I'm a blessed woman

I've got God.

I've got an awesome husband.

I've got a super-cool and compassionate daughter.

I've got two parents who apparently think the world of me. 

I don't have time to go into how I know all of this, but I'll prove the last point by posting a picture of something my mother bought me recently.  Me -- her 35 year old daughter:

*Objects in image are softer and squishier than they appear.

I wrote this post...

...to say, I love you! (sung, of course, to the tune of "I Just Called to Say I Love You" by Stevie Wonder)

I was singing that out loud this morning. While I was driving. With my windows down.

I knew what the title of the post would be, but wasn't sure on the rest.  I'm still not sure! 

I've been a pretty busy lady since the middle of last week.  None of what kept me away from writing blog posts or Examiner articles was in any way bad.  I just had to make priorities out of some stuff, and some of that "stuff" was simply spending time with my family.  If you didn't know that your family should be your number one priority -- email me, we need to talk.

Over the weekend, I told a close family friend that I'm more content now than I have been in my entire life. 

That's huge.  Anyone who has been privy to my family's personal life knows that being able to say something like that, and mean it, is huge.

I decided a few months after moving to Arizona that I wasn't going to let circumstances keep me from moving forward.  Believe me, there were PLENTY of times I felt terribly down.  Moving to the other side of the country away from family and friend was not fun.  I asked the Lord early on to send Christian friends, to help me find a church "home."  I knew I needed to other believers in my life. The back and forth with employment was -- hard.  But, God always sent encouragement to me one way or another. He helped me to keep pressing on through the trouble that came. He showed me that I needed to make sure I didn't ride along with the "storm," but to walk right through it to the other side.

I am content. But being content doesn't mean I'm staying in the same spot physically, mentally, or spiritually. I don't want to get into a rut. I simply have chosen to be thankful and grateful for what I have right now, and keep a vision of even better things to come.

Like Paul said to the Philippians:

I don’t mean to say that I have already achieved these things or that I have already reached perfection. But I press on to possess that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me. (Philippians 3:12 -- NLT)

 I haven't lived out all that God has planned for me, but I will keep going, ever reaching for more of Him, and the abundant life He promised me -- a life worth living!

Peep tragedy...

No pressure here!

I've noticed something since I started writing and blogging regularly. It seems that there's a  "you comment on mine, and I'll comment on yours" type of vibe going on out there. And I want anyone who comes to this site to know that they should never, ever feel any pressure to comment here, subscribe, re-post, Facebook share, tweet, etc. anything you find here. If the Lord leads you to say or do something -- go for it! But, otherwise, please know that I will never be offended.

I'm not here to talk about how awesome I am, or read about how awesome readers think I am -- I'm here to tell everyone and anyone who will listen how awesome HE is. I don't say that to sound super-spiritual. I just want to help all of you be free to just read and enjoy without  feeling obligated in any way.

Love you all!

A word about diligence from the mouth of a 13 year old

One of the kiddo's assignments today was to pick a verse about diligence and to pray over it, asking the Lord to show her something about it just for her.

She chose Proverbs 12:27:

The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting, but diligence is man’s precious possession.

I thought that was pretty good.

So I asked her what precious means. She said that it means something you guard closely. She continued to say that the Lord showed her that without diligence, goals are pointless. Such as her saving up for a guitar, she can go ahead and get the guitar, but if she doesn't diligently study and practice playing it, it's useless.

Awesome. :)

Christian Hope Today

Hey all,

My friends from Texas have started their own blog called Christian Hope Today. They're just getting started -- even thought they, as a ministry, have been around for quite some time now -- but they all ready have a great set of resources up and available to build you up in your faith!

Visit Christian Hope Today!

A public service announcement - general etiquette

3 points of common etiquette to ponder:

1. When walking down a hallway, stay to the right (unless impossible due to other circumstances such as crowds of others not obeying this unwritten rule), much like in driving.

2. Don't ride people's tails when driving.  Even if you aren't in mid-road rage, the car in front of you may assume that you are.

3.  Don't walk by people while talking on your cell phone.  They might think you're talking to them, and say something back, which makes them feel like a major dork when they realize you're on the phone.

That is all--good day!