tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82681553618797140732024-03-13T13:45:21.907-07:00The Conder ChroniclesJesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.comBlogger342125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-85110208295157249782014-08-01T19:57:00.001-07:002014-08-01T19:59:19.927-07:00Chef Mickeys!We arrived to a huge Florida downpour but then we had stuff to take care of! Let me see how much I can confuse you!<br />
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Rob and I can purchase SIX military tickets (half price 4 day park hoppers) which covered us and my parents. Then I ordered my dad 2 extra tickets from UnderCover Tourist for my brother and his BFF (4 day park hoppers get a 5th day free). We knew we needed to go to Downtown Disney to get everyone's tickets activated and linked to our magic bands (you cannot do military tickets at your resort). So off we went to the bus stop. Where we waited. Then we realized that Juju forgot her ID in the room so she RAN back. Then I realized I forgot our magic bands in the room so ROB ran back. Then finally, a bus came. We had BAD bus luck all week long. I swear you either walk up to a bus EVERYTIME or you wait forever EVERY time. We had the latter.<br />
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***TIP--make sure you have all your stuff everytime you leave the room! Put your magic bands on when you get them and leave them on!<br />
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We made it to Downtown Disney and found the Guest Services building. It was packed with a line. Grandma JuJu and I took turns entertaining kids outside til we made it to the front of the line. We got allllll our tickets turned into the RFD cards and then had to go to the self service kiosk and put our cards onto our magic bands. All that..took awhile. I was so glad we went and did this first and got it out of the way, definitely not something you want to plan on doing before parks!<br />
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Finally we were ready for our dinner reservation at the Contemporary Resort, we took a bus from DTD straight there and had some time to kill :)<br />
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Chef Mickey's is a fun way to start your trip. It's a buffet with a wide although kinda boring selection of foods. It is also JAM packed and BUSY. We did not have to wait long but it seemed like we came at a poor time for characters. RIGHT when we got sat they were already on our side AND our kids were starving. It was a bit chaotic. Buffets are NOT my favorite with my kids just because they aren't big enough to get their own so I spend a lot of time getting them stuff and not able to sit and eat. It was a GREAT way to meet the main Fab Five though and the kids really liked it! Of course they had typical kid food, I remember having a plate of different cold salads and then a plate with some salmon, mashed potatoes, prime rib (which my girls completely stole and ate). Nothing stood out as super yummy but it was good and a decent character interaction. </div>
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Overall----the kids love it and if they requested it we would return but if left up to me I am always up for trying something new :)</div>
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Presley only had eyes for Minnie! And loved their noses!</div>
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Max, 6 years old</div>
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Every kiddo loves an ice cream bar :)</div>
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Mostly my kids were ecstatic to see my cousins kiddos! They LOVE their cousins!</div>
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We also spent $150 before our trip on Memory Maker! This entitles you to ALL the pics taken on rides, at meals and anywhere in the park with a photopass photographer. Here is our pic from Chef Mickey's</div>
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I actually LOVE this picture of us, even though we had no time to change and had been running all day!</div>
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Next up, our first full day in a PARK! At Disney's Animal Kingdom!</div>
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Jesi</div>
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<br />Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-90310316306859894972014-07-29T12:59:00.001-07:002014-07-29T13:05:35.288-07:00Road Trippin It {WDW Post 2}Oh airfare why must you be SO outrageous?<br />
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When planning our WDW trip we did take the time to price out airfare..its been exceptionally high lately and most round trip flights were between $400-$500 per person. $3000 in airfare on top of our Disney budget wasn't going to work so the plans to drive were made.<br />
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Yes driving. To Disney. From Oklahoma with 4 little kids. We are officially crazy, and well cheap :)<br />
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It's about 1300 miles EACH way. That's around 20 hours, without stops. And well you know how stopping is with kids.<br />
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We left our house on Friday July 18th and drove the 4ish hours to Ft. Worth where my parents live. This is a relatively easy drive for us and the kids generally get insane the last 45 minutes. We made sure to have the car completely cleaned out before we left and luggage out of the way.<br />
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We used a large Thirty-One thermal bag for snacks.<br />
***TIP--Bring a roll of small ziploc bags in your snack bag!! Great for divvying up snacks, a sick bag if needed (thankfully not) trash, wet clothes, potty accident, the possibilities are endless!<br />
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***TIP---We also have a designated electronics bag (robs job) that houses all our chargers, ipad, kids tablet, extra batteries (a must) all the cords we need, an extension cord and a power strip. Yes, really. They were awesome to have!!<br />
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We also bring a small cooler with ice and drinks.<br />
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***TIP---Make sure to have pillows and blankets for a long ride! We had small Disney Fleece blankets that we have had forever and all the kids brought their pillow pets! Rob likes to freeze us out and everyone naps better with a pillow and blanket!<br />
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On the way to Texas the kid's watched 2 movies and we made 2 potty breaks. We made it to TX early evening on Friday where we stayed at my parents house. Grandma Juju and I hit up Dollar Tree to make sure we had extra snacks and PONCHOS!!<br />
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***TIP---Go find a Dollar store and buy $1 ponchos FOR SURE. No one wants to pay $20 a pop for ponchos and daily rain is pretty common in FL!<br />
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I spent around $45 on extra snacks, glow sticks, glow wands, Disney coloring books, Disney stamp sets, Disney lanyards with character keychains for all 4 kids and 6 ponchos. Many of these would prove great buys later!<br />
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Saturday morning we got up bright and early and left my parents house at 6:30AM. Google again would like to tell you that's 17 hours...Google clearly doesn't have 4 kids, 3 of whom are potty trainers. Ok, Stella has been potty trained forever but she tends to freak out if she HAS TO GO!!<br />
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Along this stretch of drive, we stopped for breakfast which took an hour, several potty breaks, a couple gas stops, a fun stop in Monroe, LA to see the Duck Dynasty HQ, a snack, more gas, more potty and finally around Pensacola FL dinner at a McD's as we attempted to find a hotel for the night. Well, Pensacola in the summer has no hotels available...so we pushed through to Tallahassee for the night in a $75 room right off the highway. We were in the car from 6:30A-12:30AM, and we still weren't at WDW yet! That's traveling with kiddos.<br />
***TIP---pre-book your hotels for travel along the way. We have gone with the flow and pre-booked and I highly recommend pre-booking!<br />
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Along the way we watched movies on the DVD players, took turns with electronics, had small toys and colors/coloring books for the little ones.<br />
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***TIP---use an oldschool CD case for movies, so much easier than messing with cases!<br />
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About halfway through the day I pulled out the new Disney coloring books. After dinner in Pensacola we gave everyone melatonin and they conked out (after barely napping in the car ALL day) and we pushed through the last few hours of driving.<br />
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Our hotel had a free breakfast on Sunday so after that and gas we were on the road again! We were just about 4.5 hours from Disney at that point. As we got closer, and Rob nearly killed us taking a breakneck turn for a rest area my dad (who is a truck driver by the way) told us to take the lead. Famous last words...<br />
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Actually my phone took us the shortest way but it brought us in the back of the resort and straight to Riverside. It MAY have caused my slightly OCD Dad a near panic attack with him thinking I had us lost and we were NEVER gonna get there but it took us right there! Love you Dad! :) We made it! It wasn't too hot but the humidity was THICK and as soon as we were checked into our rooms and had picked up our rental stroller and rental ECV for my Dad. Like open up the heavens POURED down rain. Welcome to Disney :)<br />
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Next up, dinner at Chef Mickey's and our first trip to Downtown Disney!</div>
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<br />Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-85323172226251246492014-07-28T12:55:00.001-07:002014-07-28T12:55:53.396-07:00Walt Disney World {Pre-Planning}For those of you who are big Disney nerds like me I thought I would blog about our recent trip to WDW with 4 little kids, a longgggggg road trip and a group of 14 aging from 3-50+<br />
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{Pre-Planning}<br />
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There are a MILLION sites to help you plan your Disney vacation! I really enjoy Disboards and Walt Disney World Prep School.<br />
www.disboards.com<br />
http://wdwprepschool.com/<br />
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My dad first asked us about a Disney vacation this summer around Christmas. Rob and I talked about it and knew that my Dad and Stepmom would be great help with the kids and we had already postponed a trip last year to attend family kamp instead. We decided to go for it and my Disney obsession began!<br />
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Some things I wanted to pre-plan that are important to us...<br />
Staying onsite<br />
Dinner Reservations<br />
Fun outfits for the kids<br />
Military Tickets<br />
Having a Flexible plan for a family with little kids in the Florida HEAT<br />
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{Resort}<br />
We like staying onsite, so the first thing I did was research what hotel we wanted to stay in for this trip. I have been lucky to stay in various moderates and values at WDW. Unfortunately having a family of 6 can really limit your options! We ended up looking at the Family Suites at Art of Animation OR Port Orleans Riverside in Alligator Bayou with a fold down murphy bed (moderate). Riverside being a moderate there was much less walking (we paid about $150 more for a priority room to be close to the front of the resort) better food court, pool etc AND the biggest thing, it was CHEAPER. It worked great and we LOVED our room but I can definitely see how we will need more space as our kids get bigger! Two value rooms or renting a DVC option may be better in the future. We were fortunate to get 35% off our room rate AND we were able to book that rate for 3 rooms. So we booked Riverside for our family, my Dad, Stepmom, brother and BFF and my cousin, her husband and 2 kids as well. We opted to add the dining plan as we like having most of our vacation PRE-PAID for and not having to nickel and dime food costs on vacation.<br />
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{Magic Bands}<br />
Staying onsite meant we would be using Magic Bands for EVERYTHING! Fastpass+, Dinner reservations, charging things to our room, park tickets, were all linked! You definitely want to get on My Disney Experience ahead of time and personalize your bands. We had 3 pinks for us girls, Red for Rob, Orange for Max and Blue for Jackson. The kids loved them and they stayed on well. Occasionally the littles wanted theirs off and Rob kept them in his pocket.<br />
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{Dinner Reservations}<br />
One of the biggies you can book ahead are dinner reservations! After working with my cousin we ended up with the following<br />
-Chef Mickeys (Contemporary Resort)<br />
-O'Hana (Polynesian Resort)<br />
-Mama Melroses Fantasmic Package (Hollywood Studios)<br />
-Cinderella Dinner at 1900 Park Fare (Grand Floridian)<br />
-Teppan Edo (Epcot)<br />
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{Fun Outfits for the kids}<br />
Something I started planning well in advance that got LOTS of comments on Facebook were my kids clothes~! Yes they pretty much had Disney clothes for the whole trip! Here is how I did it...I started scoping out Walmart, Target, Kohls early. I also asked on a Facebook trade group and had several friends lend us shirts for Jackson or hand down items for my girls! Thanks Sarah! Our sweet Aunt Tabbi also had adorable shirts made for the kids from Generations Stitching on Facebook!<br />
https://www.facebook.com/southeastembroidery<br />
<br />The boys had 1st Disney Trip shirts and the girls had Princess shirts. My dad even got a special Papa Lloyd shirt! Thank you Tabbi! You made our trip even more special!<br />
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I stuck with t-shirts and shorts for the boys because I knew it was going to be HOT!<br />
The girls had shirts and shorts most days and character dresses one day (walmart) and Minnie rompers for dinner one night (walmart embellished by me). I am CHEAP CHEAP when it comes to buying clothes for my kids but I didn't spend a lot of money to have them in cute themed outfits through the week :)<br />
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My cousin, Stephanie who came with us made the above Mickey and Minnie shirts for our entire group of 14!! She used her craft machine to cut the shapes out and then had someone stitch them onto our shirts. They were a huge hit with the cast members and other guests. It also made it easy to spot our kids and group! </div>
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{Military Tickets}</div>
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In addition to getting a great room rate we are also able to buy military tickets through our local base. This saved us a HUGE amount of money off our tickets....we got SIX 4 day park hoppers at $169 each (close to half price) My cousin had good luck purchasing her tickets on https://www.undercovertourist.com/ and I got 2 additional tickets for my brother and his friend from there too! They actually give you 5 day park hoppers for the same price as a 4 day so thats a nice deal. I even made a mistake in ordering and called and they fixed me right up. We highly recommend if you don't have military ticket option. </div>
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Neither of us made Fastpass+ in advance since we waited to buy our tickets til closer to our trip. Once we had them activated at DTD and linked to our magic bands we all uploaded the My Disney Experience app on our phones and made FP+ for the week! I will talk more later about a large group and FP+ but overall we got great FP+ even doing them the week we were there!</div>
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Next time... I will talk about the road trip there and traveling 22 hours with 4 kids 6 and under :)</div>
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XO.</div>
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Jesi</div>
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<br />Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-25781888124709366582013-10-19T14:40:00.001-07:002013-10-19T14:49:10.309-07:00Putting on my Posh hat...You know I am a mom, wife, Christian, MOST of you know about my Posh hat too.<br />
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I work from home running a pampering business with Perfectly Posh. Perfectly Posh offers FUN, naturally based, spa quality pampering products for an affordable price. We want to pamper you. My job, aside from selling pampering products and offering spa nights for ladies in my community is to lead my team, {Dream PINK} I have been incredibly blessed with a team of close to 200 women all over the nation. They are FAN-TAST-IC, I could not be more humbled and proud to lead them in some small way as they work their own Posh businesses on their terms.<br />
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So, this is for them.<br />
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Last night I had a party scheduled with my FAVORITE host. She is just one of those amazingly kind, fun, people who have a lot of friends and knows how to party. I have been so busy lately that I didn't do the best job host coaching but I did touch base with her a few times and she had a good host kit. I ASSUMED that we were good to go early this week when I touched in with her one more time. What I FAILED to do was ask how many people were going to be there.<br />
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I ran around all day, deliveries, working at the dance studio, picking up my kids, packing and before I knew it, party time. It was COLD and raining and I was super tired. But I packed up my bags and got on the road for the 45 minute drive to her house. I arrived and she was rushing around getting ready, had just got off work and the first thing she said to me was, "I hope we have people show up" Uh-Oh. This was my host last year who had 10ish women at her party and $800 in sales. Something was off.<br />
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I set up and we chatted and I reassured her that it was fine. 7:00pm start time comes...7:05, 7:15...no one was there. This is not the typical party for this host. Her house is usually bustling and her door bell is ringing. Guests are there when I get there! 7:30pm. No one is coming.<br />
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Ladies, this is the moment when you find out what your business is made of. Yes, this was my first EVER party where it was just me and the host. I have had my fair share of 2-3 people parties but me and hostess was a new one. How would you handle it if not ONE person showed up?<br />
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I felt bad for her. I KNOW she felt terrible for me. You just NEVER know how parties are going to turn out. I FAILED in my job of host coaching as well as I could have. I should have asked her on Weds (for a Friday party) How many people do you have CONFIRMED as attending? I ASSUMED we were good and it fell apart. I failed my host.<br />
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So what do you do? You make the best of it. You put on your big girl panties and you act like a pro. We sat and chatted, we laughed. We furthered our RELATIONSHIP, our friendship and I reassured her it was NO BIG DEAL and we made jokes, ate her snacks she had hastily prepared and we went through the catalog. I told her the products we still had that she loved. I remembered that she loves coconut and introduced her to Lemon Rice. We talked about anti-aging and how I know she would love the Sweet Young Thing serum. We planned out some fun gifts for her friends and family. We made the best of an awkward situation and we both left smiling and laughing.<br />
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Now, the party is going to a facebook party live tomorrow! I left her fully prepared to collect orders. Life happened, she got busy, I got busy and we both tried to throw together a party. We both assumed. You know what they say about "Assume"<br />
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I packed up in the freezing rain and called Rob. Of course for 10 minutes I was sad that a really good party turned into a big 0. I was embarassed to share with YOU that I had NOT ONE SINGLE GUEST show up. But then I got off the phone and I took Rob's words to heart. This is the work of the enemy. SOOO many good things and blessings come from my Posh business. What if I quit when things got hard? What if I gave up because I had one stinky party? That's exactly what the enemy wants. That is the WALL we hit in direct sales. We are chugging along and things are awesome and then BAM, we run smack dab into a big ugly wall.<br />
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An empty calendar.<br />
An awesome new team member who fizzles out.<br />
An Unhappy customer.<br />
The lady who has a reaction to her $100 order.<br />
A bad vendor event.<br />
A month with no sales.<br />
Health issues, the loss of a family member, getting laid off from your full time job.<br />
A month where you hear NO 100 times and you never find a Yes.<br />
Getting lost for an hour on a delivery run.<br />
A party with NOT ONE SINGLE GUEST.<br />
Failed expectations.<br />
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It happens to every single one of us.<br />
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So what makes YOU different? Are you going to give up when the going gets tough? Are you going to miss out on the AMAZING things happening when you focus on the bad? Are you going to QUIT right before the doors burst open and the blessings come?<br />
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Direct sales is not easy. SALES is not easy! The difference between the most successful salesperson out there and the person who never sells a thing is quitting. Stop trying and it's over. The biggest thing that keeps people from success in direct sales is themselves. A lack of confidence and a lack of determination.<br />
KEEP PUSHING FORWARD.<br />
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Our team is on the verge of a HUGE promotion. I have had a FANTASTIC month in sales already. I have hostesses coming up and a huge fundraiser for an amazing cause next week. What would I be missing out on if I gave up because of one stinky party?<br />
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Just keep swimming,<br />
Jesi<br />
<br />Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-80275530083131801202013-10-17T09:32:00.001-07:002013-10-17T09:32:26.141-07:00Dear Max.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Dear Max,</div>
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You are SIX! I can't believe it's been a blink since you went from this</div>
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to this</div>
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I know you and I see you. I know you love your family more than anything else in the world. Even new toys. You whispered it to me last night when I was talking about what was first...you said Family is First. And you were right. I see you when you try so hard to do the right things. I know sometimes your 6 year old impulses take over and you do the wrong thing. But you know what? We love you anyways. Yes, sometimes it is hard to be your Mommy and Daddy. You are stubborn, hard headed and you JUST HAVE to get the last word in. But the things that drive us batty are characteristics that God himself put in your little body. We don't ever want to crush your spirit but we do want to mold you into the man you are called to be. </div>
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You are a mama's boy through and through. We can thank the Army for that, leaving us alone for the first year of your life will do that to a mom and son. Last night when you couldn't sleep all you wanted was to lay in bed and talk to me. And when you wrapped your arm around my neck and whispered, "I love you more than anything, you're the best mom I ever had" it made everything better. I know you and Daddy butt heads but I know someday you are going to give me a "mommmmmmmmmmmmm" and choose your Daddy over me and that's ok. He has been waiting 6 years for his turn to be your favorite and I think he has another 10 to wait.</div>
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You are created PERFECTLY in His image. Do you know how much you are loved? Immensely. More than. Perfectly. As much as we try to love you in our human mommy and daddy ways your Heavenly Father does a much better job than us. He simply uses us as a conduit of His love and sometimes we fail in that. But we will never stop trying to do better for you. You are worth it. You deserve it.</div>
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We are so proud of you. Everyday. We love watching you play, learn, imagine, help your brothers and sisters, play with Jack, hug Presley and sooth Stella. We love watching you learn, read, do your homework, play t-ball, focus at MMA, build lego creations, make new friends, help in the kitchen, make us laugh, dance, sing, laugh and pray. We love you.</div>
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I can't believe you are SIX. I know in just another blink you will be sixteen even though you laughed at me when I said that. You are my favorite Maximus. You are the best Max I ever had.</div>
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Love,</div>
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Mama</div>
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Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-89010444361657744692013-10-13T20:18:00.002-07:002013-10-13T20:23:52.246-07:00I love my church.Who else is obsessed with this song?<br />
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Church was so good this morning. Awesome worship. Having my mom and stepdad there beside us. Kiddos tucked safely in rooms playing, singing and learning about Jesus. My sweet nephew visiting with us.<br />
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This song relates to me so well right now. Things feel very uncertain financially. It's tough not really knowing if/when we will be getting a paycheck. And as two fiercely independent people who have worked since we were teens and rarely rarely have had to ask for help, it's a learning curve we aren't used to. But that's the glory of our Savior. He knows. He sees. He has it completely taken care of. After an awesome worship set the speaker was Robert Morris from Gateway Church speaking about Multiply...last week was about giving God the FIRST 10%. The FIRST.<br />
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This week was about how God MULTIPLIES our finances. Rob and I have seen our finances added many many times. There are past blog entries about checks in the mail, gifts, surprises and unexpected finances coming through at just the right time. That comes from faith and tithing. That's been hard this year. Money has been tight and the pinch has been tighter. But God knows. He sees. He has it completely taken care of. Pastor Robert spoke about in order for God to MULTIPLY our finances we have to give above and beyond our tithe. And just like that a $ amount entered my head and my heart. I am grateful that today we were obedient. It feels right.<br />
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The 2nd principle of Multiply is being a GENEROUS giver. Be a radically generous giver. I can honestly say that is my hearts desire. We can give now but I KNOW that there is a day coming where we will be able to give RADICALLY and I can't wait. Pretty interesting coming from the family with 1 income thanks to the government shutdown. All I do is shut up and listen when God speaks. Something big is happening. Something is stretching us. We are learning, growing and being molded for something bigger. I can't wait.<br />
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Tonight will you join me in praying for our President and our elected officials? Lord, break their hearts for the people they signed up to serve. Help them fix this, listen, compromise, learn from each other, think beyond their borders, themselves and their agendas. God, change them.<br />
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God is Good All the Time,<br />
Jesi<br />
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Part 1 of Multiply<br />
<a href="http://www.lifechurch.tv/watch/multiply-2013/1">http://www.lifechurch.tv/watch/multiply-2013/1</a><br />
when Part 2 is up I will link it here.Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-10707940609376105432013-10-06T20:00:00.000-07:002013-10-06T20:02:46.805-07:00Love a Mompreneur!Have you heard that phrase yet? I keep seeing it pop up over and over again and I love it.<br />
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Mompreneur. A Mom. Running her own business is a Mompreneur.<br />
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Here is the deal. Mom's balance a LOT. No matter what. I am thankful I have a unique perspective as a mom who has been a full time working mom who worked outside the home 40+ hours a week AND as a Work at Home Mom. When Max was a baby I worked full time as an event coordinator and he went to daycare. The first 18 months we did pretty well, I love working. I loved Max. I loved his daycare. Eventually I stopped loving my job and God started changing my heart. My business at the time allowed me to jump back to a part time job and work part time from home. 4 years later I am still doing that. So like I said, we Mom's certainly know how to juggle. So mom's who juggle their own businesses on top of everything else, schools, kids, house cleaning, cooking, meal planning, doctors appointments, schedules, pets, travel, sick babies, church, friends, family, volunteering, well those Mom's rock.<br />
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What if this holiday season you supported another Mom and her business? Instead of browsing Wal-mart or Target or the mall (ugh who wants to go to the mall?) you looked around and supported a Mompreneur that you know? Your business MATTERS to us. You aren't just another customer to us, you are THE customer. Your business isn't a drop in a giant bucket. Your business matters here.<br />
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Being a Mompreneur isn't easy but it's so worth it! So this year, look around and support your favorite Mompreneurs! I promise they appreciate you and your money isn't going into a corporate black hole. It's going to a family, christmas presents, new shoes, dinner on a table, piano lessons, dance shoes or a tank of gas. Go love a Mompreneur this year.<br />
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Here are some of my favorites :)<br />
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www.erincondren.com<br />
Adorable organizing supplies and planners<br />
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<a href="https://20ce0d8a7e945ffa79ca-74e124b25c5d74502c5fa2e21673d6bb.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1168127149_CH_planners.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="86" src="https://20ce0d8a7e945ffa79ca-74e124b25c5d74502c5fa2e21673d6bb.ssl.cf1.rackcdn.com/1168127149_CH_planners.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Stacey Sprague-Scentsy Consultant<br />
<a href="http://candlelove.us/">http://candlelove.us/</a><br />
Love their warmers and of course their Wax! Scentsy buddies make great gifts too!<br />
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<a href="http://candlelove.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Scentsy-Warmers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="96" src="http://candlelove.us/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Scentsy-Warmers.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Angi Fox-Martin-Grace Adele Consultant<br />
https://blondefashionista.graceadele.us<br />
I love their scarves. They are affordable and super cute! Packaged beautifully for gifts!<br />
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<a href="https://imagelive.scentsy.com/CMSImages/Products/11013_scarf_teal_ombre_1600.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://imagelive.scentsy.com/CMSImages/Products/11013_scarf_teal_ombre_1600.png" width="200" /></a></div>
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Tabetha Hulon-Thirty-One Gifts<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize3TBQ9ylFayC3WoRxNaMib8PUzZ6E7PzXxLCLPDsSHDtcv5o4Q6nKeEREE_9FNuF3pGt_Qohb3I_no-zSRKp2fJu9L7FQbp7rS3xgxjBuD139YHqgA1mDsf4mXfuOmLSQ4JM_AH1GfTv/s1600/31+logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="101" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEize3TBQ9ylFayC3WoRxNaMib8PUzZ6E7PzXxLCLPDsSHDtcv5o4Q6nKeEREE_9FNuF3pGt_Qohb3I_no-zSRKp2fJu9L7FQbp7rS3xgxjBuD139YHqgA1mDsf4mXfuOmLSQ4JM_AH1GfTv/s200/31+logo.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Angela Allen-Origami Owl<br />
Love their lockets, charms and coming soon, bracelets!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQJfyX3OaX_E_etNKZ0Q06v6l1LO7JUc-SBApNzzdgBOXUjBTkMp2VNwRpqF2qlAVklPk1EqpX18ZhQDy_FGQFIkAo6BVA01ZCkpbEZYpg1R5YiDh1bMPqmhvjg-blVmCl5uIkVPOWIFJ/s1600/Origami+Owl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOQJfyX3OaX_E_etNKZ0Q06v6l1LO7JUc-SBApNzzdgBOXUjBTkMp2VNwRpqF2qlAVklPk1EqpX18ZhQDy_FGQFIkAo6BVA01ZCkpbEZYpg1R5YiDh1bMPqmhvjg-blVmCl5uIkVPOWIFJ/s200/Origami+Owl.jpg" width="133" /></a></div>
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House of M<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/HouseofM2010">https://www.facebook.com/HouseofM2010</a><br />
ADORABLE hats, bracelets, jewelry and more!<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/1002832_657394927621359_2101284138_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="73" src="https://scontent-a-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/1002832_657394927621359_2101284138_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Stella and Dot<br />
Amy Harkreader <a href="http://www.stelladot.com/amyharkreader" rel="nofollow nofollow" style="background-color: white; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">www.stelladot.com/amyharkreader</a><br />
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Hand Stamped by Lorelei<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/Bylorelei">https://www.facebook.com/Bylorelei</a><br />
Beautiful hand stamped keychains, jewelry, serving ware and ornaments!<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/734280_10151798498543761_1122655897_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/734280_10151798498543761_1122655897_n.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Erryn's Little Bow-Tique<br />
Too Cute hand made bows, tutus, tees!<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Erryns-Little-Bow-tique/135073106528727">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Erryns-Little-Bow-tique/135073106528727</a><br />
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Stampin Up with Andi<br />
Stamps, Stationary and Scrapbooking!<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ABsoluteKreations">https://www.facebook.com/ABsoluteKreations</a><br />
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Opal Alley Boutique<br />
Adorable Trendy clothes for every mom!<br />
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Opal-Alley-Boutique<br />
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Usbourne Books-Joie Linser<br />
Amazing books for all ages of kiddos! GREAT gifts!<br />
<a href="https://v3516.myubam.com/">https://v3516.myubam.com/</a><br />
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<a href="https://v3516.myubam.com/themes/UBAM/content/images/banner-Shop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="63" src="https://v3516.myubam.com/themes/UBAM/content/images/banner-Shop.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
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Pink Zebra-Amber Foote<br />
Yummy sprinkles and more...<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/KrazyGirlSprinkles">https://www.facebook.com/KrazyGirlSprinkles</a><br />
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Print the Party<br />
Custom plates, lunchboxes and party supplies!<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShopPrintTheParty">https://www.facebook.com/ShopPrintTheParty</a><br />
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Material Girl Designs<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/thematerialgirldesigns">https://www.facebook.com/thematerialgirldesigns</a><br />
Handmade aprons, pillows, keychains, lanyards and more!<br />
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<a href="https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/69273_575037162523784_1826251025_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="118" src="https://scontent-b-dfw.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/69273_575037162523784_1826251025_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Sew Simple<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/sewsimplepillows">https://www.facebook.com/sewsimplepillows</a><br />
Cutest pillows around! Love the boot forms!<br />
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Green Bambino<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/greenbambino">https://www.facebook.com/greenbambino</a><br />
All your eco friendly baby and mommy needs here...<br />
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Modern Whimsy<br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/modernwhimsyinteriors">https://www.facebook.com/modernwhimsyinteriors</a><br />
Kellie now has accessories available at the Broadway Antique Market in downtown Edmond and I can't wait to see it!<br />
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Awesomely I probably left out a million people! But go Love a Mompreneur this year by supporting her business. I promise, it matters!<br />
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Always,<br />
JesiJesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-8467781113349570942013-10-04T09:45:00.000-07:002013-10-04T09:45:24.950-07:00DisappointmentToday someone disappointed me. Well a few people. And my feelings were hurt. I felt that pang in my chest that made me stop and say, Why Me?<br />
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It really wasn't MEANT to be personal but I took it personally. Well because I am a girl, sensitive, a people pleaser at heart and I want to be liked and accepted. Anyone else feel that way?<br />
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Thankful today that I am reading this book<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyOskGas9IM0te9dFnpk1AGfQ2GR-soWO824-TsDeS6HVdf0w0rM5NwFcRZJjqnuZSJuJSjnQBzWFsV-Wzu6rvnZdLFMsNTBOyImgsN0nJm0H1WTvmCabYFIeR1LqySWh6gZTVm0YiKdk/s1600/UnDaunted.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiyOskGas9IM0te9dFnpk1AGfQ2GR-soWO824-TsDeS6HVdf0w0rM5NwFcRZJjqnuZSJuJSjnQBzWFsV-Wzu6rvnZdLFMsNTBOyImgsN0nJm0H1WTvmCabYFIeR1LqySWh6gZTVm0YiKdk/s320/UnDaunted.JPG" width="207" /></a></div>
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I turned off my phone and Facebook and decided to read. This is what stuck out to me today. </div>
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"Christ promises us that, beyond disappointment, something better awaits us. Some mission God designed just for us, custom tailored---something that takes us not on a road to nowhere but to a place where we can FEED OTHERS JUST AS HE HAS FED US"</div>
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Wow. </div>
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Disappointment stings. Other Christians will let us down. We will make mistakes and sin and hurt others, with intention or unintentionally. We are nothing but a group of messy, sensitive humans with hearts swimming around together in a broken world. </div>
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But.</div>
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God has a MISSION for you. And your mission is BEYOND disappointment. When you feel the sting of hurt and you want to wallow in it take a minute to look at the other persons motivation behind their action (or inaction) Are they scared? Hurting? Fearful? Stuck? Sometimes it helps you to think about why they act the way they do. Other times there isn't a reason and you still feel disappointed. BUT embrace the sting. Hug it close to your heart, pray and ask God to change your heart about it. He can. He will. It's worth it.</div>
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And remember you have to get beyond the disappointment to get to the mission He has set forth for you.</div>
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God is Good,</div>
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Jesi</div>
<br />Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-47959707220356694952013-10-03T20:05:00.000-07:002013-10-03T20:05:04.902-07:00Writing Again...I took a year off from blogging :)<br />
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Soooo much has happened and I had NO desire to write it down. But lately I have been having that tug to WRITE. Just to share the daily happenings and reflections of life, faith, motherhood, business. Maybe it's inspired by some good blogs lately.<br />
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I'm not really sure but here I am. Ready to write. Ready to share. Ready to bring some Glory to our God who is faithful. Whatever He prompts in my heart I ponder. Sometimes it makes sense, more often than not it doesn't! But that's ok..I am learning to recognize that Holy Spirit prompting and be obedient. With SWIFTNESS!<br />
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We are in the middle of a little trial. Rob's job is classified as non essential so he is home right now until the politicians up there in D.C. decide to act like adults and compromise. In the mean time I am looking for areas to be thankful.<br />
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~Time with family<br />
~Rest for my hardworking husband<br />
~Reminders that God is so faithful<br />
~Blessings from friends who care for our needs.<br />
~Coffee brewed for me each morning<br />
~An unexpected family night<br />
~Confirmation from the Holy Spirit about how our future may look<br />
~Drawing closer together<br />
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God is Good,<br />
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JesiJesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-84557197858679082162012-06-19T12:29:00.003-07:002013-10-03T20:42:20.278-07:00This World is Not our HomeGod has really been speaking to me this week..we closed on our house last Friday. And we don't close on our new house until this Friday. While we are very excited about it and we are feeling very hopeful that everything will go smoothly and great we are still in limbo. We jokingly said on Friday, We are Renters Again! It's been 5 years that we have owned a house and suddenly we don't. After months and months of stressing out about the worst case scenario and several big challenges that left us wondering if we would end up renting again it has been a thought provoking experience for me.<br />
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Saturday I was sitting on our back porch (we did a leaseback on our house for the week in between closings) watching Max, Stella and Jackson play outside in the water hose during the hot summer evening. Presley was inside napping and Rob was sitting inside watching some tv. The kids were running around screaming and laughing and spraying each other with the water hose and they were THRILLED. They didn't have on expensive swimsuits, an inground pool, a fancy water slide and they were running around in a backyard that we don't own anymore. And they didn't care one bit. Not one moment did they stop and think about how we didn't technically own this house anymore. This was still HOME because we were all together.<br />
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It really hit ME at that moment how much false security I have felt in owning our home. While I wouldn't thinkn TWICE about anyone else renting an apartment, a house, a trailer, a condo or shed for some reason I had wrapped so much of MYself up into owning our house, being scared of change, not knowing what might happen if we sold our house and took a leap of faith that God would be faithful. I can't explain that moment of peace. I just know that God was reminding me...this is NOT your home. This is temporary. This in unimportant. Look at your kids. They are HAPPY. They are HEALTHY. You are abundantly and overly blessed with what you have right at this moment. <br />
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We are praying for a smooth easy week with no issues. But no matter what happens I know that we are good. God is good. Life is good. And you don't need to own a house for all of that to be true.Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-84372830975170866262012-05-20T21:49:00.002-07:002013-10-03T20:42:28.324-07:00Says it AllHave you heard the new song from Casting Crowns? I am a FAN. <br />
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This song 100% totally sums it up for me. I heard our pastor Craig Groeschel say in church once that we CANNOT hold people who are not Christians to our own moral code...ALL we can do is LOVE them. That's it. That is our job, simply to show them LOVE. <br />
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That sentence has stuck with me and completely changed my outlook. Even the unloveable..the people who have hurt me deeply, talked about me, despised me or disagreed with me. My only job as a Christ follower is to love them. Powerful stuff.<br />
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Here are the lyrics<br />
Jesus, friend of sinners, we have strayed so far away<br />
We cut down people in your name but the sword was never ours to swing<br />
Jesus, friend of sinners, the truth's become so hard to see<br />
The world is on their way to You but they're tripping over me<br />
Always looking around but never looking up I'm so double minded<br />
A plank eyed saint with dirty hands and a heart divided<br />
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Oh Jesus, friend of sinners<br />
Open our eyes to the world at the end of our pointing fingers<br />
Let our hearts be led by mercy<br />
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors<br />
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours<br />
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Yeah...<br />
<br />
Jesus, friend of sinners, the one who's writing in the sand<br />
Made the righteous turn away and the stones fall from their hands<br />
Help us to remember we are all the least of these<br />
Let the memory of Your mercy bring Your people to their knees<br />
Nobody knows what we're for only what we're against when we judge the wounded<br />
What if we put down our signs crossed over the lines and loved like You did<br />
<br />
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners<br />
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers<br />
Let our hearts be led by mercy<br />
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors<br />
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks yours<br />
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You love every lost cause; you reach for the outcast<br />
For the leper and the lame; they're the reason that You came<br />
Lord I was that lost cause and I was the outcast<br />
But you died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet<br />
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'Cause You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever<br />
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever<br />
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever<br />
You are good, You are good and Your love endures forever<br />
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Oh Jesus, friend of sinners<br />
Open our eyes to world at the end of our pointing fingers<br />
Let our hearts be led by mercy<br />
Help us reach with open hearts and open doors<br />
Oh Jesus, friend of sinners, break our hearts for what breaks Yours<br />
<br />
And I was the lost cause and I was the outcast<br />
Yeah...<br />
You died for sinners just like me, a grateful leper at Your feet<!-- end of lyrics --><br />
And the song. Be Changed!<br />
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Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-7533647378628422742012-05-17T13:38:00.001-07:002013-10-03T20:57:52.970-07:00Honor and GloryThis isn't going to be well written. Mainly because it's a big jumble in my head. <br />
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The past few days I have really felt the burden and heaviness I was feeling being lifted. I was seriously stressing out about getting the financing for our new home and I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous at all. BUT I am feeling a lot better about it. <br />
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First off, Monday was sort of the peak of my stress about it and I really felt like the Lord was asking me to fast that day. So I fasted and just had liquids throughout the day and I also did not login to Facebook. Those two things really helped me eliminate some mental clutter and start the week off on the right foot. I also have been turning the tv off throughout the day and we are all benefiting from the quiet. I am trying to put into practice some of these methods to manage my stressors better and prevent meltdowns and freakouts.<br />
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Second, like I talked about in my last post I reached out to close friends and asked for prayer about the financing. I truly believe people are praying and it is calming my spirit down. So thank you! If you are one of my many friends who never comments but you are praying and reading please continue! Your prayers are working.<br />
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Finally I feel like God has really been placing reminders of His faithfulness in front of my eyes all week. From text messages, tons of scripture, messages from friends, other blogs, songs on the radio and so many little things I can't even list out I truly believe that He is reaching down and showering me with peace and acceptace, trust and JOY in the midst. I will give HIM all the GLORY and all the HONOR in the process, no matter what happens. I won't sit around and be fearful, anxious, cranky, upset, discouraged and negative. Instead I will lift my eyes up and enjoy the climb. I feel like I am walking out of a valley and I want to experience the glory of the climb instead of running up the mountain with my eyes closed. I want to look around and see each step forward and up instead of blindly clamoring. I want to relax in His promises instead of stressing over my own insecurities. <br />
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I realized today that so many of my fears are rooted in our circumstances. Being a 1.25 income household, having 4 little kids, being a military family. GOD placed us in these circumstances for a reason and I will make the choice to HONOR that. And in return I truly feel like He will honor our commitment and faithfulness. He will see us through!<br />
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I am a Proverbs 31 woman and so are you. I love "she laughs without fear of the future" What JOY we can find in our circumstances. I will not FEAR for the Lord MY God is with me.<br />
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I have had this scripture sent to me TWICE today. I better take note. The Lord YOUR God is WITH YOU! He is MIGHTY to save, He will take great delight in You. He will QUIET you with His LOVE. He will REJOICE over you with singing. <br />
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What love we are graced with each day, How Great is Our God!Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-28623297863833864372012-05-16T08:12:00.002-07:002012-05-16T08:12:21.785-07:00TogetherWe can do better together. <br />
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So many times as Christians we feel like we should have it all together, or that asking for prayer is a burden to our friends. We are brothers and sisters in Christ! There should be no greater honor than revealing our weaknesses and asking for HELP from our friends!<br />
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But that doesn't make it easy. <br />
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It's difficult to reveal our shortcomings, our weaknesses and our most hidden fears. But when we bring them to light God allows our spirit to be lifted and our burden suddenly becomes lighter. I hesitated to overshare what we were going through with our house(s) because it's not a pretty package tied up with a perfect bow. And ya know what? That's JUST LIFE. Nobody has it all together, no marriage is perfect, no ones finances are 100% perfect, no one's kids are well behaved all the time (or any of the time?) and no ones job is AWESOME all the time. We all have shadows that sometimes bring darkness to our lives and our spirits, even when our lives are filled with GOOD THINGS. <br />
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I determined that God wanted me to SURRENDER to Him. And I tried. I failed. But I kept on trying and pushing forward. And I am still not perfected. But I will continue to press into Him and KEEP ON TRYING. <br />
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And then I determined that God wanted me to share our struggles and ask for help. I am so reliant on help right now its making my personpleasing heart spin. I am in turns incredibly thankful that I HAVE people I can turn to and yet still struggling not to feel like a big ol burden to everyone I have to ask for help. But I have no other choice. Sometimes God strips us of our comfortable sources of assistance so that we have to move outside the comfort zone and find new ones. And its definitely not comfortable.<br />
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Reach out and share with your trusted brothers and sisters in Christ. Even though it feels uncomfortable, share. Share your struggles, your heart, your challenges, your worries, fears and desires. God WILL honor your transparency and gift you with friends who will PRAY for you. And that is the greatest gift we can share, together.<br />
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Matthew 18:20<br />
For where 2 or 3 gather in my name, there am I with them.Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-48179380350406960572012-05-14T19:50:00.002-07:002012-05-14T19:50:41.796-07:00DespiteThat was the word I felt God whispering to my heart. <br />
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It has been a struggle these past few weeks. What might have been a few days of Rob being gone have stretched into weeks with no end in sight. We aren't sure how long he will be gone but we know God has a plan. As long as he is gone he is still on his orders and that means his income remains consistent which is important to the finance process. SO I can't complain about God providing for us, even if its not always in the way we imagine.<br />
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And as I type that out I convict myself. I am wrapped up in my own fears and controls lately. It's hard for me to let go and let God handle it. And I KNOW that about myself. And so does He. But it doesn't always make it any easier when I am clinging desperately with a clinched fist and He is gently unprying my fingers one at a time.<br />
<br />
Every day I have gotten bad news. A new development. Something challenging. A change with military orders, a plan, a kid, a schedule, a babysitter, a house, paperwork or finances. And it's wearing on me. This morning I went to the bank to get our account statements and ONLY OUR ACCOUNT had some completely unique error and would NOT print the freaking statements. I called Rob amused by it because, Really? REALLY?<br />
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But what I know is that GOD HAS THIS. <br />
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My biggest fear is in the area of finances. It's hard for me to admit that because I believe in tithing and I believe in a GOOD God. And I KNOW KNOW KNOW in my gut and my brain that HE.CAN.HANDLE.THIS. But my flesh and my mind struggle. We CHOOSE to live on what I affectionately call 1.25 incomes. We CHOOSE to have a lean budget and go without a lot of extras. We CHOOSE to tithe and to give. And I am fearful that our income versus our expenses or the way we spend our money or the small income I contribute isn't going to be enough. I am worried about everything falling apart and ending up scrambling to find somewhere to live. <br />
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But you know what? The worst thing that can happen here is not the worst thing. We will find somewhere to stay and live, we can find another house, we can figure out finances, we can rent, we can move, we can figure it out. But we will NOT stand still when we felt like God has made this move happen. We will continue to pray and pray and pray and listen and ask and bring it ALL to God because He can handle it.<br />
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Last Thursday I was driving out to get the kids milk and it was POURING rain. I was dreading taking the kids into a store and gradually, one by one they fell asleep. Rob called me and we were talking as I absentmindedly drove through the new neighborhood. He had to tell me some more "bad news" about money and at first I was SO frustrated. So frustrated with the military and the devil and financing, paperwork, money and the way our entire economy functions. Really frustrated. And then I realized that the DAY before I had felt prompted to pray about something and GOD HAD ANSWERED. It wasn't the way I imagined but it was CLEAR. I text Rob and told him and he was shocked. And then I stopped crying because I heard these words on the radio.<br />
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"I could choose not to move but I refuse" I stopped and turned it up. This was the song. This was MY song. <br />
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I don't know what's going on anymore. I don't know exactly how this story will end. I don't know that it will go the way that I have planned. But I know that God is telling to keep moving forward DESPITE the challenges, the bad news, the hangups and the struggles. He is telling us to move and I REFUSE to make a choice against that calling. That's it. Plain and Simple. Despite everything, I refuse to give up on my good good God. Because He will NEVER give up on me. </div>Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-1575036521509664932012-05-14T08:00:00.000-07:002012-05-14T20:28:34.924-07:00The HouseOur realtor had gently reminded me a few times...we need to get house hunting. I know, I know, we only have about 45 days to find somewhere to live. But nothing was standing out to me. After months of perusing the mls listings suddenly everything on the market RIGHT now was just ok. Nothing that I was super excited to see. There was one house I lovingly called The Big Ugly and I was hopeful it would be a good fit for our family.<br />
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Before we headed out I had this gut feeling (again) that our house wasn't even on the market yet but I knew we had to start looking and at least I could eliminate some from my favorites list.<br />
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So I finagled some kid care and took Max along and we headed out for a day of house hunting with our realtor. We looked at 8-9 houses that day and only 2 stood out to me as possibilities. The first one was an older home with lots of fun updates and finishes but I didn't LOVE it. The 2nd was a great house, we even went back to see it again on our way back but it already had 2 offers in and I KNEW it would be gone. Sure enough it went under contract the next morning.<br />
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After a full day of house searching I was discouraged that Rob didn't jump to make an offer on the house that I had liked. So I went back and looked at houses again and there it was, a new listing. You see, we live in a busy suburb full of families and 4 bedroom houses sell fast. If you look at 3/2/2 houses there are around 400 on the market at a given time. If you look at 4/2/2 or 4/2/3 suddenly your pool narrows to around 70 choices. If they are nice, they move pretty fast.<br />
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And then I found this...a simple little ranch, 4 beds, 2 baths, 2 car garage on close to THREE acres. In our same great school district, close to our friends from Life Group and a hop skip to the highway for Rob's commute. This was something special and I had to see and I had to see it fast. I worked with our realtor and showed the listing to Rob and he wanted me to go that day if possible. Finally around 2:30pm he called and said we could do a 3pm showing. We (my mom and the kiddos) hopped in the car and headed that way.<br />
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I loved it. The second we got in the neighborhood and I got out of the car I told my mom "I love it" It's in an older neighborhood with full tall trees, shade, squirrels and well maintained houses, most of which sit on an acre or acre and a half. We pulled up and there it was, a cute little ranch with a normal sized front yard and in need of some color. A long S shaped driveway led to the house and I was excited, our realtor walked out and said "Rob's going to like this place"<br />
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We walked in and it felt like a home. It was cozy and comfortable and big enough, but not too big. And then we walked out back into the park of a backyard, completely fenced in, backed up to a nice neighborhood with a fenceline so far away I had to squint. I was sold. I didn't even have to see it all, but I looked and I liked. <br />
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I called Rob on the way home and we knew, this was the place and we didn't want to lose it. We put together an offer, got a counter back and accepted it and in less that 48 hours we were under contract on a 1974 half remodeled, half in desperate need of a makeover 2200 square feet ranch on 3 acres. We were in love.Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-16948821515513492522012-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:002012-05-14T20:28:58.086-07:00OfferIn that moment our first offer on the house did not work out I was not upset, I was relieved. And I can honestly say that I think God moves in our guts, we have those gut feelings and instincts FROM HIM. He will reveal himself to us. Be watchful of your emotional climate and ask Him what He is trying to tell you. <br />
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So our house was under contract with the 2nd offer and we learned the buyer was actually an investor. This simplified so many things for us and I can SEE that God was working. While a regular family would have been wonderful an investor was AWESOME. He was paying cash, so we had no worries about financing, appraisals or hold ups. He was paying cash so he was willing to work with us on a closing date. He was buying the property as an investment so when our inspection only revealed a few MINOR issues he didn't even ask for repairs. Life was so much easier on the selling end all because we waited and a BETTER offer came along. <br />
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We had 45 days to find a house and so we started with financing. And then ONCE AGAIN we were dealt a card that we were not expecting. And at this point I cried out to God and rebuked Satan in Jesus name from this entire process. Because nothing short of the enemy was trying to thwart God's plans for our family. We are CONFIDENT that something bigger, better, something RIGHT was coming and the enemy was seeking to lie, kill and destroy, whatever it took to stop us in our tracks. <br />
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When pulling our credit scores (which I had JUST checked about a week prior and they were great) our lender found that Bank of America had reported our mortgage payment late for March and April. Anyone buying in this post foreclosure market knows that no one is going to give you a house loan if you have mortgage lates, especially in the past TWO months. About 15 phone calls later we were NO closer to fixing the issue and after crying with Rob on the phone I was done. I had reached my limit and I had nothing to lose. I banged out a crazy long email detailing every which way the company had failed us as customers, a military family and refused to follow the SCRA. Then I sought help and found the email address for the CEO and the entire Board of Directors and I hit SEND. Then I went and posted on their facebook page and made sure to drop the words SCRA, Active Duty Military, Servicemembers.gov and Media. <br />
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Within an hour we had a phone call. And within a day we had personal office numbers, emails, cell phone numbers and our problem on the way to being fixed. If only that was the last of the finance drama.Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-20777718753765967662012-05-12T11:12:00.002-07:002012-05-12T11:12:23.705-07:00MovingMarch, April and May are proving to be the craziest months of the year. After our house being on the market for close to 4 months my husband got called up to head to Mississippi for demobilization of his Title 10 orders. He had also just had shoulder surgery and the week before that Stella had her heart repair. We knew that he would likely need to travel to do outprocessing but we were surprised that the day before he was supposed to return to work we got a call that he might be flying out the next day. Nothing like 18 hours notice that your husband will be gone for awhile.<br />
<br />
Rob swore that he thought he would be home in a week or less. And a week or less passed by and he was still gone. One week after he left and our last price drop later the house showings were officially going crazy. We were showing the house every day, often times multiple times per day and were starting to get more and more second showings. <br />
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And then it happened, the LONG awaited offer. A couple had come and looked at our house twice and let us know to expect an offer soon. We waited in anticipation and suddenly, finally, we had our first offer on the house. <br />
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The offer that came in was good. Not great, but good. But they were asking for a laundry list of extras plus full closing costs and we just couldn't go any lower. We had our realtor let them know that our counteroffer was our FINAL offer. And yet they came back again with another counter. It was frustrating and I didn't feel a sense of peace about the offer at all. I felt like we were walking into a dark area if we went any lower and I was suddenly MORE upset with an offer on the table than we didn't have one at all. <br />
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Rob and I talked it over one more time and decided, final offer indeed meant FINAL OFFER. They declined our counter and once again we felt let down and disappointed. It was that day that I decided I wasn't going to wallow in disappointment, I was going to look forward to whatever God had planned because it was sure to be BETTER than what we were trying to force. That same day we got a low ball cash offer that was 15k under asking price.<br />
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We countered but we figured the buyer would walk, in fact I didn't really even think about it much after the counter offer because I was so sure they would just walk away. Two days later they countered back, accepted our offer but asked for appliances. It was a short 5 minute conversation and we said DEAL! <br />
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And just like that, even though it felt like the day would NEVER come we were under contract on the sale of our house...we had no house lined up, no refrigerator, washer or dryer but we had a contract. And just when things were looking up the big fat finance ball dropped.Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-68954657464112944502012-05-11T10:52:00.001-07:002012-05-11T10:52:21.945-07:00DeclinedWe put together a contingent offer on a big old house that we loved. We were hesitant about the school district but we really loved the house and we could see ourselves hosting get togethers in the backyard. <br />
<br />
And then our offer was declined. <br />
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We didn't cry, we didn't worry, we didn't stress. We knew that it was unlikely that our offer would be accepted because it was contingent on the sale of our house. Instead of throwing ourselves into despair we threw ourselves into getting our house ready to go on the market. We met with our realtors, we hammered another sign into our yard, we cleaned and repaired and painted. <br />
<br />
For Sale.<br />
<br />
And then the showings started. And they kept coming. And coming. And coming. And coming. We lowered the price. Which generated more showings. And more, and more and more. <br />
<br />
And not one single offer.<br />
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I cried, I stressed, I fretted, I prayed a lot, I cried out to God, I questioned, I whined, I complained and I threw more than one good old fashioned hissy fit. I redid my entire kitchen, put half my belongings in storage and burdened my husband with my worries. I frantically scrambled to get my house ready for last minute showings, drove around with dirty laundry and dirty dishes in my car and I yelled at my kids. It was NOT pretty.<br />
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For close to 4 months I did it. I packed up 4 kids, 1 dog, myself and at least 2 loads of laundry and wasted time and gas while we showed our house. I wondered "If it's not happening so easily, is it meant to happen at all?" <br />
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One thing kept me pushing forward. My husband. I should say God right? But really all I was hearing from God was "Trust your husband" I would pray and pray and pray and that was His response.<br />
<br />
"Trust Your Husband" <br />
<br />
So I did. I wanted to quit, I wanted to stop, I wanted to take our house off the market and stay put for another 5 years. I wanted to GIVE UP. But Rob kept saying No. He wanted to fulfill our obligation and keep pushing FORWARD. One evening, driving around during a showing he told me that maybe nothing good was going to happen as long as all I was doing was stressing out and being negative. And then we fought. But in my gut I knew he was right. So I decided to take it ONE DAY AT A TIME and work on changing my attitude about the entire process. And then God moved.Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-90776248022807730352012-05-10T18:00:00.003-07:002012-05-10T18:00:59.625-07:003 DaysOur house was on the market 3 days. And then in the middle of advancing through the finance stages of home buying our lender found a mistake on our credit. The Oklahoma Student Loan Authority had reported Rob's student loans 180+ days late for the entire year he was deployed. He offered to do a credit restructuring but our hearts did not feel good about it. As much as we wanted to move forward we felt like we needed to stop, fix it and fix it right.<br />
<br />
It took close to six months to have the credit repaired from this mistake. It took a lot of phone calls, a lot of patience and a lot of verification. Finally they dropped off our credit report and we felt like we were on the forward path. In this time we had the twins and looking back I know that God's timing was RIGHT. It was not a good time for us to uproot our family. The house we liked sold and sold fast. We eventually decided to stop looking in that area because we heard over and over again that families were unhappy with the school system. My parents moved 22 hours away. Overall it was a busy, crazy, blessed season and those blessings did not include selling our house at that time. <br />
<br />
As we continued to peruse the mls listings we kept watching house after house that we LOVED going under contract. We questioned, we doubted, we prayed a lot. And the biggest prayer we prayed over and over and over again was "Whatever your will is for our family God, whatever that means, wherever it takes us, even if it means NOT moving and staying in our little house for years to come, we just want your will for our family" <br />
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We have both experienced the pain and regret that comes from closing your heart and your mind off from God's will and that was the last thing we wanted to do. Finally in Decemeber 2011 we called to check on our credit and everything was finally repaired. Our credit scores were both good and nothing was outstanding or incorrect. We peeked at the MLS and an old house that we had admired was on the market again and at a price well within our price range. We went and looked at it again, in the pouring rain, in the pitch black of a winter evening. We really liked it, we had our concerns and a lot needed to be redone but we liked it. The catch? It was really under a contingent contract already, the same kind of contract we would have to extend in an offer. Would this be the one?Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-55262538958117146762012-05-10T13:28:00.000-07:002012-05-10T13:28:00.728-07:00The StartAs I have blogged about before in December 2010 we were pretty much shocked off our rockers to find out we were expecting twins. We were not planning on having a 3rd child so close to Stella, let alone 2 of them. I still vividly remember that day and looking around our first house and deciding right then that I wasn't moving. <br />
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Our house is our home. We moved from our first rental home into this house just a year and a half after we were married. We had our eye on the developing neighborhood and we liked the location and found a floorplan that we loved. A simple stop by the office resulted in a walkthrough, which resulted in a contract and suddenly we were finishing out the building of our house and moving into a brand new 1650 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2 car garage that was right next to anything we could need. This house has been a blessing to us and I don't forget the excitement that we felt and how lucky we felt that we could afford something so nice and comfortable in our young newlywed lives. The master bedroom is great and we love the huge living room and dream kitchen. The extra rooms were small but we only needed an office and a guest room...what more could we need?<br />
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Flash forward 4 years and our family has tripled in size. What started with just a couple and a dog has quickly turned into a family of six. We have 4 young children and a large dog plus 2 adults in our house. And you know what, it's fine! It's manageable. It's better than that. I know many families who would love to live in our house and I don't want to minimize that at all. We sat on the knowledge of twins for a few weeks and thought about if we should try to sell our house and get something larger or not. <br />
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We started the process in April 2011...we stumbled across a beautiful olllllld bigggggggg house in Guthrie, which is a small town about 30 minutes north. It was CHEAP too, dirt cheap but I loved it. I even dragged Rob along with Max and Stella out there to check it out. The whole way home I felt uneasy. I loved the house but I certainly didn't feel peaceful about it. We decided to put our house on the market and met our realtor, hammered the sign into the yard and got ready. We cleaned the house from top to bottom and waited. And then 3 days later, the bottom dropped out.Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-4870757083070192452012-04-23T06:40:00.000-07:002012-04-23T06:40:04.437-07:00Little Mommy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/392390_10100112710624241_44012011_38682865_506888137_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/392390_10100112710624241_44012011_38682865_506888137_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
This little one is SUCH a Mommy...we call her Little Mama with the ways that she tries to mother Jackson and Presley. It's really sweet, sometimes funny and sometimes we have to remind her she is a sister and not a mama. This morning she told me to "Tay Tere Mommy" and she went and got in the pantry and got out the container of Animal Crackers. She came back and told me what she did "Amal Cracka Mommy" then proceeded to ask me if she could share with the twins.<br />
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Stella-"Pressey amal cracka mommy?"<br />
Me-"Yes, give one to Presley"<br />
Stella "Ok Mommy, hewe Pressey, amal cracka?"<br />
Hands one to Presley...<br />
Stella "Mommy, Jack Jack?"<br />
Me-"Yes, Jack Jack can have one, give one to him"<br />
Stella "Ok Mommy, hewe Ja-Ja, cookie"<br />
Stella "Mommy, Pressey mah?"<br />
Me "Yes Presley can have one more, give her one more"<br />
Stella "Hewe Pressey, cookie"<br />
Stella climbs onto chair with cookies<br />
"Mommy, Mommy, my tookie?"<br />
Me "Yes your cookies, your turn"<br />
Stella climbs down and goes to check on Presley<br />
"Pressey cookie? No No Pressey, ea cookie Pressey"<br />
Stella comes over to me<br />
"Wheeh Ja Ja cookie Mommy?"<br />
Me "He's eating it, he's ok"<br />
Stella "Ja Ja ok Mommy, Ja Ja mo cookie Mommy?"<br />
Me "No he is ok, no more"<br />
Stella climbs back into chair with cookies<br />
"Mommy! My tookies Mommy, my turr Mommy"<br />
Me "Yep, your turn Stella, eat your cookies"<br />
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Stella girl serves as a powerful reminder to me that I have two little girls watching me all the time. They will show me how I was as a mother when they really do become Mama's themselves. But for now, I just stay here and watch her dole out Animal Crackers for breakfast and smile with pride at being a big helper. I love that little mama!<br />
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<br />Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-46897105735424606042012-04-16T08:26:00.000-07:002012-04-16T08:26:00.994-07:00My Easter Bunnies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531446_10100112658039621_44012011_38682663_276659993_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531446_10100112658039621_44012011_38682663_276659993_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Easter Jack!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/306669_10100112660160371_44012011_38682700_455549262_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/306669_10100112660160371_44012011_38682700_455549262_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Easter Sweet Presley Jane!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/66472_10100112659037621_44012011_38682681_1206474867_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-snc6/66472_10100112659037621_44012011_38682681_1206474867_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Good Morning Stella Girl!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/579571_10100112658144411_44012011_38682666_781788426_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/579571_10100112658144411_44012011_38682666_781788426_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Easter Money from the Easter Bunny for Maximus</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531441_10100112658563571_44012011_38682674_1751090109_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/531441_10100112658563571_44012011_38682674_1751090109_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Handsome Fella</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/542898_10100112662056571_44012011_38682742_920934892_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/542898_10100112662056571_44012011_38682742_920934892_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love her smiles!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/548099_10100112664107461_44012011_38682764_4667514_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/548099_10100112664107461_44012011_38682764_4667514_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Trying to get a picture of all four of them is futile...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/582678_10100112664411851_44012011_38682766_2048326771_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/582678_10100112664411851_44012011_38682766_2048326771_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sunshine Girl</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/577642_10100112665374921_44012011_38682772_267746082_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/577642_10100112665374921_44012011_38682772_267746082_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">How Stella feels about pictures</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/575632_10100112665539591_44012011_38682773_1390444516_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://sphotos.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/575632_10100112665539591_44012011_38682773_1390444516_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Beautiful Big Sister</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/578395_10100112667984691_44012011_38682786_1241934151_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/578395_10100112667984691_44012011_38682786_1241934151_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you are from Edmond this is classic Taylor Made Senior Picture!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/544679_10100112666148371_44012011_38682778_499111706_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a1.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/544679_10100112666148371_44012011_38682778_499111706_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My little Bulldog!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Happy Easter!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-61596352667955265052012-04-10T05:53:00.002-07:002012-04-10T05:53:54.972-07:00ReorganizingReorganizing the way my blog is layed out...sorry if things look crazy for a little bit!<br />
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Will be back with Easter pictures soon!<br />
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JesiJesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-24355151181853124822012-04-06T10:24:00.000-07:002012-04-06T10:24:18.024-07:00How To~Celebrating Holidays with BalanceDo your kids have as much STUFF as mine? Do you have2-3-4 sets of grandparents who gift at holidays? Then your kids don't need more STUFF! But it's hard to not cave to the Jones's when it comes to holidays.<br />
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Perfect example, EASTER! As Christians we are not celebrating the creepy bunny at the mall, we are celebrating the love that Jesus showed every one of us when he willingly died on the cross for our sins. The celebration of His resurrection three days later. What a gift! <br />
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So how do you celebrate the true meaning of a holiday like Easter while still participating in the fun traditions?<br />
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For us we strive for balance. An hour in church on Sunday pales in comparison to a GIANT Easter basket, Easter bunny visits, class parties, 4 egg hunts, new clothes, special pictures, treats and bunny ears for all. On the flip side a month of talking about Jesus dying on the cross and no celebration can send kids the message that Jesus ain't fun at all, and we know that isn't the Truth!<br />
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Back to balance, this is what we do for our family. Everyone has to figure out what works best for them and their own kids.<br />
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<u>Celebrating Jesus</u><br />
Reading the stories together in our Jesus Storybook Bible the week of Easter<br />
Talking about the upcoming holiday and what it really means<br />
Practicing our Memory Verse Matthew 28:6<br />
Inviting others to church this weekend<br />
Attending a later service to help make space for new visitors<br />
Spending time with family<br />
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<u>Celebrating Traditions</u><br />
Dye eggs with family because it is a family tradition<br />
Have a special lunch with family and friends<br />
Hunt eggs, at home, a modest amount with a few jellybeans or one mini chocolate inside each <br />
Modest Easter baskets that include 4 things for each kid, something you need, something to read, something you want and something to eat (my kids each got a fun pair of socks, a book, a treat and a small toy---all from the $1 spot at Target) Cost $12 for four kids-reusing old buckets instead of new baskets and practicing restraint<br />
Accept gifts from family gracefully and happily<br />
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It's all about the balance baby!<br />
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Happy Easter! I pray God reveals His love to you this weekend!Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8268155361879714073.post-39980391383039589732012-04-04T08:35:00.000-07:002012-04-04T08:35:51.620-07:00It never lasts long!But I love when I get both twins to nap at the same time! It's so sweet seeing two cribs with snoozing babies in one tiny nursery. <br />
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Here are some funny pics of those little stinkers<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/485958_10150748250295844_630325843_11557536_1197452581_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://a7.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc7/485958_10150748250295844_630325843_11557536_1197452581_n.jpg" width="180" /></a></div><br />
<div align="center">Jackson, he really needs a haircut but since he is my last BABY boy I am avoiding it :)</div><div align="center"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s320x320/549998_10150782214740844_630325843_11682645_1414291765_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://a8.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-prn1/s320x320/549998_10150782214740844_630325843_11682645_1414291765_n.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PJ is a VERY happy baby. She generally has a cheesy tooth showing smile at all times. She can be overtired, hungry and crying and if you look at her twice she flashes you a ridiculous smile!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div align="center"></div>Jesihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08830340819983055615noreply@blogger.com0