back home.

i am back home from the influence conference! oh my, friends. i can't wait to update you on the amazing things the Lord did to our lives, hearts, friendships and much much more! i'm going to have a really hard time putting it all into words..

but i'm still trying to unpack, do laundry and get back into the swing of things here while spending some much needed time with this handsome hunk of mine!

[i missed him oh so much!!!]

an update will be coming soon!

until then.. have a fabulous tuesday!

 

barely breathing... but i'm alive

when i say barely breathing.. it's because my nose is completely plugged and i can't stand breathing out of my mouth. talk about major cotton mouth and one of my biggest pet peeves. especially when i'm trying to sleep!   ahh i knew it would get me at some point.. last year i didn't really get sick. it's weird.. my immune system is pretty strong, especially since i've been taking my shaklee vitamins. but once i get sick.. it's harder for me to kick it. well... life got a little busy and i kept forgetting to take my vitamins with breakfast, or i would skip breakfast. and now here i am.. with a horrible cold.   i promise i will be back shortly... i'm definitely feeling better today than i was yesterday. or this past weekend.   until then.. here is what i am doing..

sipping tea and ginger ale while watching the first entire season of downton abbey and catching up on some pinterest pinning. oh.. and sleep. lots and lots of sleep!

this weeks favorites

we're back in action friends!   here are some of my friday favorites for this week.  

[one]. fall decorations at our home. it's my favorite season and my first year trying to figure out what to do with our awkward small space! [two]. my wonderful biz cards came in the mail this week!!! LOVE them! [three]. my absolute favorite coffee place opened up a new chain in my city!!! oh how i've missed you.. [four]. a. bear naked granola b. giveaway win from a sweet gal - nail polish! c. new skinnys and scarf weather! and d. a halloween printable [free!]   AND the other fun thing i get to do.. tonight i am heading downtown in a near city to set off 5,000+ lanterns in the sky! yes. it's going to look something like this.. it's going to be gorgeous! i can't wait to take photos and share!! [as long as they turn out well.. even if they don't, i'll probably still post them]   hope you all have a fabulous weekend!! :)

insta-week recap.

it's friday! well.. not really.. but it is for me, i took tomorrow off! i'm so excited to have a four day weekend!

oh i can't wait! it's going to be so wonderful because we don't have any plans. so i hoping to get caught up on some fun things i'm working on and spend some quality time with mr. b before he starts school on tuesday.

so crazy how summer is almost over already.. even though it's really not summer for me as now i am a big girl, working a big girl job.

to sum up my week... i used the wonderful [picmonkey] again.

[i got lots of comments about it, if you don't know what it is.. or haven't checked it out yet - i encourage you to do so! i can't believe how much easier it is.. seriously. you will probably laugh if i tell you everything i went through to make a collage on photobucket.

if anyone else is still using photobucket for collages.. i urge you to stop and start using picmonkey! you won't regret it :)]

this week was a good week! the Lord is continuing to answer prayers, work in our lives and bless us beyond measure.

i didn't share about how the Lord used last weeks memory verse... but i will share a little here [not in depth]

'he himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. by his wounds you have been healed.'

first peter two: twenty-four

this verse has done amazing things for me and my husband this week. it's a beauty to recognize that we have been healed by the wounds of Jesus.

it also brings up another verse...

romans 8:1 'there is therefore now no condemnation in those who are in Christ Jesus.'

continue to remember that condemnation is not from the Lord. this is an attack from the enemy wanting you to identify with what you've done instead of identifying with who you are in Christ!

this is powerful! we need to continue to remember these scriptures when lies creep in.

have a blessed thursday, friends!

thankful friday letters.

i am so thankful it's friday! there is so so so much i am thankful for. i decided to switch things up a little big and make my friday letters a one of pure thankfulness!

dear picmonkey - i feel so dumb.. but i am SO thankful for you! holy cow you've made photo collages an amazing thing! you help save me so much time. i can't believe i used to go through ridiculous loops to get a half-decent looking collage of photos. AND you have so many options! woohoo! i am so thankful for you!

dear mr. b - i am thankful that the swelling in your eye is going down. crazy allergic reactions.. but i'm thankful that you're okay :) and i'm thankful it wasn't any worse than that!

dear miss riss - i am so thankful for your friendship. i'm thankful that you came and surprised me this week at work with such encouraging words! i am so thankful for the ways the Lord is using you in my life and the lives of others. you're a wonderful, wonderful friend!

dear caffine - wow i am so thankful for you this week. pretty sure i've been drinking you all day long, every day. i don't think i could have made it through the week without you. for some reason i've been so tired and can't get myself awake. with you - i'm able :)

dear garden - i am so thankful for all the wonderful fresh veggies you're giving me lately! i got to enjoy you by yourself, and in meals. i even made guacamole with you [which is amazing!] AND mr. b made a compost so we're not just throwing rotten stuff out for no reason :) i love this 'going natural' stuff! thankful for you being able to provide meals for my family.

dear twitter - thanks so much for all the wonderful tweets people send out. it's awesome to hear other stuff people find or suggest so i could buy some kick booty cords!! [thanks ali @lifeonleroy!!!]

dear mia - thank you so much for listening to my [letter] to you last week! i'm so thankful that you also didn't dare go on the other side of the fence and be served as breakfast, lunch and dinner to the crazy neighbor dog. thankful you're alive and still just as crabby as always :)

dear mr. b - i am SO SO thankful for your help around the house, on projects, through struggles, and just having you in my life forever. you are the biggest blessing and i am so thankful for the man you are and how God is working in and through you!

dear Jesus - thank you for your word. thank you for your wisdom. thank you for answered prayers. thank you for dying for us on the cross. thank you for your new mercies each morning. thank you for your never-ending grace! you're amazing :)

xoxo.

where our identity is.

into the word wednesday.
well - since i've been a complete failure at the latest and greatest she reads truth series. i am not able to talk on that.
but what i can share with you today is this week's memory verse we've been memorizing with some wonderful ladies :)

'but you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light." 1 peter 2:9

so let's look at this in two sections..

look at these truths:
- you are a chosen race. the Lord has chose you to be part of his family line. i need this reminder to sink in deep for me.
he. chose. me. [and you :)]
- a royal priesthood. our riches are not found here on earth. our riches will be great reward in heaven. we have been given the ultimate royalties of knowing Christ and the promise of the life to come.
- a holy nation. Christ's death on the cross allows our heavenly father to see us as he sees Christ. yes, we are still sinners by nature, but our Father in heaven no longer sees this in us. to him, we are holy. this is the beauty of the great exchange friends. and believe me - it's beautiful. if you want to know more information on it - [here] is an article from a pastor mr. b and i respect.
- a people for his own possession. we belong to him. he treasures us and it's almost as if we are his precious jewels. God puts so much value on us, even MORE precious than jewels could ever be. oh the love he has for us!

all these blessings are from God. they are all because of the first truth that we have been chosen. since we have been chosen, we are given freely the things to follow. how amazing is it to know that the Lord of the entire universe wants us to be a part of his purpose, plan and life. this continues to go deep for me. it's so humbling and leaves me awestruck.

now.. for the second part of this verse... here is the reason why.

"...that we may proclaim the excellence of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

the word that is what shows me the list above is connected to the statement below.

since we experience those truths of being chosen, royal, holy and his possession in God's eyes - are we proclaiming this goodness to others? i can't help but ask myself... am i sharing this beauty i've been given with others so they can experience it too? do i even realize how vast this excellence of Jesus is?

he called me out of darkness.
darkness is the absence of light.
in darkness there is sin, the world, hell, no hope, no life.

he called me out of that into his marvelous light.
his light is the brightest, friends. it's the best light we can experience!

so am i proclaiming it?
i can tell you that i'm not doing it enough..
i saw something yesterday that said 'if you knew you only had 6 months to live.. what would you do?'
i needed to really look inside myself and see.. what would i want to do with those six months? would i want to spend them selfishly? or would i use those last 6 months here proclaiming his light?

honestly, friends..

i would proclaim.

i would travel to far places and proclaim the news of Jesus Christ.

i would proclaim that he is my Savior and longs to be yours too.

i would proclaim that God is so madly in love with his people and wants to experience a relationship with them.

i would proclaim that with the evil and sin in the world... being in a relationship with our heavenly Father is not possible. we have eternal separation from him.

i would proclaim that yes, it's ugly.. but it's not the end!

i would proclaim that he loves us so deeply that he sent his one and only biological son to live and die a horrendous death for us so that we CAN be in that relationship with him and have eternal life!
i would proclaim and remind you that he did it for you and me! he did it for us! not for himself!

i would proclaim that after dying and being buried for three days he rose!

i would proclaim that he then appeared to his friends in his actual physical body with scars of his beatings.

i would proclaim that after a while we went to be with his Father in heaven.

i would proclaim that that is not the end. he is coming back, friends! he is coming back!!

this is the gospel. the good news of Jesus.

as much as seeing all of europe before my life is over sounds so wonderful..

i would proclaim the gospel.

this is a photo i took yesterday.. it shows the memory verse i wrote out on the right and on the left is a note one of my dearest friends brought me when she surprised me at work. if you look... they are the same verse! she was praying for the Lord to reveal scripture to encourage me in.. and the Lord showed her the same verse i had already been dwelling on.

how good is he?

f.r.i.d.a.y.

sometimes i feel like life is going by so fast and i am just on a carpet ride flying through and getting done what i can and miss the rest.

these beauties were delivered to our office at work and i have the joy of looking at them every day :)


we have fun stuff for the weekend though! family reunion tomorrow and dog sitting for my mom!

dear life - slow down. please oh please. i know there are times when i just want to be a little older, but right now.. things are good and i would like to pause you and enjoy this season of life. and i really mean this... although i talk about making babies like it's no one's business. i really do like where we're at. dear baby making - it's not happening. i apologize that you might think we're ready for kiddos. sometimes i just think having kids would fix other problems that arise. but i know that's wrong - so we're still playing it safe and you'll just have to hold off for a while longer :) dear mr. b - i love you. i always will. you have my whole heart for my whole life and no matter what comes our way we can and will fight together. i promise to never give up on fighting for you, myself, or our family. dear Jesus - i pray you manifest yourself to us. i pray for your strength to not give up or lose hope. i pray that you would dig deep to the root and start healing. it is only by your blood shed on the cross that we have victory and freedom and are able to overcome. for that i praise you, Lord. dear fresh flowers - you always know how to brighten any gals day. i love your smell and your beauty. but i do wish you were so expensive. i would love to place you in every room in our home.. but i'm pretty sure mr. b wouldn't approve no matter how good you smell. dear mia - please don't kill yourself while momma is out of town this weekend. i really don't know what i would do if she came back and you were no longer. i know you don't like to be away from home.. but please oh please just don't go under our fence into that other dog's yard. i promise you wont win...

xoxo.

what's left of the trip...

so.. i wrote my friday letter's [here] last week and asked for my camera to be safe. man it's a good thing i didn't bring my side kick canon t1i on the river - i would probably still be in my room crying and refusing to ever come out again. but instead it was just my good ol' kodak with a whopping 5 mega pixels that was on it's last leg anyways. she didn't go swimming.. but somehow she still got lots and lots of liquid on and in her and now she's toast. my sd card is even donezo.. :(

so... what else does this mean? well.. it means the photos i had from the trip are also toast. all i have is my instagram photos that were taken and then all uploaded at once because i didn't have service until we left. my apologizes for those who follow me and got a butt load of photos within minutes.

here are the photos i do still have from the trip and am able to share :)

 

so that's all i have for that.. but we sure did have a lot of fun!

it was so awesome to get away and relax and not have to worry about anything. i didn't even have my phone turned on after we took the picture on the trailer with the floats all the way to this last photo we got of everyone on our way home.

saturday we floated down the river up at my dad's property. the first plan was a three hour float. well - we decided we wanted to do the five hour float. from there.. the float ended up being six hours and we still didn't make it to our destination. we pulled out of the river an hour early but an hour later than we were expecting? it was a blast though. we met some fun people along the way including a crazy bachelor party. we fell off our tubes [more than once]. we got bombarded by a party on land with water balloons. mr. a [my brother-in-law] got out and walked for a while in the river [it's really low right now because of the lack of rain and so much hottness]. well.. we didn't know where he went until we found him up in a tree over the river. well - he ended up crashing with a branch and landed right in his boat! it was hilarious and perfect all at the same time! we all laughed :)

hope you had an awesome weekend like ours! now it's back to work.. and everything else that comes with it.

exer.. huh?

i am terribly pathetic.. it's horrible. i just have absolutely NO motivation to workout or exercise.. i don't. and then i complain about how i look.. which STILL doesn't motivate me to exercise. it's a vicious circle for me i tell ya..

the hard part is the fact that i have always had body image issues. since i was like.. pre-teen. even back then i didn't like how i looked and my doctor at the time said some very mean and hurtful things that will never leave my head. sometimes it's just easier for me to say 'this is something i will probably always struggle with' but at the same time it's very hard for me to grasp that.

i am by no means overweight. and most of you would probably look at me and laugh thinking i'm crazy that i'm even talking about this right now.. but it's me.. and it's a real issue for me. mr. b does such a good job encouraging me and telling me how beautiful i look and how much he loves me. but sometimes it's so hard for me to look past what i think about myself. i used to work out a lot.. like a lot.. and i wasn't seeing any changes - i'm not looking to lose weight. i don't need to lose weight. what i want to do is tone what i have.

scripture says..

'for you formed my inward part; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. i praise you because i am fearfully and wonderfully made. wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well. my frame was not hidden from you, when i was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.' psalm 139:13-15.

'when God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them man.' genesis 5:1-2.

and i know God created me just the way he planned. i know he created me in his likeness. i know he sees me as beautiful and precious in his sight. these things i know.

the more difficult part is truly believing them. i want to believe it. i think i really do believe it, i just need to absorb it and see through his eyes instead of through the eyes of this world telling me otherwise.

so i'm going after this exercising/workout thing again. while at work.. i want to be doing something and i saw a website that i started this week. it's called [fitbolt] it's a little exercise/stretch clock reminder. every 30 minutes it gives me a new exercise to do or a stretch. so far it's been good. it's been good to get my heart rate up [yes.. that's how terriblely out of shape i am]. they are 60 second workouts, i usually try to do them a little longer.

these are baby steps.. and simple things i can do at work while being stuck behind a desk for 40+ hours every week. next step is getting back into it after i'm out of work.

on another note.. today is 7-11! do you have a 7eleven around you? free slurps today! woohoo!! except the nearest one to me is 40 minutes either way.. bummer.

since today is 7-11/wednesday/hump day/free slurp day.. you know what tomorrow is?? 7-12/thursday/friday eve/meet and tweet! get ready for tomorrow!! it's gonna be fun fun fun!!