Matters of the Heart

Do you really want to know Me?

Yes, of course- have You heard my prayers? I know that You have, but why would You ask me that already knowing my answer?

I said- do you really want to know Me?

. . . . yes. Very much so.

And you know those things that I have laid on your heart- those commands- that you continue to push aside. . continue to make seem unimportant.. are you ready to be obedient?

Yes, my Lord. Beginning now. Father, forgive my disobedient heart.

Did you know satan desires to sift you like wheat?

Without faith it is impossible to please me, because anyone who comes to me must believe that I exist and that I will reward those who earnestly seek me!

Do you have faith that I know best?

Do you know that I LOVE you? Do you realize just how much?

My desire is not to harm you, but to give you a future and hope!

So, why are you squandering?

Will you- call out to me and go and pray to Me? Seek Me and find Me and search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you. All you have to do is COME TO ME!

Some of my favorite words in the Bible - COME TO ME. The Lord laid those words on my heart a few months back, and I can't get enough. No matter where I read them- OT/NT, Jesus speaking to the little children . . . where ever they are in my Bible, they are highlighted. I wrote some of this in my journal a few weeks back during a quiet time with Him and the Lord revealed more of it to me last night. I LOVE that. You going about your day, about your schedule and then BOOM. He lets you know. His way, His time. And I am thankful. Thankful because He pulls me out of confusion, out of my "go at it my own way" tendencies that end up being messes. One of my teachers was talking last night and he said imagine if Eve would have just had faith! Can you imagine the difference in the outcome? She thought her own way was better. We do too. Alot.

I pray that God strips me of all self - of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING the world says is good or right or best. I want what He wants. I want Him. I want to know Him different than I ever have.

Blessings,

Rainy Days and Mondays . .

Thanking God for the rain this morning! We really needed it. I have to say though, I am very unmotivated on this Monday morning. I could have stayed home all day! We had a really busy weekend. On Friday, 2 of our close friends got married! They got married earlier on Friday with just parents and grandparents and had a really nice reception on Friday night. We had such a great time! Alot of our friends from college were able to come, so it was fun catching up with all of them. I actually have a few pictures, but can't find my cord to get them on the computer. I'll get them up tomorrow. Saturday night, we cooked out at my brother's and watched the Carolina game. Very disappointing. Very. That's all I really want to say about it! Yesterday after church we had a family reunion- on my dad's side. The food was delicious, as it always is. Jason and I enjoyed an afternoon on the couch with Gracie sleeping and listening to the rain. It was marvelous. There was so much I needed to be doing, but sometimes it's more important to just spend time with those you love.

So, did you have a good, restful weekend? I don't know that ours was restful because we have been on the go non stop since last Monday, but it was defiantly good. Mondays always come to soon!

Still Full

I'm not going to lie- I am STILL stuffed from last night! But, it was oh so good!!

Birthday Boy



Supper- YUMMMM!!!!!!!



Happy Birthday to You! Daniel's rice cake. . .

Daniel & Clary

Mom and Dad

My Sweetie and I



GREAT red velvet cake Clary made. .

We had a great time with you guys! I hope you had a wonderful 25th birthday Daniel!

So, what's going on this weekend? I hope we start to experience some more fall-ish weather pretty soon. We have taken some steps backwards the past few days and it is feeling like mid summer- humidity and all! I can't wait for cool mornings and nights.

Happy Friday!

10 Things!

10 RaNdOm things about me:

1. I always wanted to be a police woman. I really think I would have been a good one. Sometimes, after I watch a good episode of Cops, I even run through the whole "Sir, would you please step out of the vehicle" bit with Jason and administer a fake arrest. My family gets a kick out of this. Trust me, it's funny.

2. I use to take a bath every night. I mean a nice, long, hot bath in my huge corner jacuzzi tub. This was one major factor in us buying our house. I have not been in the thing in over a year. Now, the only time I get in is if I am sick and running a temperature. Main reason- it's too much trouble to clean! (I do take showers every night now- and morning too!)

3. My husband played college level baseball- he and my brother were best friends before Jason and I even met. This is so special to me.

4. My cousin (1st cousin-not distant!) is on TV. The new 90210, to be specific. She plays Silver- AKA Erin Silver, Kelly & David's little sister for all you 90210 watchers. Google her- her name is Jessica Stroup. We see each other a couple of times a year. Here is a picture of us last Christmas-

From Right to Left: Jessica, Me, David (Jessica's brother) and Lauren (David's wife)

5. 2 years ago me, my mom and my grandmother took a summer trip to Washington and NYC. It was amazing! Just girls- and we had a blast! We decided that we would like to make our girls trip an annual event! This year, my aunt joined us and we went to Savannah, GA. It was really fun! Wonder where we can go next year?!!

L to R: Mom, Me, Mama Gayle, Aunt Deedie

6. I have been in 2 wrecks my whole life- When I was in 11th grade, I hit a school bus . . head on. I walked away with scrapes and bruises and a hurt finger. The other time, I was driving me and my brother to school. I leaned down to get something out of the floor board and lost control. We fish tailed, swerved off the road and landed in between 2 trees. It was so tight, my brother could not open the passenger door from the inside.

7. I love honey mustard, Dr. Pepper and plain M&M's mixed with peanut butter!

8. I am going to try to learn to play golf this fall. Can't remember if I mentioned or not, but Jason got me my very own set of clubs! I tried to play some this summer, but it was just too hot- for me!

9. My favorite day of the week is Thursday.

10. My favorite disciple is Peter.

That was fun! I read alot of blogs and really enjoy when people do just random lists of stuff- either about their families or their favorite things. It feels like you get to know people better. I decided to do my own today! Maybe this will help you know me better.

Today is my brother's 25th birthday! Happy Birthday Daniel! We are going to celebrate tonight with dinner at a Japanese steak house. I have been looking forward to it so much, that I did not eat much lunch in hopes of really filling up tonight! I am so hungry now though. I think I will have to have a snack.

My sister-in-law's wedding was absolutely beautiful on Saturday. We could not have asked for a better day. The weather was the best it could have been, the bride looked beautiful, the food was great and the celebration even better. The newly weds are in St. Lucia on their honeymoon. I know they are having a blast. Congrats Jason & Anna!

I started class 2 Monday nights ago and it is going really well. I have alot of outside work that I have only just begun to work on. It is going to be intense. But, I have and am learning so much that it is not really that bad. Just time consuming and lots of information. I will get through it though. I can't wait to see how God is going to use this in my life.

Have a great Thursday night- I know I will as I over eat!

And the Winner is . . .

Hayden!!

This was my first season watching Big Brother. We are Survivor watchers. Love, Love, Love Survivor- especially the last season (Hero's v. Villains). Jason and I were so sad when Survivor ended. It's one of the only shows we watch together (and with my family) every week. Some of our friends suggested we start watching BB. All I knew about BB was that it came on way too much (every Wed,. Thurs., and Sun.), and I wasn't really sure that I wanted to be that involved! But, we started watching when this season began and did not miss an episode. I am afraid we will be watching from now on! I didn't really care who won between Hayden and Lane- I liked them both equally. My favorites were Britney, Matty and Ragan. They were all so funny! I am glad we started watching!

Now . . . Survivor is back on. I am not really getting into it this year. Russell MADE the show last year, and without him it is just . . well, boring really! Jimmy Johnson (football coach) is a contestant, so that might make things interesting. I don't know though, it just didn't really hold my attention last night. We will see in the weeks to come. I am not giving up on it yet!

We have a busy weekend. Jason's sister is getting married Saturday, so we have to get ready for that. The rehearsal dinner is tomorrow night, and we are looking forward to visiting with friends and family. I will try to remember to take pictures!

Today is my Friday- I am off tomorrow! I hope you have a blessed weekend!

Monday Already?

Where do the weekends go?! I mean really!

I am not ready for today. As a matter of fact, frazzled would be a great word to describe yours truly at the moment. This morning began different than most because Jason had to leave way earlier than usual. He has a 2 day class in Columbia (about 1 1/2 hours away) so he had to be gone by 5:30 or he would get in traffic. Now, without Jase there in the morning to keep us rolling, we don't do well at all. He is the first one up, takes care of Gracie and gets me going- like clockwork, every morning. So, after he left, I reset the alarm and went back to sleep. When I woke up, late, I realized that my work pants I had washed last night were still in the washing machine. I totally forgot about them. So, I had to rewash them this morning . . and was left with very little to choose from as far as cute work outfits go. Slim pickins' to say the least. Finally settled on something (after a lengthy debate) that I am still not satisfied with. And I don't know about y'all, but if I am not satisfied with what i have on, it effects my whole day- for the negative. I feel messy. (I think I get this from grandmother who is a real piece of work.) So, not only do I feel messy today because of my outfit, but also because I parted my hair way too much on one side. Can you feel me?!

As if that is not enough, I began to smell something as I was getting ready. The faint smell of . . . . . skunk?! Is that what I was smelling? Surely not. Please tell me not. But, yep! There it was, knocking me down as I went to get in the car. Sometime between when Jason left, and when I left, a skunk sprayed in or very very near our garage. Y'all- what to do?! I dread going home. I hope it won't seep even more into my house. I don' t know if I can take it!!

On a brighter note, we had a great weekend! Saturday, I had my sister-in-law's bridesmaid luncheon. She is getting married this weekend and I am so excited for them. The luncheon was great! We enjoyed fresh salads (potato, chicken, grape and pasta) on a gorgeous wrap around, covered porch with the best mountain views you can imagine. On Saturday night, we met my our friends Loren and Chad, and their sweet baby Landry, for dinner at Mellow Mushroom. This was the first time we had ever been there and it was so good! As a matter of fact, even better the next day. This is the only picture I got this weekend.

Look at sweet baby Landry!! Isn't she just precious?! Thanks, Loren and Chad! We had a great time!!

I have to get mentally ready for class tonight. Hopefully, I can put aside all the happenings of this morning and concentrate! Hope you all have great Monday!

It's That Time Again . .

After a nice, relaxing summer break- it is time to get back in the swing of things!

I briefly mentioned in one of my first blog posts about a class in biblical counseling I have been taking on Monday nights. The class is actually every Monday night from 6:30-9:30 - 40 mins from where I live - beginning in September and ending in May. This coming Monday will mark the first class of my second year. I have to be honest, at first, I was really nervous about making the commitment. Mondays are tough anyway. I didn't know how this was going to work initially, but I just trusted that God would light the way. He had brought me to this class, after all. I was most nervous about getting the blessing of my husband. I wasn't really sure what his reaction would be- I couldn't even tell him why I wanted to do this, other than I knew that's where my Father wanted me. We went to dinner one Friday night before I had to have all the paperwork in the following week, and I just asked him. I didn't know of any other way than to just kind of lay it out there. I couldn't have imagined a better reaction! Not only was he okay with my commitment, he was also encouraging, and that felt good. So, I am gearing up for my final year. Last year was amazing. I was blessed to be able to sit under some fantastic instructors/pastors. This year I know will be just as good, if not better. I hope to be able to blog about some of the topics we cover. You know, our way and God's way are usually- almost always!- not the same. Learning God's way, and sharing it with others, practicing it everyday and in every way, is growth! It's moving closer to Him, becoming more like Him, choosing Him above all else- it's what we are created for!

"Therefore encourage one another and build each other up . ."

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Just Like 2 Peas . .

Jason and I had a great anniversary yesterday. Despite me being sick, we had a great evening! You would know I would get my annual sinus infection the week of my anniversary. Luckily, I am on the tail end of it. And, I could actually taste my dinner!! Major headway. I wanted to share what Jason got me. It is so thoughtful, and one of my most treasured gifts from him.

Can you tell what it is?? 2 Peas in a Pod! It is a beautiful necklace by Lucina K. Art Jewelry. The pea is hand sculpted to fit the 2 freshwater pearl "peas" inside. This is my necklace, but I found a better pic on their website so you can see it alittle better-

Aren't they beautiful?!

Jase also got me a beautiful and unique pearl bracelet. I tried to take a pic of it, but none of them were doing it justice. Maybe it's an operator problem! I am wearing both today and love them! I am so blessed to have a husband who loves me and wanted to make our day special.

Thank you for a great day Jason! I love you!

Happy Anniversary

Happy Anniversary Jason!

Today, Jason and I celebrate our 3 year wedding anniversary! It's hard to believe, really. It seems like just yesterday we were going on our first date!

Thank you for 3 wonderful years, Jase! Can't wait for many, many more. I love you!

This & That

We had a really special celebration last night.

My cousin and her husband have not been able to have children of their own. More than likely, they will not be able to. So, for the last several years they have been foster parents to many children. And, by God's grace, they were even able to adopt a precious little boy along the way! Last night, they were preparing to say goodbye to a little girl they have had in their home for about a year now. Sometimes, these kids end up back in their parents' home. But, this little girl is being adopted today! She was so excited. We had a little celebration last night for her complete with gifts and cake! She kept telling me over and over again" I am going to live with my new mommy tomorrow! " As mom and I were saying our goodbyes, I noticed mom quickly slipped out before me and I knew she had gotten emotional. And you know, that's really easy to do- this child has been part of our family for the last year. But, her life really begins today!! She is part of a family now that chose her, I hope has prayed for her, can give her opportunity and love beyond measure. And this is how our God works! He takes bad and turns into good! His strength shown mightily in a seemingly weak situation. It is power.

We have new friends at our house.

Yes, that is a hummingbird! There is a story behind this..

A few weeks ago, me, Jason and the rest of my family had dinner at my grandpa's house. They have a sun room and he had a hummingbird feeder suctioned to the window. As I sat and looked out, one of his hummingbirds flew right up and began drinking. I was mesmerized. Others would fly up and they would fight each other off . . and I could have watched all evening. (I did alot of the evening). As long as you are still and don't make any sudden movements, you can get as close as you want to the window! I have never been into bird watching or anything associated with birds really, but that has changed! I asked my Papa Lane all kinds of questions about hummingbirds, how he mixed his water, so on and so on that night. I had the intention of going and buying a feeder the next day, but had just about decided to wait until next year. Sunday night he shows up at my house with my own feeder! He even helped Jason and I get the sugar water mixed and attached to the window- ready to go! I was so afraid that we would not have any birds. Do you know that by Monday we had our own hummingbird?! As of yesterday, we have 2 now. This excites me! I love watching them come and drink. Jason took these pics this morning. I love that he wanted to capture this for me! Thanks babe!

Aren't they sweet?! I hope they will come back next year. Gracie has not seen them yet. I hope she doesn't. I don't want her to scare them off. Here is a pic of her a few mornings ago in her usual spot-

Couldn't leave this baby out!

"So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:21