Random Thoughts

I really only have random thoughts for today. These thoughts come from my bible study that I have been doing over the life of Moses.

-God is continually working in the midst of daily activity.
-Faith is believing God and acting on it.
-Where do I need to let go and trust God?
-God is good when news is good. God is good when news is bad. His goodness never changes.
-We need to trust God in all circumstances, not just pleasant ones.
-The greatest reward in this life is to be used by God for His glory.
-God's work must be done in God's way, God's timing and through his power alone.
-Be dependent upon Him.
-God prepares us for what He is going to do in our lives.
-God is in charge.
-He is sovereign. He knows what is best for us.
-Sometimes obeying God makes life harder.
-It is always easier to see God's plan in hindsight than in the midst of the storm.
-Disappointments, failures, and trials are opportunities to get to know God more deeply.
-Impossible situations are opportunities to trust God's promises and mightily glorify Him.

I am enjoying learning more about the Lord and applying things to my life. May I do the challenging thing--may I live out what I am learning. That is always a little difficult for me.

God's Plan

I love my Tuesdays. Why? Because of how I have devoted time set apart to study the Word of God and grow in my walk with the Lord. Every Tuesday morning I take part in an incredible bible study that is through Bible Study Fellowship. We are studying the life of Moses and I am loving every second of it. I am challenged and am learning new things every time. One of my biggest struggles is learning it, but not always applying it. I am challenged in this season, more than ever, to live what I am learning.

Then, on Tuesday night, I meet with some incredible girls for an "accountability" time. This is such a refreshing time for me to just sit and talk about our lives and be there for each other. It is so important to have a community of people around you that is there for you. There have been times in my life when I did not have this, and I struggled with certain things. Sometimes we have International Bible Study where we include our dear, dear friend Becca who is in Mexico.

The Lord has been teaching me so many things lately, and I want to use this blog to share just a few of those things. May those that read this be blessed and challenged to change what the Lord lays on their heart. May I live what I write.

Something that I have learned through the life of Moses and all God did throughout His time:

God's plan always happens.

Is anyone else a control freak or is it just me? I try to tame it down by saying, "I am just really organized" or "I just like to have a plan." But the reality is, I want something to happen and I think I have the power to get it to go this way or that way. The reality is, I AM NOT IN CHARGE. God does not need my help in controlling things. He has things under control.

I do not know what is going on in your life, but please know that God's plan always happens. It always happens in His timing. He is sovereign. He is in control of everything.

An important question we need to ask is, "What am I trying to control that God is controlling?" Is it in a relationship? Is it in a certain situation? I have definitely had to give God something I was trying to control. It is hard to trust in the unknown, but it is so humbling to look back and completely see the hand of God over every detail.

When I was in college, I was in one of my classes listening as my professor lectured over the course material. In the midst of her lecture, she said the MOST PROFOUND thing that has stuck with me forever:

Life is lived forward, but understood backward.

God sees this bigger picture that at times, we do not comprehend. We can not see it all. We are just living life and asking the hard questions and struggling to find answers. Sometimes we "feel" God and other times we think He has left us. The truth is, He has NEVER and will NEVER leave us. He is there leading us through situations. We have got to trust Him. There will come a time when you look back and say, "wow, that was totally God."

Whatever you are facing today, may you sense the presence of the living God that is leading you whether you feel it or not. May you have the faith to trust in the midst of unknown circumstances. May we acknowledge that God's plan always happens. Period.

We are having a GIRL!!

Today we had our Complete Ultrasound at 18 weeks. Colby and I were SO excited to find out what we were having. The baby was on her tummy the entire time and it was almost impossible to tell. Finally she rolled over on her back, but she was a modest little baby- her legs were totally together and she was not moving them apart- once again, making it almost impossible to tell. Finally the woman had me roll over on my side causing the baby to move her legs so we could tell if it was a boy or a girl. And we got this picture: It has been a great day! I have Bible Study every Tuesday morning, so I went to that after the doctors appointment. Then I ran a few errands and had coffee with some great girls.

Every Tuesday night I meet with three of my greatest friends. We have a little "Accountability group" and just talk about life. When I showed up at dinner, there was a cute little gift bag from Baby Gap. I could not believe it! It was the SWEETEST thing EVER! They got me the cutest newborn onesie and the cutest newborn socks! They also got me an "It's a Girl" ribbon for my scrapbook! I have been scrapbooking this journey so far! It will be perfect in there! Thank you SO much girls for being SO thoughtful! I appreciate the sweet gift! Adelyn will LOVE it!

Wedding Weekend

This weekend was ah-mazing! I say that because I got to attend a wedding and not coordinate it. Life is good.

Colby's cousin, Andy, got married on Saturday. We left town on Friday and drove to Kansas so we could make it to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It was great to take off work a couple of days and enjoy a weekend away.

The wedding was perfect! Yes, there were times it was hard to not get up and start coordinate things, but everything went so well. The wedding and reception was outside on the bride's family's ranch. It was beautiful! The reception was in a tent and looked gorgeous all lit up with the white lights!

Here are a few pictures from the wedding:

Colby's family (totally candid shot by the way) Me with Colby's sister and sister-in-law

Colby was an usher in the wedding. Here he is ushering his grandma.

Here we are in the tent at the reception.

Colby and I with the sweet couple, Emily and Andy (She was SUCH a gorgeous bride!!)

It was such a great time. The whole weekend was great with his family. It was great sleeping in and not doing anything. Now, it is hard to get back in the swing of things. I've got laundry to do, grocery shopping to accomplish, etc. And I have a baby doctor's appointment tomorrow! Can't wait!

Hope your weekend went well!

Frequently Asked Questions about my Pregnancy

1. How did you find out? What made you took a test, etc?
Well, first off, Colby and I were trying. I remember the day I took the test like it was yesterday. It was Saturday July 12. I had a wedding that day that did not get over until midnight. By Saturday, I was 4 days late. (you know what I'm talking about). This is weird for me. Colby was out of town. To give me peace of mind, I decided to take a test to confirm thoughts I was having. At 12:30 in the morning, after my wedding got over, I went to Wal-Mart neighborhood market. I go in for one thing: a pregnancy test. Talk about a little awkward checking out at 12:30am with one thing in hand. It doesn't help that I look like I am in high school. I made sure to show the check-out lady my wedding band. haha!

I drove home, nervous. Why do I get nervous to take a test? I don't know. I take the test, lay it flat (like the instructions say to), and then I shut the door. I waited. And waited. And waited. I was too nervous too look. I think, in my head, I knew it was going to say no and that made me sad, since we were trying. Finally, I decide to open the door and look at it: two lines!! WHAT??? Okay, now I am freaking out in a really good- kind- of- happy way. The worst part is: I CAN NOT TELL ANYONE. Colby is out of town and I am not telling someone before my husband. And I am NOT telling my husband over the phone. This kind of thing has to happen in person. Ahhhh......

The answer:

2. How did you tell Colby?
Colby was in Colorado at Young Life Camp whenever I found out. He was scheduled to arrive home the next day, PRAISE THE LORD!! Usually when he goes out of town, I like to get him a little "Welcome Home" gift. Usually it is a video game, or a movie or something small. So I put together a little "Welcome Home" gift for him when he got home! Little did he know what was in it! haha!

He opened the card first. On the front of the card it said "I missed you so much Colby. I am so glad you are home. Also, I wanted to tell you that...."----And then he opened up the card and it said that "YOU ARE A DAD-TO-BE." (I found this ribbon thing that said Dad-to-be on it. And I taped two positive pregnancy tests to it... HAHA I needed some proof, ya know?)

Then he opened up the gift and I had two items in there for him:

He could not believe it! It was definitely not what he was expecting to open up in the bag! To make a long story short, it was hard for us to really believe we were pregnant. I even went and took a blood test that said positive! It still does not seem real and I am almost 4 months pregnant. I am not showing at all as of today. I am still running and working out like usual. Not much had changed. I am feeling fine! We are so excited!
3. How did you tell other people?
We kept a secret for 5 weeks. We decided to NOT tell anyone until we went to the doctor at our 8 week appointment. We just wanted to make sure everything was good and healthy, etc. However, we did tell Colby's ENTIRE family when we were all together at the lake on family vacation.

We told everyone around August 15th. There are SOO many stories I would love to share, but I am sure no one else cares about how I told people! haha. So many sweet memories!

My parents anniversary was right around the time we started telling people. So I told them I had an anniversary present for them! I got my mom and dad two onesies: one that said "I love grandma" and the other that said "I love grandpa." They loved it!
To tell my brother and sister-in-law, I had my three neices over that day and I sent them home in t-shirts I made for them that said " I "heart" My Cousin." I told them they were going to have a new baby cousin soon! Now, every time they see me they put their head on my belly and say "Hi baby cousin!"
My best friend Becca!!! This deserves a post all by itself. I will try to be short even though we had such a fun time together after I told her!

First, I had planned this super cute, creative way to tell her, but to make a long story short, we were just talking on the couch and I JUST HAD TO TELL HER! I could not wait any longer. When I told her she did NOT believe me. I am pretty sure I had to show her proof that I really was. haha. After about 30 minutes of denial and unbelief, she got really excited, and was ready to celebrate!! She said, "what is a fun way to celebrate that someone is pregnant? Let's eat!" haha! She asked if I had any cravings, which I didn't at that time. So we just had a day of eating. You think I am kidding? I will show you pictures:

First, we went to Tims to get a Dr. Pepper. Can I get an amen? I have no idea what makes their Dr. Pepper so much better, but it is the bomb!

Then we went to Taco Bell and got a Cheesy Gordita Crunch. yumm... This was our "appetizer" I guess you could say.

Then we went to Taco Bueno and got mexi-dips-n-chips. For the record, I can eat mexi-dips-n-chips any day of the week and be perfectly content with it!

Then we went to Losta Noodles to get Pesto Pasta which is so delicious. By this time, I am feeling pretty full. But, oh the memories!

After Lotsa-Noodles, we went to Barnes and Noble and checked out books in this section: Had to check the baby names books!

Then we did something we have NEVER done before as best friends. We went shopping at a maternity store!! haha, how things are changing!! I tried on a few things just for kicks. And I tried on the "belly" that is in the dressing room. Here is a preview of what I might look like in a few months...

4. Have you been sick? Any cravings?
I have not really been sick at all. There were a few times I felt nauseaus, but nothing horrible at all. Sometimes, there would be certain smells that would make me sick. As far as cravings go, it depends on the day. There was a week I was craving Egg McMuffin Sandwiches. There was another week I was craving fried rice. Pretty weird.

5. Do you want a boy or a girl?
The obvious answer is, "I just want a healthy baby." Which is totally, 100% true. If you asked me a few weeks ago, I was pretty dead set on a girl. I wanted a girl more than anything. Now, however, I am really wanting a boy. haha. As for Colby, he wants a boy! I think it is going to be a win-win.

6. Do you have any names picked out?
We did have names picked out, but recently they have been changing. I think we are set on the girls name. But the boys name is in the air.
Girl: Adelyn Faith (middle name might change) (Sounds like Madeline without the "M")
Boy: Braylon Maverick (Colby IS OBSESSED with Maverick. There is a good chance this could be his first name, however, we are always talking about different names).

7. When are you due?
We are having a Spring Break baby! March 19 is the current due date!

8. When do you find out if it is a boy or girl?
We find out on Tuesday October 21st! CAN NOT WAIT!

9. Have you started decorating a nursery, buying things, etc?
Nope. We are waiting to find out what we are having before we do anything. We have bought ONE onesie and that is it. We just bought it this week actually. And it looks unisex so it would work either way! I can't wait to start filling up his/her closet with cute clothes and diapers and baby stuff!!

Thank you for all of those that are on this journey with us! It is so exciting and we feel so blessed to have you guys around us, supporting us, and being there for us!

Recently....

First Comes Love...

...Then Comes Marriage...

...Then Comes The Baby In the Baby Carriage...

Yup, we are having a baby!!! We could not be any more excited! The baby is due March 19. We will be finding out if it is a boy or a girl on November 1st! We are so happy! Just wanted to share the exciting news!!

My Brother's 20th Birthday!

I have three wonderful brothers! We celebrated one of my brother's birthday a few weeks ago at my house with homemade enchiladas!

Andy is my only younger brother. He is starting OSU this fall! Happy Birthday Andy!

Birthday Boy:

Gorgeous Gracie, my neice! All grown up with her new hair cut!

Precious Ebbie! With brownies all over her face!

Lucy is not exactly sure how to smile pretty just yet. She always closes her eyes!

My husband with my older brother, Jim!!

Family Vacation

Every year Colby's entire family gets together for vacation at a lake in Arkansas. This has been taking place for a number of years. Each year there seem to be new people added through marriage or more babies. It is always so fun and relaxing to get away and enjoy sweet fellowship with his family. I truly married into a great family!

Here are just some of the cousins hanging out!

Colby's cousin, Andy, proposed while we were there!!!!! We LOVE his fiance! Welcome to the family!

Sweet husband with his neice, Savannah. She is Colby's brother's daughter.

We LOVE baby Harper!!! This precious baby is Colby's cousin's new baby! She is PERFECT!

We've been Married 2 years!!

Colby and I enjoyed a WONDERFUL day as we celebrated our 2 year anniversary. We got married on July 22, 2006. This year we both surprised each other with something. I surprised him with a couples massage at Cottonwood Salon and Spa in Edmond. That was the best thing EVER. We were in the same room with 2 different massage therapists. We had an hour massage together! We really enjoyed it!

After our massages, Colby surprised me as we went to check into a bed and breakfast for the evening. Our room was unbelievable. It was so relaxing. We felt like we traveled to another state, even though we just drove a few miles to get there.

Here is a picture of part of our room:Me and my sweet husband!

Hot husband! :) aka: model

Colby is an incredible leader and provider. I really have never worried since we have been married about things. He takes care of everything and makes me feel secure. He is a godly man that people admire and look up to. He leads me spiritually and challenges me to go deeper. I can not wait for more years of marriage with him!

Home & Husband

My sweet husband is finally home! He has been in Colorado at Young Life camp. I absolutely hate being a "single-wife" and staying all alone while he is gone. However, I am so proud of him and what he is doing. I so wish I could have gone, but with this being the busiest time of the year for weddings, that was just not possible.

Got to brag on my husband a bit....
He is a phenomenal and gifted speaker and relates to youth of all ages. I got to go and watch him speak to some high school students at church, and could not stop smiling. He has a gift. He has a passion. And he is totally using it for the glory of God.

Colby, I love you so much and am so proud of you. I respect you and want to honor you as your wife. You constantly make me smile. You go out of your way to be thoughtful towards me. You are the most selfless man I know. You have your eyes on Jesus and people can tell there is something different about you. You challenge me, encourage me and lead me. I love you with all of my heart!

A little thing called JOY....

First....I am a horrible "blogger." Probably the worst. My consistency is not there. My grammar is definitely lacking. In the midst of this "online journal" I hope those that come to read it can sense someone just being real, living life and journaling some random things. May these "random things" be used by God of something you needed to hear on that day....

With all that being said...I have been dwelling on one verse lately.

"The JOY of the Lord is your strength."

-Nehemiah 8:10

For some of us, this may be a verse we have heard hundreds of times before. We may have it memorized. We know songs that have it included in the lyrics. But has it hit the core of your being?

I am writing to those who are burnt out, hurt, lonely, tired, weary, ready to give up, longing for more, confused, etc. I am writing to myself.

To be rejuvenated, to be refreshed and revived, we need JOY. True joy. Lasting joy. Real joy.

Joy that comes only from the Lord.

Joy that comes from being obedient.

Joy that comes from doing what you know you are supposed to be doing.

Joy that comes from being real and disposing of the masks.

Joy that comes from doing what you absolutely love to do.

Joy that comes from resting in the Lord and taking time off.

Joy that comes from caring more for others than yourself.

Joy is something that I believe you have to choose to have. I want to be joyful no matter what. I do not want how I am feeling sway if I have joy or not.

Let's choose this day to have joy!

Just a little update...

It has been a while since I have posted anything. I have had nothing very specific to blog about. So today, I am just going to start typing and see where things lead.

Well, today Colby left for Jamiaca for 9 days! Ahhh... I hate being a single wife. He is going with the church where he is a youth pastor at. They are taking a group of high school students to Jamaica for a mission trip. This is his first time out of the country and his first time to go on a mission trip! I can not wait to hear about his experience!

Thankfully, me sweet, wonderful incredible friend Sara lives with us and so I am not totally alone. We have opened up one of our guest rooms for her for the summer. We have loved having her with us. She is one of the sweetest girls you will ever meet! Here is Sara:

Today has been such a wonderful day off. Sara and I went to Lake Hefner and ran 3 miles and walked 1.5 miles. It was so beautiful outside! We had dinner together, took our two dogs on a walk around the neighborhood and now we are watching Father of the Bride and painting our nails a beautiful pink color! I love having girls night!

We need to go to bed soon, because we have to be up at 5:30am. Every Monday, Wednesday and Friday we do Boot Camp at our gym. It is a hard-core work-out regimen. It is so fun! It does require some early mornings, but it is totally worth it.

Moving right along, let's talk about the Lord. This particular verse has been staying with me constantly:

"Therefore, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God,
that He may exalt you at the proper time."
-1 Peter 5:6

There are several parts of this verse that I think about constantly.
"Humble yourselves." This means, "life is not about me." I need to do what John talks about "He must increase, and I must decrease (John 3:30). Every day, I must decrease. Die to self. Focus on the Lord. Look at His face in my life. Look at Him throughout my entire day and how He is working. Know that He is in control and not me. Know that life is about glorifying His name and not my own name. One of my greatest faults is how it is so easy to be prideful. I am constantly having to break down that stronghold and acknowledge the True One.
"The mighty hand of God." Do I really believe that the hand of God is mighty? Even when things get hard? This verse reminds me that God can do anything. ANYTHING. He is the mighty, holy sovereign one. He is the one that created the universe. He is the one that causes certain things to happen on his timing. He has the hand that can move mountains. I must have the faith to truly believe that He has the mighty hand. My hands can do nothing unless God puts His in mine.
I am constantly praying a phrase that Moses said in Exodus, "Show me your glory!" God, show up in my life. Show me your realness and show me your glory. May I acknowledge you at all times. May I be aware of Your presence around me. May I decrease. May You Increase. Amen.

This will change your life...

Louie Giglio - Laminin

Seniors...Soon to be Freshman

This past year, I have been a part of leading a group of high school girls. Some are freshman. Some are sophomores. Some are juniors. And some are seniors. We have girls in public schools, private schools, and home-schooled. My incredible, best friend Becca helps me lead this group. We absolutely CHERISH these girls!! They mean the world to us. We have had the most incredible time getting to know them, opening up, sharing struggles and experiencing God's faithfulness.

Three of our beautiful girls are seniors and they are all graduating within days. We are so proud of them and excited for their future. We planned a "Celebration Night" last night and I took them to get great pizza and delicious dessert. We went to The Wedge (incredible pizza place on Western) and then we went to Coco Flow for dessert (right down the street). We were so sad that Becca could not be there, she was out of town. (We missed you Becca!)

Here are a few pictures from the night:

The three senior girls at The Wedge: Jill, Bethany and Megan! They are GORGEOUS!

Me with The Girls at Coco Flow. Why is it that I am 5-6 years older than them and they look WAY older than me! When will I look my age?? Just a side note...

I absolutely love giving gifts. I receive joy in making things and giving things. I got all the girls embroidered towels with their names on them. I also made a frame for them to hang all of their earrings on. They received a cute little basket full of goodies like colorful pens, cute stationary, cool designed post-its, etc. Here are two of the girls with their new towels!

To Jill and Megan,
I am so proud of you. I can not tell you enough I excited I am for you for all that is in your future. Summer break. Rushing for your sorority. Registering for classes. Starting Freshman year. Bethany, you have so much to look forward to with Courts Mountain and the wonderful "unknown." I love you girls! I am here for you all while you are in college! CONGRATULATIONS!

New Hair

Do you color your hair? Do you color hair according to the season? You know, you go lighter in the summer and darker in the winter. I have always done that. Around March I usually put some highlights in my hair and around October I usually put some low-lights in my hair. Well, this year was completely the opposite. In the winter I put a lot of blonde in my hair for who knows what reason. Then when March/April came around, I was ready for a change. So....I went darker...

I have always had extremely dark eye brows and really light blonde hair. It makes no sense to me. I decided to try a color that comes close to my eye brows (which is totally not natural). Oh well. What do you think? Go back blonde? Or leave it dark?

Before

After

Birthdays, High School Girls and Sprinklers

Yesterday was a very busy day! We had so much fun through it all though! Colby and I woke up and went to church. I volunteer in the babies every third Sunday, which happened to be yesterday. After holding babies all morning, I finalized some last minute details as I was planning a surprise for my sweet hubby!! His parents, grandparents and one of his sisters drove down from Kansas to celebrate his birthday that was on the 11th. We spent the afternoon with them! They are so sweet and we were so thankful for them to make that drive and see us! We wish we could of had more time with them! It flew by!

Colby, his mom, grandma and grandpa all sitting and talking

Me with Colby's gorgeous sister, Kelsey!

Little Lucy....My brother, sister-in-law and all their kids stopped by to say hi to his family.

His family sadly had to leave and get back to Kansas, and I had my weekly high school girl's group! Can I please say: I LOVE THESE GIRLS!!!! I look forward to my time with them every week. They are so sweet, encouraging and thoughtful. Here is a picture of some of us...there were a few missing...

After the group ended, my brother and sister-in-law dropped off all four of their kids and we had them sleepover at our house! We love our neices and nephew! We were all playing outside and I went inside for one second when sweet uncle Colby thought it would be fun to run through the sprinklers....with their clothes on. He had to run inside and grab the camera since they were having a blast! After a couple of rounds through the sprinklers, they took of their shirts and ran through in just their pants. It was bath time after that for sure! They were so wet and dirty! But really cute too!!

That is all for our Sunday! Hope your Sunday was fun and relaxing!

30 Day Fitness Goal

Well....That time is coming. The wonderful season called summer. After too many days missing out on the gym and being inspired by watching the Biggest Loser, I am committing 30 days to getting fit.

I love working out. I love going to the gym. I love running. It is such a stress reliever for me. I have to work out in the morning. I can not do evening work-outs. If I do not make it in the morning to the gym, there is a 99% chance that I will not go. I hate that its like that, but it is. There used to not be a problem with me waking up at 6:00am and going to the gym. However, with the time change and long days at work, it has become much more difficult for me.

I got the book called "Making the Cut" by Jillian Michaels. She is the team trainer from the Biggest Loser. It is "the 30-day diet and fitness plan..."

(cover of her book)

Making the Cut empowers you to:
-Identify your unique body typea nd metabolic makeup and customize a diet plan that is perfect for you
-Acquire the mental techniques that will greatly enhance your self-confidence and sharpen your focus on success
-Develop your strength, flexibility, coordination, and endurance.
-Reach levels of fitness you never before thought possible.

So, with all this being said.... I am writing this blog because it is much more easier to work out and stay consistent if you have accountability! SO, anyone want to join me? 30 days. Every day. Workout. Eat Right. We can encourage together and meet up for work-outs or whatever.

Leave me a comment if you are interested! I will contact everyone and we can make a little "workout group" out of it.

CAN'T WAIT TO GET FIT!