Taking {Stock}

Before we became parents, someone once told me that "the days are long but the years are short." Maybe for you friend, but for me? The days are short and the years are even shorter... How is that even possible??

Time flies when you're having fun, I presume.

Let's take stock of where we each are at today at the end of another week. How are you physically? Mentally? Spiritually? The hustle and bustle and every day grind can distract us from staying connected to our internal thermometer. We can become so busy just trying to keep up that before we know it, we're wondering why the internal cup is drained empty and how do we fill it back up. 

As a wife and mama, we wear many hats. Caregiver, chauffeur, chef, maid, lover, friend, employee, and the list goes on. We spend our entire day being needed by someone and exerting every bit of the best we have to offer to meet those needs. I hear you mama - it's a lot some days! But take heart and hear me when I say this...

... You're an incredible wife. You are a good mama to those babes. You're raising small humans to one day be strong like you and enter the world in which we live to thrive. As a sister in Christ, you're discipling and leading and guiding the small heart towards the Lord. You're doing big things, mama...

So if you find yourself overworked, exhausted, feeling defeated, or just tired of the routine - know that you are loved, cherished, and what you are doing matters. You are valued and appreciated. You truly are wonder woman. And rest in this - find your identity first as a daughter of God. From this, everything else will flow.

Daughter of God...

...

Wife striving to live the Proverbs 31 life...

...

Mama to littles that adore you...

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Faithful friend to so many around you...

...

And so on.

Keep waking up, keep discipling, keep loving because the work you are doing now is making waves in the lives of those you impact. Find rest this weekend and refill your cup, mamas!

Here {I Am}, Send Me

Talk about knocking the dust off this 'ole here blog! I became swept up in reading all of the old posts, seeing God's faithfulness through the lens of being on the other side, and quietly thanking Him for new mercies every single day. Can I get an amen?!

The last post to grace the feed of this blog was August 2, 2017. My mind was instantly taken back to where we were in our adventures during that time....

... Miscarriage and infertility...

... Should we start the adoption process now or wait...

... Hunter's dad had been diagnosed with cancer...

Tears instantly prick the backs of my eyes because, MAN, those were some hard days. Shoot, months. Heck, let's go with years. So hard that I in fact decided to walk away from blogging. The writing, the story-telling, the sharing of Hope and Joy because other things needed my attention in those moments. One of the greatest followers of my blog and avid readers was Hunter's dad. It is because of him that I have decided to come back here today and resume my passion of writing, but more importantly, writing to glorify God.

In a world that is so dark and loud and evil, we are called to be light to others around us, to share the message of Hope and Joy and Peace, regardless of the humanly suffering we may face. 

So, a bit of an update if you will...

... Miscarriage and infertility are still part of our story. And it's a beautiful one. The women (and men) that we have been fortunate enough to meet and walk alongside in their journeys, in ministering to them, has been indescribably humbling and joyful.

... We started the adoption process May 2018. We waited 3.5 years to bring the most precious little boy home, and the journey for that is something I will absolutely be sharing in this space. His adoption story is a testimony at just how utterly amazing God is. We also want to encourage other families in their adoption process and to bring a sense of community for them.

... Hunter's daddy went to be with Jesus on May 20, 2019. His long-suffering and battle with cancer may have won on this side of heaven, but his heavenly healing ultimately won. Praise God for that! I see Ros every single day in his son, Hunter. From his laugh to his kindness to his sassy attitude, Hunter exemplifies his father. Ros would've loved his grandson.

Many more adventures have begun between now and then, and others have ended. Through it all, our eyes have been on the One who has held us up. No matter where God has us on this journey, our response to His callings strive to be, "Here I am, send me." Sometimes easier said, than done. But nevertheless, let it be me, God. 

Ros, I'm picking up the "pen" to begin writing again. This is for you.

Life as we know it...

... Are work day mornings rushing around, trying to get ready, pack lunches, take the dog out, etc. We always pause to kiss each other goodbye and give well wishes for the day.

... Has been full of surprises in just this year alone.

... Reminds us to slow down here and there when we get to going too much. We always try to make time to just sit and be still.

... Is made up of afternoons spent walking our yard and playing with Manny. We've been watching him closely over these last few months to see how he would handle being an only pup. We're convinced he's happy as a clam knowing that he gets our full attention and snuggles.

... Has made us really happy despite the down moments. God has walked with us in some of our scariest, darkest times and we know He will continually walk with us in the days to come.

Life as we know it is sweet and wonderful, full of love and happenings. Life as we know it, is GLORIOUS.

Oh the places {WE} will go

Happy Monday morning folks! I know, I know. It's Monday. But still, it's the start of a new week with new adventures. That can't be too bad, right? Now that 4th of July has passed, I'm pretty much ready for Fall weather to be here. I'm ready for the boots and scarves, cool mornings, and the holidays that come with the Fall season. It's going to be a good Fall, ya'll!

Facebook decided to lovingly remind me of the time that Hunter and I traveled to Honduras for mission work and talk about memories flooding back. 

Look at those little babies! And that view! It got me thinking about all the adventures we've been on over the last 6+ years of our lives together. Some really great adventures, others we didn't enjoy so much. But just seeing how far we've come together and how God has held us in His hands throughout everything really puts it all in perspective. His love for us has never wavered.

So on this Monday, as I'm eagerly anticipating the Fall season, I'm also looking back and thanking God for His mercies, grace, and love. I'm thanking God for the man in my life that I am so utterly in love with. I'm thanking God for our little country home that keeps us warm and provides a place of rest and retreat. I'm thanking God for loving me endlessly, never ceasing, no matter how far I may stray.

Facing {MY} Giants

There was so much great information that was touched on during our time at camp. The main focus or theme of camp was CONVERGENCE - choosing one path or the other with the hopes that you would choose the path that converges your life with God's. One particular night, the pastor was speaking on sin and how you can try to overcome your repetitive sin, or the sin that you repeat constantly. For me, that was a nasty tongue. Whether it be bad language (I know, I know ya'll) or belittling someone else, I've known for a long time it all needs to stop.

But it's so dadgum hard to break a habit.

So the pastor brought up the idea of facing your giants head on. In essence, when you pray and ask God to forgive you of your sins, don't just skip flippantly right over that part. Instead, NAME your sins out. What a gross taste that put in my mouth?! Having to say, "God, I'm sorry for belittling {name}. Can you help me to turn away from that. God, I'm sorry for saying the words I said. I know they hurt you." Hearing myself say those sins out loud and really looking them in the eyes has pretty much nipped that in the butt from happening again. Granted, I will still struggle, but I have become much more aware of what I say.

And then the pastor said to take it a step further. Write down your top three sins you struggle with daily. The ones that you don't even realize you're doing in that moment until the moment has passed. Once you've written them down, keep them somewhere where you KNOW you will look at it throughout the day. For me, that's my planner. Ya'll... you will realize how quickly you are starting those sins in the day. It's a nice little wake up call when you have a way to hold yourself accountable.

So I want to challenge each of ya'll today - what little or big sins are struggling with that are keeping you at a distance from God? Own those giants, look them in the eyes, and say, "My God is stronger than you" and let's knock them out together. Know that you're not alone in your every day struggle to maintain a somewhat Christ-like lifestyle (I say somewhat because, honestly, we will never have the perfect Christ-like lifestyle). Love each of ya'll tremendously. Mean it!

Mountain {TIME}

What a whirlwind the last few days have been! Hunter and I just returned from Ridgecrest, NC with so many new memories, revitalized spirits, and deeper friendships. God is good! We, along with several other adults, took 60ish teenagers up into the beautiful mountains of North Carolina and ya'll, it was glorious! I was sitting on my back porch yesterday, just taking a break from getting the house back in order from being gone, and I became nostalgic of the time we spent there.

 

It's so easy to find your groove again when you're able to unplug and step away from life. We could all use a bit more unplugging.

 

This was the view from our dorm room. And this was also the only picture I took all week. I'm not kidding when I say I "unplugged"

 

I will share on a couple of things later in the week that really struck a chord with me and have since settled deep into my heart. But for now, I will say this:

 

I didn't realize I had become so numb and indifferent to God.

 

Yea, so that was kind of a painful process to own up to and work through. I may or may not have cried. But nevertheless, He and I are finding our routine again. I'm trying to figure out how to not become numb to HIM, but still keep the every day struggles and pains from overtaking my mind. It's a see-saw battle of trying to keep my defenses in tact, all the while, allowing Him to be near me. I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I'm getting better each day.

 

For so many months now, I have been wishing away 2017. I was ready for 2018 and to get past all that 2017 had left in its wake. But I've since decided to embrace all that this year has thrown at us because here's the thing:  My pain/frustrations/situations are all being used for God's glory. No matter what may be going on, He is with me through it all. Even in the suckiest parts of suck.

 

That's who my God is.

July Feels

Happy month of July and happy halfway mark through the year! I just love everything about the month of July - celebrations of all kinds, shorts and flip flops kind of weather, beach days, late night sunsets. Something about July is just magical for me. It's as if the year reaches a point where it recharges itself and begins again for another round of life to be lived. I feel like July is a month where a new page can be turned over, fresh and clean, ready to be written upon.

 

It also happens to be my birth month, so there's that. I've been through a lull the last few years with each passing birthday. It was just another day, another year, nothing entirely special. For some reason, my excitement and passion for birthdays has resurfaced and I'm entirely excited to celebrate my last year in my 20's. Let's just let that set in for a minute....
 

My 20's contained some of my most influential years of my life that have brought me to where I am today. Growing pains and sweet moments have molded me into the person I am now that has allowed me to very readily take on all that my 30's will bring. The last 9 years of my life have been quite mesmerizing in the sense that I can't believe a decade has nearly passed. I feel like my teen years are so far behind me now, yet, it seems as if yesterday that I welcomed the young age of 20 into my life. Such a bittersweet time in my life.

 

I have a few things up my sleeves that I want to accomplish in my last year of being in my 20's. Things like learning how to play one song on the violin, seeing someplace new that requires a plane ticket, taking local adventures and rediscovering my love for the beauty that surrounds me and is within a short car drive, going to a Braves game in their new stadium, hiking new trails, primitive camping with my man (I honestly can't believe I just typed those words #needabathroom #andabed), and so many more adventures. To my last year of being in my 20's - let's knock this out of the ball park.