things that are hard for me and the ways that God helps me

I thought I'd share things that are hard for me, when I try to do things in my own strength. 

I was thinking about this yesterday, on the day each week when I feel so sick to my stomach all day.  I'm a small group leader at our church, in a bible study twice each Wednesday.  I've been a small group leader before, but in a whole different way and capacity, so this time feels way different.  I know that the Lord prompted my friend Amy to reach out to me, and I know He prompted me to do this, but that doesn't mean it's easy for me.  I can lead a group or facilitate a conversation all day long, and even more so when it's a group of teenagers.  But the Lord has pulled me away from teenagers, and has put me more soundly with women of all ages.  I felt that transition happening two years ago this coming October, and I know it's from God.  Teenagers and women are MUCH different.  Women make me nervous! 

That being said, way before these small groups started meeting, I was praying for them.  I prayed that the Lord would multiply their time to study His word while we were together, helping them be faithful in doing the homework.  I prayed that He would help them all be totally open and transparent, and that I would be that way with them, taking part each week in the discussion.  And I specifically prayed that the Lord would help us do more than just give the typical answers.  I asked that He would let the discussion flow each week, naturally and freely.  And He did all of that, and even above and beyond what I could ask or imagine. 

I am so thankful to Him for that, and each week (as I was so sick to my stomach) I would tell Him how desperate I was for Him, for His presence, not just for that day of bible study, but every single day of my life.  I would tell Him that I could never do any of this without Him, and I asked Him to help us in these ways.  He was so faithful to hear all those prayers and answer them week after week.  I never could even leave the parking lot without praising Him for who He is and all that He has done.

Another thing I struggle with sometimes is understanding what the word of God is saying.  I never just jump in and start reading.  I always ask the Lord for wisdom and knowledge over what I'm reading, I ask Him to open my heart and ears and eyes to whatever He might be saying to me through His word, and I ask Him to help me understand and apply it to my life.  There are times when the reading seems easy and I "get it", but there are other times when it is just plain hard.  When it's hard, I just go really, really slow.  I'll read it one time, quietly, then I'll read it again out loud.  There is something about reading the word of God aloud that makes you more clearly "hear" what the passage is saying.  Almost always, though, when I'm done, this verse describes how I feel about what I've just read. 

And when I'm done, I can't go any further in my day without praising God for who He is and all that He has done.  Now, this is not to say that I know all the answers to questions people have about verses.  I do not, trust me.  Just last week I was asked a question that I couldn't answer, I could only say what I thought it meant, deferring to someone who knew more than me on that particular passage.  I've never been to seminary, I don't have special training, I am just me, someone God caused to fall in love with Him and His word.  I've read through the whole book multiple times, but I don't know even close to what some other people know, especially the ones who've been to seminary. 

I say these things are hard for me, because they are...IF I don't stop first, and ask God for His help.  I ask Him to lead me, guide me, and I commit the situation to Him, telling Him that I trust Him and in His plan.  And I do.  I mean that, from the bottom of my heart.  I've learned the hard way, that I have to ask Him for His help, because my own strength is worthless.  I don't want MY words to be remembered, I want HIM and His words to be remembered.  And about the bible, I can clearly remember when I was young, thinking how boring it was to read and that it was no longer applicable.  (Yes, I've gone back and asked God to forgive me for that way of thinking.) 

My point in even writing about this is simple: God calls us to do things that aren't easy.  He has this way of getting us outside of our comfort zones and stretching us beyond our own abilities.  When we ask Him to use us,  He will and He does.  Trust Him to get you through those hard things!  Proverbs 3:5 and 6 says that we can do just that.  He also doesn't call us to do things, and then leaves us hanging.  He sees it through to completion.  I always ask Him to help me to be humble, and I always ask for His help in helping me keep focused and to not let me be easily distracted.  I also ask Him to show me when the enemy is trying to work in my life, and He does that, as well.  I wrote about that last week, and then I say out loud to God, "Lord, the enemy has no place in my life."  And it's like my mind is opening and I can see more clearly again. 

Don't let fear keep you down, my friends.  The enemy loves to operate in us in that way, but don't let him succeed.  I am always asking God to just show me what He wants for my life.  If He wants me to write, then someday, I know He will give me something to write about.  For now, He keeps me here in this little slice of internet otherwise known as my blog.  If He wants me to go back to work someday, I trust He will show me that as well.  He will open doors of opportunity for us, and sometimes He will also shut them.  I have asked Him before to help me in that as well, knowing when I should act or move, and when I should sit still and wait on Him.  Just pray.  It all starts there, in my opinion.  I often pour out my heart to Him.  He knows what I think about, why not just give it all to Him?  He knows our thoughts, what's on our hearts and the desires that we have, that might have been put there by Him.  I also ask Him to align my heart with His heart, and to take away the desires in my heart that are not from Him.  And then I ask Him to do His will in my life, not mine, and to help me walk in submission to His authority in my life. 

I know, that is a lot, but these are all things I pray almost every single day of my life.  I pray this encourages you today.  Love to all. 

all about the people in my house

Happy Tuesday!  It is beautiful day, where I live, and I love that it is APRIL.  The end of our school year is right around the corner, and Drew's first year of college is almost done.  That is so crazy to think about.  It flew by!  

I thought I'd share three random things about the people who live under the same roof as me.  I don't share about them very often.

Left to right: Jonah, Drew, Graham, Noah.  This was almost a year ago, so they're all taller now, and their hair is different, but mostly they still look the same.

I'll start with Graham, since he's the oldest.  

He works full time.  His truck is his, and he pays for most of his own stuff.  He is obsessed with his truck, and it makes me laugh.  We encourage him in this, because he will only be this age once in his life, and while he is not tied down to anyone or anything, he has the extra money.  This may bug some people, but I kinda think my hubby lives vicariously through Graham fixing up his truck.  I love that he knows what hard work and ownership feels like.  When he isn't working on doing something to his truck, he loves to play disc golf with friends.  He also loves Netflix and will sometimes bring some work home and do that while he watches a show in the background.  

Drew is next, and tomorrow, he turns nineteen!  I cannot believe that his first year of college is almost over.  His last day of class is April 26, and the next week, he'll take all his finals, and then life as a college freshmen will be over.  I am so proud of how well he has done all year, he even made the dean's list his first semester.  Drew is proof that if you really want something and work at it with all your heart, you can achieve anything.  He has a great attitude about school and life, and he knows when it's time to be serious, and when he needs to have some fun.  He is a great manager of his time and he gives himself a night off two nights each week.  The other five, he studies and does his work.  He loves his part time job at a Christian daycare in our town.  His hours are from three fifteen to six fifteen five nights a week, but when the kids are out of school and he's out of school, his hours will increase greatly.  

Jonah is the kid who loves to make sure that when I come home from a day or night away, the house is clean.  Todd and I got home yesterday, and the laundry had been done and he had vacuumed.  I so appreciate that about him.  He loves to create order where there is none.  He has made the garage one of his areas in the house that he is in charge of, and he is the one who has made it organized.  He is a very hard worker, and he loves to detail cars for people, and he makes great money doing it.  He has never been one to sit and do nothing.  He will occasionally get on the X-Box, but he doesn't watch movies or binge watch shows.  Every morning he comes down for breakfast, and he'll sit and watch one episode of the latest cop show he's watching, then he'll get up and do his school work.  He works on the tech stuff for the youth area at our church, and he takes is seriously.  He stays up to date on current events, and he is very knowledgeable about cars and trucks and is always learning something new about products he wants to try with detailing cars.  

Noah is the youngest, and he loves playing video games and being with friends.  Just the other day, Jonah had someone here while he was detailing his vehicle (a friend of Todd's), and Noah drove the guy to lunch at a nearby restaurant, then went in him while he ate and talked to him to keep him company.  Noah has always been a really great communicator, and I don't know that any of my other boys would have done that kind of thing when they were sixteen.  He wasn't comfortable doing this, necessarily, but you would never have known that.  He knows how to talk with people, and when he actually does this, he is funny and engaging.  He has the kindest heart out of any of my boys, and would literally give you the shirt off his back.  He has this great laugh that always leads to the funniest hiccups I have ever heard, and he knows how to laugh at himself.  

All my boys have a friend in a brother.  Graham and Jonah are always together, and Drew and Noah are always with each other.  It's interesting how that works, and how each set is just alike.  Graham and Jonah are closer to Todd, and Drew and Noah are closer to me.  When they were growing up, I lost count of how many times I said to them how important it was to treat each other with kindness.  I would also tell them that friends would come and go throughout their life, but their brothers would always be there.  I praise God that they are all so close.  There were years when I wasn't sure if it would happen the way I'd hoped.  I knew that all of them being so close in age would help with this, and it definitely has.  

Todd is always busy with work and with working for the sheriff's department.  While that is like a whole other part time job, it is also his hobby, and he loves working each weekend.  May is coming up, and along with that, Memphis in May, which he loves the most.  He will work all the weekends of the music fest and the barbecue fest.  When he is actually able to unplug from all his work and relax, he loves to laugh and have fun.  It doesn't happen often, but from time to time, I see the younger version of him again, before all this responsibility of life hit.  At night, he loves to watch The Voice or a cop show on Hulu or Netflix.  When he goes to change into pajamas at night, he will go into one of the boys' rooms and hang out with them for a while.  I love that about him, and that while he is a really great dad to them, he also works at having a good relationship with them all as well.  

And lastly, I'll share a little of what I love, in case you don't already know.  If it's during the day time, you'll find me completing the homework I'm doing for my current bible study (on the book of Malachi), or you'll find me doing things around the house or reading.  I like to get all the serious stuff done early in the day, and by the afternoon, if I'm sitting, I'm reading or watching an episode of Gilmore Girls on Netflix.  I'm really trying to read more this year, though, instead of watching Netflix, and I have to say that I am exceeding at this.  It's only April 2, and I have already read twenty three books in 2019.

Each morning, there are a few things I do during my quiet time.  I always start with prayer, though the time I spend in this varies.  I am still doing scripture writing, and try to keep up with it each day.  I read it a few times, usually, then I will write it all out in my journal.  Lastly, I'll read my chapter in the new testament that I'm reading through with my church family, and journal about what I've read.  We are currently in the book of Luke.  The last thing I do is bible study homework, and sometimes it'll be a few hours after my quiet time.  That is always how I start my day, then I go about the rest.  I definitely like to be winding things down after lunch time, with the exception of dinner prep.  

Well, enough about all that.  I have things that I need to be doing!  Today is like my Monday, so my list is long.  Thanks for reading~ love to all. 

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, my friends.  I am so excited about this weekend!  More about that in just a minute, though.  I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals, and her friends, for this blog post. 

What a week!  It's been a whirlwind, and it started with last Friday.

Every year, the ladies in my church host an in-town women's conference, and it is always so good!  I've helped lead worship the last few years, and I always look forward to doing that and serving in that way.  I was there by about five that Friday night, and on Saturday, I was back around seven thirty that morning.  Singing that early is NOT for the faint of heart, by the way.  The two ladies in that picture above were our speakers, along with my friend Amy, and it was PHENOMENAL.  We had a good amount of women there, too, which was exciting. 

I went to lunch with my friend after the Saturday portion, and came home and put on pajamas and took a nap.  Praise!  It was glorious.  I had nowhere to be the rest of that day, so there I sat.  I did do some laundry, and I ate some leftovers for dinner and read my book, but I watched a lot of television shows and relaxed.  It was GLORIOUS.  Being at home with nothing to do and nowhere to go is my favorite thing of all. 

Reading the new testament with my church family is also my favorite thing, and this verse spoke volumes to me this week.  There are some things in my heart that I am praying for, and I felt like the Lord Himself gave me this verse to encourage me to keep praying this week.  It was a sweet time of worship as I sat at my kitchen table and thanked Him for doing that for me.  He never has to do that kind of thing, but He always does, as a way to encourage me, and my heart always rejoices when that kind of thing happens. 

These pictures are from Monday and Tuesday, during my quiet time.  My favorite spot to sit for quiet time is at my kitchen table. 

On Tuesday night, we celebrated one of my favorite dads, my dad-in-love.  I made him a birthday dinner and even though all these boys are in this picture, they were not here for long and all left after a few minutes.  When they left, we stayed at the table and pulled out the Phase 10 cards and played for a couple of hours.  We always love playing games with these two, and we love to tease each other and mess around.  It was a really fun night. 

These two cuties (my favorite twins) went from playing the game of baseball to being score keepers for our town's parks and rec department.  They each got this job last weekend and started training this week.  It's the perfect job for a high school student and pays just enough to give them money for gas and eating out with their friends.  They wouldn't let me take a "first night of work" picture, so this is what they get for saying no.  I'm rolling my eyes. 

Shelley Giglio posted this on Instagram yesterday, and when I saw it, I had to share it myself, and then it prompted a blog post on the top of our enemy the devil.  It was not at all my usual kind of blog post, but I felt like I needed to share some things God had me talk about with several different people this week...when He does that, I feel like that someone other than me needs to hear that.  Who knows...and maybe that's not the case, but I wrote it and posted it, and then I prayed over the ones who would read it. 

My favorite passage in the bible is about spiritual warfare, and it's found in Ephesians six.  My favorite movie is on the same topic, The War Room, and one of my favorite bible studies on the same topic is by Priscilla Shirer, called The Armor of God. 

We had another birthday celebration last night, this time for my sweet daddy.  He turns eighty-eight today!  Doesn't he look amazing for his age?  Trish made our favorite kind of birthday cake ever, and we sat and ate and talked and laughed and caught up.  Three of the boys had to work and then once they were done, they had a basketball game, so they got to say hello basically, and then were gone the rest of the night.  It was weird, them not being here, but it was also nice in a way.  We're in a weird new phase.

Tonight, my favorite bible study teacher and author is in town for a conference at Bellevue, and me and two sweet friends are going and treating it like an out of town experience.  We are staying at my in-love's house tonight, because they live close by the church and it'll help cut down on drive time.  I can't wait!  My favorite worship leader will also be here, of course, and I am counting down the minutes until three thirty, when Missy comes to get Teresa and me. 

Have a great weekend!  Love to all. 

not your typical blog post

Sometimes the Lord will bring a certain verse or passage into my life multiples times in just a short period of time.  One day last year, I remember seeing one verse from Jeremiah THREE TIMES in about one hour's worth of time.  He knew that it was a verse that I needed to see, as I was discouraged and in a bit of a spiritual rut.  I wish I could remember the reference, but the gist of it was that He gives water to refresh thirsty souls.  That happens to me more often than one would think.  I always think that when this kind of thing happens, that is what the verse means, about the word of God is living and active.

Well, this week, I have had a conversation about the enemy several times, with several different people.  I don't know if God wanted me to remember this, or if He was having me encourage them about our very real enemy, and I figure if I need this reminder, chances are someone else does as well.  Not to be all doom and gloom on here, but this is something we all need to hear and be reminded of.  The enemy is very real.  Ephesians six talks about spiritual warfare, and how we need to be suited up in our heavenly armor to guard ourselves against the evil one.  Genesis three describes him as the most cunning of all the wild animals during the days of Adam and Eve.  He is no longer JUST a serpent, by the way. 

First Peter five eight says this about him: Be serious!  Be alert!  Your adversary the devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour.

I don't always think of him as a roaring lion, though.  Sometimes I wonder if we can see him, and if we can, he probably looks like a normal person.  But a very sneaky, crafty one.  I doubt we can see him, but that's the way my mind works.  Some things we know about him are that his days are numbered.  I've read the bible through several times, and I know how it all turns out.  Jesus wins.  We also know that he cannot  cause us to think things, and he does not know what we are thinking.  Only God is omniscient, and knows our thoughts. 

But.  But, but, but.  He knows when we are struggling, and he can certainly do what this picture above implies, and he can and will work during those times, making our struggles even more intense.  He can work through people, and there is a verse in Ephesians that says, "Do not give the devil a foothold.", and I think that is what the verse means.  He can work through me, if I let him get away with it, he can work in or through other people.  He can also keep us in our hard times.  Meaning, if we are busy and running around like crazy and we neglect our time with the Lord each day, he can certainly keep us doing that.  He can keep us busy, and he can keep us distracted.  He also knows if we are sick and tired, and can somehow finagle us in consistently ignoring or neglecting bible study or quiet time or praying.  He is smart, and he is excellent at his job.

We must keep our minds, and our eyes, fixed on Jesus, though.  How can we do that?  Remember who God is in our lives, and remember who the enemy is NOT.  He is never greater or stronger than the power of God in us, and he will never be victorious.  Never.  The remedy to fighting him off is so simple, but can be so very difficult.  It's prayer.  In the Armor of God study by Priscilla Shirer, she suggests that another key component in our spiritual armor is prayer.  Prayer activates all the other spiritual weapons.  So pray!  One thing I do when I remember, is to ask the Lord to help me know when the enemy is working.  I'll give you an example.

I struggle with anxiety from time to time.  I always seem to go to the worst place in my mind, if one of my boys are out driving and they won't answer the phone.  If I hear sirens and they're out and not answering, you just about have to scrape me off the ceiling, I am so wound up.  Or, let's say I send someone a text and they don't reply.  My automatic thought is: what have I done?  Are they mad at me?  That is how my mind works!  In my heart, sometimes, I will remember some passage of scripture I've read, about not worrying, or praying without ceasing, and it when that thought crosses my mind that I realize the enemy is at work.  I never pray to the enemy, though, I thank God for showing me the enemy is at work, and I will say to the Lord, "Jesus, the enemy has NO POWER in my life."  And miraculously, all those anxiety filled thoughts will disappear.  They may come back later in the day, but I'll repeat that prayer, and I always try to pray some scripture, along the lines of, "Lord, greater are You that is in me, than he that is in the world."  (1 John 4:4)

We are all flesh and blood, though, and as believers, as long as we are alive, we will have a battle.  Sometimes it'll be the enemy.  Sometimes it'll be our own sinfulness and a battle over right and wrong.  Sometimes we will fight our own laziness and lack of self control or motivation.  The battle will always be there, in some shape or form.  Just don't be idle.  Come to church, if the enemy has been keeping you outside the doors, and have some like minded fellowship.  Read the bible, if he has been keeping you sick or tired or distracted.  Attend the bible study and force yourself to get out of the house, if he has been keeping you at home and alone.  Whenever the enemy is at work the hardest, it is probably because he knows he is keeping us from a blessing from the Lord.  He is after those of who belong to Jesus, more so than anyone else.  He already has the unbelievers where he wants them, he is the prince of the world, Paul says in Ephesians 2:2, but he wants us as well.  And I hate to say it, but sometimes he succeeds.  I've seen him tearing up marriages and families lately.  Don't be one of his statistics. 

Submit to God in your everyday life.  If you have a hard time doing that, ask Him to help you walk in submission to Him and His authority.  I do that everyday when I pray, and He does always help me.  I pray that, because as a believer, He is my Savior, and my Lord, and I revere (esteem, hold in high regard) Him for who He is, as those things I listed.  I always want His will for my life, not my own.  His ways are better than my ways, Isaiah tells us, and I believe that to be true.  I am praying for you, if you're reading this.  There's a reason the Lord had me write this today, I know that in my heart, and I pray God will use His word to encourage you. 

Love to all. 

pray and never give up

I was reading in Luke 18 this morning for my quiet time, and this is the verse that struck a chord with me today.

If you don't know, my church family and I are reading through the new testament together this year.  We are reading one chapter a day for five days a week, and we are using the HEAR method.  Highlight a verse that stands out, Explain it in context, Apply it to our life, Respond in prayer.  We are journaling our way through together, and we are growing together.

Some days it is extremely hard to just pick one verse.  Other days, like today, that one verse literally leaps off the page.  I share this because I want to encourage you in your prayer life.

Just yesterday, I was praying for a couple of things God has laid on my heart regarding my personal life and opportunities He may (or may not) give me.  As I was praying, I was literally saying to Him, "Lord, I don't know if this from me just dreaming, or if this is something You are putting on my heart."  I still don't know, by the way, but I told Him I would start praying faithfully for these things, and I asked that He would help remind me to do just that.  And then today, this was the verse that jumped off the pages of my bible.

God doesn't always move or answer quickly, and while I have no answer, He did show me something today.  I felt so encouraged that He always hears what I pour out to Him in prayer, and this was how I know He encouraged me today, to keep praying.  His thoughts and His ways are far higher than ours, and no matter what may or may not happen, just the fact that after I asked for Him to remind me to faithfully pray for these things, shows me again of His lovingkindness and His sweetness.  He does not have to do those things for me, but when He does, I feel so very loved and cherished by Him.

I only want to boast in the Lord, by the way, and this is me boasting on Him.  Nothing I say or do will determine what He does, but I do know that we should be faithful to pray.  So if you're reading this and struggling with something: PRAY.  And do not give up.

Love to all.

encouragement for your Monday

I have always loved this verse, from Proverbs 18:10. 

"The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are protected."

I know the wording there is "strong tower", but doesn't that remind you a little bit of a structure like a lighthouse?  It seems similar to me, because it's just what my mind sees when I see those two words. 

Have you ever seen a lighthouse in person?  I have, and it is definitely a sight to behold.  It is almost always a tall structure, and there is a light at the top of it that rotates in every direction.  I just found out (thanks to Google) that it is usually placed in a dangerous area to help ships navigate in or around that place.  There is such a spiritual picture in this for me! 

When I looked up the cross references for this verse in my bible, here are some verses listed beside this one in Proverbs. 

The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.  Psalm 18:2

...for You have been a refuge for me, a strong tower in the face of the enemy.  Psalm 61:3

I will say to the LORD, "My refuge, and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."  Psalm 91:2

He is my faithful love and my fortress, my stronghold, and my deliverer.  He is my shield, and I take refuge in Him; He subdues my people under me.  Psalm 144:2

The fear of man is a snare, but the one who trusts in the LORD is protected.  Proverbs 29:25

I love all those descriptive words that describe who God is: rock, fortress, deliverer, God, mountain, shield, stronghold, refuge, faithful love, protected.

Like a lighthouse provides light, and guidance for the sailor, that is what the Lord is for us who love Him.  It says "the righteous", but if you are a believer and follower of Jesus, then that is you and me.  The Lord does so much more than that, though, He does all that I listed in the adjectives above.  This is one reason I love to sing songs about Him as my shield and deliverer. 

What does this mean for us today?  It means that even though trials come, we are lovingly protected by our Father in heaven.  It doesn't mean that things will always go the way we plan and hope for, but it does mean that even when things are uncertain and scary, we can lean on Him, and He will get us through whatever we face.  God is sovereign, and He is always good, no matter the circumstance, because He is God.

This means that God is trustworthy.  Proverbs 3:5 and 6 tells us to trust Him and He will guide us. 

It means that God will help us, always.  Psalm 121:2 tells us that our help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.

So, when I pray about whatever I'm facing, whether just a normal day in my life or a particularly difficult time or situation, I pray to Him as my helper, my strength and strong tower, my shield, my protector.  He is all those things to me, and many more.  I am praying that this encourages someone today!  Know that before I hit the "publish" button, I prayed for you. 

Love to all!

the weekend and catching up

I didn't mean to take a blog break, but I have to say that I'm glad I did, because last week was a little crazy.  Three birthdays in two days is always a bit much, but after those two days are over, I'm always so relieved.  It's crazy!  Monday last week, was particularly busy, and we had so many overlaps in our day with time, that Todd stayed home from work to help out with it all, because I am no Super Woman. 

Jonah and Noah had the best day of their lives to date, and got their driver's licenses. 

And this was them, driving off, while I stood in the driveway and cried.  (I'm over it now, no worries.)  Other things we had going on that day was the fact that Drew took my car to school that morning, Todd had a few errands to run around town, one of which was Costco to pick up the makings for our dinner and the birthday cakes, I had an appointment to get my hair cut and colored, and Todd took the boys to get their licenses.  I also had laundry to do, a house to clean and get ready for company (a full house), and dinner to get ready in time.  Plus, I had about twenty two people in the house.  It was a great night with family, though, and Jonah and Noah are still living their best lives, driving all around town. 

On Tuesday, I had a low key day around the house and cleaned up again from the party, and put things away, then I read a book most of the afternoon.  That night I had dinner out with one of my besties, which is always something I look forward to.  We were celebrating her birthday and catching up from late January. 

Wednesday was more of the same, and every day during the week, lots of people were coming and going.  I love it when that happens, and I love having a house full of friends.  It was spring break week around here, so there were lots of people for them to hang out with.  That night, Todd and I went downtown for a dinner out and double date with his parents.  It was fun!  We thought it was about to storm, so we ate quickly and came home, but it didn't start raining until almost ten.  I wish we had known that, so that we could have walked around a little, but it was also nice to come home and put on pj's. 

Sometime during the week, I visited my happy place and picked up a few new books. 

And finished most of them.  This one above was SO GOOD!  I LOVE very descriptive writing, and this author writes that way. 

I went out with my mom on Thursday and we ran a few errands together.  I needed to put together a gift bag for one of the students that was at our church this weekend.  We had a singing group, The Voices of Mobile, in church yesterday for a concert, and they were staying at host homes around town, then some of us put together some gift bags for them. 

On Friday, I had lunch with my dad, and then later on took him home.  Before I left his driveway, I had to take a picture of the beautiful day.

The clouds that are like that are my favorite type of cloud, and the weather was amazing. 

Other notable things from the week:

We had a ton of people in and out all week. 

My car was gone more than it was in the garage, and I wasn't the one driving it around.

We ate out WAY too much.

That being said, I didn't cook at all, because I don't count hot dogs and Rotel as cooking.

I read a ridiculous amount last week.  I finished three books in a week, two on Saturday alone.

Books are my love language. 

I had TWO daddy/daughter dates, one with my dad on Friday and one last night with my stepdad after church.  Books are NOT actually my love language, but quality time is, and that filled my heart up.

Sunshine and warmer temperatures make my heart so happy.

Chip loves his toys, especially when they're all around him.  He can play with two at once, holding one in his mouth and nudging the other with his paws.  It's like he's playing soccer with them, and it's the cutest thing ever.

Meanwhile, Crash is getting old and has partially lost his mind, because two times last week, he bit the other dogs. 

And Callie is just Callie, and is as nervous as ever.  She loves my dad, though, and follows him around the house when he's here.  It's really sweet and endears her a little more to me.  She is special. 

I can get lost in book stores for hours, and my Saturday trip to Barnes and Noble reminded me of this. 

I love to sing, most of you know that, but yesterday morning when we were rehearsing with those sixteen students from University of Mobile, it was something special.  They brought such energy to the stage and I am so glad I was able to be a part and on praise team that morning.  I love young people, and I loved meeting all the alto girls, and hugged them all when I met them.  (I'm sure all their moms would thank me for this, I know I would, if someone was sweet to one of my boys when he was away from home!)  It has been proven that singing helps to reduce stress, and I have experienced that.  Aside from just the singing part, I love to worship the Lord, and I'm always so thankful to be able to help lead in this.

On a much lighter note, I was reminded for about the eighth time, what a blessing from the Lord Kroger Click List is.  I do not say that jokingly!  I ordered all my groceries for the week as I waited on church to start last night and Drew is picking them up on his way home today, between eleven and twelve.  Praise! 

Well, I suppose I'll wrap this post up and get moving on my day.  Today is back to normal for us, whatever that means, and I have a list of things I need to start on.  Thanks for reading my blog.  :)  Love to all!