Three Exceptionally Sweet Boys

We had another great weekend . This time it was spent with our friends Karen and Aaron down in FL. We were all neighbors in the cajun state, and bonded over crawfish. tee, hee. They MADE our time in LA. They were just a incredible blessing. Fortunately, we all relocated at the same time (within a week of each other!) and only live about two hours from each other now. Here are a few pics of their boys. They are SO GORGEOUS! I hope one of my girls will fall for one of those boys! K&A would be the best in-laws!

What A Way to Spend A Weekend

So, this past weekend, we got the an unexpected invitation (always a God thing) to spend the weekend with our new friends/neighbors Jason and Kim. Their faith story will blow you away! They've battled cancer, and a multitude of challenges in their young lives (both only in their early 30s) and have come out singing praises to the Lord. They are just one of those couples that you feel lucky to know.

Anyway, we all stayed at their family's beachfront home in Panama City. Going to sleep and waking up to the sound of the waves crashing on the sand was like being in Heaven! Kim and I just couldn't stop talking about how touched we were by all the beauty around us. Sunsets rendered us speechless. The boys ( I mean men, tee hee) did all kinds of manly things together. Football watching, beer drinking, cigar smoking. Lots of male bonding. I'm sure it was good for them both. Haha!

I attached a few pics I took this weekend of us all. Minus me of course. Always the one behind the camera. Which is FINE with me!

I wanted to share some pics of our weekend. Enjoy!

My Many Blessings

I have just grown to adore this "newborn" addiction of mine... photography. It makes me happy. I LOVE seeing the world through a lens. I LOVE catching these moments with my friends and family that would fade from my memory if they weren't caught in a photograph. A look, a pose, a smile. All those awe-inspiring sprinkles of beauty in everyday life we miss if we don't LOOK.

It's Not About Me, It's All About Him

Walking with God is taking on a whole new meaning to me lately. Just about a year ago, I was feeling dissatisfied, stale, alone, and depressed. At the time we were new to this town, having moved away from some precious friends in Louisiana. My heart was still aching over our decision not to have anymore biological children, and I had not been to church in over two years. And then one day, as I sat in the bathtub, alone and crying, my heart cried out "show me your glory Lord, I want to know you more." No more than a few days later, visiting this new church called CUMC with my best friend Shana, I signed up for a women's study group. They were studying a book called "Breaking Free". Nervously I attended the first study group, and was welcomed with open arms into a group of ladies, I'll never forget. During that study, I did break free. God showed me how a wall had been put up between Him and I. A wall made of lies, selfishness, and resentment. God broke that wall down, and still continues to help me keep it down day by day. He healed my broken heart, and drew me close to Him. For the past year He has revealed so much of His perfect wisdom to me, there aren't words powerful enough to express my gratitude to Him. Little by little, day by day, experience by experience, He reveals Himself. I've learned so much about His mercy. Time and time again, I fall, I sin. Time and time again, He lifts me out of that pit and places me back on my feet again. I've learned so much about His grace. Everyday I wake up there are blessings surrounding me. I wake up to the greatest man I've ever known. I look into the faces of these children, beautiful healthy sweet little people that God has entrusted me to raise. And then there are my friends. Old ones and new ones, their importance to me is immeasurable. Over the past year, God has moved mountains in the hearts of both me and my husband as he has laid the desire to adopt a child from somewhere in this world. He led me to participate in our church's preschool ministry as a puppeteer, where once again He shares His heart with me. Now I am at another turn in the road. He is teaching me about how to hear Him even more in my day to day life. How to turn my face to His, and let His glory shine brightly on my face. So I can remember "It's Not About Me, It's All About Him"

CHRISTMAS 2007

What a Merry Christmas we had. The Christmas weekend started out with our friends. We had several get togethers, with tons of laughter. It was so good for the soul. Although Carson was sick Christmas Eve, Dad took the bigger kids to the Christmas Eve Service at our church. When everyone was home, we put on pj's, set out Santa's goodies, and read the Christmas Story. The kids watched the "Grinch", and I got to watch my all time favorite movie "It's A Wonderful Life". The next morning, Emily was the first one down. Then Alex, and finally Carson. Boy what fun they had! We stayed in pjs all day and played hard. The night ended with a "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake and song. We finished up with a bath, and off to bed we went. Ahhh. It was perfect.