My Life In Pictures, Take 2

Its been a crazy week. A lot of my scrap friends take pictures each day to document their day to day living. I figured out a few years ago that my life is more a series of events then a day to day thing. Hence....my life in pictures!

I snapped this picture of Marc just before he left for a couple of side jobs (he calls any job he gets to do outside of his contractors job that). His business has been growing a lot due to word of mouth. That's a must when your not sure how long your contract will last when your independent. I'm so proud of him for taking such a leap of faith!

This week my husband brought my uncles old Lincoln. Eventually it will be our main transportation when he is not in the work truck. Right now we are riding in an even older Lincoln which I hate with a passion (strong words I know, but I have dubbed it the big white boat). Marc keeps reminding me that it gets us from point A to point B. I would rather ride in a van then that thing, but beggars can't be choosy!

We had a series of mishaps that day. Including the fact that my uncle and Marc almost burnt down the newer Lincoln while working on it. I was outside at the time and started having flashbacks to another fire. Thankfully it was small, and Marc was able to put it out without damage to him, my uncle or the car! At the time this was going on my oldest daughter was upstairs throwing up from food poisoning and not long after that I had a serious case of sinus attacks. Needless to say it was an early night to bed after all of that drama!

By the end of the week things started to get much better. We spent a lot of time hanging out with friends this week and on Saturday Nicki and I went to celebrate my God Daughter's 10th birthday. She had a Gaming Party at a local game place. Wii seems to have invaded my family's life, my home and even me!

Actually I'm not complaining. Anything that gets my son out of his room and my husband out of his study and downstairs with the family is a good thing in my book! TJ doesn't have a clue that I snapped this picture. HEHE!

Today I started this! Anyone who knows me knows this is going to be a challenge each day getting up and actually making time for a fitness routine! But after I saw my Wii Fit Age, it didn't take much convincing to make me get up and at least try it!

In the next couple of weeks I will be working on this. Its not all going according to plan but my daughters have told me to not give up, and that they will do what they can to help out. I'm believing there is a blessing in that somewhere.

Under the Umbrella

Ever feel disconnected from God and you can't understand why? Things seem to be going OK, family life is good, church life is good, connection with friends seem to be going good, you are even reading your bible more, taking time out to study and meditate on God's word. So why the disconnect? Recently I received a blessing from a very special friend. It was something I had been praying for, a tool that would help further my cause in ministry. I'm still amazed that it happened. But for some reason I started to doubt myself, doubt that I could fulfill the dream.

Rainy days tend to make me want to cover up under the covers and just sleep away life. There is something about the absence of sun that causes me to go into a depression. I'm under the umbrella you could say. That is where I feel protected. What I sometimes forget is that I don't need the "SUN" when I have the "SON"! Instead of relying on the umbrella to protect us, sometimes we have to get out in the rain and let the "SON" protect and guide us. He already has a plan, he is the only one who can make our dreams come true, we just need to trust him. Are you hiding under the umbrella? Have you let fears hold you back from the purpose God has for your life? Maybe its time that you come out from under the protection of the umbrella and come under the protection of our Savior Jesus Christ!

Weekend in Pictures

This weekend was Family and Friends Day at my mom's church. Marc was the speaker for the service. This pic is of him and my mom's pastor. Funny thing...they are both cut-ups, but for some reason they were both very serious when I took this picture. Go figure!

My Aunt and Uncle followed us up there. They are two of our biggest cheerleaders. I don't know if you can see my aunts shoes, but they are pretty cool. That's my aunt, even at 70 plus years old she is still a fashionista!

Then there is my great Aunt Julia. Not bad huh? I'm telling you there is something in the water in my hometown.
My family is crazeee!!!!! There is never a dull moment. I love it!

The one thing about Family and Friends Day is that you never know who you will see. This is my friend Helen. When they say "since the sandbox", that applies to us. We went to elementary school, middle school, and high school together.

These are my godparents. My godfather cried throughout Marc's sermon (and the entire time that my girls sang which was just before Marc got up to speak). He married us nearly 27 years ago, and I'm sure he never thought he would see our life evolve in this way. Got to say I spent most of the service crying myself. I'm so proud of Marc. He talked about family and friends and the sacrifice they are willing to make for us. Then he talked about the friend who made the ultimate sacrifice! I'm still amazed at the favor that God has shown us, the love of my family and the support of our friends. I was especially amazed by the support of the members of WABC. They followed us out to the country in their vans, and cars. Thank you WABC Family!

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things!

The number one question everyone asked me yesterday was how much did I enjoy my birthday. I'm not sure how well I will be at putting it into words but I will give it a try by sharing a few pictures.



My husband is hilarious. He brought home two bags of chips yesterday and told me that was my birthday gift. Granted they were my favorite chips (and before you ask, yes they were low in sodium). In his defense he had just taken me on a shopping spree for scrapbook supplies on Tuesday...but I wasn't buying it.



That evening at church he gave me the beautiful flowers you see above and a package of my favorite fruit. Whoever said the way to a man's heart is through his stomach didn't know me. Give me my favorite food (not to mention save me from having to cook) and I'm a happy girl.



I know you might not be able to see it, but the stamp says living the sweet life. Its one of the many things I picked up during my scrapping spree. At this moment (despite some ups and downs) I feel like I am living a very sweet life.



And speaking of sweets....our WABC family surprised me with cake and ice cream at church last night (that and dinner from the Olive Garden). In the end the surprise was on them. We had some unexpected guest just before bible study was suppose to begin and it set us back about a 1/2 hour. In the end we gave up on bible study and just sat around and talked, laughed and ate lots of ice cream and cake.

The one thing I could not capture on camera, but that turned out to be my favorite thing from the whole day was the many birthday greetings I received on Facebook and Twitter. More then the gifts, the food, or even the cards was the fact that so many of you took time out of your busy schedule to bless me. Thanks to you, my birthday was extra special!

The View Outside My Window!

I can't believe how long its been since I blogged. Did you miss me? LOL I feel like I need to give a run down of the last week. Actually its been good, so I can't complain. Its been a long time since I have been able to say that. Somehow, putting my focus back on family and home has made a big difference in my attitude (the beautiful weather we have been having has been icing on the cake).

I have been sitting at my desk (actually I've been cleaning my scraproom so that I can sit at that desk ) dreaming of all the things I want to do this summer. Of course the view from my window doesn't seem to help. I just start dreaming some more. LOL

Marc thinks I'm crazy, but I have been buying lots of dishes, linen and party supplies in anticipation of family get-togethers (the decorator/party planner in me can't resist). Did I mention my birthday is on Wednesday (if you follow me on facebook you should already know that). Then there is Mother's Day, Our 27th Wedding Anniversary, 4th of July...not to mention lots of traveling!

The view outside my window (and in my life) is looking pretty good. What's your view look like? If the windows seem a bit cloudy, take a little piece of advice.....sit a bit longer. Its bound to change! Well that's enough about me.So spill, what's on your calender for the summer? Any big trips or are you planning to take it easy and just chill?

Somebody got some egg-xplaining to do!

This is what greeted me when I got up this morning! Umm, last time I checked I had grown folk for children (24, 25, and 26 to be exact). I guess its my fault for introducing them to Mickey all those years ago (lol). Now, they are even talking about a Family Easter Egg Hunt next year. And guess who they have placed in charge of this lovely event? Again, why did I ever create those elaborate birthday parties all of those years ago. Guess I'm the one who's got some explaining to do! All jokes aside, I love my kids and I love that they still have the heart of a child. Granted most of that comes from my hubby because he's just as bad as them. And you know what....I wouldn't trade them for all the Easter eggs in the world (well, unless it was a gold egg...just kidding).

My Life in Pictures (well at least from the last week or so)!

Its been a whirlwind week. I spent most of the week helping my mom who is about to have a new home built on our families property. I'm so excited for her. She deserves it. She has sacrificed so much over the years for me and my sister. For the first time in a long time she will have a home that is truly all hers! We spent most of the week purging her large library of books and music sheets. I will have to make several more trips before its all said and done, but its worth the effort just because I love my mom soo much.



Our Easter Monday Eggstravaganza was today. This is why I do what I do!



We actually had dinner at home Easter Sunday (yes, I actually cooked)! Marc and I worked side by side in the kitchen. It was a great way to end the day (I also went to the movies with Nicki later to see Tyler Perry's newest movie).



I wore platform shoes Sunday in honor of my friend Lori! I sent Lori these pictures but I forgot she hates feet as much as I do. Sorry Lori! But you would have been proud of the fact that I didn't trip not one time. HAHA



Marc was messing with me when Nicki was doing our Easter Sunday photoshoot. Then he tried to act innocent!



My mom worked her butt off this week as the backstage director at the Easter production that the local churches in my hometown put together. Somehow I ended up being a part of the crew! That was one of my Servolution contributions last week.



This is the entire cast at the end of the evening. My cousin played Mary and did an excellent job, and looked good doing it (she is the one in the back in blue and white...I know because I was the one who hooked up her costume). This took me back to my Drama Director days!



We started the week by attending an Easter play with several families from WABC to see the Living Passover. The admission included dinner. What we didn't know at the time was that we would be eating with our hands! Let's just say it was an interesting experience! Thankfully the food (and the play) were pretty good. LOL



Well that is my week in a nutshell. Over all its been a great Easter Weekend. I'm tired like you wouldn't imagine (and yes, I know this post is very long.....but I'm making up for last week. Not to mention this may be all you get out of me for the next several days). I have a lot of purging at my own home to do after spending the week with mom. Hope you all had a blessed Easter Weekend. I have heard some amazing stories about salvation's this week at my friend's churches. Way to go. Sounds like people were kicking some serious butt this weekend and taking names. I know my God is happy, and that the devil is mad. Blessed be the name of the Lord!

That's Love!

My Savior Jesus died on a cross. He was innocent, but they beat my Jesus, pierced him in his side, and hung him up between two thieves. They put a crown on his head. They mocked him! They hung him high, they stretched him wide, He hung his head, for me he died! That's love!


But that's not how the story ends, because three days later he rose again. That's love!

Its love because he didn't have to do it. He died on the cross so that you and I might have life. I don't understand why he did it ( I don't deserve it), but I'm so glad he did!

Note: Marc took most of the pics when we went to Williamsburg to see "The Living Passover". You can see more pictures here. If you are ever in the area during the weeks leading up to Easter I highly reccomend you pay them a visit (hey you have to give credit, where credit is due). They do an excellent job!

Minister's Wives...a Rare Breed!

Tiffany's post reminded me that I never posted pics of the Sweetheart Banquet that our Minister's Wives Organization held back in February (we host a banquet each year around Valentine's Day to raise funds for various organizations we support). This is an annual event for us and the proceeds this year went to research for Breast Cancer. We also meet once a month at various churches for a time of fellowship and dinner. My grandmother was a part of the same organization along with my godmother. The late wife of our former pastor at GMZBC is actually the one who convinced me to join nearly 5 years ago. I love talking to the older ladies who have been at this much longer (longer then I have even been on earth....I kid you not. One lady is like in her 80's and looks fabulous). Some time I think we are so busy being hip and chic that we forget those who have come before us have struggled just as hard and in many cases even harder to make it through some of the same trials we face today. Some of these ladies have been doing this for 40 and 50 years. The one thing they have taught me though is that God will substain you through anything. You just have to have faith, a strong spirit and love the people God has placed in your care....no matter what! They are a rare breed.

Life Is Good!!!!

Thought I would share what we have been up to the last few weeks.

Mostly we have been hanging out with the family. This picture was taken at my Godchild's school play.

I spent most of Saturday sitting on my front porch watching the car's go by, and listening to music on my ipod, surfing the net while Marc and TJ spent the day cleaning up the yard.

When Marc wasn't working on chores that have been on the backburner he has playing a lot of Wii!!! LOL

In the last 4 months the girls have both taken vacations. Quisha went to Las Vegas just before Christmas. This past weekend Nicki spent a few days in New York City. Now its our turn! Still not sure where we are going, but that's OK. For a minute we thought we might actually make it to Orlando, but apparently everyone else had the same idea and the places we would have been able to stay at were booked up (through May mind you)! No biggie, wherever we end up will be fine with me (well with the exception of a few places). LOL

Marc took a Sunday off from WABC and we visited some friends, ate dinner together and just chilled at home. All of the downtime made for a great weekend!

What I'm Not Reading!

Lori and the ladies over at Leading and Loving It just answered a Q&A on books they are reading right now. HAHA, that is the wrong question to ask this girl. I recently finished "Going All the Way: Preparing for a Marriage That Goes the Distance" by Craig Groeschel. Right after that I picked up "The Monkey and the Fish: Liquid Leadership for a Third-Culture Church" by Dave Gibbons. The problem is that I have about 20 other books stacked up beside my bed that have started reading that are now collecting dust. Not to mention about 5 more in a basket in my bathroom! The easier question for me should be what am I not reading. The answer...my bible! Honestly I love books and I could read them all day long (and sometimes do). Like many Christians I want to read my bible more but for some reason I let it sit on my coffee table, in the car (sometimes even in the office at church)! Why do we find it so hard to pick up God's word? Maybe because we might learn something we have been trying to avoid! Like all of the the things we should be doing in his name as opposed to our own agenda. Rest is good for the body, but God's word feeds the soul! Time to feast less at other people's table and more often at the feet of my savior!

Getting off of the Roller Coaster!

For the last few years I have felt as if I have been on a never ending roller coaster ride! A few weeks ago I decided it was time to take control and get off the ride and start living life.

My friend Tiffany recently wrote about the "Small Things". How we have to enjoy the small things because one day we may come to realize they were the things that matter the most!

So if you have noticed I haven't blogged as much. As a matter of fact I am usually the person looking at the world behind a lens! I once wrote about capturing memories behind the camera while others around me experienced the moment I photographed. But if you follow me on facebook or twitter you will have noticed a difference in my post (at least I hope you have)!

I have been spending way more time with my family (AKAMarc...lol). Marc and I have spent more downtime together in the last few weeks then we have in forever. We have watched movies, held hands, browsed in secondhand shops, gone out for icecream, cuddled up in our room to watch tv together (actually the tv watched us because we fell asleep). We are planning a vacation for two (the first one we have taken in nearly 5 years) for the coming month. And I'm even learning to step away from my computer, my phone, and in some cases church!

The payoff has been seeing Marc relax more. Our Fridays off are strictly dedicated to family and friend time. This weekend Nicki and I went to meet my mom and sister to look at my mom's new home. We had lunch together and then Nicki and I went to Williamsburg to hit the outlets. We didn't buy much, but we had a great time anyway.

A few weeks ago I even took a day away from WABC and attended church with my son, something I had promised him I would do on a regular basis. Later that day we got to spend some time talking and I realized how long it had been since we had done that.

I'm learning to love the life I live. I'm embracing the small things, and I have finally had the courage to get off the rollercoaster!

Smelling the Flowers

OK, enough of the doom and glum around here. Its time to stop and smell the roses. One of the things Marc and I have been talking about is all of the projects around here that need to be done. We put a lot of stuff on the back burner including a couple of things we purchased years ago so that we could entertain more. One of which is a gazebo for our back yard, and a swing for two that was suppose to go up in the front yard. If you could see our yard right now you would know we have way more work to do to get to that point including a few limbs that have been down and could use some immediate attention.

Inside we have some painting that needs to be done, not to mention years of clutter that has accumulated during our many years of focusing on the church.

Its been forever since we had friends over. Or even took the time to enjoy our front porch. Had dinner in our diningroom. Starting to get the picture? Well that's about to change. I figure if I write all of this down then it might help me with that balance thing I am working on.

I'm also going to get back to this. I have missed it. Did not realize how much of my creative side was being squashed until I almost let it go.

I'm also going to be traveling a lot this year. Marc and I have not taken a vacation together since 2006! That's about to change thanks to a gift from some really special family members. Add in a cruise with my mom, a trip to DC to meet up with some great girlfriends, and the Women of Faith Conference. Well less just say I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself!

My mom is about to make some drastic changes in her life and I intend to be there to help her out. I love the ministry work we do (yes, even now when it seems difficult) but for the last five years (probably even more) "life" has been left to chance. All of that is about to change. Its time to stop and smell the flowers!

Balance, Patience and Prayer

This last month has been a lesson on balance , a lesson on patience, and a lesson on the importance of prayer.

After a pretty rough couple of weeks I have come to several conclusions (some of which I will share). I think my friend Jason said it best when he said that we are reminded of the amount of spiritual attack we will come under when we are trying to do something big for God. He also said when the enemy attacks its often to discourage your leader.....that's why its so important to pray for your pastor/leaders.

Several friends that I know who are in leadership also seemed to be going through. Add in the crazy weather we have been having you would think someone was trying to get our attention! Well it got my attention and I suddenly had to re-prioritise some things.

For the last few years my focus has been mostly on ministry. Actually for the last 4 or 5 years its been my main focus. Sometimes to the detriment of my family, friends, children, and especially my marriage.

Marc and I have been talking a lot about balance, patience and prayer. The conclusion we came to was that our life has been off balance. Which has caused us to lose patience, all leading to the fact that we need to pray more.

I will be spending more time focusing on home and family. I have given up a lot of things in my life in the name of "ministry". My focus should have been on God (because if God had been my focus many of the things I am going through I might have been able to handle better). I'm cutting back from doing some of the things I was doing for church and spending more time studying God's word, more time in worship with God, and more time in prayer. In other words I'm trying to put some balance back into my daily living.

Many people have asked me how they can pray for Marc and I and after careful thought I have come up with a few things that I will be in prayer for ( I can't very well ask for prayer for things I am not willing to pray for myself)!

1) First and foremost I am praying for my husband. Specifically for his health, his heart, and for his continued strength during times of trouble. That he will continue to be the leader that God has called him to be no matter what.

2) I am praying for our marriage. Specifically for protection from outside distractions. For time to just be us (partners in love, life and living). And for continued open lines of communication and transparency.

3) I am praying for my kids who too often have seen their parents hurt because of the politics of "church". Especially for my youngest daughter Nicki who works beside us in ministry. I pray that her heart is guarded, that she does not lose faith, and that she can better stand against unforeseen attacks from the enemy.

4) Finally I am asking for prayer for me. Prayer that I continue to be the wife, mother, woman that God has called me to be. That I set boundaries and balance for my private home life and the life that I live on the outside in this fishbowl we call "ministry". That I put my relationship with God at the top of my priority list. And that I create an environment at home of peace, fun, safety and security for my husband and children.

I Got Nothing!

Ever get to a point where you think you have it all figured out, then you realize ....you got nothing? The past two weeks have been a test for my family (without going in to details less just say...it hasn't gone well). Just when we thought we had it all figured out...BAM!!!! We got nothing! We started questioning some of the decisions we have made in the last few years. It was sort of like dialing 411 for information looking for help and on the the other side of the line was someone speaking in a language you didn't understand, offering advice that doesn't register, hanging up in frustration feeling as if you got nothing! The worst part was knowing that's just not the way its suppose to be. How many times have I said here that God has our back? How often have we prayed for peace, for understanding, for grace, for mercy and God answered the call?

For some reason this week it seemed like the devil was winning the race. He almost broke us, came close to causing us to give up and throw in the towel. Then something amazing happened. God sent a lifeline. Friends started praying for us, sending coded messages in the form of scripture. Just when we thought we were left out in the water all by ourselves, God said stop relying on your own will. Did you forget who was in control? I am the captain of this ship, let me navigate the waters. The only thing you have to do is get in the boat and watch. When the seas are stormy, and the boat is shaking back and forth...I will be the one who will say...peace be still! When you think you have nothing, is when I can step in and show you that I have all that you need.