Sweet Daisy

Last week we experienced the loss of our family pet, our sweet Daisy. We had Daisy more than 10 years and she was as much a member of our family as any human. I know some people don’t think of their pet as family, but we did!! When we went on trips, she usually went with us. When checking hotels, we always checked for pet-friendly.

There are so many things about Daisy that I’ll always remember. She hated cats with a passion! She always barked & tried to chase our neighbor’s cat when she saw him. Once, my husband found her after she had “found” the cat…she had the cat pinned to the ground underneath her paw. She wouldn’t hurt any animal, but she would bark at them like she meant business. When we first got Daisy, she would run like crazy around the house. She could go from 0 to 90 in a matter of seconds. She’d zoom around the living room, out the doggy door, run the fence while barking at the neighbor dog, zoom back into the house and soar over the side of the couch like it was six inches off the ground!

She also had a love of chocolate! Yes, we know dogs aren’t supposed to have chocolate, but this dog had a stomach of steel! She was known to get chocolate out of jackets (I have a hole in a pocket to prove that), off the kitchen table, from the bar behind the couch and then anywhere else you left it without remembering to place it up high. This one Christmas we had given my mother-in-law a coffee basket with chocolate truffles. These weren’t just any truffles, they were the kind you got from the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory…they were huge and there were six of them. We had opened the gifts at my mother-in-law’s house that morning and then went to another family member’s house for the rest of the day. When we got back that evening, the basket was on the floor, some of the coffee ripped open and the white sack with the truffles…ripped to shreds…and EMPTY!! We checked on Daisy and her stomach was so full. She looked miserable and she didn’t eat anything else for a while, but she was just fine. That was several years ago and we still laugh about that every Christmas.

Another food item she loved was ice cream. Any time any of us had ice cream, she had to have some. We got to where we just fixed a bowl for her when we had it. There was a time I was scooping ice cream for the two of us. The ice cream was still pretty solid, so when I scooped it out, it popped off of my scoop and was headed to the floor…except that it never hit the floor. I looked down and Daisy had caught the very generously-sized scoop of ice cream in her mouth! 🙂

There are so many great memories of our sweet Daisy. I like to believe that she’s not alone in heaven…that she has a special little boy to play with. I like to believe that she and this little boy chase each other around and play all day and the he rubs her belly at night, just like my husband did every night before he went to sleep. I like to believe that these two will keep each other company until we see them both again one day.

Matthew 5:4 (MSG), “You’re blessed when you feel you’ve lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.”

Here are a few of our favorite pictures of Daisy…

We love you so much Daisy and we miss you like crazy!!! ❤

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Picture this: you’re focused, you’re driven, you’ve set your sights on a dream you’ve had for a very long time and you can see this dream finally coming true after years and years of prayer and wishing and hoping…you’re like a racecar driver on the final lap of the big race and you’re in first place…you can see the finish line and in a few more feet, you’ll not only have touched it, but crossed over. In your peripheral view, you see the flag guy, but instead of the checkered flag in his hand, you see a yellow caution flag. You think to yourself, “What is that? There’s no one in front of me…I can see the finish line and I’m the only one.” But he’s waving the flag anyway and telling you to slow down. So you make a split second decision and decide to push through anyway because you know that nothing can stop you now…you’re so close and then….BAM!!!!

That was my 2014!!!!

Oh how happy I am to see 2014 in my rear view mirror!! I don’t think I’ve ever been more excited to see one year end and another fresh, New Year begin!

Now that you have a great picture in your brain, let me explain what it all means.

My husband and I have long desired to have children and grow our family. We were given that dream a few years ago, only for it to be snatched away a few short weeks later through a miscarriage. As we are both not the spring chickens we once were, my doctor suggested I visit a fertility doctor. My husband didn’t really see a need for this as we were able to get pregnant once before. But, I thought it best to go and see what the doctor had to say and get things checked out…you know, just in case.

The initial appointments went good. There were a few minor things I needed to adjust, like my diet and exercise. After getting all of this adjusted, I was set to go in for an outpatient procedure as one final check to make sure everything was working properly and nothing was out of whack, so that we could proceed to the next step.

I had taken the morning off work this one Friday in late June to have all of my pre-op work completed. I had mentioned to my doctor during this visit that I had been experiencing some extreme shortness of breath that week so she added another test to the schedule to check it out.

I got home later that evening and all of a sudden started experiencing some major leg pain. My right leg was cramping and aching unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Imagine when you get a calf cramp…when it comes on, if you can stretch it out or stand up and stretch it, the cramp will go away. This felt like a calf cramp to the 100th degree that, no matter what I tried, I could not stretch it out. It hurt to sit; it hurt to walk; it hurt to stand…no matter what I did, it hurt! The pain was so severe that I got very light-headed and thought I was going to pass out!

Since the last time I felt lightheaded I was actually dehydrated, my husband thought it best to purchase copious amounts of Gatorade and have me drink them all night long. Did I mention how uncomfortable it was to get up and walk around? Imagine drinking bottle after bottle of water and Gatorade for about five hours straight…get the picture!?!

The next morning, I was still in a lot of pain and my leg was actually starting to swell. I decided to go to a clinic to see if they could give me something for the pain. When the doctor saw my leg, she measured it and said I should go to the ER and have them look at my leg; she said she’d feel better if they helped me first. So I left the clinic and went straight to the ER. The ER nurses put me in a room and ran some tests. They drew some blood and had a tech come in and do an x-ray on my right leg. About five minutes after the tests were done, the ER doctor came in and told me I had a blood clot in my leg and was being admitted to the hospital. About four hours later, I was in a private room in the hospital, where I stayed for the next three days. Now how’s that for a summer vacation!?! 😦

It all boiled down to some medication I was on, that mixed with my age, had a high probability of developing a blood clot…well, they were right. For once, I was the one in a million, billion, whatever the number was…just not the “one” I wanted to be! And with the blood clot, I was told that anything having to do with baby-making, fertility, whatever, was on hold for the next SIX months!

After all of it settled down and I was out of the hospital and getting back to regular stuff, I finally realized that I had blinders on my eyes. I was so focused and so driven to see my baby dreams come true, that I had completely tuned out God and His plan for this part of my life. I had basically told Him, “Hey, I found a way to make this happen faster instead of waiting on Your timing, so I’m going this way, instead of Your Way.” See what doing it “my way” got me!?! Six months of waiting…more freakin’ waiting!!!

HELLO 2015!!!

December 31st was the last day that I had to take my blood thinners. I used some of that six-month time to focus on God and His plan for our lives. I learned that I need to be content with my current place in life; to enjoy the time my husband and I have left in our “coupleness” before kids come along; and to enjoy that we can pick up and go out or grab a bite to eat without having to find a babysitter. And I also learned that no matter what the future holds, two things will never change: (1) God’s love for me is constant, unwavering and forever, and (2) so is my husband’s love.

I recently went back to the fertility doctor and visited with her on our next step. She gave us some options and said to let her know how we decide to proceed. This year, I’ve removed the blinders. I’m still focused and driven and my sights are still set on the baby dream, but this time, I’m doing it God’s way! I’m going to let Him tell me which option to choose and trust in His timing and His plan. 🙂
Jeremiah 29:11-13 (NIV), “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Hebrews 12:1-3 (NIV), “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.”

Renewed and Restored

March is known as the month where spring emerges; where grass starts to turn green, where flowers are in bloom and the leaves of trees begin to appear. March is kind of like the renewing season, a restoring of what once was but went away and is new again.

For me, March has always been a great month of celebration. When I was in high school, March was the month that my now-husband asked me to be his girlfriend. Mind you, it took him 45 minutes, standing in my parents’ driveway, to ask me to be his girlfriend. And the fact that I was in the shower when he arrived (I had a banquet to attend that evening) and I stood in that driveway with him with wet hair, no makeup and mismatched clothes, and he still asked me anyway…yep he’s a keeper!! 🙂

Two years after we had been dating, another great thing happened in March. His little sister was born on our exact anniversary (bet you thought I was going to say we got married…haha…keep reading).

Looking many years into the future, another great day in March arrived…our wedding day! We got married 4 days before the date of our dating anniversary. And last weekend, we celebrated our 11th wedding anniversary. I’ll let you do the math on that one to see how long we’ve really been together!! 🙂

So for us, March has always been a great time of year, with many things to celebrate. But last year, March took on a whole new meaning for us. Added to our month of great memories and celebration came sadness and disappointment. Last March was when we found out we were pregnant and then three short weeks later, found out we were no longer pregnant. What was once a great month had been shattered and our hearts broken into thousands of little pieces.

A year has now passed and the healing continues. I look back on this past week with excitement for our anniversary and all that we’ve accomplished in our 11 years of marriage. But I also look at this past week with a sadness that still resonates in my spirit; a longing for a hole to be filled and for something to take away the void that remains. The time is ripe for God to renew and restore us and for our broken hearts to be mended in a way that only God can.

As this blog was percolating in my brain this morning, the scripture I kept hearing in my spirit is found in Malachi 3:10. This scripture is mostly known for the references to tithing, but this morning I kept hearing over and over this one specific part, “…and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams.” POUR OUT BLESSINGS. This is going to be my scripture of renewing, of restoration…God is going to pour out his blessings on me and my husband and the family that He is going to give us and it will be BEYOND OUR WILDEST DREAMS!

The loss will always remain and the memory will always be there, but I stand at the ready for God to pour out His blessings on us that will be beyond our wildest dreams.

The Best Version of Me

Quick Note: Because I’ve been so busy and haven’t had time to sit down and think of something original (okay, original for this blog!), I’m going to share with you a blog I wrote for our church’s women’s ministry blog. I really liked it and got some great compliments on it, so thought it best to share again. And, if you’d like to check out our women’s ministry blog, you can find it at http://www.cherishedministriesfcfc.com (shameless plug, yes I know!).

At the beginning of this year, I decided I needed to make a few changes for a healthier me. I didn’t refer to these as “resolutions” as those tend to be broken by mid-January. I chose to refer to my changes as a lifestyle change. The two areas I decided to focus on were my eating habits (health) and my weight (fitness).

I’ll say that I completed the month of January by being very consistent in my exercise and eating. But what I soon realized is that to see the major changes I want to see, it’s going to take me a lot longer to accomplish them than just four weeks.

I’ve been attending a bible-based fitness program for the last several years, so all the encouraging words of my trainers have started to really click in my brain. Their words have helped me to remember that I need to take this one day at a time. It took years for my body to look the way it does, so it will take a while for me to get it back to where I want it to be. There’s no magic pill or overnight drug that will get me there; only determination and consistency on my part to do it day after day, week after week, month after month.

My weight has been a struggle for me for too many years to count. Even when I was in junior high and high school, I wasn’t happy with my weight. In junior high, I was tall, but I wore a size 12-14. Although I never looked fat because of my height, I never felt skinny either. Then, in high school, thanks to the fact I didn’t have a good, healthy body image, I lost a bunch of weight and then I was too skinny.

The weight has always been my biggest foe when it comes to being happy with me, but it also stems from not being confident in whom God created me to be. I’d like to share a few scriptures with you that have helped me find the best version of me.

Psalm 139:14 says, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made…” And Genesis 1:27 says, “So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them…”

I have paired these two scriptures together and have taped them to the mirror in my bathroom. “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made and created in the image of My Heavenly Father.” It helps for me to see this every day; and several times a day.

The scripture helps me to remember that God doesn’t make mistakes and He didn’t make one when He created me. I have to remind myself that God created me just the way He wanted me to be. He. Created. Me. Me. Single, solitary Kara Michelle Justice Hyden. He created me…to look like Him! Have you ever sat long enough to think about that? And how amazing that is!?!

Jeremiah 1:5 says, “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you…” Before I was ever a thought or a twinkle in my mother’s mind, God already knew me. He knew what I would look like. He knew how tall I was going to be. He knew what specific gifts and talents and abilities He was going to give me. He knew what special qualities I was going to have that make me unique and like no other person on the planet. And He knew that I would often struggle with my weight and outward appearance. But He created me anyway. God did this. For me! Because He loves me!!

A few years ago I read an article about liking myself for the person God created me to be. In the article, the author challenged the readers to make a list of 10 things they like about themselves that have nothing to do with their outward appearance. I was intrigued by the article and decided to take her up on the challenge. I thought the list would be hard to make, but it turned out to be a pretty easy challenge. And I have my list taped to my bathroom mirror so I see it every single day. And to make it even better, I attached the scriptures I mentioned above to it, so I can fully soak in God’s unconditional love and the good things about myself. For the sake of space and droning on and on, I’ve only listed 5 of the 10 things on my list. Here’s what I have:

My husband loves me and calls me the love of his life
I’m great at organizing and planning
My friends like my sense of humor
Everyone can depend on me
God created me in His image

This helps me to remember that even though I may not always like the way I look on the outside or how my clothes fit; there are good things about me that I do like. And it’s nice to have a visual reminder in the one place I see myself every day…my mirror.

While I will be continuing on with the lifestyle changes that I set out to accomplish in January, no matter what happens, God loves me always; He created me in His image; and this will always be the best version of me.

Freedom from Offense

This past week, the women’s bible study that I’m a part of at my church started our new bible study for the spring semester. This semester, we are studying “The Bait of Satan” by John Bevere. I’ve read this book before and I’m looking forward to reading it again, but studying it deeper now than I did the first time.

I don’t know about you, but books like this are ones that I like to have the physical book so that I can mark up, underline, highlight and earmark all the pages and passages that speak to me while I’m reading them. We’ve only discussed the first two chapters in the book. But as I was reading through the next section in preparation for our class, several of the passages and statements, along with scriptures jumped right off of the page.

Some of these passages spoke so personally to me, that I wanted to share them with you. Most of these come from the first three chapters in the book and some of the scriptures from the first two chapters of the workbook. If any of you are dealing with offense in any way, I pray these speak to you as boldly as they did to me.

Luke 17:1

“…It is impossible that no offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come!”

Just because you were mistreated, you do not have permission to hold on to an offense.

Matthew 5:44

“But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.”

If we do not deal with an offense, it will produce more fruit of sin, such as bitterness, anger and resentment.

2 Timothy 2:24-26

“And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”

Jesus said our ability to see correctly is another key to being freed from deception. Often when we are offended we see ourselves as victims and blame those who have hurt us. You will only repent when you stop blaming other people.

There are two Greek words for love: phileo and agape.

Phileo is a love among friends; it’s affectionate and conditional.

Agape is the love of God and is unconditional; it is a love that gives even when rejected.

Galatians 6:8-9

“Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up.”

When you sow the love of God, you will reap the love of God.

We walk in a selfish love that is easily disappointed when our expectations are not met. If I have no expectations about someone, anything given is a blessing and not something owed. We set ourselves up for offense when we require certain behaviors from those with whom we have relationships. The more we expect, the greater the potential offense.

If we don’t risk being hurt, we cannot give unconditional love. Unconditional love gives others the right to hurt us.

To not be offended, we must freely receive and freely give.

Complaining is rebellion and a lack of fear of the Lord.

Philippians 2:14-15

“Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,…”

If it is not dealt with, offense will eventually lead to death. But when you resist the temptation to be offended, God brings great victory.

James 4:7

“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Authority is given to serve, not to set you apart.

Often, we focus on the impossibility of our circumstances instead of the greatness of God.

1 Corinthians 10:13

“No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Absolutely no man, woman, child or devil can ever get you out of the will of God! No one but God holds your destiny! No mortal man or devil can supersede the plan of God for your life. But there is only one person who can get you out of the will of God and that is you!

If you stay free from offense you will stay in God’s will.

Remember that Satan fights you the hardest and brings his greatest attach again your harvest (God’s inheritance for you) just before your harvest manifests and becomes a reality.

Numbers 23:19

“God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?”

God has already seen every adverse circumstance we will encounter—no matter how great or small—and He has the way planned for escaping it. Often the thing that looks like an abortion of God’s plan actually ends up being the road to its fulfillment if we stay in obedience and free from offense.

Stay submitted to God by not becoming offended; resist the devil, and he will flee from you. We resist the devil by not becoming offended.

God’s Word, His promise, will always come to pass as long as you don’t get offended.

1 Peter 5:10

“And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen and establish you.”

Please feel free to comment and share with me any of the passages, statements and/or scriptures that spoke to you or share with me some of your own…

Approval Seeker

Okay, raise your hand if you constantly seek approval for the things you do? Or, if you sometimes (fibber) seek approval for the things you do?

You can’t see me, but I’m not only raising my hand, I’m jumping up and down so you can see that my hand is raised high in the sky!!! Sad, I know!

I’m really bad at this! I try my best to be humble and most of the time I can succeed at being humble. But when I do something really well or create something that’s really beautiful or write something that I think is profound, I really want someone to comment on it and tell me, “Good job” or “Way to go”. Or like when I really clean the house. Sorry about this…I love my house to be clean…I just don’t want to be the one that has to do the work! So, when I really clean it and it sparkles, I want my husband to (1) notice and (2) tell me how great it looks! Really, is it too much to ask!?!?!!

So, here’s the basis for why I’m writing about this brutally honest subject. A few weeks ago, our women’s ministry at my church launched a new website and within that website we started a blog. As the editor and poster for all of our blog writers, I post about two blogs each week…giving each blog a chance to reach out and really soak in with our followers and to attract new followers. We’ve had some great feedback and “likes” to the blogs that have been posted over the past few weeks. Until this week. I posted my first blog on our new site and for days (really only a couple, but it seemed longer), we didn’t receive any new followers, “likes” or comments. I was pretty sure I scared off all of our current followers and any new potential followers. I refer to it as my “in-your-face” blog because I wrote about offense and being offended. Our women’s bible study is studying about offense this next semester, so I thought it’d be a great way to advertise for our group by writing a blog about it. If I have peaked your curiosity at all, you can check it out here (http://cherishedministriesfcfc.com/2014/01/26/who-me-offended/).

I say all of that to say this…why does it matter so much to me what anyone thinks of what I wrote? Do I really think that this one post is going to make people like me less? Compared to other blogs I’ve read it’s not very controversial; yet, it’s a topic that makes people feel uncomfortable. And because I know I don’t like to feel uncomfortable, I guess I was overly concerned about how the blog was received.

And just to prove what a great sense of humor God has…as I was writing this blog, I took a break and was looking on Facebook and ran across this post by Christine Caine:

Talk about snapping me back into attention!! And that’s really the only thing I need to remember…it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks about me, says about me, likes or dislikes about me and my talents, gifts and abilities…the only One I need to concern myself with is my Heavenly Father. He loves me unconditionally, all the time, every day, no matter what!!

“…For God has said, ‘I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.’ So we can say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?’” ~Hebrews 13:5-6 (NLT)

Always in our Hearts

As 2013 comes to a close, I wanted to say a final good-bye to close out the year. It’s been an interesting year, but one with more heartbreak than I’ve ever experienced before.

The year began like any other, then a couple of months in, we received the most joyous news. Our dream of becoming parents was finally coming true! All the hours we’d spent on planning, discussing baby décor, names and the number of kids we wanted to have, we were finally on our way to having our very own family. The discussions on room décor were starting to take shape as we decided you were a boy as we had long prayed you’d be.

Sadly, the joyous time was short-lived, as our happiness turned to heartbreak. You were gone in the blink of an eye. The excitement and joy we had over you in one breath, was quickly gone in the next. I imagined you would’ve been as handsome as your dad, with his dark hair and shining green eyes. I guess when the time comes for us to see you again, I can see how close I was to my vivid imagination.

I thought of you a lot since that time. You would’ve been born at the end of October, so you would’ve had your first Christmas this year. I imagined I would’ve had a lot of fun shopping for you on Black Friday with my mom and sister, the way we shop for my nieces every year. I imagine your dad would’ve gone with us…mostly because he’s just a big kid version of you anyway! I imagine all the toys I would’ve had to put back on the shelf, telling your dad that we’re not made of money and that you’re too young for most of the toys anyway! But it would’ve been fun.

I imagined you at Christmas when I was decorating the tree. You would’ve had your first ornament on the tree…Baby’s 1^st Christmas. You would’ve had the cutest Christmas outfits and I’m sure sweater vests because that’s what your dad likes. I imagined placing you in Santa’s arms at the mall for your first-ever picture with Santa. Unlike your cousin who didn’t care much for Santa this year, I imagined that you would’ve just lain quietly in his arms as if you were lying in the arms of Jesus. You would’ve had your first trip to Santa Land and the beginning of many other traditions I’m anxious to start with our family.

It was a different kind of year, thinking of what could’ve been that never was. Your dad and I miss you dearly and we will always love you. I just wanted you to know that you’re not forgotten. You’ll always be in our thoughts and memories, but above all else, you’ll always be in our hearts!

To the One I Love…

Today is my husband’s 40^th birthday! Lucky for me, he reaches this climactic age before I do!!! But, I’m not all that far behind…mine is only 6 months away.

But today, my focus is on my sweetheart, my love! I wanted to do something really meaningful for him to commemorate this special day in his life. To my husband, my love, I dedicate this blog to you…my one and only!!!

Forty wonderful years ago, my sweet hubby was born. Isn’t he just the cutest baby!?!?! Check out that full head of hair!!!

Knowing that he is really going to get me good after this post, I might as well go all out & share some other great pictures of him growing up…

He’s such a cutie…even at a young age!! I didn’t know him at this age, so let’s move on to the years where I did know him…junior high & high school!!

This good-looking guy first caught my eye in the eighth grade. Not only was he good-looking, but he was also one of two guys that was taller than me at the time…that was a huge factor for me, being the tallest girl in our class!!

Now, to the man I fell head over heels in love with my senior year in high school and have been captivated by him ever since…

Ruggedly good looking, I say…but I am 100% biased!! He stole my heart on Valentine’s Day when we were seniors, the same way he did when we were in eighth grade! He asked me out on March 22 and my life has never been the same!!

Several years ago for Valentine’s Day, I made him a picture, listing the “47 Things I Love About You”. I’d like to share some of those today…just as a reminder to him how much I love him and how thankful I am that God chose me to be his wife!!

I love your smile

I love your sense of humor

I love when we curl up on the couch and watch movies together

I love that you call me the love of your life

I love that you know my faults and love me anyway

I love the way that you still open doors for me

I love the way you make me laugh…even after all these years

I love that I can wink at you in a certain way and no matter your mood, you’ll always laugh

I love that you miss me even on a day trip

I love the way you make me feel safe and secure

I love your big bear hugs

I love the way you hold my hand

I love your honesty

I love your work ethic

I love your compassion for people

I love that you listen to my opinion

I love to hear you laugh

I love that no matter what we go through, good or bad, we go through it together

I love that you’re a family man and don’t want to be anywhere else

I love that I already know you’ll be the best dad

I love that you’re a problem-solver

I love that you’re ticklish…even when you say that you aren’t

I love your eyes

I love that you’re a godly man and the head of our home

I love that you’re my husband

I love that you still take my breath away

Happy 40^th Birthday Jim Hyden!!!! I love you more and more every day!!! Thank you for letting me share this life with you!! I love you!!

Writer’s Block

Writer’s Block. It. Stinks. And I have it! Now I’m going to sit here and write a blog about writer’s block and how much it stinks! =)

I want to be posting regularly on my blog, but I just can’t come up with good stuff to write right now! I have a topic that I’ve been working on for about a week now. I’ve worked on it 3 different times and I just can’t convey in writing what I’m trying to say! That’s really weird for me. I’m really good at writing what I can’t verbally say…except this time! And it stinks! I just keep thinking the next time I open it up, the words will flow out of me and it’ll be the greatest and most encouraging blog I’ve written. I open the document…re-word a sentence or two and then…NOTHING! NADA! ZILCH! EMPTY THOUGHTS! It stinks!

I read a scripture the other day that really spoke to me. I thought, “This is great! I’ll blog about this!” So, I opened up a blank Word document, starting writing and BAM! Jumbled thoughts! Nothing I wanted to say was coming to mind to write about!

I guess it’s just the time of year. My mind is constantly going in a million different directions at any time of every day. Too. Much.

So, here I sit, writing a blog about having writer’s block and subjecting YOU to READ IT! Did I say this STINKS!?!!

To the many topics sitting in a Word document on my computer just waiting to be written, I hope to write you soon!

To my brain…CHILL OUT!!! I want to be doing something more productive with you so TAKE A BREAK!!! PLEASE!!!

To you, my loyal followers…sorry I subjected you to such a mindless topic! I hope to bring you a much more exciting topic…or at least something worthy of your time to read VERY SOON!

To my writer’s block, I say BE GONE!!!!!

Friendship Memories

Awhile back I wrote a blog about this being the year all my friends and I turn the wonderful age of 40 (see The year of 40). I talked about how despite the negative connotation that comes with turning 40, I would refrain from using any of it on my friends, because as we have all learned, we’re only as old as we feel!!

I frequently get lost in thought and sometimes my mind wanders back to the days of simpler times…times when I wasn’t concerned about what day is payday and when my bills are due and other fun stressors that come with being an adult. On those days when I get lost in thought, sometimes my mind wanders back to the days of being a kid and a teenager and all the fun I had with my friends growing up. So, as this 40th year of life comes blasting forward, I thought I’d share some of my childhood memories with you and my 40 year-old friends!

To Tosha, I remember the countless hours we spent on that lemon twist jump rope toy you had. We would jump around on that thing for hours trying to see which of us could get the most jumps in a row.

To Tammy, I remember having fun being neighbors and playing jokes on your little sister, Sherry and how we NEVER got away with anything because she ALWAYS told on us!!!

To Mandy, I remember riding our bikes up and down the street and then me going across the street & you climbing through your back fence to play in the park that was just for our neighborhood. We’d play for hours & have the best time with everyone else in our neighborhood.

To Leah, I remember playing with Barbie’s at your house. I was always so jealous because you had the coolest Barbie accessories, like the Barbie dream house, the Ken doll and Ken’s cool car!! We’d also swim and lay around your pool for hours.

To Melody, I remember when you first moved to Lampasas in 1st grade and we did that Easter skit in our class. I think I played the Momma hen and you were the baby chick that broke out of the shell (the trash can) at the end and went, “Peep, peep!”

To Barbara, I remember the play we did in the 4th grade, although for the life of me I can’t remember the name of it. But, you played the main character (the damsel in distress) and you were hilarious in that role!!

To Delana, I remember when we were in Kindergarten and I tried to help you put toys away so we could start class and you got mad at me and punched me in the mouth!! Hmmm, maybe that was the start of my dental problems…hahaha, just kidding!!

To Marci, I remember the playhouse in your backyard. That was the coolest playhouse. We would spend hours playing in there with our tea parties & whatever else we made up while we were in there.

To Janna, I remember sitting in your room, listening to music and playing board games. I think we played the Game of Life more than any other, dreaming about how we wanted our lives to turn out…our husbands, the number of kids we’d have and our dream jobs.

To Carrie Jo, I remember all the band trips, parades and practices in the wonderful (ha!) and humid August summers.

To Kellie, I remember sitting next to you in band in junior high when I thought it was a great idea to switch from the trumpet to the French horn. Not only am I glad I came to my senses on the instrument, but also that we became fast & lifelong friends with too many memories to name!

To Cristy, I remember walking around your neighborhood and playing at your house. I also remember the nice Mustang you had when we were old enough to drive…it sure was fun cruising Key in that car!!

To Dana, I remember all the times we used to drive around in your little gray car during lunch and listen to “Black Velvet”. Every time I hear that song, I always think of you!!

There are just too many memories to name! Cruising Key on Friday and Saturday night, walking to Storms after school when we were in junior high & also going to Gattis and ordering cinnamon breadsticks. I thought of those and so many others while reminiscing over these memories!! We’ve been friends for so long, I just pray our kids are taking the time to make memories with their friends that they’ll remember for a lifetime.

Thanks for indulging me on my trip down memory lane! And to my 40 year-old friends I mentioned, what memories do you remember!?!

living by faith

Living out the life God gave me day by day