So my post about this is a little delayed since it's from a few weeks ago, but here are a few pics from my first fishing outing of the season.
I like the first pic because it's a glimpse of the beauty and serenity that I get to be a part of every time I go fishing.
The next pic is my view. :-) I'm in the back fishing and Erik's up front. I am very glad he's introduced me to fishing. It's a fun thing to do.
Since it was my first outing of the spring, I/we decided to bring Tucker so he didn't have to stay at home and be sad and then be crazy when we came home since he'd have all that energy from being home alone.
I quickly remembered why he usually stays home from fishing trips... he whines some since he'd much prefer being off the leash, jumping in the lake, fishing on his own, smelling everything, etc. Thankfully, he was much better than he was the previous year we took him. He started to show some maturity and didn't whine the whole time... just a little bit. :-) (Oh and he's not quite old enough or "mature" enough to be off the leash. One day I'm sure.)
We'll have many more fishing adventures to come! What's your sport/hobby for the spring and summer? :-)
1. My house is still standing. I wasn't near the tornadoes that hit, but I know people affected by the storms. I've seen pictures, and I can't imagine my house and belongings being damaged or gone within moments. In an odd way, it reminds me about the fact that life can change in an instant, as my life has time and again. It also reminds me of the rapture. I was reading Matthew 24-25 last night and this morning because of the recent world events... the predicted rapture, the numerous storms, the crazy lack of morality, and the Israel-related world affairs. These two chapters in Matthew are about the end of the world and the day that Jesus will return and when the rapture will really happen (no one knows...). In an instant - when people aren't prepared - life will change when the rapture happens. I'm reminded I need to be wise and ready at all times.
2. The Bible. God left us a whole book to help guide us through life. It's a book that has lasted for generations upon generations. Every time I read it, something helps me in my life decisions. That's the same thing people have been saying for how many thousands of years now... that's awesome crazy!
3. Vacation. Memorial Day is Monday and that means a day off from work. What are you doing with your day off? Vacation of any kind rocks.
4. My puppy. I could tell you story after story and show you picture after picture of why Tucker makes me laugh so much and smile throughout the day. He's got lots of personality, and he always makes Erik and I smile.
5. Gardens. We don't have a garden, but we did plant herbs and vegetables outside. Fun to be able to grow our own food, even if it's just a few plants!
So I heard this at a work meeting this past week (credit to Pastor Brian Sullivan) and really liked it. He was talking about time management and how one of the first steps toward time management is having a mission statement for your life and a set of core values you live by. He used Jesus' life as an example, and I think it's a very good way to live our lives too.
Jesus' mission statement
"For the Son of Man came to seek and save that which was lost." Luke 19:10
Jesus' core values
1. Do the right things for the right reasons (Matt. 6:1-8)
2. Pray God's agenda, not your own (Matt. 6:9-13)
3. Relationships will make or break you (Matt. 6:14-15)
4. Prioritize eternal things, not temporal things (Matt. 6:19-24)
5. Don't sweat the small stuff (Matt. 6:25-31)
6. God's kingdom is paramount; seek it (Matt. 6:32-33)
7. Judge yourself before you judge others (Matt. 7:16)
8. If you need something, ask; if you have something, give it (Matt. 7:7-12)
9. Stay true to your convictions; don't wander from the narrow path (Matt. 7:13-20)
10. Obedience to God is the only sure foundation for life (Matt. 7:21-27)
Good stuff. I definitely want to keep this mission and these values a priority in my life as well.
1. God's grace. I haven't felt like the most gracious, loving person this morning. I should have started my day with my quiet time, but didn't. Sometimes when I miss it, it's so hard to discipline myself to get back to it. I should know better because starting the day with it makes life SO much easier! All that to say, I'm grateful for God's grace and that I can get back up again and He's there to help me. I don't want to abuse it, but when I really want to do right, but still don't (Romans 7 anyone?), I'm grateful He stills cares and loves me and takes me as I am.
2. My phone? This one has a question mark after it because it's been a frustration for the past two days, turning on and off at will! But right now, my phone has remained on for almost an hour without problems and I'm very grateful. Maybe it's better? We'll see. :-)
3. Restaurants. I love cooking, but some days, premade food is wonderful.
4. My hubby. He's wonderful.
5. My mom's day flowers. They've lasted a long time. They make me smile.
I heard this song on American Idol, and it really blessed me. I've been listening to it the past few days. It's not officially a Christian song... it's country (don't worry, no twang!) and it's called Anyway.
Here are the lyrics that stuck out to me the most....
You can spend your whole life buildin'
Something from nothin'
One storm can come and blow it all away
Build it anyway
You can chase a dream
That seems so out of reach
And you know it might not ever come your way
Dream it anyway
God is great
But sometimes life ain't good
And when I pray
It doesn't always turn out like I think it should
But I do it anyway
I do it anyway
You can pour your soul out singing
A song you believe in
That tomorrow they'll forget you ever sang
Sing it anyway
I sing
I dream
I love
anyway
It probably has more impact if you listen to it... the first version is the shorter version by Lauren Alaina. The second is the full version by Martina McBride.
I don't know if I can thoroughly explain why this hits home with me, but I'll try. After tragedy hits, life becomes tainted. It's hard to rebuild, especially knowing that "one storm can come blow it all away"... but you build it anyway.
I'm finding (and believe!) that if you dare to allow it, tragedy can transform your outlook on life into something more mature, seasoned, and influential.
The final product from my paint-by-number!
This reminds me of the ugly brown paint that came in my paint-by-number piece I worked on a few weeks ago. I thought that brown paint was good for nothing. It was ugly and I was astounded that they wanted me to mix that brown paint with a beautiful blue color. I thought nothing good could come of mixing that dark color with the pretty blue... but it turned into a wonderful color (purple, I think) that worked perfectly with the piece.
That brown paint is like tragedy. It looks ugly and none of us can imagine something beautiful coming out of it, but God can take the ugly and makes beautiful colors out of it that couldn't get there any other away.
He's amazing. No matter what obstacles come my way, I'll serve Him, singing, dancing, living, and loving anyway.
Two posts in one day... not normal for me, but I am super stoked about what I did last Saturday!
My mom-in-law and sis-in-law and I hit a city-wide thrift sale (aka garage sale!) Saturday morning. We all walked away with something and at least one item from each garage sale (except the odd sale in a basement...).
I'm pretty happy with all my purchases, which included some jeans and a shirt, but here are my two favorite (and cheapest!).
My hubby is a huge Favre/Packers fan, so even though it isn't a current jersey, I will gladly dress my future boys/girls in this onesie! (for fifty cents, I couldn't resist!!!)
My other purchase has to be attributed to watching American Pickers... hunting for the old, unique item in the middle of a bunch of junk. I kept my eye out for that right sheen and odd piece amongst all the random dishes, books, and kitchen appliances. Here's what I found...
It's an old food chopper, and I absolutely love the look of it. It didn't have a sticker on it, so you can imagine my excitement when they told me it was twenty-five cents. I walked away from that sale floating with the thrill of the find. :-) I did buy it with the intent of displaying it... so I was absolutely thrilled when it fit exactly where I wanted it to and looked even better than I expected. Here's a glimpse of where it is at now...
Safely above the kitchen cabinets providing a hint of old and the wonder of the find. :-)
Okay, all for now, I hope you have a wonderful day!
Well, no one expects their first mother's day to be one without a baby in their arms, but I know it happens to more people than it ever should. (Hey, if it only happened to one person ever, that's too many!) I was thinking about all those moms yesterday - the ones with babies in heaven - and sending them love.
Yesterday was my first mother's day, and thanks to my wonderful friends and family it went as good as it could. My lips trembled many times throughout the day and tears came once, but overall, I took the day to remember Brody and think about Jesus or Uncle Brian telling him stories about me in heaven. I'm sure Brody was laughing and smiling over my many quirks.
Sometimes it's very hard to even comprehend that I am supposed to have a newborn who would be friends with all the babies I see being born right now. Pictures of new babies and pregnant bellies continue to pop up and with the marvels of facebook, I feel like I'm watching certain kids grow up. It kinda makes me sick to the stomach thinking that I was supposed to be one of them--that's why I do try to stop myself whenever my mind goes in that direction.
I think I'm pretty good at adapting to new situations in life. The past is the past and it can't be changed, so why dwell on it? You can wish every once in a while that things would be different, but I think I'd rather dream about the future. I'm kinda mentally going back to the place I was in before I got pregnant--and that's the place where I dream about holding a baby in my arms.
That seems to be the best place for me to be. I love Brody and remember him all the time. Wishing and dreaming I could be with him, but knowing he's in the best place he could ever be in. I mean, this is really a crazy world... I am very glad he's safe with Jesus right now.
Thank you to everyone who took time to wish me a Happy Mother's Day. It meant the world to me to hear it. I know I don't look like a mother to the naked eye, but I am and I love being a mommy, even though it's different than I expected.
I'm hopeful that next Mother's Day I'll be holding a baby, but only God knows for sure exactly the timing on that. I believe that Brody won't meet his siblings (whoever they are!) for a very long time. Mommy and Daddy get time with them for a long time (in earth time) first! (And just to confirm, I'm not preggo...). :-)
Happy Mother's Day to all the wonderful ladies in my life... my mom, both my grandmas, Erik' mom, both Erik's grandmas. You are all beautiful and I'm so happy you are my family. I learn from you and love you.
P.S. I have to give a shout out to my hubby for being with me and by my side through yesterday. He's amazing... the flowers and card were perfect and I ESPECIALLY loved our dinner... Dairy Queen cupcakes! MADE MY DAY! (Note: I rarely use all caps to show emphasis... but this was THAT important to me... all caps were necessary!) **huge smile**
I've been watching Facebook over the past 12+ hours and I've been fascinated by all the status updates about bin Laden. There's a wide variety... from celebrating his death to mourning the loss of a human life to shaming people for celebration to pure fact.
At a time like this, I remind myself that all of us have a perspective on our Christianity that no one else has. We are unique and the comments we each make come from what we've learned and experienced. Whether or not you agree with someone else's comments, it will do you good to ponder why they commented in such a way and what their perspective may be. Most of the time they have a reason behind their comments that they don't even understand, and it goes deeper than face value. Most likely there is some truth in their comments and I bet, if you're open to it, you can learn from it.
Part of me wants to provide my perspective on my feelings of the actual death of bin Laden, but I'll do my best to refuse and simply say: don't criticize other people's perspectives. We all have an opinion and a point to share. Respectfully counter, but don't shame them for celebrating or commentating. Provide a different opinion, but don't negate theirs.
That's my two cents.
One other thought, thank you, Lord, for our military. Bless them for what they do. Surround them right now and protect them. Protect our nation, our leaders, and our borders. Protect our airways and may America come back to You.
