Question...

If I get married, instead of a "maid of honor" and "bridesmaides"...
Is it ok for me to have a "peep of honor" and "bride's peeps"???

Sent from "no tellin' where!"

ABC's

Lots of different things over the last week have reminded me of the many blessing in my life. One being... MY FRIENDS!
So here are the ABC's of why I feel so blessed by them...
A- authentic conversations
B- bold in speaking truth
C- care about my heart
D- diligent to find me
E- eat ice cream with me (ok and chips and salsa too!)
F- faithful even when I'm frustrating
G- generous with their time to help
H- help me to process
I- individually being different things
J- just willing to listen while I cry
K- knowing what encourages me
L- listening while I process (externally of course)
M- make time for quality time
N- never keeping me in a box
O- open to my crazy ideas
P- patient while I take lots of pictures
Q- quick to forgive me
R- ready to encourage me to Truth
S- steering me to what is important
T- tears are accepted
U- understanding when it's hard
V- very fun to laugh with
W- want me to succeed
X- xtra encouraging when I am wrestling
Y- your prayers impact me
Z- zillion reasons why I am who I am today!
So incredibly thankful for those God has let me call FRIEND!

THIS IS IT... or is it?

Yep! I went today to see the Michael Jackson documentary, "This is It!" I had not planned to go see it. But after a recommendation from a friend, I went. I walked away with some thoughts.
One... Michael Jackson was really talented. The creative stuff that came out of his mind was amazing. Seeing what that show was going to be like was pretty phenomenal. AND he could dance!
Two... A lot of different times in the show I found myself sad. Sad that his "show" was never going to be seen. Sad for all the people who put in HOURS of training and heart to get ready for the show and were left looking for the next thing. But mostly, sad for him. To think that he had fame, fortune, and talent, and yet he was so unhappy in his own skin. He was in pain so much of his life. And it all ended abruptly.
This week I read Ecclesiastes, Solomon is sharing his thoughts on the meaning of this life and tonight I was seeing the correlation to Michael Jackson's life. So much of what Michael chased and experienced in this world never satisfied him. It could not help him sleep at night, it could not make him ok with himself.
At the end of the book Solomon says in Ecclesiastes 12:13... "Here now is my final conclusion: Fear God and obey His commands..." That IS it!
Lastly... I was reminded that THIS IS NOT IT! There is life after this, we must decide whom we will serve!

The Top 10!

Well, my 8 day vacation has come to an end. It was a great week of hanging out with the Creator and in His creation. I feel like I learned some good stuff on this trip, some new and some reminders.

Let's see if I can give the top 10:

#1: My need for perfectionism, being sure I am doing the right thing, and wanting others approval sure can get in the way of relaxing.

#2: Psalm 119 is RICH with truth about God's Word!

#3: I love being out in nature, I feel really close to God out there.

#4: It is wise to wear orange in deer season.

#5: Cooking all 3 meals in one day is not something I love, but I can do!

#6: I have 2 camps of people in my life... those that think I was crazy for getting on those ATV's and those that don't.

#7: I like writing this blog, but will have to let my need to say the "right" or "great" stuff go.

#8: A trip every year where I get alone and out of Dallas is good for my head and heart.

#9: I take more pictures than most people on an 8 day trip to Arkansas... over 700 this time!

#10: I have an incredible family (both blood and not) that love me.

Thanks for keeping up with me and praying for me this week.

More postings to come... from "no tellin' where"!

Beside the pics I already included... above are my other Top 10 Favorites.

A little bit of fog...

This is what it looks like here today! Rainy, foggy, and cold!! Great day to study, journal, drink hot drinks, make cookies, and maybe take a nap!

Lots of processing today...

I will try to post more tomorrow.

Here is a pic to prove it is me posting and that I am actually here :)

And for wondering minds...

Yes, I am on the edge of a drop off and yep, I climbed through the barrier to get there.

Sharing a little of what I know...

The reality is... 147 million orphans.

Thought... daunting!

I have just spent the last hour reading blogs about orphans and people helping orphans. I can get really caught up in how overwhelming it is! So I thought... share what you are reading. And I realize that I think maybe 10 people are reading my blog, so this does not make much of a dent in sharing with the masses.

BUT... if all of you reading my blog, who have a blog, post some of this on your blog and the hundreds that read your blog do the same... then we got something going. (facebook works too!) And the reality is... God is the one that moves hearts, we just get to be obedient!

So... here are some links to info about orphans and people helping them.

147millionorphans.com

watermarkblogs.org/africa

kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com

drawnfromwater.org

aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com

reviveafrica.com

ordinaryhero.org

kidmia.org

villageofhopeuganda.com

My heart aches for all the kids out there that go to sleep each night without someone to hold them and tell them how special they are and that there is a God that loves them very much.

I'm contuing to ask God what He wants from me. We'll see!

But today... I'll share a little of what I know.