quiet.

i am quiet.  lately it seems more obvious and consistent than other times.  on my blog and with my friends.  don't necessarily know why and i've been trying to figure it out, but with no luck.  maybe all my creativity is being channeled into making and buying Christmas gifts.

quiet.

i am quiet.  lately it seems more obvious and consistent than other times.  on my blog and with my friends.  don't necessarily know why and i've been trying to figure it out, but with no luck.  maybe all my creativity is being channeled into making and buying Christmas gifts.

i read james this morning.

no wonder today has been challenging.  i need an attitude check. 

how could i ever be annoyed by this cute little face?

i read james this morning.

no wonder today has been challenging.  i need an attitude check. 

how could i ever be annoyed by this cute little face?

the kiddos and me!

i finally got a few cute pictures of me and each of the kids last night!  can't believe how big they are getting.  i really treasure all the time i have with them...even when they drive me crazy!

 

 

 

the kiddos and me!

i finally got a few cute pictures of me and each of the kids last night!  can't believe how big they are getting.  i really treasure all the time i have with them...even when they drive me crazy!

 

 

 

ugly sweater party!

i made these yummy mint oreo truffles to snack on.  amazingly rich taste and super easy!  don't they look delicious?

 

alexis and i rocked the festive sweaters!  so fun.  all in all, we had a chill evening.  talked and listened to Christmas tunes.  laughed and exchanged some pretty cool white elephant gifts.

 

ugly sweater party!

i made these yummy mint oreo truffles to snack on.  amazingly rich taste and super easy!  don't they look delicious?

 

alexis and i rocked the festive sweaters!  so fun.  all in all, we had a chill evening.  talked and listened to Christmas tunes.  laughed and exchanged some pretty cool white elephant gifts.

 

take the stairs.

stand in my shoes as they peer over the ledge.  the wind whips at my face as i gaze down from the top of the building.  two options vie for attention as i see my goal down below. 

should i jump or take the stairs?

the time-consuming workout of the stairs requires patience and endurance.  my restlessness to reach the end result pushes me to override the logical steps.  however, the jump would be devastating.  the outcome would be messy and things would be broken.  i'm not the only person this would affect.  hearts, desires and dreams may be crushed.

how many stairs will it take?  raw blisters and dead ends fuel my desire to find the quickest exit through a window.  this set of stairs look so similar to the last ones i ventured down.  this is taking longer than i expected.

Lord, give me a heart like abrahams...

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 

Romans 4:20-21

take the stairs.

stand in my shoes as they peer over the ledge.  the wind whips at my face as i gaze down from the top of the building.  two options vie for attention as i see my goal down below. 

should i jump or take the stairs?

the time-consuming workout of the stairs requires patience and endurance.  my restlessness to reach the end result pushes me to override the logical steps.  however, the jump would be devastating.  the outcome would be messy and things would be broken.  i'm not the only person this would affect.  hearts, desires and dreams may be crushed.

how many stairs will it take?  raw blisters and dead ends fuel my desire to find the quickest exit through a window.  this set of stairs look so similar to the last ones i ventured down.  this is taking longer than i expected.

Lord, give me a heart like abrahams...

Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. 

Romans 4:20-21

uncle ross...

{happy birthday!}

on saturday evening i got to hang out with the birthday boy, debie and carly.  i felt spoiled...great company, dinner and a concert at the crystal ballroom.  fun times.  i am so blessed with an AWESOME family.

uncle ross...

{happy birthday!}

on saturday evening i got to hang out with the birthday boy, debie and carly.  i felt spoiled...great company, dinner and a concert at the crystal ballroom.  fun times.  i am so blessed with an AWESOME family.

bittersweet.

last saturday, i froze as i watched my alma mater play in the state playoffs.  unfortunately we lost, but my mom, katelyn and i still had fun cheering and hanging out.  my dad was able to be on the field to take pictures, so he didn't sit with us.  where are his priorities?  :o)

the good thing i found out today is that the superbowl is on my birthday.  the sad thing is that the regular season is coming to an end WAY too soon.  only three more monday night football games.  :o(

bittersweet.

last saturday, i froze as i watched my alma mater play in the state playoffs.  unfortunately we lost, but my mom, katelyn and i still had fun cheering and hanging out.  my dad was able to be on the field to take pictures, so he didn't sit with us.  where are his priorities?  :o)

the good thing i found out today is that the superbowl is on my birthday.  the sad thing is that the regular season is coming to an end WAY too soon.  only three more monday night football games.  :o(

the morning frost

as the sun gently rose over the house this morning, the visible line of warmth slowly thawed the frost from my windshield.  these soft words from God reinforced my thoughts from last night.

the crisp awakening comes when the alarm sounds.  sluggish movements and my desire to remain oblivious to the day hinders my mornings.  going from neutral to fifth gear, i tend to be on the road within twenty minutes.  i despise the mornings that i have to scrape my car windows.  sometimes i start my journey too soon with little visibility...such a dangerous gamble.

last night at my church's college group, i was challenged to make a sacrifice.  God is calling me to set aside time in the morning to thaw my heart.  the hustle and bustle of everyday events tend to crowd out any plans i make for my hang out time with God, delegating it to the last moments before i fall asleep.  not exactly the best time for challenging or motivating thoughts as i often forget anything i learned by sunrise.

tragic things can happen if i don't take the time to properly thaw the ice off of my car.  if my hectic morning sets the pace for the day and i neglect to prepare for the battle, similar disasters can occur.

my challenge = bask in {the LIGHT} before computer/tv time

the morning frost

as the sun gently rose over the house this morning, the visible line of warmth slowly thawed the frost from my windshield.  these soft words from God reinforced my thoughts from last night.

the crisp awakening comes when the alarm sounds.  sluggish movements and my desire to remain oblivious to the day hinders my mornings.  going from neutral to fifth gear, i tend to be on the road within twenty minutes.  i despise the mornings that i have to scrape my car windows.  sometimes i start my journey too soon with little visibility...such a dangerous gamble.

last night at my church's college group, i was challenged to make a sacrifice.  God is calling me to set aside time in the morning to thaw my heart.  the hustle and bustle of everyday events tend to crowd out any plans i make for my hang out time with God, delegating it to the last moments before i fall asleep.  not exactly the best time for challenging or motivating thoughts as i often forget anything i learned by sunrise.

tragic things can happen if i don't take the time to properly thaw the ice off of my car.  if my hectic morning sets the pace for the day and i neglect to prepare for the battle, similar disasters can occur.

my challenge = bask in {the LIGHT} before computer/tv time

snapshots of the beach!

i already blogged a little snippet about my beach trip a couple of weekends ago, but didn't include pictures.  these make me smile:

check out this fish!  i have NEVER seen anything like this wash up.  both of the eyeballs were gone, but other than that it was totally intact!  to give you a little perspective, it was bigger than a football.

i loved how colorful this mushroom is.  we found it just chillin' in the middle of the path from the house to the beach.  God just astounds me with his creativity.

i like long walks on the beach.  especially with friends.  i do have to say that the twin rocks are not quite as cool as haystack rock, but that could definitely be a biased opinion.  the company made up for it though.  :o)

this picture cracks me up.  the boys watching cartoons while grabbing a bite to eat.  jenise and i were at a different table attempting to write encouraging notes...unsuccessfully.  needless to say, we didn't allow ourselves to stay and watch the duck game.

the beach had SO much foam the morning after the storm raged.  i wish i knew what it really is...but maybe i don't want to know.

he he he!  i thought about editing this picture to get rid of my funky bangs, but figured this is a true oregon beach picture, wind and all!  jenise is bundled up like an eskimo... :o)

i am so blessed by God and my friends.

snapshots of the beach!

i already blogged a little snippet about my beach trip a couple of weekends ago, but didn't include pictures.  these make me smile:

check out this fish!  i have NEVER seen anything like this wash up.  both of the eyeballs were gone, but other than that it was totally intact!  to give you a little perspective, it was bigger than a football.

i loved how colorful this mushroom is.  we found it just chillin' in the middle of the path from the house to the beach.  God just astounds me with his creativity.

i like long walks on the beach.  especially with friends.  i do have to say that the twin rocks are not quite as cool as haystack rock, but that could definitely be a biased opinion.  the company made up for it though.  :o)

this picture cracks me up.  the boys watching cartoons while grabbing a bite to eat.  jenise and i were at a different table attempting to write encouraging notes...unsuccessfully.  needless to say, we didn't allow ourselves to stay and watch the duck game.

the beach had SO much foam the morning after the storm raged.  i wish i knew what it really is...but maybe i don't want to know.

he he he!  i thought about editing this picture to get rid of my funky bangs, but figured this is a true oregon beach picture, wind and all!  jenise is bundled up like an eskimo... :o)

i am so blessed by God and my friends.

thankful for thanksgiving

{hanging out with family}

{hanging with the Francis family}

{the tastiest food}

{the fact that i miss home and friends and family when not there}

seriously.  don't know how i could contain all the people i love in one place, but that would be heaven.  hmmm...thanksgiving in heaven sounds nice.  i wonder if we celebrate holidays up there.

thankful for thanksgiving

{hanging out with family}

{hanging with the Francis family}

{the tastiest food}

{the fact that i miss home and friends and family when not there}

seriously.  don't know how i could contain all the people i love in one place, but that would be heaven.  hmmm...thanksgiving in heaven sounds nice.  i wonder if we celebrate holidays up there.

i love decorating for christmas!

i am not sure how long i have been waiting to start decking my blog out in Christmas colors and pictures.  this is what gets me through the dreary rainy seasons after summer ends...thanksgiving and Christmas.

i love decorating for christmas!

i am not sure how long i have been waiting to start decking my blog out in Christmas colors and pictures.  this is what gets me through the dreary rainy seasons after summer ends...thanksgiving and Christmas.

the best times.

last night i cried...my stomach hurt.  i was laughing so hard.  the funny thing is that i don't always laugh because of the actual joke or situation, but listening to my friends laugh makes me laugh.

i love how different God made our laughs sound.  i love how i could hear any of my friends laugh from the other room and smile because i know who it is.  i love how contagious laughter is.  the best times in life are like last night, tears running down my face as the uncontrollable giggles erupt until my stomach begs me to stop.  i love my friends.

the best times.

last night i cried...my stomach hurt.  i was laughing so hard.  the funny thing is that i don't always laugh because of the actual joke or situation, but listening to my friends laugh makes me laugh.

i love how different God made our laughs sound.  i love how i could hear any of my friends laugh from the other room and smile because i know who it is.  i love how contagious laughter is.  the best times in life are like last night, tears running down my face as the uncontrollable giggles erupt until my stomach begs me to stop.  i love my friends.

cobwebs.

this past weekend at the beach served as a time to clear all the cobwebs in my life and refocus on the more important things in life.  like {relationships}.

this past week, i have felt my identity being attacked.  comments, situations and feelings have all hit the same sensitive button...i am too quiet.  whenever it is mentioned, pressure tends to build and it seems necessary to change, be more like someone else and less like me.  i feel the negativity and i withdraw OR fake the personality that seems more likable. 

in the midst of worship, God began clearing the cobwebs and revealing to me a new perspective.  he made me this way for a purpose.  i know...crazy, huh?  opportunities to observe, listen and discern are more obvious when i am not talking.  tiny red flags are noticed more when i take the time to take in my surroundings.  i can help catch the people who are silently slipping through the cracks.  i can be used by God. 

now i can say {thank you} when people remind me that i'm quiet.  it's a blessing.

cobwebs.

this past weekend at the beach served as a time to clear all the cobwebs in my life and refocus on the more important things in life.  like {relationships}.

this past week, i have felt my identity being attacked.  comments, situations and feelings have all hit the same sensitive button...i am too quiet.  whenever it is mentioned, pressure tends to build and it seems necessary to change, be more like someone else and less like me.  i feel the negativity and i withdraw OR fake the personality that seems more likable. 

in the midst of worship, God began clearing the cobwebs and revealing to me a new perspective.  he made me this way for a purpose.  i know...crazy, huh?  opportunities to observe, listen and discern are more obvious when i am not talking.  tiny red flags are noticed more when i take the time to take in my surroundings.  i can help catch the people who are silently slipping through the cracks.  i can be used by God. 

now i can say {thank you} when people remind me that i'm quiet.  it's a blessing.

sponsors needed!

i wish i could be doing this right now.

playing in the waves is one of my {favorite} things to do.  i will be at the beach soon, but most likely i will not be tasting the crisp ocean spray.  :o(

anyone want to sponsor a trip for me to go to tropical beach?  i would greatly appreciate it.