Seasons of Life

It seems no matter where I turn recently, that's the thought that shows up..."it's just a season of life." Whether it's our book for small group study, the Women of Joy conference, or just a discussion with some of my closest friends, the seasons of life are definitely showing themselves. We all go through various seasons when things are excessively wonderful, or maybe we're down in the dumps, or when things just seem unsettled. Sure, we are satisfied when things are going perfectly as planned but it's when times get just a little out of whack that we wonder what God has planned for us.

Right now our small group is split up to a men's/women's book study & the ladies are reading "The New Eve" by Robert Lewis. The most recent chapters have discussed the various seasons of life & how God calls us to certain tasks during these times. Sometimes we try to push back & do things completely out of order & that again just causes chaos. God has a plan for us & while he certainly has the ability to alter our lives to fit the choices we make, He also has a perfect plan for us that will be so fulfilling & wonderful if we'll just follow close to Him.

One of the biggest things I've taken from the study so far is a need for a vision in my life. Have you ever actually sat down & thought about what you want your life to be or look like? Sure, I have some general long term goals & even some specifics but do you know what kind of daughter of the Living God you want to be? Do you even know what that looks like or how to get there? As we've been talking, it's been very obvious that none of us can truly define what it is to be a godly woman. Ok, Proverbs 31...but how do we achieve that in today's world, with today's pressures?

It's through those seasons, those times when I don't know exactly which way to turn or when I don't know just what's up ahead that God is preparing me to be the woman he wants me to be. I've begun to write out how I want my life to be, but it's such a process full of prayer. I want to be the wife, daughter, friend, child of God, & eventually mother that He designed me to be. While I don't know what that looks like just yet I know that it's through the seasons of life, the ups & downs, the unknowns & the chaos that my purpose in this world will ultimately be revealed. If only I can hold on tight & trust in God to help me land right where he wants me to be.

Wow, this was full of random thoughts that as I'm reading through make basically no sense, but it's here for me so in those times of turmoil & uncertainty I can come back & know that it's just a season of life.

Need a good laugh?

This past weekend at Women of Joy we had the opportunity to hear one of the funniest women I've ever seen! Anita Renfroe! She is hilarious and that's probably an understatement. God has given her this incredible ability to relate to women in all walks of life & at all seasons of life. She was the speaker on Saturday morning & what an incredible start to the day. We laughed till we cried & then couldn't stop laughing during the day about her "remakes" of some of our favorite songs. If you need a good laugh I highly recommend these few...or just pop on over to You Tube...you won't be disappointed!






Work has been crazy this week & I hate to say it but I think I'm finally started to get caught up. We've got a busy weekend ahead, but tons of fun stuff going on!

Women of Joy 2010

I spent most of the weekend with 3 of the most fabulous women a girl could ask for! Women of Joy 2010 was held at the Hilton Conference Center in Branson, MO & we had an absolute blast full of fellowship, shopping, & praising our heavenly father! To be honest, the weather was pretty much horrible but we made the best of it & still managed to eat some great food & get some shopping done. Unfortunately the bad weather didn't lend itself to hardly any photos, but I did manage to get one group photo. These ladies have seriously been a precious gift from God & we all learn so much from each other.

I was so thankful for a weekend away to fellowship & have a break!

Andrea, myself, Kelli, & Amy...please ignore my cheesy smile--just goes to show how excited I was to spend time with these ladies!

While I definitely enjoyed my weekend I was also very ready to get home to Hubby yesterday afternoon. I managed to squeeze in a quick little nap before small group where I was in charge of snacks...strawberries & grapes with cream cheese fruit dip (simply a jar of marshmallow creme & 8 oz of cream cheese) & monkey bread was on the menu. I made Pastor Ryan's Monkey Bread straight from Pioneer Woman & it was sooooo yummy! Also soooo not good for you, but it was delicious!

Pastor Ryan's Monkey Bread

Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 40 Minutes

Ingredients
3 cans Buttermilk Biscuits (the Non-flaky Ones)
1 cup Sugar
2 teaspoons (to 3 Teaspoons) Cinnamon
2 sticks Butter
½ cups Brown Sugar

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Open up all three cans of biscuits and cut each biscuit into quarters.

Next, combine the white sugar with 2-3 teaspoons of cinnamon. (3 teaspoons of cinnamon gives it a fairly strong cinnamon flavor. If you’re not so hot on cinnamon, cut it back to 2 teaspoons.) D

ump these into a 1 gallon zip bag and shake to mix evenly.

Drop all of the biscuit quarters into the cinnamon-sugar mix. Once all the biscuit quarters are in the bag seal it and give it a vigorous shake. This will get all those pieces unstuck from one another and nicely coated with cinnamon-sugar. Spread these nuggets out evenly in the bundt pan.

At this point, you’re going to want to melt the two sticks of butter together with ½ cup of brown sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. This can be light or dark brown sugar. Cook butter/sugar mixture, stirring for a few minutes until the two become one. Once the brown sugar butter has become one color, you can pour it over the biscuits.

Bake for about 30-40 minutes until the crust is a deep dark brown on top. When its finished cooking, remove it from the oven. If you have the willpower, allow it to cook for about 15-30 minutes before turning it over onto a plate.

Oh it's completely divine!!!

Not just a Girls Night...

but an entire Girls Weekend! Woohoo! Me & 3 of my favorite girlfriends are headed to Branson later this afternoon for the Women of Joy conference. We're staying at the Hilton Branson Landing & going to spend the next 2 1/2 days enjoying good speakers, fabulous praise & worship music, some good food & also a great afternoon tomorrow filled with lots of shopping!

Myself & Andrea actually started off our girls' weekend early last night with a spa party that was hosted by a mutual friend. I'm so ready for a refreshing, relaxing weekend filled with lots of girl talk! Have a mentioned (probably only a few hundred times) how blessed I am to have so many wonderful women of God in my life?!?

Tickets to Paradise

Exactly 30 days from today Hubby & I will be on a plane headed to Riviera Maya for 8 glorious days! We chose an early flight so we should actually be arriving at our resort in the early afternoon. Oh I can hardly wait.

We'll be spending our days walking along this beautiful beach...

eating lots of food while enjoying views like this one...


and capping off our days while watching the beautiful sunset...


In the hopes of not being completely lazy for 8 full days, we'll take a quick day trip to try this...

and end up landing like this!

We also have plans to day trip to Isla Mujeres (or the Island of Women as Hubby likes to remind me) where we'll just enjoy a different area all while driving around in our own rented golf cart. I also believe Hubby has definite plans of fitting in at least one round of golf which means I'll be headed to the spa at least one time as well! We're both so ready for a vacation...it can't get here soon enough!

*first 3 photos courtesy of Trip Advisor contributors; zipline photos courtesy of www.xplor.travel

Walk or Run?

"I've never been into running so I was content just to watch."

This was a statement I made in my last post in regards to being a spectator of the 5k my hubby and many of my closest friends participated in. I've really never been one to give in to peer pressure & I've been working hard to care less & less what people think of me. However, as my body is not 20 years old anymore but 27 (as I was so lovingly reminded of by my primary care physician this week), I've realized my metabolism continues to slow down and walking 1.8 miles (the distance around our subdivision 3x) is probably not going to be sufficient for me to be in shape and/or tone my existing body.

Let's be clear, I'm certainly not unhappy with my overall weight...I'm unhappy with my inability to run for any continuous period of time without feeling winded & I'm unhappy with the little pieces of pudge that exist in all the wrong places. Sure, I can cover those up with my nice work clothes & no one knows the difference, but I do. And let's keep in mind that in exactly 30 days I'll be gracing the beaches of Mexico with my extremely pasty & less than in shape body sporting only a bikini. Obviously I realize that 30 days is a short period of time but a girl can dream right?

Anyways, with the end of the 5k brought the beginning of a new goal for me. Sure, it seems very small & extremely minor compared to all those people who are running 5ks for training runs or running consistently on the treadmill for 40-60 minutes at a time--but for me it's all about having a goal that achievable. So...my goal with Hubby's support is to be able to run a little over 1 mile at a fairly speedy pace, with NO walking. 2 laps around our subdivision is 1.2 miles and that's my goal--and then we'll see after that.

I've started out fairly slow with running the East/West roads each lap for now. We're still going a total of 1.8 miles but with quite a bit of running & 10-15 jumping jacks at each corner. Yup, we look like dorks but at each corner we stop & do jumping jacks for some extra cardio. We also finish up our nightly routine with about 10-15 minutes of abs...oh how I hate abs. Not as much as running, but ab workouts are torture!

I haven't set an official deadline to reach my goal, but for now I'm just hoping to reach it by the end of the summer...which Hubby says is easily attainable. For all you serious runners out there, I realize this is a ridiculously simple taks...but for this girl running anywhere except for to a shoe sale is unheard of. 5ks are still not in my grand plans, but running seems to be an easy & cheap way to exercise Bogey, spend time with Hubby & maybe even get a little bit better looking bod!

Oh and just for the record...I'm still not into running & I'm still more than content to watch.

Weekend Rewind

Whew...what a weekend! It was definitely one of those where you come back to work for a day of rest. I feel like Hubby & I ran from one event to a house project to another event to another house project. We got a ton of stuff accomplished, but man a busy weekend wears me out!

Friday has typically been the relaxing night of the weekend & this time was no different. Hubby was off work since it was the annual CPA holiday, or April 16th the day after the tax deadline. He played golf with a friend & once he got home we went out to dinner. We tried a new to us Italian restaurant and unfortunately we were less than impressed. I'm not sure if it's what we ordered or what, but I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon. We came home after dinner & had plans of getting caught up on Biggest Loser. Hubby achieved that goal; however, I didn't--I think I was asleep in the recliner by about 9:00!

Saturday was our first crammed day! We started out fairly early with a first for Hubby. His first 5K to benefit the Breast Cancer Foundation of the Ozarks. He gave in to peer pressure from the guys in our small group & they all decided to run in the event. In all 7 of the 12 people in our small group competed & 4 walked away with medals...including Hubby!!! He got second in his age group with a time of 27:11:06...not bad for only a few weeks of training. I was so super proud of him! Yes, I was lazy and stood near the finish line to be the official photographer. I've never been into running so I was content just to watch.

Our small group was representing!

Pushing toward the finish line! Go Hubby Go!

Hubby & his first 5k medal! Way to go!

After the race we headed off to our favorite nursery to pick out a new tree for our backyard. We already have a nice, big maple but I was wanting a decorative tree to put near our deck. With the help of the nursery owners, we decided on a Viburnum tree. It's basically a hybrid tree that is a cranberry bush grafted to a tree trunk...it's supposed to have amazing fall foliage & berries & nice green leaves during the Spring & Summer. More on the tree in a bit...

After tree shopping, we both worked in the yard to get the mowing done for the week. Hubby has finally started to let me help in the backyard even though he's so particular about the yard!

This is what happens when a yellow lab follows your every move as you cut the grass...you end up with a dog that has green feet!

We were in a serious hurry to get the yard done as we had a family wedding to attend late in the afternoon. It was a beautiful day for a wedding & everything went off just perfectly, complete with a ring gag from the groom's attendants. My mom & I along with some other family members were in charge of the cake cutting & drinks. I was helping out with cake for the first time & let me tell you, it's definitely not the easiest job in the world. However, cake tastes the same whether it looks good on the plate or not so no worries! We stuck around to help with the cleanup after basically everyone had left. It never ceases to amaze me how much work a wedding can be & also how little help you can get at times when you don't specifically ask for it!

The Happy Couple...Josh & Callie Jo Maher!

The cake & beverage crew!

Can't forget to save the topper!

Hubby & I

Most all of the women on my dad's side of the family...minus just a few!

We finished up the evening with pizza & the 20-inning St. Louis Cards vs. Mets game! Seriously, a 20 inning game...that's just stupid!! The Cards ended up losing that one, but I can't hardly thinkg they minded after 6 hours & 53 minutes of baseball!

Sunday brought more fun & events starting off with our morning church service. We're doing a series on prayer right now & it couldn't be more applicable to my prayer life...or lack of prayer life. After church we grabbed a quick lunch, ran to Lowe's from some extra supplies & got busy in the backyard. Hubby decided we would save the money from having the nursery plant the tree & he would do it himself. He did a fantastic job...the tree looks amazing! While he worked on the tree, I tried to keep Bogey out of the way & also put together a few planters for the deck. I just love planters that are overflowing with colorful flowers!

We've got the tree in the hole...now for some quick landscaping!

The finished project getting a good, long drink!

One of the planters on the right & our new patio furniture. We're still waiting on a couple of chairs & we still need to buy an umbrella but I love the wicker!

Another angle & the other planter for the deck. I just love our outdoor living space!

In typical fashion, we finished off the weekend with small group & a walk/run (this time) with Bogey. We still had plenty to do, but I finally made us sit down at 9:00 so we could catch up on Lost and at least have a few moments to catch our breath before starting a new week!

Silly dog...you look so innocent so why did you have to dig up all the mulch around our new tree while we were gone to small group?!? Unfortunately we weren't surprised!

The End is Here

Today is April 15th...tax deadline. And the day I finally get my husband back! He's actually had a pretty light work week already this week since most all of the returns at his office have either already been filed or have had extensions filed many days ago. However, there's something so liberating about finally reaching the deadline that we've been looking forward to for 3 1/2 months.

Since the beginning of the year, Hubby has managed to earn his automatic 2 weeks of vacation plus an additional 16 days of comp time! Which means 26 whole days of vacation to use between now & the end of the year...it doesn't get much better than that! We've already got plenty of time off scheduled for vacation & other happenings, but it's so great that we both have incredibly great vacation time so we can take off together.

We're celebrating tonight by going to the Springfield Cardinals home opener (the double-A affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals). Hubby couldn't decide between a really nice dinner & the game, but the sports fanatic in him won out. I could care less either way, a night out with my Hubby is a night out with my Hubby! Also in honor of the deadline I got 2 great seats to a St. Louis Cardinals game on May 2nd...also the day before Hubby's 27th birthday. I tried so hard to keep it a surprise & it worked! He was absolutely thrilled.

Even with tax season over that doesn't mean we won't be busy and won't have other conflicts, but it's so great to know that for the most part Hubby will be leaving for work an hour later & coming home an hour earlier. We'll be finishing dinner & have the kitchen cleaned up at about the same time he has been getting home.

One of the great things about our relationship is that we truly, honestly LOVE spending time with each other. Even if it's just in that comfortable, relaxed silence while sitting on our deck enjoying our firepit--it's in those moments that I realize how wonderfully blessed we are & how life honestly couldn't be much better than it is right now.

Oh and for all your procrastinators out there...get your taxes postmarked...NOW!!!

Weekend Rewind

I LOVE weekends in the Spring!!! It seems like the opportunities are endless when the weather is so beautiful! Hubby & I had a fabulous weekend full of fun stuff.

Friday we made plans with our very best friends Derek & Andrea for a double date night. We had dinner at a local mexican restaurant...yum! And then what could make a double date night better than going to see "Date Night?" Hubby loves Steve Carrell & I think Tina Fey is just hilarious so it was great! It was short & definitely a little unrealistic but just a good, mostly clean movie that made us laugh for an hour and a half! We finished off the evening with Andy's Frozen Custard...if you're ever in the Springfield area you've got to try it! So unhealthy, but oh so good!

Saturday morning we both had to work, but had the rest of the day to do whatever we wanted! No plans on a Saturday...woohoo! We worked outside in the yard, I even helped Hubby mow a little in the back & I worked in a little time to lay out in the sun to get some color. Might have gotten just a little too much, but just a little red...no soreness. We cleaned up a bit & headed to a local nursery to go tree shopping. We've decided to put another tree in our yard, this time a decorative one & the options seem pretty endless. After going back & forth, I think we've finally made a decision and have plans to go pick it out & put it in the ground probably next weekend!

We finished up the Saturday with Hubby at the driving range while I sat on a blanket & read a book. Yes, I probably looked like a dork but I love that Hubby didn't mind me joining him. I think one of the best things is watching the person you love so much do something they are passionate about. Watching Hubby golf is honestly so much fun for me & plus it just means spending more time together! We grabbed pizza for dinner and took a great walk with Bogey to finish off the night.

Yesterday we had church where we're starting a new series on prayer. It's based on a small group study we did back in the fall & it's going to be so good to hear this all again. Prayer is something that is so hard to understand & comprehend at times so I just love hearing about how to make my prayers better & maybe even more effective.

After church we grabbed lunch, ran a few errands & then came home to enjoy the beautiful weather. I headed outside to our deck with a book & some sunscreen to catch a few more rays & Hubby did a few little projects around the yard. We also had small group & then came home to enjoy a victory at The Masters for Phil Mickelson & a great 2 mile walk with Bogey. Hubby decided we need to cap off the night with a nice fire in the firepit sitting on our new loveseat. Awww...now this is the life.

I didn't take any pictures this weekend except for the ones below. I spent an afternoon back in the fall planting a BUNCH of bulbs. Let me tell you, it was so worth it...I mean take a look at this color!

The entire bed

red & yellow double tulips...they look like miniature peonies!

Such vibrant, beautiful color...I've gotten so many compliments from our neighbors!

Love the detail on these flowers!

I just wish tulips would last all summer...they are so fun & summery!

Another tulip variety...Parrot tulips this time!

I just love the frilly edges!

These are so big & so heavy that they probably won't last very long, but they are gorgeous while they last!

Finally, some good old traditional tulips in a great color mix!

I have several that are still waiting to pop! I'll definitely be putting some more of these beauties in the ground next fall!

If you want some fabulous early Spring color, I highly recommend getting your hands dirty in the Fall & reaping some of the rewards!!

Down for the Count

When I woke up yesterday morning I was prepared for a typical day, work 8-5, have my nails done on my lunch hour & a trip to visit Hubby's mom during the evening. However, everything fell apart about 12:30...right in the middle of my nail appointment. I have a condition called vasovagal syncope. I don't talk about it much, but you can read a fairly comprehensive post about it here. Recently I had been fairly proud of myself because I hadn't had a serious reaction since that last post which was in the Fall of 2008. Most of that has to do with the fact that I hadn't been in any situation for a trigger, but even the last time I had blood drawn at the doctor's office I made it through with flying colors.

Yesterday during my nail appointment I had the perfect storm. One of my nails had split way down into the nailbed & my nail tech was trying to fix it with some extra acrylic...however, in order to do that she had to apply some primer which is probably 100% alcohol. It started to burn & I tried to fight through it, but within a few moments I was up out of the chair and headed to the small room that contains the pedicure chairs--the only place I knew I could even slightly recline. I knew I was going to pass out & wanted so badly to stop, but by that time there was nothing I could do. I remember a few things...asking the nail tech if the chair reclined & allowing her to apply some non-burn spray and the next thing I remember is being surrounded by about 6-7 women and hearing my name over & over....Lauren, Lauren honey wake up, Lauren, Lauren. As I came out of the deep fog, it hit me...I had actually passed out cold at the salon.

Yup, right about now I sound like the biggest wuss ever; however, like I said it was a perfect combination of issues. A vasovagal reaction always has a trigger & I think mine is pain--sharp, hurting pain. I was unable to grab lunch beforehand so I was hungry, & I was probably completely dehydrated because I'd had little to nothing to drink during the morning...combine those with a little bit of strong, burning pain, & it was a recipe for disaster. I have gone to the same hometown salon for probably 12-15 years so everyone there knows me & is practically like family. You can imagine how scared they were. And so was I.

Since I work for my dad, my parents were nearby but had gone to inspect some properties for the business over lunch and were about 30 minutes away. My mom, the SUPERMOM she is, was able to calm me down & give orders over the phone like nobody's business. One girl got a fan, another grabbed several cold towels, another grabbed a Reese's cup & a Sprite for some sugar intake, & she even sent one to Subway so I could get some real food on my stomach. Oh those girls are all my angels!!!

The biggest problem this time was that I hadn't eaten anything for about 4 1/2 hours so I had a really hard time recovering. To make a really long story short, my mom had another one of the girls' from our office come and pick me up because I was still in no shape to drive. Apparently I was still completely pale when I got back to our office & I simply curled up with a pillow & blanket & went to sleep. Once my parents got back from their business errands, Mom took me home & I was able to sleep the rest of it off.

Once I woke up I actually felt 100% better, just a little tired from all that my body had gone through. My mom called my doctor and had a conversation with her, with the end result being that it sounded like my typical reaction & if I was feeling better today that everything was probably fine. Well, I am & we were still able to make it to see Hubby's mom for dinner.

Today I'm feeling great, but just wish my fingernails weren't half done...I'm going back tomorrow to have them finished. Don't worry, she won't have to apply the stuff that made it burn again (wow, don't I sound childish?!?) I did managed to get my toes painted as well...Mom told her to do anything to take my mind off things & I ended up with cute toes.

(Oh and for those who are thinking it...I'm almost 100% positive I'm not pregnant!-just a girl who has a weird reaction to pain!)

The End...and feel free to laugh a little cause I am, it's funny now Mom!!!

While I'm Waiting...

This morning on my way to work I heard what's probably my favorite worship song right now...While I'm Waiting by John Waller. The song was on the soundtrack for Fireproof but I don't even remember hearing it when I watched the movie. It has such a powerful message as we all experience seasons in our lives when all we can do is wait & see what God is going to do. It may be in regards to a relationship or a job or health issues; but no matter what we're dealing with, God is there.

Hubby & I are certainly in a time of waiting to see what God is going to do in our lives. I'm excited & anxious & scared but I know that no matter what the outcome God's love will prevail.

Waiting is such a difficult thing to grasp when we live in a society filled with the idea of instant gratification & immediate answers for almost any question we have. However, in my life I have experienced that it's in those times when we are still & we wait that God will show us just how powerful He is & how much He loves us. We also have to remember that during the times of waiting we aren't to be idle & useless--we are to worship & serve & love just as Jesus did. I have to believe that many times it's through the acts of worship or serving that God fully reveals himself to us & will give us all the answers we ever need.

(I can't get the video to upload so click here to enjoy!)

Wonderful Easter Weekend

I honestly can't remember the last time that we had such gorgeous weather for an Easter weekend. It was definitely a blessing from God that the weather was so nice.


Good Friday ended with a rainy evening, but just your typical spring rain. I had Friday afternoon off work and spent the majority of the afternoon cleaning our house from the dirt, dog hair & other filth that had accumlated over the winter when we would bring Bogey in for visits. It was definitely a great feeling to have everything looking so clean...if only it would stay that way. We originally had plans to cook dinner in, but after my hardwork I wasn't about to mess up my kitchen again--we headed to McAlister's instead for a yummy dinner. The rainy evening gave Hubby & I plenty of time to relax and catch up on our tv watching from the week. Once springtime hits, we get behind quite often since we spend so much time outside & seem to have so many other plans.


Saturday managed to be a gorgeous, but very busy day. It started off with a bridal shower for my cousin who's getting married on April 17. I of course failed to grab my camera so no photos of all her goodies & all the family in attendance. After the shower my mom & I had lunch with my dad & brother. It was so great to have a lunch with just the four of us...that rarely happens anymore now that we're both married. Don't get me wrong, it's great to have our spouses along with us but it just takes me back to our childhood when it's just four of us sitting around a table having a meal.


After lunch I headed home to change & help Hubby with some yardwork. The grass really came in last week and was super thick. I just love how great Hubby makes our yard look--there's just something about a freshly cut yard that makes everything feel so much better! We rushed around finishing up the yard, changed again, & headed to my parents' house for the annual Easter gathering. My parents' have always been the host for this celebration & we had a great turn out. This year we tried having it on Saturday evening to accomodate for everyone, but no matter when you plan it there are always conflicts so I think we'll be going back to Easter afternoon next year. We still managed to have great food (traditional BBQ), fun, & of course the traditional egg toss--always a big hit--especially for those that end up having their hands covered in raw egg.

The raw eggs...all ready for tossing! We had home grown brown eggs this year & they would not bust!

All lined up & ready to go. My partner, my Uncle Sid, decided to be funny and toss two eggs at one time the first toss...I managed to catch one of them & the other actually didn't break. We only lost because I didn't catch the egg & it hit my parent's walkway...concrete & raw egg don't mix!

Hubby & I after the toss...no prizes but family pride!

Hubby & I attended church together on Easter morning & it was a great service that discussed the question "How Good is Good Enough?" Aren't you so thankful that it's not about being good, but simply accepting the free gift that God gave us over 2000 years ago! Hallelujah that I don't have to worry about being good enough! Since we had our big family Easter celebration on Saturday, Hubby & I decided to head to Branson to enjoy a nice lunch & the beautiful weather. We ate at Branson Landing, walked along Lake Taneycomo & took a nice drive before heading back home. Hubby had plans of heading to the driving range, but those were scrapped when we realized the wind was blowing so hard that the golf balls might come back and smack him in the head. We'll have to work in the driving range one night this week.

Easter morning with Hubby--a windy, sunny morning makes for a very squinty-eyed photo!

We were able to have dinner with my parents and have great conversation...so even though we didn't have traditional Easter dinner on Easter Sunday, we were still able to gather around a table with family & have a great time. The evening was capped off with a great walk & some simple prep for the week. I can't believe Easter has come & gone...time seems to fly by!

Good Friday

Similar to other holidays, Easter can bring to mind lots of things other than the true meaning...dying Easter eggs, foil-wrapped chocolate bunnies, Easter egg hunts, family gatherings, etc. But it's on this day over 2000 years ago that my Heavenly Father sacrificed everything so that I might live. Me, someone who is so unworthy.

I hope I never lose sight of what happened on this day & how much God must love me in order to allow His one and only son to be crucified on the cross. While there is sorrow surrounding the happenings of today, there is jubiliation in the glorious happenings of Easter morning when Christ arose. Hallelujah Christ is Risen!

Some of my favorite traditional hymns center around Christs' resurrection & the victory we can find when we seek our Savior, Jesus Christ. I get chills everytime I sing this song.

Low In the Grave He Lay

Low in the grave he lay, Jesus my Savior, waiting the coming day, Jesus my Lord!

Refrain: Up from the grave he arose; with a mighty triumph o'er his foes; he arose a victor from the dark domain, and he lives forever, with his saints to reign. He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!

Vainly they watch his bed, Jesus my Savior, vainly they seal the dead, Jesus my Lord! (Refrain)

Death cannot keep its prey, Jesus my Savior; he tore the bars away, Jesus my Lord! (Refrain)

Happy Easter!!