Sunday, August 30, 2015

Quote For The Day

Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced. -Lucille Ball

Monday, August 24, 2015

Summer Catch Up

I'm super excited for my periodic catch up!

It has been an awesome past few months of newly wed bliss, friendship, Church, Ministry, writing, and family!

My girlfriends and I have been able to spend lots of time together over the past few months and that's amazing in itself.  We went through a season of business and ALL of us gals were always super busy, so it's been nice to enjoy time and fellowship with one another this summer.

"As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17



Ministry has been so much fun since my promotion!  It is a lot different from my position as Generation's assistant. It has been so much fun learning and growing!  I have truly enjoyed working at the Church in both admin assistant position and now in my Life Group Coordinator position.  God has truly blessed me!!!





National Pink day was in June and of course, I participated!!!  Everybody knows how much I LOVE LOVE pink!!!!


It's no secret that summer is not generally my favorite season; however, I have to admit that summer nights with family and friends are always awesome!

Bowling night with the fam happened only once this summer but that's ok....it was a great night!





Family visits in the summer are always a blast!!!





And of course who can forget lazy cat days!


Summer is also a season of fun holidays!

I celebrated my first Father's Day with my new father-in-law.  It was really neat to plan a father's day lunch with my new family!  We also meshed up with my dad and took him to his favorite thing to do in the world, GOLF!



and YES, that is my adorable sweet nephew above!  CUTENESS! 

4th Of July is one of my other favorite summer holidays!  This year Darin and I hosted at our tiny apartment and it was SO MUCH FUN!!!!  We had family and friends over and meshed families!  Talk about fun!





And who can forget summer weddings??  My Mom's best friend from her younger days got married to the love of her life this summer and it was such a beautiful day!



Summer loving is always so much fun and so are dates to the library with the hubby!


To conclude our awesome first summer as a married couple, we moved into our beautiful new home!!!  We have had so much fun unpacking and shopping for new furniture and just starting our lives together in a spacious beautiful home!  I cannot wait to dress our home up in FALL AND WINTER ( MY FAVORITE SEASONS) WOOHOO!



Needless to say, marriage has been so good to me!  I have had so much fun as a newly wed and I have the most amazing husband, I have no idea what I did to deserve Darin!  I'm so excited for fall and all of our fall and winter adventures!!!

Monday, August 10, 2015

Thought Of The Day

Pain is instructional, purifying, motivational, and an atmosphere in which God can do a great deal in your life. Respond to God when you are hurting, not the world.

Sunday, August 9, 2015

Thought Of The Day

God will bring down people's pride; we have a choice to bring it down before He does. When we choose to be free from a prideful spirit and repent and reject it, we bring Him Honor but if we wait for Him to bring it down FOR us we bring shame to both ourselves and Him. Honor and shame are the results of pride being brought down. We have the power to chose how it is brought down because it WILL be brought down so choose wisely. 

Saturday, August 8, 2015

Thought Of The Day

If you feel alone in your faith, doubted, criticized or left out, be encouraged. Jesus sees you, and He wants you to see Him. Really see Him. Look to Him to encourage your faith and give you spiritual vision for what He is doing in and through you.

Prayer: Father, I want to see You. I want to see what You are doing in my life. I want to see others the way that You see them. Help me to sense what my eyes cannot see, that You are with me, that You are for me, and that You have a plan for my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

From First5.org

Wednesday, August 5, 2015

Step Away From The Comfort Zone

The past few months have been months of personal growth and change.  There have been lots of changes in life and in those changes, I have grown so much!  




February brought marriage and the change of the single role to the wifey role.  I love being a wife and I love marriage and I still have so much to learn!   I plan on growing daily into the best wife possible!  My husband deserves that and my Father deserves to see His children in a healthy and loving marriage!  

June brought a new position!  I was promoted from administrative assistant to Life Group Coordinator at Trinity Church and it has been an adjustment, an awesome adjustment but nevertheless....an adjustment!  I LOVED my role as an administrative assistant when I was at Wal-Mart Corporate and at the Church.  My new role is very different from the role I was in for 7 years of my life and learning this new role has been exciting and amazing!

July brought a new home for my husband and I.  During this move, I started to have terrible pains and I knew instantly I had a kidney stone.  After going to the doctor and getting some tests ran, I found out that I had TWO kidney stones.  I still haven't passed them and sadly looking at another surgery for this.  During this time, I have at times been frustrated and sad.  I haven't been able to enjoy my new home or unpack or practice my cooking in my new spacious and beautiful kitchen.  However, this time down has also been beautiful.  

The one thing I have learned is that how we speak to one another, the words we say, and our intentions mean EVERYTHING!  I have always been told how sweet I am and I never really put much thought into that because, I was just always being me.  Over the past few weeks, I have felt my character and my personality challenged.  Not because of anything in particular but mainly from the stressors of all the change going on in life.  Granite, they are all wonderful changes but still change and change can be an exhausting thing no matter how exciting or positive it is.  

We don't recognize our character flaws until our flaws are put in unfamiliar situations and I am very thankful for this.  I didn't realize I had some character flaws that clearly needed a good look at.  I needed a shift in my heart and I didn't even realize it!  I started to notice that I had a critical spirit buried deep down in me and it never really came out until I was placed in many new and unfamiliar situations.  Being comfortable and in safe zones all of the time caused me to.....well be comfortable and I didn't have a hard time being that sweet girl.  

God amazes me so much how He answers prayers.  I asked before Darin and I got married for Him to please purge out any impurities I might have deep down in the core of my heart.  My desire is to have a great marriage and a great life and I knew deep down that any impurities buried deep down would one day jeopardize this desire of mine.  It has only been a few months since that prayer was whispered in my Father's ear and here He is, answering it.  At first I didn't like these things being brought to light, I was learning stuff about myself that was ugly and embarrassing.  It was only when I got sick with kidney stones that I was able to be quiet and in my prayer time really listen to Him and really embrace what was going on in the spiritual realm of stuff.


"but answer in a gentle way and with respect. Keep a clear conscience so that those who speak evil of your good life in Christ will be made ashamed." 1 Peter 3:16

Being critical of others can cause so much damage than what we realize.  I am so thankful God brought this character flaw of mine to the forefront so that I can seek Him for a change in my spirit and in my heart.  When we are critical of others it causes us to stop listening to them, stop respecting them, and it puts a halt on building a healthy relationship with them.  Yes, we must hold one another accountable but lovingly holding somebody accountable is totally different from being critical and judging them!  I'm far from done with this battle but it is a battle I am aware of now and it is a battle that God will fight with me!  It is up to me to open my heart up, repent, and EXPECT change!!!  So, next time you are put in uncomfortable situations, don't get discouraged.  Ask God what He wants to reveal to you in that moment and embrace what He says to you! 

Monday, August 3, 2015

Scripture Of The Day

"Dear friends, we should love each other, because love comes from God. Everyone who loves has become God’s child and knows God." 1 John 4:7