What a Savior

This morning on my way to work I heard Laura Story's What a Savior song on the radio. It was one of the moments where the song and the message came at just the right time. I turned it up and sang the words at the top of my lungs...not caring who saw me or what they thought about it. It was one of the moments where I was reminded just how great God is and how worship doesn't have to take place within the walls of the church but can happen all of the time in my daily life. It was a great to start my day in the presence of the Lord when I was least expecting it!

"Jesus You are stronger
More than any other
Hallelujah what a Savior
Jesus You are higher
My soul's deepest desire
Hallelujah You are Savior"

In case you haven't heard the song or in case you need to hear it again like I did...

Cinco De Mayo, Racing, & a Wedding

This past weekend was so full of things! The weekend kicked off with a Cinco De Mayo party at work Thursday afternoon. It was topped off with amazing authentic Mexican food and a mariachi band! It was a great way to start the weekend! One of my best friends came into town for the mini marathon and we spent a low key Friday night catching up! Saturday morning Coy and I got up early to go cheer my friends on at the race! I was so proud of both of them! It was Adi's millionth race, but her second one in a row with a sweet babe in her tow (in her belly), she is champ. Christy ran her first race and I have so much respect for that - because while I have no desire to ever run more than 3.1 miles at one time I admire her for being able to train and get out there and finish!

We raced back home afterwards to get ready for one of the most beautiful weddings I have ever been to! My 'boss' was a gorgeous bride. It was a beautiful ceremony followed a great time amazing food and dancing! The live band was a highlight and the same mariachi band that came to my work party on Thursday showed up a little while to celebrate the actual Cinco De Mayo date!

Sunday my body decided it had had enough to I laid on the couch all day after a goodbye breakfast with Adi before she headed home!

It was a great weekend...hopefully I can rest this week!

Yummmm!

 I loved these guys!

 Woke with these two sweet things Saturday morning!

 So proud of this baby mama! Doesn't even look like she broke a sweat!

Waiting for Christy to cross the finish line!

 Yay!

 The Columbia Club was so gorgeous!

 This shot doesn't do her or her dress justice!

 Coworkers!

 I loved this live band! And loved dancing with hubs to it!

 Love him!

I took 14 shots trying to get the monument in the background! This was the best

I could do!

An 8 Year Old's Explanation of God

This was written by an 8 year old boy from Chula Vista, CA. He wrote this as part of his third grade homework assignment! Someone later published it!

Enjoy!
(Sorry for the different colors of text...I couldn't get this fixed!)

'One of God's main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die, so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn't make grownups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make That way he doesn't have to take up his valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.'

'God'ssecond most important job is listening to prayers An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times beside bedtime. God doesn't have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because he hears everything, there must be a terrible lot of noise in his ears, unless he has thought of a way to turn it off.'

'Godsees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn't go wasting his time by going over your mom and dad's head asking for something they said you couldn't have.'

'Atheists are people who don't believe in God.  I don't think there are any in Chula Vista . At least there aren't any who come to our church.'

'Jesus is God's Son. He used to do all the hard work, like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn't want to learn about God.  They finally got tired of him preaching to them and they crucified him. But he was good and kind, like his father, and he told his father that they didn't know what they were doing and to forgive them and Godsaid O.K.'

'His dad (God)appreciated everything that he had done and all his hard work on earth so he told him he didn't have to go out on the road anymore. He could stay in heaven. So he did. And now he helps his dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones he can take care of himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary, only more important.'

'You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to help you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.'

'You should always go to church on Sunday because it makes God happy, and if there's anybody you want to make happy, it's God!

Don't skip church to do something you think will be more fun like going to the beach. This is wrong. And besides the sun doesn't come out at the beach until noon anyway.'

'If you don't believe in God,besides being an atheist, you will be very lonely, because your parents can't go everywhere with you, like to camp, but Godcan. It is good to know He's around you when you're scared, in the dark or when you can't swim and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids.'

'But...you shouldn't just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and he can take me back anytime he pleases.

And...that's why I believe in God.'

My College Graduate!

Congratulations to my hubs! After 11 years, three different schools, numerous different majors, and four different occassions Coy is done with his college education!! I am SO proud of him! Over the last two and half years he has worked full time while taking full time classes. He got married in the middle of all of that, we moved two times, went on numerous trips - which made him have to work ahead and sometimes squeeze in homework while we were out of town, and still managed to be the best husband I could ever ask for!

It wasn't alway easy juggling all of these things and roles at once...but he made it and is DONE! I have told him many times over the last few years that it takes a lot of courage to go back to school as an adult and finish while in the middle of so many other life challenges. I am so very proud of him! I am so proud of his determination, motivation, and strength to stick it out!

He is amazing and will be an amazing example to our future children one day!

Send him a little celebratory love today if it crosses your mind!

A Lesson in Diversity

As with any job, somedays I love my job and others not so much. Yesterday was one of those 'love my job kind of days.' Looking back, whenever I get to spend time with my clients is when I have those love my job days. My clients, who come from many different countries with many different languages and backgrounds inspire me daily. They are so resilient. They are so eager to learn and make a better life for themselves in the United States. The teach me new things about myself and about the world around me all the time. Yesterday was no exception to this.
We started a class a few months ago which goes all day four days a week and teaches intensive English, employment and cultural skills, as well as a training course led by Ivy Tech in specialized areas. I love visiting the clients at this class and watching them interact. Even though they come from all different countries with many different languages they have become friends. Yesterday I showed up and found two clients, one from Eretria and one from Burma outside hitting a volleyball back and forth to each other. They didn't speak the same language and couldn't verbally communicate but were playing and interacting together! I went in to another room and found another group of clients sitting around enjoying lunch together, and again interacting without the gift of a common language! When I left I was so happy to see a group of men, from at least four different countries with four different languages playing volleyball together (using a football goal for their net).

It's things like this that make me so proud of what I do and the people that I serve. This might not mean much to you...but to me it shows love and acceptance, something many of us often have far too less of. Many of us take for granted this life. We take for granted our commonalities, our security, and our safety. The people in the picture above has experienced trauma and pain beyond our wildest dreams. Yet, here they are enjoying the life they have and enjoying the company of people from extremely different backgrounds than that of themselves.

We could all use a little encouragement to be more kind, more compassionate, more loving, and more resilient in our everyday lives! Just one of the many lessons these amazing refugees have taught me!

This Life.

I know I am not alone when I admit this. Sometimes I compare myself to others. Sometimes I envy what other people have and what they are doing with their life. Sometimes I try to do so many things all at once not only to gain a memory for myself but so that I don't miss out on being in someone's memory. Not all the time, but sometimes I sit back and question myself. Not life shattering questions but just really think about my life and ask what the heck I am doing and why I am doing it. And sometimes I realize I am doing things for the wrong reasons.
Yesterday the message at church reminded me that it is better to have less of something that doesn't matter and have more of what does. I spend so much time chasing after things that don't matter most in life that I miss out on loving the things that do.
As Coy and I have had a lot of ups and downs over the past few months and a lot of change and uncertainty coming our way it has at times been difficult to remember that my value doesn't come from things the world views as valuable. And yet, at other times it has come so easily to look at my sweet husband and our family and our friends and know in the deep of my soul that I am blessed beyond words. I see my husband and look back on our almost two years of marriage together and am amazed how each day I love him more than the day before. I know when I look at him and at our lives that I could be content being poor with him and living in a shack for the rest of our lives because we would be doing it together. Now, that doesn't mean I wouldn't want things I didn't have (of course that's a given) but in the end I would rather be living in the valley with him then on top of the mountains alone.
So I am challenging myself on days where I feel uncertain and when I question things in life to remember that God has a perfect plan. His ways are always greater than mine. I need to let go of the things that don't matter and cling to the things that do. God doesn't want us to have things in life that will have us. He wants us to live a free life, throwing off everything that hinders and fighting for things that do matter. Because as I was reminded yesterday if both of my hands are constantly full of things then I don't have a free hand to tend to the important things in life.

And because there is nothing more free than the ocean here are a few pictures to remind me of what it means to be free of certain things and full of the life God has in store for me.

FLORIDA!

Last week I returned from a 10 day vacation in Florida! It was perfect combination and 'fun and sun' (yes, sometimes I'm just that nerdy).
I drove down with four other girls and despite the loooooooooooong drive it was actually not that unenjoyable! Another friend met up us at the beach and it a fun and exhausting five days! After five days of some great girl time the hubs flew down and met me and we spent the rest of the week with his family! (Which was good because I was starting to miss him pretty desperately - this is the longest we had been apart since getting married!)
This vacation was so needed! Of course I got my regular and anticipated bout of sun poisoning...but even this was managable. We had amazing weather the enitre week. Despite only finishing one of the five books I had brought it was an amazing trip!

 Getting ready for the dreaded 18+ hour drive and a million stops.

 All you can eat crab legs. So amazing. So sick afterwards.

 Loved this place! Coy and I actually came back again later in the week!

 Begin vacation part 2.

 Peyton?

Love him SO much!

It is always a little sad coming back from a vacation. Luckily Coy and I have two others planned in the next few months!

In the meantime we are keeping occupied with many changes in life right now! More to come on this later!

Happy Spring!