Women of Faith-2014

This weekend was absolutely perfect. 

Women of Faith was amazing, the weather was incredibly awesome, lots of sunshine and warmth. 

The Minnesota falls colors didn't disappoint us. 

The shopping, food and coffee was in abundance and the friendship strengthened and made even sweeter. 

I was most looking forward to just "being" this weekend and that exactly what I did. 

There was no rushing. 

No hurrying. 

No agenda. 

We just "were" and it delighted and refilled my soul. 

I loved St. Paul and the personal tour I got of it from Christi. 

I am beyond thankful for our husbands who made it possible for us to be away for three full days. 

You men have blessed us and we are incredibly thankful for your sacrifice, too. 

My boys said, "we really missed you mom but we also had A LOT of fun with dad this weekend doing dad things." 

Really, this weekend couldn't have gotten any sweeter. 

We really felt The Lord's hand over us all weekend.

We started our trip with, well coffee of course then stopped here. It's the most amazing store and they were decorated for Christmas!!! Eeeekkkk!!!

Friday night's session started at 7. 

The next morning the session started at 9am. After we hit up a Starbucks we were ready for the day. I couldn't help but be amazed at the beauty of the St Paul cathedral.

For lunch, we along with four thousand other women ate at Cossetta's. It was AMAZING!

The weather was incredible for mid-October. We ate OUTSIDE in the sunshine.

After lunch we headed back to the conference. Matthew West performed and he was awesome! Loved his songs and inspiration.

After the conference the sun was still shining so I begged Christi to take me to see some big, fancy houses. She didn't disappoint! The most amazing homes on the most amazing, tree lined streets. I felt recharged just driving down these streets! 

After our drive around St Paul we headed back to our hotel to change shoes so we could hit up IKEA. I caught this picture as we were headed away from St Paul.

Stunning sunset!

IKEA!

Sunday morning we slept in, ate breakfast at the hotel then leisurely made our way to the St Paul Farmers Market. Once again, it didn't disappoint. The most beautiful fruits, vegetables and flowers. The bouquets smelled like Heaven and were SEVEN DOLLARS! Did you hear me?! $7!!!!

Then we headed over to the Black Dog Cafe where we sipped coffee and got to know each other on a deeper level. It really was just what I needed.

After downtown St Paul we headed to a mall for some shopping, then to Trader Joe's. That store is a dream of mine. They had a billion pumpkin items. I picked up a pumpkin cheesecake and as soon as I got home at 9pm my family ate half of it over lots of weekend catching up. 

I really am so thankful for this weekend. I haven't had a girls weekend in a few years and this was PERFECT! I'm really not sure what could have made it any better?! 

Thanks Christi for coming with me and taking me to all your favorite St Paul places. 

Let's do it again next year, yes? Please? Pretty please? 

This?

The other morning as I was driving home from dropping my boys off at school I started thinking, Is there more to this life than this? Instantly my heart swelled and I felt an overwhelming sense of YES! This IS the life you were made and chosen for. To be the best mother and wife you can be. To be there, present, every morning before school and every day after school. To drop them off and pick them up from school. To travel to away football games. To teach them about our Savior and His sacrifices. To make sure they've got clean laundry. To make sure they have food to eat. To involve them in cooking, cleaning and living. To teach them manners. To make mistakes and ask for forgiveness. To be an encourager, to be humbled, to teach them how to love and be loved. THIS is the life and I am so incredibly blessed by every dirty, stinky sock I wash, for every wet towel I find on the floor and for every hug and "I love you mom" I get! I am thankful for my hubby and how hard he works for our family so that I can live this life that I never, ever thought I'd be living but am so very thankful for. I love my little family. Thank you Heavenly Father for making it so very clear to me when I started to doubt this life and my meaning. I was created to be right where I am, right now. 

Proverbs 31:27-28 She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of the idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.

I don't claim to have it all together, but I am grateful for what I am able to give 

and strive everyday for it to be my very best.

Waiting, learning, growing, trusting...

In June 2010 we bought our second home. We sold our first home in 10 days, faster than we thought we would. There was nothing on the market we LOVED, so we settled. We redid most of that house to make it how we wanted but in the three years there, it just never felt like home to us. We felt strongly last summer that the Lord was moving us in a direction to sell that house and do something different. We didn't have a clue as to what that was, but were obedient anyway. Our house sold in 100 days. In that 100 days we looked at over 30 houses, 10 of them at least twice had made offers on 3 of them and all were denied. We started to get nervous but felt very strongly that we were to sell whether or not we had a new home to live in. 

In October my parents decided that *this* winter, would be the first winter they'd snowbird to Arizona and stay at my brothers. We were hoping it wouldn't be necessary, but they offered their home to us to stay in if we needed. Our house sold mid December and we hadn't found a home yet. So...we moved into my parents house and PRAYED! I had a feeling The Lord would bring us to this, almost like a test of, "how obedient are they?" I could hear him asking. 

At the end of December we got a call from our Realtor. He had the perfect house for us. A house with all the things on our wish list. So, we went and looked. As soon as we pulled up I knew. This house, this house was one we've dreamed about in the past. In the 10 years we've lived here it's been for sale twice and both times we wished and dreamed. I am so very excited and am feeling very blessed to have been given the opportunity to make this house our HOME! What *I* thought *I* wanted was clearly not the same as what The Lord wanted for us. I don't know how many times I'll have to learn this lesson, but I did, yet again. When will I learn that His ways are better and than *my* ways? I need to have more faith, and learn to trust Him, more. Proverbs 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. 

I'm not going to lie, it's been rough living in someone else's home in a never ending winter. A home that isn't ours and where we've been stuck inside for months due to below average temps, but we know that this was orchestrated by The Lord and are incredibly thankful for this "opportunity." I've seen our boys grow and bond together. I've seen us live in a space that is more cluttered than what we're use to. But, we're making it work. We are trying so very hard to endure our time here for we know that The Lord has something waiting for us and we can hardly wait. This has been an experience our family will never forget. 

Thank you Lord for providing for our needs in Your time, for Your time is always the perfect time.

Thank you for helping us through this, for giving us strength and hope. Thank you for saying no to all the other houses we offered on, for You knew the perfect house for us. Thank you Lord!

March 21 we close on our new home. I can't wait! 

The one who is truly blessed is blessed by The Lord when we submit to His ways.

30 Days of Thankfulness-Day 20

Today I am thankful for Ethan's teacher. 

She is an amazing woman. 

Each year the 5th and 6th graders collect canned goods for a week

then they deliver them to our local food shelf and shelve them. 

This is such a great experience for these kiddos. 

I am thankful she organizes this and encourages her students.

And I received this note this afternoon:

On behalf of the Fergus Falls Community Food Shelf: "Thank you Ethan and the rest of your classmates!!!! I can tell you that we serve about 400 kids each month, with each of their families receiving over 100 pounds of food from us. Your efforts will be felt by them all! I'm so happy you also sorted and shelved it all too...what a huge help! Blessings to you and your family!"

30 Days of Thankfulness-Day 19

Today I am thankful for opportunities.

Opportunities that neither Steven nor I had.

I'm thankful for Ethan's school band.

Small as they may be, they are mighty.

Their band director is amazing and works incredibly hard with them.

I pray that Ethan will continue in band and LOVE it.

30 Days of Thankfulness-Day 17

Today I am thankful for a good deer hunting season to be OVER! 

Blaze orange is already in the wash and soon to be packed away until next November. 

Thankful for the one deer our group got and incredible friends who we hunt with. 

Until next year deer hunters...

30 Days of thankfulness-Day 16

Today I am thankful for my XM radio channel 17 

that has already begun playing Christmas music.

I ABSOLUTELY love Christmas music and this time of year.

Thank you XM!