Randomness

So there is a story behind why I am just now posting some pictures from Spring,

after I posted summer pictures....we moved to the new house back in June and I still hadn't dowloaded any pictures from the camera. Then once moved in, I decided I would paint all of the furniture in my front room. The camera was on the sofa table, so I moved it. But wherever I moved it, I thought, "I won't remember that this is where I put my camera." ...but I put it there anyway! So, after a month of searching and searching, I finally stumbled upon it...in a little decor box on top of the book shelf! So here are a few pictures from a few things.

Jeremy's grandma (middle) came to visit us for the first time since our wedding and she and Jeremy's mom (on right) made flower pots with all the kids for Grandma's garden. The kids had a blast and it was nice for us to visit with "Nanny" for a bit.

Jordan Hannah Micayla

Samantha Nathaniel

Change is the law of life. And those who look only to the past or present are certain to miss the future. ~John F. Kennedy

Let me just say....GOD IS SO GOOD! Not only is he good in our triumphant times, but He is so very faithful to carry us through the pressing times as well. I can't say that I've really been in either place these last few months. I feel like we've been at a lull. Nothing super triumphant, but nothing devestating either. Just....coasting, I guess.

A week and a half ago, my pastor called me and asked me to take on the position of the children's ministry director for our rapidly growing church. After five minutes of "thinking" about it, I wanted to call him back and say yes! I have a habit of taking things on before giving them over in prayer. But I resisted that urge and told myself I would let it sink in and pray. The very first moment I prayed about taking this position, God clearly told me I could not take the job if I didn't set a certain thing straight with Him.

I've been struggling with one particular issue over the last few months, knowing that God was calling me away from it. But I just couldn't pull myself away. As I was wrestling with this, I went on an all girls weekend with all the ladies on my mom's side of the family. Though we didn't get into but one spiritual conversation, I came away from the retreat with a LOT on my mind. It took me days to work through everything that was swimming in my head.

The first conclusion I came to was that I now have a clearer vision of who I want to be and who I do not want to be. I am very open about being a Christian when asked. But do I always show that I am a Christian through my actions? I know in my heart that I love my Jesus. But, again, do I show that I love my Jesus through my actions? Not only did I become aware of what my actions might be out in public, but moreso what my actions are in private. It is easy to "act" like a Christian out in public view. But who I am in the privacy of my own home is the real me. So I was pressed to take a long, hard look at the things that I do in my daily life when nobody's watching. I found several things that I need to change...but one thing in particular that God was telling me to walk completely away from.

Throughout the week, as I completed various tasks and errands, I kept having to push myself to finish. I was getting frustrated and telling myself I didn't have any self-control. Over and over again I told myself that. Then, yesterday, as I was putting my grocery cart away at Sam's Club, I was again having that little discussion in my head about needing to have self-control. And clear as a bell, God said, 'You keep saying self-control, but it's self-discipline that you need. The two are different. You need self-discipline.' Huh... Now I realize that may not make any sense to you. But it spoke volumes to me. How can I have self-control? I am by no means in control of anything. I may think I have full control of myself, my children, my life, etc. Yes, God created me with a free will. I make my own choices which can put me in good or bad situations. But ultimately, God is in control. So I do not want to have self-control. What I am lacking is self-discipline. I have got to have the self-discipline to follow through. That pretty much sums up the struggle I have had all week with this particular issue. I need to follow through.

So after this small revelation, , I was able to confront head-on the thing that I've been struggling with the most over the last two months, and follow through with a godly decision. And all of the fretting I did for a week over this situation is completely wiped out by unspeakable joy that I am now holding my Savior's hand as He leads me onto a new path. And I was able to confidently tell my pastor this morning that I would love to take the position, knowing that it is now blessed by God, and not done in vain.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

Our house is a very, very, very fine house.....

Well, I have to say that I created this blog about two months ago, in hopes of providing more updates for those of you who would like one. But as you can see, there hasn't been much updating so far! Sorry about that.

It's been a year and a half since we moved to Cheyenne and it is truly growing on us. I have to admit that it was very hard when we first moved, even though we are only 45 minutes away from our friends and family in Colorado. But one of the most prominent things to happen shortly after moving here was meeting Jeff and Sabrina Maness, new pastors that had just moved here to start a church plant. We quickly became involved in that, and now could not ask for better friends or pastors. You can follow up on the church plant through the link to the left of the page. It's been ABSOLUTELY amazing what God is doing with this church plant in the small town of Cheyenne, Wyoming.

Jeremy is still working for Sam's Club up here. When we transferred up here, he transferred in as the Marketing Manager. He has since moved over to the Fresh department, which he finds a little more challenging, but things are slowly starting to come together for him over there. We don't anticipate another move for at least another year, if not longer. I keep myself busy taking care of the kids and the house for the most part. I have volunteered on our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) steering team this year as the Publicity Coordinator, and enjoyed it, though I will be stepping down from that position for the next year. I also volunteer as one of the e:kidz directors at Element Church. Let me tell you...that is an interesting place to be when you grown from 20 to 30 preschoolers in just one week! I've also had an amazing opportunity to serve on our worship team under the leadership of Adam Cruz. He has such a huge passion for worship ministry, as well as for youth, and I am so thankful that he and the rest of the team are willing to challenge me and push me further in my musical abilities. Jordan is just finishing up 6th grade this year and Hannah, kindergarten. They are both ready for summer break, but also excited to be in the next grade up the following year. Micayla just finished her kindergarten screening, and was so excited to hear that she's ready to start school next year. She was so proud of herself. Sam and Nathan will still be at home with me next year, which I've very much looking forward to. I'm definately not ready for an empty house anytime soon.

Our latest exciting news is that we will be moving across town in June into a 5 bedroom house! We've been in a 3 bedroom since moving here last November. Another perk to that is that the new house is just a street over from Jeff and Sabrina! The kids are all so excited.

I hope to do better at posting updates and pictures as they come. Feel free to stop by anytime!