Unveil...

Not "Whoa Sally" but "Whoa Aly"!!

2011-10-22T12:14:00.000-07:00

"WHOA!" I think this word pretty much sums up the past few days. The craziness began around 10:45 AM on Wednesday morning this past week. I was heading to get my hair cut after school and on the way, I received a phone call from on of my best friends (Sisterhood Girl's), Karla. Her immediate words to me were, "Meredith, something really strange has happened. Alyson (another one of our Sisterhood Girl's) has had a stroke." My immediate response was "WHAT?!?" I seriously thought I had heard her wrong. Surely she didn't say that Alyson had had a stroke. Alyson is 30 years old and fit as a fiddle. I can't really describe what my mind and heart felt at that moment...most definitely shock and a sense of bewilderment. My jaw stayed open and my body felt numb for at least the next 20 minutes until I could process everything.

Let me just give you a brief background of my personal relationship with Alyson. She has literally been in my life since we were in preschool - so about 27 years now. And just to make what could be an incredibly long story short, we have been in each others lives, through every major event, since the day we first met at the ripe old age of around 3 or 4 years old. Sure there have been seasons where we haven't been as heavily involved in one another's lives as we should have/could have been (throughout our college years, etc.), but we realized after the first decade or so of our friendship that we were simply in it for the long haul...kind of like getting married..."til death do us part." I can't tell you what an overwhelming thought this is for me...to know that as rare as lifelong friendships are, not only do I have Aly's, but 4 other incredibly precious girl's as well. That the Lord would show such favor on me blows my mind!

You've heard me refer to my Sisterhood Girl's many times and in no particular order, these girl's are Alyson, Kimi, Kacee, Karla and Courtney.

Actually, I'll just show you a picture so you can have a face with their names. From left to right is Aly, Courtney, Kacee, Me, Karla and Kimi - taken on my wedding day. Aren't they beautiful? With the exception of Courtney, who came into our lives during our middle school years, we have all been friends since elementary school. And we love each other just.like.sisters. We have seen each other at our worst and at our best just like sisters do, get frustrated from time to time with each other just like sisters do, forgive like sisters do, laugh so hard with one another until our sides hurt and our mascara has covered our faces just like sisters do, talk about things that you only talk about with your sisters, prayed for and with each other just like sisters do, and we all hurt when one of us hurts...just like we all have been over the past few days since Aly's crazy run in with this stroke, that none of our human minds can wrap itself around.

My Pastor is always reminding us of how hopeless and helpless those without Christ truly are. I've heard him say those words over and over, but not until earlier this week did those words finally pierce my heart. I cannot tell you how thankful I am for Alyson's unwavering faith. I haven't heard a negative word fall from her lips since her incidence on Wednesday. Instead, I've heard words like "God is all knowing, He is in control, He is GOOD, He is going to use this for His glory, etc.". She has 2 babies and a husband at home, a classroom full of kindergarten students to teach. Shouldn't she have been saying, "Who is going to take care of my babies, Why did this happen to me?, etc." According to the world, yes. She should have been saying those things. The world is full of sin and without Christ, so it is without hope and it is helpless. But...Alyson has Christ - so there is HOPE and help and peace for her during probably what have been the scariest moments of her life thus far. Alyson has matured enough in her faith to know that His Word is true. That when He says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you", or when He says that "our momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all", she can trust and have hope in that! My heart truly breaks for those without Him...for those with no hope, with no anchor when everything around them feels like it's coming apart. Aly - I would give anything to reverse what you are going through, but know that He IS using this situation in your life to bring Him glory. Others have and will continue to see this Hope that you have and my prayer is that their hearts will be so drawn to the Him that they see in you.

I know many of you have already been lifting up Alyson and my plea is that you would continue to do so. She has made much progress but still has more to go. Doctors are still trying to determine the cause of her stroke and at the moment, she is still battling some major side effects. As she would say, "My God is all knowing, all powerful and all good so I know He will use this to His good." Words to live by right there. :)

Supposed to be studying....

2011-09-10T07:15:00.000-07:00

Yes, that's what I'm supposed to be doing right now. It's now almost 10:20 AM on Saturday and my goal before I went to bed last night was to be up and at 'em by at least 8:30 this morning! So far, I have managed to roll out of bed, get a load of laundry started, a 1/2 pot of coffee made (BTW, I made the Beaumont Brand "French Vanilla" coffee that I bought from Aldi a few weeks ago and it is GOOD!!), breakfast has been eaten, devotion read, and to procrastinate just a little more, I decided to blog for a minute! Oh well...what are ya gonna do...I've got all day to get that studying done, right?!? :)

These past couple of weeks have flown by. This past weekend, Aaron and I headed to Gainesville to spend some time with my "Sisterhood Girls" and their sweet husbands and kiddos - we met at a park and enjoyed a picnic lunch together while the kids played on the playground. My sister let us take Luke with us and he had a great time - it's crazy to think that most of us girls were all around Luke's age (or younger) when we began our priceless friendships - I love those girls and it does my soul such good to see them! We spent the rest of the afternoon with my sister, Luke and my Mom and Dad - Mom cooked and we ate! We had to make it back to Griffin in time for Aaron to catch the first GA game of the season - looking back, I think he would have rather stayed in Gainesville a little longer! :) Looking forward to visiting with my family again in a couple weeks - we have my sister's 35th birthday to celebrate and my 31st!

School is still going well. Two weeks ago we had to take a Dosage Calculations exam and they basically give you three chances to pass it over the course of a few weeks - if you get three strikes, you are out of the nursing program. A 90% or better has to be made in order to pass. No pressure, huh?? :) I have stressed over this exam since I first learned about it over the summer before classes even ever started. Lots of studying and prayer went into preparing for this and it is truly by the grace of God that I passed the first time around with a 100. If you know anything about me and math, you know that we have not always been buddies. I received my first "C" in high school algebra and ever since, I've had nothing good to say about numbers. I'm slowly but surely allowing them a place back in my heart. We also had our first lecture exam that basically covers material from three different classes (lecture, skills, and concepts). I made an 87 on this test - I was really hoping for an "A" but I'm thankful for my 87!

One of the reasons I've always loved nursing and the medical field so much is because it totally and constantly puts God in perspective for me. I can't read a chapter in my nursing books or learn a new skill without being reminded of how intricately and purposefully He created our bodies. I think so often when I read how our brains or other body systems react to certain stimuli in order to keep our bodies safe and functioning properly - "God, You are SO good - You didn't miss a thing when you made us." And in the same way, He made the church to function together - so that each "system" works together to keep each other "safe" and functioning properly...otherwise, it can't survive. Our bodies truly are dependent on Him for every breath that we take in - and His Church must be dependent on His Spirit for each soul that's regenerated.

Ok, my first load of laundry is officially washed so I guess that's my cue that I need to get to studying! Happy weekend everybody!

Taking a "Time Out!"

2011-08-27T14:35:00.000-07:00

I really want to be able to look back two years from now after all this craziness is behind me with nursing school and remember what actually went on in my life despite the madness. For that reason, I hope to be consistent in taking some "time out" moments to record some thoughts - even if it's just 5 minutes here and there. Monday begins week 3 of nursing school - crazy to think how quickly it's going by already. (I'm OKAY with that!) :) The first week was fairly "easy" for the most part. There were some overwhelming moments, but those moments were brief, thank goodness. We mainly just learned some basic "intro to nursing" things along with how to perform proper patient hygiene techniques such as oral care/bed baths, changing bed linens, etc. This past week (2nd week) I definitely had more frequent "what have I gotten myself into" moments - information was thrown at us at a much faster pace this week. Nonetheless, it was still a good week! Still just getting "a feel" for what to expect!

I'm learning very early on that they don't lie to you when they tell you you will not have much of a life outside your school work over these 2 years. So far, my schedule consist of getting up between 5 and 5:30 most days, managing to have somewhat of a quiet time and substantial breakfast and leaving for school between 6:30-6:45. I'm usually home most days by around 3, which gives me a little time to get some studying in before Aaron gets home from work. Poor thing - some days I'm doing good to look up from my books long enough to give him a kiss and ask how his day was before returning to my studies. I cannot tell you what a blessing this man is to me - he has been so ready to help out however I need him to as far as cooking and cleaning goes. I may have to ask for the help at times, but never do I hear a "sigh" or complaint. He's always ready to answer with a "sure" and a sweet smile on his face. I did good. :) I try to end my day by 9 or 10 - I'm trying to allow my body to adjust to a minimum of 6 hours of sleep to a max of no more than 8. So far, I'm hangin' in! Time management is going to be key!

I think the hardest thing for me throughout this journey is going to be having to say "no" or "I'm sorry, I just can't do that right now" when asked to be somewhere or participate in something that I would LOVE to be a part of...and learning what things or events are ok to say "no" to and when I need to say "no" to nursing school...if that makes sense. My church just hosted a 2 day "Disciple Makers Conference" this weekend and Aaron literally had to tell me that I could not go. Now, don't get me wrong - my husband loves me and he knows my heart...and we both agree that our devotion to the Lord comes before anything else. I went back and forth for over a week, trying to figure out how I was going to study for the 2 test I have next week on top of all the "routine" things I have to study every week, plus go to this conference Friday night and all day on Saturday. I needed him to tell me I couldn't go for many reasons! Thankfully, they recorded the sessions so I can go back and listen to them when I have time. So, it's just things like this that will be hard. I apologize in advance if you ask me to do something and I have to turn you down - please don't take offense or take it personal! :)

Well, I definitely needed this little "time out"! Like I said, I have 2 test next week and then another one the following week, so maybe I'll be back for another "time out" after that! For now, I'm going to spend some time loving on my honey until the Falcons game starts at 7:30. Then, it's back to studying for me and some fun football watching for the Mister! :)

Thoughts...

2011-08-08T08:30:00.000-07:00

LOTS of thoughts running through my mind today - random thoughts - thoughts that don't necessarily flow together but are still there, nonetheless.

- ONE week from today I start nursing classes. Thinking back 5 + years ago when I TALKED about going to nursing school, hoped to go to nursing school, dreamed of going to nursing school. It's really happening and I'm scared out of my mind!

-LOVED this weekend and the extra special time spent with my sweet husband. We've been talking about how once classes start for me next week, that our time together may not be as often as what we like - that we will vow to set aside time for each other everyday - and ask the Lord to allow us to soak up as much of one another as we can during that time each day - whether it be 10 minutes or 2 hours.

-Hoping my husband will forgive me in advance for the lack of cooking and cleaning that will take place over the next two years and praying that my OCD self will not stress out over the lack of cooking and cleaning that take place over the next two years!

-Thankful that Aaron and I both come from families of hard workers and that they continue to instill in us the value of doing things the right way, even if the right way is the harder or the longer way.

-I am still giddy over the fact that I have another precious niece or nephew on the way. Aaron and I were talking last night that we need to buy my Sister and BIL a webcam so that I can see more of my Luke and my sister's belly as it grows!

-"Your walk....talks." A statement my Pastor made yesterday. He is currently preaching through Colossians and right now he's talking about "a new man's new mouth" and how others will know we are truly regenerated by the words that flow from our lips. Oh be careful little mouth what you say.

-The visit that we had from dear friends this past Friday was so good for my soul. Brings a smile to my face just thinking about it.

-I miss my girlfriends from home. Miss them something fierce at times. They are precious to me and they always will be. They each have such beautiful families now and it's crazy to think how grown up we all are getting. I love the callings that the Lord has placed on each of their lives. I haven't gotten to see much of them over the last year and a half, but truly look forward to the next time we do get together - because I know we will not miss a beat. :)

-Thankful for the new friendships I'm allowing the Lord to finally begin cultivating in my life here in Griffin. I. Need. Them.

-Praying with all my might that I do not gain 20 more pounds in nursing school. I already have 25 to get back off since Aaron and I entered marital bliss. I'm adopting this phrase my friend Kate (who is a nurse) shared with me the other day: Nuts and berries, not fries and shakes. That's her advice to me as I start out on this journey - I will try my hardest to heed it, Kate!!

-"Made to Live For You" - song that was sang at church yesterday. Needed the reminder that above nursing school, above my friends and family (and missing them), above stressing out over a cleaned house or a homecooked meal (or lack thereof), above ALL else, I was made to live for Him. So often, I think I'm made to live for all these other things and I try to squeeze a bit of Him in wherever and whenever I can. Help me, Lord, to live for YOU, and while living for YOU and seeking You and Your kingdom first, You tell me that all these other things I need will be added. Help me to trust Your word.

New House, Goodwill Finds and a Growing Luke!

2011-05-26T20:10:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Well, to say we've had lots going on lately is a bit of an understatement. We found out a little over a month ago that I was accepted to begin nursing school this fall, which is a HUGE praise and something that we are incredibly thankful for. A few weeks before we received this exciting news, we started throwing around the idea of becoming "house hunters" for the first time. After all, it is one of our favorite shows on HGTV. :) So, after some praying and seeking advice from our friends and family, we started putting what we've learned from our late night family friendly t.v. show to use! The process of looking for a home has been fairly pleasant overall and the Lord has been faithful to close doors and open them where He has seen fit. We couldn't be more excited with the home that He has chosen for us! We are set to close on our first home on June 6th! We definitely have our work cut out for us for the next few months (or year!) with the renovations we hope/need to make, but we know that's just part of making it our "own". :) I will post more pictures once we move, but for now, here it is!

Our kitchen in the new house is a bit odd shaped. There is a separate dining room where we will have a full sized table, but as far as the kitchen goes, there is room for something, but not a full sized table by any means. Aaron and I began looking at options for kitchen islands, with the thoughts that we would eventually just probably have one custom made for us later on down the road. Wouldn't you know, however, that I would find one that I just LOVE while Aaron and I were out and about one day at an antique store here in Griffin?! Seeing that we are buying a house, we have most certainly put ourselves on a spending FREEZE on items that we don't necessarily need at this point. So, I knew there was no way we could purchase this kitchen island that has so much character and that I immediately fell in love with. I had this table on my mind non-stop after seeing it. I was trying to come up with a million different ideas of what I could sell, etc. so that we could purchase this table. Aaron told me I sounded like him trying to figure out how he was going to buy an iPad! He gets giddy and excited over buying iPad's...I get giddy and excited over buying beautiful blue kitchen islands! Several days later after talking things over with Aaron, I went back to the antique store to see if I could bargain with the owner to lower the price - I failed because she had actually just lowered it by almost $90. She did inform me, however, of the store's lay-a-way plan and after lots of thought, Aaron decided that I would never be able to look at another kitchen island again without comparing it to this one. Take a look at our new (but old!) soon-to-be kitchen island that we are in the process of purchasing! It is going go perfectly with the colors and cottage type feel that we are going to be going with in our new kitchen!

I also wanted to share with you a GREAT Goodwill find that I ran upon several weeks ago. We have been looking for a bedside table for Aaron's side of the bed since we've been married and have always come away disappointed with not finding one we like that is reasonably priced. I immediately called Aaron from the store as soon as I saw this to ask if he minded me buying it (again, we're on a major spending freeze!). After hanging up w/ Aaron, a fellow shopper approached me and assured me that I was getting an amazing deal in this little table. He told me that it was indeed an antique, that he had two tables at home just like this one, and that they were worth over $100. Check out my little deal...only paid a little over $8 for it and I can't wait to refinish it!

(please excuse all the boxes in the background...if you could only see the rest of our "packed up" apartment right now!)

And last, but certainly not least, I leave you with a quick update on my little man, Luke. Last week, Luke completed his first year of PreK. He has grown to love and enjoy his time at school and making new friends. I can't believe how big he's getting - but I must say, the older he gets, the more fun he gets! I love him more and more each day - even if we are 100 miles apart! Both of our families are doing well. Please keep both Aaron's grandmother and my grandfather in your prayers. They've both had their own health issues arise this week but are both in good hands!

Luke's first day of preschool this year!

Luke's last day of preschool this year! Don't you just love how he crosses his legs?!?

Cute thing. :)

GFJ -"Fit For My King" FINISHED!!

2011-03-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to head out on vacation in just a couple of hours so I don't have but just a quick second to update. I successfully complete my 30 day "Fit For My King" devotional yesterday! I wish I could put in to words how good I feel! Truly. Before I started this whole foods adventure a little over a month ago, I was really starting to struggle with fatigue and just flat out not feeling good all around. Without a doubt in my mind, I now know the majority of these "complaints" were due to the foods that I was choosing to eat. Aaron and I have both gotten into an exercise routine again, and this obviously is helping us to both feel better as well. Am I going to continue eating this way? ABSOLUTELY!! The biggest challenge has been finding recipes, etc., but the sites I posted in my last post have been lifesavers. Another great one that I ran upon this week is www.100daysofrealfood.com . The main goal in eating this way, at least for myself is to feel healthier so that I can ultimately take better care of the Lord's temple (my body) to serve Him better. I'm excited to say that I've lost 9 pounds over the last 30 days. I pray that as I continue on this journey, that it will always be for HIS glory and not for my selfish desires.

GFJ -"Fit For My King" Recipes!

2011-03-07T11:26:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to quickly share a few recipe websites/blogs that have been and are becoming extremely helpful for me as I've learned to prepare and ENJOY whole foods/natural foods over these past few weeks! (read post below to see why!) I have about 1 week left until my 30 day "fast" on whole foods is over. I don't think it'll really be "over" for me though! I can't tell you how GREAT I have felt with no refined sugar or processed foods swimming around in my system. Aside from my allergies wearing me out, I have truly had more energy than I can remember having in a LONG time! I'm learning to love that knowing what is going into my body is GOOD for me. I will update next week after my 30 days is up! But for now, I will leave you with a few websites that have some really yummy and healthy recipes.

"Now glory be to God! By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more that we would ever dare to ask or hope." Ephesians 3:20

http://www.ohhealthyday.com/

http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/

http://www.healthyfoodforliving.com/

http://www.fullplatediet.org/recipes/

GFJ Post - getting "Fit for My King"

2011-02-14T07:01:00.000-08:00

I have to be completely honest here in telling you my thoughts when I picked up this book in LifeWay about a week ago. I thought, "ok, this is just another one of THOSE diet books that just happens to have a Christian spin on it." The title even sounded a little cheesy to me - Fit for My King. Just being HONEST! (must've been extra critical that day and having major moments of NOT walking or thinking in the Spirit!) And if I've read one book on how to lose weight I've read at least 50. So, why should I use my gift card to buy this book instead of that Kari Jobe CD I really wanted? I kid you not, there was a battle that went on in my head for about 15 minutes as I held both of these items in my hand. I only had enough money left on the gift card to purchase one or the other. Which one would it be? Well, obviously we all know it was the book, and I have to admit that I left the store I little mad about my decision. I was mad that I didn't get that Kari Jobe CD and I was even more mad that I was one of those people who have to buy books about losing weight anyway! It was most definitely a "poor, poor me" kind of day...can ya tell?? :) Thank goodness His mercies are new everyday! Amen? Amen.

Towards the mid part of last week I started feeling much more energized and rested. I attributed this to being more consistent over the past couple of weeks with exercising and the sunshine that we've been getting hasn't hurt, either! After my workout last Thursday, I was hungry! It was lunchtime and Aaron had other plans for lunch that day, so I was on my own and could fix myself whatever I wanted. I don't know that I could say this is exactly what I wanted and had in mind when opening the fridge to see what my options were, but what I came out with were fresh fruits and veges that I made a simple smoothie out of. (see last post) And it truly was so satisfying and GOOD and gave me more energy than anything else I could have chosen to have. I know this sounds weird, but it was actually very exciting to me that I enjoyed my lunch that much!

I woke up the next day, still feeling good about the choices that I had made the day before, and I happened to remember that "book" that I had bought earlier in the week that still sat in its crumpled up bag in a chair. Still a little hesitant, I began to read the intro. And after a few pages in and reading things such as "Our God desires for His beloved to experience good health and for their souls to soar" and "Can you imagine if our purpose for being our best was to show our King how much we love Him by taking care of His temple and to have enough energy to witness to the lost?" - I have to say I was a little, ok a lot, more humbled than I was a few days earlier in my regards to what the Lord might allow me to learn through these pages. And I was even more so humbled that He began preparing my heart and my body for the challenges that laid ahead of me the day BEFORE I even knew what they were going to be. This book, Fit for My King, is a 30 day devotional that challenges you, not only with a whole foods "diet" for the 30 days - fasting completely off of white sugar, white flour and several other things, but it is also a book that makes some tough points. My goal, as His child, should not be to lose a single pound for ME and ALL that comes with that! It absolutely should be completely about Him and for His glory ALONE. This is so INCREDIBLY difficult...especially for us women. We are constantly faced with images that we think we should live up to in our society. We so long for the approval and the praise of others. But that isn't God's goal for us at all. His goal is for us to be HEALTHY - for His glory, so that we can make His name greater - and that's the ONLY reason. So, as cheesy as it may or may not sound, I want to be fit for my King. I want to wake up each morning feeling strong so that I can fulfill whatever purposes He has for me for that day. I want to eat the foods that He intended for me to eat from the beginning of time. Not foods that may taste so yummy for a time, but slowly destroy His temple.

Please pray for me over these next 30 days as I make my way through this devotional and through His Word. (and as I seek out new recipes to try!!) I have also been given the challenge to not weigh myself at all during these next 30 days which I know will be VERY hard for me. So pray that I will not be fixated with a number but with feeling energized so that I can betterB serve others and my Lord. Pray that I will not get discouraged when I mess up, because I know that I probably will. My hope is that my desires and my thinking for food and the types of food I crave will be transformed over this next month so that this will become a lifestyle change - not just a 30 day change. And lastly, pray that I will learn to do EVERYTHING for Him.

This seems to be a GREAT book for those looking to loose weight and for those who just want to eat more wholesomely. Highly recommend it. Fit for My King by Sherri Rose Shepherd

Recipe I tried out yesterday that was YUMMY!

Irish Mum's Brown Bread

1 cup unbleached white bread flour (I used whole wheat flour instead)
Pinch of salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 3/4+ cups buttermilk
2 ounces butter
1 egg

Melt the butter over gentle heat.

In a medium-sized bowl lightly beat the egg and then gradually add the buttermilk all the while stirring to incorporate the egg. Beat in the butter. In another bowl sift and mix the dry ingredients as best you can, and then stir in the buttermilk mixture. If you are using a baking tin the mixture should be on the wetter side. If your dough is too dry, mix in small splashes of buttermilk until it is the right consistency. Cook at 400F for 50 minutes on the middle rack. You want to hear a sort of hollow sound when you knock on the bottom of the tin. Resist the urge to take the bread out too soon, or the middle of the bread won't get cooked through.

Makes 1 loaf.

**NOTE** Because I used whole wheat flour, the loaf was a little more dense and took about an hour and 10 minutes in the oven instead of 50 minutes.

GFJ Post!!

2011-02-10T10:27:00.000-08:00

I'm sorry, yet again, that it took me forever to do another "Get Fit Journey" post. Some of you are aware that I have been on this journey since January of 2007. I constantly have to remind myself that journeys in life have both roads that go up and roads that go down, and often times roads that are somewhere in between. I've definitely been on a "rocky" road over the past year in my GFJ and I think/know the biggest reason for that is simply a lack of self-discipline. I can blame this road on starting back to school, or on just getting married and moving to a new place, etc., etc. But when it comes right down to it, I've just been very lax with my eating and with my exercise. These last two weeks have been better, though! Thanks to my mother and father-in-law, Aaron and I now have a treadmill! I have wanted this for Aaron and myself for a while now, but was a little hesitant with our living in an apartment, lack of space, neighbors right underneath us situation. Aaron's parents had a spare treadmill in their basement and they were very generous to allow us to use it. I'm using the treadmill to supplement my exercise video that I truly enjoy doing - "Walk Away the Pounds" with Leslie Sansone. This video allows me to choose a 1, 2 or 3 mile workout, depending on the amount of time I have to workout and also on my energy level. I always either choose the 2 or 3 mile workout and then on top of that, I have been walking on the treadmill for a least another mile. So far, so good. And my sweet husband has been getting up early to use the treadmill before he goes to work. I love that he has chosen to head out on this "journey" with me. The thing that makes me not like him being on this journey with me, however, is the fact that his pants feel looser after ONE stinkin' time on that treadmill! :) I love him so much and am incredibly appreciative of his support in my life. Here we both are, trying out the treadmill!

I look a little TOO excited...and my thumbs look weird.

I can hear what my husband is thinking..."Seriously. You're taking a picture of me walking on a treadmill at 7 o'clock in the morning?? Who cares about that?!?" Isn't he just cute? :)

This was my lunch for today and it was SO YUMMY and packed full of vitamins and nutrients. I enjoy eating smoothies, I just don't ever really think about making them. Well, that's going to change! I just took several ingredients that I had on hand here at home - a carrot, an apple, a handful of fresh cherries and frozen strawberries. I probably would have added at least part of a banana too, but since I had one with my breakfast this morning, I skipped it in my smoothie.

I only used half of an apple. A bit of yogurt would have been ideal just to help liquify the smoothie a little, but since I didn't have any in my fridge today, I added a couple of tablespoons of apple juice - just enough to help the blending process.

I also used my coffee grinder and ground up about a tablespoon and a half of flax seeds to throw into the mix. Incase you didn't know, flax seeds are FULL of goodness for you! You can add them to anything you make - doesn't hinder the taste at all.

Isn't that just beautiful?? And it tasted even better than it looked! VERY filling too.

My advice for this GFJ post: Don't consider yourself a failure, even when you find yourself on a hard or rocky road in your journey. Keep going, because the road will level out again eventually.

"Every valley shall be lifted up, and every mountain and hill be made low; the uneven ground shall become level, and the rough places smooth." Isaiah 40:4

"Catch All" Post

2011-02-03T07:56:00.000-08:00

You know how most of us, whether we will admit it or not, have a "catch all pile" - a pile that catches anything and everything that has no specific place? Well, that's how this post feels to me today - a "catch all post". I haven't blogged in a while, for many reasons, but have so much on my heart and mind today that I just want to get it out! So, know that if you're reading, my words and thoughts might be all over the place today.

Over the last months and even the last year, the Lord has allowed so many "situations" to happen. Situations that cause myself and so many of those I care about on a personal level to be tempted to question God's plans and His goodness. To wonder how Romans 8:28 "and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good" is even a possible reality among cancer and other diseases, death that takes someone precious away from a spouse and children at a young age, a barren woman who longs to see her tummy grow and move with the life of a child, a baby born to a single mother who has no idea how to take care a child, much less herself, those who long so badly to be accepted and loved for who they are, jobs lost and feelings of defeat. I could go on and on with examples of suffering, loneliness, "getting the bad end of the deal" kind of situations that have hit so close to home recently.

In my times of reflection and seeking the Lord over the past few months regarding these things, the word that He has most often brought to mind for me is simply "contentment". I admit that I tend to argue back and forth in my thoughts - "but HOW on earth am I to be content or even pray for contentment in the lives of those suffering these things, Lord?" I'm still praying through this word "contentment" on a regular basis, and as I do, He is faithful. He is faithful in asking me to be content in His provision that "He will supply EVERY need we will ever have according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:19) - reminding me that the process of HOW my needs and the needs of others around me are being met is not up to me - that this process, although He may choose to use me in it, is ultimately up to Him. He is faithful again, through words of Paul in Philippians, of teaching me to "be content in whatever situation I am in" and to pray this for those around me. That we would be just as content in the extremely tough times as we are in the joyful times. We are ALWAYS going to be faced with things we don't like - things that we hate, even - as long as we are alive here on this earth as a result of sin. And because of that, I know that this contentment the Lord is teaching me about is most certainly not something this world can give us, but it can only come through Him, through His Word and His promises, and through the knowledge that He is Sovereign, and that He is good. Ultimately, I am learning to HATE sin all the more in times of hardship instead of questioning God. And hopefully this hatred of sin and seeing the ways in which it plagues each of us, will cause me to proclaim His goodness and the hope that I have in Him all the more. Whew.

On to another topic. I'm excited to say that last semester at school is over and done with! I purposefully took 17 credit hours with the intention of finishing all my core in the hopes that I would be accepted to begin nursing classes this current semester. Good news - I survived and even got all "A's". Bad news - I didn't get excepted to begin nursing classes this semester. At least it was bad news at first. My ranting and raving regarding the fact that I NEEDED and DESERVED to be accepted into the Nursing Program this semester would fall under the above topic of learning to be content. :) I have to admit that while I still find myself somewhat impatient some days of wishing I could just get started with it already so I can get finished, I am finally learning to truly enjoy this time. I started back to school just 6 months after Aaron and I got married. And I totally jumped in with both feet! This didn't allow me the time I would've ideally liked to have had to be a new wife to my new husband. Now, since I'm only taking one class this semester, I am being blessed with the opportunity to simply be a wife to my husband, among other things. I struggled the first couple of weeks with this new "free time" I had - I don't do very well at times with not having a schedule to follow. I stress myself out with the thoughts that I should be getting something done that I'm not, or forgetting to do something that needs to be done. I've been asking the Lord to simply let me "chill out" and rest in the fact that this is where He has me right now and that it's okay. He is assuring me that just because I'm not taking a full load at school this semester or the fact that I don't have a full time job at the moment does not mean that I'm lazy. I can learn to enjoy my days when I let those lies leave my mind. I am so enjoying planning out our meals and having dinner ready when Aaron gets home from work, finding and trying new recipes that fit our budget, clipping coupons and learning how to serve the Lord better through our finances, not being busy with my school work every night and to being able to spend time with Aaron in the evenings with less distraction. I'm learning to take advantage of the time to catch up with those I need to, to cultivate new relationships, to spend more time in the Word, to get back on track with exercising, to make myself available to help out wherever I'm needed, etc. Anything but lazy! It's fun and I'm so appreciating these opportunities! If all goes well, I will hopefully start nursing school in August, so I'm definitely treasuring every moment of this right now!

I'll leave you with a thought that I honestly wish would leave me be, but one that I am nonetheless being forced to work through, thanks to my husband bringing it up last night and through the conviction of the Holy Spirit! Aaron and I, along with much of our faith family, are reading through a book called "Radical" by David Platt. (highly recommend it if you haven't read it) "Radical" is a book that focuses on taking a look at what God's Word truly says - not what we want it to say or what we have created it to say in our own minds throughout the years. A book that has aided in our conviction to truly live out the Gospel, not just talk about it. There is a homeless shelter here in town that our church has committed to working with each week. This is a place where homeless men, women and children come in and are given a place to sleep and eat - however, because the needs around town are so great, these people are rotated out, so to speak. They come to the shelter and if they can prove that they are trying to find a job, etc., are allowed to live there 2 weeks, and are then "rotated out" so that others who are homeless can have that same opportunity. Aaron was telling me last night that he and our Pastor were talking earlier this week regarding this. A question that our Pastor asked Aaron was this, "At what point do we just bring them home with us?" Wow. WOW. Aaron and I have talked before about this - what are we doing with that guest bedroom right down the hall from our bedroom other than letting the bed collect dust on it when there is someone, very nearby to us, sleeping outside in the cold on the ground? What does being obedient to God's Word in taking care of the poor and needy really look like? "At what point do we just bring them home with us?"

We've got so much, so much, so much, so much, so much, so much, so much, so much, so much, so much (CLAP)...

2010-11-12T07:48:00.000-08:00

...to be thankful for! Does any else remember singing this song? It was always one of my favorites when I was younger and I still seem to recall it just about every year around this time. We truly have SO MUCH to be thankful for. I don't have a ton of time to spend on this post today, but I wanted to quickly list a few things that cause me to praise...leave me some love A.K.A. comments and let me know what causes you to praise!

- First of all, I know it may sound cliche, but I am forever thankful for an Almighty, Powerful God who gave His only Son as a ransom for my sin.

- I'm thankful for a church family who is Gospel minded and for this incredible season of growth, instruction, discipline and training in all our lives.

- I'm thankful for daily provisions such as food, shelter, warm clothes, a bed, a car...I am so RICH to have these things...may I never take that for granted.

- I'm thankful for legacies of faith and love that have been passed down to me from generation to generation - may those legacies continue through me.

- I'm thankful for incredible family and for friends that I call family. The older I get, the more I realized what a treasure each of these people are in my life and how the Lord has "fit" us so perfectly together.

- Wow...I'm so very thankful for the man I get to call "husband". This word "husband" has taken on a whole new meaning for me over this past year. It's truly a humbling experience to receive such love from another human being. Each day I catch glimpses of how Christ loves His church through the love that my husband has for me. I love my sweet man more by the minute and am so thankful for who he is and who he is becoming.

- I am thankful (most days!) for the opportunity of being back in school. I truly know that nursing is my calling and I can't wait to see what journey the Lord has for me through this whole experience.

-I know he falls under family, but I have to give a special shout out to my Little Man Luke. I never grow tired of being his "Aunt Mae Mae". I am amazed that the Lord would grant me the opportunity to be placed in his life. I can't wait to see how he grows and to watch him become the young man the Lord calls him to be.

I could keep on going and make come back and add to this list later when I have more time. And I promise I will do a GFJ post (good, bad, or ugly) this coming Tuesday. Sorry I missed one! Let me know what you're thankful for...have a wonderful day! :)

GFJ Update

2010-11-02T06:04:00.000-07:00

Not a very exciting first week back on my GFJ...only down 1/2 a pound, but like I say...just like pennies make dollars, part of a pound eventually makes a whole pound. :) At least we're going in the RIGHT direction! I will readily admit that I didn't work at it as hard as I should or could have the past few days. Hoping for more next week...one day at a time! :)

Meredith and her GET FIT JOURNEY reunite!!

2010-10-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Okay...many of you who are my friends or if you have followed this blog in the past, know that I haven't done a GFJ (get fit journey) post in AGES. (actually, I've been slack over the past year as far as this blog goes...period) HOWEVER, it's time. It's time to reunite my body with my Get Fit Journey...if it will still have me. :) Needless to say, my GFJ and I have not been BFF's for about the past 1o months or so. I did that whole marriage thing at the beginning of the year (which I LOVE) and ya know how everybody says you have to be really careful when you get married or that weight will just come right back on?!? They AIN'T kiddin!! :)

The day Aaron and I came back from our honeymoon I weighed in at exactly 90 pounds down. Only TEN pounds away from my ultimate goal of 100 pounds lost. Well, call it "happy pounds" or call it the "freshman 15" (since I started back to college...not a freshman though!), call it whatever you want, but this TWENTY pounds I've gained within the last 10 months has got to GO! Now, instead of only being 10 pounds away from my ultimate goal of 100 down, I'm a THIRTY pounds away. Of course I'm furious with myself, but I'm choosing to take those frustrations and work them to my advantage! So, Tuesday's will be my weigh in days and I'll do my best to chart my progess here each week. And thankfully I have my sweet husband on my team with me! So...game face...back on!

King's Palace: Welcome to Our Home!

2010-05-03T12:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our home! Click on the YouTube link at the bottom of this post to see the video! (first of all, sorry if the video makes you a little queezy...I've not quite mastered the art of video taking just yet. One thing at a time...) Some of you have been asking to see some pics of our little apartment so I just decided to give you a quick...or maybe not so quick tour. Ok...so you haven't heard from me since before I became THE Mrs. King...so sorry I've been such a slacker in the world of blog over the last few months. Aaron and I are doing wonderful and absolutely LOVE being married! In just a few days we will have already been married four months which is completely insane! I think we would both say that we had no idea that being husband and wife would be so much fun and such a blessing! We are so enjoying each other and learning more each day that God's plans are good and that His way is always perfect.

Aaron is staying incredibly busy as Media Director at Second Baptist here in Griffin. He's also taken on two new side jobs doing web design for his home church, Rockdale Baptist, and also for a company owned by one of our new church friends. He works so hard and is SO good at what he does!

I am working part time at a family practice here in Griffin. Things are going well there but I just have to say that I miss SO MUCH my friends at the Allergy & Asthma Clinic back home. Family practice is new for me so there has been much to be learned and many challenges - which is a good thing for the most part! I start back to school this summer to begin working towards my RN. I will begin in June at Gordon College. This makes me both excited and nauseated at the same time! :) Returning back to school after being out for almost 8 years is a little intimidating!

Thankfully our schedules thus far have allowed us to spend good time with each other and we pray that this continues. Our families are doing well and we have been able to visit with them a decent amount...at least more than I had anticipated and this is a huge blessing! My little man Luke is growing like a weed and is the most country sounding child you've ever heard in your life...not quite sure where he gets this from! I miss not getting to see him every week but we make sure to "chat" on the phone on a daily basis. He loves his Uncle Aaron! :)

I have loved learning to become a wife over these last few months. I have an amazing husband who makes being his wife very easy and enjoyable - but I know I can't be the wife to him that I need to be in my own strength, but only in that of the Lord. I love cooking for us and making our small little apartment feel like a home. I love it when my husband comes home for work and we can just sit on the couch and chat with each other. I love that he lets me put my ICE COLD feet on him to warm them up without yelling at me. And I love that he thinks I'm pretty every moment of the day...even upon rising out of bed in the mornings. (I am so NOT pretty at that hour, people! Trust me.) I could go on and on for days but I will close now for those of you that are about to vomit at my newlywed ramblings. :)

Hope you are all doing well and hopefully I will learn to be a little more committed to this blog in the future...not making any promises! :) Have a great week!!

Aaron and Meredith's Humble Home

Engagement pics, but not really.

2009-11-21T20:18:00.000-08:00

Aaron and I were scheduled to have our engagement pictures made a few weeks ago out at a beautiful ranch by my sweet friend, Emma. However, the rain has delayed those plans for now, so Aaron's mom made a few pictures of us this past weekend in the beautiful sunshine.

Life has been incredibly crazy busy these past couple of months with wedding festivities and planning. We had our 7th and final wedding shower this afternoon - what a blessing all these showers have been! It's overwhelming, really!

Hopefully after January 9th, I'll be fully back in the blogging world again...but until then, please keep us in your prayers as we finish up all the final details for the big day and as we celebrate Thanksgiving and Christmas with our sweet families as "single" people for the last time! :)

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me!

2009-08-30T15:14:00.000-07:00

Wow...what a week! We all know that some weeks are simply just better than others and this past week was definitely an "other" in my world. I'm not saying the whole week was a flop...please hear me say that I have SO very much to be thankful for and no room at all to complain...there were just a few moments that weren't my favorite...that's all! :) Needless to say, I was begging for the weekend to get here and am thankful for the start of a brand new week tomorrow.

This weekend has been exactly what I needed to refocus and get my thoughts geared in the right direction once again after that crazy week I just encountered. Aaron and I visited with his Mom and Dad Friday night and all day yesterday. His Dad officially became a Senior Citizen on Friday so we definitely helped him celebrate! :) (i don't think he reads my blog...so hopefully I'm safe in letting the secret out!)

I had such a good time with Aaron this weekend. He's been such a hero in my life over the past few days. The poor thing called me one night this past week - hadn't talked to him really all day that day, and the first thing he hears from me are not words but instead a horrible sobbing sound that probably made him instantly wish he had of forgotten my phone number that day. But instead, he patiently listened to my cry over a personal issue I had going on, assured me things would all work out and be fine, and then lead me to the Lord in prayer. Such a perfect example of living out the Word and "bearing one another's burdens". Work was a little on the crazy side too this week and I simply just felt worn down and bone tired by Friday. Been there? So, Friday night, I made it to Aaron's parents close to 8, then he and I headed out to meet a good friend of his that is going to play the piano in our wedding. BTW, boy can tear up that piano! SO excited! Afterwards on the way back to Aaron's parents, we stopped by good old McDonald's for an ice cream cone. I have to say, there is nothing more relaxing than eating an ice cream cone in the car, late at night, with the Braves on the radio in the background, sitting beside your best friend. Again, God is good and knew exactly what I needed in that moment. Then yesterday morning, after waking up pretty early (at least for a Saturday), I walked in to Aaron's parents living room only to see my sweet fella out on the back deck, his puppies playing at his feet, and the Word of God opened in his lap. Now I know that Aaron is not perfect...none of us are. But I have to tell you that I have never seen a sweeter sight and never felt more safe than in that moment. To see the man that the Lord has chosen to join me with, seeking direction and allowing himself to be comforted by words that will never return void. After taking a "mental photo", I joined Aaron and we just sat...in the stillness of the cool, quiet morning. I'm not sure what Aaron's thoughts were, but mine where something along the lines of "thank you, Lord. You are so faithful." Again, God is good and knew exactly what I needed in that moment. We spent a big part of our day yesterday hanging out with Aaron's mom and then we had a fun cookout for Mr. King's birthday last night. After we finished eating and were just sitting around the table with full bellies, Aaron's dad teased us that we weren't allowed to know what his birthday wish was, but he did want us to know something that he was very thankful for...that each of us sitting around that table has a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and had found our salvation in Him. What a treasure that I get to become a part of this family.

I had to attend the funeral of a sweet friend today. Tori was a precious girl that I went to college with and to church with for a short period of time during our college days. Tori was killed this past week in an auto accident - such an awful, sad thing to receive this news this past week. However, as sad as it all is, Tori had such an incredible heart for the Lord and I have no doubt that there is no other place she'd rather be than where she is right this very minute...worshipping Him like never before. Throughout this entire week and this weekend, from the tears I've cried, to the thankfulness in my heart over the Lord's faithfulness, to the farewell of this sweet friend, I have once again been reminded that absolutely nothing else in this life matters more than finding a personal relationship with Him and sharing that with anyone I possibly can. Because we might just be the tool the Lord uses in someones life so that one day, someone we might not even know, can successfully sit around his dinner table with people he loves the most in this world and say, without a doubt, that his family knows the Lord and have the assurance in his heart that no matter what path life takes them down, they are safe because of their Savior.

God is so good, God is so good, God is so good, He's so good to me!

encouragment from my fella this morning

2009-08-21T04:11:00.001-07:00

I'm in a bit of a hurry this morning, but just wanted to share the encouragement with you all that the Lord gave me through my fella this morning from his blog. I am so blessed to have him in my life!

this week with God and Aaron...

i wanted to type this out, i guess just to get it out of my head...

GOD gave me a new perspective on a few things this week, things i honestly already knew but had somewhat lost sight of recently. working at the church has been awesome, i love it, but just like any job, it has its days. days where the unpreparedness of others come shining through and fall dead into my lap. i try to do my best with it, but lately i've missed the importance and the blessing of my work. i've gotten wrapped up in my list of thing to do, instead of just doing them for GOD.

i had a great meeting this week with Winfrey Shields, the media director from northstar church in kennesaw, which is HUGE by the way. great guy, a wealth of knowledge and years of experience for me to pull from, he's worked all over the country with franklin graham and all the biggest Christian bands. so we were talking about the philosophy of media in ministry, and he reminded me that my job is not about the website, projector screens, worship guides, cool posters, lights and sound. it's simply to focus on setting the tone for people to come to the throne and worship the LORD.

WOW! that hit me hard.

winfrey gave me a newfound sense of importance and encouraged me to a higher understanding of why i'm here in griffin. for me to think that i'm just as much of a critical part of the service as the soloist and the preacher, what a humbling thought! also, to know that i'm in a position where i can use the creative gifts GOD has given me to directly impact HIS kingdom. WHAT AN INCREDIBLE FEELING AND GIANT RESPONSIBILITY!

so i realized, what more can i ask for? knowing everything GOD has done for me and now seeing that i'm in a place to be able to constantly give HIM all the glory for my work, how could i ask for anything more of HIM?

...and still, HE GIVES ME EVEN MORE! HE PROVES HIS LOVE OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN!

all this came to a head yesterday, when i got a great surprise from Meredith. i won't go into what it was, that is something i'll keep between us, but it cut me down again, in a really great way. as if GOD himself was saying, "see there, I did that too. I did that for you."

so i would just challenge you, take a second to see what GOD has done for you and/or where HE has put you. don't look right over it, don't get too busy to notice it. HE is here, HE is constantly working for the good of those who love HIM.

the least we can do is thank HIM for it.

Life Update

2009-08-04T17:03:00.000-07:00

Luke on the way to Nana's for his first Sleepover ever!! :)

Sorry it's been so long! Life is nothing short of crazy these days...but I'm lovin' it! Just wanted to give you all an update on what's been going on in my world. First off, to follow up on my last post, being engaged is wonderful! Lots of wedding planning is taking place and thankfully a lot has already been accomplished and I feel good about that. I guess after being the bridesmaid 14 times, you just kinda know what direction to go in. Not that it's all been easy, but all that past wedding experience has absolutely been beneficial. :) It's certainly weird being the bride and not the bridesmaid this time around! Aaron and I have set our wedding date at Jan. 9th...SO excited about a winter wedding. I can't wait for that blessed day! Aaron and I are still learning so much about each other during this season of our engagement and the more I learn, the more I love him. The Lord truly is Sovereign and good and His timing is so perfect. A scripture that I can remember clinging so tightly to before Aaron came along was Song of Songs 2:7 "I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires." There were so many days that I simply just had to trust that the Lord would some day make Himself known in this passage to me because I most certainly was tempted to "arouse and awaken love" in my OWN timing. Being single is such a hard area to be patient in, but I now know the importance of this verse. The Lord graciously protected my heart in so many ways to make it ready for my sweet Aaron and vice versa. What a big God we serve. Please continue to pray for us as we prepare for our wedding day - a day that we pray will honor and bring glory to the One who is giving us to each other.

Work is still going well..the past week has felt like springtime again...SO busy! Not complaing though. I am SO going to miss this sweet bunch of people when I have to leave them at the beginning of the year. I just don't even want to talk about that! :)

My little man, Luke, is a spit fire! He is ALL TWO!! :) He came over for his very first spend-the-night this past weekend and did awesome! He is definitely to the point now of carrying on full conversations with whomever he is speaking with and I love it. He's one of my most favorite people to talk to these days. I've only had one breakdown so far about moving a little farther away from him after the wedding. I have been incredibly blessed with the convenience of only being 10 minutes or so away from him and being able to see him whenever I want since he was born. While this will be hard at first, I am only going to be an hour and a half away and I just know that the Lord will bless our relationship just as He always has. :)

My weight loss journey has not ended...for those of you who have been wondering since I haven't posted a GFJ post in quite some time! It has definitely slowed some, but I'm still hanging in and am at least not gaining! I'm very close to 90 pounds down and hope to lose at least 10 more pounds before the big wedding day. We'll see!

So much has happened in the past month...family trip to the beach, Luke's 2nd birthday, Aaron's 28th birthday, Braves game, baby showers, SO MUCH LIFE!! The Lord is all around and I am constantly in awe of who He is and with what and who He has blessed me with!

Engagement Story!!

2009-06-21T13:46:00.000-07:00

I have officially been engaged for a week and a day now and for those of you wondering...yes, I'm still on cloud nine!! :) I wouldn't mind staying here for the rest of my life. What a sweet story I have for you. (get your blankets and hot chocolate and let's gather 'round) I must have told this story at least a hundred times in just one week and I've yet to grow tired of telling it. I drove to Griffin this past weekend to see my sweetie. There was an event at his church that night that we had to attend and later that evening I was to spend the night with our friends Todd and Jennifer. Well, I arrived to Aaron's apartment a little after 10 AM on Saturday morning. He had called to check on me a couple of times to see how close I was - now we know why! When I reached Aaron's door and knocked, he opened the door, peaked his head out, took my things from me and as I walked in, the first sight that I see is rose petals and lit candles on his living room floor. Talk about a sister's heart doing the biggest somersault EVER!! I immediately knew then what was about to happen and the first words out of my mouth were - "Aaron King, what are you doing??". As if I didn't know!!!!! So Aaron took my hands, kissed me, told me that he loved me and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with me, got down on his knee, and ASKED ME TO BE HIS WIFE!! I said yes faster than lightening, kissed him, then commanded him to show me that bling of a ring and put it on me! :) I was pretty calm at first, but as started thinking about what was really going on, I got REALLY excited and I'm pretty sure that FREAK OUT got a new name that day! My sweet fiance LOVES video, computer stuff, etc. So, wouldn't you know that he hid a video camera to capture this incredibly special moment on film. As much as I hate seeing myself on video, I am in love with the fact that we have this sweet moment forever. I'm trying to get up the nerve to allow him to post the video for you all to watch. Maybe in another week?? :) I LOVE that man and I cannot wait to be his wife. The Lord has lavished His goodness over me by giving Aaron to me and I hope to honor that always. I'm a blessed girl. Enjoy some pics and be on the lookout for that video...which I believe should be titled "Girl Freaks Out".

What will I leave behind?

2009-06-07T17:36:00.000-07:00

I had to attend a funeral today of a dear, sweet older lady that I attended church with from birth to about the age of 22. Yes, she was one of those ladies that could tell you stories of changing my diaper in the church nursery when I was a baby or all the times my parents would have to take me out in the middle of service to spank me. Yes, I know you all think I've always been the angel that I am now...sorry to disappoint. :) The older I get and the more I come to learn what an impact (good or bad) we have on others lives, the more careful and intentional I want to become about leaving behind a life of good, not a life of mess. Listening to all the things said today about this sweet lady and the legacy that she is leaving behind has caused me to think a lot today on what kind of legacy I want to leave behind. Needless to say, I have a lot to improve on and a lot to strive for. I hope that what I want to leave behind one day, will be what I will leave behind one day. Some thoughts from today on what I want kind of legacy I want to leave...

That I strive to live a full, abundant life here on this earth...knowing that this is one of the many reasons Jesus came..so that I could have and experience that with the promise that the best is yet to come! (John 10:10)
That I have a genuine love for the people in my life and that my actions and words toward them would show them this love.
That I'm a hard worker.
That I can "laugh at the days to come" because I know my God is Sovereign and that everything is under His control and command. (Proverbs 31)
That I strive to do everything "without complaining or arguing".
That I don't worry.
That I'm easy going and fun to be around.
That I'm a good listener.
That I like to learn and that I'm willing to accept when I've done something wrong and am not too proud to correct it.
That I love the Lord above all else and this is evident in my devotion to Him and in my heart towards others.
That I'm a caring, loving wife (hopefully one day!) who treats my husband with honor and respect...knowing that he is a treasure.
That I'm a mother (hopefully one day) who will strive to train my children up in such a way that causes them to seek after their Savior and want to please Him in all that they do. And pour out more love on them than they can stand...even when they disappoint me.
That I have a servant heart and strive to place others before myself.
That I'm graceful and act like a lady.
That I find contentment in small things - that I'm simple.
That I think before I speak.
That there just aren't many things in life worth letting yourself get "rawled" up and upset about.
That it's important to keep the commitments you make and stick with the job until it's completed.
That I dream big and don't limit what God can and wants to do with my life.
That I am smart with money but that I don't hold onto it tightly.
That I smile at everyone I meet.
That I'm adventurous and want to see and experience things.
That I love to encourage.

Just a few things that have crossed my mind today. Definitely have lots of work to do but it's always good to reflect on things we want/should be striving for. What will you leave behind one day? Just think about it. Have a great week! :)

Aaron's Sweet Surprise Was...

2009-05-31T21:20:00.000-07:00

The FABULOUS Fox Theatre!! Oh. My. Goodness. Gracious! I just have to say it right now (incase you haven't already figured it out) that I have the BEST fella in the world. Truly. And not at all because of the things he does for me (although as you can see he does some pretty incredible things), but simply because of who he is. Aaron has been keeping this night a surprise for at least a couple months now and as much as I tried to play cool about not knowing what was going on, it has secretly been driving me NUTS! I had no clue! None at all...and am SO thankful that I didn't. I even asked Aaron to let me know when we neared wherever we were going today so that I could close my eyes and make the suspense last as long as possible. It was absolutely worth it! "Jersey Boys...The Story of Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons" was playing and it was SOOO good. They are known for songs like "Sherry, Stay, Big Girls Don't Cry, Walk Like a Man, Working My Way Back to You, Rag Doll..." The story line was great and very entertaining. Aaron nor myself go to things like this very often so it was definitely a treat for both of us. Thank you, sweet Aaron, for such a fun day, for your thoughtfulness in planning this and surprising me with it and for treating me the way that you do...everyday...not just today! I am hands down the most blessed girl in the world. :) Enjoy a few pics of our day together! There's just something about seeing this sign and knowing that you are about to have a good time. And a good time is exactly what we had!

Thank you again, Aaron! Loved EVERYTHING about my day! You're wonderful.

LONG Overdue!

2009-05-21T16:53:00.000-07:00

My Sister, My Mom and Me on Mother's Day 2009

Well, once again I am WAY behind on blogging! So much has been going on over the past couple of months and at least I have pictures to prove it! :) My life is truly so rich and so full...I have been ever reminded of that lately. There are many days we are all tempted to complain of our crazy busy, fast paced lives but when I take time to think about the things that fill my time and when I look through pictures like the ones posted here, my heart can't help but overflow. I am incredibly blessed with an abundance of precious people...people the Lord has sweetly chosen to put in my life.

My Daddy and the Little Mister

This has to be one of my ALL TIME most favorite pictures! Luke LOVES his "Papa" so much! I am amazed each day at how big this little guy is getting. And he continues to capture more and more of my heart as the days go by. He continues to call me "Mae Mae" but has recently been saying "Aunt Meredif"...which I am also just crazy about! LOVE HIM!

Karla and Justin got Married!!

That's right people...the moment we've ALL been waiting for for 7 years now! And what an absolutely beautiful wedding it was! She was just the most gorgeous bride ever and to see the way Justin looked at her was priceless. LOVED being a part of that awesome day. The Lord has big plans for their lives together!

Karla, Justin, Me and Aaron

Handsome Aaron and Me

Karla and Me

Pictures from Karla's Wedding Showers

Pictures from Visit with Aaron's Grandmother in Kingsport, TN

Luke and Aaron
This picture was actually taken after Aaron and I returned home to GA after our visit with his grandmother. As you can see, Luke is quite taken with Aaron. I love it! :)

Aaron and Myself
We stopped on our drive home from TN to see the beautiful TN mountains. It was such a pretty day.

Ms. Roma (Aaron's Grandmother) and Me
What a sweet, sweet lady! Aaron and I had such a wonderful time visiting with her and the rest of this side of his family. I felt incredibly welcomed by everyone and can't wait to see them again.

A Few Pics from Easter 2009

What a sweet little boy!!

Coloring Easter Eggs!

Aaron and Me at Easter
Aaron met a lot of my family for the first time at Easter this year - they loved him and though I know he was a bit overwhelmed, he did a great job! :)

Life is good. Work is going well - we are still in our busy pollen season, but busy is good these days! I love the people I get to work with each day and truly do love the interaction with our sweet patients. My family is doing well and are all healthy. Aaron and I have been helping Aaron's parents get moved into their brand new home that is about 20 minutes from where they were living in Covington - this has been fun for me as it has allowed me to spend more time getting to know his family. And some GREAT news is that Aaron just got a new job as Graphic/Media Designer at a baptist church in Griffin, GA. Aaron has been praying for a new job for quite some time now and this opportunity couldn't have come at a more perfect time for him. My dear friends Todd and Jennifer also serve at this church in Griffin where Todd is the Student Pastor. Todd called Aaron and I one Friday night not too long ago about this opening and before we knew it, we were moving Aaron into his new apartment in Griffin this past weekend! God is so good! He just completed his first week at the church and I know he is going to do wonderful! Aaron is such a blessing to me and I am so thankful at what the Lord is doing in our lives!

I will say it again how truly blessed I am by an abundance of godly people who make life on this earth such a joy! The Lord is working in such neat ways in my life...answering prayers left and right - reminding me to be diligent in them and trusting His perfect timing. He is faithful and loves us so much more than we could ever imagine!

Have a wonderful week!

Life in pictures!

2009-03-17T16:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures to tell of the happenings over the past few weeks. Sometimes they are WAY more fun than words! Enjoy! :)

HANGIN' WITH THE MISTER!

Love this picture!

He's getting so big.

Mae Mae and Luke...just playing.

Mae Mae "fixes things" while Luke finds things for her to fix! :)

LOVE him!

Nana and Luke...he's so smart!

The cool new Easter stick ups that Nana got Luke for the refrigerator.

GEORGIA BASKETBALL GAME WITH AARON!

One of my Valentine's Day presents for Aaron was tickets for the GA/SC game. GA lost and was really bad, but we had fun anyway!

SISTERHOOD GAME NIGHT W/ THE FELLAS!

Hope everyone has a GREAT week! :)

S.I.M.D.

2009-03-13T17:05:00.000-07:00

Ok, so again, I'm stealing this idea from my friend, Hannah. Sunshine In My Day! It seems lately that most everyone, myself included, has the tendency to see the glass as half empty instead of half full. Maybe we're all just worried about the economy...maybe we're all just tired. Who knows?? But...that is SO not me...so I thought I'd take some time to think on the wonderful, positive things in my life that the Lord has given me or been doing in my life lately. I'd love to hear what He's doing in yours! :)

- Today is FRIDAY!!
- I danced tonight with my iPod in...in front of my mirror...with a fake microphone...to Natalie Grant's "I Will Not Be Moved". I'm an amazing dancer...can't believe I've never shared that talent with all of you before. :) SO FUN...and hey, I didn't go to the gym tonight...needed exercise.
- I have a roof over my head, a satisfied belly, clothes on my body...I'm so blessed and so RICH.
- I've learned so much this week about forgiveness and the kindness of my Savior. May I learn to be more like Him!
- NOTHING is too hard for the Lord.
- I got to spend some quality time with my friend Karla this week. She's gettin' married, ya know!
- I got a cute, new shirt on sale tonight.
- I have an incredibly sweet fella (Aaron) who likes/loves me for exactly who I am.
- Luke came over last night and we had such a fun time playing together.
- I work for 2 incredible doctors who care so much about their patients.
- I have the best friends ever.
- I get to watch LOST tonight...I'm tryin' to catch up. I'm tryin!
- The trees are blooming...so pretty.
- My non-working car radio decided to work for a little while today.
- I'm ALMOST in a new, smaller pant size.
- Today is FRIDAY!!

Life is CRAZY good!

2009-02-22T11:36:00.000-08:00

And by crazy good, I do mean crazy, and crazy good. :) Again...so sorry it's taken me so long to post an update. I'm excited to sit down for a minute and share a little of the past months events with you all. Life certainly has had me on the GO in all aspects, but I love it! Of course, a nap every now and then would be nice, but I haven't had one in so long that I'm starting to forget what they were like. And this is coming from the QUEEN of naps back in the day. Just ask my old roommate, Gina. :) So...other than my little "nap deprivation", my life feels the fullest and best that it's felt in as long as I can remember. The Lord has/is sweetly allowing me to "taste and see that He is good" in so many ways. I truly believe that He always allows us to see that He is good...it's just up to US to choose to make our way around the craziness at times to actually experience that goodness and not dwell on worldly circumstances. I'm ever reminded though that "He came to give us life, and life ABUNDANTLY." I want to choose abundance.

So, a few updates. Work is still going really well! I love my job. I was offered the position as Nursing Supervisor about a month ago and after some thought and prayer, I decided to accept this position. The transition has truly been a smooth one so far and while I still have SO much to learn, I'm enjoying the challenge and thankful to work with a team of people who are so patient and willing to do whatever they can to help. The Lord is blessing our office by keeping us SUPER busy - we will not complain about that! :)

My GFJ (get fit journey) is also still going well! The pounds are still coming off SLOWLY but surely. I hope to be close to my 90 pound mark at my weigh-in this week. I decided to join the new YMCA here in Gainesville at the beginning of the year and I LOVE it! I've done well up until this point with doing my exercises without the help of a gym, but a girl can only do her in-home walking/aerobic video so many times before she just wants to throw it out the stinkin' window! One of my best friends, Courtney, also joined around the same time I did and she has been a HUGE encouragement and accountability...we are great gym buddies! Our friend Karla is getting married in May (yay!!), so Courtney and I are using that as our incentive for the time being. I can also go to my Weight Watchers meetings now at the Y on Tuesday evenings after my workout, so this has really been an answer to prayer. My Saturday morning meetings were great and I sure do miss the people I got to know there, but they just weren't always the most convenient.

As you can see from the picture below, I'm still VERY much in love with the Little Mister. It just gets better the older he gets, even though I still miss him being a baby. (what's the deal? I sound like his Mama!) I love this little boy so much it's crazy. Luke is a talking, dancing machine and is so much fun to play with these days. And SMART...oh my goodness, he's so smart! He's doing such a good job learning his letters already and his vocabulary is pretty impressive...not just from his Aunt's perspective. :) I hope I'm as much fun for him as he is for me! :)

Mae Mae and Luke

And last, but certainly not least, I'll share a little update with you all on my boyfriend. How crazy is it that I have a boyfriend?!? For those of you who've known me for a while, you know how long I've been waiting to say those words. "I...have...a...boyfriend!" And he truly is the best! I have so enjoyed these past couple of months getting to know Aaron and his sweet family and friends. His family has been so welcoming and generous towards me and Aaron always makes me feel nothing less than a queen. Aaron nor I never really dated a whole lot in the past, so much of what we are learning and experiencing is brand new for both of us and that makes it that much more fun...knowing that we are learning together. Something really neat that Aaron and I have been doing together is a devotional specifically for dating couples. This has been one of my most favorite parts of our relationship so far because it has allowed me to see that Aaron truly is genuinely a guy after the heart of God and wants to honor Him in all that he does. He will tell you that he isn't perfect and he's already experienced quite a few times, I'm sure, that I'm not perfect. But knowing that he strives to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord is an incredibly wonderful thing. Waiting on the Lord is 100% the best way to go. Enjoy a couple of pictures of me and my boyfriend! :)

Introducing...

2009-02-02T19:37:00.001-08:00

Mr. Aaron! :) First of all, I am really sorry that I've been so slack in the blogging world lately. That's why I'm introducing you to Aaron...one of the GREAT and WONDERFUL reasons I just haven't had time to blog much here in the past month. Much of my free time has been spent getting to know this super sweet, handsome guy you see here with me in the picture below. :) Some of you have heard about him, some of you have not. Regardless, I can't wait to tell you about him! He's pretty great! :) The Lord is so good and both Aaron and I are excited about learning more each day about each other and are trusting the Lord for His guidance. We are having TONS O FUN and I just can't wait for you all to meet him!

Still Alive...

2009-01-23T20:31:00.000-08:00

Hey Friends! I promise I'm still alive and kickin' and will hopefully post later on this weekend to catch you all up on this crazy life o' mine! Have a great day! :)

FULL Redemption!

2009-01-04T15:36:00.000-08:00

Psalm 130
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;
2 O Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness; therefore you are feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

Full Redemption - by Beth Moore

I often recall something I head from Florence Littauer. "Of all things beyond salvation, people are most desperate for hope." I know from personal experience. After a terrible season of sin, I would've despaired without biblical hope that I had not destroyed my future. My shattered heart told me I was finished, but as I held my Bible to my chest day after day, surviving on its precepts, I finally accepted that the truth of Scripture trumps every human emotion. In doing so, I put my hope in His Word. A season of sin is not the only thing that can make us feel hopeless. (Name a few other things that lead to hopelessness.)

Loss can make us feel hopeless. So can a betrayal or a health diagnosis. Jeremiah 29:11 has been a steam in the desert for God's people for centuries. Relish the words in the Holman version: " 'For I know the plans I have for you' - this is the Lord's declaration - 'plans for your welfare, not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.' " Satan, the great counterfeiter, also knows the plans he has for you. Figuring out what they are is not difficult because they are the polar opposite of God's.

Let's try sometime to make a point. As if from the pen of Satan himself, write the absolute reverse of Jeremiah 29:11: (meredith's answer) "I have plans to destroy you, to take every good thing away from you. Plans to make you live in darkness, depression and self-defeat."

No matter what has happened, you are not hopeless. Satan's native language is deception. Christ Jesus defied the laws of nature to become the very embodiment of your hope and your future. As we soak both feet in the hope of Psalm 130 today, we will concentrate on verses 5-8.

How would you describe the theme of the second half of Psalm 130?

The psalmist pictured a watchman as a comparison for a person waiting on the Lord. Perched on a city wall, the ancient watchmen served the original nightshift. He watched for nothing more closely than morning itself. The fate of the entire village rested on his shoulders. If he dozed or became distracted, enemy forces could overtake him. His eyes constantly searched the horizon for hints of anything unusual.

In some ways the watchmen's ears were even more important to his task, enabling him to hear what he could not see. No more beautiful sight existed for the watchmen than the sun raising its fiery head on the eastern horizon. The watchman could gather up his robes, store his weapons, kiss his wife good morning, and fall in the bed with the relief of a job accomplished. Some called him brave. After he'd spent the black of night scared of his own shadow and jumping at the sound of a breaking twig, he knew when morning came safely that he wasn't brave. He was blessed.

The psalmist described his posture as exceeding the one practiced by the city watchman. "I wait for the Lord MORE than watchmen for the morning - MORE than watchmen for the morning." (vs.6)

The psalmist wasn't watching for morning. He was watching for the one who owned the morning. His eyes were fastened to the horizon for a glimpse of God's presence. The Hebew words translated "wait" (qawah) and "hope" (yahal) in Psalm 130 both include the indivisible element of expectation. Likewise, the Green term translated "hope" (elpis) loses all meaning without anxious expectation.

Nothing is more critical than expectation to understand biblical hope and this psalm. Though the psalmist was convinced that his own poor decision had aggravated his plight, he placed his hope in what God's Word said about confession and forgiveness, he sought his God, and then he fully expected God to show up in his circumstances.

The psalmist petitioned God from up on his tiptoes in a posture ready to receive. Does that sound like how you usually approach God?

By all means, if it does, say yes! But if you're more like me, when you feel like your own mistakes added insult to injury in your circumstances, you're more prone to hang your head in prayer than to lift it in full expectation of God's forgiveness and full redemption.

I'm about to get personal with you, but the vulnerability is worth it if it invites you to relate or helps make a point. Keith and I had a difficult marriage and desperately needed a miracle from God to make it. I had almost no confidence in my petitions before God's throne because I knew our hardships were direct results of a sinful relationship we'd shared before we were married. In fact, we were still so emotionally unhealthy that we had a long way to go toward sanctifying our sexuality. Satan, the accuser of all God's children, tried to convince me that Keith and I could expect little from God because we'd done so much wrong. "We should never have gotten married," I reasoned. Therefore, there was only so much that could be done.

Can anybody relate? Sexual sin is not the only place guilt can eclipse our expecations for God to act. Parents can feel like they blew it so badly with a child that his future - or their future relationship with him - is, at best, limited.

What is another example of how guilt can eclipse expectation?

We are often convinced that the more we can be blamed for our plight, the less God can do about it. What muddies the waters is that we're often right in the solely natural realm. Where do you think the adage "You made your bed, now sleep in it" comes from? A lawyer explains to his client that the plea bargain of 25 years in prison is the best they can do because of what he or she has done. What the prisoner may not factor in is God's ability to come within the confines of those very bars and set his captive soul freer than he has ever been.

When we cry out to God from the depths, taking full responsibility for our sins, our Champion will show up. If we put our hope in what His Word says is true, we can pray with absolute - if tearful - expectation that our God is coming. He will do more than save the day. He will save His child. We need not shrink back from God to soften His hard blows. God never comes to a truly repentant child with anger. He comes with unbridled affection. You see, we may have failed God but He will not fail us, "for with the Lord is unfailing love" (Ps. 130:7). Psalm 130:7 has become part of my life message and I'll likely share what it has come to mean to me as long as I live.

Glance back at verse 7. What else is with the Lord besides unfailing love? (Full Redemption)

To redeem something is to ransom it or buy it back if it originally belonged to you. The Hebrew padhah is certainly not limited to matters involving sin. What you need redeemed most may have resulted from someone else's sin.

Psalm 130 tells us that our covenant God not only redeems but also He redeems in full. What does that mean to you today?

Keith's parents did not sign up for what they got in a daughter-in-law. They knew nothing about religious backgrounds like mine or vocations like mine. They'd never known a woman Bible teacher, and they certainly didn't expect to see their daughter-in-law on TV talking about things that their generation feels are better kept private. I've nearly scared them to death, but they have been patient, loving, and gradually accepting through the years.

I had the sweetest conversation with them a few days ago. The first copy of my book Get Out of That Pit had just rolled off the press and into my hands. I sat on the ottoman in their den and asked them if I could read the foreword their son had written for it. I knew it would sting because it made reference to the tragic and painful death of their firstborn. But the foreword was beautiful and I wanted them to see what God had done in the life of their secondborn.

I explained, "I don't know if you realize what God did when He brough Keith and me and the pain of our pasts together; but I believe with all my heart that, if you did, you would be so glad. Just think: Keith has a background of terrible loss through the death of a brother and later a sister. I have a background of child abuse. People out there can't think of anything worse than the death of a child and the abuse of a child. Yet together your son and I are proof that God can heal the worst of hurts and also use them to help other people." They both nodded lovingly and called us the next day to say they loved the foreword...and loved me.

Full redemption is what I decscribed to my beloved in-laws who have loved me so lavishly without fully understanding me. Full redemption happens when God buys up or back everything that has happened to us and every sin we've committed.

Remember Jeremiah 29:11? Read it again; then consider the three verses that follow it carefully:

" 'You will call to Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. I will be found by you' - the Lord's declaration - 'and I will restore your fortunes and gather you from all the nations and places where I banished you' - the Lord's declaration. 'I will restore you to the place I deported you from. ' "

What does the Lord declare He will restore, and how might the concept related to you in spiritual terms?

Allowed to do so through our confession, invitation, and cooperation, God can restore our identity, our purity, our ability, and our sanity! He not only diffuses our past of all power to harm and haunt us but He infuses it with power to help others. Redemption is incomplete if our negative past is only diffused. Satan won't be completely sorry and God won't get all the glory until the bad is used for good.

Did you stop too soon in the process, Beloved? Did you think God only wanted to diffuse your past? You may have stumbled onto the reason why you feel you can't get over it. The surrendered ground is not yet under your feet. Don't think you have to tell every detail of your personal past for God to use it. Your absolute authenticity and humility in ministry is often enough to turn the agony into glory.

As you conclude, put your own name in the blank and hear the voice of the Lord:

"O ______________, put your hope in Me, the Lord, for with Me is unfailing love and with Me is full redemption."

My Holiday Heroes Are...

2008-12-08T19:39:00.000-08:00

Those who work in retail customer service...Lord bless them!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everybody!

2008-11-27T06:58:00.000-08:00

I know I have so incredibly much to be thankful for...not only on Thanksgiving, but every single day of my life. God has truly poured His favor out in my life and in my family's life - we are so blessed. Enjoy a few pictures of my time with Little Man last night. Nana made him this super cool indian outfit for Thanksgiving. She's so talented. :) He LOVED it. Well, maybe I shouldn't say "love"..but he did think he was the chief with it on. No pun intended. Do you not just want to squeeze him?!?
I love his expression - "man...I'm the bomb". That's what he's thinking right there.

"How!"

What are you people doing to me?!

This is what happens when Mae Mae gets to give the Mister a bath.

He wants to be a rockstar when he grows up...he told me so.

Before bath time. Gross.

Hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving day!

"From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another!" John 1:16

Meredith's Get Fit Journey - Take 8..."I get knocked down...

2008-11-25T17:57:00.000-08:00

...but I get up again!!" Ok, I know I've whined before about having some tough weeks here and there in the weight loss world, but this past week...actually the past 2 weeks, top them all! Holy cow...have things been hard! I've not been focused at all on careful eating and almost completely avoided exercise for at least a good week. I think the important thing is that I understand the "whys" behind what caused this set back - but still, my excuses are not sufficient enough for my lack of discipline. I know that set backs are absolutely going to happen and that I'll occasionally be sidetracked from time to time. But I'm ready to face it head on, put the past 2 weeks behind me and get at it full force once again. My last weigh-in was 2 weeks ago and I was down 2 more pounds, bringing my total to 82.4 pounds. My next goal is 85 pounds, which hopefully I will reach on Saturday at weigh-in. I really wanted to reach my 100 pound goal by January 3rd, which will mark my 2 years since starting weight watchers. I realize that's a lot to lose in a month so I'm not going to be down on myself if it doesn't happen...I'm not in a race here! :)

My advice for this GFJ...don't beat yourself up when you have a set back. But be disciplined enough to get yourself back on track, knowing that you've come to far to turn back! Hang in there! :)

Oh my...

2008-11-24T17:07:00.001-08:00

Hey my friends! I promise I haven't left you forever. Sorry I've been a little slack in keeping you all up to date on my business. Life has been nothing short of CRAZY the past few weeks and I promise to take some time later on this week to actually blog. I just had to get on here for a second though to tell you 2 funny stories from the day.

Poop on the Hand - Story #1
So...I'm skin testing a precious little 3 year old girl today. She was a trooper as I applied the skin test to her back and while she was waiting her 15 minutes before I could read her test, she sat in the patient room floor with her mom and colored. SO good...for a 3 year old. Well, when I go back in the room to read her test, I just get in the floor with her and let her continue on with whatever she's doing to occupy herself...a.k.a...coloring a pretty princess picture. So I'm down in the floor doing what I do and all of a sudden I feel something really weird on my hand. Oh yes, this child had POOPY coming up her back...and my hand totally got in it. I didn't freak out or gag...I just politely told Mom that she might need to change her pull-up and her pants. I thought poor Mom was going to just DIE b/c I had gotten poop on my hand. I was talking with a friend tonight who had a "poopy on the hand" kind of day too. Glad I wasn't the only one! :)

Pregnancy and Men - Story #2
My sweet, dear friend Emma is very pregnant. Today is actually her due date, but unfortnately, still no baby boy. She's waiting patiently...as are the rest of us! Anyway, I sent her a text this morning asking how she was doing and if she was feeling alright. She sends me a text back stating that she had just left the doctor and she's at 4 cm and is 100% effaced. Guys, sorry. You probably don't really get that unless you're married and your wife has been through labor. Anyway, here's a conversation I was having w/ my parents tonight at dinner. (keep in mind that my dad doesn't hear very well)

Me talking to my Mom: I heard from Emma today and she's at 4 cm and 100% effaced.

My Dad: She's 4 cm and 100% afraid??

Made for a GREAT laugh after my "poopy on the hand" kind of day! :)

Hope you all have a GREAT week - I know I've got LOTS to be thankful for and I'm sure you do too!

GREAT Weekend!

2008-11-09T12:50:00.000-08:00

We had an awesome Disciple Now weekend! Thanks to those of you who prayed and thought of us. This is the first youth retreat I've gotten to participate in since being out of fulltime student ministry. I was reminded in so many ways this weekend why I LOVE working with students. God definitely showed up and taught us some very important, hardcore truths about our life in Him this weekend. I know my heart was refreshed by the things I learned and by the time I got to spend with some amazing young ladies this weekend. And to think that they actually SLEPT this weekend. God is good in SO many ways! :) I loved my weekend and can't wait to see how we all begin to apply and live out what we learned. Enjoy a few pictures from our time together.

Brandt - our fearless Student Ministry Intern

My Girls! Tori, Amy, Marissa, Emily, and Me :) Our last moments together before our fun weekend came to an end.

Emily, Brandt and Marissa

Josh - one of our super cool Senior guys.

Monique and Meredith - Fun times!

Victor and Monique - attempting to recreat a special wedding moment. (see the picture on the mantle.) They're so cheesy.

I have no idea.

Emily, Marrisa, Meredith, Tori and Amy

Monique, Emily, Marrisa, Meredith, Tori and Amy

Our super hosts for the weekend - Victor and Monique. You guys are GREAT!

Monique likes Starbursts.

Amy and Emily

Nothin' wrong with a little Ultimate Frisbee during freetime!

Our girls at breakfast on Saturday morning.

What a super fun weekend! I'm so blessed to get to be a part of these girls lives!

Disciple Now Weekend!

2008-11-07T12:36:00.000-08:00

Today begins our DNow Weekend with our students at Grace! Please pray for our students this weekend as they take time out of their busy schedules for some intense discipleship and fellowship with others. It's sure to be a great weekend! I'll be leading the girls this weekend - pray that they choose to SLEEP some this weekend! :) I'm gettin' old. God's got a big weekend in store for us...I'm lookin' forward to it!

My Hope

2008-11-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

"My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteouness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus' name.

On Christ the Solid Rock I stand!

All other ground is sinking sand.

All other ground is sinking sand."

Jesus is to be my ONLY Hope...I've been reminded of that truth today. I am to put my hope in no man, no matter how powerful he may or may not be. And I'm not just talking about the President here. We put so much emphasis on humans sometimes in general. How often do I turn to another person instead of my Heavenly Father to seek out advice or comfort or approval? Way too often. People are important, and leaders are important. But Jesus is the ONLY one that offers me a living hope!

Tuesday's Vote

2008-11-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

My friend Todd sent out an email today and I thought it was appropriate to share on my blog. God is Sovereign and completely in control. May we remember that always!

I usually don’t write these types of emails, but yesterday I got REALLY convicted about Tuesday’s Presidential election. We (like many of the churches around the country I am sure) had a message yesterday on politics. However, this sermon was not the typical sermon that you hear. Our pastor, David Hill, got up in the pulpit and with one swift kick to my teeth, made me really ponder if I had made the right decision when I voted several weeks ago during our early voting time. However, that part of his sermon is not what I am writing to you about today. What I want to write to you about today comes straight from the text that my pastor used for his sermon yesterday. Romans 13:1-7. In this particular passage, Paul is writing to the church and telling them what their role or responsibility is concerning politics. Well since the Bible is timeless, perfect, sovereign, and very much still alive and well today, Paul’s message still rings VERY true for the church today.

So what is our role in politics? Well go ready Romans 13:1-7 and you will see. It will not tell you who to vote for, but it sure will tell you whoever wins was chosen by God and appointed by the sovereign ruler of this world way back in eternity past. Verse 1, “those which exist are established by GOD!!” In other words, if Barrack Obama wins this election, guess what, GOD CHOSE HIM!!! How about that for a dirty taste in your mouth? Can you believe that a Bible believing, inerrancy believing, sovereignty of God preaching pastor, and strong supporter of the pro-life agenda would say that? Here we have a man who has staunchly opposed and continues to oppose ALL my views and I am telling you that if he is elected that GOD chose him. What is up with that? READ ROMANS 13! Then look back all throughout the old testament and see where God used many evil Kings to bring about his divine purpose and plan. And that was just the start of his sermon. He made another point in his message that cut me to the core. If the man who wins this election is not the one that I voted for, I am commanded time and time again throughout the Bible by God that I am to pray for him. This left a really bad taste in my mouth. I don’t like the other guy. But I am still commanded to pray for him. Then our pastor asked this question, “When Bill Clinton was in office, how many times did you pray for him?” WOW!! As much as I disliked that man, God chose him to be in power and by my not praying for him, I have disobeyed God.

I guess that is enough for now. I just wanted to share my heart with all of you on this FINE Monday morning. If you have not, I challenge you to read Romans 13. Let God challenge you like he has challenged me. I will say that this election has been on my mind for some time now. I can’t listen to talk radio, watch Fox News, or anything of that sort without getting fighting mad. But then God takes me to a passage like Romans 13 and he kicks me right in the teeth. God has chosen our leader already. We must be faithful to do what he has called us to do. Trust his hand of ordination and orchestration, and pray for whomever he lets be the next president of this great nation.There are so many more things that I could say regarding this topic of our role in politics, but I will leave those for another time. My fingers are tired. I will say this as I finish. Just because God has already set forth who the next President of the USA will be, that does not mean that we still don’t have to vote. It is much like evangelism. I believe God and only God calls people unto Him and he elects them into his family. However, we are still his mouthpiece. Either you can obey God and do what he has commanded you to do, or you can disobey his command and reap his punishment. Just pray long and hard for God to show you who he wants you to vote for!

The turkey becomes a turkey!

2008-10-31T18:10:00.000-07:00

His goodness...

2008-10-29T19:32:00.000-07:00

God is so good to me. I wanted to share with you something that just touches my heart about the way He cares for His children and provides for us. Many of you know that exhortation, or encouragement, is my main spiritual gift. I love to encourage other people...making them feel good about themselves and that there's no task that's too great with the Lord on their side. When I was younger, one of the ways that I most enjoyed "using" this gift, was to write cards to people or letters of encouragement. I LOVED doing that. And somehow, over the past couple years, I really started to slack off in that area and really started to feel convicted about it. I began missing that. A few months ago, my office manager approached me and asked if I would be interested in taking on a task of writing cards to our patients in need. Um...YES!...was my reply. God knew my heart and He new I wasn't using this gift to it's full potential. First of all, how cool is that I get to take time each week at my JOB to find a quiet place and sit and write words of encouragement to our patients that need that "extra love"....and what an incredible reminder that God truly has "prepared good works in advance" for us to do. If you're not using the gifts and the talents He's so graciously given you, ask Him to provide ways to make that happen! They can come in the most unexpected ways!

WW Update!

2008-10-25T09:16:00.000-07:00

It was a good day in the weight loss world! I was down 2.4 pounds at weigh-in today, bringing my total to 80.6 pounds. I was so excited to reach that 80 pound mark! A little over four more pounds to go to reach my next goal of 85. Whoohoo.

Happy Fall, Y'all!

2008-10-25T09:00:00.000-07:00

My sister and brother-in-law took Luke to the pumpkin farm one day this week - I think he LOVED it! Just wanted to share a few pictures of the sweetest little boy in the world. I just can't get enough of him!

Happy Fall! :)

2nd Annual Sisterhood Weekend Getaway!

2008-10-19T16:43:00.001-07:00

What a WONDERFUL weekend we had! Have I told you before that I have the BEST friends in the world? Well, just incase you missed it, I have the BEST friends in the world. There truly isn't a ton to blog about our weekend, simply because we stayed inside the ENTIRE time with the exception of about 4 hours when we drove to Helen, walked in a few shops, had dinner, then headed back to Courtney's house only to jump right back into our p.j.'s and find our respective spots on the sofa so we could start talkin' once again. I know for some of you it just blows your mind how 5 girls can have so much to talk about...but truly, we only stopped long enough to sleep. There is so much love in my heart for the girls that you see below. We are so blessed to have each other. You know it's been a good weekend when nobody wants it to be over. And incase you want to know where we "resided" this weekend, Courtney and her husband Nick so sweetly opened their home to us. Nick made himself scarce the entire weekend - he's a big hunter so, thankfully, it was no skin off his back and worked out perfectly. And he even gave Courtney some good pointers as to which mattresses to move first, should we feel the need to all sleep in the same bedroom like we did last year. THANK YOU Courtney, for the being the "hostess with the mostess!" I know we're all already looking forward to next year! Enjoy the few pictures that we got where we were actually "presentable" and not in our p.j.'s! Kimi, Courtney, and Karla
Just shopping...
Helen, GA
Courtney did an awesome job decorating for fall!
Kacee, Courtney, Kimi, and Karla

Kacee, Karla, and Courtney
Kacee (getting ready to pray, apparently) Kimi, Meredith, and Courtney
Kimi, Meredith, Karla, Courtney, and Kacee
Karla and Kacee

2nd Annual Sisterhood Weekend Trip begins...TODAY!!

2008-10-17T11:10:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to this weekend since this time last year when we had our 1st Sisterhood weekend getaway. We planned it for the exact same weekend this year and I think it's pretty safe to say we have all been highly anticipating it! Here are some pictures from our trip last year to Pigeon Forge. We're excited that Kacee will be going w/ us this year, and sad that Aly isn't going to be able to join us. I'm sure I'll have lots of fun pictures and crazy stories to blog about when the weekend is over. For now though...let the fun begin!!! Courtney, Kimi, Karla, Meredith
Kimi, Courtney, Karla
Kimi, Karla, Meredith
Kimi, Karla, Courtney, Meredith
"Mountain Majesty"...our cabin last year in Pigeon Forge

A Good Day...

2008-10-16T18:56:00.000-07:00

You know you're having a good day when you're walking out the door from work into the beautiful fall weather, attempting to put a chocolate Hersey's kiss in your mouth, having that sweet kiss miss your mouth just knowing it has fallen to the nasty ground, only to find out it has landed safely in your scrub top pocket. What a great day.

God is BIG!

2008-10-12T15:47:00.000-07:00

I serve a God that is HUGE - so huge that my mind would absolutely NEVER be able to fully grasp His greatness. I know, without any doubt, that He is always huge, always powerful, and always at work in my life...no matter how I feel. But sometimes, I do feel and sense His greatness in my life, and this just happens to be one of those seasons for me. I'm in one of those times where really GREAT things are taking place and really SAD things are going on around me. But no matter the situation, the Lord has allowed me to feel and be reminded of His Sovereignty and goodness over me. I'm praying through a lot right now personally and also praying through a lot with friends and family. A lot of waiting is taking place and we all know what an incredibly hard place this can be at times. My heart was ministered to last night as I heard this song for the first time...check out these words.

I'm waiting I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait
I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting I will serve You
While I'm waiting I will worship
While I'm waiting I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait
I'm waiting I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while
I'm waiting on You, Lord

("While I'm Waiting" by John Waller)

Picture Tag

2008-10-11T20:10:00.000-07:00

I was tagged by my friend Kimi to post the 6th picture in the 6th folder of "My Pictures". So, here it is. This was taken in July of 2007 when the Little Mister...AKA...Luke...AKA....my nephew was about a month old. We've both changed since then...he's much bigger now and thankfully, I'm a little smaller and, of course, the hair is a little different...on both of us! :)

The next step in the Picture tag is for me to tag 6 people to also post their 6th picture in their 6th folder in their "My Documents." I tag Kacee C., Amy S., Christy C., Abby F., Gina S., and Hannah R. Have fun!! :)

WW Update!

2008-10-11T09:52:00.001-07:00

Just giving a little Weight Watchers update. I haven't had a chance to go to a weigh-in in a few weeks due to my Saturday's being so crazy, but I was able to go today and am pumped to say that I'm down 3.4 more pounds, bringing my current total to 78.2 lbs. Yay! :)

Strong to the finish...

2008-10-08T18:24:00.000-07:00

So, tonight we had "Superheroes/Villians" night with our student ministry at church. My choice of Superhero...none other than POPEYE...the Sailor Man...(toot! toot!). Come on, you know you would've added the toot! toot! if I hadn't of! Why did I choose Popeye? Because he was strong to the finish. Maybe because he ate his spinach...but nonetheless, he did what he had to do to finish strong. I want to be able to say I did whatever I had to do to finish strong. Do you? "However, I consider my life worth nothing to me if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has called me to; the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace."

Acts 20:24
What a fun night! And what an incredible reminder.

So thankful THAT is over!

2008-10-05T08:52:00.000-07:00

Hey people! Sorry I've been "out of commission" the past few days. This is due to a couple of things...one being that my internet has been a little out of whack but is now back on track. (I should've been a rapper.) The second reason being that I was plagued this weekend with the all nasty stomach virus - I'll spare you the details, but it was not pretty folks. And to be so sick on such an incredibly beautiful weekend - I am NOT a fan of that at all! I'm glad to say I'm on the up and up again though and am going to live. I have things to catch you all up on so look for those posts maybe later on today...I'm sure you have nothing better to do. :) Have a happy Sunday!

Happy Birthday...to ME! :)

2008-09-30T19:37:00.000-07:00

Birthday post to follow tomorrow...hopefully! :) I've had an excellent "28th" birthday today. Thanks to everyone for all your sweet voicemail and text messages, my fun facebook messages, emails, cards in the mail, and all your thoughts today! I'm richly blessed with abundance of incredible people in my life! What a fun day! :)
The Mister with his Aunt Mae Mae on her special day!

"Nisi Dominus Frustra" AKA "Without the Lord, Frustration!"

2008-09-28T15:49:00.000-07:00

I learned this new "phrase" from my quiet time today and I gotta tell you, this totally hit home and pierced my heart today exactly where I needed it to. The majority of scripture that was used in my study today was Psalm 127: 1& 2 "If the Lord doesn't build the house, the builders are working for nothing. If the Lord doesn't guard the city, the guards are watching for nothing. It is no use for you to get up early and stay up late, working for a living. The Lord gives sleep to those he loves." We can bascially summarize these passages by simply saying that if God's not in the work or effort - whatever the work or efforts may be - the labor is in vain and is useless and meaningless. I started thinking through some of the things in my life, both past and present, that I have worked so hard at accomplishing or bringing in to fruition in my own strength, without Him. It's not a good feeling at all to think that this work has been for nothing. What in the world made/makes me think that I don't need Him? This excerpt was also included in my study today from Benjamin Franklin's "Speech to the Convention for Forming a Constitution for the Unitied States":

"In the beginning of the contest with Britain when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the Divine protection. Our prayers, Sir, were heard, and they were graciously answered....And have we now forgotten this powerful Friend? Or do we imagine that we no longer need His assistance? I have lived for a long time (81 years), and the longer I live the more convincing proof I see of this truth, that God governs the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it possible that an empire can rise without His aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the sacred writings, that "Except the Lord builds the house, they labour in vain that build it." I firmly believe this, and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall proceed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel."

I was asked in my study about when the last time was that I realized I was wasting my energies, the last time I experienced "Nisi Dominus Frustra"? I won't go into my personal answers, but I will say that looking more closely at these situations, I have most certainly experienced frustration, and today He has brought to light the root of those frustrations...because I've tried to build so many things without Him, without His guidance and strength, without His blessing. What areas in your life are you working in vain? Maybe it is your workplace, maybe it's within your home, in your relationships or lack thereof.

I think that God is also telling us from verse 2 that we need rest! Work done while we should be resting is work done and energy burned in vain. God knows that our bodies need sleep and when we deprive ourselves of that rest, it can be dangerous: physically, emotionally and spiritually. So, like I read today, "work where God words; then rest."

I love that God wants to build an amazing life for me. I love that His blueprint is so much higher and grander than my own. My prayer is that I would follow His work in my life and be thankful that He allows me to help Him build but that He doesn't need me to be the master carpenter.

Thank you, Jesus, for frustrating the works in my life that I try doing without You, so that I may be drawn to You.

Ok, so maybe it IS a big deal!

2008-09-26T12:55:00.000-07:00

Today has been a catch up day for me. I had the day off from work because I have to attend a mandatory workshop tomorrow for work, so today was my day to get everything done that I would have done tomorrow. One of the things on my list was to go get my liscense renewed. I didn't have to actually go to the DMV to get it renewed, I could've just sent all my info in through the mail and gotten it renewed that way. However, this chic wanted a new picture and I wanted my weight changed. Hello! I've lost over 75 pounds. Of course I want an updated picture and my weight changed! Who in their right mind wouldn't want that?! So, I get there this morning lookin' all cute and the line wasn't even long. GREAT...things are totally in my favor! I go and fill out the little piece of paper stating that my address has not changed, my eye color has not changed, I still want to be an organ donor and no, my liscense is not being held because of any crimes I've committed. You better believe I paid careful attention to the "weight" box though and I proudly wrote in a new, lower number from the one that was on my previous liscense. This made my day. So, I waited a minute, got my new picture made (which turned out great, I must say), received my new liscense and head out the door. As I headed down the road to meet my friend Emma for coffee, I pulled out my wallet to admire the new, improved piece of plastic and glanced at the weight. Oh yeah, you guessed it. It didn't get updated. SAD DAY! My first thought was, "what the world?". I'm sure I frowned a minute, but it didn't take me too long to get over it. I mean, really...does it matter all that much?

So, I had a wonderful coffee date with my sweet friend Emma and after that I headed to my sister's to play with the little mister before his nap time. I took my workout clothes so that I could just change at my sister's and head out to the college after leaving there for a good walk. I ended up just staying at my sister's and waloging (walking/jogging) on her treadmill. I think I walogged the hardest today that I have in a long time. Into my second mile, my muscles started to really burn...almost to the point of me wanting to give up, or throw up one. (thankfully neither of those two happened!) It was in that moment of pain though that I realized and said to myself, "Self, maybe it really IS a big deal that they didn't change that number on that piece of plastic today! This is dang hard work!" I'm sure I could've gone back to the DMV with my sweaty, smelly self, explaining the situation, pointing out their mistake and demanding a new liscence be made for me. But after all, it is just a piece of plastic...and my picture wouldn't have been nearly as cute. Such is life!

Tofutti Cuties!

2008-09-21T19:36:00.001-07:00

Oh my! I am so thankful that I got to spend a day this weekend hanging out w/ my old roommate, Gina! We don't get to see each other very often so I absolutely love the times I do have with her. We took a little trip to Harry's Farmer's Market to see what fun things we could find there. If nothing else, getting a picture with the "Tofutti Cuties" was totally worth it. We then went and had a fabulous lunch at Don Pablos, followed by a funny trip to Barnes & Noble (see picture below in the last post) and then we headed to the Cumberland Mall and did a little shopping. Thanks for such a fun day, G! I'm thankful for you - and remember...if it ain't fixed, don't broke it! Such wisdom from Gina herself. She is the smartest girl I know. More pics to come from our fun day together...

This makes me happy.

2008-09-19T21:02:00.000-07:00

Mind Dump! - stolen from my friend Hannah

2008-09-16T17:01:00.001-07:00

Sorry it's been a few days since I've written. It's been wacky around here! My mind is way too full from all the craziness and before I can even sort through my thoughts so that I can post a decent blog, I think I need to dump them all first. They aren't necessarily bad thoughts (ok , some of them maybe are), but nonetheless, they need to come out! Maybe this will help "unjumble" some things. :) Thoughts that I'm dumping/unloading for the time being...

-Do I have enough money to make that happen?
-The Lord knows exactly what I need and how much money I need. If He tells me to do something, He also prepares the way to make it happen.
-I LOVE it when my sister calls me at work to tell me that my sweet nephew just ran to the front door yelling, "Mae Mae, Car! Mae Mae, Car!", because he wants to see me.
-I'm sad that my friend Emily didn't get to go walk with me tonight, but thankful that my Mom did.
-What are all those people thinking that are suffering the effects of the hurricane? Sad!
-I have NOT been drinking enough water this week.
-I'm going to be 28 very soon and I don't know what to think about that.
-I'm so glad that I get to see lots of cool people (i.e. my patients) at work everyday.
-I'm a really nice person, but if I don't have love, it doesn't mean anything.
-A good friend is waiting to hear back from a super important exam he took - I hope he gets the result he's looking for because he worked really hard for it.
-My car's oil change is overdue. So is my car's bath...inside and out.
-I am SO excited that I get to see my friend Gina on Friday. I love her.
-It's been a week since I got my hair cut and it's finally starting to cooperate.
-I have lots of friends having babies REALLY soon. I love it when they give me what I ask for! :)
-I don't deserve the incredible friends that I have but am so thankful for them!
-I really need to get back on track with my eating this week - Weight Watchers has certainly looked down upon me over the past few days.
-I don't like the new facebook layout.
-I wish I wouldn't filter everything I'm going to say to the max before I say it. Sometimes it just needs to be SAID.
-The "Biggest Loser" starts back tonight!
-I'm a big loser and proud of it - too bad I'm not in the race for a million bucks! :)
-I can't wait for our girl's weekend in October!
-I need to spend some really good time in the Word before the day is done.
-Maybe I should be doing that now.
-I think that just ended my mind dump! :)

She said......YES!!

2008-09-06T13:42:00.001-07:00

In the picture above, you see my friends Justin and Karla. Justin and Karla's story began a LONG time ago...perhaps even when we were 12 or 13 years old, all knee high to a grasshopper. They just didn't know THEN that their paths would lead them to where they are NOW. Karla and Justin began dating after we all graduated from high school...they've been "together" going on 7 years now. We really are pretty lucky that Justin has stuck around as long as he has...us "sisters" have drilled the mess out of him for years now as to if he was EVER going to ask Karla to be his bride. Poor thing. (We only did it because we love him SO much!) So, thanks Justin, for putting up with us sassy girls who love Karla more than anything. You're stuck with us now...like it or not. :-) Karla and Justin went on a trip last week and on Monday morning I get a call from Karla. I really kind of knew why she was calling, but I still had to ask, "Whatcha doing?" Her reply..."Oh, not much...just sittin' here ENGAGED!" It amazes me that no matter how much we know something is going to happen and have anticipated the moment for literally years, we still scream like little school girls! I am still giddy at this news and LOVE that these two are going to spend the rest of their lives loving each other. You are both absolutely precious to me and I'm thankful that I get to be a part of this season in your lives. Know that you are loved, know that God made you especially for each other, and know that He has an amazing road ahead for the two of you together! Justin, we are so glad that you asked. And Karla, we are so glad that you said YES! We all say....YES!!! :)

Of course us "sisterhood" girls had to see Karla (and her incredibly GORGEOUS ring!) the very next day that she and Justin returned home from their trip. Enjoy these pictures from our celebration dinner with Karla the other night! We love you, Karla, and can't wait to help you plan for your big day!
Karla and Kacee
Karla, Kimi and soon to be Baby EJ!
Look at that rock! (and the fun magazines!)
I love this picture!

Meredith and Karla
Karla and Courtney
Karla and Alyson

We are ALL about sharing some cake...no shame!
Courtney and Meredith

Kacee, Karla, and Kimi
No comment on the cake...but CONGRATS!! :)
Meredith and Aly

Alyson, Meredith, Kacee, Courtney, Karla and Kimi...we are pretty girls...don't you think?

This is one of my most FAVORITE pictures ever...such a glowing bride to be! :)

Alright fellas, this only leaves one of us girls left. Get on it!

We love you, Karla and Justin!!

A Love that Surrounds

2008-09-01T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hey my sweet friends!

Hope you've all had a great Labor Day weekend. Mine was great...I was able to spend some good time with good friends and family and am a little sad that it's back to work tomorrow! :) I realize that I just sent out an update email a few days ago, but I needed to share again today. You know me...I'm all about sharing. :)

Today was a day that I just really needed to feel loved and that I'm thought of. I know that sounds crazy because I truly do have an excellent life and KNOW that I'm loved by so many people...but it's just how I felt today. Not because anything in my life is wrong or that I'm upset about anything, I just needed reassurance that I'm valuable. Come on...we all have those days!

My Mom and I were keeping my nephew Luke for most of day today and if anybody makes me feel like I'm loved, it's him. It didn't matter how many hugs or kisses he gave me today though, I still needed something more to make my heart less heavy. Around 4:30 this afternoon, Luke still had not taken a nap and was very tired...and I was tired of him being tired! :) I decided that I'd put him in his stroller and that we'd go for a walk around the block, in hopes that he would fall asleep. About 10 minutes into our walk, I started singing "Jesus Loves Me" to him. I don't know how many of you know this about me but a while back I decided that anytime I saw a red bird, that I would choose to take that as a reminder of God's unfailing love for me. A little cheesy, I know. But don't forget who's talkin' here! Anyway, as I got to the part of "Jesus Loves Me" that says, "Yes! Jesus loves me. Yes! Jesus loves me. Yes! Jesus loves me. The Bible tells me so.", I saw a little red bird perched up in a tree. I'm sure when I saw the bird that my voice probably kept getting louder and louder as I was singing "YES!! Jesus loves me!" I didn't care. I serve a big God and I knew that this was Him saying to me today, "Yes! I love you with an everlasting love and you ARE valuable to me!" But as great as that is, it doesn't end there.

Luke was a champ and fell asleep on our walk despite my loud singing. I brought him in from our walk and layed him on a pallet that I'd fixed up for him in our spare bedroom. I sat in my favorite chair and just watched him sleep for a few minutes. I cried as I watched him sleep - just thinking of how blessed I am and how the Lord's favor in my life has been so sweet. (Can you imagine what I'll be like with my own child? Scary!)

I picked up my Bible study book and began to have my quiet time for the day and the title of my lesson today was "A Love that Surrounds". Couldn't be more fitting, huh? I thought so too. The main passage of scripture was Psalm 125:2, "As the mountains surround Jerusalem, the Lord surrounds His people now and forever." I love the picture that this painted for me today. Just like the mountains surrounded and protected Jerusalem, God's presence surrounds me from every direction! As I read today, "nothing can close in on me without closing in on Him first. He alone can be both the watchman and the wall." God knows that even though He's always with me and always surrounding me, that I'm still going to have moments like I had today - a heavy heart. The fact that His Word tells me that He is "near to the broken hearted and binds up their wounds" shows me that there will be situations in life that will be crushing. Passages that speak of His great deliverance prove that there will be things to be delivered from. I realize that sometimes it's necessary to go through some tough days to continue developing my relationship with Him, allowing Him to prove Himself faithful to me through the process. I'm learning that it's ultimately a matter of trusting Him to be Who He says He is. My trust in Him was magnified today. Thank you, Jesus, for loving us like you do and for surrounding us with Your great love.

Love y'all!
Meredith

Celebrating 75!!

2008-08-28T18:16:00.001-07:00

I ABSOLUTELY have the best friends in the entire world. Really. My sweet sisterhood girls celebrated with me tonight in reaching my 3rd weight loss goal of 75 pounds down. How cool are they?! We had originally planned to all get pedicures and then head to dinner, but I decided it would be more fun to just do a LONGER dinner instead and skip the pedicure. Karla LOVED me for this decision...she's not the biggest fan of having someone touch her feet, and besides, I just got a pedicure a couple of weeks ago with another friend for her birthday so I was cool with celebrating with a big fat dessert instead of with a pedicure. :) Words really cannot tell you how much I love these girls. I love that we celebrate with each other when goals are accomplished, we cry with each other when our hearts are heavy, we pray for each other, we make time to spend fun time together, we talk until we are all blue in the face about everything and we love each other SO much. You all know how excited I get when I have the opportunity to go out on a date. (few and far between...that's not the point though.) The point is, is that I get even MORE excited when I know I get to spend some quality time with these girls. They rock that much! (Girls, maybe I'm only able to say this because the right guy just hasn't come along yet...ah, just kiddin!) THANK YOU, THANK YOU sweet friends for such a fun dinner, for my super gifts (which you shouldn't have gotten me!), for your amazing support and your love. I'm so thankful that I get to do life with you! You're a true blessing to me. Kimi and Courtney enjoying some "dessert shots"!
Oh My Yummo! Desserts Shots - Chocolate Fudge Brownie, Cinnamon Roll, and Apple Dutch Something. Crazy good.
My sweet gifts. Cards of encouragement, my favorite chocolate WW snack cakes and muffins, and a SPA Pedicure Gift Certificate.
Kimi, Kacee, Me, Courtney and Karla. We missed you, Aly!
This is one of my most favorite pictures. Kimi and Courtney.
Kimi, Courtney, Me, Karla and Kacee.
Karla and Kacee

"Rejoice with those who rejoice!" Romans 12:15

Have you ever??

2008-08-26T18:12:00.000-07:00

Have you ever just had one of those days when not much seems to go right? I am not lying when I say that I thought I was going to have to check myself in to a mental institution today. Definitely an OFF day. Tomorrow will be better. :)

The Mister Gets a Haircut

2008-08-25T15:36:00.001-07:00

It was definitely TIME for Luke (my nephew) to get his first haircut...the kid so had a mullet. But that sweet baby hair is gone forever now! Definitely a bittersweet moment. When I went to visit him last night (my first visit since he got his haircut on Friday) I was very quick to tell him how handsome he looked! His hands when straight to his head because he knew exactly what I was referring to. He knows he's handsome! Check out the new "do".

He is FOR me!

2008-08-20T07:59:00.000-07:00

Hey all! Hope your day is good. Mine is great! I'm off from work today and I just finished up some quiet time w/ the Lord and I absolutely cannot help but share my study with you from today. My quiet times with Him are very personal, but today, I feel that He wants me to pass on what He spoke to me this morning. This will take you some time to read through, but I'm trusting that you'll be encouraged by it. Print it out, read on your lunch break, do whatever you have to do. This particular study is taking me through the "Psalms of Ascent" and during these beginning stages of my study, I'm having to learn that before I can freely move forward in my journey with the Lord, I must constantly be reminded that He is for me and that He has rescued me (Psalm 124: 2-3). Something that I also read last night greatly ties in with what I'm learning today. I purchased the book "The Shack" this weekend - apparently it's all the "rave" right now. I've not actually started the book yet, but last night I did read the reviews at the beginning of the book and this statement from a gentlemen really stood out to me..."God never leaves us where He finds us, unless we insist." One of the first statements in my Bible study this morning is this, "I often reflect on how God delivered me from myself as much as from Satan." So, there you go. Read on!

"Imagine standing on a battlefield all alone facing an angry army of 1,000 men, each breathing torturous threats. Suddenly you feel the earth pound beneath your feet like the hoofbeats of 10,000 horsemen. Your heart nearly melts with fear as you prepare yourself for the ever-mounting foe. Then you realize it wasn't 10,000 horsemen after all. It was one. Your gaze lifts higher as you try to focus on His face with the sun in your eyes. He looks 100 feet tall atop His stallion, and His very presence emanates authority. He is stunningly beautiful. Staggeringly powerful. His horse gallops onto the battlefield, kicking up the earth. The rider firmly pulls the reins and brings His horse to a halt right beside you. The horsemen then looks down at you and says, 'Proceed into battle, mighty warrior. I am on your side.'"

"One man of you puts to flight a thousand, since it is the Lord your God who fights for you, just as He promised you." (Joshua 23:10)

"When we call upon His name, God promises New Testament believers that same kind of power and victory in the far more terrifying battles of the spiritual realms. He didn't just promise we'd be conquerors. He promised we'd be more than conquerors. Christ will never take us into a battle we cannot win. We would have to choose defeat against our new nature. Why aren't we living with that kind of confidence? If I were a betting woman (something my grandmother always used to say), I'd wager a small fortune on the validity of this statement:

Regardless of how long we've been Christians and how deeply we've studied God's Word, most of us don't realy believe down in the marrow of our bones that God is entirely, wholeheartedly, and unwaveringly on our side.

We live most of our lives unconvinced that God is really for us. We have little trouble picturing ourselves on God's side, but for the life of us we can't picture God stooping down enough to be on ours. Even though we'll say things and sing things to the contrary, we live as if we believe down in the hidden places of our hearts and minds that God at best tolerates us. And lucky we are at that!

We may rarely admit it, but our actions, anxieties, fears, and insecurities suggest something else. Perhaps some of us don't feels as if God is against us as we just don't necessarily feel as if He's for us. We conclude that the only person God is truly for is Himself and rightly so, we reason.

Somewhere deep inside I think we're secretly convinced that God created man with very high hopes only to have them dashed. Forget divine foreknowledge and a Lamb slain before the foundation of the world. We proved a terrible disappointment to God, but because He is faithful to His covenant, He's obligated to see the plan to completion. Therefore, He tolerates us because He's stuck with us.

Be completley honest. Have you ever felt the way I just described? Thank about how you often fell in the hidden recesses of your heart and what yor actions, faith practices, and accepted limitations suggest.

Estimate the position you tend to picture God taking with you: God is against me, OR, God tolerates me, OR, God is for me. Meditate over your history with God. Regardless of where you pictured God's position with you, name a couple of things that helped you shape that conclusion. If you maked that you are most often convinced (actions bearing witness) that "God is for you", you've already answered this question. Despite how we feel much of the time, can we think of a few times when we'd have to admit that God seemed to be on our side?

I'm hammering the point because I'd like to suggest that in our humanity we tend to determine whether God is against us, for us, or tolerating us based on how He appears to act in our circumstances. In other words, our litmus test for whether we think God is really for us is circumstantial evidence. If I don't the promotion, God was for the other guy. If the relationship doesn't work out, God didn't root for me. If the cancer treatment doesn't take, I'm not a high priority to Him.

Don't for a moment think that I'm minimizing the confusion any of these examples can cause as we try to picture God "on our side". John 12:7 continues to come to my mind with great relevance to our subject matter today. "Jesus answered him, 'What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.'"

I well remember making decisions for my children they considered to be uncaring or even mean-spirited at the moment. I even used words from time to time, "I am for you, child. For heaven's sake, I'm your mother! Why wouldn't I want what's best for you?" I remember times when one of them would claim with great drama, "You hate me!" She was too young and immature to understand that my decision was for her.

What invariably hurt most ws if one of the children charged me with making the decision selfishly because I didn't want to go the extra trouble a yes answer would necessitate. Sometimes I couldn't convince them otherwise, so I'd have to temporarily live with them thinking poorly of me and questioning my motives. I wanted to be popular with my children. I didn't want to make decisions that could be misunderstood. Still, the future ramifications were worth the present misunderstanding.

On a much greater scale, God can take a similar position. He knows when something glorious in the future necessitates something difficult in the present. Because He knows the glory will be worth it. God will risk being misunderstood. Yes, God wants us to have joyful, satisfying lives, but He also wants us to have crowns to cast. Rewards to receive. Character to develop. Compassion to give. Testimonies to tell. In the midst of those painful processes, God makes bold promises.

Romans 8:28-39 promises me that He will make sure all things work together for my good. He will graciously give me all things. He will intercede for me. He will not let anything separate me from Him. He will not condemn me. He will protect me.

He is not against you. He does not just tolerate you. He doesn't stick around because He feels obligated to you. God is on your side because He chooses to be. "

- Taken from Psalms of Ascent, by Beth Moore

God has delivered me from Satan and from self, and I want to choose to live that way each day, knowing that He is on my side because He WANTS to be! Praise the Lord.

Love,
Meredith

Praying for 20!!

2008-08-18T17:36:00.000-07:00

Please check out my friend James Wisener's blog if you have a chance this week and join us as we pray for 20! James and his family are not only dear, sweet friends, but he's also my old boss. He's currently Student Pastor at Trinity Baptist in Calhoun, GA and will have the opportunity to preach this coming Sunday morning to a LOT of teens! He's specifically praying for 20 salvations to happen! I've learned to not only pray, but to pray BELIEVING that God can do so much more than what our tiny minds can conceive. Check out his blog at http://jameswisener.wordpress.com/ Leave him a message letting him know you're praying...and REALLY pray! :) I'm praying that the floodgates of heaven be opened!

Hip Hip Hooray!!

2008-08-16T13:23:00.000-07:00

For those of you who have been keeping up with my GFJ (Get Fit Journey), you know that I've been right around the 75 pound mark for FOREVER! Well, guess what? I reached my third weight loss goal today! I haven't been able to go "weigh-in" for several weeks due to summer craziness, but at my weigh-in today I was down 3.8 pounds, bringing my total to...75.2!!!! It makes me want to "throw my hands up in the air, and wave 'em around like I just don't care!" Ok, enough of that...but I am excited! :) God is good. I celebrated with a "Thin Mint Blizzard" from the DQ. YUMMO! Now on to my next goal...85. :)

Meredith's Get Fit Journey - Take 7...Seeing results.

2008-08-07T19:25:00.000-07:00

Pictures. I promised pictures for this post. So, here's a "before" my GFJ started picture and a "now" picture. I would totally be lying if I said it wasn't hard to look at the before picture. Not because I think any less of myself when I see me in that picture, but just because I realize now how "limited" I felt at this point in my life because of the extra weight that I carried. My life was good...absolutely...don't get me wrong. I laughed just as much then as I do today. :) I'm thankful to have the friends that I do, the family that I do, and the Savior that I do that supports me, loves me, sustains me and doesn't measure my worth by a number.

Before...

...this picture was taken when I lead a group of students on a mission trip to Arlington, TX.

Now...

...taken last night before Mom and I went for our walk.
My advice for this GFJ post...take pictures along the journey! Some days you won't feel like you've come very far...but seeing results helps unveil the truth that you really have!

Vacation Post!

2008-08-05T18:14:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful time my family and I had on our annual trip to St. Simon's this past week! It was so relaxing and much needed for all of us. I'm sad my Dad couldn't make the trip with us! There were about 15 total of us this year, so it was a smaller number than usual, but still a great week. I took at least 3 naps, slept past 9 AM several mornings, played my heart out with little man Luke, soaked in the rays on the beach, went for my massage at the Aveda Day Spa (amazing!), traveled to Savannah one day with my Mom, Sister, Bro-in-law, and Luke where we had lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant ("Best Dishes From My Kitchen to Yours!"), shopped a couple days, relaxed and felt loved by my family all week! Enjoy a few pictures from our fun times together. Outside Paula's Restaurant
Yes, I wanted my picture made with The Deen Boy's...so what!
My sweet family...minus my Daddy.
My sister and me.
Luke and Kevin...Luke absolutely LOVED the beach!
Look at him..acting like he knows "what's up!".
Two of the best looking girls you'll ever see! :)
The girls and Luke with Paula. He thought she was pretty special too.
LOVE him!

Getting ready for the beach!
Down at the pier one night.

Luke swinging at the pier.

Not quite ready for sandcastles.
Sweet.
Running for the waves!
Hope you all have a great week! Thanks for letting me share!

When life gets messy, maybe you'll learn a lesson or two!

2008-08-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

Today was my first day back to work after being away on vacation for an entire week. (BTW, vacation post with pictures coming soon!) As much as I LOVE vacation and enjoy the time off, I truly wasn't dreading going back to work today. I love the girls that I get to work alongside everyday and I really do think our doctors are the best. However, I will say this...they definitely "welcomed" me back with quite the busy day today. We were hoppin' to say the least. I like it that way though. I had some "criers" today. I had two younger, precious little boys today as patients that had to be skin tested - neither were looking at this experience as a pleasant one. One of the little boys cried so hard that he actually threw up. Not in the trash can, but instead on our carpeted patient room floor. Poor thing! All he wanted was for the testing to be over and to go home and play outside in the dirt like little boys like to do! I, myself, wanted to cry because I had to clean throw up off a carpeted floor after he left. But while I was on my gloved hands and knees, with my 409 and wet paper towels in tow, the Lord spoke. He always chooses those "messy" times to get my attention. I'm not a big fan, but whatever works. :) I realized that the reason I was cleaning up this mess was due to the fact that one sweet small boy was absolutely scared out of his mind because he didn't know what was about to take place in his little world. He knew that something was going on and that it probably wasn't a fun something. So he did what most of us do when we're in situations like that. He freaked out and somewhat lost control - hence the vomit. While I was scrubbing the floor I started to think about how I react in these kinds of "fear of the unknown" moments in my own world. Those times when I'm not sure if something is going to hurt just a little or if it's going to hurt a whole lot....or of it's even going to hurt at all. I start to lose control before I even have a chance to know the whole situation, or when the Lord is disciplining me in a certain area in life and it starts to hurt the least bit and I take off running from His correction because I'm afraid I won't be able to take the "pain". In the mind of this little boy, he wasn't mature enough to grasp hold of the fact that this testing was going to be a little uncomfortable for a few minutes. He would feel a little poking and then a lot of intense itching that he wouldn't understand at all. But in the end, once we knew the results of his test and could then best know how to treat his symptoms, he would feel so much better and be a lot less sick. We knew this, but he didn't. I am so much like this little boy! God does things in my life on occasion that scare me to death and make me want to run like crazy. He allows me to go through some "uncomfortable" moments, moments that at first make no sense to me at all. But, God in His Sovereignty, knows what the end results are to all His "testing" and pruning in my life and if I'll just stay "still" and not run like a whimp because I'm scared, He promises to build me up, "make me better", and help me look more like Him in the process. "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Hebrews 12:11)

Ten things I LOVE about Vacation!

2008-07-25T19:43:00.001-07:00

I have been looking forward to this moment for a VERY long time! My family and I will head out tomorrow morning for our glorious, long awaited trip to the beach! My Mom has 4 sisters and every single year since I was 8 years old, we have all gone to St. Simon's Island together for vacation. My aunts, uncles, cousins...you name it...we ALL go and it is INCREDIBLE! We've stayed in the same beach house every year, so after 20 years it's pretty much our home away from home. This year I'm SUPER ready to go because my family missed last year's trip due to Luke's birth. Here are the top 10 things I'm going to love about my trip this year:

1. Spending some QT time with the fam!

2. Going a WHOLE week without wearing scrubs and getting to wear "normal" clothes every day.

3. Hopefully getting a TAN! I am so looking forward to laying out in the sunshine where I can either read, take a nap, chase after Luke, or watch people and think crazy things about them!

4. I'm going to get a MASSAGE! What could possibly be better than getting a massage AT the beach?!? I'm guessin' not much! There's an Aveda Salon at the pier and I have been saving my bucks to blow at this heavenly place!

5. Sleeping as late as my heart desires! (One perk to still being single and not having any children!)

6. Waloging (walking/jogging) on the beach!

7. Spending some good time with the Lord! I'm always able to find some good time "away" to focus on my walk with Him while I'm on vacation. Can't wait for that!

8. Eating some fresh seafood! (not the really "fishy" kind though!)

9. Shopping with my Mom and Sister!

10. Not worrying about having a "schedule" for 7 full, wonderful days!

See you guys when I get back! Have a great week...I know I will! :)

Meredith's Get Fit Journey - Take 6...RUTS!!

2008-07-22T15:27:00.000-07:00

RUT...that's what my GFJ (get fit journey) feels like at the moment! I feel like I've been stuck at around 73 pounds down for what feels like FOREVER and I'm trying very hard not to get discouraged. I'm not complaining by ANY means because I truly am SO to have come as far as I have...but I'm not done yet, Lord willing! :) My eating habits have remained good over the past few weeks and so have my workouts...but the scales will not budge to save my soul! I'm using my weights pretty consistently during my workouts and am being told by other people (God love them!) that I just keep getting "skinnier and skinnier!" And even though I'm maintaining my weight at the moment, I do hope some of that is muscle weight and that it's building up and getting ready to burn off the yucky weight. I'm still feeling good though and just truckin' right along.

So, I'm TOTALLY taking advantage of all the fresh fruits and veggies from the garden right now. My family only has some tomato plants but so many of my sweet patients at work are bringing in all kinds of stuff to share with us! We also have a fig tree here at our house and I never realized how much I like figs! And they are of great nutritional value. Click here to read up on the ol' fig! Take advantage of all these yummy, good for you, mostly FREE foods that we can get this time of year! Well, that's about it for this GFJ post. Sorry it wasn't all that exciting this time. I promise WAY more fun in the next post...and maybe even some before and after pictures on my journey thus far! Hang in there!

Home Sweet Home...Finally!

2008-07-20T18:53:00.001-07:00

I'm so happy and thankful to say that I offically began the membership process at Grace Baptist Church today! (http://www.hourofgrace.org/) It's been a long road of searching and praying, but God, of course, is good and He's faithful to lead. You have NO idea how excited I am to finally (after a YEAR!) have a home church again. And what a GREAT place to call home! I can't wait to serve and fellowship alongside this super body of believers at Grace! It feels so good to be HOME! Thanks so much to those of you that have been praying with me regarding this. He's got great things in store.

Vote for Kevin Cabe!

2008-07-19T19:23:00.000-07:00

So, my friend Kevin is trying out for American Idol this coming Monday in Louisville, KY. I've heard the boy sing, and I have to say that he ain't too shabby! Kevin is a Student Pastor in Knoxville, TN and has an incredible heart for students....but his main passion is music and leading worship through music. He's definitely made the most of every opportunity that comes his way and I know that he'll continue to do that no matter what! I'm excited that he's trying out on Monday...and a little jealous. :) Say a little prayer for Kevin. And apparently he was interviewed today by FOX and got to sing for them...I think you can check that out online tomorrow at www.fox19.com. Good luck, Kevin! ROCK ON!

Sisterhood Cookout and fun with Little Luke!

2008-07-14T18:24:00.000-07:00

What a fun weekend I had and a great Monday today! Saturday evening was our monthly "Sisterhood" get together. We allowed the boys and children to participate this time! We cooked out at Kacee and Tim's. They have a GREAT home...such the perfect backyard for cooking out, socializing (which we do TONS of!), letting the kids run around with out fear of them "getting out" since it's fenced in, etc. We always love our time together with just the girl's, but having the guys and children around every so often is great! The kids get along so well together and truly are the SWEETEST children. And the guys get along together just as good as us girls do. I'm the only one left that doesn't have a guy yet to attend these events and a big requirement is that he fits in with all us CRAZIES! We had a wonderful night together and I took lots more pictures than just these two that I'll share with you later! Thanks Kacee and Tim for letting us use your wonderful home for our cookout! Can't wait to do it again. Love you girls! Check out these pictures and don't forget the ones of little man Luke at the bottom! Top Row (left to right): Kacee, Karla, and Courtney. Bottom Row (left to right): Alyson, Kimi and Me.
Look at ALL these kids! This is just insane to me that we are old enough to have children of our own! Us girls were playing together at this age...I LOVE it! God is so good!

Now for the second part of the post! I had the day off work today and of course it is absolutely impossible for me to have a day off and NOT spend time w/ Luke. He sported his famous "If You Think I'm Cute, You Should See My Aunt!" shirt today for the first time that I gave him for his birthday. And of course, in the presence of his Aunt! We tried to get some decent pictures of the two of us...but he was a bit of a stinker today. We tried though! Enjoy these!

Word of God Speak!

2008-07-08T19:02:00.000-07:00

"Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup; You have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance." (Psalm 16:5-6)

I love that God's Word is holy and I love that His Word speaks and is alive. The verse above is one of my very favorites. Not only does it remind me that God protects me and provides for me and gives me stability, but it also reminds me that the things He does provide me with in this life are sufficient. So often, I/we want just about everything we don't have. I have found on more than one occasion that when I focus on the things I don't have, that's when I'm the most miserable and stressed out in life. On the other hand, I have learned that when I find contentment in the things God has given me, I am so much more likely to see His blessings all around me and understand that the boundary lines in my life truly have fallen in pleasant places. I am a blessed girl..."surely I have a delightful inheritance!"

Randomness...

2008-07-06T17:21:00.001-07:00

I have been trying so hard to think of something to blog about this weekend, but my mind is full of just randomness. First of all, God is teaching me some serious stuff right now - particularly about how productive/not productive I am during transition periods in my life. I truly feel that this past year since I've been back home in Gainesville has been one of the craziest years of my life. A totally "out of control" year, if that makes any sense. Nothing has felt "constant" besides the obvious such as work. There are certain days when I think back on the past 12 months and feel that not a lot has been accomplished in my life. You all know that church involvement and serving through a local church is really important to me. Maybe that's one reason I've felt not so productive in the past year. I've yet to find a "home" church again - visited LOTS of wonderful churches - just haven't found the one for me...until maybe today! (which is very exciting) Still lots to pray through regarding that and while I am still serving in various ways even outside a local church, my heart yearns so badly to get my roots settled again. As much as I felt the sense of non-productivity in my life, I know that productivity has truly taken place in many areas. I've continued to lose weight on a consistent basis. I've had the time of my life becoming an Aunt for the first time and spending just about every free minute I've had with Luke. I wouldn't trade being able to see all those "first" in his life for ANYTHING! I've connected with people at my work on a more personable level - fellow employees and patients. I know that my life has been productive in lots of areas over the past year, but I want to make it a goal to make a more conscious effort in the next 12 months to really use my time more wisely in preparing for the next stage of the journey the Lord has me on. Sorry for rambling and probably not making any sense at all! Other random thoughts on my mind right now include (but are not limited to):
- I really need to find a bathing suit for the beach in 3 weeks!
- I really HATE shopping for bathing suits.
- I took a two hour nap this afternoon...it's so gonna take me FOREVER to fall asleep tonight.
- For real? Am I still single?!?
-I can't believe I changed into my walking clothes right after church today and have yet to go for my walk...it's almost dark outside!
-I need to get my car payment in the mail tomorrow.
-I sure hope my sweet friends Jeremy and Christen are having a blast on their mission trip to the Bahama's right now!
-I have the best family and the best friends ever.
-But I still want a boyfriend.
-I can't wait to see my friend Emma this week - I miss our walks and our talks. AND she's having a baby BOY!
-So is my friend Kimi! (having a baby BOY!)
-I think I forgot to tell Emma "Happy Birthday", on her birthday.
-I'm gonna go make that phone call right now!

Super Saturday!

2008-06-28T19:05:00.000-07:00

What a fun, tiring Saturday it has been! :) I got to spend last night and the majority of my day today with my old roommate and dear friend, Gina. I got into Rome a little after 8 last night and Gina and I had dinner at her place, rented a movie, talked and laughed and headed for bed around midnight. Today we did a little shopping before lunch then headed to have lunch at a new place in Rome called Sassafrass Grille. It's a very classy/modern type bistro restaurant. We had lots of fun! Our waiter was a little questionable...but fun nonetheless. :) After lunch we headed to get SPA PEDICURES! One of my most favorite things EVER! I've been wanting to get one for a few weeks now - I'm so glad I waited and shared the experience with G! Our toes are lookin' good. :) I headed towards home a bit earlier than I wanted due to my car giving me some issues. I don't think it's a big deal...hopefully just some air or trash has gotten into my fuel line causing my car to "sputter" a little upon acceleration. It only did it a few times but that was enough to make me nervous. I made it home safe and sound. I LOVED my time with Gina...she's such a wonderful person and an amazing friend! I thank Jesus for you, G!

Looking forward to tomorrow! One of my little cousins, Garrison, accepted Jesus as his personal Savior this past week at VBS. He's being baptized in the morning...what an awesome outward expression of commiting our lives to the Lord. I pray little Gary keeps his eyes on Jesus all his days.

Days off can be so stressful sometimes!

2008-06-25T19:26:00.000-07:00

I love a day off from work! I've said it many times before and I know I'll say it again that I really do LOVE my job. But who in their right mind wouldn't say that they love having a day off every now and then?? I wanted today to be a really productive day and it really was in some ways. My Mom and her sisters are having a yard sale this weekend, so this was a great opportunity for me to clean out all my clothes that I can't wear anymore since loosing weight. By around 3:30, I had my closet cleaned out and most of my dresser drawers. Thankfully, all those clothes are out, but sadly, I now have hardly anything to wear! :) I had so many other things in my mind that I wanted to do on my day off today, like visit my friend Amanda who recently had her first baby girl. I wanted to spend some good time outside at the college walking and then spend some extra time with the Lord this afternoon. I have about 4 phone calls that I needed to catch up on, other friends that I need to visit. I think knowing that I could potentially do any of these things today since I didn't have to work was really stressful for me because I knew that I couldn't possibly do them ALL! Do you ever have those times? It just felt very overwhelming today for some reason! The rest of my afternoon was productive - I ran errands that have been put on the bottom of my list for a few weeks, had dinner with my family and went on a good walk tonight with my Mom. So, while I'm not choosing to put all those other things out of my mind that didn't get done today, I am choosing to be thankful for the things that did get done! :)

Hope you've all had a good day!

"Celebrate Good Times, Come On!"

2008-06-21T19:28:00.001-07:00

What a FUN day we had yesterday as we celebrated Luke's 1st birthday! We partied hard with family. The partying consisted of grilling out and eating some yummy food, playing games such as "Can you guess how many Cheerios are in the jar?" and "How much does Luke weigh?", watching Luke open his presents (he did a SUPER job!) and seeing how excited he got over them all, laughing hysterically over his funny faces as he had his first birthday cake...so much celebration over this little guy's first year of life! He is SO loved and he just gives us sweet love right back! Enjoy these pictures from yesterday...sorry, they are in random order. I picked my favorites. This has to be one of my most favorite pictures ever!
Cake time!
A look at his MANY presents after he opened them.
Telling people "bye" as they were leaving...SO SWEET!

Peek-a-Boo is definitely one of his all time favorite games. :)

Ok, so in this box is one of my presents to Luke...look below to find out what it was.
A baby t-shirt that I had made for him that says, "If you think I'm cute, you should see my Aunt!" LOVE IT! And don't think he won't be wearing it...
My sister Carrie, Luke, and Kevin
"Happy Birthday to you, happy birthday to you..."
He wasn't so sure about the cake at first...LOVE this expression!

Luke with his Mama
The Grand Folk
Luke and Papa
Luke and Aunt Meredith

A really cool old fashioned top from Nana

Has anybody seen Luke? :)

Luke and Nana

Kevin is becoming quite the master griller...I think it's all in the apron!

Aunt Shannon and Uncle Brian (Kevin's Brother)

I was SO excited to find these monkey stickers...he's definitely a little monkey!

I LOVED this! My sister and bro-in-law put out pictures from birth to 12 months...great idea!

Luke's very own personal, ready to be destroyed, cake! :)

Luke with Great Grandpa E.T.

Checking out the DAWGS rocking chair from his Papa...GO DAWGS!

We had SUCH a fun day and I am the PROUDEST Aunt ever! Happy Birthday, Doodle!

Happy Birthday, Little Man Luke!

2008-06-19T18:58:00.000-07:00

I cannot believe that my precious nephew, Luke, is a year old today! It really does feel like yesterday that he came into our lives...CRAZY! I can honestly say that I am just as enthralled by him today as I was a year ago. He has CERTAINLY been the "object of my affection" over the past year...I guess you could say I'm a little obsessed with him! (I'm OK with that!) He brings so much joy and blessing to me and my family every day...definitely a picture of God's favor and love. This little guy is one of my very best little friends...I think he's pretty crazy about me too! :) I can't wait to see him continue to grow...physically, mentally, and spiritually. God has HUGE plans for his life...both now and in the years to come. Enjoy a few pics from tonight. We are having his birthday party on Saturday, but of course we HAD to have some pictures of Little Man on his birthday!

ONE dollar for being ONE from my Aunt Meredith! Hmm...I wonder what's in there.
Nana, this bow sure is pretty!
Happy Birthday to ME!

Sweet Family!

Be on the look out for more pics from the partaay on Saturday! :)

YES!!...he really is THIS cute!

2008-06-12T18:27:00.000-07:00

I begged my sister this past weekend to please let me buy a kiddie pool for Mister Luke. (ok, so maybe I didn't really have to beg.) Let me just say...he had the BEST time, as did his Aunt Meredith! I found this super cute pool at Wal-Mart for less than 10 bucks...can't beat that. Don't think I didn't almost jump right in there with him...my sister had to hold me back! :) Enjoy these sweet pictures! Can you believe he's going to be ONE a week from today?! Craziness! Me...inching my way to being IN the pool with him! :)
Oh my word...what a precious face!
Ok, these two were made inside the house before we moved the pool outside. Who says a pool needs water for it to be fun?

Look how cute this pool is! The hanging stars...they jingle!
SO excited!
This is my fav!
Luke and Mom

Have a great day! Thanks for letting me share these sweet moments!

Meredith's Git Fit Journey - Take 5...Good eats and beatin' the heat!

2008-06-08T13:18:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is having a great weekend! I had hoped to post this GFJ post yesterday, when all of these festivities took place, but today works just as well. My weigh-in yesterday was just ok...I actually gained 0.5 lb this past week, so I'm still stuck at 71. No big deal, but would have certainly loved to have lost that 0.5lb instead of gaining it! :) Workouts have been going great...and let me just tell you, I have been doing some serious sweatin' in this hot weather we're having. I've been "walogging" (that's my word for walking and jogging) mostly this week and jump roping. I haven't been able to get out to do this until around 7:30 most evenings when the sun starts to go down. Gotta be careful in that heat! I got this great recipe for "Chocolate Muffins" at my WW meeting yesterday - they are yummy! And good for you! Each muffin is only 1 point, if you're on the points system. I'll post the recipe at the bottom of this post. Ok, so I finally bought a bike rack yesterday so that I can start riding my very nice bike that I bought several years ago and have literally used it maybe twice. It's in storage just sitting there, but I'm so looking forward to getting it out and introducing that as a new form of exercise so that my routine doesn't get boring. As you can see, there's room for TWO bikes on the rack, so if anyone wants to go riding, just let me know! I could use some guidance! Please pray for my safety. :)

Here is a better picture of the bike rack. My mother has always referred to me as her "mechanically inclined daughter". I usually don't have a problem putting something together or "figuring" it out. Thankfully, the bike rack didn't require any assembly, but for the life of me, I cannot figure out how to get it on my car. This is a problem. I did get it on my car, only to then look at the picture on the box, to find that it wasn't on right at ALL! It surely can't be that hard...really! I'm going to work on that again this afternoon...I'm off work tomorrow and would LOVE to go riding!

My advice for this GFJ post is this: If you buy a bike rack, make sure you know how to place it on your car before trying. Otherwise, scratches will appear and paint will be removed from your vehicle. (yes, I'm speaking from experience!) Hang in there!

Chocoate Muffins - 1 point each

Ingredients:

3 cups Kellogs All Bran Cereal

2 1/2 cups Water

1 package of brownie mix (any brand)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cereal and water into a mixing bowl and allow to soak for 5 minutes. Then, add in all other ingredients and mix well. Divide muffin mixture into paper lined muffin tins and bake 15 to 20 minutes. Makes 24 muffins. Enjoy!

These are a few of my favorite things...

2008-06-06T19:57:00.000-07:00

Hot Showers
My down feather bed...oh my word!
Laughing
Reading
Writing
Exercising...some days are better than others
Spending time with Jesus in His Word, talking to Him and letting Him speak to me.
Java Chip Frappucinos...yummo!
Losing weight at my Weight Watcher's weigh-ins! (doesn't go so well with the previous)
BABY LUKE...not a more precious kid around...
Cooking
The smell of a newborn baby
A clean room
80's Music
Sunshine
Friends....I'm convinced I have the best ones ever.
Family....I'm convinced I have the best one ever.
Chocolate anything
Meeting new people and learning about them
Love Spell Lotion...by Victoria's Secret
Being told that I'm a "nice nurse" and that I'm good at what I do
Flowers
Sweet Memories
Sharing God's love and His Truths...especially with teen girls
The feel of clean teeth
Surprises...pleasant ones :)
Roadtrips
Being barefoot...just not outside...ouch!
Finding a pair of pants that fit really good
Chewing Gum
Cheesy Jokes
My Mama's cookin'
Mail from friends

Just a few of my favorite things! :)

Life Update!

2008-06-02T18:17:00.000-07:00

Just an email that I sent out tonight that I thought I'd post:

Hey Sweet Friends and Family!
Hope you're all doing well and that your week has started off on a pleasant note. Just wanted to send you a quick update and fill you in on what's going on in my world and, of course, tell you a little about what Jesus is teaching me right now.

Life is good! Work at the Allergy & Asthma Clinic is going well and fortunately things are beginning to be a little less hectic since the pollen is on its way to slowing down. I can't even begin to tell you what a whilwind that place has been over the past couple months...but we are thankful for the business. :) My family is doing well...Dad's landscape business is growing and Mom is out of school for the summer. My sister and brother-in-law are also doing well...and Baby Luke..well, he's just as precious as ever and I can't even begin to believe that he's going to be ONE in just a few weeks. What incredible joy he's filling our lives with! Weight Watchers continues to go great! I have missed weighing in the past two weeks due to being out of town, but hopefully I'll be pretty close to my 3rd goal of 75 pounds this Saturday!! That just sounds insane to me...God is SO good. I've been blogging every few weeks about my "Get Fit Journey", so make sure to check in! (www.meredithhulsey.blogspot.com) I know it's not officially summer just yet, but things have already started off with a "bang"...I made the drive to KY this past weekend to visit w/ my sweet friends Todd and Jennifer...which was major fun! Many of you are having babies, getting married, moving...you guys definitely keep me busy...that's how I like it! :)

The Lord always tries to teach me so many things at once it seems. I figure that He surely knows by now that my tiny, scattered mind can only catch glimmers of the things He's showing me, so with that realized and settled in my heart and mind, I just tell Him to keep bringin' it on! :) The main "theme" of what He's been teaching me since about mid May is "not to worry". I think it's safe for me to say that personally, I'm not a big worrier. That hasn't always been the case and YES, I definitely still find myself on "worry road" often. However, many years back the Lord seemed to "engrave" Phillippians 4:6 on my heart..."Don't worry about anything. Instead, pray about everything." What an incredibly hard concept for us as humans to wrap our minds around...this is WAY too easy! Our world is full of worry and anxiety so surely "worry" is a given in everybody's life. Right? Well, yes, inevidibly, we all worry at times. But we don't have to. And this is a truth God has to remind me of over and over again. And right now, He's reminding me a lot! I've had several friends over the past few weeks that have faced or are in the midst of situations where worry could certainly be given a foothold..and even situations in my own life where this is true. Health issues, stress and just being really overwhelmed with life, relationship issues, money. So many things.

One of my sweet patients at work is the biggest worrier I've ever met in my life. She came in last week in one of her anxious modes and I overheard the doctor gently saying to her..."You remember what Jesus said about worrying, don't you?" She asked him, "What?" His reply, "It won't add a day to your life." First of all, what a blessing that I work for godly doctors such as this! Tonight as I was on my "Meredith Jog", part of a song came to mind that says..."You are God alone, from before time began, You were on Your throne, You are God alone. And right now, in the good times and bad, You are on Your throne, You are God alone." There's another part of this song that stuck out to me that says "You're the only God Whose power none can contend." God faithfully reminded me tonight that He was in control of things before time even began, and He's still in control. And no matter how hard I try to let everything/one BUT Him have control and power over things in my life and around me, nothing will ever come close to handling things the way He does. No one (even myself) and no thing can even compare with His power. Maybe somebody needed to hear this today besides me...but even if it was just me...I'm glad I'm hearing it. :)

Praying for y'all and am so thankful that you so often help to minimize my temptations of worry by fullfilling the law of Christ and "bearing my burdens" with me.

Have a wonderful week!

Much love!
Meredith

Finally...my trip to KY!!

2008-05-31T08:32:00.000-07:00

I am so sorry that it's taken me almost a week to post about my trip to Kentucky this past weekend! My journey to KY began last Friday morning around 7:40 AM. I was so excited to see my friends Todd and Jennifer! Little background...I've known Jennifer my whole life...she and I are 2nd or 3rd cousins (I always get that confused), and Todd and I have known each other since I moved to Rome in 2001. His family was my family in Rome. When the 3 of us..Todd, Jennifer and myself all lived in Rome, we were together ALL the time...usually causing trouble. :) Not really. Anyway, since I moved back home to Gainesville and they've been in New Orleans and now in KY for Todd to go to seminary, we NEVER get to see each other. It was such a blessing to spend some good time with them for 2 WHOLE days! It was wonderful, relaxing visit! We did a little sight seeing, but mostly just hung out, watched movies, ate and acted goofy..which is what we do best. I didn't take a whole lot of pictures, but here are a few. Welcome to KENTUCKY!
My face after finally making it to KENTUCKY! What a long drive! I was so glad to finally be there!

World's largest baseball bat...in downtown Louisville. Moments like these are once in a lifetime people.

We were offered some free tickets to a festival in downtown Louisville on Saturday called "Abbey River on the Road". There were five different stages set up where bands were rockin' to the oldies. Lots of "hippies" were present so we kind of felt a little out of place! :) We stayed for about an hour - people watched, made a few comments during our people watching, snapped a few pictures, then headed to dinner. We had a great day on Sunday at church. After church, we grilled out for lunch...it was yummo, we watched a movie, all took a little nap, had pizza for dinner, took a walk, and then watched another movie! Life is good. :)
Todd and Jennifer at Abbey Road on the River.
The three of us by the Ohio River.
Jenn and I by the Ohio River.

I was sad to leave after such a fun visit. It's so nice to be with friends that you can totally be yourself around, they can be themselves around you, and you can just relax and enjoy life! I headed out from KY around 8 on Monday morning, stopped in TN to have a yummy lunch with my friend Kevin, then finally saw this sweet GA sign around 4 o'clock that afternoon.

As sad as I was to leave my friends, I was able to smile knowing that I was almost home. Thanks, T & J, for welcoming me into your home for a few days. Love you guys tons and can't wait until you move back this way so we can see each other more often.

Home Sweet Home...

2008-05-26T18:52:00.000-07:00

I made it home safe and sound from KY this evening! Had a WONDERFUL time and can't wait to blog about my fun times there and share some fun pictures. I'm heading to bed for now but will try posting those tomorrow! Thanks, Todd and Jennifer, for a super fun visit! Y'all rock!

I'm Here!!

2008-05-23T19:14:00.000-07:00

Made it into Louisville around 3 this afternoon! Drive wasn't too bad - just glad to finally be here! We've had a great evening and are making plans for a super fun day tomorrow! :)

Almost on my way...

2008-05-22T18:14:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow morning I will head out bright and early to Louisville, KY to visit my wonderful friends Todd and Jennifer! I'm so excited! Todd is in seminary and as soon as he's done, they are hopefully moving back home to GA. I'm ready for that day! We are sure to have TOO much fun, lots of laughs and crazy times. Pray that we stay out of trouble...it's been known to happen when we're together. (trouble, that is!) I'm sure to return with lots of fun stories to share. Pray for safe travel...it's about a 7 hour drive! Got lots of CD's and a list of phone calls I need to catch up on! Hope you all have a super Memorial Day weekend! :)

Prayer

2008-05-22T06:17:00.001-07:00

Some of you have probably already heard or read about this. It breaks my heart and I don't even want to imagine what Steven Curtis Chapman and his family are feeling right now. Read this story and join me in prayer for this family.

http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2008/05/22/1211182968194.html

Happy Birthday to My Mama!

2008-05-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to my sweet Mama! Mom's birthday was yesterday and we had a great time celebrating her! We grilled out steaks last night at my sister and brother-in-laws, had YUMMO birthday pie and loved showering Mom with some fun birthday presents. I am blessed beyond all measure with the incredible Mama I have been given. I'm so thankful for her life...she's an amazing example to my family of what unconditional love is, what sacrifice and hard work mean, that it's important to live the same life you live in front of your family as it is for your friends and those you don't know. That working on issues of the heart is far greater than working on issues of outward appearance and that storms in life usually bring on something great. She's taught us what it means to appreciate what you have and to take care of it - not worrying so much over what others have that might be "better". And not to mention that she's super fun...we're watching American Idol together as I type this and she just thinks David Archuletta is precious! I could go on forever about how priceless it is to have a Mother like the one I have...I'll keep some of these things to myself for now but I will say that I have big shoes to fill and I very much look forward to trying...I want to possess so many of the qualities I see in my Mom! Enjoy some fun pictures of our night together as a family last night!

Getting ready to open presents!
This is one of my most FAVORITE pictures of Mom and Luke...precious!
Mom, Dad and a "clapping" little Luke.
The Girls...Carrie, Mom and Me.
Dad and Kevin...so excited about watching Mom open her presents.
Luke thinks his Nana should have a birthday EVERYDAY...apparently he benefits well from it!
Luke with his Mama...this is another one of my new favs.

What a super fun day!

Meredith's Get Fit Journey - Take 4...More than the physical!

2008-05-18T13:07:00.000-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted a GFJ update in almost a MONTH...wow. Time flies. Things have gone pretty well as far as exercise and eating have gone this month, although I haven't lost but about 2 pounds. I'm ok with that though...2 pounds is 2 pounds! My current total is 71.2. I was talking with my friend Joel the other day and after hearing some very encouraging words from him in regards to my weight loss, he reminded me that the principles and disciplines I'm gaining through my weight loss can be applied to SO many areas of my life...not just in losing weight. The ways that I'm learning to set goals and boundaries, reaching those goals and celebrating when they are met...so many things I'm learning! I need to set goals and boundaries in my financial life, my spiritual life, in my relationships with others. And I need to celebrate when those goals are met! Not to sound cheesy, but since starting my GFJ, I've gained much determination. For the past year and a half that determination has been geared to my weight loss and while I want that to continue, I also want to find determination in these other areas of my life. I want to save more money and spend it more wisely. I want to spend more time in the Word and in communication with my Lord. I want to cherish and nurture the relationships and friendships that I have an be determined to make new ones. One of my favorite verses of scripture comes from Hebrews 12:11.."Now no discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Learning to lose weight, learning to save money, learning to lay aside wants so that I have more time to spend with the Lord, learning to get out of my comfort zone so that I can build new relationships...these things are not always easy and not always pleasant at first. But the rewards are so sweet! Hang in there on your "get fit journey"...whatever your journey may be!

Someone please remind me...

2008-05-17T08:29:00.000-07:00

...if I'm ever blessed to have children of my own, to just skip the baby toys while registering and head straight to the kitchenware! Mom, my sister and I sat in the kitchen floor for over an hour the other night while Luke played with bowls, spatulas, blenders...ok, so maybe not the blender, but you can bet your bottom dollar that he would have if we'd of let him! My Mom actually has a picture of me when I was about this age with a bowl on my head just like this...all great minds think alike...what can I say!
Ladies...one day he'll be a mean, lean, cookin' machine...watch out! Isn't he so sweet?!?

Please Pray!

2008-05-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

I sent this out as an email but thought it wouldn't hurt to put it on the 'ol blog too! Please pray for this family.

Hey Sweet Friends and Family,

Hope this finds you all doing well and having a good week! I am so thankful that my God hears us when we pray - that He listens intently as we pour out our praises to Him, our cries for help, our complaints. He hears our prayers and He answers them! I'm sending this email on behalf of Kenny Pope. Kenny is a cousin to my brother-in-law Kevin. Kenny and his wife Teri are two of the sweetest people I've ever met. Kenny fell from his roof this past Sunday, leaving him unable to feel or move his legs. So far, he's had two surgeries and is scheduled to be moved to Shepherd Spinal Center in the near future. Kenny was told two days ago by a specialist from the center that he would not be able to walk again. This breaks my heart but I'm ever reminded of the great Healer that I serve...the same One Kenny serves!

I wanted to send you this website and ask that you please visit it, pray for Kenny, leave him a comment with some encouraging words, or just simply be encouraged by what God's doing and is going to do in this sweet couple's life! http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/kennypope

Thanks for praying over their lives! You are wonderful!

Love,
Meredith

Weight Watchers Update!

2008-05-15T16:22:00.000-07:00

Sorry I'm a little behind in my posting this week. Life is CRAZY! :) I lost another pound this past week, bringing my current total to 71.2 pounds. God is so good! Most of you know that my next goal is 75 pounds...so close! Stay tuned for my next "Get Fit Journey" post. Hopefully that will come later on this evening but for now...gotta go work out!

Mother's Day and Luke's Baby Dedication

2008-05-11T15:00:00.000-07:00

Hope you've all had a wonderful Mother's Day! I have been blessed with the most incredible Mom who I am SO thankful for! I have a sister who's an amazing Mom, tons of friends that are amazing Mom's and even some very special ladies in my life who serve as incredible "Mom's" to me! I am abundantly blessed and so appreciative of the examples these women are to me and hope that I will be able to take what they have taught and are teaching me and put these things into practice one day with my own children! We also celebrated Luke's baby dedication this morning...what a special gift for my Sister and Brother-in-law to publicly give their child back to the Lord on such a special day. I pray our lives will always guide Luke's attention to the Lord. Enjoy a few pictures from the day!

Luke with his Aunt Meredith...I LOVE this boy!

Myself, my sister Carrie, Luke and Mom
Dad, Mom, Carrie, Luke, Kevin and Me

The Girl's and Luke again with Mom after an amazing lunch at the Royal Lakes Country Club. We enjoyed a super WINDY lunch out on the deck overlooking the beautiful lake. Georgous day with the family! Love those!

Happy Mother's Day!!

Pleasant Words...

2008-05-09T19:27:00.000-07:00

"Pleasant words are like a honeycomb...sweet to the soul and healing to the bones." (Proverbs 16:24) Ok, so a little background on the first time I really discovered this Bible verse. I was a freshman in highschool, he was a senior. Oh yeah! I'm definitely talking about the boy that my heart desired oh so much that very first year of my highschool career! Of course he didn't really even know I existed, but I didn't care. Somehow, I would make my mark upon his life. I was determined. I've always had a thing for guys that love the Lord, even at this particular time in my life. Not only was my "crush" so very, very handsome, but the thing that won me over was the fact that he prayed over his lunch every single day before eating it. This made a huge impact on my life. Sure, you say the blessing at home...but around all those macho, burly guys?!? I knew he was the real thing! I sat at the same lunch table he did...just on the opposite end! Long story short, he graduated and unfortunately missed out on what it could've been like to have had an incredible girlfriend like myself! :) I thought about him often that summer, and before it was up, I decided to mail him a letter. Yes, I knew where he lived! The jist of the letter, if my memory serves me correctly, was to thank him for being such a strong Christian example to those around him, that I hoped he had a great summer and that his first year of college went well. I'm a cheeseball. Anyway, several weeks went by, and by george, if I didn't come home one day to find a letter in my mailbox to ME from HIM. WHAT?!? Needless to say, I was a bit excited and surprised. I don't remember much of what his letter said, but I do remember that at the end of the letter was this Bible verse. Kind words are so sweet and so healing in our lives. I was reminded of this today as I was in a meeting with my office manager. Work as been really....insane...over the past few weeks. Allergy season in an Allergy Clinic. Need I say more? :) It's easy to get discouraged when you're worn out and today, her kind words were "like a honeycomb...sweet to my soul and healing to my bones." I pray I'll think about the words that come out of my mouth the next time I speak. Are they sweet words or words that are destructive and not healing? The world is all to full of destruction...speak words of life!

Fusion...

2008-05-05T18:04:00.001-07:00

...is going to be a GREAT thing in my life! Last night was my first experience with "Fusion" and I think I'm going to like it! "Fusion" is a singles gathering for 20 to 30 year olds that stems from North Point Community Church and it's not even so much a Bible study but more instead a social event to get together with people who are in the same place in life that you are/I am. SINGLE!! Fusion Gatherings are about every 2 weeks. I've been placed with a super group of about 30-35 people and I can already tell that many of these people will become friends. That's exciting to me. I came to a hard realization a few months ago that 99.9% of my friends are married and beginning to have children...and while I truly am THRILLED for them, as hard as I try and still relate with them, the reality of the situation is that I just can't in many areas! So..thank you, Jesus, for opening up this door for me to meet some fun, new people who are in the same boat I'm in. Good times are sure to be had by all!

Sin AND Sorrow?

2008-05-04T19:37:00.001-07:00

This morning in church we sang the old hymn "I Stand Amazed (How Marvelous)". One of the verses says "He took my sins and my sorrows and He made them His very own...". My sins AND my sorrows! When I sing that verse I usually just think about the overwhelming fact that Jesus took every sin known to mankind upon Himself so that we could be made clean. But the second part of this says that He's not only taken my sin, but He also takes my sorrow. How often do we choose to live under the guilt of our sins? Yes, we should be sorry and we should feel sorrowful at our wrongdoings, but once that sin is laid down at the feet of Jesus and once I've turned my back to it, it's done! Jesus does not desire for me to live under the guilt of my sins...He not only took the sin, but He also took my sorrow so that I could live in freedom. What a wonderful remider today! Live free!

2nd Annual Mother~Daughter Luncheon!

2008-05-03T15:02:00.000-07:00

Well, today was the Sisterhood's 2nd Annual Mother/Daughter Luncheon and it was great!! Incase you don't remember, these (the Sisterhood - of which we named ourselves when we were in the 5th grade) are 5 of the most precious girls in my life. We have known each other bascially since the womb and we count it an incredible treasure to still be such close friends. We began the tradition last year of having a Mother/Daughter day every year around Mother's Day to celebrate the amazing Mom's that each of us have been blessed with! Today was the day and we had an incredible lunch at Cafe 'N Crepes on the Square in Gainesville. Everyone was able to attend today except for Karla and her Mom, Penny, and we also missed Patsy, Kimi's Mom. I have a feeling the number of people in this group photo will continue to grow for the next several years to come! Look at all those little ones! Such a blessing!

The Sisterhood Girl's with our Mom's and children!

My Sweet Mama! "She speaks with wisdom, and faithful instruction is on her tongue. She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Many women do noble things, but you surpass them all. Charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." (Proverbs 31: 26-30) I love my Mama, and am so thankful for the legacy she is building and instilling within me.

Kacee, Courtney, Alyson, Me, and Kimi

Precious "Sisterhood" Girl's! Love y'all! What a fun day!

Do I stink?

2008-04-29T18:26:00.000-07:00

This was part of a blog that I actually wrote to "my girls" when I was in fulltime Student Ministry in Rome. I ran across it tonight and thought I'd share. I needed this reminder today to let my life be a little more smelly! :) Maybe you can use the reminder too!

Do you ever wonder sometimes if you smell bad and maybe you ask a really, really close friend, "hey, do I stink?" Crazy is the friend who actually gets close enough to smell! (but a good friend in deed!) We've all been there and done that, and thankfully, we have those friends that are willing to use the power of their noses on our behalf.The Bible says in 2 Corinthians 2:15 that as Christians we produce an aroma. "For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life." Let me explain this verse a little better for you. When we choose to share the news of Jesus, it's good news to some and bad or "stinky" news to others. To other Christians, the smell is sweet. To non-believers, we probably stink.

I've decided that in a spiritual sense, if I stink to non-believers, then I'm probably doing my job as a Christian as far as sharing Christ with others goes. This is not a "stink" like "I need to take a shower" stink. What Paul is saying here, is that if we are sharing our faith like God calls us to, non-believers are going to eventually being smelling the smell of death. And in this particular scripture, death means hell, or life without God. So the stink that non-believers smell is their own death. Non-believers have to recognize their need for Jesus before they will accept Him. You and I as Christians will be the ones to show them this need by telling them with our words and with our actions. We may smell really bad to them for a while - but that's the point! When something smells repulsive, you are going to try your best to get rid of the smell! Once non-believers realize that this smell can only become sweet is by having Jesus in their lives, our "stink" to them was all worth it! Maybe some of you are in that place where you have got to take care of that stinch, and now you know the only way to do that is by having Jesus in your life. If that's the case, please find out how you can do that! Contact me and I would LOVE to walk you though that. For those of you that are believers, do you stink? 'Cause you should to some people!

Have a good day!
Mere

Weekend Fun!

2008-04-27T17:33:00.000-07:00

I'm so thankful for weekends! This one was much needed seeing that work is insanely busy right now at the good 'ole Allergy and Asthma Clinic (tis the season!). My family hosted a baby shower for my sweet cousin Stacey yesterday afternoon. We had a great turn out and she was showered with much love and lots of sweet gifts for baby girl to be! (they're keeping the name a secret!) Continue to pray for Stacey and Baby Girl. They had a little scare at the beginning of Stacey's pregnancy, fearing that the baby was going to come WAY too soon. With surgery and total bedrest, Stacey is still pregnant and due in June. God is so good and I was so thankful to hear yesterday that the doctors think the baby weighs approximately 4.5 pounds now! I have been so reminded of Psalm 139 this weekend - being reminded of my Creator, of His sovereignty and of His tender care in forming each one of us.

I had a fun night last night with my friends Chad and Heidi, their two crazy-fun children Alex and Olivia, and my new friend Jonathan. Heidi is working her "matchmaking skills". She's definitely got "skill"...there's no question about that. :) Time will tell if "matchmaking" is a calling for her! (Thanks Chic!) I got some much needed rest today, spent some sweet time with the Lord, and just had some time to think over a lot of what's going on in life right now! I needed that! I finally feel ready for a new week. Hope you all have a good one!

Sweetness...

2008-04-27T17:19:00.001-07:00

We had a baby shower yesterday afternoon for my cousin Stacey and I just couldn't help but share these pictures of the sweetest little baby boy in the world...my nephew, of course! I'm amazed at how quickly Luke is growing and how he continues to capture my heart more and more each time I'm with him. He has such a sweet spirit about him and truly is such a joy to be around. I can't get enough of him! I'm so excited to see what the Lord has in store for this precious little boy. He's still working on saying "Aunt Meredith"...but it's coming...I just know it!
Is that not the cutest little "toothy smile" ever?!?

Gotta Get It!

2008-04-22T18:44:00.000-07:00

I'm a big music fan and once again, I've found a CD that has yet to make it out of my car's CD player since the day I purchased it about oh...a month ago! You know that's some good music when you can tolerate the songs over and over again for that long. Steve Fee...Burn For You
I like it....a lot!

Much needed reminder today...

2008-04-21T19:02:00.000-07:00

...God can be trusted. (with ALL things!)