July blog challenge Day 30

Write about my morning routine.

What a boring topic. It generally goes like this lately:

4:10 a.m. alarm. Roll over and snooze.
4:19 a.m. alarm  Hit snooze again, lie awake for a minute thinking about getting up to go workout.
4:28 a.m. alarm  Change alarm to 6:10 because I've decided I'm too tired.
6:10 a.m. alarm  Hit snooze. Listen for a minute to make sure Brooke is up and getting ready for band camp.
6:19 a.m. alarm  Turn off alarm, get up, throw on some clothes and take Brooke to band camp.
7:00 a.m. Home from dropping Brooke off at band camp, make coffee, head upstairs to get ready for work.
7:45 a.m. Leave for work!

Now my routine SHOULD go like this--actually get my lazy self up and work out. Get home, read the Word, make coffee, take Brooke to band camp, get ready for work.

Maybe one day soon!

July blog challenge Day 29

If I could be famous for one thing, what would it be:

Writing books and public speaking!

July blog challenge Day 28

Write about the last dream I remember having.

I'm actually uncomfortable writing about dreams, of all things. Sometimes they can be taken too literally. But I am a firm believer in that dreams DO mean something. Read the Bible. Joseph had very profound dreams and God brought them to pass. I believe that God can use our dreams to speak to us, guide us, warn us, protect us. But we have to be very in tune with the Holy Spirit.

I'm pretty good at interpreting others' dreams most of the time and I have had many of my own dreams come true in some way. Usually, I will dream about a person and it doesn't really matter what the person is doing in the dream or what is happening in the dream but I will know that something is DEFINITELY going on what that person and that I need to pray for them. God put them in my dream and on my mind for a reason.

I have dreamed about a guy I dated briefly many times. He is married now and I don't know why I keep dreaming about it. I have no romantic feelings for him and wish him well. Sometimes his new wife is in the dream and sometimes not and the dreams are never romantic or sexual in nature. I'm no longer close with him so I can't really reach out to find out what is going on but I do pray every time he appears in my dreams that all is well.

There have been a few times where I have been awaken in the middle of the night with someone or something in my dream and have had to immediately get to my knees. I have found that most people think I'm either lying or just silly so my dreams are not something I share with many people unless it's just something silly. I have those dreams, too and I'm so very grateful when I do.

July blog challenge Day 27

What was my most memorable vacation?

Wow! There have been so many! I have had the pleasure and good fortune to be able to go some places most people only dream about and for that I am very thankful.

I have been to London, Paris, a cruise to Key West and Cozumel and  also to New York. All were great trips and memories that I will cherish forever.

But I think my two favorite trips have been to Orlando. And not because Orlando is any great city--it seems to constantly be under construction. But because they were family trips.

In 2002, we took the kids to Disney and Universal. We went to Magic Kingdom, took a day to rest, went to Universal Studios, took a day to rest and then went to Animal Kingdom. We had the most fabulous time. We just relaxed and took things day by day. We weren't stressed or hurried and the kids had a great time. We also got to see a Braves game while there and at the time Dylan was big into baseball.

Just this past March, 12 years later, we went back. Only this time we did Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure (Harry Potter) and Epcot. The kids are older/grown and appreciated the thrill rides and a bit more of the educational aspect of the trip. Once again, we had a great time. No hurry, no stress. Just laughter and fun.

I'm glad to have been able to give them some happy memories.

July blog challenge Day 26

Post a picture of something yellow:

July blog challenge Day 25

What's in my purse?

I hate this question. It seems to be on every challenge like his and my answer is always the same:

Wallet, compact, lip gloss, eye drops, a pen, notebook, calender, checkbook, a hair clip and band, sunglasses, reading glasses, and a tampon.

I'm organized to a fault. I constantly clean out my purse.

July blog challenge Day 24

Who was my childhood celebrity crush?

Hello!!! John Schneider!!! I was ALL about the Dukes of Hazard on Friday nights! I was head over heels, madly, desperately in love with Bo Duke!

Amazingly, he has aged well! I'd still take a ride in the General Lee with him!


I had one other crush that I held onto from childhood also.

Tony Geary aka Luke Spencer from General Hospital. I know he wasn't particularly good looking but his character...oh so intriguing. My mom checked me out of school so I could watch Luke and Laura's wedding. And when they left the show I stopped watching. Years later, after the invention of YouTube, I discovered they came back to the show and left many times so I stayed up many nights catching myself up on their story. While most of it is ridiculously unrealistic, the acting between those two and the chemistry is STILL so enchanting. And I think ol' Luke looks better as an old man!

Yep. I'd still run away with him to an island to find the Ice Princess! (whatever that is!)

July blog challenge Day 23

What is my favorite part of the day and why?

That's easy. Bedtime! I love sleep but more than that I love, especially after a good day, finally sliding into my bed, between my nice, comfy sheets, under the ceiling fan but cuddled under the comforter and reflecting on the day. I usually will play on the phone for a few minutes, set my alarm, maybe watch a little tv but mostly it's just me. If I need to share something with God, I do. But it's quiet (after the tv gets turned down) and I can think and listen to Him feel Him speaking deep in my spirit.

I think about the girls in the next room, my son in Tuscaloosa, my parents at their home, my friends and all the people I love and wonder if they are settling down as well. I know I'll dream and I hope I remember it and that it was good. Sometimes my dreams are a little freaky. No nightmares or anything like that. Just things that don't make sense. Sometimes I dream about people I've known and wonder why God puts them on my mind. I pray for them when this happens. I don't know why God is bringing them to my attention but He does.

And then slowly I drift off to sleep.

July blog challenge Day 22

What are my three biggest pet peeves?

1. Judgmental people. Particularly those that fail to read and apply Matthew 18.

2. Screaming kids in a public place whose parents won't do anything about it.

3. Cruising in the left lane when people are trying to pass you!

July blog challenge Day 21

What are your thoughts on body image in the media?

Well, first it depends on what you consider "media" and what sources of "media" you (or rather, I) frequent.

I tend to limit what media I expose myself to these days. As the old saying goes, garbage in, garbage out.

But overall, I don't really have a problem. I know who I am in Christ. I love my body and proud of what it's done and can still do. Is it perfect? Of course not. Are there things I want to change? Absolutely.

I appreciate beautiful people. Whether they are beautiful inside or outside. Whether they are skinny, fit or thick, I think it's important to find beauty in everything. So look for it!

Body, mind and spirit...

I think maybe part of the reason for my "funk" the last few days is that my spirit is so heavily burdened. I'm overwhelmed at all my friends who need prayer right now for really serious stuff (not that others stuff is not serious) but family members passing away, serious health issues, etc. My mind, though intelligent, just doesn't have the capacity sometimes to express my feelings into appropriate prayers. I know all I have to say is "Jesus" and He knows my heart. It just feels inadequate to my human mind. Add on the depression from my own "stuff", stress and daily grind and it makes me physically ill. I have to do better. I need to find other ways to battle my boredom that aren't so draining. I can't afford to spend anymore time mired down by physical illness caused by mental, emotional and spiritual stress.

July blog challenge Day 20

Write about the worst and/or best date you ever had.

I have to write about the worst because I was married for 21 years until I screwed it up so we had many "best" dates, including a cruise! We have managed to remain friends and have even been on some great friend dates since our divorce. But this is just one of those times I couldn't pick out a "best".

So let's go with the worst!

Oh how I LOATHE dating! Most women are demanding, I get that. So I try not to be and in truth, I really AM low maintenance. So I feel justified in making this generalization about men: Most are pigs. Some are big vietnamese pot-bellied pigs, some are piglets. I actually can deal with pigs. I love bacon.

What I cannot deal with, however, are the ones who are TOTALLY clueless.

I met a guy on the popular dating website, plentyoffish.com. I could tell he was a few extra pounds but overall, he looked attractive and that's not what's most important to me anyway (don't get me wrong, I appreciate a nice-looking man as much as the next woman!).

He also seemed nice enough in his messages and so I agreed to meet him for coffee. The date was set for a few days from the time we chatted and I already knew I'd made a mistake when he started pressuring me to meet him sooner. When I explained that I couldn't because I had other obligations, he then starting sending the ever-so-seductive "please don't back out" messages. Desperate much?

So I arrived at Starbucks, spotted him and sat down. He immediately started talking and DID NOT SHUT UP FOR THE NEXT TWO HOURS! He did not even offer to buy me a cup of coffee. He even made a point to tell me about how he had been out on other "first meetings" he called them, and how these "crazy" women expected him to pay for their dinner! How dare them.

The few questions he did ask me about myself, I barely got to answer before he started explaining how "wrong" I was (my church and my allegiance to the Crimson Tide).

And then he tells me he just doesn't understand why he doesn't get any second dates!

I explained I had to go visit my mom and as soon as I got back to my car, I already had an email from him wanting to know if we could try a "date". I politely declined explaining that my church and my football team were very important to me (and they are) and I just couldn't see myself in a relationship with anyone that I couldn't share those two things with.

I believe in being truthful but I don't believe in being mean and I could not think of a nice way to tell him that he was a douchebag!

July blog challenge Day 19

Write about someone or something you really care about.

It's hard to pick just one thing. I care about my family--my kids especially, my friends, my dog, my church, the lost, those that are hurting--especially on the inside. I care about breastfeeding, parental rights, and orphans. I try to stay out of politics because I am 50% left brained and 50% right brained which accounts for a lot of fence-riding! I just see both sides and I don't think that there is ONE right answer for every situation. And it's not so simple as "majority rules" when what the majority wants still hurts innocent people.  I care about the environment but not enough to "live green" and eat organic when it's as expensive as it is. I care about animals but I do not believe they should have "rights", just be treated humanely.

The one thing that has been on my mind a lot lately is my daughter, Kayti. Now let me just preface this by saying that I DO love all of my children equally. But one thing I have discovered on this parenting journey is that you can't love all your children the same. You love them differently because they themselves are different. They are different from me, different from their dad, different from each other, different from everyone else in the world.

One of the books on my "To Read" list (actually several books) are Gary Chapman's Love Language books. Everyone has a unique love language.  I'm still trying to figure out what my love language is as well as my children's. Perhaps I'll have more insight after I read the books!

But my daughter Kayti has struggled with some serious issues in recent years. Sometimes she is able to conquer. Sometimes not. And when she is not, my heart breaks for her. I want so badly to go back to when she was a baby and do things all over again. I want to spend more time with her and enjoy the happy baby that she was instead of being concerned about graduating college and paying bills. I wish I could have put more space between her and Brooke and maybe they would get along better. I wish I would have handled her stubbornness differently. I had ZERO patience. I wish I had mothered her better.

I wish I could go back to when she started developing and somehow imparted into her spirit that she IS beautiful. I know I told her repeatedly as did others. But somehow we were not able to get it into her head. I wish I could go back to when she was little and been a better Christian mother, feeding her soul with prayer and scripture instead of struggling inside my own heart with the answers myself.

I wish I could go back to the terrible, awful, night that I made the most horrible mistake of my life that cost not just me, but my children the most precious thing we had--a family. I wonder how things might be different for all of us. But especially her. Maybe her faith wouldn't be flailing. Maybe she would trust those that love her. Maybe she wouldn't question herself and her own abilities and would have confidence in herself as a beautiful, intelligent young woman with the world at her feet.

But sadly, in life, we do not get do-overs. All I can do now is try my best to parent where I am and sometimes that still isn't a good place. But I do want her to know that no child was ever more wanted, planned for, worked for or loved. Her dad and I had to work hard to get her here, struggling for months with infertility. But that little miracle came through me. And we were and still are so tremendously proud.

I want her to know that I admire her gumption, her strength, her humor. I think she is smart, beautiful and if she will channel the negative into working to her advantage like I never could then there are no limits to what she can accomplish.

I want her to know that I love her more than I love myself and will always be here for her in ways that I can't be for myself. She is a writer like me so I hope that she will one day read the words in my journals with more than her eyes but with her heart in a way no one else can and understand. I just want her to see all that is deep in my spirit and somehow get it into hers while she is young enough to do something with it in a way I never could.

I love you, Sara Kaytlan Quick and always will.

July blog challenge Day 18

Post a picture of the most embarrassing article of clothing I own.

Again, I got nothing. I am OCD when it comes to cleaning out closets and drawers and I rarely keep anything out of style or tacky.

Case in point. Today was "Tacky Shirt" Day at work. The ONLY thing I could come up with was the tacky Christmas sweater I bought from the thrift store for the sole purpose of wearing to my friend's Tacky Christmas Sweater Party in December and my Bazinga shirt that my Mom bought me because I love the Big Bang Theory. Neither are really "embarrassing". I don't even classify the Bazinga shirt as tacky, but I thought everyone else might and I really didn't want to wear the Christmas sweater. It's July for Pete's sake!

July blog challenge Day 17

7 Random Facts About Me:

1. I can't stand peach anything. It makes me vomit. 
2. I have broken both of my arms. My left when I was two by falling off a sliding board. My mom didn't know it was broken for a week. My right when I crashed my kick-n-go scooter when I was 8. It ruined my summer.
3. I like to do sudoku and crossword puzzles from time to time.
4. Despite the fact I color my hair, I AM a natural blonde. 
5. My eyes look blue but they are actually green. You can see it better close up.
6. I can tie a knot in a cherry stem using only my tongue. It's supposed to mean I'm a great kisser.
7. I can usually peel an apple in a long winding circle. I don't think that means anything.

July blog challenge Day 16

One thing I have never done that most people have:

I honestly can't think of anything. In fact, I've done things most people have not. So I got nothing for this one.

July blog challenge Day 15

Last good deeds.

The last good deed I did for someone else is relatively small. I donated what was left on my starbucks giftcard to the person behind me in the drive thru.  I try to do good deeds all the time and I prefer the ones where no one knows it was me. Sometimes it's unavoidable like when I let someone I had just met but was homeless come stay with us for awhile. I know most people thought I was probably crazy for doing that.  But I couldn't deny that the Holy Spirit was leading me to do it. And it worked out well. She now has her own place and is doing great. I can't imagine what might have happened to her if I had not been obedient and I would have felt awful.

The last good deed someone did for me was a good friend GAVE, not lent, me money to pay a bill that I had NO IDEA how I would pay. I was very grateful and try to pay it forward as often as I can.

July blog challenge Day 14

Birthmarks, scars, tattoos and piercings

Only my ears are pierced right now. But they are both double pierced. They used to be triple pierced but I let the third ones grow up a long time ago. One day I hope to have flat enough abs to get a belly button ring but I don't want anything else pierced. My sister has scars on her eyebrows from piercing those and everything else just looks gross to me.

I have one tattoo. I supposed you could count them as three. But they are all close together in the same place. I got it in 1999 for my three kids. There is a baseball in the middle for Dylan. On one side there is a ladybug for Kaytibug and on the other side there is a bumblebee for my Brookabee. I love it and have not once ever regretted it.  I do need to get the colors touched up. I have contemplated getting more but my body will never be used as a canvas for art. Again, moderation.

I have three birthmarks. One is a "beauty mark" on my face, the other is a brown spot on my inner left knee and the other is a small patch on my back that is lighter pigmentation than the rest of my skin. I also have a mole under my right breast that when I was a baby my mom thought was a third nipple! lol

I have lots of scars. I have a scar from my tubal ligation, four tiny scars from gall bladder surgery, two scars on my right knee and three on the left all from knee surgeries, I have a wasp sting scar on my right hand, a scar from a tiny cut on the right hand, a burn mark scar on the right wrist and another scar from a tiny cut on the left wrist.

Reading...

Last night I finished another fabulous book by Dave and Neta Jackson. I have absolutely LOVED Neta's Yada Yada Prayer group books and this was yet another spinoff story about a homeless woman, 80 years old and what led her to the streets. I've always tried not to judge people for being homeless and it really irks me when others do and say stupid things like, "just get a job". You have NO IDEA what some of these people's stories are or what they are dealing with. Lucy's story, while fictional, was heartbreaking but I've no doubt true for some out there. If you have not read the Yada Yada books, the spinoff House of Hope series or Lucy Come Home, you are missing out on some huge lessons and blessings!

So now I just finished the intro and first chapter of Stormie Omartian's "The Power of Praying for Your Adult Children" and let me just say--wow! It is so hard sometimes for me to wrap my mind around the fact that God loves my kids even more than I do and it's even harder for me to completely trust Him with them (confession there). But I can only do so much. He has to meet me where my efforts fail and I know He will. Not only do we need to pray for our children's health and well-being, spiritually, physically, emotionally, mentally, etc. But what struck me today is that we need to pray that the Holy Spirit be poured out on our adult children. "We must recognize that already a spirit is being poured out on them right now--a spirit of darkness, death, perversion, lies, destruction, evil--and only an outpouring of the Holy Spirit can negate that in their lives before it harms or destroys them. Only an outpouring of the Holy Spirit can connect them to the power of God." I stand daily on God's promise to reap a harvest from the seeds planted in them when they were little and to redeem areas where I (or their father) have made mistakes in raising them. I have to claim this!

July blog challenge Day 13

Would you rather be rich or healthy?

Duh. Healthy. What good is it to be rich if you can't enjoy the money?

July blog challenge Day 12

One of my biggest accomplishments in life.

I have two:

1) I gave birth to and have raised the three smartest, best kids ever.

2) I graduated college despite working full time and having small children and a sick husband.

July blog challenge Day 11

The worst injury I've ever had.

I broke my left arm when I was two. I fell off a sliding board. My mom did not know it was broken for two weeks.

I broke my right arm when I was eight. I wrecked on my kick-n-go scooter at the beginning of summer and the rest of my summer was ruined.

But my worst injuries were the knee surgeries I had in 2010. We really aren't sure if I had a birth defect that went undetected or if I developed this later but nonetheless, my kneecaps are not centered. The grinding against the other bones eventually wore down and I was faced with the decision to have bilateral release surgery or treat with anti-inflammatory medicine and within ten years have to have knee replacement. I opted for the former but have regretted it since. Not that I think knee replacement is a better option but I should have gotten a second opinion because the surgery really did not correct the problem completely. My knees still grind and I'm still in a lot of pain some days. The  more I exercise the better it is sometimes but then other times, it just hurts worse. I'm trying to take some weight off so there won't be so much stress on the knees but it's a slow process apparently.

Another thing is that the surgeon told me no more running. Now, I've never been much of a runner anyway. I had only started doing 5k's when I had the first surgery. But I was only 40 and I would not accept that I couldn't do something already. Especially since I walk faster than I run anyway. He had no problem with walking, swimming, biking, or dancing. So I didn't see the reason for him to have a problem with the running. So that's when I switched doctors.

My new doctor wanted to do more surgery! More invasive and a longer recovery time. I am in no hurry to do that. So every 6 months to a year, I go in and get steroid shots and joint fluid replacement shots to buy myself more time. They help some. But for the most part, I take a lot of aleve and just power through. What else can I do? I'm not going to stop doing the things I enjoy until absolutely necessary and then I will probably want to put a bullet in my head!

July blog challenge Day 10

Write about someone who inspires you:

I had to postpone this writing assignment because I couldn't think of just ONE person that inspires me the MOST. I'm inspired by many people for different reasons.

My mom because she is the very first strong woman I ever met and taught me a lot about independence.

My dad because he raised a child he didn't have to and taught me a lot about sacrificial love.

My Maw Maw who has passed on because she was so humble and giving.

My friend, Dede for sharing her wisdom.

My friend, Rhonda for lighting fire under my butt to work out.

My friends Donna, Teresa and Shay for being wonderful examples of Christian women who have prayed for me endlessly.

My children for inspiring me to want to make our lives the best it can be.

My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, for without His work on the cross AND our relationship, I would be nowhere.

July blog challenge Day 9

What is my food philosophy?

Well, I've never taken the time to really think about it. I honestly didn't know there was a such thing as a "food philosophy". But I guess if I have to have one it's the same as my philosophy on everything else--everything in moderation!

Since I've been trying to lose weight and get in better shape, I have cut way down on many of the "comfort foods" that I enjoy and trying to adapt to the idea that I need to get joy from something besides eating. It's difficult because so much of our lives revolve around food. Office parties, holiday parties, tailgate parties, birthday parties, cookouts, takeouts, dining out...it's all about food!  So portion control is key. And very very little of the bad stuff.

I'm no vegetarian by any means. I did do the Daniel Fast at the beginning of the year and did very well. But I do not subscribe to the belief that animal products are bad for you. Too much of ANYTHING is bad for you.  And that's my food philosophy.

Thoughts from this morning's quiet time...

Last week, my daughter, Kayti, took her car to a place to have her doors fixed. The panels are falling off and we just needed someone to put them back on securely. I called and got an estimate and had her go the next morning. When she arrived, the man told her that he was unable to fix them and that they would have to be replaced--at $1000 each! Ha! I only paid $1000 for the entire car! No way were we paying that amount of money to fix door panels. My dad subsequently fixed them himself (I didn't want to ask him to begin with because he is not in the best of health, even though I knew without a doubt he would be able to do it) for around $10.

But when she called to tell me what the man had said, she was EXTREMELY upset.  My poor daughter, she comes by her emotions honestly. As I tend to get upset over the little things, even when I know I shouldn't. I just told her she had to get control over herself and that we would figure something out and everything would be okay. She seemed to calm down and ultimately, of course, everything was okay, thanks to Dad.

But in reading my devotion this morning, I realized that many of us are just like me and my daughter. Our first response to our problems is rarely ever prayer, let alone praise. We usually cry, complain, yell, deny or pout. This is because it is not normal to be joyful in the face of trials, even the little ones. But we must work on developing this trait because God does not promise that we will not have problems. He knows well that we will because we live in a fallen world. But He DOES promise that He will use those problems to shape us.

I have recently begun working out--strenuously! With every ache of my muscles and pop of my joints, my body not used to this regimen, cries out to me, "Woman, what are you doing?!" But I know that the benefits of my pain will ultimately be worth it. I will be in better shape. I will look and feel better. My overall health will improve and my risk for obesity related diseases will diminish. So I push forward.

We need to view our problems in life as spiritual exercise. When we are able to view our suffering as something good in our lives we will be able to rejoice. God uses our problems to strengthen our faith as each time we go through something, we always come out stronger and with more faith than before. Without these troubles, most of us would not maintain a relationship with God because we would never see the need to cry out for Him, let alone praise Him for anything good.

I must tell God every day that rejoicing does not come natural for me (He knows this anyway) and ask for His supernatural help to my make responses to difficulties and pressures in life line up with His ways.  That is my prayer today and every day from now on.

Be blessed!

July blog challenge Day 8

How do I envision my life being in 5 years?

I hope to be done with graduate school and sporting the letters, M.B.A. behind my name!

I hope to have gone to Israel and on at least 2 other mission trips.

I hope to be employed in HR with a rewarding job helping people.

I hope to be living near the beach.

I hope to be the mom of two University of Alabama graduates, with one in med school, the other a successful engineer and the youngest an art student somewhere.

I hope to be even closer to God and to have made and continue to make a difference for His kingdom.

I hope to have knocked a few more things off the bucket list.

I hope to have traveled well.

July blog challenge Day 7

If I could live in any time period of the past which would it be and why?

I have always had a fascination with the 60's. But the 40's are cool, too. But I think I would love a do over with my kids being little ago. I enjoyed it so much!

July blog challenge Day 6

If I could spend 15 minutes with any celebrity, who would it be and why?

Duh! Shemar Moore! Why? Just look at him!

I might need longer than 15 minutes!

July blog challenge Day 5

Post a picture of someone or something that made my day special:

My bigs and my littles! At Liam's 3rd birthday party!

July blog challenge Day 4

If I could rid the world of one thing, what would it be.

Difficult to choose between greed, prejudice and the "it's all about me" attitudes most people have. But I think I'll go with pride.  Pride keeps people from admitting when they're wrong. It keeps people from mending relationships. Pride keeps people from seeking help when they really need it. And yet pride eludes some people that need to have some sense of pride restored in them.

July blog challenge Day 3

What was the last movie I saw in a theatre?

I'm not big on movies. But I did go see Give Me Shelter back in January. Great movie.

July blog challenge Day 2

If I could offer a newborn child one piece of advice what would it be.

Always remember that your parents love you. They may make mistakes. They won't always do everything perfectly. But nothing else in this world measures up to their love for you. They will always be in your corner. They will always have your back. They'll get stressed out. Cut them a little slack because believe me, they're gonna end up cutting you a LOT of slack! Cherish whatever time you can get with them. Don't be so demanding. Listen to them. They are wise even if it doesn't feel like they are. Enjoy your time with them because one day you will be grown up, they'll grow old and one day wont be there for you and you will wish you had it all back. They will wish they had it all back, too. So gently remind them not to rush the good stuff! Tell them not to always be looking forward to the next thing in your life but to stop before they miss the last things.

July blog challenge Day 1

Write your goals for the month:

1. pray and spend time with God daily.
2. Exercise daily and work harder at changing my eating habits.
3. Be more vigilant about housework and decor. I've been a slacker
4. Finish at least 5 more books.
5. Participate in SERVE day at church.
6. Serve at the MOTION student conference!
7.Start writing my book.
8. Go to Art on the Rocks.
9. Run the Run or Dye 5k.
10. Be a better friend, mom and person.
11. a trip to tube on the cahaba
12. Stockpile stuff for Kayti's apartment.
13. a trip to Spring valley Beach
14. finish my study on Praying for Your Adult Children by Stormie Omartian
15. Spend more time with my Christian Singles friends.

June blog challenge Day 30 A picture of myself today and things that have happened in the last 30 days

Okay so it wasn't exactly taken today. It was actually taken one Sunday when Brooke and I were goofing off. But it's pretty close to how I've looked today It's been a really crappy day.  I've cried my makeup off, sweated what was left off and have just generally felt and looked like crap. But this day notwithstanding, We did have a decent month of June. We were at the beach for some of it.  We went to the pool many times. I started a very rigorous workout regimen. We celebrated Brooke's birthday and had some fun here and there. I've read two more books and am have just started on another. I've started to battle some old demons again but I'm mightier these days than I was a year ago. I know that the power that raised Christ from the dead lives in me and I will persevere and be victorious. I lay claim to all He has promised me. The seeds planted in my heart and that were planted in my children's hearts when they were younger WILL come to fruition. Nothing can ever thwart God's plans. The plans He has for me are far greater than any I can make for myself. I just have to trust it.

Today I made some decisions that are going to affect a few people. But it's something I need to do for me. For my mental health and well-being. I can't move one if I still have one foot stuck in the past. It's hard to do because it affects my children. I've tried to figure a way where we can co-parents and both enjoy all the little milestones and celebrations in our children's lives. But it makes things so confusing and difficult for everyone, especially me. So my ex and I will go back to parenting separately. I have to move on and I can't sit and watch him move on. It hurts too badly.  So that's where we are.

June blog challenge Day 29 Something I could never get tired of doing

Hmmm, I never get tired of lying by the pool, reading good books, cuddling my dog, watching Sex and the City reruns, drinking sweet tea, looking at pictures of my kids or listening to great music.

June blog challenge Day 28 My favorite movie

I enjoy good movies. There are many that are dear to my heart that I could watch over and over. But there is ONE that no other movie comes close to and that is so special I only watch it once a year and only at the Alabama Theatre.

I love everything about it--the message, the actors, the time period...I cry every time George Bailey realizes the impact he made on so many people and I am reminded of the many people who have made an impact on my life and hope that I have impacted others' lives in a positive way. Each person's life touches so many other lives. When she isn't around, it leaves an awful hole! I believe that. The definitely do not make movies like this anymore. I love the characters and cannot imagine anyone else playing them. Jimmy Stewart was the best! A real man. And Donna Reed was just so beautiful and wholesome. If you haven't seen it, you don't know what you're missing!

June blog challenge Day 27 Shuffle!

Put my iPod on shuffle and list the first ten songs. Well, I don't have an iPod. I have a smartphone with a music player. And I'm not going downstairs to get it. So I'll list the ten songs that I really like right now:

1. Forever by Kari Jobe
2. Good Morning by Mandisa
3. Fancy by Iggy Azalea
4. Fall in Love With Me by Justin Timberlake
5. Best Day of My Life by America Authors
6. We are Free by Matt Redman
7. Sunday Morning by Maroon 5
8. Don't Want This Night to End by Luke Bryan
9. Keep on Lovin' You by REO Speedwagon
10. Photograph by Def Leppard

I'm all over the board with my taste in music. 

June blog challenge Day 26 Five years ago--how have I changed?

Wow! What a loaded question!

For starters, I am divorced instead of married. I work full-time instead of part-time and homeschooling. Those are the obvious differences.

I have been through a lot in the last five years--many things I never expected to go through. But I am even closer to God than ever.

I am way more confident and secure in who I am as a woman, a mom, and a daughter of the King.

I have learned how to be a better friend. I have learned that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I have learned how to lean on Him.

I have learned to ask for help when I truly need it.

I have learned to be more patient and trusting, though I do still struggle with this sometimes.

I have learned that the grass is not always greener on the other side.

I have learned that there is definitely evil in the world but there is still a lot of good, too.

I have much better direction and a clearer idea of my purpose in life.

I know now that it is not only okay to be flawed but often, it can be beautiful and should be celebrated.

June blog challenge Day 25 Something that you miss

 I miss my kids being little....

 They grew up way too fast!