I CAN pray!

This last week, I have found out that another dear friend has been diagnosed with cancer.

Can I just be honest here and tell you that I am angry and sad.

That I want to cry, scream and yell "CANCER I HATE YOU!"

That I feel so helpless as I try to encourage and lift up my friends.

That I am overwhelmed by the number of friends and family that I have currently battling this awful disease........

It hurts so much and I am not even the one doing the battle.


And yet I find it interesting that God has been working on me in the area of prayer. The one thing I CAN do for each of my friends and family is pray.

God's calling me to a deeper prayer life and opening my eyes to what a true intercessor is........is no coincidence. His reminding me that the effective, fervent prayers of the righteous avails much is not just good timing.....it's perfect timing!

And pray I will!

Friday Fill-ins

1. It's time for putting what I'm learning about prayer into practice....daily practice.

2. Arkansas; it's not a bad place for building an ark.

3. I must be crazy for enjoying children's ministries so much, I never thought that was my calling!!

4. Salvation through Jesus is the best thing I have ever known.

5. My life is simply wonderful.

6. The last time I laughed really loudly was last night watching Wipe Out while on the treadmill at the gym...ya, everybody looked at me.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to something I haven't decided to do yet, tomorrow my plans include floating the Buffalo river with the band kids and Sunday, I want to enjoy my boys leading worship at church and hosting a new comers dinner that night!

Pictures + Family = perfection!

A while back, I commented in a post (of which I can not find to link to) that we had picked the hottest day of the year to have a family portrait made. I was so hoping that they would come out so we wouldn't have to endure that again...........and they did!!!

Just thought I would share a few with you!

I also just got my son's senior pictures back and have to show off a few of those too!!!

Have a terrific Thursday!!

WYAW

I haven't done What's Your Answer Wednesday in a long time and I am not even sure that Linda is still doing it. However, I needed a post for today and this always makes for a fun one!!!

I spent the day yesterday doing the dreaded......back-to-school-shopping......ugh! My day and my bank account were shot! Why does it seem that it costs more and more to send your kids to school? And why does it seems we are having to provide more and more of the supplies?

oh yea, because we ARE!!!

So, in light of school starting in a few short weeks (I know, some of you didn't need that reminder...sorry!), here are my questions....

1. Do you do anything special to celebrate the first and last days of school each year?

2. Do you by your children a new back pack every year?

3. How many times have you bought all the supplies on the list...only to find out when school starts they needed something different?

4. Do you do the "dance of Joy" as the school bus pulls away from your stop on the 1st day of school?



My Answers:

1. YES!! I always do something for me the 1st and last days of school. Some of the things I've done in the past are: have lunch with a friend and go to a movie, have a movie marathon/PJ day at my house for all the moms, go to the lake, get a pedicure (this is my last day tradition).

2. No, I am the "mean mom" who won't buy a new backpack until my kids can prove that it won't hold anything or simply smells so bad the school won't let them in!! Jared proved his point this year and got a new bag!!

3. EVERY year!!! this is so annoying to me....if they need it, put it on the list!!!

4. YEP! Usually by then I am so happy to have them back in school. Only the year my last child started 1st grade did I not dance....for the 1st 10 minutes! Of course I also do the dance of joy on the last day of school too!!!

Have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

Meetings, Marriages & Memories

Today, I am joining Rachel again for her MM&M carnival to continue the story of how Steve and I met.

If you want to read the first part of our story go here. If you want to see a few of our wedding pictures, go here.


Steve and I were great friends for over 8 months. He was still looking for a coaching/teaching job and many of his interviews were taking him out of Dallas. Neither of us really wanted to be in a long distance relationship, but our feelings for each other had become more than friends. However, neither of us was willing to admit it to the other.

Each Wednesday, our group got together to play volleyball at the church. Steve's car had broken down, so I gave him a ride there and back. At the game, I had several people ask me when Steve and I were going to start dating...it was pretty obvious to everyone that we liked each other. So, one the way home, I decided to broach the subject. (Steve has always been a steady eddy, a planner, doesn't like to rock the boat....sometimes he needs a good push!) I told him what everyone was saying, we discussed the potential of him moving, I pointed out that we didn't know for sure he was going to move and that we should maybe just cross that bridge when it gets here and by the end of the conversation we had decided to give dating a try.

I'm sure I have forgotten many parts of this story, but one moment I will never forget.......Steve leaning back into the car before getting out and kissing me!! I seriously saw fireworks! I had never felt a kiss like that and I do believe the boy had my heart at that moment.

That Friday, our group had planned a camping trip to lake Texoma and this would be our first "date". We had a blast with all our friends and no one was a bit surprised that we had decided to make our relationship official. And after being such good friends, being a couple just felt right.

One of the guys had brought his small sail boat along. Steve and I decided to take it out on the lake. This is a very large lake in Texas and I did not know how to sail so I was counting on Steve. We got out to the middle somewhere and let the sail loose so we could just drift a bit and talk.

It was a beautiful day, but a little choppy due to the wind.....good for sailing, right?

Well, at what should have been a very romantic moment.....

......... Steve leaned over to kiss me......

...........just as the boat dipped to that side.....

......and I fell in!!!

Yep, right over the side into the choppy water!!!! I am a good swimmer, so I wasn't afraid but as I looked over the water I watched the boat drifting away. Steve was frantically trying to get a hold of the sail and get the boat turned around. Come to find out he didn't really know how to sail either and had just gotten a quickie lesson from his friend on the shore....how hard can it be?

In his franticness, is that a word?, he capsized it!!! Completely! And in the water he went. I swam over to him.....we both grabbed onto the hull of the boat and laughed hysterically!!!

I mean really, only in the movies!!!

It took us quite a long time to get the boat righted but we finally did and made it back to shore!

As we got close to the shore, we saw all our friends there waiting for us. It had been longer than we thought and they were worried! And here we came, totally drenched and exhausted and with a pretty wild story to tell!!!

It was a very exciting first date to say the least!

Check back here next monday for the rest of the story.....

Project 365 - Week 30

Can you believe that we are almost to the end of July?!!! Where did the summer go? I was finally able to get caught up on all my blogging this week!!! I really miss you guys when I get too far behind to blog!!

This was a fun week for me! And I can't wait to share it with you!

....so, here we go:

Sunday

My Children's Church kids leading worship today!!
what an awesome Sunday!

Monday

I looked out my window today and saw this odd bird on the wire behind my house!!
Does anyone know what this is?
There were two of them and I have never seen anything like it!!
It's neck is actually long, but tucked in.
sometimes it would stretch it's neck out but I couldn't get a picture of it.
I am so curious!!!!

We still have not figured it out. But think it is some sort of water bird.

Tuesday

We are celebrating 25 years today!!!
I love this man!
Head over to my other blog to find out why....

Wednesday

The beautiful flowers that I received from my honey!!!
Two of my favs....roses and Cali lilies!

Jared finally went to take the test for his permit...
...he's been eligible since January...
...and he passed!!!!

Steve and I tried a new restaurant for our anniversary!!
It was AMAZING!!
We had such a great time!

Thursday

This is my neighbor's crape myrtle.
Isn't it gorgeous?!

Friday

My children threw us a surprise 25th anniversary party tonight!
I love those kids!

Saturday

I had a lot of down time today...yea!
I was able to get caught up on my blogging..
..and spend time reading my current book.
Perfect!

Please link in and share your week with us!!!

I have the best kids EVER!!!

My kids threw us a surprise 25th anniversary party last night!!!

Early in the week, they told us to save Friday night because they all wanted to cook us a special dinner. Well, the dinner was amazing and so was the company!!!

I love my kids so much!!!

Alyssa made us close our eyes, b/c she wanted us to be surprised with the meal..

I knew something was up when she went to take us out on the deck, but was totally surprised by our friends being out there!

They had an amazing spread laid out.....lots of goodies!!


They also had the makings for kabobs and had everyone make their own!
Then they grilled them.....

Well, my wonderful friend and neighbor grilled them!

No, we've not been married 52 years......

The weather was perfect!

what a fun night!!

Thanks kids!!! I love you so much and appreciate all the hard work that went into the party! You're the BEST and I couldn't be more proud of all of you!!!

Friday Fill-ins

1. Getting older is not the end of the world.

2. Sitting here, listening to the sound of rain falling, I am so grateful for the reprieve from the heat.

3. Heath bar ice cream from Baskin Robins tastes so good!

4. Sometimes, putting others first is is not easy, but it is always rewarding.

5. God's creation is breathtaking, really.

6. Well, maybe there is enough time for one more dip in the pool.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the dinner my 3 children are fixing for us in celebration of our 25th anniversary, tomorrow my plans include yard work and hopefully some pool time and Sunday, I want to enjoy church!

Prayer Labyrinth

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16b

In this post, I wrote about how God was working on me in the area of prayer. I have been studying what fervent, effective prayer looks like. The definition that hit me the hardest was...

... that we we do not quit easily. It means we purposefully spend sufficient time in intercession. The word "sufficient" really, truly got me......sufficient doesn't have a time limit.

I have to admit, 95% of the time (or more), I have a time limit on my prayer......I have 30 minutes before the kids get up........I have a meeting at 9:00 and can pray till then, etc. I very rarely sit down to pray with NO specific time to stop allowing the HS to guide me.

As I have been starting my prayer journal back up, I realized that God is still working on me in this....basically praying till it is done. I don't believe we can do this all the time, but there are times we just need to remain in prayer till it is finished.

That is hard to do at home. There are so many distractions....and I am easily distracted.

So, I decided to try something new that a good friend of mine uses......a prayer labyrinth. There is a church in downtown Little Rock that has a prayer labyrinth open to the public and today I set aside the afternoon and went down there.

Now, there is nothing mystical or magical about a prayer labyrinth. It is just a tool that you use to really focus on God and your relationship with Him. As you step on to the labyrinth, the point is to hand over to God all the things that are coming between your relationship or hindering it......sin, fears, troubles, etc. Each step, you hand over one thing. You don't take another step until you can hand that item fully over to Him.

Somethings are easy.....some are not.....some happen fast.....some do not......some have to be visited several times.

Once you reach the center, you are hopefully fully open for the Holy Spirit to speak. It is the place to be quiet and let God speak to your heart. Oh my word, how wonderful this was.

When you feel you have heard from God, you walk the labyrinth backwards.....this time praising God for who He is, what He has done, answers He has given you, forgiveness, etc.

I stepped onto the labyrinth with a heavy heart......and some very specific areas where I needed direction.....

......I stepped off the labyrinth.......2 hours later........completely at peace. Knowing my God had met me there and spoken to my heart.

I think I am closer to understanding fervent and effective prayer.......

25 years!

Today, Steve and I are celebrating 25 years of marriage. I look at this picture and think...wow, that was a long time ago! And then in the next instant think....seems like yesterday.

I am so blessed with with a husband who loves God and loves me with all his heart. What a gift to be married to my best friend!

In honor of our 25th, I wanted to give you 25 reasons why I love this man......

1. He loves God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength.
2. He puts God first in his life and in our marriage.
3. He knows me inside and out and still loves me like crazy!
4. He respects me.
5. He makes me laugh....a lot
6. This will embarrass my kids.....but he is quite a hottie!!!
7. He is an amazing father
8. He learns what is important to our kids and gets involved
9. He has always been a very hands on father
10. He takes his call to ministry very seriously and truly wants to be where God can use him most...no matter where that is
11. Together, we are better people
12. He has a great sense of humor and goes along with my spontaneity (thought it sometimes makes him crazy)
13. He holds me accountable to growing in Christ
14. He daily spends time with God and works to stay close
15. He protects me and makes me feel safe
16. He is a good friend, not just to me but to all his friends
17. He is not afraid or too prideful to say he is sorry
18. We are a team in parenting
19. He likes to snuggle, with me and the kids
20. He loves my cooking
21. He enjoys and looks forward to spending time with me
22. He works at knowing my needs and putting them first
23. He likes to hold my hand
24. Though we have changed over the years, he has worked hard to make sure we grow together
25. He is looking forward to empty nesting with me, retiring with me and all that entails!!!

I love you so much, Steve! Happy Anniversary!

Meetings, Marriages & Memories

Two weeks ago, I joined in Rachel’s MM&M carnival and showed you my wedding pictures. I wasn’t able to take part last week, but am joining back in today with the start of “our story”. It’s good timing to share this with you since we will be celebrating our 25th anniversary tomorrow!!! Wow, 25 years!!! Where did the time go? Well… I know where it started………

I graduated college in 1982. At that time, Dallas was the place to go to get a job. Honestly, I had no idea what I was going to do, but I knew that I did not want to go home to Arizona. I interviewed some in Kansas City and then on a whim, my best friend and I decided to move to Dallas. I had an Aunt there (my Aunt that recently passed away) and she agreed that we could stay with her until we got on our feet!!

Over the next few months, I would find a great job, move into an apartment with another friend and get settled in a young adults class at the church my Aunt went to. My Aunt had pushed me into trying out this new young adults class. I was not too sure. I had visited the other one, it was huge, and I was a new Christian…it intimidated me. But she finally convinced me to visit this “new” class that was starting. It was smaller and intended for those just out of college. After one visit, I knew I had found some great new friends and a place where I fit in!!! This group became a huge part of my life. When I wasn’t at work, I could be found with someone from this group.

One weekend, one of the guys in the class had some of us over to his apartment for a bring-your-own-meat party! They had the grills going and potatoes in the oven, very fun. I had never met this guy’s roommate, Steve, before. He didn’t go to our church, he had been driving up to Sherman, Tx each Sunday to the church he attended in college. I wouldn’t necessarily call it love at first sight, but when I walked in the door I knew there was an immediate attraction! What fun we had that night!!

Steve started coming with his roommate to more of our functions. He was still attending church in Sherman, but would come to any other function our group had. The three of us became great friends. The saying “three's a crowd” didn’t apply here. The guys lived around the corner from me, so we often got together to play games or go out for dinner. Little did I know at the time that both boys liked me……ya, I was oblivious. But my feelings for Steve were growing and people were starting to notice that we seemed to always end up sitting near each other, dancing together, etc.

Steve had graduated with his masters in education and was looking for a job teaching/coaching. It was a bit obvious that he was most likely going to have to move to find the job he wanted. We both knew we were interested in the other, but neither was willing to start a relationship knowing it would most likely end up long distance. And so we just continued on being friends…….but under the surface…..feelings were growing!

Tune in next week for………the rest of the story!

Project 365 - Week 29

As you will see from my week, I am still not feeling great, so this will be short. I seem to have a good day and then a bad day where I have to spend it on the sofa. It's getting frustrating because I have so much I need to be doing......or at least I think I do!!

Anyway, I realized it is hard to remember to take pictures when you are doing nothing!

So, here goes:

Sunday

made it to Tucson today
Had dinner with my brother and his family
He is doing the happy dance because his wife is now a 2nd year intern...
.......they actually get to see each other now!!!

Monday

I spent the day with my brother at his house.
It was so great to be able to get caught up and just hang out together!

Tuesday

Going home!
I am ready.
I have loaded up on meds to suppress my cough so that people won't think I have swine flu!!!

Wednesday

I am laying low today...I slept till 9:30!!!!
that never happens!

what is this you ask?
This would be one of the "gifts" my son brought home......
it's a bottle that he says can hold olive oil or whatever...for the table!

How long do you think I need to keep it out? yikes!

Thursday

After being gone over a week...
laundry and cleaning all day

Friday

I must have over done it yesterday....
....I feel bad again today...
.....so I spent the day on the sofa getting caught up on all my favorite blogs

Saturday

I laid around again today....this not feeling good is getting very old.
But I spent part of my time making Egyptian headbands for children's church tomorrow.

So, how was your week?! Link up and share it with us!