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Who do you live for? Or, maybe the question is better asked, what do you live for?

Friday.
My spouse.
My kids.
The next paycheck.

We all have a master. You may not think of it that way, but I challenge you to argue it. Whatever it is that you live for - whoever - that is your master.

What should be your master? God. He's a loving Father, a generous Provider, and our only Salvation. If you're going to dump all of your time into something - a hobby, a person, etc. - make sure it's in a way that glorifies God and would be pleasing to Him.

Rather than "Thank God It's Friday," why not, "Thank God I'm Forgiven"?

Loving you because He first loved me,

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 17/60

new devotions

I might fall off the blog radar a little more, but will try not to. I'm about to embark on some devotional writing. It's time to get serious and I've been approached to do more of it. God opens doors for me to improve and share, so I need to walk through them.

Taking on these extra initiatives in addition to my job and home life will be a stretch. But isn't that what God does? He stretches us to our potential.

Be praying for me,

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 16/60

my missing reader | my legacy

We all have that one person we wish would pay attention to us a little more. Who is that one person you'd like to capture and intrigue?



Courtesy WomenInTheBible.net

 Maybe it's unrealistic or unfair, but I get bummed when I think about the way I sometimes spill my guts here in my very public journal and know that my husband never sees it. Sure, he knows I blog, but he has no desire to read what I write. To his credit, he gets to listen to my mouth, so why willingly subject himself to my thoughts on a screen, too?

Probably 95% of the content on this blog has not been verbalized from my mouth. These are my thoughts, my heart in words. To know that my husband is not clued in is sometimes painful. I see this blog as an extension of myself. It's something that my children will be able to access in the days, weeks, and years after my life is done. They will be able to see a different realness of their mom that they may not have otherwise seen.

Everyone wants to leave a legacy. What will mine be?

I want to be known for my creativity, my heart for others, my passion for raising the best children I have the ability to raise, my unending dedication to my marriage, my fun-loving side that my colleagues get to enjoy (*smile*), and my drive to be more and do more every single day.

I want to see the day that my kids realize that they can have their own special moments - the kind that only a brother and sister can experience. The kind my brother and I have, where we can simply flash each other a look that says it all while never uttering a word from our mouths. I want my husband to never have a doubt about my faithfulness to him - to know that our vows before God have never and will never be broken. 'Til death do us part, babe.

Consider the things you want to instill in the next generation and the way you want to be remembered. Then set out to make your desired legacy a truth for those around you.

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 15/60

give time

I was blessed to spend time with my parents today. We invited them to visit so we could honor my mom for her birthday. It was a relaxing day free of schedules and pressures (for some of us anyway; James was working at church most of the day).

The kids entertained and we caught up on the events of days that have been slipping past way too fast. It was an easy day. Simple conversation. Warm, fuzzy love.

At least twice my daddy thanked me for my time today. For allowing them into my normally busy Saturday. I was humbled. Their Saturdays are just as busy as mine, and besides, have I kept them at arms' length? If so, it hasn't been intentional. It's just the pace right now.

If you're reading, Daddy and Mama, I love you, and you're welcome to enjoy any Saturday with me that you ever desire.

Happy Birthday, Mama!

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 14/60

it was inevitable

I finally missed a day of blogging. My apologies. Yesterday was gruesome and I was too exhausted to muster up a simple thought worthy of a blog entry.

Things are always fast and furious at work, but it's especially so now. We're in the midst of a major website overhaul - brand new content management system, migration of content and data, and of course a fancy new face. Be on the look-out for a brand new Virginia.org in April. :) It will be SO worth the sweat and near-tears that our team of four is experiencing right now.

In the mean time, I'll continue to blog and Facebook for Virginia is for Lovers (the regular duties don't stop just because there's a big project, ya know). Have a question about traveling in Virginia? Want to see our take on a particular destination? Simply leave me a comment here and I'll be happy to write something just for you over on our VIFL blog!

Retiring for the night,

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 13/60

who's your mama?

It just dawned on me that the answer to the age-old security question, "What's your mother's maiden name?" is not very hard to figure out in the age of social media.

Facebook makes it easy to find long-lost classmates by allowing users to enter a maiden name. As a user, you can choose* if you'd like that name displayed on your profile.

Though you may have locked down your profile to be seen by friends only, your name is still displayed and can surface in search engine results.

Besides, who's mama isn't on Facebook at this point? And how many women are hyphenating their name now? It will be a much more insecure world for our children than it is for us.

My suggestion is to choose a harder security question for those accounts that need serious protection. Perhaps, "What date did you lose your first tooth?"

Just something to think about.

*To change your name display settings on Facebook, click Account > Account Settings. See User Name? Click "change" off to the right. If you previously included your maiden name in the Alternate Name field, delete it. Click "Change Alternate Name" to save the form. Do go back into that screen to make sure it's gone.

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 12/60

i'd hate to miss a day ...

... but I'm tired tonight and don't really have anything in mind to write about.

I was driving to get my daughter from school earlier today and thought, "maybe I'll write about a mother's lamentations." That sounds awful though. "What a 'Debbie Downer'," I can already hear my friend Jane saying. So, no mother's lamentations.

Or wife's.

Valentine's Day is Monday and though I've been prepped to not expect a single iota, I manage to get my hopes up. Why is that? Why do I always think he's just messing with me and will have this great surprise? So not him. Get over it, girl.

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 11/60

call korie!

My Kids, by Korie Nordstrom Photography, 2010

I was thrilled to spend some time tonight with my fantastic photographer friend, Korie Nordstrom, who was recently featured with Macaroni Kids Richmond for a Valentine's Giveaway. If you're looking for exclusive boutique images, check her out (and tell her I sent you so she'll give me something good!).

Seriously though, do take a look at her work. Korie specializes in newborn portraiture but also captures great senior images, too. I love the vibrant hues of her senior work and the diversity she demonstrates across other subjects. For example, Korie's newborn portraiture is perfectly, softly illuminated. You wouldn't be disappointed if you were to call on her. I promise!

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 10/60

a new southside small group

Southside folks, James and I are opening our home for a small group to meet on Tuesday nights at 6:30 p.m. beginning February 15. Rolf & Deb Kleinfeld, our very own husband-wife missionary team, will be leading the group - very exciting indeed!


Courtesy
http://www.hem-of-his-garment-bible-study.org/

 
We do have childcare lined up and would like to collect an offering of appreciation each week to present to our teen volunteer. Maybe a couple of bucks per kid? She has a genuine heart for children and will be a great leader for ours.

Regarding the study content, Deb said she believes we will be studying 1 Peter. To my knowledge, no special study materials are required, just your Bible and something to take notes with.

If you're interested in attending, email me at jccjhiggins@gmail.com or connect with me through Facebook.

For Him,

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 9/60

home: an ongoing project

We moved into our new home in July. Since then we've painted three bedrooms, a living room, a family room, and an office. We have completely remodeled two full bathrooms and upgraded our kitchen cabinets, too. Today we finally decided on a paint color for the kitchen and let the brushes fly.

It will need another coat yet, but so far we're pleased with our selection. We also came closer to choosing our backsplash, too, but aren't quite ready to move forward with it yet. Still on the list of to-dos: flooring and lighting. Just gettin' on with it, day by day ...

Stay tuned,

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 8/60

i'm a helicopter mom

There's no more denying it, I'm a helicopter mom.

Courtesy The POWerful Word

I don't think that's true in the way Wikipedia describes it - hovering over all things school related - but it is true with regard to losing control of the welfare of my children.

Annnnddd queue the emails.

Yep, control freak. That's me, when it comes to my kids. To say that I don't trust other people might be a little too harsh of a statement. I think it's really that I would rather be the one responsible for the car accident they may be in. I'd rather be the one cleaning up their puke when they're sick. I'm their mom and being responsible for them is my job.

This itch to manage doesn't overtake me until they're gone overnight out-of-town, such as they are this weekend. I trust their grandparents and know they are perfectly safe, however, if something happens while I'm two and a half hours away, I'm. Gonna. Freak. Out.

So now I've shown you not only that I am a controlling helicopter parent, but also that I am a pessimist who is just waiting for THAT phone call. Whew. It's stressful to be me.

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 7/60

all men were created equal

God made man. He didn't make any color of man better than another. He created them equally. Man. Woman. Period.

Thanks to sin in the world, some men have taken dominion over other men. This is not unique to the United States and African-American slavery. Do recall Hitler and his problem with Jews and various other countries plagued with genocide.

Courtesy United Colors of Benetton

Amazingly, this world is still populated with people who want to have power over another group of people. In a free, democratic country such as the United States, this is ludicrous.

I'm a girl who was raised in the South but guess what! That doesn't define me. I'm not a redneck, honky, confederate or rebel. Open your MINDS, people! See that we all bleed red. Understand that God created you just the same way he created the black, yellow, orange, brown, and white people around you. Once you understand that we only move forward by recognizing and vowing not to repeat the past, you should then ask God to forgive your ignorance and judgement of others.

Earlier today I wrote a blog post for another site I contribute to. I titled it "Celebrate Black History" and I meant it. It received some criticism. You know, every race of people has a troubling history, yet it's from that history that we rise to what we are today. Why not celebrate black history?

Blacks received their freedom by order of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, delivered January 1, 1863. Blacks received the right to vote when the 15th Amendment to the United States Constitution was ratified February 3, 1870. Blacks were granted equality in education under the May 17, 1954 decision of Brown v. Board of Education. Blacks' rights became protected with the Civil Rights Act of 1964, enabling equal employment.

Why not celebrate? All of these rights were God-given and then taken away by man. How dare any of us look down upon another. We should all be as proud as those who rose from ashes and knocked down walls to make an equal way for children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Please, let's get over prejudice. In the not-too-distant future, Caucasians will be the minority. White folk, you don't want these tables turned on you. It's high-time we recall the Golden Rule - do unto others as you would have them do unto you - lest you want to be on the receiving end of ill-will.

"Racism isn't born, folks, it's taught. I have a two-year-old son. You know what he hates? Naps! End of list."
~Dennis Leary

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 6/60

the quiet of us

Sometimes it's nice to just be together - quietly.

James and I took the kids to their Wednesday night church fun and then we skipped out. Gino's Pizza is a laid back joint where we fit in well with our jeans and sweatshirts. Tonight, dinner was less about the destination and more about the quiet.

I've written about time depravity and how it's hard to have time for anything extra in life. Today I got lucky. I worked from home. Without the commute, we were all together by 5 p.m. We knocked out homework and the kids had their dinner before church. I could not let the chance for a calm 90-minute breather with my husband pass me by.

Our conversation was sporadic. We settled into our booth, he with some freebie paper and me with my Blackberry. After we got our vices out of our system, we talked about work. First his, and how he can't find a reliable plumber. The most recent installed a water heater for my boss (of all people) and now it's leaking. Then me, with the ever-growing list of projects that will keep me leashed to my desk until May 1st. And then we ate.

I've experienced strange silences with my husband from time to time. It's odd to be two, no more often than it happens. Typical dinners include kids bickering and finicky appetites, so when that's gone, there is an unusual silence that we feel we must fill. Tonight I let that go. The mix of silence with simple, casual conversation was freeing. Nothing too deep for tired minds.

Putting this zonked noggin' to bed,

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 5/60

make time stop

There are seasons of life. I guess I'm in the season that's typical for a married, working mom.

Courtesy

http://www.womenwindow.net/

• Forty-hour weeks
• Three hours of family time each night - spent doing homework and bathing
• Weekends playing catch-up on housework instead of family fun
• Fast-food or delivery to avoid 8 p.m. dinners

 It's a routine rooted in demands and expectations. There isn't any wiggle room.

How is it that the impressionable years of our children coincide with the furor of building a career? It's not fair, to be blunt (and whiny). Do we not have to work to provide? We can't very well put it off until later, lest we sacrifice their college education and a roof over their head. Yet while we're making the way for their future, we're missing out on their today. Our today. It's all very painful right now.

I must be PMSing ...

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 4/60