setting forth on a new journey, taking a new path...

the hardest question of all may be to ask something of someone. to ask for help, or even for information, shows that we are in need, and that leaves us vulnerable.

to be in close relationship with God, though, means we make ourselves vulnerable, completely open to God.

what might you ask of God today?
--d365

i hate asking for things from God. i don't know why, but i do. i guess sometimes i figure that he has better things to do than to hear me whine all of the time, so i don't bother...therefore i don't pray, or ask, or anything.

what i am asking of God today:
open doors...so the direction of the path is clear
guidance...to make decisions
blessings...to prosper us
vision...to bring people to Christ
peace...about the journey on which we are embarking
insight...in making our family become what it should be
forgiveness...for being distracted and busy

what are you asking of God today?

new blog setup...

if you'll take a look-see at the top of my blog, i now have tabs going across. i have decided to reorganize how i do my blogging. i have a new home page where i will post more often. i am going to reserve this blog for things that are spiritual and inspirational and discuss my journey in those areas here.

that part of me has been a little dry lately, so i am sure it will be in spurts, but i hope that it will be better as i begin to focus on meeting my own needs (in all areas of life) in order to better meet the needs of my family and my responsibilities for my job and business.

so hang out and browse around my little bloggy world...i am hoping that it helps me make some changes and stay focused! :)

feng shui in the new place...

so according to this site, which i came across in the same tabbed e-article as my previous post on joie de vivre, there are a few things we can do to make our home (and supposedly our life) have more harmony and abundance. i don't really buy into all of the new age idealism, but i think there is a little something to it as far as bringing a sense of order and calm, so i think i am going to give it a try. a lot of it is stuff i would have in my home somewhere anyway, so why not just arrange it a little better?

so i have a small list of things i need to get which include candles (which i love anyway), lemons, some african violets, and something symbolizing fish. everything else is already in my home and needs to be put in the proper location.

living a life of peace and harmony allows me to be full of hope for a future...being stewards of our earth by green living...new age-ish? yeah, a little, but also biblical too. lots of things seem to cross over between religions and beliefs, and if a few things from another background can help me fulfill my purpose, all the better!

joie de vivre...

i just read an article in a tab i've had open for several days, just never had time to get back to it and flip through the little slideshow. there were a lot of good things included in it on "how to get what you want: an a-z guide". here's one that reflects what i am striving for lately, i am on summer break with the fam, going to the pool as much as possible, working out and getting healthy, and working on enjoying things everyday and not stressing and worrying about the things i have no control over (which is pretty much everything besides my own attitude and outlook)...

Curiously, there is no equivalent phrase or word for joie de vivre in English. Literally, it means "the joy of living," but that phrase lacks the energy, happiness, and implied lifestyle of living moments to their fullest of the French original. Joie de vivre is an inner spirit one brings to life. It is a state of mind and being that is often attributed to French women. Perhaps six weeks of annual vacation has a little something to do with that! Or the French culture's appreciation for enjoying life just as much as, if not more than, getting ahead. Cultivate your own joie de vivre by taking pleasure in things great and small, balancing mind with body, and recognizing that all of our lives require a little plage de temps (beach time) — a space of time for oneself each day.

never a dull moment...

sitting here with the hubby while waiting for some test results...wishing the doc would hurry up! i am bored, so i just figure i'd try to post from my phone. :-)
it's funny how things keep happening, but none of them are stressing me out. I love this new positive perspective that i have been able to focus on lately.
"it just takes some time, everything, everything is gonna be alright..."

not blogging enough lately...

life just keeps getting busy! (or just stays that was, i suppose)

my hubby got "downsized" from his job, we're pretty sure the house we're renting is going into foreclosure, and i still didn't get a position to teach...

but i am actually not stressing over it! i have found myself able to be much more positive about things that happen than i ever have been before, so i just keep looking for the silver lining in each situation, and know that tomorrow is another day with more hope and possibilities!

i am working on my dream board, making goals for our business and our family, and looking toward the great things that are going to happen.

i am working on cleaning out our junk, and preparing for a move.

i am working on losing weight...and have so far lost 18 pounds since october...12 of those have been since mid-march.

so yeah, working on making things better and being in a better frame of mind...that's always good!

it's been awhile...

let's see, since i last posted about haiti, life has gotten busy.

i headed up a supply drive at my school to send items to haiti through agape flights. so far we have over 10 copy paper boxes of food and supplies to send down there, along with a box full of handmade teddy bears to go to children in one of the orphanages. i am now in the process of figuring out when i can make the trek to venice to drop everything off. this weekend is full of end-of-season soccer stuff, so probably next weekend.

i've had two kids' birthdays happen, and both were somewhat significant...the first one turned 15 and is now old enough to get a learner's permit (yikes!!!) and the second one is now 10...can't believe they're both in "double digits" now!

soccer took over our lives this year. it was both good and bad. we had 3 tournaments in the span of a very short time. both kids' teams did well. it would have been more fun to watch them if we hadn't had all of this crazy weather with rain, sleet/snow, and frigid (for florida) temps to deal with...so not fun watching soccer in the cold, nasty weather with a toddler tagging along!!! after this weekend, soccer season will officially be over for the next six months, unless we decide to sign them up for spring leagues...(are we crazy? probably) elisabeth is debating on volleyball again this year, so we have to make a decision on that one soon.

on top of all of the normal craziness, nick has been fighting "the worst sinus infection i've ever seen in him" (according to his allergist...this, after sinus surgeries for the past two years in a row!), thad had a double ear infection and is finishing up his second round of antibiotics, and elisabeth broke her finger at bounceU. that ended up sending us to an orthopedic surgeon to check out because it broke on the growth plate and was out of alignment. had it not been for my instincts kicking in, she would have needed a pin put in her finger (yay me! all i did was tape the pinkie to the ring finger, which the people at urgent care didn't do).

so there it is, february in review...no work accomplished on my two master's classes and no job offers...those are my march focus, hopefully march is way more uneventful than february was!

now hurry up spring and come out of hiding! this florida girl is ready for some warm weather and trips to the beach!

help for haiti...

the earthquake has devastated the poorest nation in the western hemisphere...which also happens to be a special place for our family...haiti.

jerry went to haiti in 1998 with our church (at the time), heritage baptist in pinch, wv...one of the most mission-minded group of people we have ever met. for being a relatively small church, they did so much to help others around the world from belarus to haiti, it was amazing being a part of this amazing group of people for a small (too small really) season of our lives.

they went on a "christmas for haiti" trip and jerry had the joy of spending his birthday down there, serving in an orphanage and various churches and schools. nick, who was 3 at the time, went through his matchbox cars and had his daddy stash a bunch in his suitcase to hand out to children while he was there. and every time i have baked something using vanilla over the past 11 years, haiti comes to mind because of the amazing vanilla that jerry brought back for me on that trip. (i have about 3 tablespoons left...i tell jerry every time i use it that he needs to go back and bring me some more vanilla!) the poverty and lack of fresh water, along with the lady begging jerry to bring her baby to america so he could live (one in eight children die before the age of five in haiti) struck a chord for us, and we have always wanted to go back and get involved...unfortunately, it took this devastating earthquake happening to make it a priority for me, since life and finances have been reasons/excuses not to plan to go...

so how am i helping haiti? first and foremost, i am praying...for the people who are enduring this nightmare, for the people there helping them, and for the people of our country to rally around this situation and do whatever they can to help. i know God will bless our efforts and hears our prayers...so i am praying! (and considering a fast...)

secondly, i am blogging about this because i have seen how many people are donating money just for commenting on their blogs. you can find a good list of donating blogs here

additionally, i am planning a supply drive for needed items listed on agape flight's website. i have approached the principal of the school where i work about getting the children involved in helping, along with imploring my local friends to begin to get involved by helping donate items on their list, or monetary donations to hand to the plow because i know their ministry with Ms. Phyllis Newby is valid and that she will indeed get the money donated to help wherever the need is greatest. check out their site and find more information about this amazing woman.

also, i am going to commit to making a trip down there myself this year. i know i work full-time, have children (one under age 2), and am going to be busy taking my M.Ed. classes, but this is important, and i want to quit saying that i will go "someday"... and if it seems to be the right thing for us to do, whenever the timing might be right, i would like to adopt from haiti also.

so what are you doing? if you don't have an answer, then what are you planning to do? if you still don't have an answer, why not? don't just sit there, do something...if nothing else, go to the blogs and post comments to get others to donate money, but i challenge you to do more!

sleet, snowflakes, and icicles oh my!

woke up this morning to excessively cold temperatures for southern florida...there was snow while i was sleeping, sleet while i was driving, and icicles on the house when i got home from a morning errand. crazy thing is, soccer games were still held! but that's okay because both teams won, so booyah jack frost!!!

thankful thursday

as i took a few minutes to regroup from a busy day, i decided to sit in the front room and look at the christmas tree (yes it's still up) and plugged in the lights. as i sat there, eating a piece of my ghirardelli dark chocolate candy from santa, the ornament below seemed to stand out...



hope... i reflected on the fact that with a new year comes renewed hope in what the future holds, renewed hope in what God will do, and renewed hope in the blessings to come but as yet unknown...



just above the "hope" ornament was this one of santa kneeling at the manger. one of my favorites, because it reminds me that even though we have a lot of fun celebrating santa's visit, st. nicholas was a christ-follower, and we need to keep that as the focus all year long...



i got up and was looking more closely at the tree and reminiscing about different ornaments and their origins and stories of how they were acquired when the next ornament of "peace" struck me. after reflecting on the hope we have, i felt an overwhelming sense of peace wash over me, so it was fitting that this was the next one that i found. i then went on a mini-quest to find the last of the trio of the set of ornaments, wondering what the third word was, but couldn't remember for the life of me...



when my search concluded, i found "joy". how fitting is that? having confidence in the hope that we have brings about peace. once we have true peace, we can find joy even in the mundane and minute moments life brings.

i'm thankful for the time i was able to reflect and remember these truths...because life gets crazy and drama-filled rather quickly, and being able to look back at that little lesson sure helped keep me grounded during the almost immediate storm of drama that swirled about me just moments later.