The Circus is Coming To Town

The summer has just started and we have already done a ton of traveling! We still have about 3 more weeks on the road, back and forth to Tally. Every year we have to go raise funds to remain in full-time ministry. I love raising our support (a lot of freedom to focus on ministry the rest of the year, but hard in the midst of it). I don't know which is harder, packing up 2 boys and a dog and driving for hours or staying home with the kids while the hubby is gone, haven't figured that out yet.

Every time we pack up our car I feel like we are a traveling circus coming to town. Some how we manage to fill the car to the roof, even if it's just a weekend trip. How is it possible? I never thought I was an over-packer until I had kids. You just never know what you will need. Anyone got advice on packing lighter? It will seriously become a problem if we downsize our car, which we are hoping to do this week!

So here we are again, we find ourselves packed to the brim and driving around Florida with 2 kids and a dog... beware, our circus may be coming to a town near you!

The 6 F's (On Healthy Relationships pt. 5)

The 6 F's, or foundations needed before even thinking of that next level with a guy (and can be used vice versa for a girl)

1. Fulfillment

As I mentioned in the first of this series, our fulfillment, security, and identity must be found only in Jesus. This includes the understanding and satisfaction in a calling to be celibate if that is what God has called you to. I know many of you might be reading this and say "WHAT?!" But this truly reveals if your motives are pure and not for security. Majority of people, I believe are going to get married one day, but I think this is a critical mindset to have before jumping into a relationship. Ask yourself, "What if God wants me to stay single my whole life?" You need to be secure and content in the fact that God has the final say in wether you get in a relationship or not, ever. If God calls you to remain single, God will satisfy those desires of companionship in you.  (This mindset is also critical when you are married and want children too, I think... you gotta find contentment and satisfaction in what God's plans are, not your own). The healthiest marriages are when 2 secure, mature individuals come together. You gotta start with a season of victorious single living. 

2. Feelings

You must be character driven, not emotionally/feelings driven. Character driven people are people who do right, then feel good; not feel good about something then do right. Character driven means commitment driven, not convenience driven. They make principle based decisions, not popular based decisions. They believe then see, not have to see to believe. They are consistent and steady, not moody and flighty. This includes understanding that you and your future spouse are in a state of preparation, how you live as a single person is how you will be as a married person. This is why I really respected and trusted Ross so much when we were dating. He made a commitment not to do anything more than hug me or hold my hand when we were dating... at first I thought that was way too extreme, but then I realized- he is setting the bar way high so that if we were "slip up" then it wouldn't be into something irreversible or with severe consequences. The biggest thing it showed me in him though, was that I could trust him once we were married. I could trust that if he could wait 2 years before doing anything with me, if he was in a situation working with a woman, or something like that... he could show restraint and I could trust that he wouldn't "slip up" with anyone else. How awesome and secure is that?!

Ed Cole said "How you leave one thing is how you enter another." When you are dating, you are setting patterns in your relationships that will only multiply when you get married... the good and the bad! You can't make your standards in your relationship in the heat of the moment... you gotta draw the lines in the sand before you get there! Do not become anxious, know that God's timing is perfect and your destiny begins as a single person, not once you are married. 

3. Family

As I mentioned previously, you need to have strong relationships with people of the same sex as you. You should know who you are called to walk with, as in spiritual family. You find your people, you find your purpose. The reason is so you have someone you can go to outside your relationship for wisdom, guidance and accountability. Also for friends that are committed to you and will tell you the truth. (Ex. Ruth & Naomi) This is so critical... sometimes I need to talk to someone other than my husband about things to get outside perspective!

4. Finding

5. Forgetting

6. Fondling

We'll save those for the next post. Give me feedback!!

Date Night!

One of my favorite things to do is Date Night with Ross! I love it! It is hard to leave the kids with babysitters, luckily they usually do great with them... and thankfully we have some amazing friends that love to watch our kids. Yes, let me just say THANK YOU once again, you know who you are... who love on my kids, that in its self, is such a blessing! My prayer is that my kids bless you in the process!

It's so funny how our date nights have changed over the years. We used to be so consistent in the beginning, when we didn't have to worry about babysitters or money (it seemed). We would usually go to dinner, a movie or to some sort of event (play, concert at the music school, museum, etc) and stay out late and talk for hours at Lake Ella. As much as I miss those days where we had no time constraint, It has changed a lot...for the better I believe now! 

Now we usually spend our time more wisely... and our money (since we currently have a lack of). This actually has been good for us, it makes us do things where we have to talk more and not just sit and be entertained. One of my favorite things to do now is go to dinner, and then to Starbucks or walk around the Southwood lake. That is usually all we have time for, but I don't mind...we get more face time and it seems more critical now than ever. We have to fight for our date nights now...life gets so busy and things always seem to "come up" so we HAVE to make it a priority. 

Date nights aren't just a night out for us, they are critical nights to reconnect, re-evaluate where we are going and what we are doing, and rejuvenate. One of the most important times of the night is when we ask each other "How am I doing lately?" We sit there and honestly asses how we are doing... if something is bothering us, or if we have done something particularly great lately to bless each other. Since we started doing this a few years ago, I feel like we have been so much more productive in our dates and in our time together. We can put any frustrations out there and get over it so we can  enjoy each other the rest of the evening/day. It is also a great time to ask each other "what has God been doing in you lately?" and to reflect and remember what is doing on deeper and behind the scenes in your life. Talk about connecting!

So I encourage you... whether you are dating, married or just hanging out with a friend... use those times wisely and don't waste them...I would even encourage you to asses how you are doing in the relationship with each other. Ask the other person to be honest when you say "How am I doing lately?" and be honest with yourself and repent if you need to... Those are also precious moments to ask "what has God been doing in you lately?" 

Enemies of Friendship (On Healthy Relationships pt. 4)

We're on to a new topic in healthy relationships finally, we're over half way done with this series (I know you will be sad to see it go, since there have been so many responses) :). 

Enemies of Friendship

Enemies of Friendship include many things like gossip, exclusivity, betrayal, envy, jealousy, and dependence on the friendship rather than on God. To overcome them, we must have our security firmly in Christ (See first post). These are primarily for your relationships with friends, but trust me, they are VITAL in marriage or dating relationships.

 

2 obstacles to overcome in any relationship:

1. Offense

ALL close relationships will go through transitions and conflicts. Things will happen, people are human and are going to do things that you don't agree with or understand, and there will come a time when you or someone else will cause an offense. The question is... what will you do when that time comes? We can't take them so personally, we can't write people  off so quickly if we get hurt or offended. When building relationships you have to think long term. We must cover an offense in love and forgive (remember, there is a big future forgiveness post coming). 

Proverbs 19:11 says "A man's wisdom give him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense." 

So what do you do when it's not so easy to overlook an offense? Like Dee Brestin says "Our motivation for confrontation should always spring from a desire to improve the relationship or seek the other person's best." We must confront in love. It is easy to get angry and be resentful or want to pay it back to them, but we can't be selfish, we should always be looking to better our situations by bettering others.

We need to be committed to reconcile and talk through problems, not just throw in the towel. If you can't seem to work it out together, seek wisdom and counsel from someone else.

2. Unrealistic expectations

I could talk about this one for a long time, but in summary: Communicate and/or adjust expectations. Learn what you can and can't expect from a particular friendship/relationship. Don't put too much pressure on a friendship by putting that person on a pedestal. This is one where it is easy to get over-dependent on a friendship/relationship. When you are holding that person to ungodly standards in your life, you will be disappointed. When I say ungoldy, I mean holding someone to standards that are unrealistic, and not God-given (moral, ethical, etc).  When seasons change, the reality is you may not have the same level of friendship with a particular person. Deal with it, and don't feel rejected or guilty when friendships change. 

I believe that these 2 things are always going to be thrown at a relationship at any level, it's like a testing ground to see where that relationship is headed... so what are you going to do when faced with them?

Next On Relationships post: The 6 F's! Here's a taste.... Fulfillment, Feelings, Family, Finding, Forgetting, Fondling (yeah, that's right...stay tuned to see what this one is all about!) ha!

We Have It So Good

Happy Memorial Day! 

Over the years I have taken Memorial Day for granted, maybe not actual Memorial Day, but the meaning behind Memorial Day. I used to think of it as just another day off of school/work, a good 3 day weekend, a great day for grilling out or going to the beach. But I find the older I get, the more it means to me.

Both of my grandfathers were in WWII, My Dad's dad (Bapa to me) was in the Navy, and my Mom's dad (Gramps) was a Marine. I heard some crazy war stories through the years, but I never really understood what they went though, what veterans in general have gone through, to make my life as an American so great. 

It's so easy to get caught up in the high gas prices, horrible politics, deteriorating education system, Christian persecution, taxes, among many other things, of this country and take it for granted. But the fact is- WE HAVE IT SO GOOD! We have freedom in SO many more ways than most people in this world, and I appreciate that more and more every day. I am thankful. 

Last night Ross and I watched the movie The Great Debators- good movie! It highlighted a lot of what African-American's had to go though in the 1930's, It is hard for me to even conceive what people had to go through in those days of racism. After the movie we watched the National Memorial Day Concert that took place in D.C. and they had war veterans giving testimonies of what they went though and saw in countries they fought in...it was so moving and heart wrenching. 

We Have It So Good! I never want to take the sacrifices of the older generations for granted. We must remember, we must make sure we tell the stories to the next generation, not so they are just "Stories" to them, but so they can grasp what happened so we don't have to face those things again.

Joshua 4:6-7

"to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, 'What do these stones mean?' tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the LORD. When it crossed the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones are to be a memorial to the people of Israel forever."

We must keep memorials of what God has done in our lives, and of what people have done as sacrifices for us, as not to forget or take for granted the freedom given to us. So on that note, Happy Memorial Day, make sure you take the time to learn about, give thanks for, and try to understand how we really do have it so good!

Fake Engagement Stories 2

In my previous post, called Speaking of Weddings... I shared a fake engagement story from Ross' and my dating years. Here is another one.

At this point in our relationship it had been almost a year and a half of dating, we had our college graduation dates set, and had started talking about what the future held. We had talked a little bit about where we were headed- towards marriage and a time frame for it. So as you can expect, I was feeling a proposal coming sometime in the near future, considering we both wanted to go in to full time ministry right after graduating and going to a graduate school together in Los Angeles. 

We went on a little trip down to Clearwater, where my family is from to visit one weekend and had a little date out at the beach. It was a beautiful night and I was thinking to myself- the timing couldn't be more perfect...the atmosphere was gorgeous, and we were in looooove.

We ate a nice dinner and went for a walk on the beach. We passed the pier and there was a wedding reception going on just ahead with a pretty tent and romantic music playing by the DJ in the back ground. It was perfect! The stars were out and the breeze was cool....I was starting to get butterflies. 

We came up to the wood lounge benches that are on the beach and I sat down. Ross sat down next to me, then leaned forward quickly...going down on ONE KNEE!! THIS IS IT! My heart started racing...I was trying so hard to hide my excitement on my face.

He reaches in his pocket... and pulls out his CELL PHONE! 

It turns out he had NO idea what was going on in my head, he just couldn't sit on the bench right with his cell phone in his pocket so he was adjusting. My heart stopped! I almost got mad at him! haha. (ok maybe I did a little) How could he trick me like that??!! I never told him about that moment until we did finally get engaged.

Just a few short weeks later the real event happened, but I'm not there yet, gotta share more fake engagement stories still....

2 more Building Blocks (On Healthy Relationships pt. 3)

I hope you aren't getting sick of this series yet... about half way though. :) Today I am going to share the final 2 Building Blocks for True Friendship. The other 2 can be found here.

1. Selflessness

2. Truthfulness and Transparency

3. Forgiveness

4.  Time and Attention

3. Forgiveness

I am not going to spend a whole lot of time on this one because I am planning on doing a future blog series specifically about forgiveness, but here is the bottom line when building true friendships.

In every relationship, no matter what level, you will have MANY opportunities to forgive. I believe bitterness is the number 1 destroyer. Forgiveness is the means to healing and strengthening relationships. Just as we all need forgiveness extended to us, we need to be quick to extend it to others. (I don't know about you, but I haven't reached perfection yet to not need forgiveness.) This has to do with the little things in life, as well as the BIG.

Colossians 3:13 says "bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you".

As author, Neil T. Anderson, says "Don't wait to forgive until you feel like forgiving, you will never get there. Feelings take time to heal after the choice to forgive is made." 

4. Time and Attention

Invest in the relationships God has given you. Relationships will deteriorate when neglected. 

1 John 3:18 says "Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth." We have to be active in our friendships. It's so easy to say "lets hang out, or I'll call you soon" but do you follow through? Do you take the time to build with someone? Anything worth building takes time to build! Think of any worthy building, like the Taj Mahal...if I'm right, it took 17 years to build! I'm sure it took patience, vision and a lot of attention to get such a beautiful building, and so should our relationships, right?  Don't take the easy way out in friendships, it's so easy to just stay in tonight, or go shopping by myself...but take someone with you, make the effort to be with people- it will be worth it! Just making a quick phone call can make all the difference. 

Stay tuned.... the Enemies of Friendship are next...

Building Blocks (On Healthy Relationships pt. 2)

There are 4 Building Blocks for True Friendship. These are both for guy/girl relationships and friendships with anyone. I believe these are essential if you want a healthy relationship.
1. Selflessness
2. Truthfulness and Transparency
3. Forgiveness
4. Time and Attention

Today I will share 2 of the 4.
1. Selflessness: John 15:13 says "Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends." We need to be an others-centered people. When building friendships that last we need to always be encouraging, strengthening, and building up others. It's so easy to take friendships and "chemistry" with people for granted. And to let time go buy without realizing you haven't done anything to add to others. I believe that serving someone will bring you closer to them.
I think it's a good idea to asses your friendships and relationships every so often to see what you are adding to the mix. It's easy to fall into a pattern of criticism and negativity, disguising it has humor, or give to a relationship with expectations of something in return. That is not true serving. When you give to recieve something (whether it be affirmation or intimacy from that person (esp. ladies to men!) you will always be left disappointed. When you give freely, with no strings attached, you will receive those things from God's hand- which will always satisfy!

Ladies, let me speak to you for the moment: Don't be afraid to serve your guy friends! Galatians 5:13 says "For you were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather serve one another in love." Find ways to serve men that are appropriate to their needs without crossing boundaries of wisdom (if you don't know what these are, ask someone!) Continually check your motives to keep them pure. A word to the wise, don't single out on person for special treatment, but spread your encouragement and serving to other friends too. Do me a favor and don't be suspect...avoid spending alone time with a particular man, build friendships in group settings to avoid temptation and deception. Build for God's purposes, not your own.

Want some practical ways? Encourage them in their calling, affirm the great qualities you see in them, build them up instead of "jokingly" tearing them down. And finally allow men to serve you, women! (please refer to my previous post here) Asking men to serve us, and allowing them to affirms their manhood and God-give role to care for and protect women. And Thank them!

2. Truthfulness and Transparency
Openness in relationships and friendships protect us from temptation, deception and produce true intimacy. Please be honest and real with each other! This is such a pet-peeve of mine...when someone doesn't share what is on their heart. Speak the truth in love!
1 John 1:7 says "But if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin." Here, walking in light, means putting things out in the open and exposing things to light. Here is my word of warning though: share with men (unless you are married) on a guarded level (and vice versa). If you expose too much of your soul to men, it gives them an unhealthy connection in your life. There is a line between sharing vision and destiny, which is healthy and positive, and sharing your soul (mind, will, emotions), which can be intimate.

What do you believe are some essential building blocks to friendship? Give me feed back on these 2 if you have some.

Goodbye American Idol

American Idol has now come to an end for the 7th Season...how much longer will they go on? I say end it on a high note. But I am just excited that because American Idol comes to an end, my favorite reality show will begin- So You Think You Can Dance! I am not a huge TV watcher, I swear, but I do have a few shows that I enjoy from time to time...and that one is the best! You can't fake it on that show, you gotta be good or you go home (and because I only wish I could be as cool as those dancers).

Back to American Idol....Congrats to David Cook. I think he was a good candidate to win this year. He seems like a nice guy, and I like the fact that he was going to support his brother in the tryouts, but got persuaded to audition by the American Idol staff...and ended up winning! (He stole my idea from when I went with Shelby! HA!) You know the other David is going to make it too though, especially with is teenie-bopper following!


I added his best re-make he did (he was probably the most creative and musically talented). This is the "Billy Jean" song.

The Fundamentals (On Healthy Relationships pt. 1)

I did a workshop a few years ago on Healthy Relationships, ranging from healthy friendships to healthy dating. I decided I am going to start blogging some of that material. Because it is a lot of material, this will probably be a blog-series of about 6-8 posts. Stay tuned...my favorite section: the 6 F's: Foundations needed before even thinking of that next level with someone.

In order to have any sort of relationship, whether with a man or woman (friendship level included), there are some key Fundamental Principles that must be laid out. I believe without these foundations, what you are building will eventually be tested and reveal cracks (causing you to have to rebuild, which is always harder & more costly after the fact) or it will ultimately come crashing down. For a real life example of how important foundations are read this story.

1. Our relationship with Jesus is, and always will be our primary relationship. All other relationships should only push us closer to God, not distract us from Him. Exodus 20:3 says You shall have no other gods before Me. This is where you find your identity, security, fulfillment, and unconditional love, in Christ alone. No relationship, including marriage, can ever meet these needs the way God can. Colossians 2:10 says And in Him you have been made complete. (we'll address this one more in the 6 F's)

2. After our relationship with God, our relationship with people should be the highest priority in our lives. Matthew 22:37-39 says "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, You shall love your neighbor as yourself." This includes building relationships with people that don't look like us, not our typical crowd, but with people from all ethnicities, backgrounds, and personalities. Don't let work, selfishness, or comfort get in the way of this...the only thing we get to take to heaven with us is our relationships (with God & people), everything else fades away!

3. Avoid unhealthy relationships. Our relationships have tremendous influence on our lives, both positive and negative. We should cut off relationships, if extreme and influence you to immoral lifestyles, and re-prioritize them if unhealthy so we can build relationships with people that will bring us closer to Christ and His purposes for us. 1 Corinthians 15:33 says Do not be decieved: Bad company corrupts good morals. 2 Corinthians 6:14 says Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Keep a right perspective about this, cutting off doesn't mean being cold or mean to someone, but knowing who God is calling you to build with and spend the most time with. Your closest relationships should be with people walking in the same purposes and beliefs you have. Proverbs 13:20 says He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm. To all the ladies out there: Building friendships with men who don't share your faith and standards can be spiritually, emotionally, and even physically dangerous. Many women have been led away from their walk with God through dating unbelieving men, even if their initial motives were to "missionary date". We must build sincere, pure, and godly friendships with men who believe what we do. And until you find that "man"...treat men as brothers (1 Tim. 5:1-2). Remember that your friend may be someone else's husband. Treat them how you would want other women to treat your husband. (Don't get me wrong, this can also be said to men!)

So what are your thoughts?

How Many Email Accounts Do You Have?

How many email accounts do you have…2, 3, 17?

It is probably not a profound revelation, but most people have at least 2 email accounts. In fact, according to eMarketer (September 2007), of the 170 million U.S. email users, more than 94% (~160 million) have at least two email accounts and 65% of users (~128 million) utilize three or more accounts. I think it important to note that these stats do not include social networking accounts (like Facebook, Myspace and Twitter), which, if you really think about it, are dressed up messaging services.

I personally have 3, not including my social networking accounts or my college email, which for some reason I think still works, 5 + years later! One is for work, one for personal, and one for junk mail (sign ups).

What about you? Just curious. I think my brother can beat all of you, he has like a million!

Me + Crescent Rolls = MMM!

If you have ever had my cooking before, you probably know that it will some how involve Crescent Rolls. I love them, and they are so easy and yummy to cook with. Therefore I thought I would share a few delicious crescent roll recipes. 

We'll start with the traditional: 

Pigs in a Blanket. 

Take your favorite hotdog and wrap it in a crescent roll, bake on 375 for 12 minutes. Simple and the kids love 'em!

We'll go with the appetizers now:

Pin Wheels

2 crescent roll packages

1 block cream cheese

1 small onion, chopped (less is more)

1/2 cup (or 1 jar) bacon bits

mix cream cheese, onion and bacon bits and spread on crescent roll. Roll up and slice.  Bake on 350 for 15 minutes. Pretty and a crowd favorite!

Now we'll go with the main course:

Chicken Turnovers (thanks Kristy)

6 oz soft cream cheese

5 tblsp butter, melted and divided

4 c. cooked chicken

1/4 c. milk

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 tblsp chopped onion

2 cans crescent rolls

3/4 c. bread crumbs

Heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except 2 tblsp butter, dough and bread crumbs. Unroll dough, divide to rectangles (4 per can) press diagonal perforations together. Place 1/2 c. chicken mix in center and fold dough over and seal. Place spoonful of butter and pinch of bread crumbs over each turnover. Bake 20-30 minutes. 

And finally, for Dessert:

Babies in a Blanket (otherwise known as Aunt Testies Pies- Shelby!)

2 cans crescent rolls (or biscuits) 

1 package large marshmellows

1/2 stick soft butter

cinnamon sugar 

Unroll dough and make rectangles (4 per can) (or flatten biscuits with rolling pin). Spread butter, and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar. Place 2 large marshmellows in center and fold up and around it, sealing it at the top with a dab of butter and sprinkle of cinnamon sugar. Place in a greased muffin tin and bake on 350 for 12-15 mintues. Eat when warm, but be careful, the marshmellow melts and tends to ooze out- yummy but messy! These taste VERY similar to Cinnabon rolls- MMM! 

Let me know if you make them and how you like these! And if you happen to have a crescent roll recipe, I'm all ears!

Speaking of Weddings...

Some good friends of ours are getting married this weekend...congrats Katie & Dave! And in honor I thought I'd share a funny story from Ross & I, pre-engagement.

At this point in our relationship we had only been dating a few months and I was meeting all his friends from back home (a real close group of guys) and their girlfriends as we went to one of his friends weddings. 

It was storming outside, worse than I've ever been in before- rain blowing sideways and all. We were in a rush because we were running late to the wedding and I reached into my purse to pull out my jewelry and throw it on as we were running through the rain to the church doors. I left my purse in the car because it wasn't fancy enough to bring in.

As we went in through the church doors, we stood at the back looking for a place to sit when one of Ross' friends' girlfriend looked over at my hand and said loudly- "oh my gosh did you guys get engaged?!" I looked down and realized I had put a ring on that was a fake engagement ring (I guess I threw it in my purse from when I would wear it at work to keep guys from talking to me). I quickly flipped it around on my finger and said "no, why?" before anyone else could figure out what was happening (including Ross). Oh...the story gets better...

So we sat down in a pew and we were real crowded. I held my hands behind my back to take the ring off, but in the process of the summer heat, nervousness, etc, the ring was stuck. I finally yanked it off and elbowed Ross in the process. At that point I realized I had no purse or pockets to stick the ring in so I looked at Ross and told him "I am going to put something in your pocket, but you have to promise me you won't take it out!" He was totally confused, but I couldn't explain why I had that with me in the church at the moment. 

So the ceremony wraps up and head to the reception...I forget about the ring in the pocket. We are at the reception and I am meeting all his friends and he reaches into his pocket and pulls out this obnoxiously huge engagement ring! Ross holds out the ring and goes "What is this?" 

All I hear is "OHHH!... WOW!... Is he really proposing right now??.....etc." I turn BRIGHT Red! How do I explain this??? All of his friends think he is proposing, and yet he is wondering what in the world is Amy doing? I quickly jump in and say "oh no, it was a joke, an inside joke" (meanwhile I am mortified in my mind and just going crazy thinking of how embarrassing this was and how Ross was going to handle it after only a few months of dating.) Happy to say, he didn't dump me!

So that is the story...The Fake Engagement Part 1- I have many more to follow up from our dating process in posts to come.

Real Beauty...(I got to Guest Blog!)

I was excited for the chance to guest blog on my friend, Clayton's site a few days ago! Here is a link to it, but comment on here as well so I can hear some feedback!

Real Beauty

Chivalry & Etiquette

Want to stand out from the crowd? Want to make an impact the first time you meet someone? Want to know some of the keys to sweeping Mr. or Mrs. Right off their feet? 

I think it can begin with Chivalry & Etiquette. These words seem to have disappeared from the American Culture these days and I want to be a catalyst to bring them back! 

What is Chivalry? It entails qualities idealized by knighthood, bravery, courtesy, honor and gallantry towards women.

What is Etiquette? One definition actually says to stand out, be polite, rules for correct or socially acceptable behavior (unfortunately what is socially acceptable today is way different than in the past).

In this day and age it is so rare to see Chivalry or Etiquette happen. I love the movie Kate & Leopold because it points out how far we have come from that, and that movie makes chivalry so attractive. When I was younger my great aunt had me and my girl cousins over to her house one day for etiquette training. We all dressed up and spent the whole day learning how to set and serve a table properly, how to dress, eat, drink, sit, and speak with poise. Basically how to be a real lady. I will always remember that day because it made me feel so sophisticated, and like a princess. 

One of the first things that stood out to me about Ross when we started dating was that he would hold the door open for me, pull out my chair and carry heavy items for me. He always treated (and still does) with respect and honor. This was definitely something none of my previous boyfriends had ever done for me, and it really made me realize this guy was different. 

Chivalry isn't just holding a door open though, it's a mind set, it's an attitude of the heart. Men, if you really respect women and care about them you will show it by your actions. If you want to leave an impression on a woman- honor her and treat her like a princess (after all, she is a princess of the King of Kings). It's time you go above and beyond in how you treat women, it's time to stand apart from the rest of this selfish generation and be a sacrificial brave knight and sweep these ladies off their feet...it's time for the Knight in Shining Armor to come riding up and rescue women from the filth of the world. 

I know I am totally sounding old school and like a softy saying we need to be rescued, because it seems like women across the world have been fighting so hard for equality that if a man were to ask to help carry her heavy bag it would be offensive- how twisted is that if you really think about it? I apologize to the men out there for making it hard for you to act chivalrous towards us (me)...for blowing it off or for not appreciating it, or for thinking that just because you held open a door for me, you "like" me. I apologize on behalf of women for sending messages that would make chivalry die. 

It's time we do these things with no agenda but to serve and honor. It is also about time to bring back some etiquette, women, let's give these men a reason to be honored, lets live like the beautiful princess that God created us to be, to give these men something worth sacrificing for. I think it's about time we sent America through a Chivalry and Etiquette training day and see what would happen!  

Dedicated to my Mama

I love you Mom! Here's a song for you today! Happy Mother's Day Mom's!

Name that Show Tune!

My brother sent me a link to a pretty cool website. You can play almost any TV theme song known to man! I love it! There's even a name that theme song game! I thought some of you might enjoy going back in time and playing some old school TV show songs.

Just click this link: http://www.televisiontunes.com

I was amazed to realize I still new every word to Saved By The Bell, Facts of Life and Fresh Prince, along with every other TGIF show from the early 90s! What were some of yours?

Study: Stay-at-Home Mom Worth Nearly $117,000 a Year

All I gotta say is: That's what I'm talkin' about! :)

View article Here

"Out of 18,000 moms surveyed about their typical week reported working 94.4 hours... If a stay-at-home mom could be compensated in dollars rather than personal satisfaction and unconditional love, she'd rake in a nifty sum of nearly $117,000 a year. A working mom who also juggles an outside job would get $68,405 for her motherly duties."

It'd be nice if the rewards included money...but it's all worth every penny-less, sometimes thank-less moment!

Happy Early Mother's Day to all the mom's out there!!

To my mom- I love you & thank you for being amazing!

Getting To Know You

Well, Eli has hit the 5 month mark and he is such a joy of a baby. He has a very gentle spirit about him, but I can tell he will be a brave knight (I know that sounds weird, but even when I was pregnant with him I felt like he is going to be a chivalrous boy/man). He seems a lot more chill than Aiden (who is one firey spirit- see blog on why we named them what we did).

Anyway, even though he has been in our family for 5 months now, I feel like we are just starting to get to know him. He is just now starting to show some personality and interaction..awareness that we are here. I love it! With Aiden being 2.5 yrs old now I feel like we are really starting to see who he is. So far Ross and I think this is the funnest stage. I love babies, but I so love seeing their individual personalities/character.

So we were discussing this the other night and it made me think. This is how God views us. He created us and knows who we are, who he created us to be...yet he is still waiting to get to know us. I think God totally knows who we are, what we are like and even the thoughts in our heads (which I wish I could do with these boys!)...but on a Spiritual level...it's not until we let God into our lives a little more that we can really get to know Him and He can enjoy who He created us to be.

Eli is all there, but just now as he is growing and becoming more aware of us, are we now able to see more of him. And as we see more of him we can help bring out and develop who he is. We start off on a spiritual level, like newborn babies, but we must grow and build relationship with our Creator.

1 Peter 2:2-3 says Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.

Sometimes we just need to get back to the basics and get more God in our lives (drink the spiritual milk: the Word) so we can taste and see that the Lord is good. As we seek Him out and become more aware of God in our lives...He can truely enjoy His creation, and we can then find fulfillment and enjoy what He created!

Dreaming

Ever have one of those dreams that feels so real your attitude is affected you all day? A few years ago, just after Ross and I got married I had such a dream.

Here was the dream:

Our best friends, Kelly & Clayton had just gotten married a few months before (that was real) and Kelly and I were hanging out in the dream. She was crying and I asked her what happened. She said that Catherine Zeta Jones (yeah, the movie star) had stolen Clayton from her, and he dream cheated. We were both so sad.

The next thing I knew Kelly and I were walking down the street and a limo pulled up and Clayton and Catherine Zeta Jones were in it. She booted Clayton out on the street and at the same time Ross (my hubby) pulled up in his car and got out and jumped in the limo with her! WHAT!?

We were all sitting there like, what is going on? Clayton was standing there with us and we actually started feeling bad for him (yeah, strange, remember this was a dumb dream!). Clayton apologized to Kelly and begged for her to take him back. Then we all got so mad at Ross because he ran off with Catherine Zeta Jones!

Anywho...I woke up in the morning and was steaming mad at Ross but couldn't remember why, at first! haha. I was actually being mean to him and having a bad attitude with him. He finally asked me what the deal was and I realized I had that dream! We had such a good laugh! Now whenever we see her in a movie Ross and I laugh at the dream homewrecker! :)

Ever have a dream so real it affected your entire day?

Yeah, We're Related!

I just have to brag on my sister-in-law for a moment. She is coming out with a CD that I know each and every one of you would love! I know many of you loyal blog readers of mine (ha!) read my husband's blog too, but incase you don't here's a link to his recent blog sharing about Shelby, my sis-in-law, and her amazing music abilities. Click here for that: Ross' Blog.

If you want to see her site to hear a sample of her music, click here: Shelby's MySpace

But yeah, I am proud to say we are related... she's one amazing woman and I think she is on the brink of breakthrough in the music industry like she's always dreamed. I encourage you to go and check her out and when she makes it big you can say- I knew her before she was known! 

And I know many of you readers are music reps and big wigs that can sign her, so just make sure I get a shout out of royalties or something like that for introducing you to this star! 

Oh yeah, and my kids call her "Aunt Burnie" so I am putting my two cents in now to what I want her stage name or 1st album to be!