Love These People

Saturday Morning Beauty

The beauty of Saturday morning. After my run I came home to a sleeping family. My favorite time of the week, my family is content and I have a cup of coffee and book. Totally perfect! 

The Struggle

 

The struggle is real. Some of you may read this and think I’m being a little ridiculous but it’s a true statement, coming from my heart. I have tasted something so sweet in worship. I know what it’s like to be undone in front of The Lord, I know what it’s like to leave worship on a ten and fully exhausted.  I get it, I get that my eternity is waiting and those moments of worship that I love, long for and hate to let go are waiting for me in a form I will never feel, see or quench this side of Heaven. I was able to have the most enjoyable time of worship at our Fusion service. It was like Heaven on earth for a whole hour and a half, we pray and sing fervently to our Lord. The day after an event such as this is brutal to return to the mundane of my office it’s wretched when all I can think of is His praise and how I will never ever be able to fully satisfy the desire to give Him glory this side of Heaven. The older I get the more I have realized I have really messed up. I have a great job, some would even say I have lucked out in my position. I’m the regulatory specialist for a major financial institution. People work really hard to get this job, I have worked really hard to get this job and it’s not at all what I want. I would love to rewind the clock and discover my love for ministry at  the time I turned seventeen. I pray for my sweet Lilly and Owen that they follow their hearts and choose wisely a joyful career. I pray that Gary and I instill great work ethic but an overall happiness  in what they choose to do! My God is truly great, maybe it's not too late.. 

 

60 Pounds!

I have not done a weight loss post in a while so I thought I would update. I have officially lost 60 pounds! I literally have 40 more pounds to go! The first 50 seemed so easy I just ate less and walked, this last bit is definitely proving to be more challenging. I have started running, only about a mile each night since it's light out and let's face it I literally can only run a mile without dying! All while keeping a morning workout and lunch hour walk. I have also really cut my diet down. I'm eating veggies and lean protein until I hit my 100 pound goal. Overall I feel really good. Praying I loose the rest of this weight soon because I literally have one pair of jeans and one pair of work pants and all my tops are to big. I don't want to invest in clothing until I lose and can maintain. Loving this journey, God is my strength! 

My Favorite Game

I adore my husband! He loves me and the kids, he works incredibly hard and truly loves The Lord! 

All these great things do not stop me from teasing him. After church we went to lunch followed by a quick stop at Pro Bass. Because we have had summer weather we were not prepared for the little mini blizzard that blew threw. The kids and I stayed in the jeep since we did not have coats and Gary ran in real quick. Well any trip to Bass Pro is not quick with my husband, this is good since it have me and the kids a chance to move the car! I wanted a picture of him searching for the jeep so badly but I was laughing to hard! He is a good sport, and before anyone feels too badly for him he usually wins these little wars! 

Snow Dayz!

Love doing life with these people! 

My Reminder

Even as an adult I have these moments of feeling insignificant as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, worship leader, friend, co-worker and most importantly Lover of Christ. I ask myself often am I doing enough.. I have fallen into thinking that what I do seems small, behind the scenes and unequal with my abilities. Does anyone notice me, my work, my heart, does anyone even care? Yes someone does notice me and that  is my Big God, the one and only God I serve, and the Only I need to notice me. God knows my character and my deepest hearts desires  and I’m thankful for the reminder in Luke 16:10. God gives me just enough pennies to make dollars, he give me just enough... I don’t need to be seen, awarded, given a pat on the back because I am seen and my heart is made known to my Heavenly Father.  I pray that I never lose heart in doing good “insignificant” work and I don’t grow weary in my Love for Christ, family and worship! I love big and my God knows my love.. So I’ll keep planting seeds in my small insignificant way and soon the tree will stand tall.

 

Love Day

My sweet Lilly plans a Valentines Day Party every year. I love her heart for others. My parents came up and we all had a romantic day of pizza! :) 

They Love Eachother!

70 Degree Weather..First Hike of the Year..Nuff Said!

Basketball Girl

Lilly was amazing playing basketball this year. This was her first time ever playing and Gary and I were so proud of her! From her first game to her last she never failed to mesmerize us in the way she improved. We were so excited to see her make baskets and become aggressive. I think Grampy’s pep talks did the trick!  It was so much fun! I’m a little sad that the season is over, who knew 4^th grade girls were so competitive!

My O

This kid is such a little lover. Owen has a heart that is so special. He has a rotten twinkle in his eye and is one of the most hilarious people I know. Owen is a deep thinker who questions everything and likes to make discussion over the simplest tasks and I love and appreciate that about him. But what I love so much is that he loves me and loves to cuddle. I was sitting on the steps waiting for Lilly to get dressed so I could curl her hair and Owen quietly sat down next to me and put his head on my arm. I love these little moments and I can see them fading into the wind. He is growing so quickly and becoming quite the little replica of his daddy.

Season

Purpose is a strange thing to ponder. I am involved with a women’s group at my church that is doing a daily devotion about walking with God in the season of motherhood. One theme is purpose. What is my purpose? Do you know yourself well enough to know what your purpose is in this life, in this season. I feel like we have great balance in this group because we have mothers of all ages including women who have raised their children and are now grandmothers. It’s fantastic to have different opinions and seasons all in one room.

 

I can’t help but feel a little like the odd lady out in a sense, and have felt this way in church for some time.  I am incredibly focused on Christ, I feel saturated in Him but long for more and more and more. I want to talk about Christ in my home and how I work in a secular world all while passionately pursuing Him, I want to think and see and dig into politics and the crumbling of the world around us and how we as women and  mothers who are passionately pursuing Christ are raising kids to remain faithful to God during turmoil in the world. I want to boldly pray with these women about our hearts, kids and seeking the narrow road. I’m not getting that and I’m hungry to solve the world problems in discussion and prayer. I’m not a deep emotional thinker, but I am dang well aware of the sickness and perversion of the world and my purpose as a mom is to make known to my kids they can either follow the world or they can be bold and brave and stand up to the evil and be righteous. I am not as concerned with the popularity, sporting events or academic world of my kids as I am concerned with the heart of Christ inside my child. Don’t get me wrong supporting and encouraging Lilly and Owen are incredibly important to Gary and I, we love to encourage, push and watch our littles grow improve, succeed and reach for goals,  but how important is a temporary high of the world? What really matters is with Christ all things are possible. Once our children get this truth they will be world changes who are unstoppable!

 

SO my purpose is to teach my kids to long and beg for more of God not more  compliance with the world. I pray they are thinking and choosing Jesus in every step…

 

 

This Girl

I truly love my Lilly. She is an amazing person. Her heart is huge and her thirst for Christ is a lesson for me daily. Lilly is up before the sun the majority  of the week and never complains. She had her first sleep over with a sweet young lady from her basketball team last night. She had a great time and did tell me how she really missed me and our Saturday night girl time. Love! 

Man Belt

I love watching and listening to the conversations between Gary and Owen. Owen just got a new reversible belt and Gary was showing him how to put it on and not pinch his stomach! It truly was hilarious! The two together is a mini version of Tim The Toolman, Ray Ramono, and the kid from Hone Alone! I literally live in a comedy! 

Sunday Love

Had a beautiful time of worship at church this morning, nice lunch, our babies are relaxing upstairs watching a movie and I'm in my pjs resting with Pookers watching football. Life is good! 

Well...Next Year!

Please don’t mind the no makeup I had been weeping…. My football season has come to an end. I love those Broncos and look forward to next year.  It was a good year and I think I’ll have to sit this Super Bowl out unless the Packers go…I used to love to watch Brett Favre play and Sarah has a jersey for me. She better be drinking out of that cup! GO Pack!

 

Our Journal

My good friend has amazing parenting ideas and I gladly listen to her little traditions she does with her kiddos. This Christmas season Lilly and I were invited to the annual Mother Daughter tea that she puts on at her home. We always look forward to this time together and this year we received a very special gift. A very simple put powerful gift of a joint journal. This is a shared journal that Lilly and I will both be writing in. It’s a journal that after I have given her a word of encouragement, scripture, love or whatever I want to put in it I place it on her bed or nightstand and she in turns writes her own entry. It’s a treasure that I am enjoying and look forward to keeping as our special little tradition.

From My Journal

I love Christmas time, and what the season brings. I love celebrating Christ in church and with my family. I love the sappy Hallmark movies, peppermint mocha’s and hot chocolate. I love silly  games and staying up late driving around town looking at lights and freezing at the zoo after our special dinner out. I love Christmas rehearsals and programs in church, parties and mother daughter tea. I love shopping with my each of my kids and sneaking around shopping with my husband. I love baking with and decorating with my kids and special one on one time with each of them. I love our Christmas devotion and the coziness of our home and church. I love the food and the special candy. I love the hyper giggles of excitement of my kids and the tired worn out feeling we feel at the very end of it all. I love Christ and all He brings this time of year.

I must admit when I woke up this morning I wanted to cry. It was 4:15 am cold and dark and it was all over. All the fun was over and I was headed back to the basement to workout, make dinner, pack lunches, fix my hair and makeup and off to work. I wanted so badly to crawl back into bed and just go to sleep with my little family who is still enjoying time off. When I walked into my office this morning I was feeling sorry for myself. I had forgotten I had left myself a little note in my e-mail. I knew on December 19^th  I would feel this way today, sorry for myself that the season was over and I was back to a routine. I intentionally left myself a little pick me up note in my inbox it read, Proverbs 15:13 A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit. I couldn’t  help but laugh at myself and  put a smile on my face!

God is so good and priceless no matter what time or season it is. I can’t ever forget this.  My heart rejoices in the fact that I am a daughter of the King and he loves me and my family. Today it’s snowing and I have the most beautiful view from my office window. I am thankful that my kiddos get to spend the day with my parents and just relax.  I am blessed and happy for such wonderful memories of Christmas that I can carry the feeling of love and cozy into the entire year, because I am loved and saved by Grace. God has so much in store for my little world and I don’t ever want to hinder His plans. This weekend I am singing once again to my Savior, something I treasure and look forward to doing all year long. Lilly and Owen have many sporting events and concerts that we are looking forward to celebrating,  and how could I forget that big old trip to Florida in May! I will rejoice in His love and gifts every day no matter the time of the year. He is special and celebrating Him every minute of every day is a tradition I want to keep going throughout our year!

We started our New Year off at home just the four of us and it was a sweet night of games and more food! Oh how I'm looking forward to fasting next week! We are blessed and looking forward to a new year serving our God. 

 

 

Love My Colorado

This view never ever gets old to me. How people can take the beauty of the earth for granted and not acknowledge there is a Mighty Creator is beyond me. I took these pictures with my phone on my morning and afternoon walks. Walking and praying have become my favorite time of day, no matter the weather.  Love my Colorado!