Life...

May ended June is already 12 days gone...how does that happen soo fast!?

If you would like to take a look at Marcie's wedding pictures go to David Molnar Weddings The pictures are amazing! Thank you David and Tammy Molnar for being so great!

The weekend after the wedding we had Johnathon's grandparents (Damiens side) surprise 50th anniversary! It was so sweet. They had no clue. Here are the 2 good pics we have...our battery died in the camera. (Hint, hint...Gary or Angie email me some pictures).

Then the next big event was the "Desperation Youth Retreat" we have been planing for months! June 6 -7 it was awesome. The Lord was so faithful throughout the entire retreat and changed the lives of so many youth! Do we have any pictures...nope still a dead battery!

So this is the month of transition in the youth group and church. Nate and Amy (the current youth pastors) are moving to Alabama. Johnathon, myself and Aaron $ are transitioning into the youth leader position. We are sad and excited. Sad that Nate and Amy will be gone...excited because the Lord is stirring and churning a deep desire in our hearts for the Youth of our Church so we know it is the ministry that the Lord is calling us to right now. Although it is an interim position we are ready to be used of the Lord for how ever long this season last!

At the end of this month I will be attending a Women's Conference in Atlanta called "Deeper Still" and I'm really excited!

Then...July 1...will take us to....drum roll please....

What looks like this?Has one of these?

And I get to do this...

...and this...

...all day, every day!

!!!!THE BAHAMAS!!!!

Johnathon, Myself and his parents are going to the Bahamas...ahhh I can't wait! I plan on charging my camera battery for that!

They did it!!

Marcie and Dad



The newlyweds!

Ok so these pictures were ripped off of one of the Baker girl's facebook...thank you. ;-)

Marcie's wedding was very fun and the whole day, although busy was surprisingly peaceful and calm. Marcie was the coolest, calmest bride I have ever seen. On top of the fact she was drop dead gorgeous.

I have lots of fun things to post for the month of May and will soon.

April: come and gone

Already a month has come and gone and it seems like I just got the hang of dating everything April.

It's been a good month. Starting with yard work to get our flower beds looking nice. Unfortunately I have not taken a finished product picture. And yes I am wearing pearls while working in the yard...that's how I roll.

April has also brought with it the desire to work out and get in shape for the summer. I bought a workout book called something like "sexy bikini body in 6 weeks" it has a disclaimer in the beginning that states "the following workouts are designed for women who are already in moderately good condition physically and workout regularly". I Quickly learned that "in moderately good condition" does not define me. I'm thinking "sexy bikini body in 16 weeks" September here I come!

The first weekend in April all of us girls went out to Texas for Marcie's bridal shower that Zach's family had for her.

We had a great time. Zach's family really knows how to make you feel welcome and like part of the family. Zach was nice enough to let us take over his house and he kicked himself out to go stay with his parents while we were in. I would like to say that we left his house better than when we got there but that would just be a lie. After one trip to the emergency room (Audri had a terrible allergic reaction to something), baby poop in the carpet and me literally frying the electrical in his bathroom with my hair dryer then rearranging his living room into a temporary hair and make up counter- it's safe to say he will probably think twice before inviting all of us to stay again.

What a trooper...thanks Zach...btw did you ever get the bathroom electrical fixed?? If you had to hire an electrician you should send me the bill!

And finally no blog is complete without a picture of precious Darcy!!

5 years

On March 22 Johnathon and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. I can honestly say the last 5 years have been wonderful.

Over dinner, at one of our favorite restaurant's, we asked each other which one of the 5 years was our favorite. We both had the same answer - this past year.

I don't know what it is, but somehow, someway we just "clicked". I think we have arrived at a place where we truly and honestly value the other person more than ourselves including the times when we want to prove our own point and disprove the other's.
Now what about the other 4 years...well, they were amazing also. I believe that throughout our entire marriage we have desired and strive to put the other first, and 90% of the time I think we succeeded. This past year it seems like we weren't even trying as if we just put the other first through an overflow of love, devotion, trust and certainly the grace of God.

In my understanding the more I have focused on the Lord as an individual, the more natural of a response it has become to put Johnathon first...and that same concept is very evident in his life towards me.

So on top of going out to dinner and a concert to celebrate we also scored big by getting a tee time at The Fallen Oak golf course. (Thank you Gary P.)

A little deeper

What words, phrases, or images are surrounding you on a daily basis?

I've been thinking a lot about what I surround myself with or what I "consume" in my mind and heart. I am challenging myself to really focus on what goes in the "temple". I was already thinking about this concept and had the last straw last weekend when I voluntarily watch a movie in its entirety that I should have never even rented. Johnathon and I both felt the same way. We looked at each other and pulled one of these: "why didn't we just turn it off?"
We both knew it was crude within the first 10 minutes and I had to fast forward through about 1/3 of the movie...so again "why didn't we just turn it off?"

A kick in the butt is sometimes just what I need to pursue more godliness ;-)

So what words, phrases or images are surrounding me NOW?

Scriptures I read through out the day that I have taped on my computer:

"Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you." - Matthew 7:7

"Glory in His Holy Name; let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad."
- Psalm 105:3

A quote I read today that is pressing on my mind:

"You will never leave where you are, until you decide where you'd rather be."
- Lewis Dunnington

Of course I must throw in my fortune cookie fortunes I have taped to my computer that I see everyday:

"Desire, like the atom, is explosive with creative force."
(what am I desiring today? is it righteous? is it selfish?)

"You are the master of every situation."
(this is by far the biggest joke. i think it is very funny that people actually believe we could be master of anything)

Wisdom Teeth, Baby Darcy, Jello and Drugs

I had all four of my wisdom teeth surgically removed Friday. I would be doing fine if it were not for my top right side...it is extremely painful.

I was able to recover from surgery at the Neyland household. Darcy helped me a lot. We bonded while I was healing. We slept on the couch together and at times of wakefulness we stared at each other...neither one of us really had much to say.
I think everyone was a little nervous that I might drop her because I was pretty doped up on pain killers. Nonetheless I prevailed.

So I'm eating a lot of jello and soft cold things although not very filling it feels good.

I am a little out of it because of the Hydrocodone...I will explain with a story:

Early Sunday morning around 4am I was in a lot of pain so I decided to take a whole pain pill rather than half like I had been. Around 7am when I was feeling my best Johnathon got up to get ready for church and says to me..."hey I'm getting up, but if you need anything just yell for me" after he left the room I had remembered I needed something so I started shouting in a groggy, drugged tone "mom...mom..." It took me a little while...then I realized Johnathon indeed was not my mother and when he came back to the room I apologized for calling him mom.
He has been quite amused with all of this.

Words to live by...

...From NBC's The Office: season 3

Michael: "Dwight, what was the most inspiring, life changing thing I have ever said to you?"

Dwight: "'Don't be an Idiot'...It changed my life"

Dwight (interview with the camera):

"When I'm thinking about doing something I ask myself- 'would an idiot do this'- and if the answer is- 'yes' - then I don't do that thing."

Simple, yet life changing.