there are no words to do Him justice :))

GOD is just TOO amazinggg!! :)) i believe He is all i need. he holds my every moment. calms my raging seas. walks with me through fire & heals all my disease. i trust in Him. when He has done for me all He has how can i not?:) by the way, nothing is impossible for Him - just so you know.

i miss you guys SO much!

I miss you & love you little Josiah!

I love & miss you, Judah-bug!

I love & miss you Miss Jillian!

One good thing is I will be landing @ 6:45 in October and will see you again! :)) yay!

Simple Sunday

my sister Allisyn [left] and I around 7 or 8. God even speaks to you when you are little :))

i believe You are all i need!

You hold my every moment; You calm my raging seas. You walk with me through fire and heal all my disease. i trust in You. i trust in You. i believe You're my Healer, i believe You are all i need. i believe You're my Portion, i believe You're more than enough for me. Jesus, You're all i need! nothing is impossible for You. nothing is impossible. with a capital N :)

busy, busy, busy! :))

It's been a few days since I've last updated :) Well, classes started back yesterday! woohoo! [for some classes and others it just sort of a mediocre woo]. Needless to say, I am SUPER busy w/ school & work, and after somewhat of a mental breakdown today [only the 2nd day of the semester :)] I am now happy to be in the swing of things once again w/ school. I especially L-O-V-E my Advanced Fiction Writing course!!

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. -- ephesians 6:12 The reason I posted this verse is because for the past two days I have felt more doubt, etc. creeping into my mind. I know that it's the devil trying to plant little seeds here and there of doubt - doubt about my WONDERFUL GOD I serve and doubt that I can actually do everything that I need to do this semester. But he's not going to win. I'm not taking it anymore. I'm not going to listen to it any longer. I've always heard that thoughts aren't a sin, it's when you begin to dwell and think about the thoughts that enter in your head that they become sin. Just because the devil whispers these things doesn't mean that you have to listen to them.

brotherly love <3 :))

judah [2 yrs] holding "little" brother josiah [4 months] <3

:))

Tomorrow afternoon I will have all three kids by myself! [from about 11:30-5 or so; ages 4, 2 and 4 months :) ]

happy days :))

While I'm waiting for my niece and nephew, Jillian & Josiah, to wake up from their nap I thought I'd post a few pics for you guys of my vacation with them so far :)) And poor little Josiah is out w/ his mommy & grandma getting his 4 month old shots :( I hope they don't hurt too bad.

Judah[almost 2], Jillian[4]. I'd say he's going to be a tall guy :)

mr. josiah <3 [4 months]

my daddy & josiah. everyone says they favor

my sister allisyn & josiah

judah

miss jillian

i love this pic

i think he was thinking of a pose

happy, happy, HAPPY!!! :))

My family and I leave for my sister Kimberly's house for the next week tomorrow morning @ 6 am :))

You walk with me through fire...

I was just listening to the song Healer http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gFfuG7bwicAand when I hear the lyrics "You walk with me through fire" it just touches something deep within me :)) So I decided to look up the passage in Daniel chapter three about the firey furnace and Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego and refresh my memory. Gosh, I love this story. It gives me chills when I hear about Neb. seeing a fourth man, my Lord and Savior, walking with these Hebrew boys in the fire. But it gives me SO much hope when I apply this to my life. My GOD is there for me. He is for me! He walks with me through everything, even when the circumstances are seven times hotter than I thought ever possible to withstand. That is just something beautiful.
If you are like I was, I needed a refresher from GOD's word - to get the full taste :))

Daniel 3
Nebuchadnezzar’s Gold Statue
1 King Nebuchadnezzar made a gold statue ninety feet tall and nine feet wide[a] and set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. 2 Then he sent messages to the high officers, officials, governors, advisers, treasurers, judges, magistrates, and all the provincial officials to come to the dedication of the statue he had set up. 3 So all these officials[b] came and stood before the statue King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
4 Then a herald shouted out, “People of all races and nations and languages, listen to the king’s command! 5 When you hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments,[c] bow to the ground to worship King Nebuchadnezzar’s gold statue. 6 Anyone who refuses to obey will immediately be thrown into a blazing furnace.”
7 So at the sound of the musical instruments,[d] all the people, whatever their race or nation or language, bowed to the ground and worshiped the gold statue that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up.
8 But some of the astrologers[e] went to the king and informed on the Jews. 9 They said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “Long live the king! 10 You issued a decree requiring all the people to bow down and worship the gold statue when they hear the sound of the horn, flute, zither, lyre, harp, pipes, and other musical instruments. 11 That decree also states that those who refuse to obey must be thrown into a blazing furnace. 12 But there are some Jews—Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego—whom you have put in charge of the province of Babylon. They pay no attention to you, Your Majesty. They refuse to serve your gods and do not worship the gold statue you have set up.”
13 Then Nebuchadnezzar flew into a rage and ordered that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego be brought before him. When they were brought in, 14 Nebuchadnezzar said to them, “Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, that you refuse to serve my gods or to worship the gold statue I have set up? 15 I will give you one more chance to bow down and worship the statue I have made when you hear the sound of the musical instruments.[f] But if you refuse, you will be thrown immediately into the blazing furnace. And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power?”
16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego replied, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. 18 But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up.”
The Blazing Furnace 19 Nebuchadnezzar was so furious with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego that his face became distorted with rage. He commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual. 20 Then he ordered some of the strongest men of his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and throw them into the blazing furnace. 21 So they tied them up and threw them into the furnace, fully dressed in their pants, turbans, robes, and other garments. 22 And because the king, in his anger, had demanded such a hot fire in the furnace, the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men in. 23 So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, securely tied, fell into the roaring flames.
24 But suddenly, Nebuchadnezzar jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his advisers, “Didn’t we tie up three men and throw them into the furnace?”
“Yes, Your Majesty, we certainly did,” they replied.
25 “Look!” Nebuchadnezzar shouted. “I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire unharmed! And the fourth looks like a god[g]!”
26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came as close as he could to the door of the flaming furnace and shouted: “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!”
So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. 27 Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!
28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent his angel to rescue his servants who trusted in him. They defied the king’s command and were willing to die rather than serve or worship any god except their own God. 29 Therefore, I make this decree: If any people, whatever their race or nation or language, speak a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they will be torn limb from limb, and their houses will be turned into heaps of rubble. There is no other god who can rescue like this!”

the weekend :))

Julie & Amber before the Big Bad Wolf


Julie, Amber, Joseph & Tameakia before

Shonte & Justin before...

after! They looked pretty good for having gone through all that! lol Hehe... I got you guys, didn't I? You were expecting a really awful pic :)) I was too... lol.

This was right before the Dark Knight ride that they closed right when we were within feet of the entrance... 30-45 minute wait in a heat wave too... :))

This past weekend I helped chaperone a trip with my church's youth group to Busch Gardens and Water Country, and it was a blast! Hehe... except there was one little incident that I wasn't really fond of lol. We had a huge heat wave this weekend [that is finally going to be ending today, btw last night when I went to bed the heat index was still 96], and we were at Water Country trying to beat the heat with the water. Anyone would, right? lol. Well I guess I shouldn't have. I got really overheated and about passed out [I have done so before like 7 years ago, so I knew exactly what was going on when it happened, thank You Jesus!]. I became nauseated, lightheaded and could barely hear myself talk. I ended up at the First Aid station for about 2 1/2 hours that afternoon. Fun, fun.... Gatorade. Gatorade. Gatorade. Yeah, I thank GOD for First Aid places at theme parks now :)) Other than that, we had a blast though! :))

<3

In Christ's family there can be no division into Jew and non-Jew, slave and free, male and female. Among us you are all equal. That is, we are all in a common relationship with Jesus Christ. Also, since you are Christ's family, then you are Abraham's famous "descendant," heirs according to the covenant promises. --- Galatians 3:28 :))

Amazinggg

I've been waiting in shallow water. You're the ocean I am after & I wanna go, oh I wanna go with You. Break the silence with Your whisper, take my hand and pull me under. 'Cuz i wanna go, oh I wanna go with You. So take me deeper, take me deeper to where You are that I may find You. Take me further, take me further than where I've been. I wanna be with You. --- meredith andrews "deeper"

Life is nothing without Your love, GOD. I can't imagine where I would be right now without You. And it is the most awesome feeling to know that You are n e v e r going to leave me. You're always going to be here with me, holding my hand and whispering confidence and loving reminders that with You I can do anything. Nothing is impossible with You...

yay :))

YAY! hehe... i'm really following through with my exercise/healthy eating plan! This is really good! lol. I swam for about 1 1/2 hours today & fixed the little girl I keep ice cream without getting myself ANY, not even a little taste! :)) Needless to say, I'm proud of myself. Oh, and I had Subway last night :) lol. I'm getting a hang of this thing. Now all I have to do is continue, endure, and keep it a lifestyle :)

Oh, and a great quote that I found a little while ago will end this good blog day:
“I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart.” Anne Frank

Red & yellow, black & white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children of the world.

My heart is saddened for those around me that have such an ignorant heart. It really bothers me how closed minded some people are - people that I love. But I am sad for them more than anything. GOD made everyone, and He said everything that He made was good. The different colors that He created in the world are beautiful. As I'm typing this my eyes are getting watery. I love these people, and I pray that GOD can somehow soften their hearts and completely rid it of any racism.

As I have said before, I know without a doubt that I am supposed to adopt, and GOD has put African children on my heart. Everytime these people say what they say I wish I could just ask them how they would feel if someone was so judgemental about them like they are to those people? But I don't. I keep my mouth shut and try to remember that I once struggled with these thoughts myself. GOD has dealt with my heart on this issue, I'm not going to cover it up and say that I myself have never felt this way. Because that would be a dishonest. I just pray that GOD does the same with them & shows those people how to love them like He does. Every color, every nationality, and every race are all His creation, His sons and daughters. I'll just keep praying for that love to reach the inner spots of their hearts too.

dun dun dunnnnn

This past week I have really tried to eat healthier and exercise more, and I can tell a little diffrence. I know that in the past 7 or so months I have gained weight [lol... that is a BIG first step in diagnosing the problem] lol... & I know that the only way I am going to get it off is by exercising. I have really not been exercising that much this summer. But, I've recognized the problem LOL, and I have a solution. I need to exercise!! hehe. And the good thing is, I have a good opportunity during the day with the little girl I keep during the week - a full sized swimming pool! I have swam with her some this summer, but not as much as I need to be lol. It was summer, I was taking a little time off :)) But, hey, I've realized that just as soon as I stopped walking around campus [ended early May] I gained weight. So, I've come up with a plan to help myself. And I am not just saying this as hot air, because I did say this to myself a lot earlier in the summer and I didn't go through with it like I should have, I am going to start walking everyday and swimming with her at least three times a week. But that only leaves me like a week and a half in her swimming pool before her school starts back [and I will have another job then]. Oh, and let's not forget the most important step! I am going to add salad with at least one meal a day.
I know this is going to be hard, but I'm going to do it. I need to do it. So, here it goes, LOL. I'm starting today. Please pray! :))