Welcome, 2013!

Happy New Year, friends! I am so excited for 2013. I love the idea of a new year with new things to accomplish and places to visit.

It's this time of the year that everyone makes Goals and Resolutions. There's nothing wrong with that, but it's just not right for me. I almost never stick with my resolutions and when I fail at keeping it, it just makes me kick myself and feel really bad and that's not something I should be doing.

So this year, instead of creating lists of goals and aspirations or lists of things I want to improve about myself, I'm going to give myself to God and let Him accomplish in me what He wants! I think that's a pretty great way to spend a year!

I'm not sure what this year has in store, but with my life in God's hands, I know it will be spectacular!

I hope that you'll put your year in God's hands, too! Let's begin 2013 filled with peace, love, joy and belief in The One who has control over all!

Cindy

God and the Dandelion

Looking at this dandelion really makes me think about life. Something so small brings such a great reminder to me. My life is like that dandelion. It is small, frail, and dying. And no, I'm not dying but I will one day. However, just thinking about the dandelion being just one flower is only partly true. All those blooms are seeds. And those seeds get scattered all over the earth and produce more dandelions. Lots more pretty dandelions. And it's the same with me. I may just be one person but it's my job to spread the seeds of God's love all over the earth. And through spreading those seeds I help produce more flowers (Christians). But it's not just the dandelion spreading the seeds that produces new flowers. It takes water, the right soil, and plenty of sunshine. And so it is the same for me planting seeds in other people. I can plant the seeds but they need the proper soil (God's Word) and water (the Holy Spirit) and lots of sunshine (people showing Christ's love).

I'm so grateful for this reminder that God sent my way through the form of a dandelion. His creation is so beautiful and full of these reminders! I hope that I stop and notice them often. And as for now, I will take the reminder of the dandelion and spread the seeds of God's love far and near throughout my life. I hope that I can produce many new flowers for the Lord in my time here on earth!

Cindy

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year friends!!

So I don't really have a good post for you today. I'm getting a recap post of 2011 ready and it's taking a bit of time. Hopefully I'll be able to post it tomorrow. But I didn't want to leave you all hanging today with nothing to report! So far it's been a pretty good 2012. I'm looking forward to lots of fun and exciting things taking place this year! I feel there's some major changes going to take place for our little family and when they do I'll be sure to share! But we've got great hopes, plans, and ambitions for this year! This year I'm hoping to take at least one photo a day via my phone. This iPhone has been such a blessing to me especially for my photography. Most of my photos are probably going to be of the sky though! I had thought originally of taking one photo of the sky everyday, and I may still do that, but I missed the 1st and 2nd day for that. I did take pictures on those days, just not of the sky. Anyway... it shall be a fun challenge.

I do want to share with you a couple of photos from New Year's Day. Our nephews were in town and we got to make snowmen out of Rice Krispies. It was fun and the boys had a good time. =)

From left to right: Mine, Malachi's, Jaden's (with the help of his mommy), Collin's

My snowman a little closer. I made it wear ear muffs, you can kind of tell. haha

Anyway, I hope you had a wonderful New Year's celebration and that your 2012 has started off great! Here's to a wonderful new year filled with love, laughter and growth!

Cindy

A Little Humor - A Big Lesson

I'd seen these videos before but last week my cousin posted it on Facebook. I laughed out loud at my desk at work but then it got me thinking. But before I get into that, let's enjoy some laughs. =)



Funny, right? And there's a few more on YouTube not in this compilation. Go watch them and have some more laughs! It's amazing though how things can seem so much worse than they actually are. In all those situations there was nothing bad going on. Everyone was innocent but the way the scenarios played out, it made them look not so innocent.

So anyway, like I said, this got me thinking. I started to wonder how many times I draw conclusions about people without knowing all the facts. How many times do I judge someone unfairly? And to add insult to injury, I'm not even supposed to judge people at all!

“Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.
“And why worry about a speck in your friend’s eye when you have a log in your own? How can you think of saying to your friend, ‘Let me help you get rid of that speck in your eye,’ when you can’t see past the log in your own eye? Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend’s eye."
Matthew 7:1-5
Jesus' words don't sugar coat things. He very plainly says do not judge. There's no wiggle room, no way to misinterpret it. Just don't do it. But golly day this is no easy feat. Judging comes naturally to us as humans. But when you judge you are not only hurting those you judge against, you're hurting yourself. You are pulling away from Christ and it's like telling Him "Don't worry Jesus, I got this. I know what they're doing wrong and I'll let them know, too." But what about what you've got going on in your own life? Would you like it if someone pointed out what you're doing wrong in your own life? Yeah, me neither...

We're so fortunate that when we do mess up and could use a little judgement that our Father is compassionate. God doesn't belittle us or make us feel horrible about ourselves. Any of those feelings come from our own minds. God loves us and though he wants us to live a godly life he won't yell at us for messing up. He shows us the error of our ways and then He just opens His arms and calls us into His presence.

So who's with me in letting God do the judging? I'd much rather leave it to Him because he's so much more compassionate than I will ever be. And I don't like being a hypocrite. Now onto the hard part of ignoring my tendencies to want to judge!

Cindy

Welcome Summer!

Sprinklers. Pools. The Beach. Sunscreen.
Wearing Dresses Every Day. Fresh Fruits and Veggies.
River Concert Series. Weddings. Picnics. Back Porch Lazy Evenings.
Late Evening Neighborhood Walks. ASP. Jet Skiing. Sunflowers.
Ice Cream on the Boardwalk. Fireworks. Vacation Bible School.
Ball Games. Sitting Outside to Read. Fireflies. The Carnival.

Found here

Just a few of the amazing things my summer will consist of. I may not be a fan of extreme hot temperatures and humidity but I love summer. I love the things that come with summer. All those things mentioned above (and much more!). I have a feeling this will be a good summer. I have much to look forward to and much to be thankful for. I'm welcoming summer with open arms! It's my goal to enjoy it to the fullest. I want to experience joy and happiness in everything I do. I plan to find all the blessings God is putting in front of me.

Cindy

Dream Big!

Found here

"You are never to old to set another goal or to dream a new dream."
- C.S. Lewis
I'm so excited about this Couch to 5k program. I've only been doing it for a week but I already feel better. I have more energy and this second week is surprisingly not as difficult as I thought it would be. I got through today's workout without feeling like I was going to die! I think that's very much an accomplishment. I am definitely excited to keep with it and to run a 5k once I'm done. The only thing I'm dreading is that I'll be done in June and it will be hot here by then. Do I really wanna run in the heat? We'll see! I may just have to suck it up and do it!

What new dreams or goals are you wanting to set? Has there been something holding you back? I say go for it because like C.S. Lewis says you're never too old! And new goals and dreams are a great way to keep yourself excited about life!

Cindy

Becoming a Runner?

Found here

I'm not a runner, I never have been. I'm not athletic, I never have been that either. However, I'm really wanting to lose a few pounds and get into shape. And as much as I want to do it, I haven't been able to motivate myself to exercise. Last week though I looked into the Couch to 5k program and I've made a decision. I am going to do it. I'm starting today and in 9 weeks I should be able to run a 5k. And participating in an actual 5k Run is motivation to do this thing! This is exciting for me! I've always admired runners. I had friends who were on the cross country and track teams and I wished I could run like that but I never did it. I'm not claiming that after I'm done with the program I'll go on to run a marathon or what not, but who knows. I've heard that once you start running it becomes really addicting. I'd like that to be the case. I'd like to become more active in my lifestyle and running is very good for you! So here goes nothing! Collin is going on this journey with me. He used to run with his dad growing up and now he's going to run with me. I'm glad he is, it will hold me accountable. And you guys can hold me accountable, too! I'm sure I'll share some of this journey on here but ask me how it's going from time to time if you like!

If you've ever done the Couch to 5k program before, what did you think of it? I'd really like to get some thoughts and tips from others!

Cindy

Anger Management 101

For every minute you are angry you lose sixty seconds of happiness.
- Ralph Waldo Emerson
You know, it's something as simple as a quote that makes me think. That quote isn't really all that profound, it's actually quite simple. But it made me think about anger in a totally different way. So in a way, I guess it is a profound quote.

When I get stressed I get upset/angry really easily. And I've been really stressed lately. I'm doing better this week, this past weekend a few of our big decisions were resolved and I'm feeling better but there's still a bit of underlying stress. But last week, I hate to say it, I was not too happy most of the week. I wouldn't say I was angry all the time, but there was this underlying grumpiness that would surface at the drop of a hat. And poor Collin took the brunt of it. I've always heard it's those closest to you that you get the most upset with, and it may be true, but I hate it. I hate getting upset with Collin. Last week I started a few too many arguments thanks to being stressed. I'm not saying it should excuse my being wrong, because even when stressed I should not be taking it out on my husband, but it's just the reason it happened and I want to be honest.

I don't want to be angry, even when I am stressed. I don't want to lose out on any happiness I could be experiencing. It's so hard for me to not get heated though. I think by having little quotes around for me to see or think about when I am getting upset or already upset can help to calm me down though. Just the other day I was really upset with Collin and I looked at this picture frame we have on our end table by the couch, it has 1 Corinithians 13 written on it. For those of you who may not know, that's the love chapter in the Bible. It says:

"Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It is not rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes,
always perseveres. Love never fails."
As I was reading it I was really frustrated and then I got to the "it is not easily angered" part and I felt my anger just disappear. I said a quick prayer and then immediately went over to Collin and apologized and gave him a hug. I love my husband and I always want to show him but I'm not doing a very good job of loving him if I'm angry at him.

I hate that I need reminders to either not get angry or to calm me down when I am. But I'm glad I have them. I hate that I have a temper and do get angered easily some days. It's honestly something I'm working on, something I'm trying to change about myself, but it's beyond hard. At least I have an understanding and loving husband, but even better than that, at least I have an understanding and loving God. Neither God nor Collin like it when I get angry but they love me and forgive me. And I am so thankful. Without God though I would never be able to change.

Cindy

Resolutions are Hard

Here's the thing. Everyone always talks about their New Year's Resolutions and they make all these grandiose plans of things they want to change, weight they want to lose, things they want to add and they always fail. Or maybe not always but more often than not. It's as if we're all just setting ourselves up for failure. I don't like making a New Year's Resolution for that very reason. However, I do think it's important to have resolutions, to have things that you need (and want) to change about yourself. It's important to always be striving to make yourself a better person, always be striving to be more Christ-like. I just think it's kinda silly to put so much importance into trying to achieve your goals at the beginning of a year instead of starting it whenever.

That's why this is hard for me to write about. I have things about myself that I need and want to change. Things to make me a better person. But I feel so hypocritical doing it now, at the beginning of the new year. I suppose these aren't necessarily new things I'm striving for, I've been struggling with these for a while, but I'm just now really heavy-hearted about it.

I want to be a better person. I need to be a better person. For myself, for Collin, and most importantly for God. There are a few things I struggle with. I tell myself all the time that I'm going to do it, I'm going to succeed this time but then I end up failing and I get frustrated and think to myself that I can't do it anymore, that once I've failed that's it, there's no way I can do this. I look at myself as a failure and a loser because I can't seem to get the simplest thing right. I've said many times "I'm going to work out regularly to get in shape." But then I exercise three times in a row and I miss a day. Well, missing that one day just completely changes my attitude about the whole thing and it's easier and easier to miss more and more days. And so it's been 2 weeks since the last time I exercised and I feel like a failure. I think to myself, "why try again? I'm just going to keep messing up and I'm never going to get the results I want." This is a horrible attitude! It is not the attitude I should have. Everyone fails. I know that in the back of my head but I don't really feel it in my heart. It's so personal to me. I hate being a failure and it's much easier for me to just not exercise at all than to say I'm going to and not do it.
2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,
whenever you face trials of many kinds,
3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance.
4 Let perseverance finish its work so that
you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
James 1 (NIV)
Thank God for His word. I read this passage yesterday and it hit me that this is what I need to be focusing on. I need to be focusing on the joy of my failures; the joy of my trials so that I can develop perseverance. Right now by giving up and thinking that I can't ever achieve my goals I'm dishonoring God. I'm not being very mature and I certainly am only relying on myself to achieve these goals. And that's just silly since I know I can't do anything on my own. However, I can do anything with Christ on my side (Philippians 4:13). What I really need to achieve my goals is an attitude change!

So from now on, it's me and God doing these things. I know that I'll still fail, I am human after all, but with God's help I can pick myself back up again and I'll reach my goals. It won't be easy, I also know that, which is why it takes perseverance and patience. At least this will be a growing and learning opportunity!
3 We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials,
for we know that they help us develop endurance.
4 And endurance develops strength of character,
and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.
5 And this hope will not lead to disappointment.
For we know how dearly God loves us,
because he has given us the Holy Spirit
to fill our hearts with his love.
Romans 5 (NLT)
From now on God and I are going to work on me. Together we are going to change my attitude and I'm going to achieve my goals. I'm going to be a better wife. I will treat Collin with all the respect he deserves, even when I'm upset. I will exercise regularly and get myself into shape. I will look at all things in a positive way and bring joy to everything I do. I will wake up each morning ready to get out of bed. So here goes nothing. Pray for me to not get discouraged and quit when I fail. I know that when I have achieved these things I will be a much happier and better person.

Cindy