My Journey to Emotional Freedom!

Ok, so I have been the worst blogger in the world the last few months.  My blog background is STILL a Christmas theme…PATHETIC (FYI, I did change the background RIGHT before posting this!)!!!  Someone kick me in the butt and get me in gear please!  I am so grateful to have the few readers and followers that I have reading my blog.  When I started blogging it was more of a way for me to share my experiences with you guys and potentially pass along a good recipe or tip occasionally.  Now I feel like I want my blog to take a turn for the better.  I want my blog to change someone’s life.  So, I hope you will forgive my laziness and keep reading and recommend it to others.

The last few months I have listened and re-listened to Joyce Meyer’s “Why Do I Feel the Way I Feel” CD series.  The series is all about controlling your emotions and not letting them control you.  I have to be completely honest with you and tell you that I suffer greatly from letting my emotions get the best of me.  The series has truly opened my eyes to this fact and has helped me tremendously in controlling my emotions.  Now, that being said, I would be a complete hypocrite if I didn’t tell you that I still have TREMEMDOUS work to do in this area of my life…NEWS FLASH: I am not perfect! Oh wait, you guys knew that already huh?! J

My breaking point was, and still is, my relationship with my husband.  I have held on to hurt, anger, and resentment towards Christopher for a few years now and my actions have impacted my relationship with him in ways I never thought it would.  I knew, and KNOW without a doubt in my mind, that I absolutely must change me in order to change my marriage.

My goal is to live a life managing my emotions and not allow them to manage me.  My goal is that my life will be full of decisions based on what I know is RIGHT not based on what or how I FEEL.  I hope and pray that I will be completely forthcoming with you guys and that I will be transparent which in turn I genuinely pray will help change your life!

So, that being said, let finish our day making positive decisions for our life based on what we know is RIGHT now by how we feel.  “I do not have to feel like doing the right thing, in order to do the right thing!” Joyce Meyer.

Santa

Wednesday we took Harper to Savannah to see Santa for the FIRST TIME (well the first 'in person' time)! 

FYI: the Bass Pro Shop has Santa every year and you get a free 4 x 6 picture with Santa!!!  WAHOO for free!!

We had a blast watching H see Santa for the first time.  I kind of figure that he would scream and holler but much to my surprise...he went straight to Santa!  He laughed and 'talked' with Santa for a while took a GREAT picture! 

Harper and Uncle Len looking at fish!!!

Harper look at fish!!!

Driving a boat!!!  I want one daddy??

This one speaks for itself! :)

So, for now I leave you with this....Have a blessed Christmas season!

So Much To Be Thankful For

I was going to do a post about putting up our Christmas decorations and all the meaning to me this year.  And I will tomorrow!  But in talking with a friend today I found this weighing on my mind tonight. 

DISCLAIMER:  THE PERSON MENTIONED HERE DOES NOT AND WILL NOT AT ANY TIME READ MY BLOG AND WILL ABSOLUTELY REMAIN NAMELESS AND GENDER NEUTRAL!!!  :)

In a casual conversation I asked a friend tonight how things were going and they responded "life sucks right now".  So I obviously asked what was going on and their response was "money".  I assumed (and yes correctly!) that it was a LACK of money (who in their RIGHT mind would complain about TOO MUCH money right! HA!).  My only response to this person was "money doesn't make or break life".  This person stated that money does absolutely make or break life when you live paycheck to paycheck!  Well this person was PREACHING TO THE CHOIR about living paycheck to paycheck.

Well, at this moment it suddenly hit that shouldn't this friend and ME as well be thankful that we can pay the necessary bills to live and that we at least have the money to live paycheck to paychek (I of course brought this to my friends attention who disagreed).  But in thinking about being in the midst of a lack of money I added to the conversation "well not having money sucks and is hard, don't get me wrong, but life is more than money."  Again, my friend disagreed.  So I asked "tell me one thing that you are thankful for" and the response I got was "right now, nothing!"  I was honestly blown away by this response.  I was sure my friend would be thankful for family members...but no...nothing.

I then clearly asked if my friend wanted to tell their mother, father, brother ,sister, neices, and nephews they were not thankful for them (simply trying to prove a point that there is SO MUCH IN LIFE TO BE THANKFUL FOR....totally went about this the wrong way probably).  But to much avail my friend asked me how being thankful for their family would make them happy in life.  I was saddened by the lack of....well im plain speechless.

This all just got me thinking about how regardless of our financial status how much more life should and DOES mean to us.  Especially those of us who are Christians.  God has blessed us with so much more than money.  And really we need WAY MORE than money to survive in this world.  I know personally I don't know where I would be with out family and friends!

I am extremely thankful God blessed me first with amazing parents who loved me unconditionally (believe me I tried them!) and who raised me to love God, next for blessing me with an amazing husband who puts up with my crap and loves me so for much more than I deserve, and for blessing me with wonderful inlaws who have truly accepted me as a daughter (trust me we have had our "family" fights too!), and finally and most importantly for the MOST AMAZING little boy who I love more than words can say who blows my mind daily at the things he is learning and the way he is growing.  I am also thankful for the amazing friends (new and old....and too many to list) that He has blessed me with.

We are all truly blessed!

Happy Thanksgiving

Ok, so I am totally typing this on Monday night in hopes that I can actually get this posted on Thursday!

We do Thanksgiving at my parents house in Fernandina every year.  Christopher's mom and dad come down also.  And every year my mama makes us go around the table and say what we are thankful for!  The first year I was thankful for my hunny.  Last year I was thankful for H. 

A few days ago I thought about her little "tradition", which got me to thinking about the last year and what it has entailed.  So many things have happened the last year.  Some awesome, amazing things, and some not so great things.  All of which I am thankful for because my relationship with God is stroger now than a year ago, my marriage is stronger now than it was a year go, and I have developed into a much better mommy than I was a year ago!

I am so thankful to parents who have helped us out tremendously the last year.  Some of the things they have done for us go above and beyond.  And I am more grateful than words and express.  But what I think I am the most thankful for is all the happy giggles that fill my house every day.  And the simple fact that I get to be with my sweet boy and hear those giggles.

I hope you and your family have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Family Gatherings

Yesterday H and I made an impromptu trip to F.B. (for those of you not in F.B. that Fernandina Beach, Fl!)!  My grandmother's brother and his wife, and all of their children and their spouses were in town yesterday.  We all at lunch at my grandparents! 

I didn't really want to make the trip yesterday morning because I was tired (still am).  But I am so glad we did.  It was wonderful to see everyone!  And H had a GREAT time playing with his cousin Carter (who is also coming to visit H in Brunswick today!)!

Here are a few pics from yeterday.

Harper and Carter

Harper, Carter, Mimi, Papa, with her brother and his wife



Mimi and Papa with her brother and his wife



Finally At Home

Ok some of you know, some of you dont...we moved this weekend.  We finally are in our own house.  We moved this past Friday (thats where I've been the last few days)!  And I am so greatful for wonderful friends who helped us move...the last TWO moves!  Thanks guys!

The move was very stressful (as all moves are)....in the middle of moving it hit me that in 3 years we have movd 4...yes FOUR....times!  WOW!  And, if I count my first intial move to Brunswick to move in....I have moved 5 times!  CRAZY!  So happy we won't be moving again.

In fact....I told Christopher that if he ever wanted to leve me that was fine...we would just be roommates!  HA!

Harper has been at Gram and Pops all weekend.  He came home today!  Tonight will be his first night here and this mama is praying for a peaceful night!  (You can pray too....thanks)!

So, I woke up Saturday and started my day like anyother (minus H) and it hit me that I finally feel like we are home.  I know home is wherever your family is...but I finally felt at home.  Thinking back to 3 years ago and how bad I hated Brunswick...I laugh.  Living here was the worst thing ever to me, I wanted so desperately to go back home.  But I knew this had to be my knew home, this was where my man was! I didn't know anyone, I didn't know anything about Brunswick, and it was just down right awful.

I am so thankful for MOPS (and Anna for inviting me!) I have really met so many wonderful friends....and the last few months really started developing some awesome friendships.  Christopher and I have some awesome friends too (and I gotta give a shout out to Len and Michelle...who have to be the BEST FRIENDS someone could ask for..they have helped us move the last two times!).  Now, I cannot see us being anywhere different.

I have been a big slacker since last week...but I am so thankful to God for all he has blessed us with the past week.  I cannot describe how excited and thankful I am! 
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On another note:
My mama called me this morning and told me that my Aunt Moreta (my Grandfathers Sister) passed away last night/this morning.  Please remember my extended family and her family in your prayers.  No matter what age, losing someone is a difficult thing.  Please pray for healing for her family.  Thanks!  I know you will!

Lessons In Fish Faces

The last few weeks have been so fun with H.  Inspite of the fussyness last week Christopher and I started noticing that he is learning so much, so quick.  I told Christopher last night that H is like a little sponge just soaking it all in.

H is saying "tank you" when he gives you something!

Last week, GiGi taught H how to "gobble" like a turkey.  So now you can ask Harper what does a turkey say and he responds "dobble dobble dobble"!!!

GiGi also sneezed ONE TIME while she was here and for literally 30 minutes H kept saying "ahhhhh chooo"!! HA!  So now you can ask him to sneeze and he says "ahhhh chooo"!

Yesterday though, beat all ive ever seen.  I picked him up and started doing fish faces (hope you know what im talking about) at him.  He cracked up at me for the first few minutes.  But eventually, he tried to do them himself (not quite...but good enough for momma)!  He would do his fish faces and then crack up at himself! 

It hit me at that moment that H wants to immulate everything Christopher and I do.  He wants to be just like mommy and daddy (SCARY!) already.  Which has me thinking what a huge responsibility we have as parents to immulate God's love to our children.

So often as an adult I think of things as insignificant.  But to my child those same exact insignificant things to me...mean the world to him.  I pray that God would mold and shape me into a Godly mother and wife so that H will see His love and that as his mother I would point him to Christ!  What a great honor!