Family Time!

I know, I know...I was doing so well with NaBloPoMo, and then I came to Mississippi. While my grandmother has a computer, it's still on dial-up, so needless to say, I have not been blogging...on dial-up!

I have so enjoyed my time with family and friends, and I can't wait to share my stories and pics with you when I have more time! I hope your Christmases were wonderful, and if you're anything like me...I hope you at all of the pecan pie you could swallow...smile!

I have been having such awesome fellowship with our Father. I can't wait to share more about that with you later too!!! Until I can catch up....~J

P.S. I'm definitely thankful for family, and the wonderful laughs and times I have spent with mine!!!

Thank YOU!

Today marks the first day of my Christmas vacation! I am so thankful and grateful that I made it to this point! It was an AWESOME semester. Really, I have the BEST job...besides working for myself that is! My kids are so great, but this could be because I won't see them for 2 weeks...HA!

You know, nothing warms my heart more than when I solicit prayers, and get responses from you...my friends. I'm humbled and blessed beyond belief. It has been so blatantly obvious to me that God is really up to something. I can't wait to see this through. Thanks for sticking around to see this through with me.

Tonight, I'm thankful for you...my own prayer warriors, for without you, where would I be. Thank you for always filling in the gap! I appreciate it more than you know!
Until tomorrow..~J

P.S. Here is a song that I listened to a lot in college, and it has again become the theme song for my life in this season...it seems to say all that I can't for I too, am not that eloquent...remember, pause the music to the right!

Music for the Soul!

This is one of my most favorite songs from my early college days! Make sure you stop the music to the right before listening! Enjoy! (Out of Eden, Here's My Heart)

Prayer Circle!

I know, I know...my Mom came last night, and I wasn't feeling well at all...the pleurisy is back..., so I hopped in the bed at 10:15 last night! It was a much needed rest. Therefore, I didn't get a chance to post last night!

Tonight, I want to solicit your prayers. I'm not totally ready to expose ALL of my business to who knows who on this blog, but the prayers of the righteous man availeth much. I would like for you all to stand in agreement with me as I continue to seek God's face for His timing, and my contentment with where I am right now. Don't get me wrong, I'm not being ungrateful, I just don't want to put my cart before the horse. God has certainly bestowed tons of blessings on me, and if He doesn't do another thing in my life, I'm still thankful...again, I just want to be totally in His will!

So tonight, and yesterday...smile, I'm thankful for those I can call on for prayer! Until tomorrow...~J

Overwhelmed?!

So today, I have had this overwhelmingly awesome feeling. Don't know what it's about, but glad to be the one that gets to experience it. Don't worry though..it's a GREAT feeling, and one of expectancy. The possibilities with God are endless, and one thing I've learned hopefully for the last time is that God will not be put off by our desires. He gets His way, whether we go willingly or unwillingly...thank goodness God is a gracious God!

Be Ready!

My heart is really full tonight. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I'm pretty sure God is about to do something major and long awaited. Not necessarily for me, maybe for you....are you ready?

I'm thankful tonight that God answers prayers. I'm thankful that when you don't know what to say, He does. I'm thankful that God pursues us even when we are so undeserving. I'm really just thankful...for everything! Until tomorrow ~J

Live Out Loud!

Today marks one solid week that I have been journaling my thankfulness to Jesus. If I may take a moment to share just how awesome this has been in my life. I'm peaceful, joyful, content, and optimistic, all rolled into one. I've heard over and over again that you are one decision away from the life that you want, and that is so true.

I am thankful for a lot of things today, but the one that sticks out the most, is just to be happy where I am RIGHT now. I could be doing a million different things, living a totally different life, but right now, I'm here for a reason. Trust me, I didn't arrive here quickly. I did a lot of kicking and screaming, not trusting, being impatient, and just wanting what I wanted when I wanted it, but when you finally understand that God will not be rushed, and He is not moved by our timelines, life just seems to flow. So today, I'm thankful for the opportunity to 'Live out Loud' in the moment! Until tomorrow...~J

Friends!

WOW! I know it is really late, later than I normally post but today was a full day! I don't know if I mentioned this earlier but I am a Co-Chair for our Provisional Project, and we had to do some housekeeping this morning.

THEN...this evening, I had a Christmas party at my house, so needless to say, things have been hectic today.

Today I am thankful for friends. I had a great time sharing Christmas memories with my friends today. Authentic friendships are things that every person needs in their lives. My friends are there for the good, the bad, and the ugly...and they still love me! So today, I am thankful for the circle of friends that God has given me...until tomorrow..~J

Lay it Down...

Today, aggravation is clouding my thankfulness, but only for a fleeting moment. This all stems from my need to control everything! Imagine that, I get agitated with people who don't perform to my expectations...trust me, God is SO dealing with me on this.

I have to be honest and say that at first, I wasn't going to blog about this part, but there's nothing like being real, and I do want to be real. It's funny how this is something that I asked God to bring under His control...TODAY, and here I am, faced with a test. Normally, I would write people off, and just do it myself. I understand that that's not the best way to handle things, but my Goliath...thanks Becca, is not your Goliath. I get annoyed with excuses. You should hear me in my classroom...I don't like them, and my kids know that. I get annoyed when people consider their life more important than yours, we've all got things that we think are important..I get annoyed when people committ to a project, and don't uphold their responsibilities. I get annoyed with people....easily...

Now, you may laugh, but at first, for years in fact, I didn't see a thing wrong with this. Excellence is the standard, and if you were not reaching for excellence, I felt it was my job to tell you. I laugh now, because obviously I've had it all wrong!

It's not my job to be the police of the world...it's not my job to get annoyed with those that God loves dearly...it's just not my job! Now don't get me wrong..I just realized that this was not a good idea, and that God doesn't like it...I JUST laid this down at His feet, so I'm not exactly where I need to be yet, but I promise I'm on my way.

So, alllll of this to say that today, I'm thankful for laying another yucky habit down at the feet of Jesus, so that He can prune and mold me into His likeness. Until tomorrow...~J

In pursuit...

Hello! Today, for some reason, I am SO tired! I really didn't do anything different, but I'm pooped. I will definitely hit the sack early tonight!

Today, I am thankful for rest. Not just any kind of rest though, that rest you get when you've done all you can do to change a situation, and you run to God defeated, asking Him to make it all better. Aren't you glad He's always right there, ready to pick you up, take you in His arms, and release the load you should not have been carrying around anyway...do you know what kind of rest that is?

God has been dealing with me on a subject that I will share more about later. Trust me when I tell you that I've been running HARD to NOT change, but when God is after you, there really is no place to hide! I promise to share more later as God pursues me in this, until tomorrow! ~J

God IS everywhere!

Hello! I don't even know if anyone is reading this, but it really feels good to intentionally look for things to be thankful for every day. I'm sure there are a lot of super spiritual people who reflect daily on the goodness of God, but this is definitely a first for me.

I mean sure, I love God, but I don't revel in each moment, and thank Him as I should. I'm so blessed already. I'm actually finding it REALLY hard to PICK what one thing to be thankful for each day. How awesome is that. OK--I can't believe I'm going to type this, but TODAY, I'm thankful for my students. They are all so different, so sweet in their own little ways, and really add a little something to my life. Today, I made a difference, and I got a chance to see it. It was an awesome experience, and if you're a teacher, or have ever worked with children, then you know that those moments are few and far between. (Side note: when I was in the process of helping her, I quoted Luke 12, "O ye of little faith..." and her reply was "Ms. D, I just read that last night, and it worked"...AHH!) Talk about a 'moment!' I just stood there smiling...God is so faithful!

So today, at this moment, I changed a life, gave a little hope, and did something nice for someone else...and it felt so RIGHT! Talk to you tomorrow! ~J

A Journey!

Today was a busy day. Work was a whirlwind, and then I rushed home to get ready for my Junior League Provisional Christmas Party. It was a great day, just busy! I'm glad to be home, and in my PJ's!

Today, I am thankful for the power of prayer and friends who truly stick it out with you. Have you ever gone through a period where you felt like your prayers were hitting the roof, and bouncing right back down in your lap? It's not a fun place to be, but I guarantee you that if you are there, you are the agent of change. Don't spend a lot of time questioning God....it's not our place, instead, trust and listen. I'm really inadequate when it comes to this subject, God is not finished with me yet, but as I learn, I want to share...so today, I'm thankful for that little piece of light that I was shown today, and I am so encouraged! See you tomorrow!

Hues!

Today started off a great day. When I walked outside this morning, the sky was a mixture of pink and purple, and streaks of gold. It was beautiful. Either I never take the time to look at the sky in my mad dash to get to work on time, or today was just extra special. Whatever the case, it made me pause, and thank God for a brand new morning. So, today I am thankful for that brief moment of peace...it was beautiful...

I've had a few questions about the bread, so here's the scoop. This Thanksgiving, my cousin gave me an ounce of her starter for sourdough bread. The process is really simple, you just have to feed the starter every 3-7 days. I'd love to multiply my starter, and share it with anyone who's interested. So far I already have 2 people, so I'm excited. Fresh bread is amazing! Well, that's all for today!Have a great evening!

NaBloPoMo!!!

I know you're wondering what in the heck that means, but, NaBloPoMo is acutally a site dedicated to blogs, and posting every single day for a month. Now, I must admit that it seems like a daunting task, and at first, I had no idea what I could actually talk about every single day..shocking I know, but I feel that in the midst of the holiday season, I'm to journal what I am thankful for for an entire month!

I'm so excited...I feel that lately, I've been really taking things for granted lately, and just not appreciating the small stuff. Today, or tonight rather, that all comes to an end.

OK--here goes:
Today, I'm thankful for church. I found a church that I am going to join today. It seems so perfect for me, it's a bible teaching church, full of life, growth, JESUS, and I just feel so at home there!! I know you guys in a good church can relate to my feelings of glee. Oh yeah, and I'm thankful for the yummy smell of fresh, made-from-scratch sourdough bread baking in my oven. Seriously, it is the most 'homey' smell EVER! Just makes me feel so warm and gooey inside!! So, here's to 29 more days of being thankful, and sharing it all with you!

~Goodnight!

I love the Holidays!

I know I've been MIA lately, but I have a very valid reason. My cousin that you all read about this Summer thinks I'm the coolest...and I must admit, I like it, so he asked me for my laptop that I just got a little over a year ago. So, in the name of Thanksgiving, I gave him my laptop, and promptly ordered myself a new one from Dell.

I FINALLY received my new lappy Wednesday, and it didn't come a day too soon! I love it, it's purple, sleek, and oh so cool! So, thanks Jonathan, for making me pay my hard earned money for something I didn't need!!! You're a gem!

It's all good now, and we both have new lappies, so what more can you ask for. But enough of that, let's catch up...

My Thanksgiving was awesome! I went home, Tuesday night, and Wednesday, we were on the road. Dad and I stopped by Waco on our way to the farm, and picked up a honey baked ham, and the desserts. It was so good to see Waco, if only for an hour, and I even got to see one of my former students at IHOP. It was a great mini stop!

Thanksgivings at the farm is such a great time for my family. We JUST got cable out there, but we really don't watch much TV. Our hours are filled with walks along the property, dominoes, spades, cooking, cooking, football, baseball, and just enjoying one another. Recently this year, we added singing WITH the guitar that my cousin Anna now knows how to play. It was an awesome, awesome time. Oh-- and the game we played as an entire family this year was HILARIOUS...here's the skinny...each person wrote down 3 things about themselves. We put all of the slips into a bag, and each person had to pull a slip, and ACT out who we thought the person was. I laughed until I cried, and it was so funny when my Dad's younger sister pulled his slip, and impersonated him....FUN TIMES!

The rest of the week I spent hanging out with my Dad, and vegging out. I needed the rest as things have been non-stop lately.

Now on to Christmas...I can't wait. I love to celebrate Jesus' birthday with my family. We're going to Mississippi this year, so I'm really excited about that. My grandmother goes ALLLLL out with the Christmas decorations...We have so many traditions from my Mom's side of the family at Christmas time. Going to the Christmas Cantata at church...opening presents at midnight...my personal fave since childhood, cooking everyday, (better watch that diet), stories, reminiscing, hanging out with Danyelle, and now Karmen...I'm so excited! I can't wait. I hope each one of you has some special traditions that you will either start or continue this year. I'd love to hear about them. Until next time...