My Inspirational Hodge Podge: Part 2

On Bourbon Street. At 2:30 in the afternoon. Wow. 

This post is overdue. 

And for all two of you who were actually interested in seeing my inspirational quotes, I apologize.

But, I have an excuse.  

We left town to visit family in New Orleans. (Now the picture above is making sense, yeah?)

At Cafe Du Monde: Swimming in Powdered Sugar

What a quick, but amazing trip. We ate waaaay too much Cajun food (still working that off in the gym). We got to pet alligators and snakes. We rode four-wheelers. We walked around the French Quarter (which I haven't been to since I was twelve). We went to Cabela's (best store ever). Heck, we did the whole Southern Louisiana thang.

Jackson Square: The French Quarter

It was awesome.

We soaked in family moments. 

Aaaaand...

We left our computer charger behind. 

So, we had a dead computer for *gasp* over a week. 

So, without further ado (Did I even say that right?), here are some of the quotes posted throughout my house any place I needed "taped-up motivation." 

Some of them were actually words of encouragement for myself, from myself. 

Here ya' go!


When I'm Struggling with Contentment:

"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy." -Martin Luther King

"Just remember that someone out there is more than happy with less than what you have." -Unknown

"If you are waiting for the day you finally "arrive", you will never get there. Be content or it will never be enough." -Yours Truly

"Happiness is not a destination. It is a moment by moment decision to find the blessings in whatever circumstance I am in." - Yours Truly


When I Am Snappy with My Husband and Kids:

"It is more important to show grace than to be right." -Yours Truly

"My kids will learn how to live life by my example. Don't complain. Allow mistakes. Accidents are just that. Be content. Give to others. Smile. Relax. Tickle. Laugh. And love the Lord with all you have." -Yours Truly

"My true self is shown in how I treat those closest to me. Lord, flavor my words, my actions, and my reactions with grace understanding, and love." - Yours Truly

"Three things you cannot recover in life: the WORD after it's said, the MOMENT after it's missed and the TIME after it's gone. Be careful!" - Unknown

The Most Important Quote I Say Daily (slowly and aloud)

"The Lord is my Shepherd. I shall not want. 
He makes me to lie down in green pastures. 
He leads me beside the still waters. 
He restores my soul; He leads me in paths of righteousness for His name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me. Your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord Forever." -Psalm 23


That last one reminds me that I have a God who is there and in control. Even when I don't see it. 

Memorize it. 

And when you are stressed, close your eyes and say it aloud. I'm thankful I started saying this every day. It has helped me more than any quote I or anyone else could come up with. :) 

Blessings to you this Thanksgiving! Soak in the moments. (Like we did in The Big Easy!)  

Peanut with my awesome niece, Heather, at Cabela's. (A.K.A.- "Heaven")

Me and my precious cousin, Ashley, eating Cajun food for lunch. Cajun is one of my faves.

My Final Post. Well, Not Really.

Can I be brutally honest?

I've hit a rough patch on this journey of finding myself.

Life as a wife with a traveling husband, a toddler and an active eight year-old is proving to be a lot. I have two upcoming women's Bible studies (one of which I am leading), a speaking engagement (of which I am stoked about!), and Opie just started Fall Baseball. Throw in sewing lessons, church work and writing a blog and it's a wonder I'm not in a padded room wearing a snug white jacket. 

Case in point: 

Today, as I was leaving for Opie's baseball practice, I drove to our mailbox to pick up the mail. (You have to drive around to the back of our house to an adjacent street.) As I was driving home from Opie's practice, it hit me. I never got the mail. I had driven to the mailbox, done a complete one-eighty and had never even given the mail a second thought.  

Yes. It is time for a mental breakdown break.

I love this blog. It's such a joy to write to you about life and my craziness. But, lately, it's become too much. My marriage and my role as a Mommy have been suffering. And my relationship with the One who gives me the strength to endure all of the craziness has gotten shuffled around. This can't be.

Today, I got on my knees for the first time in a long time. Oh, I pray all of the time. But, it'd been a while since I had physically kneeled to pray. There is something so powerful in that. I simply asked God to help me be still. 

                                                                                                                                                               www.freedigitalimages.net

So, I am taking a break. 

To be still.

To listen.

To reflect.

To be healed and changed.

To play with my boys and mentally be there in that moment.

To live a day without blogging about it.

To do away with my Pin-security. 

To put the kids to bed, without hurrying. 

To snuggle with my husband instead of sitting next to him with a computer in my lap. (Do you know how thrilled he will be to hear this?)

You see ladies, it is not possible to have it all. To do one thing, we must give up something else. 

Every day we make choices on what we do with our time. Those choices reveal what our heart desires.
Is it money? Fame? Popularity? Am I trying to prove something to others? To myself? 

The truth is, I already know I am deeply loved. By my Creator. By my family. My husband. My children. And it is that love that keeps me going. Striving. To constantly be asking, "Lord, change me. Into the person You want me to be. For You. For them. For me." 

This isn't good-bye. This is just 'you won't be seeing as much of me for a while'. I will have to post occasional stories of my crazy antics (just to make you laugh), deep thoughts I have to put into words and whatever amazing things come my way. I even have a gorgeous jewelry give-away to do. (So, you know I won't be going too far!)

But, I must live my life in the season I am given. And right now, this is the Oh-my-word-how-can-I-manage-all-of-this-insanity-without-looking-like-a-trainwreck Season. 

Now, don't lose any sleep tonight. (okay, I flatter myself) You ain't heard the last of me yet. I'm just gonna limit my writing to when I can actually do it without sacrificing my kiddos, my marriage, and my sanity. 

It's a thin thread, people. A thin thread. :)



PS. Thanks for all of your support, comments and love. It is why I do this. I can't wait to see what God has in store, so when I return full-force, oh, the stories we will share!

A Piece of Alabama Heaven

Miracles do happen. And I am living proof.

I just met another girl from Alabama. Living here. In Jersey!


Yep. You read correctly. There is another slow-talkin', sweet-tea-makin', peach-cobbler-cookin', kids-running-around-the yard, come-on-in-just-as-you-are, feel-like-I've-known-you-all-my-life Southern belle running around New Jersey. This place will never be the same.

I met her a few weeks ago at a mom's event. I'd heard she had just moved from Alabama to the Garden State. I admit, I was a little giddy to be meeting someone from my own backyard.

She pulled up a few minutes late and unloaded her four kids. Wow. She was skinny and beautiful. Dang it. I decided I could still like her. :)

As she headed over to the group, she went to grab her keys. But, they weren't there... She'd locked her keys in her car.

At that moment, I knew we was gonna be tight.

We have spent the past month hanging out and chatting on the phone. We have shared and laughed. It brings tears to my eyes to watch our oldest two play together. They both have missed their Alabama friends tremendously and seem so thankful to have a friend to relate to.

The thing is, they get it. They know what it feels like to miss Nana's, Maw-Maw's and cousins. They miss Auburn football and Vacation Bible School with friends. It's a lot to adjust to. It's been hard for us, but I know it's been hard for the kids, too.

I will say, God has brought me so many friends since I have lived here. And for that, I am so grateful. But, I still can't believe that He brought me a new friend from home...to make this feel more like home.


Thankful.

As they left to go home tonight, we all waved and hollered as they loaded their suburban to drive away.   My heart was more full than it has been since moving here. I feel amazed, that I have someone here that gets me. That understands. That also needs family away from family.

(Speaking of family, my mom knows her family. We aren't related, though, that I know of... Hey, it is Alabama people...)

So, here's to our Jersey future. And until we get back home to Alabama, God is taking care of us with more friends, and now, more family than we can count.

My precious new friend and I, with her youngest son.

Yeah, our kids ran around in diapers. That's how we roll. 

Say "ALABAMA!!!!"

Say, "NEW JERSEY!!!"

Funny Buddy

We don't get to fly home to Alabama that often. And when we do, we spend most of our trip visiting  family, which we miss terribly, since moving to Jersey. But, we also try to carve out a little time to visit some of our closest friends. There's never enough time!

My oldest son's best friend, Drew (above pictured as Superman), is one that we always squeeze in. They met at church at age four after we moved back to Alabama from South Carolina in 2008. (yeah, we've moved a lot) They were instant buddies. And my son misses him terribly.

As much as my son misses his little friend, we do, too. He was a riot. I'm talkin' laugh-so-hard-you-almost-pee-your-pants funny. But, he wasn't trying to be, which made him all the more hilarious. His adorable high-pitched voice (one of a kind) and the things he would say, we still talk about.

This past Christmas, our schedules were crammed and we could only squeeze in a couple of hours for the boys to be together. My husband and I arranged to drop off our son at a nearby Chick Fil'A so they could grab lunch and play on the indoor playground. We left him with Drew's Mom, and a couple of hours later, returned to pick him up.

After good-bye hugs and giggles, my son climbed into our car. And, oh how the story time ensued...

If you know anything about Chick Fil'A at lunch time, the indoor playground is crowded.  And it's little. So, it's loud. But, most moms sit at their tables outside the glass-enclosed playground, chatting away, totally ignoring the chaos.

My son said, that at one point, he and Drew were inside one of the tunnels blocking kids from passing through, unless they knew the magic "password."

Apparently, one mom, who was brave enough to enter the area without a hard-hat, noticed the boys were causing quite a traffic jam inside the jungle gym. "Umm, excuse me! Little boys inside the tunnel! You need to get out and let other kids pass through!"

They didn't budge.

She spoke up again. "Little boooooys! You need to move out of the way!"

Drew could contain his frustration with the lady no longer and spoke up from inside the tunnel...      

                         "Don't make me go home and get my brand new paintball gun!"

As you can imagine, that did not bode well with playground mom. "Little boy, do I need to go get your Mommy?" Snap. She threatened to get mommy. He knew he had no choice but to relinquish his power over the tunnel. As he turned toward my son and climbed out of the enclosure, he leaned in and passionately said, "She crushed our dreams, man."

Now, I don't encourage any of this behavior and Drew's Mom was mortified when she found out what he had said. We told the boys they shouldn't have blocked the tunnel and they should have obeyed the mother the first time she asked them to move. But, you better believe that when the boys weren't looking, we laughed...our stinkin'...heads off.