D is for DESTINY...

do you ever look back at your life and realize that a single decision has FOREVER altered your DESTINY?

as i reflect on my own life, there are some MAJOR defining moments that have absolutely changed the course i was on (thank GOD).

some things are of our own choosing. some, not so much. along this journey, there are times where we just DON'T have any control over our destiny. that can be an unsettling feeling.

but i believe (i just HAVE to believe) that ultimately, if our hearts long for God to use us...if we really want to do what HE wants us to do...then he'll get us where we need to be...one way or another.

and so, today, i think about AUSTIN'S DESTINY.

today is his SEVENTEENTH birthday. and for the entire time we've lived in texas, this child has been obsessed with airplanes...he has served in the Air Force Junior ROTC and was completely focused on becoming a pilot.


of course, this goal requires LOTS of cash...something we don't have. and so for the last year, he has seriously been contemplating joining the military so that his education would be paid for. we just didn't see another way of him reaching this goal.


meanwhile, the OTHER side of austin is his amazing artistic ability. he has SUCH a gift...and it's been evident since he was a toddler. his attention to detail when it comes to art is just mind boggling. and we've always wondered if he would go down that road. he once wrote a letter to Steven Spielberg...i saved it and stumbled upon it not too long ago. i could totally see him going into some kind of production.

this move changes EVERYTHING for him. not only did he discover on his flights to and from virginia recently that he turns green when he flies (not exactly a quality the air force is probably looking for, huh? LOL), but we also now have the opportunity for him to attend a private college on-site for 75% off because his dad will be an employee. this is HUUUUUGE. and they have some incredible programs that would be right up his alley.

MAJOR, LIFE ALTERING, DESTINY CHANGING move approaching for austin. i'll say it one more time: this changes EVERYTHING.

and i'm going to choose to trust that as we move forward, this gets him one step closer to whatever it is that he was born to do.

i love you austin lee. happy 17th birthday. you are such a gift to me.

xoxo.

C is for CHOICES...

well, the countdown is on. bobby leaves MONDAY. oh MY gosh. the last time we did this, austin and jordan were 2 & 4 and he was LEAVING CBN. i stayed behind and sold the house. can you say dejavu? only this time, there are twice as many kids LOL.

and now we are full circle...and he's headed TO CBN. and this is going to be a big change for all of us. the little guys have been a little bit ornary lately...maybe it has something to do with daddy leaving...or maybe they're just being bratty? but either way, we've been having lots of conversation and verbal reminders about attitudes & CHOICES.

when mommy or daddy tell them to DO SOMETHING, the answer needs to be an IMMEDIATE 'yes mommy,' or 'yes daddy.'

no arguing. no complaining. no justifying. just a heart of obedience. IMMEDIATELY.

and as i have these conversations with them, i cringe inside as i am faced with the hypocrisy of that expectation.

do I respond that way? i'd be LYING if i said yes.

i don't want to have to debate with my kid just to get them to do something that they KNOW they should be doing. i should be able to trust them to just DO IT. and they should be able to trust ME enough to know that I don't demand things from them that are too much for them. it's not like i'm asking my six year old to cut the grass...or asking my 15 year old to prepare a gourmet meal...the things i ask of them are things that i KNOW they are capable of...and if it's something that is a little beyond their norm, i teach them...i guide them...i HELP them...

Lord, help me to respond to you more quickly...more obediently...help me to trust YOU. that you would NOT ask me to do something that you don't believe i'm capable of doing. and that if you see that i'm in over my head, you'll be right there to walk me through it.

xoxo.

B is for BEST

our home sits across the street from a city park. it's surrounded by a black iron gate. right at the entrance to our community, at the corner of the park, used to sit a quaint little sign that said CITY OF OAK RIDGE NORTH. it was surrounded by beautiful landscaping and it made me smile when i would drive by. it symbolized a hometown feel and i LOVED it.

one day, much to my dismay, they tore it down. GONE. just an empty space where it had been. this did not please me. my friend jana and i actually discussed writing letters of protest. lol.

WHAT WERE THEY THINKING?

why on EARTH would they tear it down?

there was nothing WRONG with it.

it was charming.

it was welcoming.

it represented something.

and it was GONE.

eventually i got over it :) there has been an empty space at that corner for about two years now.

that is, up until just a few weeks ago... the city is in the process of installing a new, high tech sign. it not only welcomes you to the community, but it tells you upcoming events and it even displays the weather. they aren't finished yet. it's not near as inviting to me. the other one was just so cute. but i'll give it a chance. it definitely needs some landscaping once they finish the wiring and stone work.


you may wonder what this has to do with ANYTHING :) but something clicked that day, as i drove past & a crane was lowering the new sign into position.

before the old sign was torn out, there was already a plan in place for something new. something fresh. something that had new dimension...new facets...

the old sign wasn't just torn down. it was taken down to make room for the NEW sign. where we just saw an empty space, those who KNEW the plan saw the site of something BETTER.

may this be true as we move forward on our journey. may we learn the difference between GOOD, BETTER & BEST.



may we not be willing to be content with good. may we strive, instead, for best...not in terms of 'stuff.' i'm not talking a whole 'live your best life now' theology. i believe my best life ISN'T now. it isn't HERE. look at the life of Jesus...there was suffering. it's part of the package. i'm talking about wanting the best of HIS plans for me...for US...whatever that means, whatever that looks like.


but may we also remember that BEST typically comes with a higher price tag. it does not come without sacrifice.


help me, Lord, to be open to change. i trust that your plans are for my benefit...for the benefit of my entire family. may i live each day, trusting that you DO know BEST.

xoxo.

A is for ADVENTURE

so, it was suggested to me that perhaps i should actually pay attention to my poor neglected blog and begin tracking this new journey we are on. and since i tend to forget my blog lately, i'm going to do this alphabetically, hoping it will help me stay on course.'

so A is for ADVENTURE.

the name wendy means WANDERER. some people have meaning to their names that seems so poetic...so beautiful...not mine. mine just sounds LOST.

combine that with the fact that i have moved TWENTY SEVEN times in my twenty nine years (okay, one of those numbers is accurate, one isn't...hee hee) and you can see that i'm not crazy about being dubbed a WANDERER.

BUT i recently stumbled across this quote...a quote that somehow i've never heard before...and i'm very glad to know it exists...because i feel like it re-defines all of this 'wandering' i've been doing:

and i LOVE this. i love looking back and thinking that this wasn't just aimless wandering (well, maybe SOME of it might have been LOL) but it was WANDERING WITH A PURPOSE.

from the beginning of time...before i was born...God had already orchestrated all the days of my life...now, i don't necessarily think he plotted out every thing that's happened to me (i mean, some of this stuff i have to take responsibility for...like the time i turned my hair blue...or the time my baby sis & i decided to hitch a ride in a limo and were certain we would be kidnapped & murdered)...but even in those moments of sheer stupidity, He was THERE with us.

and soooooo, as we start this new adventure, i shall type...from my heart...and use this as a form of therapy to help me sort through the feelings...the emotions...because right now they are all jumbled and mixed.

the only thing...well, no...the only ONE that i am certain of is the God of this universe...who knows my name...who knows where i'm going...even though i don't...and i trust that if he has looked out for me before i was even born, he surely isn't going to stop now.

so God, if you hear me clicking away on this keyboard, know that i'm trying...know that i'm really, really okay with this. i have no doubt that you have purpose in this...and that I AM NOT LOST. you are leading us on. and i trust you. most of the time.

xoxo.

outwit, outplay, outlast...

it's the game of survival. and let's just say that i won this round :)

i'm working for a non-profit corporation that does SOOOOO much good year round, but we go into overdrive during the holidays. it's a ton of work, but it's also a ton of fun and they hired bobby (temporary, part time) to help out with all the holiday craziness. his unofficial job title was something on the order of christmas elf.

so when i saw ELF shirts on sale at target, i could not resist.

only problem was i knew he'd NOT BE CAUGHT DEAD IN ONE.

i bought it anyhow. and wrapped it up. and made my BOSS give it to him.

so he put it on. and wore it. ALL.DAY.LONG.

the BIG (well, actually she's quite tiny) boss even complimented him on it and when he told her that debbie bought it for him, she told debbie she should buy one for everyone.

and meanwhile i just sat quietly and snickered. ALL.DAY.LONG.

and now i'm laughing again...because christmas is over and so is the joke. and i won. he looked ridiculous for an entire day...and did it cheerfully...and i won. hee hee hee.

a picture is worth a thousand words

and a picture CARD is worth a bunch of $...

but i got mine FREEEEE. yes, that's right. FREE. 50 fabulous personalized christmas cards. on the house. 50!!!!! courtesy of shutterfly. didn't i tell you how great they were? i wasn't kidding!

thank you shutterfly. i'll share the front of my card...but you'll have to wait to get yours in person to see the inside.

let's just say shutterfly rocks.

signed,

one happy christmas camper :)

SHUTTERFLY KISSES...

OKAY, SUUUURE, you've all heard of butterfly kisses. But I'm here to tell you that if ANYONE deserves my love this year, it's ABSOLUTELY shutterfly!

can i just say that this is THE BEST place for gift giving? i'm working on a majorly limited budget (what's new?) and it can be a challenge to find a gift that is really SPECIAL but also cheap (oops...i mean inexpensive LOL).

shutterfly bridges the gap between those two. REASONABLY PRICED. OH SO SPECIAL. and really, truly, gifts from the heart. PRICELESS.

my love relationship started years ago with shutterfly when i said goodbye to the photo print quickie cards from a box store and said hello to custom made cards that draw oohs and aahs from all my friends and family.

check this one out from years past and look how little austin is!!!!





i could go on and on about all the ways that i do love shutterfly but perhaps you should check them out yourself?

here are a few of my favorite things:

1. obviously, i've already mentioned the christmas cards. check out the INCREDIBLE selection that they have!
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

2. calendars!!! a gift that gets used EVERY DAY OF THE ENTIRE YEAR. can't say THAT about grandma's fruit cake!
http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars
3. custom made birthday cards! one of the things i've done over the years is made a birthday card for my daughter each year. no worries of it being a card that someone else is going to give her. and it has a picture of HER on it each year. doesn't get more lovely than that (in my completely unbiased opinion LOL).
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birthday-cards-stationery

please take the time to visit shutterfly. you could tell them that i sent you, but alas...i am just one of their many lovers :)

xoxo.