Date #15 -hiking

So way back in the day, October 9th to be exact, Drew and I went on a date hiking. The goal was to watch the sunset and take pictures for my photography class. It was the perfect weather and we thoroughly enjoyed spending the evening together. We had no schedule and it was great! :)

Monkey Business

I have so much to catch up on, but I have decided not to stress!! I know, I know I'm brilliant!!

October 12 we celebrated Audrey's 2nd birthday! Drew, mom, Katie, Jeremy, Owen, Audrey, and I headed to celebrate this wonderful 2 year old! We went to the NC Zoo were we saw lots of great animals, got tons of hugs, laughter, exercise, and pictures! :) Audrey loved the mister the best, but it was a great atmosphere to hang out with family! We were hoping that all of the walking would cause Owen to make an appearance but no luck so far!! He will definitely be well worth the wait just like his sister was!

I'm so blessed

It's true. God has been way too good to me. Here are a few of the ways...

great friends love me and celebrate my birth ;)
my husband truly cares how I am
crisp fall
a drive with colored leaves lining the roads
spending time with kids that can't help but make you smile
a starlit walk catching up with a great friend
hoodies
encouragement from great christian influences
the feeling of relief after a speech is given
being able to be goofy with friends, you tube videos and silly band conversations included
HIS MERCIES ARE NEW EVERY MORNING. AND I AM ABLE TO EXPERIENCE THEM!

Thankful!

Today I am thankful for...

birthday cake
a husband who wakes me up (even if it was late) when my alarm fails
familiar verse of God's awesomeness!
relaxing family time
phone calls with Mandy
birthday week!! (Friends, food, family, laughter... mmm good!)
tickle fights with an adorable 2 year old boy
the thoughts of a zoo trip tomorrow
wonderful memories/experiences that randomly come to mind (Thailand)
a good late night talk with my new friend

I married a child.

I just had to write a quick note about what happened this afternoon. Drew got home and told me to close my eyes because my birthday presents had come in the mail. He was going to hide them but then he decided I needed to have one because he wasn't sure if it was going to work.

"Drew whatever you think"... "Okay, here!"

He hands a C28 shirt to me and says he isn't sure if it would fit. So I try it on and of course it's too tight. (It's not Drew's fault, he got the size I normally wear, but fashionable things are more snug... if you know what I mean) We talk back and forth about getting the next size up and then he giddily (yes it's a word, well, maybe) gets out HIS 'Not of this world' t-shirt, because husbands need to get their own present when their wives have a birthday... I just laughed as he looked at me with innocent eyes and said, "Whaaattt??" That man... After that, he felt so bad that I didn't fit into the shirt (well I fit into it, it wasn't THAT small, oh you know what I mean), that he decides to give me his other present. Keep in mind that my birthday is the 14th... 9 DAYS AWAY. I opened a wonderfully wrapped present... okay, it was still in the shipping envelope, his favorite type of wrapping, but it was a Pandora bracelet with 2 charms!! :) That made me a very happy wife despite the lack of surprise and very early celebration!

Fear

Whenever someone talks about being afraid, I have a hard time relating to them. If they were to say they were worried, I would know exactly what they meant but I never really thought about being scared. I guess one could confuse the two. Yes, movies can scare me, but I'm not afraid to be home alone, not afraid of the dark or of robbers.

As I have been thinking about fear more lately I've decided that is exactly what I am in some areas of my life, AFRAID. I'm afraid of losing someone close to me through death, especially Drew. He is my best friend and I can honestly say I DO NOT know what I would do without him. We minister together, play games together, share memories, cry, laugh, struggle, and grow, together. God has abundantly blessed me to have him, and it would be terrifying to lose him. I have some other fears, things I struggle with that I never really took that to mean I was afraid of them. I might share those with you one day, but today is not that day.

This weekend was about having peace and a hope. Again, something I thought I was full of, until I related my struggles to fear. The key verse was:

Romans 15:13
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

If you don't think that is comforting, I don't know what could. I can have hope, no matter how bad circumstances could be, as long as my focus is the POWER God has and not the WEAKNESS I possess.

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you, O Israel: I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned. Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the Lord your God.... Since you were precious in My sight, You have been honored, and I have loved you; Therefore I will give men for you, and people for your life."

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

With promises like these, how can we live any way but peaceful, no matter how great or horrible our circumstances are??? That is my prayer, not just for today but for my life. Even though nothing horrible (by the world's standards) is going on close to me, those times will come. I pray that I will always come out stronger because I allow Christ to use me, instead of falling back in fear.

Isaiah 43:1-4; Jeremiah 29:11-13; 1 Peter 2:9; 5:6&7

Catching up, praising God, no dates. :(

Where to begin. This past week has been so CRAZY busy so I'm just going to try to recap a little of it.

Last week my friend Lo (Lauren) and I went on a drive down to Winston-Salem to see my sister and Audrey. It was a gorgeous day, a great day for a drive, chat, singing, and outlet shopping! :) Katie, Lo, Audge and I headed down to do a little shopping. It was exhausting and relaxing at the same time. I quite enjoyed some time with my niece, including riding the carousel with her (her first time)!

I am distraught to inform you all that we FAILED for our date last week. I had one night set aside, we did eat dinner, but the rest of the night included Drew watching TV/video games and me working on schoolwork. NOT fun. but necessary. :(

Friday, Katie and Audrey came in town for Audrey's birthday party with the Farmer's. Unfortunately I already had a ticket for the Extraordinary Women's conference. So, I brought the kids over to mom's Friday afternoon so I could spend some time with them. It was relaxing and fun watching the kids play! What could be more fun than watching a 3, 2, and 1 year old play on a gorgeous afternoon! :)

Friday evening I headed to the Roanoke Civic Center with Starr and Lo for some laughter, encouragement, worship, and a concert by Mercy Me. Starr and I spent the night at Lo's, where we watched boy meets world, got a hair cut, and stayed up way to late, or I guess early... The next morning we headed back to the conference WAY too early, for amazing women, and men to talk to us, challenge us with our relationships with God! We also tried to meet my new favorite author, Karen Kingsbury, but that didn't happen. Oh Well! Oh, we walked downtown to eat yummy food. Alejandro's was good, but the service stunk. We were very disappointed...

Oh, but Saturday didn't end there. We headed to a 7 o'clock Liberty football game. Drew was down-right giddy to see the expansion finished. Evidently the blog pictures and details he has been seeing all summer is not enough! :) Steven, Lo, Drew, Starr and I headed to Lynchburg where LU kicked butt! It was so much fun! I am starting to enjoy the games with the cheering, talking, seeing friends I don't see much, and everything else! So although I went through the weekend with little sleep, it sure was worth it!

Now for what I'm grateful for... I think this post shows a huge amount of reasons I am beyond blessed, but here are a few more.

1. being encouraged by so many wonderful women, who have struggled but relied on God and grew stronger as a result.
2. sleep!
   
3. having a husband that loves me and helps me out around the house
4. God. the fact he is so powerful and yet still has time for Kari Hunsley in little ol' Roanoke, Virginia
5. fall weather, and clothes that keep me warm!