Thirst

I have been reading my Bible like crazy lately. I can't seem to get enough. I was going in order from beginning to end but after 1Kings I decided I wanted to read from different chapters. First James, then Esther (two of my favorites!) then on to Matthew, Jonah, Ezra, Mark. I read whole chapters from beginning to end. I seem to be comprehending it like I never have before. I'm not just reading over sentences so I can finish and say I read the Bible again, I'm really hearing some great stuff and understanding things. It's been awesome!

Now most of you know that we are trying to move back to Colorado. I want this more than anything else in my life. Is reading the Bible my way of bribing God to do what I want...I promise to read more if you will just give me what I want?? Maybe. Partly. But doesn't God use all trials to draw us to Him. Could maybe the whole reason we came back to TX was to find God in leaving again? I don't know. But I do know that I am closer to God than I have been in a long time and it feels so good to be sitting at His feet again.

Here is some verses from James that I have read over and over in the last week:

^5-8If you don't know what you're doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You'll get his help, and won't be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open.

Isn't that amazing?? I am boldly believing and boldly praying that God's hand is all over our lives right now!!

Also...today is September 1st. There are 31 chapters in the book of Proverbs. Kaylee and I are reading one chapter together every morning for the whole month...and then obviously we will do the 31st chapter on October 1st. I'm super excited that she wants to do this with me and can't wait to see how God uses this time in both of our lives. Feel free to hold us accountable and ask us how it is going!

That's all my thoughts for now. I will be sure to post more info on our journey as they get sorted it out. Thank you for all of the prayers that are heading our way...I know God is hearing them!

One Week Left

I can't believe we only have a week of summer left!! How did it fly by so quick?? Usually I'm disheveled and doing a count down by mid June...but this year I made it all the way to a week to go!! WOO HOOOOO!!!

These last 3 months have been jammed pack with fun. The kids did 2 VBS weeks. We went on vacation to Bastrop and San Antonio with Jimmy's family. Kaylee went away to my Aunt's house for a week and to Austin for a weekend. Memories were made with my Mom when she visited for a week. Blokus, Skip Bo and Scrabble were regular companions. Tons of remodeling done on the house. We visited Pirates Bay, Calypso Cove and the Wave Pool to get our swim on. We spent a night watching TV and having a sleepover in the TV room. The kids read over 60 books each and participated in the Mont Belvieu library summer program!! James participated in Bayou Bunch outings and did a week of Stomp Camp. We bowled with the kids bowl free program a bunch of times. We met neighbors and made friends.

And now we have one week left. Each of the kids have orientation at school next week and then of course it is time for haircuts and school shoe shopping. I know we still have to fit in our end of the summer Chuck E. Cheese family fun day and I'm sure there will be a couple of other fun surprises to sneak in. But really...I can't believe my babies will be off to school again in 9 days!!

I hope you've had a great summer too!!

Dave Ramsey Update

We have been following Dave Ramsey's 7 Financial Steps since September of 2009. It has changed our lives as I've said a million times before! If you have never had the chance to take the course, I highly recommend it. It doesn't matter where you are financially, I promise it will change your habits and how you think about spending and saving.

Anyways, we have been stuck on Step 2 since January of 2010. We have done a bit of Step 3 and some of Step 4 but I want out of Step 2. We are so darn close. We just have my car to pay off. We have been putting extra on it and we should not have more than 6 months left at most. Hopefully we will be able to pull it off before then. The move to TX derailed us slightly as did all the decorating we have done to the house to get it ready for summer visitors. But I went in to make a payment yesterday and saw the balance and got totally fired up again! I want this car payment gone!

And I want to be able to call Dave Ramsey on his radio show on Debt Free Friday and scream WE ARE DEBT FREEEEE!!!! Oh that felt good! That's going to feel so awesome to do it out loud and not on the computer!! I can't wait!!

A Favorite Day

My 18th birthday and my graduation ceremonies just happened to be on the same day. October 16, 1994. My Dad and my sisters drove down to Montreal to my Mom's house and we all celebrated the day together. It was the first time, since I was 6 years old, to have my whole family doing something together. We took a picture and it has been in my wallet ever since. We never got the chance to do this again since my dad died just a year and a half after this picture was taken. It is a memory I treasure!

Jagger Rides

Jagger Michael learned how to ride without training wheels today!! Yes, he is 6..we waited a little longer. Daddy took off the training wheels after lunch and five minutes later I walked out and there was Jagger just cruising up and down the street. So proud. Next up...swimming without a life jacket!

Running for my LIfe

I'm alternating biking and running right now. As disgusting as it is, I love the sweat that pours off me here in TX. Makes me feel like Superwoman with every drip that runs down my face/neck/back/boobs...whatever!

I'm still in a funk. And I can't seem to shake it. So, last night when I started to cry I just threw on my running shoes and went out for a run. It takes more concentration to run than cry so the tears dried up pretty quick. Unfortunately, running when you're upset leads you to run aimlessly and by the time I got home I had run farther than I was expecting to. Oops! Sore thighs this morning!

I'm reading a book called Run Like a Mother. First of all, this is NOT a book for beginner runners! Anyone who says that they get up for a lovely 10 mile run on a Sunday is way more committed than I'll ever be!!

Anyways, in this book it describes what you should be doing in order to be getting ready for each distance of a race. At this point you should know that I have a hope of wanting to run the Houston Half in January. Back to the book...they say in order to run a 10K I should be running 3 miles easily (really?? a mile isn't even easy for me after a year and a half of running!!), minimum requirement is running 4 days per week, with one run at 5 to 6 miles, at least 15 miles per week.

Really?? I'm being dead serious when I say how hard this is for me. I want to die just looking at that training schedule for a 10K...how the heck??!!

Well, I don't know about the Houston Half but I'm pretty sure I am going to run myself right out of this funk!!

Coming Up Roses

Well, not really roses...but, hibiscus. My very favorite flower! This is a variation of the hibiscus that I have never seen before and just had to have for outside my kitchen window so I could wake up and see it every morning.