SNOW DAY

Amarillo FINALLY got hit with the snow that everyone else has experienced. We were so excited to have a SNOW DAY! Neeley and I pretty much stayed inside all day watching Lifetime movies but I did find time to get a little crafting on.

 

As we were preparing for the snow day we hit up the store and they had a cheapo frame that had been broken so they gave it to me at a discount. I wrapped it in book paper and glued on some rolled flowers. Turned out to be a cute little frame for our front door.

 

 Then I took Cooper out to play in the snow because it is his 1ST Birthday today!! He has never seen this much snow before and he loved playing in it. 

 

Hope Everyone had a WONDERFUL Wednesday!

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Roadmap to a Lasting Relationship

On Monday nights it has become a tradition to have our friends over to watch this season of The Bachelor. I have not gotten into this show in a long while but probably the lack of something else to do on Monday nights has gotten everyone (even our guy friends) into it. Tonight  I was watching all these girls who have had barely any quality time with Brad, confess true feelings of love towards him as He in return is telling the ladies that they have they have all the qualities he is looking for in a wife. I am not nieve enough to think that there are not many many conversations that happen behind the scenes or that this show is completely scripted. However I noticed tonight that none of the woman nor Brad seems to be in pursuit of the characteristics I as a Christian would be looking for.  None of them seem to put religious values as a major priority in their potential life partner not to mention many other qualities that are on the top of my list.





Coming from a broken marriage I feel that the importance of finding the perfect mate has been made more critical than if I came from parents who were still happily married. I would never trade my upbringing for anything else but my search for my soul mate is continually interrupted by reflections of my parents marriage. I have learned many many lessons about love and marriage from experiencing the divorce of my parents and aunts and uncles.


I was taught and am continually reminded to NEVER SETTLE! To not think that you are not worthy enough to get everything that you want for in a husband. I am reminded that you MARRY THE FAMILY. As I would expect my future mate to jump right into my family and love them as their own it is hard for me to embrace thinking of doing the same with his family, especially if they are far different from what I have known. It seems almost like a calculated game that I will never reach the end of.


As I have dated and loved throughout my life, suffered breaking hearts and my heart being broken I have gathered a list of my own characteristics in my future husband. The number one thing would be sharing my faith with him. I want a man who is a spiritual leader for me and my family to be. That trait is a non-negotiable.


I admit though that I am struggling with the rules that follow. It is hard to think that if a guy comes from a family who is not as strongly built as my own he is not made of Megan marriage material. Or if he were to struggle with his future ambitions does that mean he will not support me and give me the life I deserve. When do you allow the possibility that  someone has changed? Or do you hold their past against them expecting them to fall back into the patterns or their parents/siblings? Will anyone ever be good enough that my family will look at them and think... oh yeah he is absolutely good enough to marry her. Ultimately I know that I have to give it all up to the Lord and he will deliver his perfect mate to me.
As I was reading tonight I came across scriptures in Ephesians 5 where Paul tells the Ephesians how to live their lives: no sexual immorality, no obscentity, foolish talk, or coarse joking. No one should decieve you with empty words therefore do not be partners with them. Be careful how you live not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity. Do not get drunk but be filled with the spirit. Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 


 I have read this passage before and recognized the lifestyle that I was supposed to lead based on this guidance but the part, DO NOT BE PARTNERS WITH THEM struck me. Not only is this passage telling me how to live but it is instructing me of what to look for in my mate.
I have always known that I wanted to marry a man just like my Grandy. This is a catch-22 though because I believe that he is a complete one in a million. Although my direct marital influence in my life was that of divorce, the most powerful marriage I was ever a witness to was that of my Nana & Grandy.


Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. Husbands love your wives juas as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way husbands ought to love their lives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself... For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh. Ephesians 5:22-33

There is absolutely NO question that Nana and Grandy followed this scripture to the max! Their love for one another shone above everything but their love for the Lord. They respected one another, they held each other up, and cared for each other as if their own persons. Their love was a direct imitation of God's love for his church.


In this world of broken marriages I am so thankful to have a solid relationship to look towards for guidance and hope. Having god lay out not only who he wants us to be but therefore what our partners should be is a roadmap to a lasting relationship. I know the rocky road I have suffered in finding my partner to raise my family with would be far far more bumpy if I did not have the references I did.


I couldn't help but think that part of the reason that none of the Bachelor's and Bachelorette's seem to find lasting love is because like the rest of the world they put the worldly desires above what we are called to be as a partner and what we are called to look for.



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55 Days

It is amazing to me that it has now been 55 days since my sweet Grandy went to his glories in heaven. It still doesn't seem real to me at all. I keep waiting for it to set in and my grieving process to start. I always expected to go into an immediate black hole and not come out for weeks, months, years maybe. It has been 55 days and we have had a Christmas, New Year, many Birthdays and he has not been here for any of it. I know that he is in a much better place, but on days like today it hits me again that he is not here with me. He is not sitting in his green chair watching Fox News, He is not getting geared up for the Superbowl this weekend, He is not eating dinner with Nana.

I desperately am needing a hug from my Grandy today. I wish so badly I could sit with him in the living room holding his left hand while he directs the 101 Strings orchestra with his right one and as Nana yells from the kitchen to turn it down, he turns it up giving me that mischievous look with his raised eyebrows. I want him to tell me that it is all going to be OK. I want to hear from him to trust in the Lord. I want to hear his deep voice singing "You are my Sunshine" to me. I want him to tell me how proud he is of me.

I know that for so many who knew him and especially those of us lucky enough to have his blood in us have found it extremely hard to find a better walking example of Jesus Christ. Grandy lived his life embodying everything God asked of us and of the sacrifice Jesus made for our sins. I feel there could not have been a better example of how to life a Christlike life than the one my Grandy led. The moment Grandy passed I felt for the first time excited to go to Heaven for I knew that was where we would be reunited.

I read this passage yesterday and it made me think of my Grandy up in heaven looking down on me...

I am with you and for you. You face nothing alone-- NOTHING!

On days like today when I want him to be here with me, I was comforted by the thought of Grandy always with me and always looking down on me.

One night about a year ago when Aunt Tammy and Kelsey were in town to stay with Grandy ( I dont remember exactly where Nana had gone) and I was so blessed to be staying with Nana and Grandy at the time. We were all sitting around the table and had just finished eating. It was such a normal night, but for some reason Grandy was so tickled and who know what he was laughing about now but I had never ever seen him laugh that hard. He was crying he was laughing so hard. I tried to get a video of it on my phone but inded up with just this picture. 

It's not the best picture at all but it represents such a special memory to me of another wonderful night with him!

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Finding the Joy

Today is one of those days where I am just struggling. I am struggling to wake up (my Starbucks hasnt helped), I am struggling to be tolerant of others insessant questions, I am struggling to find the motivation to keep my head lifted up and not think about crawling into bed, I am struggling not to eat the girl scout cookies on the bench in front of our office, I am just plain struggling to put a smile on my face today and find the joy that has been placed in this cold Februrary day.

When I get into these little moods I try and focus on something or someone that makes me extremely happy.  I usually always end up landing on the same person everytime. This sweet sweet person never has a day when her face is not filled with the most beautiful smile. She never looks at someone and judges them or thinks they are anything less than extrodinary. She rarely ever complains or expects anything but love from the people around her. She finds the joy in everything and everyone around her. She loves her enemies as her friends. She is fearless in the face of the devil. She is stronger than I will ever be. She shows me love every single day (usually at 5:01pm on the dot). She is the most incredible girl in the world!

She is one of God's most extraordinary gifts to this messy world. She shines the light of his message with her love every day. I am truly so very blessed to be counted among those that gets to be a witness to her joy on a daily basis. I am constantly amazed by her strength and unconditional love. She has taught me so much about how to LIVE life. She has taught me to not let others actions to get you down. To always always tell the ones you love that you LOVE them. To never be afraid to SHOW AFFECTION. She has taught me what real BEAUTY is. She has taught me look for the GOOD in everything. She has taught me to make time to be with FAMILY. She has taught me how to be a SERVANT She has taught me all this and she is only a teenager. I would be lost without her.

So today on my day of struggling to make it through the week, I am going to share with you photos of the girl who always always makes me smile and feel loved. I hope this will help you finish your week too!

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Thankful

Give THANKS to the Lord, call on his name;

make KNOWN among the nations what he has done.

Sing to him, SING PRAISE to him;

tell of all his WONDERFUL acts,

GLORY in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the Lord REJOICE.

Look to the Lord and his STRENGTH;

SEEK his face always.

Psalm 105:1-4

It is a blistery cold day in Amarillo, I heard this morning that it is the coldest it has been since in the early 1900's. So cold that if you stay outside for more than a minute  you will start to develop frostbite on exposed areas. Unfortunately with this cold weather we did not get the snow that was expected. Last winter I was in Abilene wishing I was in Amarillo for the dumping of snow they got, closing the town for days. This year it is Abilene who is experiencing the snow. I am so jealous of my mom, Nana and brother who are locked in their houses surely cuddled in blankets by the fire. However I soon started hearing reports that Abilene is losing power in some areas causing the loss of some heating, that is not something to be jealous of!

I realized the other day that lately in my prayers I have been doing an awful lot of asking: Father please provide healing for so and so, please help me mend this relationship, please do this, please do that. I never seemed to fit in enough Thank You's or much less Praises to him. I am such a blessed person there is so much to be thankful for!

So today I am giving Thanks:
 I am Thankful for the WARM house I have with a working heater.

I am Thankful to have a job that I generally like with a wonderful boss.

I am Thankful for my health and health insurance.

I am Thankful for Cable television, so I can watch the Bachelor (lame I know but I am so into it)

I am Thankful for the wonderful women in my life who help me to be the best I can be and love me unconditionally.

I am Thankful to live in a country where I can worship God openly and freely.

Have a Wonderful Happy Wednesday and Give Thanks to the Lord!!!

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One Step at a Time

Well I have always always known that I am the daughter of an EXTRAORDINARY woman! Her road in life has not been an easy one yet she continues to hold her head up high and praise God for his blessings. She trusts in him completely. I have always been a huge admirer of my mom. It helps that we were the only two girls in our little family. I loved doing anything and everything I could to be with her. I still will go sit in her office at work when I am in town just to be near her.

As we have been trying to learn more and more about the spot on her temporal lobe I know that she has gotten very discouraged listening to all of the "Doctor Talk" around her. I know that she has sat in Doctor's offices and heard different outcomes and odds that were all but what she wanted to hear. I cannot imagine the feelings that she has had to harbor and deal with.

Today I was sitting in a Dr's office thinking about how I always jump to the worst situations in my mind. Immediately upon hearing the news of my mom's diagnosis I went to the very end of the road.  My mind could get away from the end of the road and I just knew I was going to be standing there alone in the end.

My mom told me last week that she has decided to fight this! Telling me that this is just a big bad monster on her back and she is going to do everthing in her power to fight this off and if it comes back, she said, I will fight it again and again. I was so taken back with the determination in her voice. She spoke with such strength and trust. It made me gain an entirely new perspective on not only my mom's diagnosis but my life in general.

I have forgotten how to take life slowly, it seems like time is flying by and I view everything in that manner. Instead of looking at each day I look at weeks, months, years in advance. Today I was sweetly reminded to follow God ONE STEP at a time. I view the huge trials that seem to be standing in my pathway and start thinking way in advance How am I to tackle this? Forgetting that I have the Almighty one who created the Universe beside me.  He will guide my pathway around the mountain or through an easier trail. And if he wants me to climb the mountain he will equip me with the tools needed to tackle it. He even promises to send his angels to watch over me and protect me. God is the one who created the pathway I walk, he knows before I get up each morning what I will face that day and he will never leave me to handle it alone. 2 Corinthians  5:7 calls us to "Walk by Faith not by Sight."

My mom is walking by Faith and not by Sight. She is trusting in the Lord to help her over the mountain should it come to that but is content to for now, take it One Step at a Time.


I have never been more proud to be her daughter!

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Crafties

I have really been trying to be a crafty lady lately. I have been so inspired by the super simple cute things that can be done with few materials, usually even ones that are around the house already. I had a lot of awesome Christmas crafties I wanted to do but it just got to crazy for me to get any of them done. For my birthday last week my wonderful family gave me some awesome crafting tools to get me started. I have this really awesome light I am working on right now. It simply a white lantern globe light that you fold coffee filters up and glue onto it. It has been a major undertaking and will take me several weeks to  complete. Since I am a immediate satisfaction kind of a person  I have taken to Mod Podge for my latest craft projects. Here are a couple of my amateur crafties that I have been doing over the past week. (This post is really for my Momma and Nana who contributed to my craft fund but haven't seen any products yet)

Supplies:

Scrap paper

Mod Podge

Round Tin (Michaels $2.68)

 My lid was not quite as clean as I wanted.... Practice makes perfect, Right?  My orginal plan was to melt a candle in the tin, however after being advised from my co-workers that the tin would get to hot I just put a glassed candle into it.

Once I get on a kick I cant just stop, so I went to Dollar Tree and bought cardboard round giftboxes for a $1 each. They did not do as well as the tins but they were still pretty darn cute.

I felt like I needed a little Valentine's cheer at work so I made this one to hold candy on my desk.

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