What I Was Not Too Long Ago

april 24, 2007

april 25, 2007

january 2008

never [skinny], but {Healthy} for my height and build. i WILL be there again. april 23, 2012 is my 5-year wedding anniversary. i want a photo shoot to remember it. but i will only do one after 4 months of hard work and commitment. here's to GOALS in 2012!

Beautiful Things (2011 Song)

Beautiful Things (by Gungor)

September 10, 2011- This song was performed by Matt Birkenfeld and Misty Presley as a musical drama duet at Gateway Southlake in honor of the 10 year anniversary of September 11th. Today, because of this song, I was "introduced" to the original singer/songwriter Michael Gungor... better late than never. Beautiful Things resonates in me because it encapsulates my 2011 scripture and all that God has been doing, and is continuing to do, with this year.

All this pain
I wonder if I’ll ever find my way
I wonder if my life could really change at all
All this earth
Could all that is lost ever be found
Could a garden come up from this ground at all

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new
You are making me new

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of the dust
You make beautiful things
You make beautiful things out of us

You make me new, You are making me new
You make me new, You are making me new

30 Thankful Tweets

 
Since November marked the month we celebrate Thanksgiving, I decided that I wanted to make this year's holiday more meaningful by purposefully embracing a month of Thankfulness. I vowed to tweet a moment from each day for which I was thankful, because moments not captured somewhere tend to get lost in the shuffle of life.

These are my thankful moments as they were tweeted each day:

Day #1: Something small, but its joy is not lost on me. [TheRedCup]. Welcome November!
Day #2: Soooo NOT feeling healthy; just icky sick. Today, I am THANKFUL that I get to be home.
Day #3: Tonight I am thankful for @yepthatslindsey driving @teighlorelissa home from @GatewayPeople's Pretty In Pink. Allowed me to rest.
Day #4: Feeling better today. Yay! On another note, slept w windows open last night. The home dropped to 62. Burrr. Thankful for heat&health.
Day #5: What a great moment watching my husband freak out in excitement over his first earthquake.
Day #6: With 3 out of 6 struck by a stomach bug this w/e, I am thankful that I'm healthy to do the cleanup&care and that it's only 3 out of 6.
Day #7: Sitting in my living room lit by twinkle lights. I'm thankful for twinkle lights. They're my favorite!
Day #8: After watching Teighlor suffer harshly from this [flu] bug, I'm thankful she's able to get rest tonight.
Day #9: 6hrs + Red Cups + Pinterest + Lemongrass+PeiWei +Words&Laughter + Yes! + Bestie = Lots of Thankful Moments.
Day #10: Thankful for Thursday, Titus 2, Teaching and Prayer Growth.
Day #11: Thankful for a fun/full night hosting friends from South Carolina: Babe's Chicken to FW twinkle lights to D-town Dallas drop off.
Day #12: God spoke the same message to Anthony and me re: get debt free.
Day #13: Thankful that Mr. Budget allowed for pizza take out. It's delish.
Day #14: RT @TeighlorElissa: It's official. I'm hooked. Pinterest.com // Just introduced today. She asked, "Why?". Now this. Gotcha!
Day #15: Spontaenous Day + Her 1st Dream Unveiling + Bestie = My Today Gift
Day #16: WOW. WOW. and WOW! God is amazing. Super-splendiferous. Crazy in His ways. A wonder maker! He makes ways where we just can't see.
Day #17: Titus 2. Removing labels. A treasure chest of gold and Jesus. Kids giving Christmas away and getting it back. Thankful for so much today!
Day #18: Thankful for purposed friendship and Marci Harper.
Day #19: Thankful to have in our home Lilli Love Jones. The soon to be adopted daughter of Jason&Coli.
Day #20: Awesome morning service at Gateway, followed by an afternoon full of family, soon to be followed by Habitation. A good Sunday.
Day #21: A generous man will prosper. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed. Proverbs 11:25-28 // Truth. Soul food.
Day #22: RedCups. Conversation. Truth. Wisdom. Dreams. Ministry. Chips&Salsa. Friendship. All part of my day. Thankful for Brittney Nelson.
Day #23: Ending a long day in the kitchen with a glass of red wine and a hot bath. Today was filled with all kinds of homemade fun. Thankful.
Day #24: The Days of Thanks is finally here! From family & friends to food & fellowship, I have much for which to be thankful. BLESSEDBEYONDBELIEF
Day #25: The Black Friday trip wasn't that bad. Gotta couple really good deals. I can feel Mr. Budget smiling.
Day #26: A relaxing day [mostly] at home. Chilly outdoors. Fire going. Twinkle lights on. Comfort food cooking. Sipping Cab-Merlot. Thankful.
Day #27: RT @anthonycoppedge: A fire on a cold morning makes for a happy living room. // And a a happy me!
Day #28: Spent hours online searching for the best CyberMonday deals. Very successful! Mr. Budget and I were both very thankful.
Day #29: Sweet morning of uninterrupted, long over due, 12 hours of sleep.
Day #30: A night of food, recipes, stories, new friends, old friends & laughter. Thankful for memories made!

Shut Up and Pray

HolySpirit has been whispering a theme to me for the past few weeks. His words came nicely the first time, "Talk less. Pray more." WisdomWords spoken through a Titus2 leader that hovered over my heart and seemed tangible enough for me to chew on. Simple statements speak volumes to me, and God knows me best.

I was frustrated. Tired. Worn out. Life was not being fair and I wanted people to know it. I didn't desire to spill all the beans, just enough to make me feel better.

When I didn't exactly heed those words in full embrace, HolySpirit was kind enough to deliver them again with a bit more punch, "SHUT UP and PRAY!" And sometimes simple statements have to be backed up with strength [because] God knows me best.

Do I think my God to be rude and lacking in love to say 'shut up' to me? Absolutely not. Quite the contrary, I know Him well enough by now to understand His intent. He loves me too much to [not] shout a declarative statement of safety. Wouldn't I shout at my child about to run into a street, all in the name of protection? Absolutely.

My God is protecting me while at the same time teaching me. That is what a [good] parent does.

Evening, morning and at noon will I utter my complaint and moan and sigh and He will hear my voice. ~ Psalm 55:17

Christmas and Coffee Cups

October 31, 2011. Christmas Cheer Day. Buffalo Wild Wings. Lunch. Family. Christmas Conversation.

"What's the one thing you absolutely do not want to miss out on this Christmas season?", came the question.

She answered first, "Host a women's party (like a cookie swap)."

"Attend a candle lit Christmas Eve service", daughter chimed in next, and then snuck in a second request, "and have Luke 2 read Christmas morning like Grandpa used to do."

I paused long. One thing. ONE thing? Several options ran through my mind: The Nutcracker Ballet. Hunting for light-adorned neighborhoods. Baking cookies. Making ornaments. All memories from past Christmases. Each sounded good and could stand true, but none settled as the ONE.

Moments. Moments matter greatly to me. Individual snapshots of time that, when strung together, create a montage of one's life. BINGO!

"I don't want to let one day go by of this Christmas season without experiencing at least one moment of Christmas in that day."

Seven days have passed.

The [red] Starbucks ornament hangs from my rearview mirror.
Christmas music fills my iPod.
The sounds of Holiday and Crystal Lewis accompany me wherever I drive.
Christmas boxes are unpacked.
Walls are splashed with muted golds, greens and reds--the color theme inspired by our Christmas Cheer Day trip to Decorator's Warehouse ["60,000 sq. ft. of Christmas"].
Sounds of the Season music channel is our new daytime favorite for Christmas classics.
The magic of The Polar Express is already experienced. "I believe. I believe. I believe ... this is yours."
Twinkle lights hang on green branches.

and ...

Christmas coffee mugs have replaced the year-round staples.

A lover of order in my home, I cannot have odd-man-out dishes ... unless I'm purposely muti-coloring for theme. If one of a pair breaks, the second goes in the trash too. Evens. No odds. It is my little quirk.

... except when it comes to Christmas cups.

This is the only time you'll find one-offs in my cupboard. Each mug represents a piece of my heart. A memory. A person. A moment. Even a character of HolySpirit I was being taught that year; hence the 'joy' mugs, my 2011 favorites.

"Coffee is my favorite!", I say with the same enthusiasm of Buddy the Elf referring to smiling.

The cup I use each morning means something to me, and during the Christmas season it is no different. For two months I daily choose a Christmas cup for what it represents.

This morning I grabbed the long, thin one encircled with twinkle lights, and a cute-as-a-button stocking on the backside that you can't see in this photo. It reminded me of the very thing that I did not want to miss: a day without experiencing something Christmassy.

"It only happens once a year", the cup reads.

"Remember this moment", my heart instructs me.

To many, it is insignificant. A Christmas coffee cup is a moment. Really?

Yes. Really.

Each time I hold a particular cup, I'm reminded of who, of when, of where, and my heart smiles. And let's not forget that magical reason I'm holding the cup in the first place. Coffee!  Any walk down Memory Lane is more delicious with the black elixir.

Yes. It is a moment. And moments matter to me.

Let me encourage you this season not to miss the moments. Because they can "happen once a year" or "just once".