I absolutely hate New Year Resolutions. They really highlight my lack of self discipline. I always have great plans to exercise more, eat better, have consistent daily devotionals, meal plan, save money, be a patient and loving mother, show my husband more respect and love, keep a cleaner home, love others better etc...etc...etc... Although all of those things I truly believe would make me a better woman and I do them for a while after I commit to them, I always fail and tumble head first back into my own selfish and comfortable behaviors!! I hate that about myself. Anyone relate?!?
So when my best friend Stacey posted this link on her blog, I decided to try it. I was going to wait until New Year's and make it my "Resolution" but I decided not to wait and delve head first at that very moment!! Thank God I did! How I have been blessed!! This is a 31 Day Challenge to understand what a Proverbs 31 woman is. I have never heard these passages explained in this way. I have always felt like there was never anyway for me to attain these goals. It was more like an ideal and not actually a real woman. Nancy Leigh DeMoss has such an insight and way of relating these passages to women that not only make you realize that the Proverbs 31, 1 Timothy 2 and a Titus 2 woman is real but very much someone I could be! She shares insight that shows you that it is not the accomplishments of these woman that make them unique and "above rubies" but their heart for and commitment to God. Oh that I may be such a woman!!! I am on Day 5 of the challenge( I got a little behind because of our "trip" to MO;)and everyday has brought me closer to understand what my purpose is in this crazy life.
So...my challenge... I have ordered the book Biblical Womanhood in the Home and plan to begin reading it the first week of January. But I need to be held accountable. I think my biggest mistake in my "Resolutions" is that I don't have accountablility. I try to do this on my own!! Thus, my failure. I would love to have others reading this book with me, sharing thoughts, insights and revelations! I would even be willing to start a blog just for a weekly discussion. Anyone in? How blessed our homes could be if we committed this year to becoming Godly, Proverbs 31 women! If you don't want to join in the book reading, I at least challenge you to click on the link above and join the 31 Day Challenge. It only takes about 15-20 minutes a day. You can read the transcript or listen to the podcast. I promise it will bring a blessing to you life!
But if you want to join me in reading the book, leave and comment and we can work out the details!! I want to make this "New Year" the best in my life!!
I love the cold weather! I love wearing layers, smelling the fireplace, snuggling on the couch with Steve under our favorite flannel blanket! I have always said that I would love to live a little farther North so it would snow!!
So..... when Steve was told at work that he was going to have to make a trip up to Northwest Missouri to pick up some materials for his job at LeTourneau, I was all in to go with him. Not only would we be alone for 2 whole days but we would be driving up to a colder climate and maybe get to experience some "winter weather". Neither Steve or I had ever been to Missouri, so we also that we could check off that state on our list {we really would like to visit all 50 before we die :)}.
We set off last Sunday around 7:30 am for the 9.5 hour drive to St. Joseph, MO. When we left Gladewater the temperature was 76 degrees. I have to explain that I normally am a over-packer. I do not like to be left under prepared for anything. I usually pack lots of extra clothes, socks, unders and always bring a small medicine cabinet "just in case". For some reason, however, this trip did not seem to warrant all of that over thinking. We were just driving up Sunday, picking up the materials Monday morning and would be home Monday night. Besides the weather was unseasonably warm! Very easy and uneventful, right ?!?
I am going to sum this up quickly so that you actually get through this post! Anyway.... like I said, we left TX and the temp was 76. We drove up through Oklahoma and stopped at a gas station in nowhere Kansas. We were happily talking in the truck, not at all paying attention to the temperature gauge on the truck. When we stepped out to pump the gas, we were hit with this bone chilling wind!! I looked back at the truck temp and it said 29 degrees. Most of you may not know b/c I don't think anyone is actually from Kansas ( I know you lived in Kansas, Laura, so technically you aren't FROM there, right?) that there are no trees to block the wind. It hits you full force and without apology. Needless to say we were shocked and unprepared for the climate change. As we got back in the truck and started Northward we noticed the temperature steadily dropping. By the time we actually got to MO it was down in the teens! BRRRRR!! We checked into our hotel and prepared ourselves for a nice warm dinner and relaxing evening! As we were having dinner, the waitress told us in her unenthusiastic tone "It's snowing". To which I replied, " Really, I love snow. We are from Texas and don't get to see it much". To which she replied "Snow sucks!!!". Her bad attitude did not hinder me at all. I quickly jumped out of my seat and ran outside to stand in the snow!! And yes, I was the only idiot who did this. No one else but Steve and me cared!! It was so beautiful. Silently falling and actually sticking to the ground. It hit my face and didn't immediately melt. I was like a kid but Steve began to worry about the driving conditions for the next day. I told me him everything would be fine, not to worry, it's just snow. Famous last words.....
The next morning we woke up early and turned on the weather channel. Of course, all of the news was talking about our area. The temperatures were the coldest in the country. The actually temp was zero but the wind chill was -17 F. {COLD}. I am such a southerner and had no idea of how cold that really was. We quickly packed and loaded up. We just wanted to pick up the materials and get out as quickly as possible. I loved the snow but not the temp and wind that went along with it. We found the steel company fairly easily. It was conveniently located behind the slaughter house and the sewage treatment plant. It smelled AWFUL in negative temperatures, we could only imagine the smell in the summer. The steel was loaded on the trailer and we happily headed out!! We headed out of St. Joseph anxiously ready to head home!! About 10 minutes out of town however the truck and trailer started shaking very badly and before we knew it, we were doing a 180 on the interstate with 4000 pounds of steel on the back of the truck. We finally stopped facing the wrong way on the interstate and very shaken. God was with us because no one was around and we were able to turn around with out much incident. Our trailer however did not fare so well. After some assessment, Steve discovered that the the steel was loaded properly and the axle had come off. So there we were, stranded on the side of the interstate, broken trailer, 10 miles out of any town in subzero temperatures. So we started calling information to locate a tow service and a trailer repair shop. Once again God was with us and provided us with both with little effort. So...3 hours later the tow truck had towed the trailer to a shop and Steve and I set out to have some "breakfast" while the mechanic assessed the damage. We found a little cafe downtown and tried to relax a little. We received a call after our meal that the axle was completely broken and it had to be ordered from Kansas City about 60 miles away. The mechanic was a very nice guy and said it should be ready that evening. After this news, we realized that we would be spending another night in the beautiful city of St. Joseph. We asked about the nearest Wal-Mart to buy some warm clothes. We desperately needed hats, gloves, wool socks and maybe another sweatshirt!! Much to our delight, we found a Target and a Starbucks. After our Grande White Chocolate Mocha's and some browsing time, we decided that this was a blessing b/c Steve and I were able to spend some uninterrupted alone time. No kids, no jobs, just hanging out. We headed back to our hotel, had another great dinner and went upstairs to watch a movie in our room. We got the call around 8:30 pm that the trailer was fixed and was only $500. What a blessing!! Now for Tuesday.....
We had heard the night before while waiting in line at Target that there was a "snow storm" coming. We had no way of really comprehending what that meant. We woke up to about 6" of snow on the ground and snow still steadily falling. We could barely see about 20 yards in front of us. We turned on the news to constant warnings of dangerous roads and school closings. Needless to say we were worried. How in the world would we be able to drive and pull and trailer with 4000 lbs of steel through ice and snow for 600 miles. We called Steve's boss and his suggestion was to pick up the trailer and put it in storage until someone else could pick it up the next week. That sounded good to us but we realized that the trip we had just made was completely useless!! We slowly drove over to the mechanics in an attempt to pick up the trailer and somehow find a storage unit in the driving snow. Once again, God was with us b/c the mechanic told us that he and his buddy were coming down to Dallas next week to pick up a couple of 4-wheelers and if Steve's company would pay for fuel, they would haul the load down for us. It was such a blessing! Of all of the mechanics in this town, this one was willing to work late to fix our trailer, charge us an honest price and also be willing to help us in a dire situation. We agreed to this and decided we really wanted to head home that day. We slowly set out. The snow was amazing. It was beautiful and scary at the same time. We were only able to travel about 45 mph but after about 9 hours we reached Fayettville, AR. We spent another night and after another slow travel day, reached our house about 2:30 on Wednesday!!
WHEW! If you got through this far in the post...you know how we felt when we finally got home!! In spite of unforeseen circumstances, Steve and I enjoyed our time together, the kids were spoiled at my moms and we have fun story to share. We also felt God with us the whole time. Not only b/c he kept us safe but also b/c of the people that he put in our path. God is so good!! Thanks to all of you that prayed us home!! We felt the prayers! My husband rocked through this whole trip. He handled stress well and made a trip that could have been miserable...fun!!
Of course, I took lots of pictures and wanted to share with you.
We have had a busy but fun last few weeks!! The first slide show is of our Christmas tree hunting at Danville Farms. If you have never been... its a lot of fun. A tractor takes you out into the field to pick you tree, you can have hot chocolate and eat peanuts over an open fire pit! In years past, it has not been cold and we have faked pictures with hats and scarfs. I think 3 years ago it was 85 degrees and the boys were sweating but I made them wear hats for pictures. At least this year was around 55 degrees!!
This slide show also has the boys piano recital. Ethan has been taking piano from our favorite piano teacher in the whole world (shout out to the fantabulous Mrs. Charity!!) for 3 years and Isaac has taken for about6 months! They both love it but still need to practice more! Maybe that should be our New Year's Resolution!!
This past Thursday night, we took the boys to the Winter Slam Concert in Shreveport. There were 4 Christian artists; A new hip hop artist, B. Raith, Family Force Five, Relient K and of course TOBY MAC!!! The boys could barely contain themselves. We missed most of B. Raith's performance and got to our seats when FFF started. Now, my parents came with us to this one. I warned them before hand that is was going to be high energy!! They, however, could not in any way be prepared for FFF. They are a defiantely a 80's hair band!! Lots of noise, jumping around, throwing things and most definately lots of hair slinging! My dad was NOT impressed. Relient K was much better. But I think they actually enjoyed Toby Mac. He puts on a great show!! It is definitely a must see!! Poor Isaac though used up most of his energy during the first 2 performances and feel asleep in the middle of Toby Mac. We woke him up at the end when he performed Jesus Freak, his favorite!! Ethan on the other hand got his groove on and sang every word to every song. I think we may have a little hip hop artist in our midst :) All in all it was a very memorable concert and the boys already are asking when we can see Toby Mac again....
This space is not big enough to write all the of ways my husband rocks!! We have been married for 14 1/2 years. We dated for 4 years before that. So that adds up to almost 19 years together. That means we have already been together for more that half of our lives. I am looking forward to at least 4 times as many years in our future!!
God has been speaking so loudly to me in the past few weeks. I have never had this happen and it has been so wonderful. Circumstances in my life have brought me to my knees but have also opened my eyes to the abundant life that God has for me. I want to take nothing for granted; especially my husband!! I read an article in Today's Christian Woman that inspired me to look at my life with Steve differently. It made me realize that for so many years we had missed the point of why we are together. Not to individually meet each others needs but to work together to strengthen our lives together or our marriage. Here is a excerpt from the article....
"The idea I'll always remember from Wangerin's book was his suggestion that there are three entities in a marriage: the husband, the wife, and a new, holy creation—the marriage itself. Wangerin pointed out that as long as the focus is on whether each individuals needs are being met, the marriage will be filled with defensiveness and accusation. But if the focus is on what a couple can do to best serve the marriage, to deepen and widen it and help it flourish, then both partners can work unselfishly to that end."
This article made me realize that Steve and I have been trying to meet each other needs the way WE think they need to be met. That incorporates all of our insecurities, self-ambitions and flaws.
So, back to why My Husband Rocks!! Simply... he loves me unconditionally! I know that now and that makes me feel like an "eight cow wife" (if you don't know what I mean, read this, it really is a compliment!!) I now am getting a glimpse of how beautiful how life can be together!! He is showing me everyday how Christ loves the church!! Thank you Steve!! I love you with all my heart and want everyday to show you how much I need you!! My heart is forever yours!!!
I found this poem and thought I would share... I think it sums it up!!
A Husband...
A husband should be Loyal and honest
A husband should be Strong and protective
A husband should be Loving and romantic
A husband should be Patient and understanding
A husband should know When enough is enough
A husband should know When to fight and when to cry
A husband should know all your goals and dreams
A husband should know your strengths and well as your weaknesses
A husband needs to be a true man A husband needs to love you unconditionally But most of all... A husband needs to know your heart is forever his!!!
Have you ever read a verse in the bible that maybe you had read a hundred time before but this one time it really moves you? I have been reading God's word for the majority of my 34 years. Something that I have taken for granted. I know we all hear about men and women all over the world that die just to get a small copy of the book that sits on my shelf gathering dust!! I rarely have to say " Where is my bible" because if I can't find the one that I usually use, there are 4 or 5 more on the shelf to grab. I think I have been asleep or in at least in a daze for most of my life. I come from a multi-generational Christian family. That in it self is such a blessing! To feel secure that most of your extended family knows God and will spend eternity in heaven is very comforting. I think, though, sometimes you become complacent in that role. When you feel secure that those closest to you are not in need of salvation, you tend to forget what living and dying to Christ means. I don't think I have ever had to "sacrifice" for my faith. I don't think I have ever really felt God's love and grace in my life. Until recently...
God is real in my life. There is a peace there that has never been before. I couldn't say that a month ago. Our God is a truly amazing God. He takes you to exactly the places you need to go and will pursue you unto the ends of the earth. God has really spoken to me over the last couple of weeks. He has opened my heart to a brand new kind of love. I think for the first time in my life, I can feel God's presence and definitely His love. I am so thankful that He can bring you to your knees!! He takes what you give Him on the chin and gets right back up and wraps his arms around you. There is no running away from Him. GRACE!! I love that word!! It means so much to me!! I feel so honored to be able to say that I have experienced grace in a profound way!! My God is real to me and I LOVE Him!!! I don't want to take anything for granted now!! My God, my family, my friends, my church!! I love them all!!
I want to share the verse that has struck such a chord with me.. I pray that it blesses you as well!!
Psalm 119:129
"Your statutes are wonderful; therefore I obey them. The unfolding of your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple. I open my mouth and pant; longing for your commands. Turn to me and have mercy on me, as you always do to those who love your name. Direct my footsteps according to your word; let no sin rule over me. Redeem me from the oppression of men, that I may obey your precepts. Make your face shine upon your servant and teach me your decrees. Streams of tears flow from my eyes, for your law is not obeyed.
