Wisdom From a Rug

Hi Everyone!  I write to you because I have once again been reminded that God is good!  All the time! Tiffany and I bought a rug during the first week we were here.  We both loved it and it now resides in front of our sink in the kitchen.  Here is the mat....

Lately I seem to let my circumstances determine my mood.  And then my mood affects my relationship with God.  Like moving and not knowing a lot of people or trying to follow the dreams, although risky, that my Father put in my heart.  I spoke to a dear friend today and we both came to the same conclusion  that we were letting our feelings get in the way of spending time with God or praising Him.  The saying on the rug, "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass....it's about learning to dance in the rain" became so true for me...for all of us. So even though I wasn't "feeling it" I went for a walk today while listening to some praise music.  My decision to be obedient softened my heart and I was able to walk with arms stretched towards the sky.  It was so freeing and such a good reminder that no matter the circumstance I can praise God and keep a joyful outlook.  

So once again the reminder that God is in control and that He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords hit me in the face....hard!  He is in control of everything...my life, my hopes, my dreams and the weather.  We get some amazing storms here in Orlando and tonight I grabbed my camera while God was showing off His most awesome handiwork.  Here are some of the shots that I caught from our balcony.  I don't really know how to shoot lightning, but I did what I could.

I have not really shared this, but I have had some trouble with my voice for some time now. Teaching has been a great profession, but it really takes a toll on your voice! I went to the ENT in Atlanta at the beginning of June and they thought that I could have the start of vocal nodules.  These are like callouses on the vocal chords and they can be quite dangerous for singers.  I went to see a specialist at the end of June and they took some pictures of my vocal chords.  They said that I did not have nodules, but that my chords were on their way if I didn't get some vocal therapy.  This was not the news you want to hear when you are banking your next career chapter on the use of your voice.  I also found out that I have a mild case of acid reflux and that this was irritating my chords as well.  Once again, I found myself feeling blue because of my circumstances.  After a little time had passed, I once again found myself being obedient and started thanking God for letting me catch this in its early stages.  Well, I just went to the ENT in Orlando and they took a few more pictures and guess what...... my throat and chords were looking MUCH better!  Thank You God!  But even if they weren't better...Thank You God!  He is teaching me some amazing lessons.  I still have to have some speech therapy, but I can start singing again!! I am even going to an audition at Disney on Monday and I'm super excited to get my feet wet.  It's been a risky move to come here and walk by faith, but oh the sweetness of it all.  Thanks for reading!

Storms, Rainbows, and Wedding Dresses

I feel compelled to write another blog this week because a couple really cool things have happened.  Yesterday, Tiffany and I were sitting in our little living room feeling sorry for ourselves and having a great big pity-party.  I have to be honest, trusting God has been quite hard for me the last few years.  Harder than I really thought actually.  I suppose I have been a little skittish about trusting a God that has allowed me to go thorough a divorce before I was 30 and has allowed a number of other things that have felt very heavy these past few years.  My choice is to believe that He is cruel and He doesn't care about me OR I can believe He is good.  Period. I was under the impression that I have always believed that He is good, but the more I look at it the move I believe that I do not fully trust Him because I'm afraid.  Afraid that He doesn't remember me or that He doesn't have my best interests at heart.  Some people may have an easier time believing that God loves them, but the past few years have been really hard.  So, all that to say, I am finding that trusting God and trusting that He is good  and trusting that He does love me has come to the surface quite rapidly.  I still choose to believe that He is good...now for the trust part! Oh, that He may help me in this area!

So, back to the pity-party.  We were just sitting there chatting while this terrible storm approached.  The sky looked purple and we were wondering how bad we were going to get hit.  I took a picture of the approaching storm. It's crazy how the sun can still shine in some places while the sky can look like this.

The storm came on strong and lasted for a short while. Then out of the darkness the clouds parted and He gave us a gift. A special sign just for us. A sign that He does love us and He will never leave us or forsake us! We ran to get our cameras and this is what we saw.



Can you see it! Oh but it gets better.



It was a full rainbow! I don't know about you, but they are rare to see. I couldn't get a picture of the whole thing because it was still raining and we were stuck on our balcony, but oh it was glorious! Right there in our despair about not having a job and the past few years, God gave us a rainbow. Now that is awesome!

Then today, Tiffany and I decided to go see the movie The Proposal....for the second time. We wanted to see something cute and funny because it was raining and we couldn't go to the pool. We were walking in the mall and we passed a bridal store with dresses in the window. Then we stopped because something caught our eye. In the window, the most BEAUTIFUL wedding dress was displayed so we had to go in. I mean, this dress was something I could not have even made up in my dreams! My heart just fell in love with it and then Tiffany and I just went around and looked at all the dresses. This is something we have not done in a loooonnng time.....dream. Once again, God used a beautiful wedding dress to catch our eye and get us dreaming and hoping again. Hoping that there could be marriage in the future. A marriage that would glorify our God and last to raise children who love Christ and make the world brighter. Oh, He has NOT forgotten me! What a great day this turned out to be!

Home Sweet New Home

Hello Everyone!

I know it has been a while since my last blog, but things have been crazy with trying to uproot my life from Atlanta to Orlando.  We left Atlanta on June 27th and made it to Tifton, GA for the night.  I was driving the U-Haul and let me just tell you, what an experience that was!  It takes a lot more work to drive one of those than a car.  I had no CD player so I was alone with my thoughts a lot...thoughts like , "what am I doing?, why am I moving from my good and safe life, will I find a job??"... and many other thoughts that I will keep to myself. =)  I did, however, sense the peace that God has been giving me since I decided to make this move.  I want to give a shout out to the many wonderful people who helped us move.  I LOVE you all and cannot thank you enough for all your help and support!  Here is some of the fearless crew below.

Some adopted dads who always come and help when they hear the call...

Jack, David, Jo, Jill, Tiffany, and me...

Adding the Sanders girls.....



Me and my dear friend Joanna (to be said in a song-like way). Don't let our smiles fool you... we were NOT happy to say "see you soon."

So, we woke up on June 28th and headed the rest of the way to Orlando.  Here are some pics of us when we crossed the state line.  I love that we are in the Sunshine State!

When we arrived we were greeted by some dear friends Jenn and Will Korver and a couple of their guy friends to help us move. Michelle and Andie Sanders also drove down Sunday morning and stayed until Thursday morning.  I do NOT know what I would have done without them!! My sister Laura and her husband Luke (who are expecting their first baby in March!) were also there to help. They live in Palm Coast and came down to carry boxes and more.  Luke worked so hard and I am most excited to get to know him better now that I live closer to them.  

We have been here almost a week and it as taken that long to just get all moved in.  We still have a few boxes on the floor and mirrors to hang, but all in all we have a roof over our heads, beds to sleep in, and of course, wireless internet!  This next week will be changing our license and tags and finding a job...yes, a job would be good.  I pray that God will show us where to go and what we are to do during this time.  I am so grateful to have a sister-friend in Tiffany to share this adventure with.  We will keep you posted as we go.  There has already been much laughter.  Below is a picture of our new place.......well, it's actually the building across the lake, but ours looks identical. Did I mention we have an awesome view of the Disney fireworks from our balcony!? Thanks God for the little things....

Thanks for reading!