Epic Road Trip - Hits #35 Out of the Park!

In August we made an epic journey across the USA for our 2-week family vacation. This trip accomplished goal #35 in grand fashion. Among the new cities we visited: 

**Colonial Williamsburg

**Washington D.C.

**Pittsburgh, PA

**Hoboken, NJ

**Louisville, KY

**St. Louis, MO

We had an amazing time! It was the boys' first time to visit Memphis, New York City, and Hershey, PA as well. Definitely a trip to remember! 

There's Within My Heart a Melody... (#26 realized)

This past Christmas, I was blessed to play a role in the children's Christmas musical production. I played the role of "Miss Grace", a paralyzed woman with a sweet spirit who reads the Christmas story to the children. As part of this role, I sang a solo/duet. It was an incredible experience to both act and sing on stage. But the thing that made this role and this song so special is that it gave me the opportunity to share the story of Jesus and His power to transform lives. 

(I must confess I was scared to death to do this. Ironically, the singing made me more nervous than the speaking/acting roles!)

  

#12 Was Awesome!!!!

This post is WAY late...so I'm sorry about that! Last Christmas (2013), Jon and I surprised our kids with a Christmas Disney Cruise! It was amazing!! We were on the boat for 7 days and traveled from Houston to Key West,FL to Disney's Castaway Cay to Paradise Island, Bahamas, and finally back to Houston. Adam and Andrew were the perfect ages to appreciate the specialness of the cruise and still enjoy it's "magic"! 

Our favorite activity on board was the daily game shows. We participated as contestants in many of them! The boys felt "famous" when others around the ship recognized us after a "performance". 

The best part about the timing of this trip was that we skipped the awful winter storm that attacked back home in Ft Worth (nicknamed "Icemageddon" by the locals). Anticipating that the roads might get bad, we left town a day early. So grateful we did! 

We are still talking about it a year later and can't wait to go on our next cruise! 

What a Difference a Year Makes

Today, one year ago exactly, my life changed in a dramatic, painful, and all-encompassing way.  Every single truth I knew about my family, my husband, myself, and even my God was shaken to the core, scrutinized and questioned, and  in a sense...shattered. It's been a long, hard year of picking up the shattered remnant of my life. I've made so many choices this year....some successful...some desperately failing...all very hard. I am different now. My goals and my dreams have been altered. I have hit many of my 40x40 goals...and run away from even more. I have learned more about myself this year. So, I thought   I'd share what I've learned: 

*God's sovereignty isn't dependent on our obedience and reverence to Him

*God's plan for families is counterintuitive. When we want to run...He says stay. When we want happiness, He wants abundant life of joy despite sorrow. When we want to take matters into our own hands, He reminds us that He has (and always has had) the reigns.

*Children are a blessing from The Lord 

*Depression is a real, debilitating, physically painful and devastating condition

*We all need friends who love you even when you're broken. 

*How utterly undeserving am I to be called the daughter of God, to have been adopted with unconditional love and unmerited favor as a co-heir with Jesus.  How indescribably grateful I am that He didn't look at my sin and my pain and my brokenness and see a lost cause or a pile of trash, but instead pursues me and cherishes me and calls me His own. Thank you, Abba Father, for being what we can never be.

Today, I choose to be better. I choose to return to Him. I choose to trust Him for my healing. I choose Christ. 

#37...Cha-Ching!

Why just ONE shift of overtime, you might ask?  Well, namely because not once in my 5 1/2 year tenure at JPS have I worked a single hour of overtime.  That might not sound strange to you, but it totally is. All if the fantastic gals I get to call coworkers work crazy amounts of OT. When I began compiling my little list here, I got their input. One girl said she had a goal to go ONE week WITHOUT working overtime.  This gave me a great laugh! And so, I made an opposite goal. 

This morning officially marked my 1st (and only?) overtime shift! I already signed up for 3 shifts in one week and I got a call asking if I could "help" on Wednesday. I came in and worked an 8-hour shift that night. Those 8 hours combined with my 36 scheduled hours this week equals 44 hours!  Whooohooo!

Love being PRN so I have the flexibility to work as little or as much as I desire. I live this adventure!!!

A Brand New Day! (Let #4 officially begin!)

I love being a labor nurse...love it with all of my being. But, I love being a wife and mommy so much more. The Lord has put in my heart the desire to spend as much time as possible with my family. So, we have prayed and prayed for the time (and finances) to be right for me to reduce my hours at work.  And, I am abundantly grateful to announce that starting this week, that is a reality!!!  I am officially a "part time" employee!! And full time mom!

Of course, God in His sovereignty, knew the bigger picture before I did!  In January, we began the proccess of being licenced to adopt through the Texas foster system.  A few weeks ago, we found out about 2 precious boys who need a forever home, and last week we found out that He has chosen us to be that family. In perfect God-affirming timing, the approval for my PRN status at work came through literally days before the phone call came telling us about the boys. God is amazing!!  And here's the "kicker"...adoption wasn't really on my radar when "The List" was created. Going part-time was included just because I felt "called" to home. Boy, did God have a different vision for our "home" than I did!!

Bring on the new adventure!!!

Vicarious Living??? (#33, check!)

I must preface this post by admitting that I loved my college days! I loved every part of that time period and miss some of the freedoms I had (and probably tool for granted!). So when God knocked in my heart (and Jon's) and asked me to teach college aged students in a life group on Sunday...I was overjoyed! This past year as been an amazing time of growth for me personally. These "kids" inspire and challenge me and I am grateful for their acceptance if an "old lady" like me. Haha!!

April marked 1 year. Our next group of HS graduates will he coming soon. Can't wait to see what happens next!!