Friday, June 29, 2012

Friday's Letters


Dear Cabin, I enjoyed our stay. I so enjoyed the peace and tranquility you offered. I hated to leave. Hopefully, I will be back one day. Dear Reagan and Darby, I miss you so much while I was gone. I am glad you were good kitties and behaved while we were away. I am so glad to be home and see you again. Dear Husband, I am so thankful for our time away. It was a much needed vacation indeed. I feel so refreshed and renewed.

Check out Ashley's link up below! 


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Thursday, June 28, 2012

Summer Fun

Hello blog friends, today Kayla is filling in for me while I am on Vacation. I hope you enjoy her post as much as I did. 




Hi guys! My name is Kayla and I blog over at Close Encounters! Debbie asked me to do a guest post for her while she goes on vacation...and since it is that time of year, I thought I would share with you a couple of my favorite vacation memories!




First up is deep-sea fishing with my husband, Zach, while we were in Maui on our honeymoon. Now, technically, I did not fish, Zach did. I was just along for the ride...but, it was still one of my favorite things that we did on that trip. It was so crazy to be out on a boat in the middle of the ocean! Being from Kansas, I haven't had many opportunities to do something like that, and I think that is why I enjoyed it so much. I mean, the biggest body of water that I have near me is...a lake. And, it isn't a very big lake. Now aside from getting a little sea-sick, Zach managed to catch a Mahi! And, we got to see dolphins and whales swim right by our boat...it was amazing!


My next favorite vacation memory, is going to California for the first time. This trip was full of "firsts." I went with my dad, two brothers, and Zach a couple years ago for my youngest brother's baseball tournament. It was the first time that I had flown on a plane, and also the first time that I had taken a big vacation with Zach before we were married! We stayed in Long Beach, but Zach and I drove to Manhattan Beach and hung out for a day, which was so much fun! 



Another vacation memory is my first Kansas City Royals game with Zach. Now, this might seem a little silly, because it wasn't really a vacation, but this was the first time Zach and I went out of town for the weekend after getting married (other than our honeymoon). So, it was a big deal to me. And, now it's one of my favorite things to do, just to get out of town for a weekend!
I hope you guys enjoyed reading a little bit about some of my favorite vacation memories!

---
xo

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

He Is Good

Hello blog friends, today another one of my friends is filling in for me. My dear friend Meg is here today to tell you about what God is doing in her life right now. I hope you enjoy her post as much as I did. 

Hi there friends! My name is Megan and I blog over at Mackey Madness

That would be my hubs and I. : )

I'm so excited to be sharing on Debbie's blog today. She's such a sweetheart and has really been there for me over the last few months. Gotta love blog friends, right?

Today I wanted to share about how the Lord is working in my life right now. I was blessed to grow up in church and be raised by strong Christian parents. I went to a private high school and a Baptist college and I was surrounded by friends and staff who loved the Lord. I've always believed and loved and worshiped God. Like most Christians, I had highs and lows during the years, at times being passionate and "on fire" for God and at times being merely there. 

That all changed in February, when we lost our first baby after a miscarriage. I honestly have never had such a huge tragedy happen in my life and I was devastated. I quickly learned that I couldn't survive it without the Lord. I wasn't strong enough or brave enough to make it through, but He was. I started delving into scripture more and praying much more deeply and honestly. And He came to me and comforted me. It really is true, too, that what you put into your brain/heart will come out through your actions/mouth. The more time I spend with Him, the more I long to be like Him and act like Him. He's ever present in my mind. 

Without Him, I would be a mess. 

He's teaching me that it's important to seek Him and draw near to Him at all the times of my life, not just in the bad times. He has shown me that life is unfair and it hurts and there's no way to get around it, other than to place my hope in Him and trust that His will is good and perfect. And it is. He is so good. More than any other time in my life, I know that...He is good.

I hope that all of y'all know that, too. 

Thanks for having me, Debbie!

Monday, June 25, 2012

Who's Washing Your Dishes

Hello friends, one of my sweet blog friends is filling in for me while I am on vacation. I hope you enjoy Kerrie's post as much as I did. Thanks Kerrie for filling in. 


Hey there! I'm Kerrie and I blog at The Williams' Post and today I want to share with you a story of my neurotic behaviors and how Jesus used them to teach me a lesson about Him!


There was a time when I was known for washing every dish by hand before putting them in the dishwasher. Everyone told me I was crazy and I knew it wasted water, but I didn't trust the dishwasher to really clean the dishes, especially if they were really dirty.  You might wonder why I put them in the dishwasher if I'm going to do it by hand first. My answer is that I didn't trust my own cleaning on its own either!

Well, I was convinced to give the dishwasher a try.  Reluctantly I put some "tester" bowls in, with caked-on Chili. Haha I'll prove that I'm right about the dishwasher! You just watch!

Well wouldn't you believe it?  It worked!  I was so excited that I started jumping up and down in the kitchen holding my clean bowl and squealing over the fact that I don't have to hand wash dishes anymore.  My poor husband -- I know he think's I'm a crazy person.

I started to think, isn't that how my relationship with Christ is sometimes?  I'll trust God to do his job, but first I'll make sure I've got things taken care of well enough so that if He doesn't come through, I've got Him covered.  Ridiculous right? 
And then when I do take the chance to fully trust Him, He comes through and I get all excited - jumping around and squealing about what He has done! 
That's ridiculous too.
I know God can do all things! In fact, when I interfere I end up messing everything up!  I'd be better off trusting the "Dishwasher" in the first place and saving myself the stress and extra work of trying to do things myself.


So, who's been washing your dirty dishes?

I hope you'll come visit me on my neck of the woods! Thank you Debbie for inviting me over today!

Saturday, June 23, 2012

The Weekend.....


I love weekends. There is nothing quite like being able to relax and take it easy. I love Saturday morning when I can sit on the deck and enjoy a good cup of coffee. It is very refreshing to take a few moments to reflect on the week and allow the cares and the worries of the world melt away. I love having weekends where I have nothing planned. To me those are the best weekends of all.



Friday, June 22, 2012

Friday's Letters


Dear Husband, I am so glad it is the weekend. This week has been so crazy busy I don't feel like I have seen much of you at all. I am looking forward to spending some good quality time with you. Dear Coffee, today I am really loving you. Some mornings you just need a good cup of coffee to make it through the day. Dear Office, you are simply a mess. I am not sure how I let you get so cluttered. I must clean you today. Dear Blog Friends, I am so excited that I will be getting a new blog design soon. I can hardly wait! Dear Self, I am so proud of you for completing your first semester of graduate school. And you finished with a 4.0!


Today I am linking up with Ashley for Friday's Letters. Go check it out!


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Sunday, June 17, 2012

Father's Day


Today's post is dedicated to my dad. My dad has always had a special place in my heart. While I have a very close relationship with my mom, I will always be a daddy's girl. Growing up he was a great example of how a father should treat his children. He continually showered my sisters and I with his love and devotion. I have so many great memories growing up with my dad. Many of those memories I will carry with me throughout life. One of my favorite memories is the day I got married. It was so special to me to have him walk me down the isle and give me away. It was bittersweet as I knew I was leaving one life behind and starting a new life and a new family. Even though I am all grown up and have my own family now, he will always be my daddy and I will always be his little girl.



Thursday, June 14, 2012

So excited....




I am so excited because I am getting a new blog design soon! I can hardly wait. Changes coming soon! 





Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Sometimes and Always



Sometimes....life is hard.
Always....I know that God is in control.

Sometimes....my husband gets sick.
Always....I hate it because he just get so miserable when he is sick.

Sometimes....I get really good at drinking more water and exercising regularly.
Always....I wish I could stick with it.

Sometimes....I have days where I feel down in the dumps.
Always....a smile from my husband brightens my day and I suddenly forget about my troubles.




Sunday, June 10, 2012

Finishing the Race


Today's sermon at church was one of those that I had been needing to here. It was all about finishing the race and not quitting. I know there have been many times that I have wanted to quit a number of things. And today's word was exactly what I needed to hear. It was encouraging to hear that no matter how hard it gets I need to keep going until I have run the race. 

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us." 
~Hebrews 12:1~








Saturday, June 9, 2012

Photo Challenge



I recently read about a 365 self portrait challenge that someone did, and it got me to thinking that it might be something fun to do. This challenge involves taking a photo of yourself every day for 365 days. Today marks day number one of my challenge. I hope to learn more about myself and photography. Stay tuned for more.


Debbie 

Friday, June 8, 2012

Friday's Letters


Dear Husband, I am so proud of you and proud to be your wife. I am glad that you continue to work toward your dreams and goals no matter what. Dear Vacation, 17 more days!! I can't wait. Dear Self, only two more weeks and you will have made it through your first semester of graduate school. You can make it! Dear Husband, I have missed you terribly while you have been at your kayaking classes this week. I will be glad when they are over.


Today I am linking up with Ashley. Go check it out.

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Debbie 

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Sometimes and Always

via

Since this is the Diamond Jubilee of the lovely Queen Elizabeth, I thought I would dedicated today's Sometimes and Always to her and the people of her country.

Sometimes, I wish I were British so that I could experience all the pomp and circumstance of the Royal Family.
Always, I know that I would love it!


Sometimes, I wish I was as fashionable as Kate.
Always, I know I that I could probably not pull it off the way she does.

Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to be the queen of a country.
Always, I know it is probably not all it is cracked up to be.


Sometimes, I dream about visiting London.
Always, I hope that my dreams will come true and that I will get to visit it.


Congratulations to Queen Elizabeth on your Diamond Jubilee. 


Today's link up is brought to you by:




Debbie

Monday, June 4, 2012

Lessons From God (part 2)




I have been mulling over something in particular lately, and that is learning to give and not expecting anything in return. I have never been one to give gifts to people as an act of expressing my love or gratitude toward them. The way that I show love to people is by spending time with them or doing something nice or unexpected for them. So it has always been hard for me to give gifts to people. Because of this I usually only give people gifts if I know that I will get something in return. It seems lately that God has been trying to teach me to be more of a giver and to give out of love and gratitude. This has been a hard lesson. This lesson really hit home for me recently when I participated in a secret pal type of swap where you swap names and buy gifts for the other person. I bought gifts for the person whose name I received and sent them expecting something in return. As the weeks passed and I never received anything I began to feel disappointed and a little upset. But then God gave me a little talking to. I realized that some times giving is not about what you get in return, but rather the gift is in having the opportunity to bless someone else. The gift that you gave might just be what they needed to be able to make it through the day. Perhaps they were having a bad day and your gift brightened their day just a little bit. While it has been hard, I have slowly began to realize what giving is really all about. It is sacrificing something for someone else and being blessed by the simple act of allowing God to use you that way. My prayer is that God will continue to open my heart to learn how to be a blessing to others and to allow Him to use me in that way.



Debbie 

Friday, June 1, 2012

Friday's Letters



Dear Zoo, I really enjoyed visiting you last weekend. Thank you for having so many wonderful animals to look at. I will be back to visit! Dear Vacation, only 24 more days until you come! I can hardly wait. You have been long over due. Dear Husband, I think it is awesome that your grandmother gave us some furniture from her house that she will not be using anymore. Thank you for going and picking it up and helping to rearrange everything. Dear Car, you are making some really strange noises some times. I do not like it one bit. Please do not break on me right now. Dear Girlfriends, I am so excited about girl's night tonight. I think it is going to be so much fun.

I hope everyone is having a great Friday. Today I am linking up with Ashley for Friday's Letters. Check it out!
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Debbie