm Coast, but I will miss our house. I truly love my house, but I know that God is going to bless us with something bigger. He's definiteyl keeping us on our toes.

Well, I think you've all been pretty much filled in on my week...heh...

Until next time! Peace, Love, and Worship \O/

Throw up....in CHURCH!?!?!?

2007-03-29T21:21:00.000-05:00

OK...so I know my church is very much into pushing the limit on how to shock people and show them that yes, Jesus loves you and yes, He came to save you from death...that's all fine and dandy.

But, when my kids come home from church singing songs about throw up. Well, I'm about ready to draw the line. Well, that was until they FINALLY decided to sing ALL of the lyrics instead of the ones they enjoyed :)

Here's what they WERE singing:

I just want to throw up
I just want to throw up
I just want to throw up

OVER and OVER and OVER again...

Want to know the real words??

I just want to throw up
I just want to throw up
I just want to throw up
my hands unto the Lord

TOO FUNNY!! So now...when they insist on singing it over and over and yes, over again...I MAKE them finish the song :) OH and there are MANY verses to this song...AND they get funnier as they go on...

I just wanna hurl
I just wanna hurl
I just wanna hurl
My sins out the door!

They ALMOST remind me of Zoe's famous church songs.

The scary thing? I THINK they are learning this in WEE Choir and will eventually be singing this on a Wednesday night in front of church...THIS will need to be recorded.

The things they say...sheesh

2007-03-28T07:57:00.000-05:00

First, I want to thank all of you who so lovingly left comments wishing me well. I really appreciate your prayers. I have my first OB appointment on Monday and I'm PRAYING they'll say I can go back to life as normal. My wonderful hubby has been picking up the slack with dishes, laundry, cooking. He truly is amazing.

We've been talking with our boys about names for the baby. I guess you could say we're trying to distract them. They keep asking if the baby will be here on Saturday, or will it come today, things of that nature. Considering I'm only 6 1/2 weeks along, saying 8 more months is a bit over their heads :)

So anyway, names. Blake has suggested Taylor Hubbs (kid in his class) and Ryley has suggested Spark. I had to explain to him that we were having a baby, not a dog.

So it hit me this week just how insane we are. We just adopted a dog who, while very well mannered and sweet, is a puppy, and therefore is chewing EVERYTHING. We already have a 15 year old dog, who PROBABLY won't last until the end of this pregnancy. We will also have 4 birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas all rolled into two months at the end of every year from now on. Ryley my 5yo has a birthday in Dec., Blake (4) - November, my mom - Christmas Day, and Baby #3 - early/mid November...sigh...what WERE we thinking. This is the one time we have planned a child and wouldn't you know we'd add on the extra stress ourselves.

:)

What? Did you say we love to be busy? Yeah...I guess you're right.

An American Wrongfully Imprisoned In Nicaragua

2007-03-27T12:18:00.001-05:00

I found this on Megan's blog (Half Pint House) and I just can't believe this video. Watch it please and contact your local representatives and do something to help this family.

What a day...

2007-03-21T18:42:00.000-05:00

I think today was probably the hardest day emotionally I have EVER been through. I woke up this morning and noticed I was bleeding when I went to the bathroom. I called the OB I was planning on using and since I wasn't yet a patient there wasn't much he could do for me. So I called my physician and he told me to go straight to Urgent Care. I waited there for over an hour for them to tell me that I had to go to the ER because I needed an ultrasound and they didn't have one...yeah thanks for making me wait for OVER AN HOUR! I broke down right there in the waiting room. The nurse wasn't going to let me leave. I had to lie to her and tell her that Mike was meeting me at the ER (He wanted desperately to be there, but it's Spring Break and he couldn't get ahold of my mom to come watch the boys). I was the ER for FIVE HOURS and had blood tests, urine tests, ultrasounds (TWO!), and waited and waited and waited.

I don't think I have EVER approached the throne of God the way I did today. I have in the past told God that I would have the faith of Job, but when it came right down to it...could I? Could I hold on to that faith when He let something so dear be taken from me? Yes, I decided in that ER room today that YES...if that was what it was to come to, I was willing to let go of my baby and follow God's lead. And THAT is why I think God had me go through this alone today. I wasn't "alone"...HE was with me. Nurse after nurse asked me, "Don't you have someone you could call?" As much as I wanted Mike there, God needed ME alone today. And God was faithful. After a VERY long day, everything is okay. I am to take it very easy for the next few weeks. I found out that I am only 5 1/2 weeks along (not as far as I originally thought) but I'M STILL PREGNANT! And for that I give God ALL the glory!

We have a new baby!!

2007-03-17T17:51:00.000-05:00

NO! Not the baby you're thinking...I think human children need more than 6 weeks to gestate...unfortunately...heh

Here's our newest addition to our family...His name is Freddie Adu named after the famous Soccer star...He's 7 months old and already weighs 40 pounds...

We've only had him a few hours and already love him to death...

Welcome to the family Freddie!!!

And the rains came down!

2007-03-16T10:30:00.000-05:00

Ugh...what a rough week. We finished out our week before payday with only $2 in the bank account...seriously. To top THAT off, we were in Palm Coast this weekend when our GOOD car (my beloved PT Cruiser) decided it was time to die. We THINK it's the transmission and Mike is at the Chrysler dealership right now working out the details with our warranty...please pray it's covered. We use this car as our mode of transportation as well as our office, our mobile church, our taxi, and everything in between. We're now down to our itty-bitty Corolla that has been OH SO faithful to us in the 8 years we've had it. Let this be my plug for Toyota! We love our Corolla!! BUT it's a bit too small for our growing family now.

You know...I'm figuring Satan out. He's used all of his weapons against us since planting this church...the spirit of confusion, frustration, anger, etc. He's caused issues to arise in our worship services, through volunteers, and even through confusion in leaving things at home (home being 45 minutes away from church so we can't just run home and get it). Through all of this we (I mean our church) have remained incredibly faithful to praying over EVERYTHING that God's Spirit would be evident...and oh MY has it! God is doing such amazing things through this group of people already. So Satan has moved on.

I see it as he has now moved from the public attack to a much more personal attack. From hitting our finances to hitting our car that has NEVER acted up before. He's hitting our finances because we have been faithfully tithing for a couple of years, but only this year have we been going WAY above our tithe to contribute to the capital campaign at Tomoka. He's hit our car b/c it's really our ONLY mode of transportation to Palm Coast. We can't fit all four of us as well as all of our "stuff" in the Corolla.

But see here's the thing. I have something...no someONE...greater in me. My heavenly Father who is alive and living in me by means of his Spirit is why we are being attacked. Yes, God allowed for our bank account to NOT be replenished when I prayed for a check to appear to help us out, but guess what?? He allowed the gas we had in our car to make it to church and back at least 4 times when it normally wouldn't. I praise HIM that we didn't have to ask for help...He provided it! We ARE borrowing my dad's truck when we need it, but we had no money to put gas in it until yesterday. God is so amazingly good to us. And THAT is why Satan is attacking.

BUT! Satan will find here too that his schemes and deceptions don't work. He'll give up here as well. I just pray that we can have the patience of Job. No matter WHERE Satan attacks us, we WILL remain faithful. God is SO GOOD! We have money in the bank, the car is getting fixed and most likely won't cost us a cent, we're having another baby and I'm feeling great, our kids are happy...I could go on and on.

It is so important that we recognize the attacks of our enemy...it really allows us to fully rely on God and HIS army to fight the battles for us. I can't imagine what life would be like without God on my side.

Hmm...

2007-03-13T11:41:00.000-05:00

I guess I'm doing what I was meant to be doing...heh

You Should Be a Musician

You have a rare combinations of talents: an ear for music, nimble fingers, and the willpower to practice.You could master almost any instrument you choose to play (if you haven't already!)

http://www.blogthings.com/whatsortofartistshouldyoubequiz/">What Sort of Artist Should You Be?

Surprise ANNOUNCEMENT!

2007-03-08T12:05:00.000-05:00

Hear ye! Hear ye!!

Wanna know a secret? Okay...well, it isn't much of a secret anymore...Plus, I'm about to air it over the internet...now, it's REALLY not a secret...

Psst...

*whispers*

I'm having another baby!!

Now you've been included in the loop as well...

We are very excited to announce the expectation of the not so soon to arrive Gonter baby #3...

Please keep us in your prayers as we feel this is TOTALLY God's awesome timing and we still have a LOT of stuff on our plates...BUT, we look forward to welcoming a brand new baby to our family around October...

YIPPEEE!!!

Islands in the Stream

2007-02-16T15:25:00.001-05:00

And for all of you who were asking...THIS was our inspiration...heh

UGH!

2007-02-16T15:16:00.000-05:00

I'm having a bit of an issue with my blog...I am guessing this is the problem with having three computers...yes, it's insane I KNOW! I copied my template to Word before I changed it a while back so I wouldn't lose all my links, and now I can't seem to remember where I saved and on which computer...le sigh.

Knowing my luck it's probably on the computer where I used to work...heh

So until I can get my head on straight, it will look this boring...eventually I'll find the hour it is going to take me to recreate all of my links and buttons...fun, fun, I know you're jealous.

This CRACKED ME UP!

2007-02-16T10:34:00.000-05:00

Hello Dolly!

2007-02-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

Ok...so I had the MOST embarrassing night of my LIFE this past Friday night. We had our Valentine's Banquet at a local hotel for our church. Mike and I were asked to provide entertainment so as the smart people we are, we decided to completely humiliate ourselves.

Now, you're probably hoping that I have a picture to post, but that is not happening. I dressed up as Dolly Parton and Mike dressed up as Kenny Rogers. We sang Islands in the Stream...*hangs head in shame*

Sigh

Now, I'm a bit too young to remember Islands in the Stream, so I did what any normal 20 something would do...I checked out Youtube. And of course, some Parton/Rogers lover posted their performance. Once I was able to stop giggling through the song, I tried to act it out as much as I could...a la embarrassment.

I THOUGHT that would be the worst part of the evening, but we were also chosen to play the Not-So-Newleywed game...ugh.

The first question offered to my husband while I was out of the room was, "What was the first thing you noticed about your wife when you met her?" His face turned bright red and right off everyone knew what he wanted to say, but was too gentleman to do. So with our youth pastor's help (yeah, thanks Craig) he offered the help of Song of Solomon...so of course, that got Mike's mind thinking creatively...

I know you're wondering what he answered...but it wasn't ONLY what he answered but what our "Notation Girl" wrote down for his answer...she wrote what he said and then added some illustrations....and again I say, ugh. His answer??? Blessed Mountains.

Gotta love him...I do, don't I??? Heh

WOW!

2007-02-06T15:56:00.000-05:00

Okay...it's been a few weeks since I checked in here and I DEFINITELY need to update you all on how much God has been doing in our lives right now.

We launched Tomoka Christian Church at Palm Coast and had 261 in attendance on our first Sunday!! Despite MAJOR technical difficulties, God still allowed us to have an awesome weekend.

This past Sunday was our second weekend of services and we had SEVERAL new faces. We give out coffee mugs to all first time guests and I personally got rid of at least 5...we're guessing we gave away about 15 mugs!! We had 240 in attendance this weekend.

God is really opening our eyes to just how much a Christ centered church is needed in this community. We are so blessed to be a part of it!

TSO - Christmas Eve Sarajevo @ Tomoka Christian Church

2007-01-11T19:14:00.001-05:00

Here's the video in case you can't see it on YouTube.

This was SOOOO much fun!!

2007-01-11T14:02:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed to belong to such an awesome church. We had a VERY spiritual and VERY moving Christmas Eve service, but during the offering collection we got to play a light, fun, and entertaining song...

AND you can see it here.

ENJOY!!

Heh...I know what you're thinking...TranSiberian Orchestra has NOTHING on TCC :)

OH...and I AM on there...if you look ALL the way to the right, I'm at the piano...

Something I've been wondering for a while now..

2007-01-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

What did we ever do before double rolls? I mean, it didn't seem like we went through double the toilet paper...why do we seem to go through double rolls just as fast if not faster?

Am I the only one who notices this?

Of course this could be the result of having 3 males in the house.

The Downsizing of MT. TBR

2007-01-03T13:22:00.003-05:00

I am taking part in a TBR Challenge over at Literary Cache. I have SO MANY books and yet I find myself picking new ones up instead of reading what is already on my shelves.

SOOO...I have decided to join this group and challenge myself to read one a month...which is VERY do-able for me. So without further ado, here's my list:

January - The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve

February - Tara Road by Maeve Binchy

March - Conspiracy of Kindness by Steve Sjogren

April - The Family: A Christian Perspective on the Contemporary Home by Jack and Judith Balswick

May - Purpose Driven Church by Rick Warren (I'm not sure why I haven't read this yet, but curiousity is getting the best of me, I think).

June - The Trumpet of the Swan by EB White (I LOVE her other books, but I'm not sure why I haven't read this one yet...I may read it aloud to the boys as well.)

July - The Complete Works of EM Bounds on Prayer by EM Bounds :)

August - Witnessing Without Fear by Bill Bright

September - The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks (I've avoided reading him for a long while now. I guess it's time to try him, and this is the only one of his books I HAVE so therefore it made it to this list).

October - Amityville Horror by Jay Anson (had to read a scary one this time of year)

November - Fresh Power by Jim Cymbala

December - Deception Point by Dan Brown (I've enjoyed his other books and figured this would be some easy reading during a high stress time)

So there it is. I will be working to read these books every month. Of course, I still have my book club books to read every month, plus blogs, and entertainment books....sigh...I think I may have an addiction.

New Year New Me!

2007-01-03T12:18:00.000-05:00

Hello?

Is anyone there?

Hmmm...if you are, I owe you a HUGE apology. I have been SO BAD about blogging lately (okay, for the past few months). But I have an excuse...I do, really.

The past couple of months were extra busy with Christmas play rehearsals, performances, Christmas and everything that goes along with that, and many, many, many, many things to do for the plant that is starting on the 28th of this MONTH!!!

Things have been VERY busy. But, how blessed am I? I've heard over and over how difficult 2006 was for so many people. All I can think is how blessed I was this year. God strengthened my marriage in ways I NEVER thought possible, He allowed us to take time out for US and that really was something we had never done before. Now that we have, we see the importance of it and will carry that with us for the rest of our lives.

We've had another year of health. The past month was a bit difficult, but not too difficult for the Lord. My dad was in the hospital for the whole month of November with a bacterial infection. They still have no idea how or where he got it, but it was in the top 10 for worst cases his doctor had ever seen. He had to have a skin graft done on his leg and will now have it wrapped for at least the next 6 months, but he's fine! He pulled through in ways his doctors didn't think he would.

The beginning of December I found out that I may be suffering from Thyroid Disease. I had to have an ultrasound done on my thyroid and some bloodwork done, but everything came back normal...PRAISE THE LORD!

Our boys continue to amaze us. We joke that Ryley is either going to be a pastor or a politician...of course, you know the way I'm praying :) He has an opinion on everything and is not ashamed to share it. I often try to stifle him, but then stop myself and consider myself blessed that he IS willing to share his opinion even if he is only 5. He loves Jesus and isn't afraid to invite people on the street to church with him. He's my little evangelist.

Blake is growing into such a little man. It's hard to believe he's now 4. My baby can't be 4!! Our pastor and his wife adopted a baby girl from China last year and he now swears that he is going to marry her :) He loves to play sports and watch superheros. He too is becoming very opinionated, but isn't quite as vocal as his brother...which I'm fine with, I couldn't imagine if they were BOTH that outspoken...I probably wouldn't be able to go out in public at risk of embarrassment.

2006 was very good to us. It brought us to work with an amazing staff at an amazing church. We look forward to what 2007 is bringing.

2006-10-16T20:34:00.000-05:00

10 of Life's Simple Pleasures

Hugs from my hubby.
Hugs from my kids.
Hearing the words I love you Mommy.
A good novel
A good Worship set
Vanilla Chai Spice creamer
Bubble baths
Nail Polish
Chocolate
Open windows on a nice day.

For weekly memes and for a great place to fellowship and find friendship with GREAT Godly women you can check out Women at Home for yourself!

Well, maybe I haven't left completely!

2006-10-12T12:15:00.000-05:00

I just looked at my blog after my last post and realized that this neat new blog template I picked that I THOUGHT had two people's legs on it...really has two GUYS legs on it...I thought they were flying a kite...looks now like they are holding a laptop...I really AM leaving the corporate world behind...I PROMISE!

*scurries off to find a 50's themed background*

Setting Sail for New Adventures

2006-10-12T12:10:00.000-05:00

Today is the day...

It's my last day of working in the corporate world...

I am setting my sail and throwing off EVERYTHING of this world and pressing towards the goal set before me...

This time in my life is exciting, exhilarating, and the dang near scariest thing I have EVER done.

It's been a while since we've been without a double full time income. This takes faith.

It's been a while since Mike and I have worked SO closely in ministry together. This takes faith.

It's been a while that I've thrown caution to the wind. THIS takes faith.

Our pastor said it best a few weeks ago that if you're not scared to death than you're not living in faith.

Well, I take this as a good sign that we're living out our faith.

It's Their Choice and They'll Cry If They Want To

2006-10-10T15:58:00.000-05:00

I saw THIS today on MSN.COM...

Yes, it is scary that we live in a world that approves of murder, but it was the following quote that stopped me in my tracks...

“It’s emotionally devastating,” she said in a phone interview. “I don’t regret my decision — but I regret having been put in the position to have to make that choice. It’s something I’ll live with for the rest of my life.”

Oh...I'm SORRY...I'm sorry to make you uncomfortable by making you take responsibility for YOUR decision. I don't DOUBT that it is a hard decision especially for those who don't know the Truth. But, and correct me if I'm wrong here, wasn't it YOUR decision to have s*x? I mean, I wasn't the one who was standing over you saying, "DO IT so that I can make your decision harder later."

When will people take responsibility for their own actions? I'm obviously NOT talking about women who are raped or anything, but the "normal" Jane who finds out that she's pregnant and she doesn't want to be.

I had a baby unexpectadly...I know the feeling of fear and utter dispair that comes along with an unplanned pregnancy. I can only imagine the fear and dispair intensifies if the woman is not married. But there is another side to these situations...

This month is National Adoption Month...seems to me Ms. Magazine probably knows this.

The Slap Heard Round the Living Rooms

2006-09-15T11:40:00.000-05:00

OK...I am NOT a SAHM so I don't normally get to see what is on daytime television (and for this I'm thankful). BUT I just saw THIS over at Shannon's...

I just don't know what to say...

I mean, I knew that Rosie would be causing a rucus coming on to this show, but seriously, that show has never been anything BUT a rucus so I didn't think anything of it. I knew she'd say things that would make me think WHAT!?!?!? But that's why I don't watch it...

Are we supposed to just turn a blind eye to hypocritical statements such as "Extremist Christians are the same as Extremist Muslims?" Are we supposed to just say, "Well, that's her opinion."? We live in a free country...GREAT! But at what level do we risk losing that freedom? Do we risk losing our freedom of speech when it is no longer okay to tell others the sacrifice that Christ made for them? Do we risk losing our freedom of speech when it is no longer possible to have praise music playing in the background of a department store? Do we risk losing our freedom of speech when it is no longer okay to pray in schools? To say the Pledge of Allegiance? To quote the Ten Commandments? To quote the Constitution!!!!

We as Christians are losing our freedom of speech and we don't even REALIZE it! If you notice in that video that Shannon had on her blog, that Elizabeth kept trying to discuss the situation and was constantly interrupted. Elizabeth is a Christian and stern Bush supporter. We are losing our voice. But if you read the comments many people were willing to write it off to the fact that they EXPECTED that out of Rosie...you know what??? That's fine...I kind of expected it too...But does that mean we are to just lay idly by and let television personalities walk all over Christ and those who follow him? NO!

If anyone would like to participate, please, click here to be directed to ABC's website and email Barbara or any other person on the panel...Let's keep this clean please...the last thing we need is for ABC to be comparing us to Muslim extremists...OH WAIT...they already are!

New blog???

2006-09-15T10:51:00.000-05:00

No...I'm not moving again :)

BUT....I just found a contest over at Bluebird Blog Design...

Click here to find out more...

Maybe I'll win?? Bluebird is doing a drawing for a brand new blog design to kick off autumn and considering it is still in the 90's here in FL, this lovely summery blog needs to kick into the fall season with new digs! So here's to my name being drawn! HERE HERE!!

Well, Since You Mentioned It...

2006-09-05T16:57:00.000-05:00

I received the sweetest comment from Windy yesterday...actually it was my ONLY comment...I think she may be my only reader...so, hey Windy...how are ya??

Anyhoo...

I noticed in your comment you mentioned that you locked your little Gabe in the car...then you said Just Kidding...

Well, guess what?

I did it to Ryley...oh yes...on a hot summer day and all he was wearing was a diaper...

Here's my story...

It was a lovely day unlike any other...I had just taken a pregnancy test that, despite my denial, came back positive. I already had a BABY...now I'm pregnant??? I was upset to say the least...okay...I was balling my eyes out uncontrollably sobbing so bad that my husband had to come home from work.

We both played for the church softball team and since I wasn't quite ready to TELL anyone else I was preggos I decided I'd play softball...yeah...I did...I know it's stupid but remember I was in denial...

We decided to stop at Pizza Hut for dinner and upon taking Ryley out of the car realized he had one of those nasty explosive type diapers...if you're a mom you KNOW what I'm talking about...it was EVERY where...all over his clothes, carseat, everything.

We pulled him out of the car and got him all cleaned up. Well, Pizza Hut was right in front of Wally world and we decided to run over and get Ryley a new outfit so he wouldn't have to go only in his diaper. So, we put Ryley in his carseat and I close the door. Mike and I both looked at each other in HORROR when we realized that YES our son was in the car and YES the keys were in the ignition...THANKFULLY the air was on!

I panicked! I went inside and asked for a phonebook...and I start flipping through histerically...I WAS LOOKING FOR A LOCKSMITH...yes I know how stupid that now sounds. Thankfully the woman behind the counter was MUCH smarter than me and suggests I call 911...hmmm...why hadn't I thought of that? Could it have been the fact that I found out I was pregnant that day or the trauma of locking my baby in the car?? Hmmm...go figure...

The whole time I was standing there, this nice woman who was the epitimy of trailer trash kept telling me that they were going to take my baby away for neglect...I finally told her to shut up...heh...I would NEVER say that to someone but at that point I didn't really like her and therefore didn't feel like pretending to be nice to her...

Soo anyway...Mr. Policeman took what seemed FOREVER to get to us, but he eventually did and shimmied the lock...please note...if the a/c hadn't been on I would have smashed every window on that car in my hormonal rage in order to get to my baby...Ryley slept through the whole thing...

We then went to Wally world to buy him some clothes since we had YET to eat dinner. Mike was still craving Pizza Hut but I REFUSED to set foot inside that restaurant for about 6 months because I was so embarrassed...

Sooo...yes, Windy...it happens to the best of us. So, if you really did lock Gabe in the car...don't fret, you're in with the right people :)

Procrastination

2006-09-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

I am SUCH the procrastinator....

I seriously have a problem....

I suffered from this lack of gumption while I was in college and really have just been plagued with it my entire life...

Well, sisters...It is time I arise!

ARISE!!!

Don't freak...

yet...heh...

It is officially September. This month concludes our life as we know it and shoves us off into a land of even more busy-ness...GOOD busy-ness though...

I have decided that I will NO longer succumb to the temptation to 'put if off til later'

I have decided that YES I am going to get myself organized...

I am a very organized person, I just don't really push myself to DO things...

My husband and I are going to dinner tonight and as much as I love him and want to spend some quality ALONE time with him over steak...part of me would just rather go home and snuggle with him on the couch and watch a movie...BUT we did THAT the past 2 nights (thanks Ernesto)...so, I'm even having to push myself to go OUT anymore...

The craziness is coming...We're excited...but here's what we're looking at...

I'm directing the children's choir this year...it starts Wednesday night and I have YET to order their musical books...sigh...I WILL do that tomorrow...NO JOKE!

Ryley started school last week and I still need to get him in for his physical and get the emergency form notorized...

Mike starts working at our church in a couple weeks...

Blake's babysitter is going to be having major surgery and will be out of commission for a WEEK..gotta find something to do with him while I'm at work in the meantime...

New program is starting at church for the kids and we'll be helping with that...

I'm going to be leading a Women's Book Club at church. The first meeting is at my house...come to find out the first meeting is the same night that I am supposed to walking in the Heart Walk on the beach...

SIGH!!!

I've decided that I need a schedule...Oh...don't be decieved...I keep calendars now...several as a matter of fact...BUT I rely on my calendar in my brain more than any other...THAT's dangerous...

So...wait for future posts...I WILL be getting myself organized...

You like how I did that?? I just procrastinated again...heh...instead of telling you NOW...I'll tell you later!

Blogging Moms UNITE!

2006-08-30T15:56:00.000-05:00

I just read a FANTASTIC post that talked about the community that moms have here on the net.

It's kinda funny, a few years ago I would think it strange and funny that people could meet and fall in love over the internet. Now, I see how easily I've made such wonderful friends from around the world, it makes internet romances a bit more realistic in my eyes. We aren't able to judge based on appearance, social status, race, or ethnicity...we can form opinions of people based on their minds, personalities, and their expression through words.

I have met some of the best women online. I would put a link in for my Women @ Home buddies but our board is down at the moment...sniff, sniff...I miss talking to you girls! So, feel free to leave me a comment to say hello and we'll talk once Bedky fixes the board :)

I also love that I can keep up with old friends. Friends from high school, college, or just from past ministries we've been involved in.

	Heck Yah! I have done it
	I know, but haven't done it
	Yes, but it didn't work
	Really? Cool, I will try it
	Didn't know, don't care