Project 365 - week 31

 Week 31.

Well, it was a week of recovery for me!  This old body just doesn't take all I put it through this last weekend well any more!!!  Seriously, Monday I felt like a truck had hit me!!  But having to get back into a schedule and having all my kids home for one last week got me going pretty fast!

We spent a lot of time together as a family this week....I loved it.  Alyssa moves out on her own next week and then it is just a couple of weeks till Jason goes back to college.  So I am enjoying all the time I can get with them!!!

Our weather has cooled off somewhat......funny how 97 seems cool!  We were actually supposed to get some rain this weekend, but I it has gone everywhere BUT here....ugh!  And we are supposed to be back in the 100s by Tuesday.....as far as weather goes, this has been a long summer!

Here's my week:

Sunday

This is Kelly.

She is married to a guy that was in the youth group of the FIRST church Steve and I served at.  I was told she would be at She Speaks, but we had never met and there were 650 women attending.....chances of us finding each other were slim and we didn't.

Riding in the shuttle back to the airport, I hear a woman behind me saying she is from Minot, ND...yep, it was Kelly.  How cool is that?!!

Monday

Jared's glasses broke while I was gone, so I had to take him in to get new ones.  I was hoping to quickly pick out a pair because I seriously felt like a truck ran over me.  But of course, his prescription was outdated so he had to have an eye test......finally got his glasses mid afternoon. 

Tuesday

 Jason was born with a hole in his heart and we have had to go for check ups all his life.  Last year, however, they found he had a leaking valve and told us to come back in a year.  We were 3 years between visits, so this was a bit difficult to hear.  If it was still leaking, we would have to consider heart surgery....praise God the valve had quit leaking!!!  And he doesn't have to go back for 2 more years!!!

Wednesday

I can't believe I forgot to take a picture today!!

We had a church wide swim party and it was a BLAST!!!  

We rented a neighborhood pool and had a BBQ too...so fun!!!

Thursday   

Love it when my whole family is home!!!

We had a wonderful dinner and then all went out and played water volley ball till it got dark.

I really have the best family ever!

Friday

 We found this coffee table at Savers for only $18.  Alyssa spent the day working on it with our neighbor, Jeff, to get it fixed up and painted for her new apartment.

Saturday

Jason brought his girlfriend, Andrea, to visit us this weekend.  We are having so much fun getting to know her.....and she love to play games.....she fits right in!  :)

So how was your last week of July?

Moments orchestrated by Him....

....are incredibly sweet.

Those moments you know, without a doubt, they could not be coincidence. 

Or random acts coming together.

They are moments where God has weaved different threads to come together at a particular point.  

And the knowing and understanding of that is almost overwhelming.

God wanted to speak to my heart this last weekend.

He wanted me to remember that He loves me.

That He has my best interest at heart.

That He knows me...inside and out.

through moments....so clearly God moments....

*being placed in a room with a dear blogging friend

*being on the same plane from Memphis with that friend.....and not being alone when the flight got canceled and we were sent to a hotel

*having our seats (not picked by us) on the plane the next day right next to one another

*realizing how much I was prayed over by the P31 prayer team, from the day I registered

*discovering 2 women, who I had been told were at the conference but I didn't know, on the shuttle with me back to the airport.  BOTH were in the same shuttle with me.  Out of 650 women!

*having 2 amazing new friends on the plane with me back to LR.....who sprinted through the airport with me and helped endure the drama of missing the plane and dealing with scheduling a new one.  Two young women that I now count as dear friends and can't wait to get to know better!

Oh, He clearly spoke to my heart.

And I came home reminded of His love for me....

perfect,

personal, 

faithful, 

trustworthy

My heart is full.

Hands open wide...

....that is how I want to live.

With my hands open to all that God has for me.

No longer with my fists clenched....

...trying to control.

This past weekend I spent three days in Concord, NC attending She Speaks, a speaker/writer/leadership  conference hosted by Proverbs 31 Ministry.

I know I shared with y'all that I was overwhelmed and a bit nervous about attending.  God had clearly led me to go...but had not revealed "why" I was going.  The unknown brought a little, ok a lot, of fear and anxiousness.

However, it didn't take Him long to speak directly to my heart!!

The 1st seminar I attended was with Renee Swope and it seemed she had written her message personally for me.  Her words brought a realization that God and I had some work to do.  She gave me so much to think about and I spent the rest the evening wrestling with her words.  

One of the things I loved about She Speaks is that the speakers/leaders made themselves available all throughout the weekend.  I had the opportunity to speak with Renee one-on-one and share my heart.  She was so encouraging!

Every session exceeded my expectations.  I learned so much.  And really, by the end of Saturday, I wasn't sure I could fit one more piece of information in my brain!!!  I am still sifting through my notes, processing it all.

Not only did God work on my heart this weekend, but He also revealed to me a ministry idea that I think He wants me to pursue.  I am praying through it right now and hopefully will be able to share it with you all soon!

I have so much more to share....

...but I'll stop now.  It's a lot for one post.

You're welcome.  :)

Project 365 - Week 30

Week 30.

Right at this moment, I feel like a sponge that is so full of water that it can not contain one.more.drop.

I am at the She Speaks conference and it has been all I imagined and more.  I think it will take me a while to process all I that have learned and received...and I still have tomorrow morning!!

I can safely say, though, that it has been life changing.  And God has revealed more things to me in 2 days than I can possibly begin to tell you.  Many things will probably remain between Him and me, but I hope to come home and share some of it with you later in the week.

Here's my week:

Sunday

  These are the pictures I had planned to take last Sunday!  our decorations for the summer and our safari theme!!

Monday

 So it was recommended that we have business cards (or contact info cards in my case) for the She Speaks conference.  Mine came in the mail today!

Tuesday

I didn't take this picture today.

However, this was my view for the afternoon.

I have had a couple of rough days..so, after cleaning today I treated myself to some alone time by the pool!

Wednesday

Today was a pretty great day!!

I was able to have lunch with a dear friend who is leaving for China for 2 years.  I am so glad I got to see her one more time!  sorry no picture, LeAnne, but it was awful of me! :)

 Steve and I went out to dinner for our 27th anniversary...which is tomorrow.  We had such a good time, I completely forgot to take a picture.  So, I took this one as we left the restaurant!  I love him!!!

And then I ended the night with the best surprise!  My son was supposed to come home tomorrow night, after I had left for She Speaks.  But he walked in at 10:00pm to surprise me!!!!  Did this mama's heart good!!!

Thursday

Today, I celebrate 27 years of marriage to my best friend!!

Today is also the day I leave for She Speaks!!!

I first flew to Memphis where I met Jamie.  Jamie and I have been blogging friends for about 3 years or so.  I can't tell you how fun it was to see her face to face today!!!

 

 We thought we would have a couple of hours in the airport and then on to Charlotte......well, that turned into about 7 hours when they finally told us they were canceling our flight....ugh!  I was so glad we were together!  Delta put us up at a nice hotel, with new tickets to head out tomorrow!

Friday

We FINALLY made it here today around 2.  Just in time to check in, get settle and get to the opening event.  My speakers tonight were amazing.  One in particular spoke directly to my heart....this is going to be a life changing weekend for sure.

Saturday

I am on complete information overload right now.

But this has been such an incredible day and will take me a while to process.

The evening ended with Ann Voskamp, author of One Thousand Gifts.

All I can say right now is....Wow.

Now it is your turn.  Link up and share your week!

I'm off! .....or will be soon!

First off, Happy 27th Anniversary to my wonderful husband!!!

I can't imagine doing life with any one else.  

You are my best friend and know me completely and I love you so much!!!

We celebrated last night because in just a few hours, I will be leaving for the She Speaks conference in North Carolina!!!

I can finally say that I am more excited than overwhelmed!

If you think about it, please pray for me. 

I felt God's tugging for me to go to this conference and know I am supposed to be there.  However, I am not sure "why" I am supposed to be there...God has not revealed that yet.  At first, this brought a bit of fear over "what" He might ask me to do.....will I be able, will it be more than I can handle, will it take me out of my comfort zone?  Through much prayer, I am finally to a place where I am ready for what ever He asks of me.  I know that whatever it is, He will provide me with all I need to do it!!!  So, please pray that I will be open and ready to take in all He has for me at this conference!  thanks!

But I am mostly excited today to be able to meet Jamie!!!

Jamie and I will not only be rooming together, but we are meeting up in the Memphis airport because we ended up on the SAME plane flying into NC!!! 

How fun is that?!?!!

I think it is going to be a pretty awesome day!!!

A New Song

My bible study this morning took me into Revelation....

They sang a new song before the throne...but no one could learn the song except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.  Rev. 14:3

I'd like to share with you what I read...

"John "heard" the new song, but "no one could learn the song" except the 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth.  The Greek word for "new" implies new in quality as opposed to number.  In other words, the song wasn't new like a new release.  The song of the 144,000 was "new" because it had an entirely different quality from anything they'd sung before.  In other words, it meant something to them no other song had ever meant.  Out of their unique experience, God gave them a song that only they could learn.

I'd like to suggest that each of us who is willing can also receive a new song from God that arises in our souls out of hardship's victories -- not necessarily in musical notes but in fresh truths engraved on the heart.  These are precious gifts that eventually come to those who keep the faith and wait to see God redeem great difficulty.  These songs can be "heard" by others, but they cannot be "learned" secondhand.  Songs of the heart are only learned through personal faith experience --through hurts, losses, and failures that have been handed over to Jesus to heal and transform.  And once we learn the songs, no one can take them from us."

I can relate to this...can you?
I have several songs that have taken on new meaning in my heart because of hardships I have been through...they have become "mine".

This is was especially good for me to read this morning as I have a family member going through a difficult time right now.  I am praying this morning that God will give them a new song as they hand the the situation and the hurt over to Him....the only One that can heal and transform.

The following song is one that came to my mind this morning as one that is now "mine".  

Do you have a new song?

Project 365 - Week 29

Week 29.

Hey ladies!  My P365 post will be up late this week.

It's been a rough week for me.  Post vacation depression (do you get that?), anxiety over going to She Speaks next week (NEXT week!) and some other issues going on in my life have left me crawling into a hole.   I missed 3 pictures this week....THREE!  I don't think I have done that in the 3 years that I have been doing P365....ugh.

However, the late post is because we are driving up to Siloam Springs today to see our son, spend the day with him and then enjoy a concert he is putting on at a local coffee shop.  we have to be back for church tomorrow so it will put us home after midnight.....so my pictures may not be up till tomorrow afternoon.....what few I have.  :)

But here's the link so the rest of you (on time) girls can see each other's pics!! 

**update**  We got home after 1:00am last night...and yet my body woke up at 7...what is up with that?!  So I have  a few minutes before I have to get ready for church to upload my photos!!!  What a great time we had seeing our son yesterday and hearing him play!!

Sunday

 

no picture today.

I had meant to get a picture of all our decorations at church but got busy and forgot to take one.

 

Monday

 

I have a new rice cooker!!

I borrowed one when I had my Sushi Party a month ago and loved it.  So, I had some gift cards on Amazon and found this one.  If you have never used one before and love rice.....it is a must.  So easy and makes perfect rice every time!!!!

 

Tuesday

No picture....again.

I can see how this week is going to go.

I'm in a little bit of a funk after coming home from my vacation.

 

Wednesday  

Today was supposed to be a picture of our church-wide swim party/bbq.  Well, who needs a rain dance when you are in a drought?  Just schedule a church-wide, outdoor event and the rain will come...yea.

But we did end up with this gorgeous rainbow!!!

 

Thursday

I was asked if I could fill in at the pharmacy today.

It was a VERY busy day and I was exhausted when I got home.  I sat down on the sofa to put my feet up and instantly fell asleep for an hour!!!

 

Friday

 

no photo....AGAIN!!!

sheesh, this is the worst week I have had in THREE years of doing P365.  

Ugh.

 

Saturday  

  Drove 3 hours up to Siloam Springs today to visit my son and listen to him play at a local coffee shop.  I love hearing him play and getting home LATE, like after 1am, was so worth it to spend time with him!!!

Here's a little excerpt of the night:

Letters of Intent

Joining Foursons today for Letters of Intent.

Dear Summer, heat, mother nature or whoever is in charge of this unbearable weather;

It is HOT.

And it is HUMID.

And this is NOT a good combination.

Hot and humid....as in when you walk out the door, your glasses immediately fog up.

....as in, you feel like you took another shower the instant you walk outside.
....as in, my hair is not just curly...I have a fro.
....as in, it is not even fun to lay out by the pool.
....as in, it is not fun to lay out by the pool because the water in your pool is 90 degrees and no longer refreshing.
....as in, your A/C can not possibly keep up because your living room windows face the relentless afternoon sun.
....as in, your electricity bill all-of-a-sudden looks more like your mortgage payment.
....as in, you actually WANT to go to the grocery store because they keep the A/C cooler than your house and you can hang out in the frozen foods section for a while
....as in, you can no longer sleep with a comforter but can only use a sheet, if that....which I hate.
....as in, the rain yesterday did not even cool things off but made it feel more like a sauna.

I would appreciate a slight reprieve, please...
...or at least the funds to go back to Wyoming till it cools off.

Come to think of it, if I just shut down the A/C, I would have enough money to go back to Wyoming.

See... it is so hot and humid it is making me crazy.

Please move us straight to fall.

Sincerely,

the woman who previously loved summer over all other seasons but is now considering changing her mind.

Review...Matt Redman's 10,000 Reasons

I was so excited when I received the opportunity to review this album!!

I love Matt Redman's music.

so worshipful.

his music, at times, tends to say exactly what is on my heart.

Watching a video on the story of the song 10,000 Reasons, Matt said...

if you ever find yourself a little weary or sleepy or your running out of something to say to God, or there is something going wrong with your spiritual outlook....there is ALWAYS something to say to God.

Such a true statement.

Here's the video if you would like to listen to it and hear the inspiration behind the song.

This is a wonderful album!

I love listening to it....

...in the morning, when I am alone with God and preparing my heart to spend some time with Him.

...in the car

...when I'm hurting and need to be reminded of His love

...when my heart needs a little lift

...pretty much ANY time.

10, 000 Reasons by Matt Redman is being released today!!
Check this one out!

I think it will become one of your new favorites!

Project 365 - Week 28

Week 28.

Well, it's been very hard to get back into the swing of things after vacation.....I definitely miss the cooler weather!!!!  It is so hot and humid here....ugh!

I am hoping that this next week will be more productive for me, but this week wasn't too bad!  :)

Here are my pictures:

Sunday

 We got home from our vacation today....

...that means lots of laundry!

Monday

 We were so tired, we decided to spend the 4th at home....just the four of us.  It was quiet, but we had so much fun swimming together and playing games.  Of course we had to have homemade ice cream!!!!

Tuesday

 Jared was invited to be part of an Honors Band Camp at OBU.  I dropped him off today and will go back on Friday to pick him up.

Wednesday

 With jared gone, I have my 2 best eaters here.  That means I can experiment with new recipes...whoop!  I also was experimenting with some wonderful truffle oil that I got while on vacation.  Oh.my.word, the stuff is amazing!!  I used it on the spinach...yum!

Thursday

 We started our VBS program last Sunday...we are having it during Sunday school each week.  It is a safari theme and these are some of the animals that my daughter and another girl from church made.  They are made from saw horses...aren't they adorable?!!

Friday

 Picked up Jared today.  His concert was wonderful!!!  I am so amazed at what these kids can learn and put together in 3 1/2 days!

Here is a video of my favorite piece they did.  Jared has one of the solos in the beginning and another one later in the piece. 

Saturday

Went to pick peaches this morning to make some Jam.  However, we got there too late and the trees were already picked over.  I did get a few but they still have to ripen.  I guess I will be heading back next week some time!

I hope ya'll had a great week too!!!

Very random Friday.....

I am having a hard time getting back into blogging.

I know we all go through these seasons with our blogs, especially with the busyness of summer, but it is still very frustrating.  I miss it.

But to keep from complete silence, today you get some random points of what is going on in my life....sorry, it's the best I can do right now!

* I fell on the 4th.  Hit the wet tile in my foyer and my feet completely went out from under me.  I seriously thought I had broken my hip or shoulder, but I was just very bruised up.  So I have been moving slow this week.  I think I hurt worse today, 4 days later, than I did when it happened....50 year old bodies don't bounce back quickly....ugh.

* driving to pick up Jared today from Honors Band Camp.  Can't wait to hear his concert.  This has been a bit tough not seeing him for 2 weeks, then having 1 day before he left again for a week.  I miss my baby!!!

* Went to a worship service last night put on by the Nehemiah network....a.ma.zing.  this is an organization that brings pastors together citywide to work together toward revival in our city.  So wonderful to worship along side people from all over Little Rock.  And even more wonderful to have God speak to my heart on some things I have been praying about!

* In TWO weeks, I leave for the SheSpeaks conference.  Can I just say that I am a little bit nervous about this?  Not like me at all.  I guess I am feeling a little out of my element and wondering what God has for me there.  A dear friend prayed for me last night and asked me "don't you like surprises?"  I do!  So I am trying to focus more on the excitement of the surprise than the fear of the unknown.

* been hurting for my friend Kathleen and little Macy.  I will have a post soon of a poem Kathleen wrote about her feelings....so good.  But keep praying.  The disease is still attacking Macy's new kidney.  They are trying some new things and are hopeful, but please keep praying for this sweet girl and her family.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Wordless Wednesday

Just can't get enough of this view....I miss it!

I will be back blogging soon.

I'm still trying to get back into reality after my vacation....

...and sorting through some things God revealed to me while I was gone and quiet enough to listen.

Project 365 - Week 27

Week 27.

As I type this, I am on my way home.  I am sad to be leaving the Tetons, but ready to be home and see my kids!  This has been one of the best vacations we have ever taken!  The beauty that surrounded us was overwhelming at times.  And I don't think I have laughed so much in one week.  Seriously, when was the last time you laughed till you cried?  I did that 4-5 times a day!!!  God has truly blessed us with some wonderful friends and I enjoyed every minute with them!

If you have never been to the Tetons or Yellowstone, you really need to put it on your bucket list.  It  is something everyone should see and experience.

I hope you enjoy my pictures....it was soooo hard to narrow them down each day!  But get comfortable because there are A LOT!

I am starting from Saturday a week ago because it got left off last week:

Saturday

 The start of our road trip!!!!

In 10 hours we will be in the Tetons!

 Our first glimpse of the Tetons

Dinner at the Mangy Moose.

my first taste of Elk....pretty good!!!

 Sunday

 Today we got up early and headed to Jenny Lake in the Teton National Park.  We took a 5 minute boat ride across this lake.

  We first hiked to the most AMAZING waterfall.  There is so much water here right now, that it is just thundering down the river.

  The pictures just don't do the view justice!!!  And we are fairly far from this waterfall and still getting sprayed

  Then we hiked up to 7200 feet to Inspiration Point....I thought my lungs would burst, seriously.  But it was soooo worth it.  We had to walk across a lot of snow to get there.

My and my girl friends!!!  Love these guys!!!

 Wow, the view was unbelievable.  And honestly, I don't see how anyone can view this and not believe in God.  Only He could come up with this kind of beauty!!!

Monday

 Started out our day at Old Faithful!

So much fun to sit and wait for it to erupt.

 These buffalo came right up by us...pretty crazy!

 I love my friends!!!  You guys rock!

Praying for my friend in the grey shirt...she is leaving us tomorrow and Wednesday is donating one of her kidneys to a little girl who desperately needs it. 

Please pray for her!!!

 This is the whole group.

  oh my word, this is NOT a zoomed picture.  This guy let us walk up and take his picture.  I think we were disturbing his nap!

 The views here are just amazing....every where you turn, it's breath taking!

Tuesday

 We had to say good bye to James and Kathleen today.  :(

 

  As we drove out this morning, we ran into this big guy!!!!  I finally got to see a bull moose!

 We then went on a float trip down the Snake River.  

We didn't see as much wild life as we would have liked, but it was a lot of fun!!!

We did however, see several bald eagles....very cool!!!

  Afterward, we stopped here for breakfast...not a bad view while eating french toast!!!

 The guys went fishing this afternoon and the girls.......well, laundry called and then so did shopping!!!!

Wednesday

 Had to say goodbye to Wendi and Jerry today. 

 The guys headed out on an all day fishing trip.  So April and I took the tram to the top of Mt. Rendezvous....10, 450 feet!!!!

 What a spectacular view!!!!

 yes, I am wearing flip flops with snow all around me!!!

 After the tram, we headed into Jackson for some shopping and had lunch at a Thai restaurant.  This coconut soup was amazing!!!!!

Thursday

For our last day in Jackson, we took a jeep ride back into the mountains.  I can not tell you how breath taking each view was.  This place is amazing.

We had stopped to get a picture and turned around and saw this guy at the top of the hill.  He looked like a sentinel!! We saw more moose today, a fox, antelope and buffalo.

This is my favorite picture of today!!!

Friday

 Good bye to the Tetons......so very sad.

at one of our stops, Nathan bought an bull elk bugle and of course had to try it out!

 We stopped in Cheyenne for the night.  They had a outdoor concert going on in the town square, so we sat out there for a while and listened. Then had one of the best dinner we had the whole trip at the hotel!

Saturday

 Saturday started off with breakfast at the home of a high school friend of mine!!  I don't think we have seen each other for over 20 years!!!  I loved getting to see her and meet her family!!

  We rolled into Colorado Springs to a big thunder storm.  I am NOT complaining though because it is still in 60s!!!  tomorrow is going to be very hard!

Thanks for putting up with vacation pics!!!  I will be flying on a plane heading home tomorrow.....but I am very relaxed and have a very full heart.....I can't ask for more!!!  Well, I could ask for it to be in the 60s when I get home....but I think that is probably not going to happen!!