I guess I would classify the movie, "Liar Liar" as my favorite movie. It is definitely the movie I can go to anytime, and no matter how many timesI have seen it, I will laugh.
My favorite movie that will make me cry no matter how many times I see it would be either "The Notebook" or "The Time Travelers' Wife". Both of these movies I had read the book to first, and the books are absolutely amazing, and there is no way that the movies had a chance to live up to the quality the books were, but they were still both very good movies.
This picture was Christmas Dance my Senior year, which was December 2002. Little known facts about this pictures. Stephanie (my sister) and I were not on good terms here, we actually didn't like eachother very much, but mom made Stephanie promise we would get one together (I no longer lived with mom). If you look closely to my smile, its totally forced and fake. But we love eachother now.
Not today, but last week. Life has changed so much since that first picture. Married to the most wonderful man ever, with the best Ethan ever. I was so naive. I love life so much better now. Thank God that He knew what He was doing
This question has always been impossible for me to answer, I like music and certain songs just fit my life most of the time, but I can never narrow it down to one "favorite" song. Currently whenever this song comes on, I turn the music way up and sing it, so I will go with Jamie Grace's "Hold Me".
INTRO:
[Toby Mac:]
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me) x 3
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you, the way you)
VERSE 1:
I’ve had a long day I just wanna relax
Don’t have time for my friends, no time to chit-chat
Problems at my job, i'm wonderin’ what to do
I know I should be working but I’m thinking of You and
Just when I feel this crazy world is gonna bring me down
That’s when Your smile comes around
CHORUS:
Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love You more than the words in my brain can express
I can’t imagine even loving You less
Lord, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh whoa, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh
[Toby Mac:]
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me) x 3
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you)
VERSE 2:
Well You took my day and You flipped it around
Calmed the tidal wave and put my feet on the ground
Forever in my heart, always on my mind
It’s crazy how I think about You all of the time
And just when I think I’m ’bout to figure You out (figure You out)
You make me wanna sing and shout
(CHORUS)
BRIDGE:
I’m so grateful and thankful for all You’ve done
Wish I could tell You in a short story or poem
But, all I have is my voice and this guitar
And You have my heart
CHORUS 2:
Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, every day, every day
Oh, I love the way You hold me, by my side You’ll always be
You make each and every day, oh-so-special!
I love the way you hold me, in Your arms I’ll always be
You take each and every day, make it special in some way
I love You more than the words in my brain can express
I can’t imagine even loving You less
Lord, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh whoa, I love the way You hold me
Whoa oh oh oh oh oh oh, oh I love
[Toby Mac:]
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me) x 3
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you, the way you)
OUTRE:
[Toby Mac:]
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me) x 2
(I love, I love, I love, I love the way you hold me, hold me, hold me)
1. Thankful for my heavenly Father and Chuck, because without them, I would be an orphan by more than just official definition.
2. I used to live by the philosophy "I will try anything once" but that didn't work out so well, now I live by, "I will do anything to glorify God".
3. There are days I talk to my sister on the phone for hours (literally), and when asked what we talked about, I would have no answer.
4. I read my bible everyday. I began this habit in 2010, and had some breaks in 2011 (that was a rough year for me) but have no missed a day since last August. It is amazing how much you learn and grow when you are determined to read God's word daily.
5. My mom always cooked "with a pinch of this" or "a splash of that", never having measurements. I can say that I have become that type of a cook too. My chili recipe (and others) is never the same twice.
6. I am incredibly self conscious. I gained nearly 80 pounds when pregnant with Ethan, and have lost 40 pounds so far, but I have a hard time looking in the mirror at times.
7. I lived in Europe for nearly 6 years, and traveled and saw a ot of things, but I have never been happier than I am now.
8. I met my husband at Lowe's (where we both worked at the times) and my first impression of him was that it was creepy how he always smiled at me.
9. Charlie and I got married in Las Vegas a mere 3 1/2 months after we started dating. Have never second guessed it, and never looked back. I got me a good man, and I am happy.
10. I will forgive anyone who wrongs me, no matter what they did. Because I know the cost of forgiveness. It has been held from me, when I was truly sorry, and I have been forgiven for my many wrongs. Not to mention, if Christ can forgive a sinner like me, who am I to withhold forgiveness from you. But don't take me generosity lightly, just because I forgave you, doesn't mean I will allow you to continue hurting me. Jesus says to forgive 7 x 77 times, but he doesn't say I have to keep allowing you in my life if all you are going to do is hurt me. 11. Ethan is 4 1/2 months old, we are still breastfeeding strong (and we will be breastfeeding until he is 1 or he self weans...we haven't decided), we cloth diaper, we left him intact, and once in a while we even co-sleep. He's my first baby, and I don't know how to do everything right, so we are just doing things how we feel best. And this works for us, and we are happy.
12. I am one of the cheapest people you will meet. I am always looking for a good deal, always willing to accept something for free. Goodwill and Craigslist are very good friends of mine.
13. I love to read, but I get lazy. I waste so much time on the computer and will go months without picking up a book.
14. I love inside jokes. I love knowing things that no one else knows. I love laughing at something that no one around gets, and even if I tried to explain it, it would not do justice.
15. I want to be the best I can be, for God, Charlie, and Ethan so I am always trying to improve for them, and not be stuck in a rut.
I came across this idea from a few different blogs. I read through all the days and on none of the blog challenges that I found did I like all 30 days. So I concocted my own 30 day blog challenge. The concept is simple really, write a blog a day for 30 days. However for me, it will take 34ish days because I will not be blogging on Wednesday's due to our "Without Wednesday" routine. If other ideas come up, I may post them, or I may just write them and back burner them until this challenge is done. I hope you enjoy it.
1. 15 facts about me 2. My favorite song 3. A recent photo and a photo from 10 years ago 4. My favorite movie
5. My favorite book
6. Quote of the day
7. My hobbies
8. My favorite vacation 9.My favorite songs that match a
certain mood. 10. My favorite memory 11. What I’m currently reading 12. My favorite place 13. My wish for the future 14. A habit that you wish you didn’t have 15. Favorite super hero and why
16. A picture of someone/something that has the biggest impact on you
17. Short term goals for this month and
why
18.Something you’re proud of in the
past few days 19. Someone you would want to switch lives with for one day and why
20. Plans/dreams/goals you have 21. A picture of you last year and now, how have you changed since then?
22. In this past month, what have you learned 23. 3 things you are proud of about your
personality.
24. Things that make you scared. 25. Something that never fails to make you
feel better. 26. Describe
a dark/turbulent moment in your life. 27. Describe a truly spiritual moment in your
life. 28. Something
you hope to change about yourself and why. 29. Top 5 Favorite Bible Verses
What is a friend? Who are your friends? What makes someone a friend? This seems like such simple questions, but then I really started to think about it. My definition to my husband of what a friend is, is someone I know aspects of their day to day life. But then I realized that many of the people I consider friends,I have not spoken to in weeks (or longer). And that really got me thinking...what exactly is a friend?
Webster Dictionary defines it as "one attached to another by affection or esteem" or "a favored companion". Well I guess with that definition I have many friends.
Facebook defines friends as someone who can read your facebook posts and can see your pictures. And who knows the last time I spoke to some of my facebook "friends".
My dictionary would be more specific. A friend to me is someone who I can turn to and know they will have my back. A friend is someone I call for support, when I am bored, for prayer. A friend is someone I would make a special trip to see if I am driving through your town (I have many "out of town" friends). With my definition, I have much fewer friends.
But with my first definition I told my husband, "someone who knows (or I know) aspects of their day to day life", I have maybe two friends.
I am fine with my friend situation though. The people I call friends, I love and depend on. So whats the point of this post? The bible's definition of a friend is found in Proverbs 17 verse 17, "A friend loves at all times". So with that definiton I think I would encourage you to look at your "friends" and who do you have that "loves at all times" and who do you "love at all times".
What does it mean to "love at all times"?
I believe that means to forgive at all costs, never abandon, there when you need to talk. And I can only think of a handful of people that fall into this catagory on a daily basis. Look at yourself this week, and examine how good of a friend you are and what definition of a friend are you using?
Great way to start the day! Mama was 4 days past the due date with TWIN boys.
Her husband said, "My wife and I trying to induce twins by dancing to "Let's Get it Started" by Black Eyed Peas, at 40+ weeks pregnant after trying everything else. She went into labor two days later and had a natural, unmedicated hospital birth (with the support of our amazing midwives)".
What ways did you try to get labor started? We tried EVERYTHING! Castor oil, walking, bathes, bouncing, squats. My new philosophy, he will come when he is ready. Until then....dance it out!
Being a wife and a mother means juggling many different things at once. Tending to the baby, keeping the house cleaned, getting dinner done, and of course I strive to be the best I can be, so I am adding on there more things. So how do I do it? There is no magic potion. The way I think that made things a bit easier is adding a little at a time, and definitely accepting help.
I am a Christian, a wife, a mother, a housekeeper, and a cook. And I want to do all these things well. I have learned that if I allow Charlie to help, then I can be better.
Charlie and I read our bible everyday, but since Ethan's arrival it was harder to find time to do it. So instead of us finding time (besides right before bed when we are both exhausted) when Ethan is asleep to read, we have gotten in the habit of Charlie reading to me every night when we bathe Ethan.
Instead of me feeling that it is completely my responsibility to keep the house up, I have learned that if I share the burden with my wonderful husband than we are both less stressed. If we both do a little, it is not overwhelming for either of us and we feel like more of a team.
This next step, was/is probably the hardest for me. Sometimes Ethan gets so fussy that there is nothing I can do to stop him from crying (crazy I know...lol) and I get frustrated. I am still learning, that it is OK to call Charlie and have him take over for a while. I mean after all we are a team.
So my biggest tip to how to juggle life is don't feel like you have to do it all yourself. You got married to have a partner, and a partner shares responsibilities. Let your spouse help.
Second of all, don't try to do it all at once. Start with what you are comfortable with. If you can't handle reading the bible everyday, do it once a week. If after dinner you are to tired to do dishes, do them in the morning. If the baby won't stop crying and nothing helps, skip bath time tonight and head straight to bed. Do the minimum that needs to be done and add a little at a time.
When you are comfortable, try adding another thing you want to do to make "you" the person you want to be. For example, I want to be the best mom I can be, so I added "Without Wednesday" to our schedule to try to focus on Ethan (and Charlie) more. I want to do more "do it yourself" things, so I am SLOWLY adding things to try to do myself (first cooking spray, then laundry detergent, bathroom cleaner, etc). I want to live more green, so we started with cloth diapers, and now we are hang drying our clothes.
I am by far an organized woman, but I love my family. This is what I have wanted my whole life, so I strive to be all I can be. It's fun to see how the little things add up and before you know it, you have implemented many things that you wanted to do. One at a time.
It all can be done, if you don't overwhelm yourself or your family. Remember, clean dishes don't mean more than a happy family. Make time for family and build that relationship. I am certain you won't think back and wish you did the dishes (this doesn't mean keep your house trashed, just focus on priorities).
Do you have any tips on how you juggle life? How do you make things run organized? I would love more tips.
Today is the anniversary of my dad's death. He died 18 years ago, leaving behind an 8 and 6 year old daughter, and a one year old son. Thus began, in my opinion, the first life changing trama I have experienced.
I have very little memories of my dad and not all the ones I have are good. But I am told continuously that without a doubt, my dad loved me very much. My dad was a good guy. Everyone that has ever spoke to me about my dad, has never said anything bad about him. And I have been told, that the one bad memory I have of my dad was brought on by drugs and was not his real personality. Just for fun, I want to share the very few memories I have of my dad (excluding the one negative, because I don't find that important to remember).
~We were on a small boat fishing. It was just the two of us. ~The house we lived in Oklahoma had a hill down the road, and in one of my memories, my dad was riding his bike home from work. I saw him coming from the one side of the hill, he disappeared and then on the other side of the hill. ~ My dad airbrushing a shirt in the back breezeway type room. ~It was Christmas, and I was sick. We had bunkbeds, and dad was bringing me Sprite.
Well thats it. That is my dad, in my first hand experience. I know a bunch of other stories about him because of friends and family members (for which I am thankful for), but thats all from my head.
It hurts me so deep that I don't have either parent anymore. I look to my little guy and he smiles at me, and it just makes my whole day. It makes me wonder, did my mom and dad feel that same joy? Did they feel that same deep love? I am sure they did, but I would love to just talk to them about it.
I am 26 years old, I have been without my dad for 18 years. Thats 10 years longer than I had him in my life. I don't even know who I would be today if he was still around. His death changed my life.
It took me a very long time to no longer be angry at my dad for his choice (he committed suicide). I still have abandoment issues because of his decision. I felt for a long time, that it was my fault. That I wasn't good enough. That he didn't love me enough. That his children just wasn't enough for him.
As an adult, I am able to see now that it was the drugs that just overtook his life and it had nothing to do with his love for me or my siblings, but it took a very long time and I still have some very deep scars from that.
The point is...I miss my dad. I miss my mom. And today, is a sad day for me. 18 years fatherless 4 months 6 days motherless.
The bible shows it pretty simple. The way to heaven is to believe in Jesus. But what does that mean? Does that mean anyone that says "I know that there is a god" or "Of course I believe in god" is a Christian?
Well first of all, the good news is, I don't make that choice. I am so thankful not to have to choose who is "worthy" to go to heaven and who is not. But I do read my bible, and I do think that it is pretty obvious about certain topics. Most of these topics that the bible is black and white on are hot button topics, but that is not the point of this blog. My goal in this blog is to hopefully open the eyes of my readers and see that it takes more than "knowing" that there is a god to be accepted into heaven. The bible says that even the demons know that there is a God and shudder (James 2:19).
I don't think that's enough. I think that what God is asking of us when he asks us to believe in Him is to believe in the God that is portrayed in the bible (Jeremiah 29:13). I believe that He wants you to make a decision to follow Him, but not the "Him" that you think you are following, but the true God. The God that is plainly laid out in the bible. The God that plays hard ball when he has too (Matthew 21:12), but is also loving and kind when you are hurting (Psalm 109:21).
God is never changing. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). He doesn't change for you. The bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), and it doesn't change just because you don't agree with something in it. You don't get to pick and choose what you believe in the bible. It's all or nothing.
Now that statement gets people all crazy because they argue "well you eat pork", "you wear clothing of mixed materials" etc. My rebuttal to that (whether you agree or not) is that Jesus Christ came to the Earth to help bridge that gap. The Old Testament is full of rules. Those rules had there place, they were to help the Israelite people. Where I do not think we can fully discredit the Old Testament, I do believe there is ton to learn and grow from it. Jesus' coming and dying fullfilled those rules for us. He stepped and and became the sacraficial lamb so we don't have to keep "doing" to be saved. Now all we have to do to be "saved" is to believe in the Lord (John 3:16).
Now back to my original point. The Lord that you have to believe in, is the Lord that will be saving you. Any other lord, would be your own creation and in essense a "idol". For those who say things such as "I don't believe that a loving God would _______ (fill in the blank)" it confuses me. My God, the God that is protrayed in the Bible, the Christian God, does not want you to hurt. But because of a mistake that Adam and Eve did forever ago, we are given free will. We decide how we live our life. Our decisions dictate how God reacts to us. I believe fully that He doesn't "want" any of us to hurt. But when we mess up. It happens.
For example, you tell your child don't play on the furniture he could get hurt. He continues to do so, until one day he falls and hurts himself. You didn't want him to get hurt, but he failed to live by the rules you set out, so he was hurt.
(Side note: This does not pertain to death, or illness. I believe that God allows people to get sick and/or die for a purpose that I am not smart enough to understand, nor do I want that responsiblity. I know my God is a loving God and choose to trust his judgement).
So if you live a life that is not how God calls you to live, and you are hurt in the process, I would argue that it is not God's doing, but your own. God knows that we will not be sinless, He knows that we will mess up. That is why He sent His son to die for our sins. He doesn't expect perfection. But I strive to live a life that is so thankful for the gift God has given us that I do not want to live any other way than how he has called us to live.
2. I used to live by the philosophy "I will try anything once" but that didn't work out so well, now I live by, "I will do anything to glorify God". 
5. My mom always cooked "with a pinch of this" or "a splash of that", never having measurements. I can say that I have become that type of a cook too. My chili recipe (and others) is never the same twice. 
8. I met my husband at Lowe's (where we both worked at the times) and my first impression of him was that it was creepy how he always smiled at me.
13. I love to read, but I get lazy. I waste so much time on the computer and will go months without picking up a book. 
What is a friend? Who are your friends? What makes someone a friend? This seems like such simple questions, but then I really started to think about it. My definition to my husband of what a friend is, is someone I know aspects of their day to day life. But then I realized that many of the people I consider friends, I have not spoken to in weeks (or longer). And that really got me thinking...what exactly is a friend?
Facebook defines friends as someone who can read your facebook posts and can see your pictures. And who knows the last time I spoke to some of my facebook "friends".
But with my first definition I told my husband, "someone who knows (or I know) aspects of their day to day life", I have maybe two friends. 
I am a Christian, a wife, a mother, a housekeeper, and a cook. And I want to do all these things well. I have learned that if I allow Charlie to help, then I can be better. 
So my biggest tip to how to juggle life is don't feel like you have to do it all yourself. You got married to have a partner, and a partner shares responsibilities. Let your spouse help. 
I am by far an organized woman, but I love my family. This is what I have wanted my whole life, so I strive to be all I can be. It's fun to see how the little things add up and before you know it, you have implemented many things that you wanted to do. One at a time. 
Today is the anniversary of my dad's death. He died 18 years ago, leaving behind an 8 and 6 year old daughter, and a one year old son. Thus began, in my opinion, the first life changing trama I have experienced. 
Just for fun, I want to share the very few memories I have of my dad (excluding the one negative, because I don't find that important to remember). 
It hurts me so deep that I don't have either parent anymore. I look to my little guy and he smiles at me, and it just makes my whole day. It makes me wonder, did my mom and dad feel that same joy? Did they feel that same deep love? I am sure they did, but I would love to just talk to them about it. 
God is never changing. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow (Hebrews 13:8). He doesn't change for you. The bible is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16), and it doesn't change just because you don't agree with something in it. You don't get to pick and choose what you believe in the bible. It's all or nothing. 
(Side note: This does not pertain to death, or illness. I believe that God allows people to get sick and/or die for a purpose that I am not smart enough to understand, nor do I want that responsiblity. I know my God is a loving God and choose to trust his judgement).