When I Grow Up...

I will fight for kids who don't have a voice
and open my home to those who need one.

I will run a marathon and eat fudge for breakfast.

I jump on a plane and travel the world.

I will write a book for grown-ups,
and also a series for kids.

I will have a home on the beach and one in the mountains.

I'll sit on a porch swing with my love
and remember back on all the growing up.



Thanks for the idea Court. Love you!

Something Heavenly

It's time for healing time to move on
It's time to fix what's been broken too long
Time make right what has been wrong
It's time to find my way to where I belong
There's a wave that's crashing over me
And all I can do is surrender

(Chorus)
Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
but I'm giving in to something Heavenly

Time for a milestone
Time to begin again
Reevaluate who I really am
Am I doing everything to follow Your will
Or just climbing aimlessly over these hills
So show me what it is You want from me
I give everything I surrender...
To...

(Chorus)

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but I believe
You're up to something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly

Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but now I can see
This is something bigger than me
Larger than life something Heavenly
Something Heavenly

It's time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out

By: Sanctus Real

A very sweet and dear mentor of mine sent me a text earlier. She told me that she was praying this song over me today. I couldn't help but post it for you to read. I hope that it inspires you to draw near to a God who wants more for you.

I think this is my favorite verse:

Time to face up
Clean this old house
Time to breathe in and let everything out
That I've wanted to say for so many years
Time to release all my held back tears

That just sounds so heavenly to me, doesn't it to you?

Storing up My Teasures

These are my mommy treasures as of late.

-Seeing her sweet spirit develop as she grows into her great big heart.
-Watching her kiss her babies and tuck them in so gently.
-Seeing her love for music grow stronger as she learns songs, hums in the car and rocks out when Daddy plays guitar. (He says they have a "musical connection".)
-Hearing her say "please", "bless you" and "thank you" as she learns to mind her manners.
-Seeing how she captivates an audience so easily.
-Hearing her "read" a book to me.
-Watching the excitement on her face as she sees familiar things she loves. (Like a cookie!)
-Seeing her fight for attention, especially when Daddy kisses or hugs Mommy instead of her. :)
-Watching her be independent and hearing her tell me exactly what she wants with her different noises and pointing fingers only a mommy can understand.
-Watching her enjoy the simple things in life like flowers, bright colors and lights, rolly pollys, dancing and animals of all kinds.
-Allowing her to remind my adult heart that the simple things are worth enjoying in my fast paced world.
-Seeing her play pretend in Mommy's shoes, makeup and jewelry.
-Seeing her grow and learn each day that I am blessed enough to be called her Mommy.

"...But His mother treasured all these things in her heart." Luke 2:51

The future worth living for...

A child will make love stronger, days shorter, nights longer, bankroll smaller, home happier, clothes shabbier, the past forgotten, and the future worth living for. - Anonymous

School girl

My baby is a school girl now. Excuse me, when did this happen?

The night before we lay out her clothes, pack her lunch and fill up her bag with all the essentials to get her through the next day. Two days a week we do this. In the morning we wake her up early and just like that she goes to preschool from 9-1. Sounds pretty small to most, but to us this was a riveting milestone. This is the first time she has ever been with anyone but family. For me, it is one of those slow releases people tell you about. It is a like teeter totter between doing what's best for her growth and wanting to keep her a baby forever.

Of course, the first week she didn't even make it until one and I was a nervous wreck. The second week, she cried less. But by the third week she is having a blast!! I can already see how much she is learning and growing. She talks non stop now! She dances and sings more than ever. She is making new friends and bonding with her teachers. I could not be more happy!

She still cries everyday when I drop her at the door, but it subsides much more quickly with each new day and I know she has fun. It is just so weird to think of her having a whole day of new experiences without any of us there. She is her own person now.

Pretty soon, we will be packing her up for college.

(Note: I took some really cute pictures of her on the first day of school and then in a moment of oblivion I deleted them from my camera. I thought I had already loaded them on the computer. I will have to take some more pics of school mornings soon.)

A Sack of Potatoes

When you're little life is simple. You don't think for a minute about the latest over priced item you may "need" because everyone else has it. You don't even feel inadequate because you do not have it all. Your barely used heart is just as happy as can be with a plain old sack of potatoes dragging along beside you. Oh the possibilities that little sack could hold. You are content with the everyday; not a worry in the world. Are you taking notes yet? As her mama, I know I am.

Bittersweet

"Isn't it hard on you that your husband is gone all the time?" or the "How do you handle being home alone so often while he is out on the road?", coupled with a face of either disapproval, concern, or sympathy. I get this at least once a week.

I married a musician who stuck with his dream and faithfully turned a childhood hobby into a lifelong profession. With that comes a lot of uncharted and unfamiliar territory for the naive girl by his side. This means our schedules are totally opposite, and he is usually on the road anywhere from 3-5 days a week. When he's gone I get a good morning text, an afternoon call, and finally the most important call sometime between 1-3 am. (Are you coveting me yet?) Sometimes on really good days we IM or text randomly throughout while he is riding in the van to his next destination. (Glamorous, huh?) Another perk of being the wife of a driven musician is the ever so popular job of being the only parent to our little one for days at a time. There is no, "You wait until your father gets home.", because I know it could be awhile. I get the weekend chores to do alone; along with the worries of the presumptuous girls who consider themselves "with the band".

You may or may not be making your own judgements as you read this; but in my mind there is a hint of a silver lining.

I am privileged to stand beside a man who didn't settle. I have been there with him when he literally had nothing, and I heard his protests when so many told him he couldn't. I've been there with him when he tried the 9-5. I saw his face when he came home stripped of his joy every single day of that long year. I've seen him stand firm in his choices, and be more deliberate about his life than many people our age.

In a world where so many allow their job to pick them, or simply surrender themselves to a "successful" career; I feel sad. I especially feel sad for men who are doing something for which they were never made, and it shows on their face. Those men find Chris often. They approach him at church, at a bar, or in a group of friends. They each share their stories with a look of defeat in their eyes about how they always wanted to pursue a God given passion but-for one reason or another-they gave up. They tell him about the breaking point somewhere along the line when they got scared of failure or listened to someone telling them they couldn't.

I was drawn to his passion from the beginning. I respect the drive he has for something he loves. He stuck true to a calling that runs deep in his veins, never wavering by the judgement of others. He is doing exactly what he was made to do, and for that I could never be more proud.