I'm tired.

I'm tired. More than that, I'm exhausted, and my body hates me right now.   

 

While I've seen so many people enjoying vacation after vacation and really living it up this summer, I've been working.  And not just your average, "this is the real, adult world and I have a job to be at every single day" kind of working. Nope. It's much, much more than that. 

 

It's working two jobs PLUS overtime all.summer.long kind of working. 

 

 

Here's what my average day looks like:

-Wake up at 4:00am

-Get ready for work

-Arrive at work at 6:00am

-WORK

-Get off work at 4:30pm (that's right, 10 hours [at least] EVERY DAY)

-Drive to second job

-Clock in at 5:00pm

-WORK

-Get off work at 9:00pm

-Arrive at home at 9:30pm

-Make/eat supper (all depends on the husband's work schedule)

-Shower

-Entertain the dog so he has some kind of stimulation for the day

-Blog (in all of my spare time)

-Spend about 5 minutes with husband once he gets home from work (usually around 10 or so)

-Go to sleep at 11:00pm

 

This happens every day, unless I specifically request off from job #2 or work 12 1/2 hours in one day for overtime instead of 10 1/2, etc.

 

And the weekends...well, let's see.  Saturday, I'm at work by 7:30 or 8 (depending on IT maintenance hours) and work until noon.  And for the past 11 weeks, I haven't really had time for myself - it's always going here or there or everywhere with things to do and people to see.  No wonder I'm worn out! Sheesh!  I look forward to the weekend in which I can literally spend in my pajamas, sleeping in late, and watching movies all day.  *sigh*

 

And to top it off, there are other responsibilities and commitments that I have to stay on top of...or try to at least.  I know that so many things are lacking in my life right now and not getting the right amount of attention that's truly needed, but I can't help it! I'm tired. Not to complain or anything...

 

Thank God for Colten.  Seriously, that man is nothing short of amazing! We have our ups and downs, sure! Every couple does. But without him, there's seriously no way I would be making it through this long summer! He picks up so much of the homelife duties, it's ridiculous. He vacuums, sweeps, cleans, does dishes, laundry, takes care of the dog, keeps up with our financial budget, listens to my nagging about my day, holds me when I'm upset ... and all on top of working full time and attending school full time! He's pretty much my superman ;). I am so unbelievably blessed to be his wife and to fully have his support. He's constantly telling me to take it easy every now and then and not earn every hour of overtime possible - yeah right! I then explain why it's necessary, and he gives me a giant hug and tells me that he loves me, on top of thanking me for all of the extra effort and hard work I'm putting in to earn every extra dollar that I can. 

 

Okay, to explain a little further, overtime at the OAG is not something that comes along very often. In fact, this is the first time it's been offered in well over ten years. TEN YEARS, y'all! How can I not take full advantage of that?! Let me tell you. I can't. Simple as that! It's been available since mid-May and will continue through the month of August (the end of the fiscal year). So I've literally worked the entire summer, including overtime - about 70-hour weeks! But, it's only one more month, so I've got to kick it in gear, find some energy from somewhere, and push through this last month.  And for those that don't know, in order to earn overtime, you've got to work the regular 40 hour work week (rocket science, I know!), so that means you cannot call in sick or take a day of vacation in order to earn the overtime. That's right, we've been going to work sick.  But not super sick...thank goodness we've held off on that!

 

But in all of the long hours, stressful days, overwhelming feelings, and tears, I am blessed. I am so eternally grateful that this opportunity has presented itself. As a newlywed couple, we still struggle to make ends meet. Colten is still in school until the end of the year and we've got loans coming out of our ears! But seriously, money is tight. And in our moment of need, God provided a way for me to earn extra income! God is oh so good! Nevermind the exhaustion and burning want to just sleep an extra hour or two - there's money to be made! It's truly amazing what you can do if you put your mind to it. I perform on very little sleep each and every day [for the past 3 months] and I've survived. Yep, I'm still alive! (Hallelujah!) And just when I'm ready to say "enough is enough", I get to earn extra income for my family for another month! Praise God!

 

Along this journey, I've increased our income, leaned on my husband for support and was not disappointed in the least, celebrated triumphs with my family, laughed, loved, made new friendships, and furthered other friendships. Basically, I'm living life! And I couldn't be happier! Well, a few hours of sleep here and there and I'd be ECSTATIC! ;)

 

So, I'm tired. So what? Tired is temporary. Glory is forever! And I'm giving all the glory to God, the most deserving of it all. It's because of Him that I am able to accomplish the feats that I have.  It's because of Him that I'm able to get out of bed each and every day to face a new challenge and overcome obstacles.  It's because of Him that I have such an amazing support system that I can turn to no matter what. It's because of Him that my life is amazing and I am able to truly be thankful for it all.

 

How have you spent your summer? Are you ready for fall? I AM! :)

 

You've got to {Have Faith}

Life is hard.  Who's with me?! 

  As a faithful woman, I believe in prayer.  Some of the things I pray for include:   good health peace comfort prosperity understanding hope specific individuals patience acceptance rain a good night's sleep motivation   Seriously, the list goes on and on.  

God never promised that we would live a life without struggle and hardship. It's going to happen. God told us it's going to happen; not 'if', but 'when'. And when it does, that's when our faith is tested the most! 

So many difficult and tragic things happen that cause us to doubt God's existence and whether or not His way is the right way. Click here for a list of a few of the tragedies since 1995 that have shocked our nation to the core. 

Faith is not questioned only on the large-scale issues, but in everyday life as well. "Why is my loved one facing such financial ruin?" "Why is my mother so sick?" "Why is there not enough food to go around for everyone?" "Why does cancer even exist?" "Why is there so much suffering in the world?"

Why does God allow tragedy and suffering?

The answer is simple: "I do not know." 

I cannot stand in God's shoes with His mind.  He knows all things; we don't.  But it is written,

Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. - 1 Corinthians 13:12

When you ask about specific events and want to know why a particular thing happened, we don't get the full answer in this world.  Someday, we'll see with clarify, but for now things are foggy. We have a finite perspective of everything, and we simply cannot understand it all. 

To those going through a difficult time, whether it be the effects of a mass casualty situation, the loss of a loved one by cancer, financial hardship, or poverty, they desperately need the real and comforting presence of Jesus Christ in their lives so that they may know peace. 

It's very well known that when you pray for something, the way you perceive and ask of it is not necessarily how it will happen.  God has a plan for everything and everyone.  You've got to have faith that when it's time, it'll happen. It's so easy to get frustrated and caught up in your own wants and needs - I'm guilty of this all too often.  I just take a deep breath and remind myself that it's all in His hands, and I trust in Him. 

When you're questioning 'why', remember:

1. God is not the creator of evil and suffering. 

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. - Genesis 1:31

This answers the question we hear all too often: "Why didn't God merely create a world where tragedy and suffering didn't exist?"  HE DID!  Love is the highest value in the universe, and God wanted us to experience love.  But in order to have the ability to experience this, God had to give us free will to decide whether or not to love.  Love always involves a choice.  As humans, we've abused our free will by rejecting God and walking away from Him.  Enter, evil. 

2. Though suffering isn't good, God can use it to accomplish good.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. - Romans 8:28

This is God's promise that he will cause good to emerge, not that he causes evil and suffering. If we're committed to following Him, he promises that good will come of every bad and terrible situation.  Think about it, when you're completely encompassed in tragedy, grief, and anger, do you think to yourself, "Hey, it's okay because I know that good will become of this situation.  I know I will better because I have experienced this pain." The answer 90% of the time is no.  Of course you don't. You are so terribly hurt and are grieving that you do not see outside of that particular situation - sometimes for years to come. But God does - He knows that experiencing what you did will cause you to become better because of it, if not only stronger to deal with the next wave of suffering. 

3. The day is coming when suffering will cease and God will judge evil.

The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, as some understand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. - 2 Peter 3:9

The Bible says that the story of this world is not over yet.  The day will come when sickness and pain will be eradicated and people will be held accountable for the evil they've committed.  (and here comes my all-time favorite sentence...) Justice will be served in a perfect way.  That day will come, but not yet.  Why? Well, God is waiting for US. He is holding out that more will come to follow His will and spend eternity in Heaven.  We are still a work in progress, people!  This also reminds us that life is short and is very fragile.  We've all seen it! We have got to have faith and live our lives even amongst the pain and suffering.  You never know when your last day will be your last.

4. Our suffering will pale in comparison to what God has in store for his followers.

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. - 2 Corinthians 4:17

Now, that's pretty heavy.  But when you put your bad days into context, they aren't worth comparing with the 'eternity of blessings and joy' you are to experience. God promises a time with no more tears, no more heartache, no more agony when we will be reunited with God in perfect harmony, forever. 

No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him. - 1 Corinthians 4:9

5. We decide whether to turn bitter or turn to God for peace and courage.

I have told you these things so that in me you may have peace. You will have suffering in this world. But be courageous! I have conquered the world. - John 16:33

I've personally seen the same (or near similar) set of circumstances cause one person to reject God and become bitter and another to turn to God and become more gentle and loving.  That's right, we get to decide. Are you going to let what is currently happening momentarily in your life fill your heart with hatred and turn away from God?  Or are you going to allow it to fill your heart with peace and comfort knowing that it was God's will to be done?  Again, you get to decide. 

God offers us two things we need when we're hurting: peace to deal with our present and courage to deal with our future. Check out this excerpt:

Through His own suffering and death, He has deprived this world of its ultimate power over you. Suffering doesn’t have the last word anymore. Death doesn’t have the last word anymore. God has the last word!

How amazing! That definitely lifts my spirit when I'm in a dark place. Suffering is a personal problem; it demands a personal response.  My response is that you've got to have faith.  Salvation comes from knowing Christ personally and receiving His provision for YOUR sin and YOUR future. It comes from making him YOUR Savior, by asking Him to forgive YOUR every sin, and by asking Him to lead YOUR life. 

This post was inspired by and references a message delivered by Lee Strobel at Cherry Hills Community Church in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. 

Life Lessons

I've seen this floating around, and I really wanted to share it with even more readers and remind everyone of these amazingly true life lessons!  No matter how old you are...

Regina Brett’s 45 life lessons and 5 to grow on

As published in The Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio, Sunday May 28, 2006. “To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me. It is the most-requested column I’ve ever written. My odometer rolls over to 50 this week, so here’s an update:”

1. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

4. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

7. Cry with someone. It’s more healing than crying alone.

8. It’s OK to get angry with God. He can take it.

9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.

10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

11. Make peace with your past so it won’t screw up the present.

12. It’s OK to let your children see you cry.

13. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn’t be in it.

15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don’t worry; God never blinks.

16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.

17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.

18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.

19. It’s never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.

20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don’t take no for an answer.

21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don’t save it for a special occasion.

Today is special.

22. Overprepare, then go with the flow.

23. Be eccentric now. Don’t wait for old age to wear purple.

24. The most important sex organ is the brain.

25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: “In five years, will this matter?”

27. Always choose life.

28. Forgive everyone everything.

29. What other people think of you is none of your business.

30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

32. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

33. Believe in miracles.

34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn’t do.

35. Whatever doesn’t kill you really does make you stronger.

36. Growing old beats the alternative – dying young.

37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.

38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.

39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.

40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else’s, we’d grab ours back.

41. Don’t audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

42. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

45. The best is yet to come.

46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

48. If you don’t ask, you don’t get.

49. Yield.

50. Life isn’t tied with a bow, but it’s still a gift.

 
   

{Family} Shenanigans

This weekend was a blast!  Seriously.   Friday, I was harassed because not only had I not seen the movie 'Red', I hadn't even heard of it! My sister thought this was ludicrous, so we proceeded to an evening watching Red before she had to go into work.  I felt honored because she was willing to wake up early and have me over!  Ironically, Red was on TNT this weekend ... *heh*.   Saturday, I worked overtime (yes...I work six days a week...#ithinkican) and then relaxed for a few hours on our couch with our doggy catching up on some television.  Score!  Then, I headed over (literally, walked) to the movie theater with my brother and sister to watch Red 2! It was sooooo good!  It was also great to spend some time with my siblings!  

  one//rainbow after the movie on Saturday two//main event entertainment! super awesome place three//proof of the one and only time I did good during our two hours of bowling four//Red 2 'nuff said!   Sunday, my parents headed to Austin to pick up a very giant, very heavy box that's been living in our garage for like a week...which meant some family time!  We headed out to a late lunch at Pappadeaux, which was amazing!  I hadn't been there in forever, and know I remember why: we're poor and Pappadeaux is not a good place for your wallet... ;).  But the food was amazing and the company was even better!  THANKS MOM & DAD!   After lunch, we took a very scenic route to Main Event Entertainment.  My dad got a new truck recently, and we tested its navigational skills.  Truck got game! Ha! :)  When we arrived, we were told it would be about a half hour wait, not too bad for a Sunday afternoon!  We ultimately didn't have to wait that long, and we got our bowl on! Josh had perfect timing for his arrival - he had been playing bball with some friends prior to that and decided to come bowl with us, and he showed up right when it was his turn!  

Please ignore the poor picture quality. K thanks.

We had a blast!  Especially when our time was running out and we decided to try to see how many frames we could get through in like 12 minutes - super hilarious by the way!  But today, my body is not happy with me!  My hand is sore and my knee hurts - typical Bri stuff, you know.  For those that don't know, I'm a klutz and am typically injured in some odd form or fashion.  This reminds me of my high school years when I showed up for two-a-days on crutches (or maybe just a pretty bad limp and busted up leg) after a vacation at the Frio.  My coaches just shook their heads at me...hey, it wasn't my fault the river beat me up!  At least I still showed up for two-a-days, right?? :-D  Speaking of two-a-days, though, thank GOODNESS those days are over.  Seriously.    After bowling, we headed back to mine and Colten's apartment and said our goodbyes.  Mom and dad headed home, as did Josh.  Colten and I enjoyed our evening in watching Yours, Mine, and Ours and planning our meals for the week.  My husband is amazing and agreed to buy groceries by himself tomorrow.  So sweet!  Especially because after a long afternoon, all I wanted to do was curl up on the couch with a blanket and rest!    Linking up with Sami today. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------   To all the prayer warriors out there (yes, that means YOU), I have a prayer request.    Please keep my family in your prayers, especially my grandfather and his children.  This is another difficult time on this long journey and it definitely hasn't been easy.  Please pray that they may be comforted in any way possible and that they find the peace, patience, and strength to make it through.    I won't get into all of the details on here at this time, but any and all prayers are greatly appreciated!   ---------------------------------------------------------------------------

Have a blessed week, y'all! ♥
 

{Jeweled Frame}: DiY

Have you ever felt that your home decor just needed 'something' but you couldn't quite place your finger on it?

 

Well, problem solved RIGHT.HERE. 

 

That's right. This weekend, I tackled a project, from start to finish! Y'all, this is BIG because that almost never happens!  (good thing it was easy)

 

I have sort of a gallery wall up in our apartment and absolutely love it! However, I keep feeling that something is just 'missing'.  Our color scheme is neutrals/browns with turquoise accents.  Very rustic and VERY warming.  I love it! But, I just couldn't place what was missing.  But then it hit me - that wall had nothing with the turquoise/blue accent! It was a beige wall with tones of naturals and browns hanging on it in the decor.  And I just had to fix it. 

 

Saturday after working some overtime, I headed over to the Dollar Tree.  Yes, I'm a proud supporter and frequent shopper of the place. It's a DOLLAR, mom! (great memories).  I picked up some supplies for only a dollar and headed home.  

 

I present: 

 

 

What you need:

//gems

//frame

//hot glue gun

 

That's all? 

 

YES!  This was a seriously inexpensive project and I'm absolutely in love with the final product! 

 

 

 

I've had the frame for a while now, and it's just been hanging on the wall like this ^^.  Pretty pathetic, I KNOW! My husband jokes that we have random family members up on the wall becasue I have several frames with no printed pictures in them.  Sad day.  BUT, one day, that'll all change - I hope!

 

Directions:

Because you haven't already figured it out from here, all you do is simply glue the gems onto the border of the frame!  I used the small gems and they fit PERFECTLY!

 

 

**disclaimer**

I did set out the gems on the frame prior to gluing them, because I was afraid of getting to the end of a side and having more frame but not enough room for a gem, so I'd definitely recommend that!

 

Also, if your frame is wider, you can do a fun design or use different size gems! It's up to you!  And my inspiration, this post from The Fun Cheap or Free Queen. Seriously, you can glue these suckers on ANYTHING to bring some life to it!  So awesome. 

 

Here's my final product:

 

Now to print a picture to get up in that beauty!  Yes, 'up in that'! :-) 

Have a blessed Wednesday, friends! 

And any Wednesday would not be complete without this:

The Girl {Behind the Blog}

Today, a little more about me! Hey, it's my blog and I can do what I want! 

I'm a country girl and will forever love spending time in the country, even though I live and work in the city. 

It's no secret that my family is they key to my life! I absolutely love and cherish them with all my heart. Without them, I wouldn't be the woman I am today.They  support me, laugh with me, laugh at me, encourage me, and just listen to me when I'm super emotional and having a rough day. 

What I'm loving:
My life! I've definitely had some ups and downs in the past, and I know that more are ahead of me, but I truly feel I'm in a great place in my life right now.

What I'm hating:
If I'm being honest, it's working two jobs.  I hate working two jobs!! It's really no secret. BUT, I know that it's what's needed right now in my life to support my little family, and I know it's not forever.  I'm blessed for the opportunity to work both jobs and to earn extra income. Some people struggle to find one job, and I have two.  I'm blessed, I know. :)

Current goals:
Save money! Colten and I have truly been working on this, and it's hard!  But, we've been doing pretty well for the most part.  I'm proud of us!
Better our (Colten and I's) relationship with God. This is a never-ending journey, but we are really trying to deepen our faith and relationship with God, together. 
Stay positive. With so much going on in life, it's easy to get stuck in the current mindset of negativity.  It's easy to throw yourself a pity party.  Instead, I'm striving to stay positive and truly cherish each and every day.  I can't say that I've always been able to do that, so I'm definitely improving!
Be a better blogger. This goal is mostly for myself, but also for my readers! I honestly have no idea how many of you are out there, but I know of a few that are faithful to reading my words of wisdom (ha!) and I'm very thankful! I'm hoping, praying, and striving to blog better about my life - have more heartfelt posts, more posts in general, and I'm going to ATTEMPT to take more time to organize my blog and posts better... Fingers crossed!

Biggest fear right now:
Honestly, my biggest fear right now is the unknown. I apparently like to be in control of things, and big changes scare me. I know it's all a part of life and God's big plan, but it's a genuine fear of mine.

Biggest worry:

I'm a general worry-er. I suffer from anxiety often. But I'd say my biggest worry right now is money. Although we're in a better place than we used to be, we've still got a long road ahead of us.  But we're definitely making great progress!

What I'm reading: 

I'm currently reading 'The Help' by Kathryn Stockett. Several co-workers and friends have not let up on their nagging kind reminders that I 'must read' this book and am way behind the rest of the world.  "Hurry up and read it!" they say.  "You'll love it!" they say.  We'll see ;).

Wishing: 

I'm wishing that I'm able to realistically live up to the expectations of myself, my husband, and my family.

Favorite: 

Song - I Wanna Channing all over your Tatum (y'all, watch this video!); but seriously, Blown Away by Carrie Underwood

Color - pink!

Phrase - When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.

Pastime - Lately, sleeping!

Animal - Dogs; I love my puppy! And yes, he's more than two years old, but he will forever be my little puppy. :)

Drink - I'm loving the Bud Light Straw-Ber-Ritas! Mmmmm.

A few defining moments of my life so far:

1. That time I wrecked my family to the core.

2. The tragic death of my grandmother.

3. College

4. My wedding day (I really need to write about that..soon..)

What a day in my life looks like right now:

I will start by saying that this will not be exciting. I work...a lot!

I wake up at 4:00am and get to work at 6am for overtime. I leave that job at 4:30pm and go straight to job #2 and work until 9:00pm. I get home around 9:30pm, take a shower, grab some  food, kiss my husband, and go to sleep to do it all over again the next day. 

Driving to work...something I do ALL.THE.TIME.

So, there you have it! A little bit more about the girl behind the blog!

Feed your Dreams; Starve your Fears

Go to work, work two jobs, work THREE jobs (?!), give up on keep up with housework, tweet what you're doing, blog about it, take lots of blog-worthy pictures, edit said pictures, instagram said pictures, post it all over facebook to hope that someone cares enough to read what you have to say and cross your fingers that comments will ensue (seriously, you're reading it anyway...why wouldn't you comment?!), check email, respond to email, tweet about nothingness, text your parents, text your friends, text your parents' friends, take more pictures, post more pictures, get back to work, cuddle with your husband, force your husband to take pictures together to keep in a folder on your computer for all of eternity, instagram those photos for all of your social networking friends can show you some love, go to church, keep up with your bible study, fall behind in your bible study, feel terrible, cry about something stupid, be an emotional disaster, tweet about how hard you believe your life is, throw a pity party, be sad that your friends have no time for you, text your friends, check your phone five billion times for social media updates/text messages/phone calls, eat, meet up with friends, be crazy, be random, be YOU, post about YOU on twitter, facebook, and instagram - blog about how awesome YOU are, answer emails, reply to texts, get sucked into that mindless game on your phone, eat, cry again, cry some more, check facebook, call your parents, sleep for a few hours...

And that's all in one day.  DUHHH!

In today's society, life is hectic. But in all of that mess, it's easy to lose sight of yourself.  Life is hard.  No matter if you grew up in the 60's, 90's, or 2000's, it's hard.  It has its ups and downs and all arounds, and a lot of times, it's not fair.  But it's absolutely important to remain true to yourself.  You've got to be courageous. 

Be confidant in who you are - no one can be YOU better than you can!  Do you have dreams? Go after them!  Is there someone keeping you down?  Release yourself from their grasp!  Life is absolutely too precious to not life it to its fullest. 

This week, I began a bible reading plan on my YouVersion app on my phone.  The title of the plan:

COURAGE

Don't belittle yourself just because there may be someone better looking than you or better at their job than you may be.  Everyone starts somewhere, and it's up to you how you want to achieve your dreams. 

And in all of the craziness that is life, you've got to keep one thing in mind: Success in life requires one important tool - God's Word.  It's not enough to simply own His Word - we must use it, read it, meditate it, obey it. 

Have I not commanded you?  BE STRONG and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. - Joshua 1:9

Don't be afraid to be successful.  Don't be afraid to be yourself and strive for excellence.  It's okay if you fail, even if it happens time and time again.  Because remember, nobody is perfect.  Nobody skips through life completely unscathed and blemish free.  It just doesn't happen.  We all fall on our asses time and time again, but I know that I will succeed because I will trust in God, even if he chooses not to grant every prayer and petition I offer up to Him. 

Daniel 3:17 says, "If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and He will deliver us from Your Majesty's hand." 

Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego allowed themselves to be bound and thrown into the furnace becasue they did not serve Nebuchadnezzar's gods or worship the image of gold he had set up.  They knew that God could save them, but they also trusted Him even if He chose not to do so.  When life doesn't go the way you'd hoped, and you're stuck in the furnace, will you choose to trust that God is still good? 

I will.  I do. 

Just recently, I received some not-so-great news about my husband's job, and I took out my anger on him.  Was I wrong? Absolutely!  Did he forgive me? Of course!  Did I apologize? Heck yes!  Repeatedly.  It's easy to be quick to anger and slow to peace, but I've got to make a conscious effort to change it all around.  I just have to remember that God is good all the time.  He knows what my future holds.  He knows every twist and turn that my life has taken and will take in the future.  But because I fully trust in Him, I know peace. 

I have dreams.  I have obstacles in the way of those dreams.  But I don't give up.  I won't.  My dreams will be fed, day in and day out, with my husband by my side and the Lord as my guide.  That doesn't mean it will be a seamless path, because I know for a fact that it won't be.  I'm learning every day to not let my fears win; to not miss out on the ride of a lifetime by giving in to my fears. 

Do you dare? 

Be Smart Before You Channing

Happy Monday!    Yes, I said 'Happy Monday'! Want to know why it's happy?    Well, here you go!      Please excuse Miley Cyrus ... she's not really important here.    This video was played repeatedly over the weekend.  And, it was incorporated into a board game we finally finished creating ... super exciting stuff!  If you rolled snake eyes, you had to 'Channing all over your tatum' - which really meant you put your hands in the air and wave around like an idiot - FUN STUFF!    Our family is forever doing weird things like that, which is why I love them so much!  We had an absolute blast this weekend, and it was a great fourth of July!    You were able to see all of these fun happenings if you follow me on Instagram.  We're hilarious.    But seriously, I had a GREAT weekend!!  

  1//4th of July picnic 2//Sexy Hexy boardgame is close to completion 3//brushfire on the way home :( 4//st.john picnic fireworks! 5//picnic with my brother! :) 6//my dad & I made egg sandwiches for breakfast at midnight on the 4th. 7//my cousin - new lock screen! 8//we now have a brand new baby calf on the farm! he's a cutie! 9//brother and cousin planking after lunch ... just a normal Friday afternoon 10//I caught a picture of this cloud on Wednesday night. GORGEOUS!    And now for more pics of Channing :)  

   And it wouldn't be complete without the outtakes:     YOU'RE WELCOME!     Linking up with Sami today!

Home of the Free BECAUSE of the Brave

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, AMERICA!       Today is a day to celebrate our freedom and independence!  It's taken for granted much too much these days, so we need to be thankful for our freedom!    We are blessed that our soldiers sacrifice their own lives so that we may live free - so that we may make decisions for ourselves every single day.    THANK YOU - to all of our troops fighting for our freedom!    HAPPY BIRTHDAY AMERICA!  It truly is home of the free because of the brave.  And brave they are.

I Have a Life?!

I just love when life gets in the way of blogging ... it means I have a life! :)   But seriously, Colten and I went on vacation this past weekend, which was a BLAST!  (stay tuned for more on that later this week...hopefully!) At least until I got very, very sick.  Yesterday was spent in bed...seriously, the entire day!  Today is much better, and then tomorrow starts the long holiday weekend, so I'm pumped about that!   Today, I'm being featured on the wonderful Brittany's blog.  We were paired up through last month's Cara Box Exchange and it's been great getting to know her and her sweet, sweet family.  I did a short little Q&A for her, so hop on over to check it out to learn a little bit more about me! :)   I also canNOT believe it's July already!  Holy smokes!  Seriously, half of 2013 is over already.  Plus, it's officially summer, which means it's HOTT!  But on the plus side, less than 6 months until Christmas! ♥    Also, the lovely Google Reader is disappearing right before our very eyes.  At least, that's what I hear.  I've had multiple reports (from various bloggers) that some still have access and some do not.  So I'm not sure when or if it's actually leaving for good, but in case it is, have no fear, I'M STILL HERE!  You can follow me on Bloglovin', for starters!  Just click on that pretty blue button ...     Or, you can find me on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook! You can also follow my Pinterest boards or email me.  See those pretty pink icons over there (under my blurg about myself)? <------------------------------------------------------> Yeah, you can CLICK ON THEM and they'll take you to the different social media outlets in order to reach me.  Pretty cool, huh?  Yep, I thought so too.    And, some encouragement for this beautiful Tuesday:     Go forth and LIVE YOUR LIFE, friends! Happy Tuesday! Make it count :).