Osama is Dead

There are several things that I have lived through in my young 33 years and I can tell you very clearly where I was during all of them. I would guess that 100% of Americans can tell you where they were on 9-11 when the Twin Towers crumbled and the Pentagon billowed with black smoke.

Now I add to my list that when I heard that Osama Bin Laden had been killed, I was doing laundry. Larry called my name from across the room and I immediately thought I was in trouble. The sound of his voice was both shock and alarm mixed with intense questioning. I rushed out of the laundry room to find Larry standing in the middle of our great room staring at the TV. He says to me in the calmest voice I've ever heard, "We got him. We got him Jamie. Osama is dead. Osama Bin Laden is dead."

We just stood in the middle of the living room together flipping through the various news channels hearing it repeated over and over again. "Osama is dead."

Thank you to all the military men and women who have sacrificed it all to continue to allow us to experience freedom. God bless America!

Thankful Thursday

Today I am especially thankful for so many things. Below are blessings, a week in review, in no particular order.

~ Family time camping at Lake Anna and playing for 2 days at Kings Dominion
~ Warm breezes
~ My Bunco girls!
~ Easter and it’s true meaning – He is Risen!
~ Flip flops and peeky toe shoes
~ Little man Tanner who is so Larry and so Jamie, it's scary
~ Lunch with Jill Botham and my dad all in one week
~ Old pictures newly discovered
~ Getting piles of work off my desk
~ Shampooed carpet
~ Certain trials that Pastor Suitt has encouraged me to be thankful for – I’m not fooling myself though, they are still trials!
~ Antibiotics and eye drops
~ Leftover smoked chicken – yum-o!
~ My small group through LWBC – amazing!
~ Safety and protection

My List

A friend of mine blogged recently and just listed things she enjoyed. She also mentioned that she needed to blog to get all of the randomness out of her head rather than blogging for other people's benefit. This often sounds like what I struggle with blogging on a regular basis so I think I needed a reminder to just start typing.

This is for you Becca in no particular order...

Road Trips with the Girls
Camping
Girlfriends
Organization
Tubing
Snuggling with Lou, Tanner and Cali
Target & Sams
Black Out Curtains
Bunco & My Bunco Girls
Slumber Parties - yes, you can still do that in your 30s
Jesus Money
The Beach
Zumba
Baking
Swimming
Broken in Jeans
Yoga Pants - and no Jill, not much Yoga is actually done while wearing these :o)
Flip Flops
Painted Toe Nails
Reading a Good Book - especially a series when I know there is more goodness to come

And, yes, Becca, above everything else... I love Jesus! :o)

My "Little" Date

Today was a very different Sunday and it was a very nice change.

It started with Tanner sleeping in until 9 which means that my sleep wasn't interrupted so I actually slept until 9 too. For those of you who know me, you know I am up at 7am at the absolute latest, no matter the day. It's like my body just can't lay there anymore and my mind can't fake asleep.

Well at 2 minutes after 9, my sweet little monkey climbs onto my head and informs me that it's Sunday and time to go to church. How sweet. I love waking up to his good mornings and kisses (although it usually involves hair pulling and pain in my ribs as he attempts to climb in the bed with us and ends up all over my head and body). We had a great morning at church and heard Pastor Suitt talk about all the "little" things that aren't so little like the amazing baby Jesus that was born in the "little" town of Bethlehem. It really was just eye opening.

Then we spent a fairly chill afternoon adding the finishing touches to our Christmas decorations and Tanner laid down for a nap. I also took advantage of the down time to get some shopping done and add a few more checks to my Christmas shopping list.

When I got back home, Tanner had just woken up and he and Larry were playing in the floor. What a beautiful sight! Larry is such the big, strong, silent type but when he's with Tanner, he's just so relaxed and fun. It was great to watch.

After the boys finished playing, Tanner asked me if we could go on a date. I about fell out of my chair. What a great idea! Larry didn't mind so I said sure and Tanner and I were off for our date. He wanted pancakes and bacon so we went to Bob Evans and then somehow we ended up spending the following 2 hours at Wal-Mart. Tanner was so sweet and cute. We had a great time. He helped me pick out 3 birthday/Christmas presents for his friends which was initially very tough for him but eventually he did a wonderful job.

All in all, my Sunday was very different, but it went along with the theme of the day, "little" miracles, moments and memories. It was a wonderful day and I am truly blessed.

Thankful Thursday...A Day Late

This past week has been nuts, crazy, hectic, funky and overwhelming. In the midst of all of that, it was still an awesome week and I am so thankful for so many things.

This week I have been especially thankful for:

:: my Dad who lovingly and willing kept Tanner for two days while he was too sick to go to school so I could continue to work. Thanks Dad! I love you SO much!

:: the opportunity to be there for a hurting friend and to offer sound advice

:: time where I could just catch my breath

:: Living Word Baptist Church, Pastor Suitt, the praise team and Jason Suitt

:: weather that was so perfect we played outside for hours and delayed bedtime

:: strength to continue with a difficult relationship

:: yoga pants and kick it t-shirts

and last but certainly not least

:: Halloween Double Stuff Oreo Cookies

Bumps In The Road

I feel like I am currently at a crossroads and I'm not sure what to do.

What I'm currently going through is odd and weird and a little unsettling. I won't go into details about it specifically, but just know that it's not a great place to be. No worries, health wise, I'm ok.

Something happened that neither Larry nor myself knew how to address but it made us both feel uncomfortable, unhappy and quite frankly, angry. After talking it out, bouncing ideas off each other back and forth and talking it out with a friend, the only option that seemed plausible was simple. Prayer.

I stopped what I was trying to do and just prayed. I prayed that God would give me a changed heart and help me know what to do going forward, to give me the right thoughts and words to make a positive change.

Since I never know "the plan" I have to trust that God knows what He's doing and have faith that He will get me through anything. I'm not saying this is easy. I'm not even saying I like this option very much, but I don't feel like I have any other options if I truly stop trying to fix it myself and just get out of His way and let Him work in my heart.

I heard someone recently say that if God is your co-pilot, you're in the wrong seat. Well, I've moved over and am trying my best to just be the passenger. For a control freak like myself, this is very difficult but I have to give it a shot. I am praying not only for a changed heart but for a fresh start and to smooth out my current bumps in the road.

God is Good

God is good is definitely not a new thought but it was one that I was really reminded of just now.

I am in Virginia Beach with a few friends and I just got back from a power walk on the beach, by myself, which in itself is awesome because I am so rarely by myself. I walked and walked and walked and finally just stopped, caught my breath and admired one of God's beautiful creations, the ocean.

As I stood there and just watched the waves crash in and then go back out over and over, I just smiled. The simplicity of what I see but the complexity of what it takes to make those waves crash in and then go back out time and time again blows my mind. God is so big and so powerful and so unbelievably good.

So I just stood there, dug my toes in the sand and took in as much as I could.

God is good, all the time. And all the time, God is good.