Michelle Lynne's Life Thoughts

New Thoughts on Jesus' Sacrifice

2010-03-28T20:49:00.003-05:00

Today's service at church was very moving for me. In observance of Palm Sunday, my church decided to show a scene from The Passion of the Christ. It was the crucifixion scene where they were nailing Jesus to the cross and hanging Him to die. Even though I have seen that scene before, today it took on special meaning for me.

You see, today Sydney decided she wanted to go to "big church" with Mommy. Todd was working, so it was just the two of us, and we were running late to church. I figured I would let her go with me to "big church" rather than putting her in the nursery because I would get to the sanctuary quicker.

When they were getting ready to show the scene from The Passion, Pastor Rick told the parents that if they had small children with them they might want to take them out of the sanctuary because the scene might scare them. I decided to let Sydney stay, but I turned her toward me, put her head on my shoulder, and covered her ears (it was kind of loud for her little ears).

As I was holding my own child during the crucifixion scene, I couldn't help but think of how God must have felt when He saw HIS Child being nailed to the cross and being hung to die for our sins. As the nails were being driven into Jesus' hands and feet, I held Sydney tight, and tears streamed down my face. I had to ask myself if I could sacrifice MY child for someone else. In all honesty, I could not. I cannot even imagine what that would do to me. I thought about how God's heart must have broken to see His Son on the cross. To have a child suffer or even die is, in my opinion, the worst thing a parent could ever experience. To think that God WILLINGLY sent His Son to die for us is beyond my comprehension. I cannot imagine sacrificing my child for someone else!!

Another thing I thought about as I watched the scene from The Passion was how much Jesus loved us all. To be WILLING to die for someone else is the highest form of love ("Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13), and Jesus was WILLING to die for us. God did not force this on Him. It was his CHOICE. That just blows me away!! Jesus' love for us was so strong that He did not hesitate to lay down His life for us. Was it difficult? Sure!! But, He did it despite this. I am humbled and in awe of Jesus' love for us!!

The last thing I thought about as I watched the crucifixion scene was how my love for Sydney PALES in comparison to God's love for her. My love for her does not even begin to come close to God's love for her, and I just hope as Sydney gets older she will grow to realize and appreciate God's love and the sacrifice of His Son for her. I pray that she will develop a strong love for God in her heart and that she will accept Him as her Lord and Savior when the time is right. THAT would be the GREATEST thing I could ever hope for my precious daughter!!

(To see today's service, please go here)

Twelve Weeks (And More!) to Wellness

2010-03-24T08:50:00.008-05:00

Well, I have begun my "12 Weeks to Wellness" program with Dr. Joshu (aka Dr. Jana). I met with her last Thursday, and she laid out my plan for me. For the "diet" portion of my plan, there will be 3 phases. The first phase will of course be the most strict, and then Phases 2 and 3 will gradually add back in some foods.

The purpose of Phase 1 is to remove inflammation and toxins from my body, stabilize my blood sugar, and reduce my food cravings (good luck on that one!). I will be pretty limited on the foods I can eat, and it will be tough. It's sort of like being on a low-carb diet- no processed foods, bread, starchy vegetables, legumes, or very sweet fruits. In addition, I will not be allowed to have dairy of any kind- no cheese, milk, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. Dairy causes a lot of inflammation in the body, so that is why I am not allowed to have it in Phase 1. I AM allowed to have lean meats (no pork, though), eggs, non-starchy vegetables, and some fruits (mainly berries and lemons/limes). I can also have some nuts, but no peanuts (apparently they cause a lot of inflammation, too). Oh, and I am not allowed to drink coffee. It's not due to the caffeine, but coffee causes inflammation as well. Luckily for me, I don't drink a lot of coffee, so I shouldn't have trouble giving that up for a while. I will be on Phase 1 for 8 weeks, and I am expecting it to be pretty hard. One GOOD thing is that I am allowed 3 "cheat" meals each week. Thank heaven! I think that's the only thing that will keep me sane while I am on Phase 1! Basically, during Phase 1 I will be "cleaning out" my body and getting rid of the "junk" in my system.

Phase 2 will replenish my body and begin to give it more of what it needs to be healthy. During Phase 2 I will gradually add some foods back into my diet. I will be allowed to have some dairy and more options with my fruits and veggies. Some very starchy fruits, veggies, and legumes will still be off-limits (potatoes, peas, lima beans, bananas, pineapple, dried fruits, etc.), but for the most part I will be able to eat a wide selection of fruits and veggies. I can't wait!! I will be on Phase 2 for 4 weeks.

Phase 3 will last forever. It will consist of eating whole foods (not processed junk) that is good for my body. I started doing this a few weeks ago when I was on the Daniel Fast, and I did feel a lot better physically. It's amazing how much better your body functions when you give it healthy food! I know that's commom sense, but it's often so much easier to grab a "convenience" food that is highly processed than it is to really THINK about what you are putting into your body. However, when you start really thinking about what you are eating, it's kind of disgusting. I mean, have you ever really LOOKED at the ingredients in most processed foods? You can't even pronounce half of them!! I'm just not sure I want to put that junk in my body on a continual basis!! Now, don't get me wrong. I will never be a "food angel," and there are going to be some times when I eat just plain ol' junk, but for the most part I want to put good, healthy foods in my body that will make me feel better physically and mentally.

In addition to the "diet" portion of 12 Weeks to Wellness (I don't really like to call it a "diet" because it's more of a healthy eating plan that's not just for losing weight- the weight loss is a nice bonus, though!), Dr. Jana prescribed several supplements for me to take. I won't bore you with the details of everything I am taking, but I am taking supplements to help clean out my body (I only take those for two weeks), get my digestive system back in order, regulate my blood sugar and cholesterol, and give me energy (PRAISE GOD- I NEED ENERGY!!). I am really looking forward to seeing how I feel taking these supplements! I have never known much about alternative medicine, so I am enjoying learning about natural ways to heal my body. I will be sure to let you know how the supplements work! I will only take some of them for a while, but a few I will probably take forever because they are just good additions to a healthy diet.

I will also see Dr. Jana for adjustments during 12 Weeks to Wellness (and afterward). She wants to see me twice a week for the first 8 weeks, but I am too poor for that! I will probably go once a week or once every other week. At $65 a pop, those adjustments really add up, and I am not made of money these days!!

My biggest challenge during 12 Weeks to Wellness will be thinking of creative things I can eat on Phase 1. Dr. Jana has a recipe book that I think will be very helpful for me, but overall I'm going to have to really put on my "thinking cap" to come up with ideas of what I can eat. Afterall, I can't eat a salad or chicken and veggies at every meal!! If you have any ideas of what I can eat, please pass them my way!!

I am looking forward to sharing my 12 Weeks to Wellness journey with you, and I hope that what I share can help you a little, too!!

Fitness CAN Be Fun!!

2010-03-17T09:17:00.002-05:00

Well, after the illness last week that forced me to hold off a bit on my plans to get healthy, I was finally able to try a Barre Sculpt class at Seren Motus last night! It was AWESOME!! I am definitely feeling some "good" pain in my muscles today!

Those of you who know me well know that exercise is not something I have ever been particularly fond of. I have had times in my life when I have exercised regularly, but I have never stuck with it for very long. It is very easy for me to get distracted and fall off the fitness bandwagon!! I have never found exercise to be FUN like a lot of other people think it is, and if I could be healthy without it, I probably would avoid it! Just being honest here!!

When I attended the Wellness Weekend a few weeks ago, I learned about some of the techniques used in the Barre Sculpt classes, and the process fascinated me. I thought, "Hey, this might be something I could ENJOY doing!!!" So, I decided to try it out and see what I thought about it. I was right! I DO think Barre Sculpt is something I could actually ENJOY doing!! During the class, we worked muscles in all areas of our bodies, and I left feeling rejuvenated and refreshed. I am definitely feeling some pain today, but it's a good kind of pain, the kind that reminds me I did something GOOD for myself last night.

One of my favorite things about the Barre Sculpt class was that the instructors, Suzanne and Amy, focused on teaching us correct form so that the proper muscles would be worked. They also showed us ways to modify the exercises if we (ME!!) could not fully engage in the moves they were doing. They were supportive and encouraging, and they didn't make us (ME!!) feel silly if we could not do everything they were doing. Oftentimes, in exercise classes I have felt intimidated because my fitness level was not the same as the instuctor's, but I did not feel that way last night. I felt encouraged that I COULD do this and that with practice my level of ability would increase. The class was small, we were all ladies in the class, and we had bodies of all shapes and sizes. I didn't feel intimidated because I was not "skinny" or "buff" like some of the other women. I felt like I belonged and that this was something I could enjoy doing on a regular basis!!

Now, I will be honest and tell you that the Barre Sculpt classes are not cheap. In some ways I feel guilty about wanting to spend money on myself for these classes, but last night I had a sort of "epiphany" about it. Many of you know my husband smokes, and he spends A LOT of money on cigarettes each month. Last night on the way home from the class, I thought, "If Todd can spend $$ on something BAD for HIMself every month, I can spend $$ on something GOOD for MYself!!" Can I get an AMEN?!?!

I also feel a little guilty about taking time away from Sydney to attend the Barre Sculpt classes. When my Monday morning Bible study at church ends in a couple of months, I can participate in a Barre Sculpt class while Sydney is in school (Monday is my day off from work, and Sydney is in school). For other classes, however, I will need to take those in the evening, and that will take time away from Sydney. Since I work full-time, I am very aware of how precious my time with my daughter (and my hubby!) is. It's a little hard to think about taking time away from Sydney to participate in Barre Sculpt a couple of nights each week (I work on Sunday nights, too, so I am already away from her one night a week). However, I think it is important for me to be involved in fitness that I ENJOY in order to reach my health goals. I want so badly to be in better health, and I think I can be a better mommy to Sydney if I feel better about myself. Also, I think I would be setting a good example for her by involving myself in something that is good and healthy for my body. So, as long as I can coordinate my childcare for Sydney a couple of nights a week, I think I will pursue taking the Barre Sculpt classes several times a week!

If I am going to change my health for the better, I need to involve myself in healthy behaviors, and I think Barre Sculpt would be a great way to do that! I am looking forward to seeing how my body can get stronger and more healthy through regular exercise! I will share more about my fitness journey along the way so you can join me in my adventure!!

P.S. I visited Dr. Joshu on Monday, and I have a follow-up visit with her tomorrow. I will post more about that part of my journey to better health later this week!!

A Discouraging Week

2010-03-09T21:30:00.004-06:00

So, I'm having a bit of a bad week. First of all, we have all been sick with an upper-respiratory infection for the past few days. It started with Sydney getting sick last week, then I caught it over the weekend, and now Todd has it. We have been a sorry bunch!! For me, upper-respiratory infections have always hit me hard. I got so sick with one when I was in graduate school that my parents had to drive to Knoxville, pick me up, and bring me home to get well. I was in my 20's and could not physically take care of myself. Even my roommate was worried sick about me! For some reason, when I get an upper-respiratory infection, it knocks me out of commission for about a week. I am on Day 3 with this one, so I probably have several more days of sickness before I will start feeling like myself again.

So, this brings me to the second reason why I am having a bad week. I was all set to start my journey to better health this week when SICKNESS had to rear its ugly head and bring me down (or, could it be the DEVIL?!?!)!! Ironic, huh?? You see, I was going to try out my first Barre Sculpt class at Seren Motus yesterday, but it's a little hard to exercise when you feel like you can't breathe (plus, I had a temp. of about 102 and didn't think it would be a good idea to be around other people!). So, I am going to reschedule for next week and try the class when I am up to par. I also had an appointment to visit Dr. Joshu tomorrow to begin her 12 Weeks to Wellness program, but I rescheduled that for next week, too. Between Sydney and me being sick, I haven't been to work since last Wednesday, and I plan on going back tomorrow (Lord willing!). I didn't think it would be a good idea on my first day back to work to take a couple of hours out of my work day to go to my appointment with Dr. Joshu. So, I called and rescheduled my appointment for next Monday. I am pretty bummed that my plans for this week had to be changed, but I WILL prevail!!

I am reading a really good book this week that reiterates for me the importance of getting my health in order. It's called Fat Chance, and it was written my Julie Hadden, one of the Season 4 contestants on The Biggest Loser. It's a very candid look at Julie's life, how she struggled with her weight for so many years, and how she finally found the strength to overcome it. I can see some of myself in Julie. I am not as heavy as she was, but I am overweight never-the-less. I don't think it matters HOW MUCH weight you need to lose, only that you NEED to lose it. So, in that way I see myself in Julie. She was the type of person who put others' needs in front of her own just like so many other women do, and in the process of doing that she lost control of her own life. I sooooo get that!! There are so many times when I know I need to take the time to exercise, but I don't do it because I feel guilty for taking time away from Sydney. I am a working mom, so my time with my daughter is limited. Often, I would rather do something with her than exercise. She is almost 3, so I know as she gets older we can do physical things together a little easier, but when your children are very small there's only so much they can do with you! I know in my head that Sydney is not going to die if I take the time to exercise, and I also know that I need to do it so I can be the best mommy possible for her, but I must admit that my guilt often gets the better of me.

One thing that Julie talks about in her book is surrounding yourself with positive influences. You need people in your life who will support you on your journey to better health, and for me right now it's a little hard to find. I am getting ready to make some MAJOR changes in the way my family eats, and I know I am going to catch a lot of flack for that. Just the other day my mom was at the house, and she was giving me a hard time about the organic milk and tomatoes she saw in the fridge, along with my almond milk (which I LOVE, by the way!!). She was like, "What's with all that organic stuff in your fridge? Honey, you can't afford to be buying organic." Todd was sitting there, and he chimed in about the coconut oil I have been using to cook with. I walked out of the room, but I could still overhear my mom and Todd talking about how this organic stuff is all a lot of "hype." I will be the first to admit that I used to believe it was all a lot of "hype," too. However, the more I study about it, the more I am convinced that organic (at LEAST for fruits and veggies) is the way to go. I would rather pay more for my FOOD now than pay $$$$$$$ for the MEDICINE I will need later to keep myself healthy!! Can I get an AMEN?!?!

Listen, I KNOW my mom and my hubby mean well, but I have a feeling that I am going to travel this road to better health by myself a lot, and I am fine with that. My only hope is that as my family sees changes in me over time, they will support me more in what I am trying to do. It's not that they DON'T support me in my quest to lose weight and get healthy. They just might think some of my methods are a little "squirrely." But, I look at it this way: I am 38 years old, and when I look at my parents who are in their 60's I see what I DON'T want to be. Both of my parents are diabetic, my mom has high blood pressure, and my dad has cholesterol issues. Just last week my dad had some tests done on his heart, and the doctor didn't like what he saw. So, he put my dad on a stronger statin drug than he was already on. My parents are both on medication for diabetes and their other medical issues, but with each drug they take there is some sort of weird side effect for their bodies. I'm not saying that I will NEVER be on medication by the time I am their age if I change my health now, but I do think I stand a MUCH better chance of being more healthy THEN if I start taking care of myself more NOW. So, if it means I spend a little more on groceries, and I buy some things my family might not agree with, then so be it! I am fine with that!!

I guess I am just having one of those weeks when nothing seems to be working out right, and I am feeling a little discouraged. However, I think my sickness has been a good thing in one way. It has forced me to slow down a little for a few days, and I have had time to read some of Julie's book. I think the timing of reading her book has been really good for me. It has helped me keep things in perspective during this not-so-pleasant week. I will share more thoughts about the book as I continue reading it. Despite my unpleasant week, I will not let it get me down for long, so onward I press to better health! I look forward to sharing more of what I learn along the way with you!!

(Oh, and one more thing about Julie's book- she writes it from a CHRISTIAN perspective, so that's great, too!!)

A Journey to Better Health

2010-03-02T11:53:00.003-06:00

OK, you KNOW it's been too long since you have blogged when you look at your blog site and the background is still CHRISTMAS!! Ugh!! I promise to do better! Life's responsibilities just seem to always get in the way of my blogging! Oh, and a lot of times my life is just plain boring, and I don't have much to blog about. :)

Today I DO have something to blog about, and it's something that excites me! This past weekend I attended a Women's Wellness Weekend event in Franklin. It was organized by Calie Shackleford, creator of Broccoli Cupcake. The event centered around teaching women how to get healthy physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually, and it was AMAZING!! I plan to take the information I gathered from the event, and the resources I learned about, to focus on my health and FINALLY (Lord willing!) get my life in order. My plan is to have you participate in my journey via my blog (which means I WILL be blogging more often!).

About a month ago I went to a "traditional" physician (Internal Medicine Dr.) for a physical. Most specifically, I wanted to have my blood sugar and cholesterol/triglycerides checked. I told the doctor to give me the good, the bad, and the ugly so I would finally do what I needed to do to get my health in order. Overall my visit went well, but when I got my blood test results I was WHACKED upside my head with some of the numbers. My blood sugar was slightly high but not too bad. That can easily be remedied with changes in diet and exercise. My cholesterol/triglycerides were another matter entirely! My triglycerides have been high before, so I knew they could be this time, too. I didn't know HOW high they could be, though! Let's just say they were out of control!! I knew it was time to get my rear in gear (like I haven't said THAT a million times before!!)!!! The thing that frustrated me after my visit, though, was that the doctor just mailed the results with a letter that told me to work on diet and exercise (DUH!), take fish oil supplements, and come back in 3 to 6 months for more testing. Well, thank you very much!! I could have figured THAT out all on my own!!

After my blood test results came back, I knew I HAD to make some changes in my diet, so I decided to start with the Daniel Fast. I decided to do it for Lent and to jump full force into new eating habits. Basically, the diet consists of fruits, veggies, nuts/seeds, legumes, and whole grains (kind of like a vegan diet). You are not allowed to have meat, dairy, sweetners of any kind, refined/processed foods, etc. It's a great way to kick start healthy eating! I am almost two weeks into the diet, and while I have strayed every so often (I have had meat and dairy a few times), I have done pretty well. It's not something I would want to do forever, but it's been a good way for me to get rid of my cravings for sugar and junk food. The first few days were very hard, but by Day 5 I was feeling pretty good! I also gave up caffeine for Lent, and that has helped a lot, too. The Daniel Fast is supposed to last 21 days, but I am trying to stay on it for all of Lent. I may have meat from time to time, but my BIG things I am focusing on eliminating from my diet are sugar, caffeine, and just plain ol' JUNK for my body. I have lost about 6 lbs. so far, and I plan on losing a lot more!!

Now, here comes the next step in my plan to get HEALTHY! Around the time of my physcical, I saw a brochure at church about the Women's Wellness Weekend. It intrigued me, so I decided to attend. I knew I needed to lose weight and get more healthy, but I needed some resources and people in my life to help me accomplish my goals (not just some doctor sending me a letter in the mail telling me to eat better, exercise more, and take fish oil supplements!). Boy, am I glad I attended the Wellness Weekend!

At the Wellness Weekend event, there was a doctor named Jana Joshu. Dr. Joshu is a Chiropractor who specializes in Alternative Medicine. Now, before you go off on some tangent thinking she is some tree-hugging, granola eating, "voo doo" doctor, hear me out! Dr. Joshu specializes in bringing balance to her patients' health and well-being. She works with her patients on nutrition, lifestyle, and overall health. She has a program called "12 Weeks to Wellness" where she works with her patients in bringing about changes in nutrition, lifestyle, etc., and she gives them the tools they need in order to be successful. She is upfront about her 12 week program being hard, but she is confident in her ability to assist her patients in living better, more healthy, lives. I LIKE THAT! At the Wellness Weekend I signed up for an initial consultation with Dr. Joshu, and I look forward to learning more about her program!

Another step I am taking on my journey to better health is opening myself up to different forms of exercise. For me, exercise has NEVER been something I enjoy. For the most part, I LOATHE it. However, I know I have to make it an integral part of my life if I am going to succeed in getting and staying healthy. During one of the sessions at the Wellness Weekend, we learned about a form of exercise called Ruah. It's sort of like a cross between yoga and pilates (I am no expert in either area!), and I LOVED the session! I felt like my body really got a workout, but I wasn't hopping all around trying to keep up with some aerobics or zumba instructor. Ruah was hard and relaxing all at the same time, and I was fascinated by it! I decided to give it a try on a regular basis! I purchased the DVDs and can't wait for them to arrive!

One of the Ruah instructors, Suzanne Bowen, also owns a fitness studio in Franklin called Seren Motus. The classes at Seren Motus focus on Barre Sculpt, which from what I understand is a lot like Ruah, but it also uses a ballet barre. One of my friends who attended the Wellness Weekend with me has attended Suzanne's classes a few times, and she swears by them. Since I liked the Ruah session at the Wellness Weekend so much, I decided to try out the Barre Sculpt classes at Seren Motus. I'm sure I will be the chubbiest girl in the class, but I am determined to find something I LOVE for my exercise! I can always go for a walk outside or jump on my treadmill, but I want to try something NEW for a change. The classes aren't cheap, but I figure if I like them and stick to them, the changes in my health will be worth the price I pay for them!

I know I should have mentioned this FIRST, but the BEST thing about the Women's Wellness Weekend was that everything was taught from a Christian point-of-reference. We started the weekend learning about how important it is for our spiritual lives to be healthy, and how if our relationship with God isn't in order, our relationships with others will suffer. My spiritual life is another area I want to improve upon, so along my journey to wellness I will share about that, too. My plan on my journey is to blog along the way about what I learn and how I feel about everything, whether it be mentally, physically, emotionally, or spiritually. So, join me on my journey! It's going to be HEALTHY!!

My Precious Kitty Bobby!!

2009-12-11T12:00:00.003-06:00

ATTENTION SPRING HILL RESIDENTS!!

PLEASE HELP ME FIND MY KITTY!!!!

As some of you know, my precious kitty Bobby went missing a couple of weeks after we moved a few months ago. Since that time, we have looked for him but have feared that he met his Maker somewhere out in the woods around our new house. However, recently my friend Jennifer has spotted a kitty matching Bobby's description near our old neighborhood, and I am on a desperate search to find this kitty she has seen and determine if it IS indeed my precious Bobby. I have always heard that sometimes animals try to return to their old home after being moved, and I am wondering if this may be the case with my precious Bobby.

The thing that makes me think this kitty may be my Bobby is that the kitty Jennifer has seen has a bobbed tail, and my precious Bobby does too! He is a small, black, short-haired kitty with a bobbed tail (about 2 in. long), and I don't suppose there are many other cats in Spring Hill that can match that description, especially in the vicinity of our old neighborhood.

In an effort to find this kitty that Jennifer has seen, I have been sending emails to folks asking them to be on the lookout for the kitty, too. I need LOTS of eyes looking for him! He has been seen near Burtonwood and most recently at Wyngate (which is the subdivision right next to our old subdivision, Ridgeport). I figured I would post this on my blog too because it will post on Facebook as well. If you see a kitty matching the description of my Bobby, PLEASE CALL ME!! My number is 615-974-1324, and you can call ANYTIME!! If you spot the kitty I am looking for, I need to be able to get to him quickly to see if he will come to me! Bobby is a skittish little cat, so he most likely would not come to anyone other than me.

THANK YOU for helping me look for this kitty!! If you know me at all, you know how much I ADORE my pets. I have been heartbroken since Bobby went missing, and I desperately want to find this other kitty to see if it might be him! PLEASE pass this on to anyone you know who lives in Spring Hill! I need LOTS of eyes looking for this cat! THANKS AGAIN!!!

Michelle

Our New House

2009-10-28T09:27:00.015-05:00

Well, after being in our new house for a few months, it finally feels like a "home." We have been working hard hanging curtains and pictures, and while we still have a few things to do we are feeling much more settled. Here are a few pics of the new place and feel free to stop by anytime! :)

The den.

View of den from upstairs balcony.

Master bedroom.

Sydney's room (aka the Pink Palace).

Sydney's playroom (aka the 4th bedroom).

Guest bedroom.

Kitchen.

Dining room (it's more of a terracotta color than UT orange!).

Bonus room.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2009-10-10T23:08:00.002-05:00

WOW! Has it really been 4 months since I have blogged?!?! Crazy!! Things have been a little nuts for us the past few months. We bought a new house (I will post pics at some point!), we had to get our old house ready to sell, and we have been crazy busy with life in general. I promise to do better with my blogging in the future! For now, I just want to share one little story about something that happened with Sydney tonight....

At bedtime, like most parents do with their children, I say prayers with Sydney. I pray a simple prayer thanking God for various things, and I always thank Him for Jesus. Sydney doesn't usually close her eyes, and she rarely even acts like she is paying attention to what I am doing (gotta love a toddler!). Well, I guess she pays closer attention to my simple prayers than I think she does because tonight when I got finished Sydney closed her eyes, put her hands together, and started to pray ON HER OWN! It was the sweetest thing I have ever heard! She said in a very, very quiet voice, "Dear God, thank you for the world, thank you for Nana and Paw Paw and Grammy and Ga Ga, thank you for Jesus." Tears welled in my eyes as I listened to this special little conversation my daughter was having with God. I could not have been more proud of my precious angel!

Thank you, God, for the beautiful gift of my daughter, and may I never forget that EVERYTHING I do impacts her life. May I be the Godly parent that You want me to be. Amen.

Somebody Call 911!!

2009-06-07T23:03:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago we had some family pictures made. It was a perfect day for pictures (one of the VERY FEW sunny days in May!), and the photo session went great......... until the end!

When we finished the photo shoot, I was paying Jadie, the photographer. Todd set Sydney on the front seat of the car for "just a second" and shut the door while he walked around to the other side to open another door, get her in the back of the car, and buckle her into her car seat. In the short time that it took Todd to walk around to the other side of the car, Sydney managed to push the button to lock the car doors.......... with the keys inside!! Our first thought was, "Oh, crap!!" which was quickly followed by a hurried request to Jadie to please call 911 (our cell phones were in the car, too)!!

Now, you would think that Sydney would get scared being locked in the car. NOT!!! She just started laughing, pulling things out of my purse ("Look, Mom! Gum!!"), ejecting CDs out of the CD player, and whatever else she could get in to. We were banging on the door screaming,"Push the button to unlock the doors!! Push the button to unlock the doors!!" to which she just grinned and shook her head, "NO!!" In the meantime, it was getting hot (remember, this was on one of the few sunny days we had in May!), so we knew we needed to get Sydney out of the car soon!! Jadie was so nice and remained pretty calm while on the phone with 911. I don't know what we would have done without her!

After a few minutes of fun in the car, Sydney picked up the car keys off the front seat, and we started screaming, "Push the button on the alarm!! Push the button on the alarm!!" while praying she would not push the panic button on it! The last thing we needed was for her to push the panic button on the alarm and make the car start honking loudly!!

FINALLY, Sydney pressed the button to unlock the car doors! I have never moved so fast in my life to get those doors OPEN!!!!! Jadie was still on the phone with 911, so she was able to cancel the call (we assured them that Sydney was fine, and there was no need for them to come). The entire ordeal lasted about 5 minutes, but it felt like an ETERNITY! Needless to say, we will NEVER put Sydney in the car for "just a second" while the keys and cell phones are in there with her!

Before the chaos of the locked car, we did have a really great photo shoot. Here are some pictures to enjoy:

The photographer's name is Jadie Thomas, and her website is http://www.jadiethomasphotography.com/. She is AWESOME!!

TheHopeLine Excitement Continues!!

2009-06-03T10:15:00.004-05:00

I cannot even begin to tell you how exciting (and scary!!) things are at TheHopeLine right now!! God is blessing our ministry in ways that we never dreamed possible, and He is bringing the Dawson McAllister Live radio show to HUGE markets nationwide! The latest news around the TheHopeLine is that the DM Live show will begin airing in 6 MAJOR MARKETS on June 28th- NEW YORK CITY, BOSTON, PHILADELPHIA, CHICAGO, SEATTLE, AND PORTLAND (OR)!!!! Words cannot express how absolutely INCREDIBLE this opportunity is for helping the youth of today!!

Along with the amazing news of the expansion of the DM Live show comes an ENORMOUS NEED FOR HOPECOACHES FOR THEHOPELINE!! While we currently have thousands of teens and young adults listening to the DM Live show, once the show begins airing in these new major markets (not to mention the OTHER 40-50 stations nationwide that could be adding the DM Live show in the next few months!), we will have MILLIONS of young people tuning in to the show!! Yes, I said MILLIONS!! Just think about the populations of these big cities and the impact that the DM Live show could have on the young people in these areas!!

Despite how exciting the addition of these new radio stations is, it is also daunting to think about how many more young people will be calling TheHopeLine each week. We have a wonderful, dedicated staff of HopeCoach volunteers, and they do an AMAZING job with the young people who contact TheHopeLine, but WE NEED MORE!! Potentially, we could need HUNDREDS more!!

I say all of this to ask you to please pray for two things for TheHopeLine. First, please pray for the radio show, that it will continue to be a bridge between young people and Christ. Dawson is limited in how much he can talk about God on the radio because the show airs on secular stations, BUT there is no limit to how much volunteers at TheHopeLine can talk to kids about God when they call in or chat online with us! Please pray that young people will hear the show and be drawn to contacting TheHopeLine. Second, please pray that volunteers will come forth to serve on TheHopeLine. Young people can contact TheHopeLine from 7 PM to 5 AM CST Sunday-Thursday nights and 7 PM to midnight CST on Friday and Saturday nights. As I stated before, WE NEED HOPECOACHES to talk on the phone or chat online with the young people who contact TheHopeLine!!

If you feel God calling you to volunteer with TheHopeLine, PLEASE CONTACT ME!! You can call me at (931) 489-6057 or email me at mryan@dmlive.com. You can also visit http://dmlive.com/ to find out about the Dawson McAllister Association, the Dawson McAllister Live radio show, and TheHopeLine. You can visit http://www.volunteer.thehopeline.com/ if you wish to apply to be a HopeCoach. Even if you can only volunteer for one hour a week, we need you!!

Please know that the MOST IMPORTANT THING we need at TheHopeLine is prayer! We need people praying for us daily! As our ministry continues to grow and expand, Satan will try to attack us wherever he can. We need to be covered in prayer in order to defeat him! Young people need to hear about God, about Jesus Christ, and about salvation today more than ever before. Please pray for TheHopeLine as we strive to reach teens and young adults for Christ! Thank you for your prayers!!

Exciting Things at TheHopeLine!!

2009-05-27T23:26:00.002-05:00

As some of you know, I work for the Dawson McAllister Association as the Volunteer Program Coordinator for TheHopeLine ministry. There are some really exciting things going on with TheHopeLine that I wanted to share with you all! The following is a copy of a memo that Dawson sent out today about the happenings at DMA and the urgent need for prayers from fellow Christians:

Tomorrow (Thursday, May 28th) is an urgent day of prayer for our ministry. In my 41 years of ministry, I promise you what I am about to tell you can only be described as a God-given opportunity...

The LORD has given us astounding favor with Clear Channel radio (the largest chain of radio stations in the world). Top executives there are actively encouraging stations to begin airing Dawson McAllister Live. This push on our behalf began a couple of weeks ago and has already resulted in commitments from stations in Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburg, St. Louis, Columbus and Portland. A few days ago, one Clear Channel executive told me we could see up to 50 more stations, some from very large markets, signing on in the next few weeks. Friends, I do not say this lightly, this is a miracle. Our listening audience could multiply times three by the end of the summer. Please start your prayers with praise and thanksgiving for what God is doing for America's teenagers and young adults.

This miracle also brings us a huge challenge. When our listening audience triples, our HopeLine will need to triple its capacity to answer calls and chats. Pray that hundreds volunteers would be moved to become HopeCoaches, and that our staff will have the wisdom and energy to manage this God ordained growth.

Third, like many churches and ministries the rapid fall of the economy has hurt us financially. Gifts are down from last year, yet God has chosen this moment to grow our impact by 300%. Here's the bottom line. We need $110,000 by Friday to finish our bills and make payroll this month. Pray that God will provide at least the $110,000 we need now, and some indication of how we will fund this opportunity in the weeks and months ahead.

Finally, pray that my staff and I will rise to the occasion of what is happening. That God will give us wisdom and courage to do our best with every radio station, every dollar, and every volunteer He sends us. Up to today, God has met all of our needs. We are grateful for His faithfulness. He has already answered your powerful prayers of the past. In confident dependence, join us in trusting that God, according to His perfect plan, will provide all we need to Reach, Rescue and Restore America's young men and women to the Father who loves them so much.

I can't thank you enough for your urgent and heartfelt prayers. Let us agree together, that what God did for the children of Israel, He will also do for us. "By day the Lord went ahead of them in a cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light so that they could travel by day or night." Exodus 13:21

In the midst of opportunities and challenges like we have never seen before, may God find us faithful. Stay tuned...

Your Friend,
Dawson

I am super excited to be a part of such an awesome ministry! God is working miracles daily as we strive to reach thousands of teenagers and young adults for Christ! As I stated above, I serve as the Volunteer Program Coordinator for TheHopeLine. This means that I guide applicants through the application process to serve as HopeCoaches on TheHopeLine. If you feel God calling you to serve on TheHopeLine, please visit our volunteer website at http://www.volunteer.thehopeline.com/. You can also contact me directly at mryan@dmlive.com or (931) 489-6057. TheHopeLine is open 7 nights a week beginning at 7 PM CST, and we need volunteers whenever we can get them!

Please keep TheHopeLine and the Dawson McAllister Association in your prayers in the coming weeks and months. Our financial need is great, but God has sustained us so far in these tough economic times, and He WILL provide for our needs. Our need for volunteers is also great, but we are confident that Godly men and women will come forth and volunteer with TheHopeLine. God is truly working miracles at DMA, and I can't wait to see what other miracles await us!!

P.S. Check out http://dmlive.com/ to find out more about the Dawson McAllister Association, the Dawson McAllister Live show, and to find out if the show airs in your area (if you live in the Nashville area, it airs on 107.5 The River on Sunday nights at 10 PM)!

The Worst Mommy in the World!!

2009-05-18T23:13:00.002-05:00

Have you ever had a day when you wished you could get a "do-over," a chance to go back and redo something you did (or in my case, something you did NOT do!)?? Well, today was one such day, and it left me feeling like the worst mommy in the world!

Sydney's last day of school is this Wednesday, the 20th. When I picked her up from school today, there were a few things that I noticed that made me realize I had goofed BIG TIME today. First, in Sydney's backpack I noticed a little goodie bag. I thought to myself, "Oh, how nice! Someone gave Peeps a goodie bag on one of her last days of school for the year!"

I didn't think much else about this little incident until we got home, and I started going through Sydney's backpack and lunchbox. I noticed that she hadn't eaten any of her lunch, even the cookie I had promised I would pack for her at breakfast this morning. I couldn't believe Sydney hadn't eaten! Then, I noticed her sippy cup was filled with juice, and I had sent her to school with milk. The pieces of the puzzle then started coming together, and I thought, "Oh, no!!"

I then looked at Sydney's activity sheet for the day. Her teachers send home a sheet every day that tells what the children did that day, what they learned, if they ate/slept, etc. The first thing I saw was, "We had a great party today!" My heart immediately sank, and I realized what I had done. I had forgotten Sydney's end of the year party!! I thought the party was going to be on Wednesday!! I immediately ran upstairs to look at one of the activity sheets from last week, and on it plain as day it said, "Our end of the year party will be on Monday, May 18th!" How could I have overlooked this?!?! How could I have forgotten Sydney's FIRST end of the year school party?!?!

It was then that I realized (1) the goodie bag was from the party, (2) Sydney did not eat the lunch I had packed for her because they provided lunch for the children, and (3) there was juice in Sydney's sippy cup because they always have juice at their parties. Sydney had fallen asleep in the car on the way home from school, and as I looked at my precious angel sleeping so peacefully, I felt like the worst mommy in the world, like I had let my baby down on a very special day for her. What did her teachers think of me, what if I was the only mommy that was not at the party, what if Sydney felt left out because her mommy was not there today?? I called Todd, then my mom, and just about cried. I later apologized to Sydney for forgetting her party, to which she replied, "Mommy miss party?" I'm not sure she really realized what had happened (at least let's hope not!).

The ironic thing about this whole episode is that just last night I finished reading a book my mom gave me for Mother's Day (my mom is so sweet that she gives ME gifts for Mother's Day!). The book is called "Mommy Grace: Erasing Mommy Guilt," and it is written by Sheila Schuller Coleman, daughter of Robert Schuller (pastor of Crystal Cathedral in California). The book contains short stories of Sheila's own experiences with guilt as a mom trying to raise four boys, as well as a few stories of other moms who have dealt with guilt as they have tried their best to raise happy, healthy, children. The book is all about realizing the grace of God even when we make mistakes with our children. I remember thinking to myself several times while reading the book, "I don't think I struggle a lot with mommy guilt." Boy, was I WRONG! I think God let today's incident happen to teach me I DO suffer from mommy guilt and that I need his GRACE every day!!

Years from now I am sure that today's little incident will pale in comparision to the other mistakes I will make as a mommy. I am just happy that God's grace is sufficient to cover my mistakes and that my child will (hopefully!) love me despite my imperfections!

More Easter Fun!!

2009-04-14T09:42:00.006-05:00

We had a busy, fun-filled Easter day! First, when Sydney woke up she got to see what the Easter Bunny had brought for her! She got lots of goodies, including candy (of course!), lip gloss, books, CDs, and a lamby. Next, we went to church to celebrate the Reason for the Season, Jesus Christ's resurrection!! After that, we traveled to my parents' house in Hendersonville for lunch with them and with my best friend, JoAnna, her husband, Will, and their precious little boy (Sydney's future hubby!), Ian. It was a yummy lunch!

After lunch, we headed over to Todd's aunt and uncle's house for an Easter egg hunt. It was loads of fun, and Sydney got a lot of loot!! Once that was over, we headed back to my parents' house to decorate Easter eggs! By this time, Sydney was exhausted. She hadn't had a nap all day! She was a trooper, though. She loves spending time with Ian, so she didn't mind missing her nap!

When everything was said and done, we headed home with one tired little Easter princess. She fell asleep as soon as we got in the car!

Here are some pictures from the day's festivities:

I think the Easter Bunny came for a visit!

Thanks, Easter Bunny!

The Easter Princess. :)

Having lots of fun at the Easter egg hunt!

Just chillin' with my beau, Ian!

LOOK at my loot, Mommy!

Whew! Hunting for eggs makes a little princess TIRED!

Decorating eggs with Ian and getting very, very tired!

Ooooooo..... stickers for the eggs! I LOVE stickers!!

Check out the chocolate-covered mouth (and a little blue on the inside from trying to drink the dye- YUCK!!)!

Soooooooooo tired, but had soooooooooo much fun!

We had a great time with friends and family, and we are thankful for a beautiful Easter day!!

Easter Fun!

2009-04-11T17:12:00.006-05:00

Today Sydney and I had BLAST with our friends Jennifer and Emma Grace! Jennifer said she had a surprise place she wanted to take Sydney and me to, and boy was it FUN! After some yummy lunch at Chick-Fil-A, we went to Phillips Toy Mart in Belle Meade to see the live bunnies! Sydney and Emma Grace LOVED them! Here they are enjoying the bunnies!

After seeing the bunnies, we "hopped" on over to Cheekwood where there were a multitude of Easter festivities going on today! The girls had so much fun seeing all of the beautiful flowers and Easter decorations. They got to go on an Easter egg hunt which was great! Miss Emma Grace had her picture taken with the Easter bunny, but Sydney was a little afraid of him and wouldn't get close for a picture. She enjoyed looking at him from afar, though! The girls had a GRAND time (BTW, for some reason my daughter likes to look very serious in pictures. Trust me, she had a ball!). Here are some pictures of the festivities!

Thanks, Jennifer and Emma Grace, for such a FABULOUS Easter fun-filled day! We'll have to do it again next year!!

This Week's Bounty

2009-04-08T10:48:00.002-05:00

I did my weekly shopping yesterday, and here's my bounty for the week (didn't get a chance to take pics, though):

Publix- Spent $62.97/ SAVED $82.13:

5 pkgs. Pillsbury breadsticks
5 pkgs. Pillsbury French bread loaves
2 pkgs. Pillsbury pizza crust
6 pkgs. Pillsbury crescent rolls
2 pkgs. Kraft cheese singles
2 pkgs. Kraft block cheese
3 pkgs. Birds Eye vegies
3 pkgs. Land 'O' Lakes butter
2 pkgs. Lipton tea bags (24 family size each)
1 Publix sugar
1 Domino's sugar
4 cans Dole pineapple
2 jars Ragu pasta sauce
2 16 oz. tubs Friendship sour cream
2 pkgs. Orville Redenbacher Smart Pop popcorn (6 bags each)
4 bottles One-A-Day Women's Vitamins- this was my BIG deal- they were $6.99 each (2 bottles had 100 capsules, and 2 were a value bottle with 120 capsules), and I had $18 worth of coupons for them- FINAL COST was $2.49 EACH (a little over $.02 per capsule!)- WOO HOO!!

Kroger- Spent $51.59- SAVED $36.09 (I almost always save more at Publix!):

2 12-can boxes Mountain Dew (for those of you who have been keeping up with my Lent sacrifice of giving up Mountain Dew, these were NOT for me- I have not had a DROP of Mountain Dew since Lent began!)
2 12-can boxes Pepsi
3 large cans Folgers coffee
2 pkgs. Knorr pasta sides
1 60-load bottle Downy fabric softener
1 60-load bottle Purex fabric softener
1 105-sheet box Downy dryer sheets
1 105-sheet box Bounce dryer sheets
1 bottle Softsoap hand soap
1 16-oz. tub Daisy sour cream

All in all, I spent $114.56 and SAVED $118.22! I also got some good deals at CVS and Walgreens. At CVS, I spent $2 and got $1.50 back in Extra Care Bucks, so it was like I spent $.50 and got a bottle of Dawn dishwashing liquid and 2 cans Glade air freshener. Not bad for a day's shopping, huh?!?!

Inspiring Video

2009-04-08T10:42:00.002-05:00

Recently, a co-worker sent this video to me. I had seen it before, but it was a wonderful reminder of God's love for us. The love that the father has for his son in this video is only an INKLING of the love that our Heavenly Father has for us! Watch this video and enjoy:

My Redeemer Lives- Team Hoyt

The Bounty

2009-03-24T10:09:00.004-05:00

I went to Publix yesterday and saved a TON. Thanks to my friend Angel's Faithful and Frugal class, I learned how to use coupons and save a bundle on groceries! Yesterday I spent $67.46 and SAVED $98.28! Woop Woop! Here's what I got...

8 6-packs Mott's applesauce cups

8 4-packs Dole fruit cups

10 packages Green Giant vegies

4 4-packs Yoplait Plus yogurts

5 4-packs Yoplait Fiber-One yogurts

2 Smart Balance spreads

1 Smart Balance sticks

6 packages Knorr pasta and rice sides

6 bottles All Small & Mighty detergent

1 8-roll package Sparkle paper towels

1 roll Publix paper towels (the penny item for the day)

4 sweet potatoes

2 packages grape tomatoes

1 head broccoli

1 package strawberries

1/2 gallon chocolate milk

1 package Peppridge Farms stuffing mix

I LOVE saving money!!! :)

Happy Birthday, Sydney Lynne!

2009-03-24T09:06:00.010-05:00

Well, our "baby" turned 2 last week. Sooooo hard to believe! We had two birthday celebrations (two for turning 2!). First, we had a Hello Kitty birthday party with friends on the 14th. Here are some pics of the festivities!

The sweet birthday girl.

There were lots of Hello Kitty balloons and decorations!

Enjoying some pizza with birthday friends!

The gifts begin...

The BIG hit of the party- the wagon from Grammy and Granddaddy!!

You can never have too much birthday cake!

For Sydney Lynne's actual birthday on the 19th, we got brave and went to Chuck E. Cheese for the first time! Needless to say, it was a CELEBRATION! Some pics of the fun!

Happy Birthday, Peeps! Mommy and Daddy love you more than ANYTHING, and we thank God every day for giving you to us!!

I Love You

2009-03-16T23:17:00.003-05:00

Tonight my precious angel, Sydney Lynne, said "I love you, Mommy" for the first time! It was SUCH SWEET MUSIC to my ears! Apparently, Todd had been "working" with Sydney to get her to say, "I love you." I guess he was successful!

Earlier this afternoon, I was changing Sydney's diaper, and she was on her phone (the play one) pretending to call Daddy. I said, "Do you want to call Daddy on the real phone?" to which she replied, "Yes!" So, we proceeded to call Todd, and while on the phone I said to Sydney, "Say 'I miss you, Daddy'" which she did! I then said, "Say 'I love you, Daddy,'" and she did that, too! I was amazed (because I didn't know Todd had been trying to get her to say "I love you")!! After we got off the phone with Daddy, we called Ga Ga (my daddy, Granddaddy, Ga Ga for short). Sydney told him she missed him and loved him, too! He was thrilled!! We could hear the excitement in his voice! We tried to call Grammy, but she didn't answer the phone. We talked to her and to Todd's dad later in the evening, and Sydney told them she missed and loved them, too! Everyone was so excited to hear those sweet words from our daughter's mouth!!

When I was rocking Sydney before bed tonight, I told her I loved her (like I do a million times a day- I ALWAYS want her to know her mommy loves her!). She smiled, and I asked, "Can you say 'I love you, Mommy'"? She smiled again and said, "I LOVE YOU, MOMMY!!" My heart just about burst! What a special moment!! I intend to treasure it forever!! I look forward to the day when Sydney can say "I love you" without being asked, but for now I will take it however I can get it!! :)

WOW!

2009-03-13T11:08:00.002-05:00

Wow! What an "Aha!" moment I had this morning! Todd and I were out all day yesterday and didn't get the mail in until late last night. This morning I was going through the mail when I saw a card from my sweet friend Natasha who used to work with me at DMA. She and her husband are now out in Las Vegas spreading God's Word to hurting kids all around the country through a Christian ministry called Turning Point. Natasha is one of few people I know who takes the time to send notes of love and encouragement to others. She loves to write notes to people, and you always know that when you receive something from her in the mail, it's going to be special! Today was one of those times when I received something very special from Natasha (I hope you don't mind me sharing this with others!).

Inside Natasha's card there was a sticky note attached to it that said this: "Michelle, I don't know what you'll think about the msg in this card cause I don't know what to think, ha. I wrote the 1st sentence one week ago and after a week of prayer, the Holy Spirit led me as best as I could understand & hear as I wrote & finished this card. May it bless you & speak right to your heart. Love, Natasha."

Well, of course that peaked my curiosity! As I then read the card, this is what it said (the front of the card had these beautiful flowers and the message "You add sweetness to my life"): "Michelle, YOU add sweetness to my life. I was sitting here thinking about you and all the positive qualities you have, but instead of listing them and smothering you in praises, I asked God what He would have me say to you... 'Michelle, you are my daughter whom I love. I hand picked you, chose you and call you by name. There have been trials and hard times in your life and walk with me, but you have persevered, and I am a proud Papa. You are my delight and bring me much joy. There are days that I miss your attention and long for you. Yes, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years is like a day, and therefore my yearning grows because I AM a Jealous Lover. It is my desire to speak to you daily, my dear. My love is overwhelming and blankets your home and family, won't you please acknowledge me more? I have much blessing for you- in the Secret Place. It is in our intimacy that I will reveal great and unsearchable things to you. I am pursuing you relentlessly, my bride, won't you please come and meet with me? Daddy God.'"

WOW. Amazing. It's hard to describe how I felt when I read those words. It was like God himself had written that note, and I guess He had since Natasha had listened to the Holy Spirit, and He had given her the words to write. I can't tell you how many times in the past few months, and maybe even years, that I have told myself that I needed to spend more time with God. I get so busy and distracted with my life that I don't take the time to STOP and give God the time that He DESERVES. I will have things on my mind, and I will say to myself, "You know, you could probably figure this out a lot easier if you just stopped, talked to God, and listened to what He has to say to you." Most of the time I continue on my merry way and don't do what I KNOW is the right thing to do. The card from Natasha was just what I needed to remind me of God's love and His desire to spend time with me. May I not take that lightly, and may I give him the attention that He DESERVES.

My Dear Friend, Mountain Dew

2009-02-20T22:28:00.003-06:00

So, Lent is coming up, and while I am not Catholic, I am thinking about giving up something very precious to me for the Lent season. I think my dear friend, Mountain Dew, needs to leave my body for a while, along with most other sugar. I am waaaaaay too dependent on sugar in my diet, mostly as an energy booster (I know, I know, it's good for a quick high but then you come down hard and fast. I KNOW!!). I don't need the unnecessary calories, and sugar packs pounds on me quicker than anything.

I have always had a major sweet tooth. However, when I was pregnant, I had to give up most sugar, and carbs in general, because I had gestational diabetes. Believe it or not, it was not as hard as I thought it was going to be. I think that's because I knew it was good for Sydney as well as for myself. I worked with a diabetes specialist who really kept me on track, and Sydney was born as a healthy baby on March 19th, 2007 (almost 2 years ago- YIKES!!).

Just after I gave birth to Sydney, I asked Todd to bring me a Mountain Dew. Mistake #1!! I should have NEVER taken that first sip because now I have a Mountain Dew almost every day. UGH!!! Shortly after I came home from the hospital, Wheat Thins (along with Mountain Dew, of course!) became my choice of snack. Mistake #2!! I lost my baby weight very quickly, but as I started introducing more sugar and carbs into my diet, my weight began to creep back up (I have blogged about this before!!). Now, almost two years later, I have an unhealthy dependance on sugar and carbs, and especially on Mountain Dew (not so much on Wheat Thins, though).

I figure that Lent provides a great opportunity for me to try and give up sugar, and more specifically Mountain Dew, in my diet. I'm not fooling myself into thinking it will be easy because it's "only for 40 days." Believe me, it will only be by blood, sweat, and tears that I will be able to do this!! Maybe if I blog about it along the way I will be held more accountable. If I am successful at the whole Lent thing, then maybe I will give up Mountain Dew, and most other sugars and carbs, for good. We will have to wait and see!!

Have you ever give up anything for Lent? If so, how did you do it? Did you stick with it once Lent was over??

Goose Bumps

2009-02-16T23:01:00.003-06:00

Do you ever have experiences with your children that give you goose bumps? I had an experience like that with Sydney tonight. We were riding in the car listening to my new Avalon CD. Avalon is one of my all-time favorite Christian groups, and their new CD is of their Greatest Hits. Each song gives me chills, and I loooooove listening to Avalon for their lyrical and musical talents!

Tonight as Sydney and I were riding in the car listening to Avalon, I had the radio cranked up LOUD. I was singing my heart out as my daughter was clapping, singing, and head banging in the back seat (she likes to do that!). Each time a song would end, Sydney would say, "More, more!" and I would tell her that another song was about to begin. She and I were having such a great time singing and worshiping together!

On Avalon's new Greatest Hits CD, there is one new release called Still My God. When I heard this song, the lyrics spoke VOLUMES to my heart. Here is what the song said:

Up and down
Like the tide is moving in and out
We're in motion
And the ocean pulls us under
And even there You're found
You never change
So I will say

If I'm standing on the mountain
Or drowning in the sea
If I am filled with hope or crying out for mercy
If I'm singing hallelujah
Or scared to make a sound
When I am learning how to walk or when I'm falling down
I'm saying
You are still my God
Jesus, you are still my God
In a world
Where so much seems uncertain
You remain both for the strong and broken
No matter where we are
You are never far
And nothing changes who You are
You were
You are
You will be forever

As I heard this song and began to sing along in praise to God, I looked in the back seat, and Sydney was doing the same. She was clapping and singing louder than I was!! It was such a precious and heart-felt moment for me. To share my love for God with my child who means the world to me, to show her God's love as she grows into the person He desires her to be, is the MOST IMPORTANT thing I can do as her mother. I am by noooo means a perfect mom, and I get a lot of things wrong. BUT if I can demonstrate my love for God to my daughter, and if she can grow to love Him as her Savior, then I have done my job as her mother. There is NO greater thing I can do for her.

My prayer for Sydney is that she will have a child-like faith in God that will deepen throughout her life. May she always know how much God loves her through the ups and downs of life, and may He always be Still My God to her!

Check THIS Out!!

2009-01-26T13:47:00.000-06:00

This is toooo funny!!

Chia Obama

Volition

2009-01-26T11:23:00.002-06:00

I had a co-worker email a very powerful short film to me. It is called "Volition," and it represents three classes of people who have been oppressed- Jews, African Americans, and unborn children. I urge you to take a few moments, open your heart, and view this film. I pray that it touches you as much as it did me.

Volition

Is It Just Me??

2009-01-24T01:03:00.002-06:00

Is it just me, or did any of you find a "disconnect" in President Obama's moral thinking today (well, actually yesterday since I am posting this after 1 AM)? President Obama signed two very important legislative orders today, and I am personally having a hard time coming to grips with how Obama's mind works.

The first legislative order that Obama signed dealt with the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison and the manner in which the US military treats its foreign prisoners. In a nutshell, from what I understand, Obama does not agree with the way that foreign prisoners have been treated and some of the tactics that US military officials have used to gather information from prisoners (i.e. forms of what he considers torture). Obama feels that there are more humane ways of gathering intelligence information from these prisoners without compromising the security of our nation. I get that, but here's what I DON'T get.

On the same day that Obama signed legislation to preserve the rights of foreign prisoners, he also signed an order to reverse prior legislation that "prohibits U.S. money from funding international family-planning clinics that promote abortion or provide counseling or referrals about abortion services." Basically, your tax money and mine can now go to foreign clinics that promote abortion.

Now, here is where the disconnect in Obama's moral thinking comes into play for me. Why is it NOT OK to torture foreign prisoners, but it IS OK to kill innocent babies?? I just don't get that. When Obama discussed the Guantanamo Bay ruling today, he said, "We the people will uphold our fundamental values as vigilantly as we protect our security. Once again, America's moral example must be the bedrock and the beacon of our global leadership." I don't know about you, but MY moral example does NOT coincide with President Obama's moral example!! I don't see how you can work so hard to protect the "rights" of terrorists (and let's face it, people, that's who is held at Guantanamo Bay), but you can be so quick to take away the rights of innocent children. That form of thinking is just beyond my understanding.

I know we can all debate for endless hours on each of these subjects (along with the death penalty), and we all have a moral "compass" for our thoughts and feelings. I just find it so profoundly interesting that Obama was soooo quick to care about the rights of prisoners but at the same time not care at all about the right to LIFE for innocent babies.

Here are two articles that you might want to read in regard to this post:

Obama signs order to close Guantanamo Bay facility

Obama reverses abortion-funding policy

Let me be very clear that I am NOT a political expert. However, I am beginning to pay much more attention to politics than I ever have. I am not posting this to open up a can of debate and criticism about whether the treatment of prisoners or abortion is "right" or "wrong." I simply wanted to point out that two of the most important items on President Obama's agenda today seemed, at least for me, to hold very opposing values. All I know is, my morality is a bit different from Obama's.

Sydney's BIG Accomplishment!!

2009-01-20T16:35:00.002-06:00

On January 19, 2009, on her 22nd month birthday, little Miss Sydney Lynne (aka "Peeps" for those of you who do not know) tee-tee'd in her big girl potty!! I could not have been more proud of her! We have not been trying to potty train Sydney because she's not even 2, but she has been asking to sit on her potty from time to time. Usually, she sits there for a while, we read a few books together (thanks, Mom, for the idea of doing that to pass the time!), and "nothing" happens. We give Sydney a sticker anyway and tell her we are proud of her for trying, and we will try again later.

Yesterday was a different story! Sydney wanted to sit on the potty, so off we went to her bathroom. She kept saying "poo poo," so I figured that's what I would get in her potty (I actually DREAD cleaning poop out of her potty once she starts doing that!). We sat there for about 20 minutes when all of a sudden she tee-tee'd! You could have heard me cheering a mile away! I immediately called Daddy to tell him the great news! Sydney got some stickers, LOTS of "Good Jobs!!" from me, and hugs and kisses, too.

Later in the evening, Sydney started telling Todd she wanted to go sit on her potty, so off they went. Nothing happened that time, but we are still excited about the one tee-tee we got yesterday! We'll see what happens from here! I'm not trying to have Sydney potty trained by the time she is 2, but the sooner I can get her out of diapers, the better!! Woo Hoo!!!

Something That Made Me Think

2009-01-19T12:39:00.002-06:00

Today I was reading a recent devotional from the Proverbs 31 Ministry. This particular devotional really struck a chord with me and made me think about the priorities in my life:

Her Children Arise and Call Her Busy

12 Jan 2009 Sandy Cooper, She Speaks Conference Graduate

"Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." I Thessalonians 4:11&12 (NIV)

"Mom, will you please tell me a story?" my eight-year-old daughter asked me recently. It had been one of those insanely packed days, full of errands, chores and activities… and it wasn't over yet. My mind strained to keep everything in order for the remaining events we had planned for the evening. I was coordinating our homeless outreach followed by plans to attend my husband's softball game. Kids had to be fed, pottied, properly clothed, and in the right places at the right times. I had to remember to bring supplies, snacks, drinks and driving directions to our various destinations. There was no brain reserve left for creative stories.

"I'm sorry, honey. I can't tell you a story right now. I just have too much on my mind.""That's okay," she said. "I'll tell you a story. Once upon a time," she began, "there was a very busy mom."Uh oh. This ought to be interesting…"She woke up every day and she was tired. She made a big pot of coffee and went into her room to pray. She prayed and prayed and prayed…but nothing happened. She did the laundry and went to Target and to the grocery store where she spent lots of money. She made dinner and cleaned the house. She went to help the homeless children. At the end of the day, she was still tired so she went to bed. The end.

"Wow. I'm like a twisted version of the Proverbs 31 woman, only much less effective.I managed to fake a smile and kiss my precious daughter on the head as I blinked back tears. Is that really how she sees me? As a tired woman with a futile prayer life? Overwhelmed and overscheduled?

I had always taken pride in the fact that I wasn't busy. Years ago I learned to say "no" to activities that ate into our family time. I value simplicity and solitude. I had even taught Bible studies about it! Yet, somehow in the midst of my un-busy life, I managed to get very busy. And now the children were taking notice. This was something I promised myself would never happen.

That night I couldn't sleep (a very rare thing for me...being as "tired" as I am and all). So at 1:00 am I got up and began journaling. For two hours, I poured out my anxious thoughts to God as I sifted through my schedule to identify where and when things had gone wrong. I listed every activity in which I am currently involved, as well as every household responsibility that was taking up my time. The process was very revealing. I discovered that it wasn't one nasty "culprit" I could quickly cast out of my life, but a series of little culprits to address:

Mismanaged time like checking and responding to e-mails over ten times a day.
Commitments which were longer than anticipated like the freelance job that was supposed to be completed two months ago.
Time management systems I previously put in place, but failed to maintain like my mailfiling system and my "write-everything-on-a-master-list" system.
Piles of clutter in my home which often left me feeling exasperated because they represented areas of my life that were out of control.

That night God helped me identify a few key areas I could immediately cut in order to be less busy. He helped me draw up and prioritize a master list of projects to tackle, as well as new chores to delegate to my children. But mostly that night, He reminded me - for what seems like the millionth time - that my children would only be little for a season. And in comparison to the pages of other tasks and responsibilities I had just written in my journal, my commitment to be a Godly wife and mother stood far above them all. And then He reminded me that He doesn't view me as some kind of "ministry production machine." Nor does He value me because of what I can accomplish in a day. He cherishes me because I am His daughter. When I remember this, I'm much less inclined to add many things to my plate. Instead, I rest in the peace of knowing who I am in Christ and what He has purposed for me to do and be.

Dear Lord, I offer my schedule today to You. Help me remove from my schedule things not in Your perfect will for me. Help me add anything to my schedule that I may have overlooked but is important to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

This devotional made me think about my own life, my priorities, and what I waste time on. It reminded me of a day last week when I had a gagillion things to do, and Sydney was trying over and over to get my attention. We were having my boss over for dinner, and I was scurrying around that afternoon trying to clean the house and get ready for company. I am one of those obsessive women who cannot stand for someone to see my home in disarray. It drives me NUTS. As I was cleaning, I remembered the book "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World." I reminded myself that I really am more of a "Martha" than I want to be. I mean, who cares if the house is not "just so?" Who cares if Sydney's toys are scattered around? Who cares if the hardwood floors are not shiny? Who cares if the carpet is not vacuumed? Who cares except ME????

As I was frantically cleaning my house in preparation for our dinner guest, Sydney kept getting into mischief, and she was driving me nuts. She REALLY wanted my attention. At one point I almost lost my cool with her. This devotional made me realize that although Sydney is too young to verbalize in words how much she needs my time and attention, she says a ton through her non-verbal language. On that particular day last week, I really think she was trying to say, "Yo, Mom! Stop for a minute and just PLAY with me!!"

I know I spend a lot of time on things that are not important, and I am trying to reprioritize my time more. I need to spend less time cleaning, less time on Facebook, less time in front of the TV, less time focusing my energy on things that at the end of the day don't really mean a whole lot. What I need to start focusing more on is spending time with God, my husband, and my daughter. A lot of times all three of them get far less than they deserve of my time. I do purposely try to not get involved in too many activities outside of the house because I work part-time and want to be at home as much as I can when I am not working. Despite this, there are still many times when I am "not home" for my family. I recognize that I need to change this and FAST! I am thankful for this devotional that reminded me how valuable my family time is and how QUICKLY that time flies. May I strive to be less concerned over trivial things in my life and more concerned about what really matters when all is said and done.

Sydney's Future Husband

2009-01-17T00:04:00.005-06:00

One of my BESTEST friends in the whole wide world, JoAnna (aka "Nanner"), recently moved from Winston-Salem, NC to Bowling Green, KY with her husband, Will, and son, Ian. Instead of being 7 hours away from me, she is now about an hour and a half from me. Our children were born two days apart, and we have always said that they will get married some day. I mean, arranged marriages still happen in some places of the world, right? What's wrong with us arranging for our kids to get married some day??

Sydney and Ian met for the first time over the holidays. JoAnna, Will, and Ian came for dinner at my parents' house, and Sydney and Ian had great fun together! Here are a few pictures from that night:

Ian was already trying to kiss Sydney!!

The future mothers-in-law with the happy couple.

Ian with his parents, future bride, and future in-laws, minus my dad who was taking the picture.

Sydney and Ian had a blast playing together!

The rocking chair was great fun!

Sydney thought Ian was hilarious! The "furry" thing in her hair is a Christmas bow my mom gave her.

For New Year's, JoAnna, Will, and Ian came to Todd's parents' house and spent the night with us. We gave the kiddos a bath together, and they were tooooo cute!! I hope I posted pics that won't offend anyone!

On the morning of New Years Day, Ian and Sydney decided to have some tea together. They were very good at sharing!!

Todd and I are looking forward to many more fun times with JoAnna, Will, and Ian! Welcome to the family!! :-)

Catching Up

2009-01-16T22:48:00.013-06:00

Wow! I can't believe it's been almost two months since I have posted on my blog! With the craziness of the holidays, I guess I got a little behind. Here are a few pics from the past couple of months:

Todd, Sydney, and me on Thanksgiving Day. It was a great day with family!

Sydney's trip to see Santa. She wasn't too fond of him,

and I had to sit with them.

Sydney had much more fun at The Cheesecake Factory after seeing Santa!

Then, Christmas came, and Santa was very good to Sydney! She received lots of fun toys from friends and family, too! It was a blessed Christmas indeed!

Eating candy and getting ready to put on some lip gloss! Sydney LOVES both!!

During the Christmas holidays, I had two weeks off from work, and Sydney was out of school, too. It was soooo much fun spending extra time with her, and I was a little sad to return to work after the holidays were over. At the same time, it was nice to get back into a routine, and Sydney has loved being back at school. Her teachers have been amazed at how much she changed over the Christmas break! Sydney is saying more and more words every day, and she is changing at lightning speed! She is such a joy, and we are truly BLESSED!!

My Little Copycat

2008-11-22T01:21:00.002-06:00

You know, it's really scary how kids pick up on things you do and start immitating you. Sydney has been doing that a lot lately! She has already started immitating me putting on my makeup, brushing my hair and teeth, etc., and yesterday she immitated two really funny things. First, she took Todd's electric razor, put it up to her chin, and started immitating the sound the razor makes when Todd uses it. The razor wasn't on, but she had the noise down pat! It was hilarious!! Second, right after that I was putting on some deodorant. I looked down at Sydney, and she had her arm up waiting for me to put deodorant on her, too! I simply told her that little girls don't need deodorant. She seemed OK with that, but there's no telling what else the little missy is going to start immitating! I'd better mind my p's and q's!! LOL!!!!

Sydney Lynne's First Trip to the Beach!

2008-11-16T21:23:00.005-06:00

We took Sydney to the beach for the first time last week! We went to Destin, Florida, and it was so much fun! It was so nice to get out of town for a few days since we hadn't done that in about two years. At first, Sydney was not sure what to think of the beach. She did NOT like the sand and would NOT get near the water. By the last day she decided to venture out a bit, and once she walked on the sand for a while she LOVED IT!! Here are a few pics from that last day...

This first picture reminds Todd and me of Bo Derek in the 1979 movie "1o"!!

The water was a little cold, but Sydney didn't seem to mind too much. :-)

I love the shots of Sydney's little tushy as she strolled along the beach!

Checking out a feather with Daddy. Sydney loved the seagulls!

Such a beautiful sight- Daddy and Daughter. Soooo sweet!!!

I love these little feet!!

First Thoughts on the Election

2008-11-04T22:58:00.002-06:00

Well, as much as I wish it were not so, it looks like Obama is going to be our next President. I'm not surprised, but I was very much hoping for a different outcome in this election. As disappointed as I am, I am not one to drown myself in pity and stay upset about things. I like to stay positive! So, this is what I think about the outcome of this election....

I think this is God's way of telling us to get our butts in gear and get back to the FAITH that this country was founded upon. So many people have been so scared about what the future would hold if Obama were to be elected, and I admit I have also been scared at times. However, I see this more as a wake-up call from God. We have let our beliefs, values, morality, and basic common decency go down the toilet, and we can only do that for so long before it comes back to bite us. We CANNOT keep living like we have, folks! It's time to stand up for what we believe in and make this country strong again! Collectively we are facing the consequences of our actions, and our behavior has to STOP.

What do I plan on doing about this? First, I plan to get on my knees and pray for Obama. He needs all the prayers he can get as our next President. I would not trade places with him for the world. I pray that God will guide him, even if he does not seek His guidance.

Second, I plan to take these lemons and make some tasty lemonade! I refuse to get down about this election. I refuse to see only doom and gloom for our future. I am an AMERICAN for God's sake! I live in the BEST country in the world, and there are millions of people who would give anything to have the opportunities that I have. I plan on using the talents God has given me to be the best person I can be, and I plan on treating others with kindness and respect. GOD is in control of my life, NOT Obama, so I plan on reminding myself of that daily. I encourage you also to remember who is in control of YOUR life.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-02T19:37:00.005-06:00

We had a fantastic Halloween!! Sydney dressed up as Elmo ("Mo Mo" as she likes to call him), and we took her trick-or-treating at a few family homes. She did such a good job! She went right up to the door and waited patiently for family members to come to the door and offer her some yummy candy. It was like she knew exactly what she was supposed to do! Too cute!!

I took a bunch of pictures of Sydney in her Elmo costume, but they are all pretty much "action shots" because my child never likes to stop and pose for pictures. In almost every picture she has a sucker in her mouth that she is thoroughly enjoying! Here are a few pics from the evening...

One Vote

2008-10-24T22:32:00.001-05:00

We are less than two weeks away from the election, and there is sooooo much riding on this election. I ask you to please watch this video and think about the power of one vote, YOUR VOTE, in this election.

One Vote

Cooked Through- A Lesson on Beauty

2008-10-22T10:25:00.002-05:00

I received this devotional in my email inbox today, and I thought it was worth sharing. I know I am personally very guilty of caring more about my outer beauty than my inner beauty!

Despite the fact that I cook every night, my spiritual gift is definitely not in the kitchen.

Last night, I was running behind as I cooked burgers on the grill. I needed the meat to cook more quickly so, novice cook that I am, I figured that turning up the heat was a pretty good option. I cooked, I flipped, and I added cheese. I garnished each masterpiece with lettuce, tomato, and onion, and I waited for the compliments to rush in from my beloved family.

“Mom, why is my bun soaked?”
“Whoa, look at how gushy and red this meat is.”
My youngest tried to come to my rescue, “Well, from the outside, this burger looks amazing!”

The outside…I thought that if it looked good on the outside then surely the inside must look just as good.

As women, we can be so focused on our outward appearances that we neglect the meat of what God sees.

Each morning, we spend time applying our makeup and fixing our hair, but do we have the same resolve to prepare ourselves inwardly to face the day, every day? Maybe the shine from the lip gloss is imperative for the world, but what about the shine that God wants to develop from within?

We take time to dress in our stylish clothing and accessorize with our fashionista jewelry, but even with these condiments, we become like that burger—cooked on the outside but not yet ready on the inside. The pathetic truth is that quite often the necessity for personal grooming to look good to the world pushes aside the quiet times of grooming that would make me look better to God.

I have to wonder whether God looks at me some mornings and says, “Are you going out looking like that? Baby, you’re not ready. Why don’t you let Me help you?”

What I really need to realize is that it’s only man who looks at my outward appearance. The Lord is looking right at my heart. All the makeovers in the world will do nothing for my beauty compared with the daily heart makeovers that He wants to perform.

Next time I’m grilling burgers, I’ll be certain to leave enough time to cook them completely. And tomorrow morning, beyond the primping time, I’ll be certain to leave plenty of room for God to work as the Master Chef ensuring that I, too, am “cooked through.”

Where Was Obama Born??

2008-10-17T10:06:00.002-05:00

I promise I am not a political "junkie," even though it appears that I am from all of the videos and such that I have been posting to my blog lately. I just feel like this information is really important, and I am appalled that people don't seem to care about any of it. I know McCain is no saint, but Obama is nothing but a FRAUD! Enjoy my latest video:

Where Was Obama Born??

Some People Are IDIOTS!!!!

2008-10-16T12:49:00.001-05:00

No need to say more. Just listen to this:

Howard Stern and Harlem Voters

Catholic Vote 2008

2008-10-14T15:34:00.003-05:00

I am personally not Catholic, but I think this video can speak to all Christians concerning the 2008 Presidential election:

Catholic Vote 2008

Interesting YouTube Videos

2008-10-13T11:00:00.004-05:00

This guy is on YouTube, and he makes some REALLY good points! Take a few minutes and watch these videos:

Barack and Abortion- Good Points About Abortion in General

The Diddy Retort- I'm Glad I'm Not the Only Person Who Thinks Diddy Is an Idiot!!

The Past 7 1/2 Years

2008-10-13T10:36:00.003-05:00

I received this email the other day and thought it was QUITE INTERESTING. Read and ponder....

Just think about these facts -- most of which you know already, but have perhaps forgotten in the hurricane of recent nonsense and bull...oney!!!

George Bush has been in office for 7 1/2 years. The first six, the economy was fine.
A little over one year ago:

1) Consumer confidence stood at a 2 1/2 year high.
2) Regular gasoline sold for $2.19 a gallon.
3) The unemployment rate was 4.5%
4) The DOW JONES hit a record high--14,000+.
5) American's were buying new cars, taking cruises, vacations overseas, living large!

But Americans wanted 'CHANGE'! So, in 2006 they voted in a Democratic Congress and yes--we got 'CHANGE' all right. In the PAST YEAR:

1) Consumer confidence has plummeted.
2) Gasoline is now over $4 a gallon & climbing!
3) Unemployment is up to 5.5% (a 10% increase).
4) Americans have seen their home equity drop by $12 TRILLION DOLLARS and prices are still dropping.
5) 1% of American homes are in foreclosure.
6) As I write, THE DOW is probing another low~~ $2.5 TRILLION DOLLARS HAS EVAPORATED FROM THEIR STOCKS, BONDS & MUTUAL FUNDS INVESTMENT PORTFOLIOS!

YES, IN 2006 AMERICA VOTED FOR CHANGE...AND WE SURE GOT IT! ....

REMEMBER THE PRESIDENT HAS NO CONTROL OVER ANY OF THESE ISSUES, ONLY CONGRESS DOES.

AND WHAT HAS CONGRESS DONE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS? ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

NOW THE DEMOCRATIC CANDIDATE FOR PRESIDENT CLAIMS HE IS GOING TO REALLY GIVE US CHANGE, ASSISTED BY THE DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS!!!!

JUST HOW MUCH MORE 'CHANGE' DO YOU THINK YOU CAN STAND?
LOOK AT THE FACTS, AND THINK ABOUT IT!

Random Obama Thought

2008-10-08T13:07:00.000-05:00

I watched the debate last night, and for the most part I was bored. One thing that really stood out to me, though, was listening to Obama talk about his concern over the people who haved been killed in Darfur, Rawanda, etc. Is it just me, or do you also find it interesting that Obama is so concerned about THOSE people dying, but he doesn't care about the THOUSANDS of babies who are killed through abortion every year?!?! Don't get me wrong. I DETEST hatred, killing, genocide of any kind, so I DO care about "those" people. I just find it interesting that Obama can be so concerned about killing of one sort and not of another........

Is God Trying to Tell Me Something??

2008-10-08T11:55:00.003-05:00

I received two devotionals via email today that were very similar, and it made me wonder if God was trying to tell me something. Here is the first devotional I read from my Proverbs 31 (http://proverbs31.gospelcom.net/) email:

Have you ever grown frustrated with God over situations in your life? Have you gone to Him and poured out those feelings in prayer?

If so, you’ll be able to relate to the prophet Habakkuk, who lived roughly 600 years before Christ. His book of the Bible begins with this complaint: “How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but you do not listen? Or cry out to you, “Violence!” but you do not save me. Why do you make me look at injustice? Why do you tolerate wrong?” (Hab.1:2-3, NIV).

God answered Habakkuk by telling him to be patient and to watch, that He will do amazing things and usher in justice – but only in His timing.

Passionate, honest, gut-level prayers have been recorded through out the Bible. Habakkuk wasn’t the only one to complain. Moses, Gideon, and Elijah all questioned God. Job even cursed the day God made him and said, “I loathe my very life; therefore I will give free rein to my complaint and speak out in the bitterness of my soul.” (Job 10:1, NIV).

In his anguish, Job accused God of afflicting people for no reason (Job 9:17), overwhelming them with misery (Job 9:18), and not caring about injustice (Job 9:22, 24). Job even wondered if maybe God was laughing at the pain of the innocent (Job 9:22). None of these accusations are accurate – far from it – but we can sometimes feel that way in times of severe suffering or testing. God knows our deepest thoughts and feelings, so it’s futile to think we can hide them from Him. Better to come clean with how we really feel, get it off our chest in prayer, and hopefully clear the way to hear and receive God’s reply or comfort.

I’ve complained to God in the past for allowing my loved ones to die or fall deep into sin, for allowing valuable things to be stolen from me, for allowing my reputation to be unfairly tarnished, for allowing physical suffering in my body, or for not allowing what I felt I deserved. My goal is to be a woman of faith who can take such things in stride with Him. But when I’m losing that stride, I’ve found the best thing I can do is honestly take these feelings to God where they can be traded for His perspective and His comforting assurance.

Though God does not always change my circumstances the way I want Him to, He can and does change my perspective on those circumstances – enabling me to endure them.

God listens when we complain about injustice. He understands when we feel shortchanged or opposed. Read through the gospel accounts of Jesus’ life and you’ll be reminded of just how much Jesus can relate to undeserved opposition!

Be honest before God in prayer today. While maintaining a holy respect for Him and thanksgiving for His saving grace, pour out the good, the bad and the ugly of your feelings. As Habakkuk, Job and others discovered, God can handle our intense emotions and questions. He may not explain Himself fully to us – perhaps because we can’t fully understand – but He will flood us with His love when we come humbly and honestly before Him and pour out our heart.

After reading that devotional, I opened up my daily devotional from Way FM (http://waym.wayfm.com/):

I don't even have the words to pray.

Have you ever sat down to pray, and didn’t know what to say? How do you pray when you’re angry with God? When circumstances are so out of control that you don’t even know what to ask for? Thankfully, God has given us the gift of His Holy Spirit.When we don’t know what to pray for, the Spirit will speak to God for us. God knows our hearts and minds, and exactly what we are going through. So even if you sit in silence and throw your hands in the air because you don’t know what to do, or if you just cry or scream, God hears you. He understands and knows exactly what you need.

Romans 8:26-27
And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers harmony with God’s own will.

I don't know about you, but I found these two devotionals to be very similar. They both talked about crying out to God and being angry or not even knowing what to say or how to pray. For me personally, I THINK everything is A-OK in my little part of the world right now, but I do think a lot these days about the "bigger picture" of all the craziness going on in the world around me. There are times when I am at a loss for words when I try to pray to God about our current world situation. It just seems like there is SO MUCH to pray for that I don't even know how or where to begin. There are things that can make me sad, angry, and bitter if I let them, but I have to CHOOSE daily to hand things over to God because HE IS IN CHARGE. HE KNOWS what is happening in our world today. HE KNOWS how depserate people are all over the world. HE KNOWS the hell that people live in on a daily basis. I may not know how to pray about such things, but I can rest assured that GOD CARES and that despite everything HE IS IN CONTROL.

A Wee Bit of Jealousy

2008-10-07T08:25:00.003-05:00

Many of you know that I used to work at Belmont University. I worked there twice. First, I worked in housing from 1998 to 2001, and I oversaw two residence halls. Then, I left for a few years and returned in 2004 to work in the Registrar's Office. While Belmont was a wonderful place to work, when Sydney was born I decided to stay home with her, so I quit my job there. I have since gone back to work part-time, but not at Belmont. I LOVE my current job, but today I must admit that I wish I was back at Belmont. I am also a little jealous of my friends who still work there. Why am I jealous today?? Well, it's because of the 2008 Presidential Debate that is happening on Belmont's campus tonight, baby!!

I am jealous of the excitement and energy on Belmont's campus today. It is such an honor and privilege to be asked to host a Presidential Debate, and I know everyone at Belmont is riding high with the "buzz" going on there today. Oh, I wish I could be a part of that buzz!! I tried to get tickets to the debate thinking that I could experience a wee bit of the Belmont excitement that way. But alas, no tickets were being given out or sold to the general public. Apparently, you had to be invited to attend the debate. Well, poo on that!!

I do wish all of my former Belmont co-workers much good luck today. I know there's a lot going on there, and I pray that all goes well. Enjoy the excitement, have fun, and think of me!!

Weighty Issues

2008-10-06T01:01:00.003-05:00

I have debated several times about posting about this. It's something that I will think, "Yeah, it's a good idea to post about this," and then as soon as I think that I will think, "Noooooo way! I don't want people to know my feelings about this!" Tonight I started thinking about it again, and I thought, "What the heck! Go ahead. It can't hurt." So, here goes.....

I am struggling with my weight. OK, it's out there. I can breathe a sigh of relief now. For those of you who have known me a long time (and maybe even not so long), you know I have always struggled with my weight. It is my constant enemy. Since college, my weight has been the one thing I have not been able to get control of totally. Oh sure, I will have times when I am doing well and keeping my weight under control. Then, other times my weight is controlling me instead of me controlling it. Now is one of those times.

After Sydney was born, I got back down to my pre-pregnancy weight pretty quickly. I was very happy about that! Steadily, however, over the past 18 months my weight has begun to start up the scale again, and I have now put on 10 lbs. Now, keep in mind that my pre-pregnancy weight was not ideal. Even then I was 20 lbs. heavier than I should have been. Now I am about 30 lbs. heavier than I should be. You may think 20 to 30 lbs. is no big deal, but on someone who is 5'1" it's a lot of extra weight to be carrying around. So, why did I let my weight creep back up after I got down to my pre-pregnancy weight? Why didn't I keep losing weight and get down to my "goal weight" once and for all? Good questions. I have been asking myself those two questions A LOT lately, and I am trying to figure out the answers. Here are a few of my thoughts...

First, I don't exercise enough. Now, I know the "experts" will say, "All you need is 30 minutes a day to exercise!" but let's be honest here. Between work, taking care of a toddler, taking care of a hubby, cooking, cleaning, the ENDLESS laundry, and let's not forget about spending time with God (another post entirely for another day!), there just isn't a lot of time left in the day for exercise. I know I am probably making excuses, and the "experts" would tell me I am "no good to anyone else if I don't put myself first," but COME ON! IT'S NOT AS EASY AS THE "EXPERTS" SAY IT IS!!!!!! I feel better since I got that off my chest!! I will be the first to admit that I do not enjoy exercising. I do not like to sweat (or "glisten" or whatever else you want to call it!). Also, exercise seems so daunting, like I have to do sooooooo much of it to see any results in my weight, that I just give up. I know, excuses excuses! I'm just saying that regular exercise is a struggle for me, that's all.

Second, I have started some weird binge eating lately. Now, I'm not talking about eating for hours on end, but I can easily down a whole bag of chips these days. It's like I start, and I can't stop. For you psycho babble people out there (and I can be one too sometimes!) I am not trying to fill some deep-seeded issue in my life. I don't have unresolved issues from my childhood that make me overeat. I am happy with my job, my marriage, and my child. It's not to the point that I need to join Overeaters Anonymous (I don't think). More than anything, I think it is stress. For all the reasons I gave for not exercising, I give the same reasons for overeating. I think maybe I overeat out of stress. That is TOTALLY possible!! Oh, and then there's also an added financial stress these days, but that is also another post for another day.

Some days are better than others in my weight struggles. I joined Weight Watchers a few weeks ago (for about the 20th time in my life), but so far not much weight has come off. I think (no, I KNOW) I am not as committed to it as I should be. I just have no motivation. Why is that?!?! What is wrong with me?!?! I know part of my lack of motivation is that losing my weight seems like such a big mountain to climb. I know there are people in this world who have needed to lose a lot more weight than I need to lose, and they have been successful at it. For me, though, 30 lbs. seems like soooooo much. I try to break it down and only think about 5 lbs. at a time, but for me it takes a looooooong time to lose 5 lbs. My body really likes being fat!! Even when I try really hard and keep on track with my weight loss efforts, it can easily take me 1 to 2 months to lose 5 lbs. It can be very frustrating!!

One thing I know for sure. I CANNOT go on like this! I HAVE to get this weight thing under CONTROL! If for no other reason, I need to do it for Sydney. I mean, what kind of example am I setting for her?? Besides, I want to be around for her for a VERY long time, and I need to get healthy in order to do that. I figure posting about my weight issues may help me stay more accountable. Since my readers will know about my weight issues, and several of you see me on a regular basis, maybe I will do better with my efforts to lick this weight thing. I am open to any advice if you want to share that with me! I know I am not the only person who struggles with their weight, but right now it is on my mind A LOT, and I really want to get this under control! Thanks for letting me share, and I will post about my weight again from time to time to let you know how I am doing!!

A "Corny" Survey

2008-10-05T14:57:00.002-05:00

So, I was driving down the road with Peeps today (that's Sydney for those of you who do not know), and she and I were sharing some candy corn. As I ate my candy corn, I started thinking about the way I eat it. I like to eat the white part first, then the orange part, and lastly the yellow part. I started wondering if other people eat their candy corn like I do, so I decided I would take a little informal survey on my blog. For those of you who wish to participate in my survey, I would like to know if you eat your candy corn all in one piece, or do you eat it in "sections" as I do? It's OK if you detest candy corn (some people do!), but if you like it, in what manner do you prefer to consume this delectible little treat??

The Waffle House Wedding

2008-10-02T23:00:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine posted this video on Facebook, and I just had to steal it so I could share it on my blog. My favorite part of this video is the bride with the cigarette in her mouth. Priceless. Enjoy!

Waffle House Wedding

A Funny Gas Shortage Video!!

2008-09-30T23:13:00.003-05:00

OK, so I saw this on my friend Stephanie's blog, and she gave me permission to steal it from her. This is a really funny video about the recent gas shortage in Nashville (just please ignore the few curse words). If you live in Nashville, you will totally "get" this video, and it will crack you up! If you don't live here, hopefully you can enjoy the humor anyway. Enjoy!!

Nashville Gas Shortage Video

BIG Things at Church!!

2008-09-21T14:22:00.004-05:00

Today at church Pastor Rick shared with us the plans for upcoming changes to the Franklin campus as well as the new location for the Spring Hill campus. It was SOOOOOOO cool!!! I cannot tell you how excited I am!!! The most amazing part of the Spring Hill campus is the children's area. It is bright, colorful, and so inviting for kids of all ages. When that part of the video was shown, I turned to my friend and said, "That is so cool that it makes me want to have another baby!!" I can't wait for Sydney to see this amazing area that has been planned for her and the other children at our church! What an exciting place to learn about Jesus!!

Pastor Rick challenged us today to begin praying about how we can give ($$) to the building project. I must admit that since Sydney was born Todd and I have not done a very good job with our tithing. I know the church needs our tithes in order to build buildings, create programs, do mission work, and more than anything lead others to Christ. My challenge is to begin FAITHFULLY tithing again. I will be honest and say that this is a little hard for me because money is so tight right now. I know, though, that God always has and always will provide for us, so I must remind myself of that. I want to become a CHEERFUL giver so that others may come to know Christ!!

If you would like to see the video that was shown today, please visit http://www.pclive.org/ and click on the 9/21/08 service. It may not be on the site for a day or two. I encourage you to watch the entire sermon part (although Pastor Rick does not do a lot of "preaching"). There are some really good testimonies that demonstrate why our church does what it does in an effort to reach people for Christ. I hope today's message at The Peoples Church excites you as much as it did me, even if you do not attend my church!!

Have a blessed day!!!!

Live Like You Were Dying!!

2008-09-14T20:20:00.002-05:00

Today we finished a month-long series at church entitled "Live Like You Were Dying." The series took a look at what you might do if you knew you only had 30 days left to live. Would you love deeper, speak sweeter, give forgiveness, embrace eternity?? It was an amazing series, but I must say that today's message touched me more than the other four weeks combined. Pastor Rick spoke about embracing eternity, and the service moved me to tears. I urge you to watch today's message when you have a chance. You can go to http://www.pclive.org/ and click on 9-14-08 to view the message. As of tonight, today's message is not posted yet, but it should be in a day or two. Once again, I urge you to watch the message. I urge you to take some quiet moments, watch the message, and really think about what it means to "embrace eternity."

Two things really touched me from today's message. First, Pastor Rick showed an interview he had done a few months ago with a member or our church who was dying of cancer. The man's name was John Reed, and he was diagnosed with cancer in his early 40's. Despite months of treatment and the doctors doing all they could, the cancer continued to consume John's body and eventually led to his death. John's view of his life and upcoming death was absolutely incredible. This man knew his purpose for living, and even in his last days he was praising and serving God. Can I get an AMEN?!?!?!

The second thing that touched me today was watching people give their lives to Christ. Our church does not always have an alter call after service each week, but we did today. After listening to Pastor Rick speak about changing our lives for eternity when we accept Christ, and then to see people come forward to do just that was so moving for me. I was in tears as I watched these people come forward and ask Jesus into their lives. It is so hard for me to put into words how much watching that meant to me. It leads me to tears thinking about it again now.

If you are interested in watching the entire "Live Like You Were Dying" series at our church, go to http://www.pclive.org/ and watch the 8/17, 8/24, 8/31, 9/7, and 9/14 services. I hope the messages touch your heart as they did mine, and I encourage you to live each day as if it were your last!!

My Job @ TheHopeLine

2008-09-08T01:28:00.002-05:00

People often ask me about where I work, and I must admit that it is sometimes a little hard to explain. So, I decided to post about it on my blog for any of you who have wondered what I do for a living but were too afraid to ask. I will try to make this as simple and short as possible (yeah, right!).

I work for a ministry called TheHopeLine (yes, that is supposed to be all one word). It is a ministry that was created by Dawson McAllister. Some of you may have heard of Dawson, others maybe not. Dawson has been in teen Christian ministry for almost 40 years. He has spoken to literally thousands of teenagers and young adults over the years. Several years ago Dawson began a radio call-in show called DM Live. It is a call-in show for teens and young adults ages 13 to 25. When Dawson first began his radio show, it aired primarily on Christian radio stations. A few years ago, in an effort to reach more young people, Dawson decided to begin airing his show on mainstream radio. The show currently airs on over 80 "Top 40" radio stations across the country on Sunday nights (if you would like to know if DM Live airs in your area, please visit http://www.dmlive.com/ and look under "Affiliates"). Teens and young adults call in and talk to Dawson about any number of issues from alcohol/drug abuse, dating/relationship issues, parent issues, teen pregnancy, suicide, etc. On any given Sunday night you can listen to DM Live and hear callers talk to Dawson about all sorts of issues they are struggling with. Sometimes it can get pretty heavy, but a lot of these young people feel like they have no one else to talk to. Along with the DM Live show, Dawson recently began a nightly show called Dawson McAllister Late Nights, and it airs on several radio stations during the week.

In conjunction with Dawson's radio shows, he has TheHopeLine ministry. Teens and young adults ages 13 to 25 can call in and talk to a HopeCoach every night of the week, and they can also chat online with HopeCoaches. The HopeCoaches are trained volunteers who talk to these young people when they call in. They offer hope, help, and encouragement, and if callers are receptive they pray with them and present the Gospel to them. The ultimate goal of TheHopeLine is to lead young people to Christ. It's pretty awesome, and TheHopeLine has helped thousands of young people over the years!!

I went to work for TheHopeLine about 8 months ago as a support person for the training and recruiting of HopeCoaches. I assist HopeCoach applicants with the application and training process, and I basically do whatever my supervisors ask me to do! :-) It's a great job, and I am soooo blessed to work with such wonderful people. The future plans for TheHopeLine are incredible, and I expect the ministry to grow immensely in the coming years. Young people today need so much help and encouragement, and they deal with so many issues that you and I may have never had to deal with. It is heartbreaking what some of them go through, but the awesome thing about TheHopeLine is it offers them HOPE for the future through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. What could be better than that?!?!

If you think you might be interested in volunteering with TheHopeLine, just let me know! I would love to tell you more about the opportunity to volunteer with us!! You can even volunteer remotely from your own home!! Even if you don't feel called to volunteer, I ask that you please pray for TheHopeLine ministry. Satan attacks us daily in many ways, and we know he hates the work that we do. We serve an AWESOME GOD, though, so Satan will NOT prevail!! In these troubling economic times, our biggest prayer request right now is for our finances. We have soooo much work we want to do for Christ, but realistically we need the money to do it. Please pray that we will continue to receive the funding that we need to do God's work. Also, if you would like me to place you on our mailing list for our monthly newsletter, please email me with your email address at mryan@dmlive.com. You can keep up with what we have going on at TheHopeLine! Also, feel free to visit our websites at http://www.dmlive.com/ and http://www.thehopeline.com/. You may also want to check out http://www.teenhopeline.com/. This is a ministry through the band Seventh Day Slumber, and they are doing some awesome work with teens, too!

I hope you're now able to know a little about what I do for a living! Got questions about TheHopeLine? Just let me know!!

Some Interesting Obama Facts

2008-09-05T13:29:00.003-05:00

My mother-in-law also sent this email to me today. Go, Lynda, go!!

The Obama Tidal Wave

We are witnessing a political phenomenon with Barack Obama of rare magnitude. His speeches have inspired millions, and yet most of his followers have no idea of what he stands for except platitudes of 'Change' or that he says he will be a 'Uniter'. The power of speech from a charismatic person truly can be a powerful thing. Certainly Billy Graham had charisma. Both his manner of speech and particularly the content changed millions. On the extreme other hand, the charisma of Adolph Hitler, too, inspired millions and the results were catastrophic. Barack Obama certainly is no Hitler or a Billy Graham, but for many Americans riding on the Obama Tidal Wave it is just like a surfer who might be ecstatic and euphoric while riding a tidal wave, but the reality of the ride is what happens when it hits shore.

Just Some of What Defines Barack Obama:
He voted for partial birth abortion.
He voted no on notifying parents of minors who get out-of-state abortions.
Supports affirmative action in Colleges and Government (quotas).
In 2001 he questioned harsh penalties for drug dealing as being too severe.
Says he will deal with street level drug dealing as minimum wage affair.
Admitted his use of marijuana and cocaine in high school and in college.
His religious convictions are very murky.
He is willing to meet with Fidel Castro, Hugo Chavez, Kim Jung Il and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
Has said that one of his first goals after being elected would be to have a conference with all Muslim nations. Why?
Opposed the Patriot Act.
First bill he signed that was ever passed was campaign finance reform.
Voted to allow law suits against gun manufacturers.
Supports universal health-care.
Voted yes on providing habeas corpus for Guantanamo detainees.
Supports granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.
Supports extending welfare to illegal immigrants.
Voted yes on comprehensive immigration reform.
Voted yes on allowing illegal aliens to participate in Social Security.
Wants to make the minimum wage a 'living wage'.
Voted with Democratic Party 96 percent of 251 votes. (241 votes Demo, 10 votes Republican)
Is a big believer in the separation of church and state.
Opposed to any efforts to Privatize Social Security and instead supports increasing the amount of tax paid into Soc. Sec. Tax Increase.
He voted No on repealing the Alternative Minimum Tax which now hits middle income brackets. Tax Increase.
He voted No on repealing the 'Death' Tax. Tax Increase.
He wants to raise the Capital Gains Tax. Tax Increase.
Has repeatedly said the surge in Iraq has not succeeded...which is not true.
He is ranked as the most liberal Senator in the Senate today and that takes some doing.

If your political choices are consistent with Barack Obama's and you think that his positions will bring America together or make it a better place, then you will probably enjoy the ride and not forward this Email. If you are like most Americans that after examining what he stands for, are truly not in line with his record, it would be prudent to get off the wave or better yet, never get on, before it comes on shore and undermines the very foundations of this great Country. We have limited time to save America or the Supreme Court as we know it.

Inaction is action.
If you agree this is important, pass it on. The mainstream media will not do it for you!

Bill Brown
Billy Graham Team, Retired

The Little Red Hen

2008-09-05T12:07:00.001-05:00

My mother-in-law sent this to me today, and I LOVE it! Enjoy!!

The little red hen called all of her Democrat neighbors together and said, 'If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?'
'Not I,' said the cow.
'Not I,' said the duck.
'Not I,' said the pig.
'Not I,' said the goose.
'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen, and so she did. The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.
'Who will help me reap my wheat?' asked the little red hen.
'Not I,' said the duck...
'Out of my classification,' said the pig.
'I'd lose my seniority,' said the cow.
'I'd lose my unemployment compensation,' said the goose.
'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen, and so she did.
At last it came time to bake the bread. 'Who will help me bake the bread?' asked the little red hen.
'That would be overtime for me,' said the cow.
'I'd lose my welfare benefits,' said the duck.
'I'm a dropout and never learned how,' said the pig.
'If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination,' said the goose.
'Then I will do it by myself,' said the little red hen.
She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, 'No, I shall eat all five loaves.'
'Excess profits!' cried the cow. (Nancy Pelosi)
'Capitalist leech!' screamed the duck. (Barbara Boxer)
'I demand equal rights!' yelled the goose. (Jesse Jackson)
The pig just grunted in disdain. (Ted Kennedy)
And they all painted 'Unfair!' picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
Then the farmer (Obama) came. He said to the little red hen, 'You must not be so greedy.'
'But I earned the bread,' said the little red hen.
'Exactly,' said Barack the farmer. 'That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle.'
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, 'I am grateful, for now I truly understand.'
But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread because she joined the 'party' and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established.
Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared...so long as there was free bread that 'the rich' were paying for.
EPILOGUE
Bill Clinton is getting $12 million for his memoirs.
Hillary got $8 million for hers.
That's $20 million for the memories from two people, who for eight years, repeatedly testified, under oath, that they couldn't remember anything.

IS THIS A GREAT BARNYARD OR WHAT

Something GOOD Financially!!

2008-08-14T18:19:00.001-05:00

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will remember where I was griping about some extra cell phone charges from AT&T back in July. Well........ I am happy to report that when we got our phone bill this month, it was only $66!! I guess AT&T decided it wasn't very nice to rip us off, so they made up for it this month. I HATED writing a check to them for $415 last month, but this month I will LOVE writing them one for $66! Thanks, AT&T! And thank you, God, for providing our every need!!!!

They Grow Up So Fast!

2008-08-14T08:51:00.007-05:00

When I gave birth to this precious angel, I had no idea she would grow up so fast!! It seems like just yesterday she was born. It's hard to believe that almost 17 months have passed since Sydney Lynne came into our lives on March 19, 2007.

This is Sydney Lynne now......

She started her first day of preschool yesterday. She will be going to school on Mondays and Wednesdays from 9 am to 3 pm. I know it's very hard sometimes for parents to see their children grow up and become more independent. With Sydney, however, I am so excited to see how much she is growing and changing with each passing day. She is sooooo excited about school, and I know she is going to have a great time! My challenge is to preserve this and all other memories of her as I have the honor and privilege of being her mother. I pray I do a good job! Here are a few more pics from yesterday:

Amazing Adventures

2008-07-31T22:51:00.002-05:00

My newest addictions are Facebook and reading blogs. I am finding old friends, and I am discovering all that they have been doing in the past 10, 15, almost 20 years (yikes!). It is absolutely amazing to me what some of my friends have been up to.

Some of my friends are stay-at-home moms with 2, 3, 4, even 5 kids (whew! I do well with just one!). Several of these friends have blogs about their families, and I love reading their stories. Some are funny, others are thought-provoking, and some challenge me in my own quest to be a "good" mom. I am learning a lot from these friends and their stories!

One of my old church youth group friends is a pastor in Harlem (NYC!). How incredible is that! He says he and his wife love it there, and I can only imagine the adventures they have had. I wonder if I could leave the comforts of my home in Tennessee to travel to NYC and minister to people living in Harlem.......I wonder.

Another friend and his family are embarking on mission work in the Middle East. How scary! I am amazed by the faith and courage they have to go to an area of the world that is so dangerous for Americans. I pray that they stay safe and that God uses them in mighty ways. I know He will!

When I read about my friends' lives, I think about how mundane my life often is. Don't get me wrong. I love where I live, I love my family, I love my job. But honestly, my life doesn't have a lot of adventure. I am not out trying to find a lot of excitement, but when I discover what my friends' lives are like, I am reminded of how big the world is and how I could be doing so much more. I guess I need to open myself up more to the possibilities God has for me so I can see where that takes me!!

The Car

2008-07-22T16:34:00.000-05:00

Well, $500 later, and the car is fixed. Grrrrrrrrr.............................

Cherished Moments

2008-07-22T09:42:00.002-05:00

One of the reasons I started this blog was to share stories about my daughter, Sydney Lynne. Now, I do not want this to be a "Sydney Blog," so don't worry. I will not always just talk about her. I do want to share some things about her from time to time that you might find interesting, though. I had two such occurences in the last 24 hours.

First, I bit of a funny story from yesterday afternoon..... this might be a "you had to be there" type of story, though. Sydney and I were in the car on the way to Publix to purchase a roast to cook for dinner (yes, I was going to buy the roast on Sunday, but you know what happened if you read my last blog post). When I have Sydney in the car with me, I try very hard to listen only to Christian music. I usually listen to Christian music when I am alone, too, but I really try to when she is with me. Yesterday was a day when I decided to listen to secular music instead, though.

For those of you who know me well, you know I love 80's music. Duran Duran is my all-time favorite group, but I like almost all 80's music, including some heavy metal (I know, strange coming from "little miss goody two shoes"). On the way to Publix yesterday I had the radio on a station that plays a lot of 80's music, and the song "Paradise City" by Guns 'n' Roses came on. If you know this song, you know it starts out kind of slow, "Take me down to the Paradise City where the grass is green, and the girls are pretty." After singing this phrase a couple of times, these guitars start goin' to town, and it's kind of heavy (not quite ACDC type heavy, but still a little heavy). Well, at this point in the song I looked at Sydney in the rear-view mirror, and what did I see??? My 16 month old daughter was head bangin' in the back seat!! I just about died laughing!! I said, "Peeps, are you back there head bangin'?" to which she laughed and continued to head bang even more! She and I did a little head bangin' to "Paradise City" until the song was over, and it was sooooo much fun! It's a good thing my mom was not with us, though. She would NOT have approved!!!

The other moment I want to share with you happened at 2 AM this morning. I was sleeping soundly when Sydney awoke and was crying. Apparently, she had lost her paci and could not find it. I try to keep extras in her bed for this very reason, but last night she could not find any of them, even with her nightlight on. After a couple of minutes (I wanted to wait and see if she found a paci before going into her room), I decided to go and help her out. When something like this happens in the middle of the night, Sydney usually wants me to get her out of bed to rock in her big pink rocking chair (sometimes she decides she wants to go downstairs and munch on some animal crackers or fruit loops before returning to bed, but she didn't do that last night). After rocking Syd for a while, I put her back in the bed, and she drifts back off to sleep.

Last night as I rocked Sydney in her big pink rocking chair, I cherished that time. While I was very sleepy and wanted to return to the comforts of my own bed, I knew how special this time together was. She is growing up sooooo fast, and sometimes I just want to stop the clock and hold her back. I know I can't do that, but it's during these precious moments during the night that I feel like I am stopping time just a bit. I know that before I can blink an eye Sydney will be off to kindergarten, then off to high school, college, and beyond, and someday she will have her own little angel to cuddle with in the middle of the night. So, instead of being irritated that my nice sleep has been interrupted when my daughter needs me in the middle of the night, I thank God for these moments because they mean more to me than I can ever explain.

I hope you have enjoyed these little tidbits of life with Sydney Lynne, and I hope God blesses you as much as He has blessed me. I may not be "rich" by worldly standards, but I am rich beyond measure in all ways that really matter.

P.S. An update on the car...... we are still waiting on it to be fixed completely, but we do know the battery was dead. So far with parts, labor, and the towing expense we are at about $400, but it will probably cost more than that by the time everything is said and done. I hope God provides a ram in the thicket for us!!!

God ALWAYS Provides!

2008-07-20T21:36:00.005-05:00

Today started out as a great day. Sydney and I went to church at the Spring Hill campus of TPC (Todd had to work), and the sermon was great. William Guice spoke, and I always like hearing him speak. William spoke about Abraham and Isaac and about trusting God (there was more to the sermon than that, but that's my Cliffs Notes version). He talked about how God will test us to see if we REALLY believe He will provide for us. Abraham was willing to offer his only son, Isaac, as a living sacrifice to God because God told him to, BUT in doing so he also BELIEVED that God would allow Isaac to live (or at least be raised from the dead after Abraham sacrificed him). Just as Abraham was about to kill his only son as a sacrifice to God, God stepped in and provided a ram in the thicket to take the place of Isaac as the sacrifice. What amazing faith Abraham had!! God will often test our faith as well to see if we will trust that He will provide a ram in the thicket for us. In listening to William, little did I know that my faith in God's provision would be tested shortly afterward.

My day continued to go smoothly after church as Sydney and I were on our way to Publix to get a roast to fix for dinner (I was actually going to cook for a change!). On the way, as we drove through "downtown Spring Hill" (all 3 traffic lights), I saw some signs for a farmer's market that was taking place. At the farmer's market they were having a petting zoo, and I knew I had to find that petting zoo for little Miss Sydney!! I found it on a side street in town, and Syd and I got out of the car and visited with some goats, a baby calf (sooooooo sweet BTW that I wanted to take him home for a pet!!), a huge pig (and I mean HUGE!!), ducks, hens, bunnies, and a llama. It was so much fun! Sydney didn't quite know what to think about the animals because they were very different from our dogs and cats at home, but she didn't cry any (she is so brave!). I, being the animal lover that I am, was in hog heaven with the animals at the petting zoo (no pun intended toward the HUGE pig!). It was sooooo much fun!! After leaving the petting zoo, we headed toward Publix. That's when I got a call from Todd........

It appears that Todd's car decided to break down today. His car is not old ('06 Altima), so this came as a bit of a shock to me. Apparently, Todd had been running a few errands before going to work, and when he came out of one of the stores and got in his car, it would not start. Dead. Nothing. He got a friend to come and try to jump it off, and that did not help. So, it was obviously not the battery. Soooooo, Todd had to call Nissan and had to get a tow truck to come and take the car to the dealership. All this happened in Murfreesboro, about 35-40 minutes away from Spring Hill. So, I had to go pick up Todd and take him to work. Then, I called my parents and asked if they would mind bringing one of their vehicles to M'boro so Todd could drive it for a day or two (hopefully not longer!). Mom and Dad have 3 vehicles, so luckily they always have a "spare" for times such as these. They gladly said they would come down (afterall, they would get to see Miss Sydney!), so they did, and Todd now has a car to drive until the Altima gets fixed.

Needless to say, the newest saga for us with the car breaking down reminded me of William's sermon and how God ALWAYS PROVIDES for us. If you read my last blog, I griped quite a bit about several monetary hassles Todd and I have had this past month (I forgot to mention our computer breaking too and us having to spend $600 on a new one- Todd's parents graciously paid for that, though!). This past month has been one where over and over and over we have had to shell out extra money on things when we don't really have extra money to shell out. HOWEVER, through it all God HAS PROVIDED for our needs. Our bills are all paid, we have a roof over our heads and food in our tummies, gas in our tanks (that's a big one these days!), and our beautiful daughter. All in all, we have EVERYTHING that we NEED. It might not be all that we WANT, but it's everything that we NEED. God is ALWAYS FAITHFUL, and I know this car trouble is just His way of testing us again to see if we REALLY BELIEVE that He will provide for us.

As we wait to hear what is wrong with our car, I am confident that God will provide a ram in the thicket for us. Luckily, Todd has an extended warranty on his car, so hopefully that will cover the cost of our repairs. For me, as long as I have my family, friends, food, and a home, I am a happy woman.

Tired of Getting Ripped Off......

2008-07-17T22:39:00.002-05:00

Today I must gripe a bit (well, maybe a lot). We recently got our phone bill, and for the fun of it AT&T decided to bill us for our cell coverage TWICE this month. We have our home phone, internet, and cell phones "bundled together" with AT&T, and our total bill this month is $415 (it's usually about $230). We discovered that we had accidentally been double charged (or so we thought) for our cell coverage, so Todd called AT&T today to inquire about it. After spending over an hour on the phone with them and speaking with several people, he was told something screwy about our billing cycles not being "in sync," and AT&T needing to charge us an extra payment to make up for this. Whatever that means! In my opinion, it's AT&T's mixup, and THEY should have to foot that bill, not us!! Todd threatened to cancel our service (we have both been with Bellsouth/AT&T for at least 15 years), and their attitude was like, "Well, whatever you want to do. We don't care." So, at this point we don't have a choice about paying the extra money. And believe me, if Todd Ryan can't get AT&T to help us out, no one can! He can be a little ruthless with this kind of crap (that's why I had him call AT&T instead of me!!). That's one gripe.

While I am griping about having to pay "extra" bills, I must gripe about our health insurance company, too. When I left my full-time job when Sydney was born, Todd and I had to get health insurance on our own. Todd is considered to be self-employed since he is a real estate agent, so insurance with his company is not an option. So, we got insurance on our own to the tune of about $480/month (with a $5,000 deductible, too!). Well, of course we never go to the doctor enough to reach our deductible, so all medical care that we have had has come out of our pocket (along with paying $480 every month!).

If you have ever had a baby, you know how many wellness visits they have during their first two years of life. Since we have never met our deductible, we have had to pay for all of Sydney's wellness visits out-of-pocket, each costing $300-$400 (and still paying that blasted $480 every month!). As much of a pain that has been, we knew that's what would happen since our insurance didn't cover child wellness visits (isn't it funny that insurance companies will choose to not pay for something that they KNOW your child will need!!!!).

Well, the kicker was this month's medical bills. I had a doctor's appointment in May and had some routine blood tests run (cholesterol, blood sugar, hormones, etc.- nothing unusual). During this past month I have received about $400 worth of bills from the various tests that were run (things our insurance company didn't cover- imagine that!). Todd also had to go to the doctor for a minor foot injury, and that cost $100. Then, we got the bill for Sydney's 15 month wellness visit, and that was $200. All in all, we had to pay about $700 in medical bills this month (all while STILL paying that $480)! Oh, but it gets even BETTER!!!

About a month ago we got a statement from our insurance company telling us that "due to the rising cost of medical care" our monthly premium was going up to $605/month instead of $480. UGH!!! What the crap?!?!? Just like the phone company, the insurance company can basically do whatever it wants because they know they have us by the b***s.

So, this month we have had to pay $700 in extra medical bills, $125 more in health insurance, and we will have to pay an extra $185 on our phone bill in a couple of weeks. Oh, and did you catch the part about Todd being in REAL ESTATE?!?!?! We all know how that market is right now!! We are holding our own with the commissions he is getting and with me working part-time, but we certainly don't have a plethora of extra cash laying around. It just gripes me that companies can do whatever they want, and the consumers are just supposed to take it. Whatever happened to good customer service and treating people like human beings?????? Call me old fashioned, but I believe in living life by the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." I guess our world has gotten too big for the Golden Rule. I think God would disagree, though.........

A Good Laugh!!

2008-07-10T10:38:00.004-05:00

OK, so this morning I got to work and checked my personal email. There was an email from Facebook stating that Kristian Kennedy had sent me a Piece of Flair (for those of you who are not familiar w/Facebook, a Piece of Flair is a "button" you can send someone that has a particular message on it). Then, there was an email from my friend Angel Kennedy (Angel and Kris are married), and the email was titled "Facebook Error, So Sorry, URGENT." Well, that sparked my curiosity, so I decided to read Angel's email before logging on to Facebook to see the Piece of Flair from Kris.

Angel's email proceeded to apologize profusely for accidentally sending her girlfriends a Breast Cancer Awareness Piece of Flair from her husband's Facebook account instead of from her own. Apparently, Angel had been on the computer in what she thought was her Facebook account, and she decided to send this Piece of Flair to her girlfriends. Well, little did Angel know that she was actually in KRIS'S account when she sent the Piece of Flair.

Now, you may not think it strange that a man would send some women a Breast Cancer Awareness POF. Afterall, this cause is important to many men as well as women. The HILARIOUS part about the POF was what it said. It had the BCA pink ribbon on it, and it said "Because your boobs are important to me"!!!!!!! When I read what the POF said, I just about fell out of my chair with laughter!! I mean, what are the chances that Angel would accidentally send that particular POF from her husband's Facebook account?!?!?! I am still laughing about this as I type, and for those of you who read this I hope it gives you a good chuckle for the day!

To Angel and Kris, no harm done! I appreciate the laugh because I needed it! I haven't had a good laugh like that in quite a while! I am sorry that the laughter is at your expense, but I can't help myself!! I am happy to know my boobs are important to you, and you can send me Pieces of Flair anytime you wish!!! :-)

What Is My Purpose??

2008-07-08T13:32:00.002-05:00

I have been thinking a lot lately about what my purpose in life is, my reason for existence, what makes me unique, what adds to the world in which I live. Since giving birth to my daughter, I have realized that part of my purpose is being a "Mom" and raising a happy, healthy child. I never gave much thought to having children until I was approaching my mid-30's. At that time, my thought was, "Well, if I am going to have kids, I guess I'd better get started since I'm not getting any younger!" Other than that, I didn't really think about being a mom as being part of my purpose in life. Boy, was I in for a surprise!

Now, commonsense told me that being a parent was going to be a HUGE responsibility. It was going to be my responsibility along with my husband to raise a child who was thoughtful, respectful, confident, a Christ-follower, etc. etc. As a fairly intelligent person I realized the significance of being a parent. What I didn't realize was how much it was going to mean to be "Mommy" to a child. From the moment that Sydney was born, I knew what true love and sacrifice was. I knew I was her mom, and no one, NO ONE could ever take that away from me. As she has grown daily, I have been reminded continually of the gift she is to me and that my love for her is greater than any other love I have ever known.

Recently, Sydney has begun saying "Momma" a lot (and "Dadda" too, of course!). Last night I had some friends over for dinner. Sydney and Todd had been out on a "date" together, and when they got home he brought her outside where my girlfriends and I were chatting after dinner. Sydney saw me, reached out to me, and said "Momma, Momma." It was at that moment that I really got the fact that I AM her "Momma." She and I share a special bond that she will share with no one else in life. For that, I am eternally grateful to God. I always want Sydney to know that above all, she is loved unconditionally by her father and me, and there is NOTHING that can take that love away! My greatest purpose in life is to raise her to love God with all her heart and learn His purpose for HER life.

When it comes to my purpose in life besides being a mom, that's where I struggle. There is a group of women from church that meets once a month for fellowship together. At this meeting, someone shares something from God's Word, or their testimony, or something that means a lot to them in their Christian walk. A couple of weeks ago the leader of the group asked me if I might like to share something from my own experience at one of these meetings. I told her I would have to think about it because I honestly couldn't think (and still can't!) of anything to share.

It's not that God hasn't worked in my life or that His Word is unimportant to me. It's just that I have always thought of my life as very "vanilla," very basic, not too deep. I was raised in a middle-class, Christian home, my parents are still married, I became a Christian as a small child, I attended a Christian college, most of my friends and co-workers are Christians, I married my high school sweetheart, and the list goes on. I haven't had any "lightning bolt" experiences in my life (I'm not necessarily wanting any, either!). I haven't been some wayward sinner who was snatched from the gates of Hell, although I do know I AM saved from Hell by the grace of God. I haven't been into alcohol or drugs, I haven't slept with dozens of men, I haven't had some great "conversion" experience that has turned my life around in a drastic way. So, I am left thinking, "What do I have to offer the ladies in this group at church? What do I have to share with them that will impact their lives in some meaningful way?" This has been weighing on my mind since my friend asked if I would be interested in sharing at one of the meetings. I am still thinking about it, and I honestly don't know if I will accept her offer to share or not.

This all leads me to think that there has to be more to my purpose in life than just being a mom. What does God have in store for me? How can He use me? I know the best way to discover this is through prayer and reading God's Word daily. I will admit that I struggle to find time to do these things. It is my greatest weakness as a Christian. I know that only by taking time to be still and quiet before God will I learn what He has in store for my life and how He wants to use me. I am open to what God wants my purpose to be, and I am excited to discover what that is!!!

Friends

2008-06-29T21:24:00.002-05:00

Today, like a lot of days lately, I miss my best girlfriends. You know, the kind of friends who know just about everything about you, the good AND the bad, and they still love you just the same. My best girlfriends are from college. We have been friends for over 14 years (wow, I feel kind of old saying that!), and we have all settled in different states since graduating from college.

Several of us have kids now, and as my own daughter grows and changes daily, I want more and more to share my day-to-day life with my best friends. I love my husband to pieces, but sometimes I just need some good "girl time." The last time I was with my best girlfriends was when my friend JoAnna ("Nanner") and I were both a couple of months away from giving birth to our first children. Those two children are now 15 months old, and I have not been with my best girlfriends since that time in January '07. It makes me sad!

I guess I need to spend more time cultivating my relationships with friends where I live. I only have one best girlfriend who has even a remote possibility of ever moving to the Nashville area (I am still praying for that, Ju Ju!!), so I must accept that the visits between myself and my best girlfriends will be few and far between for the foreseeable future, at least while we have small children. So, I need to make the effort to be a better friend to the friends I have where I live. I vow to work on that because I know I can create special relationships with local friends who are in my life now, just as a did with my friends in college.

My First Blogging Day!

2008-06-26T21:57:00.000-05:00

Hey, everybody! Today is my first "blogging" day. I feel really cool!! Well, maybe just slightly cool. I can't promise that my blog will be the most exciting you have ever seen, but I will try to post interesting stories, pictures, etc. to let you know what I have going on in my life. I figure this is a great way for my friends and family to keep in touch with me even though you all may not see me often! So, welcome to my blog and enjoy!!