january 21, 2012 - can that be right?

Has it really been that long since I last blogged for myself? Seems that it has. In that time I've been blogging professionally and a little on the side for my husband's business (though not as much as I have wanted to). You know how it goes ... you always put yourself last. I do, at least.

Much has happened since January 21, 2012 and in the one o'clock hour this morning, I thought I'd begin chronicling at least the past 10 or 11 months. I won't start that right now, as I still want to collect my thoughts and confer with my hubby before jumping all the way into the deep end. Stay tuned!

did you notice?

You might have noticed that I seriously dropped the ball on my 60 days of blogging. *sigh* I just couldn't keep up with it everyday. It's truly a large task for a full-time, hard working lady like myself. But I digress.

In my absence, I've had many moments when I wanted to write and had plenty on my mind. However, what's on my mind doesn't always have to come out through my keystrokes. I don't know if anyone wise has said something similar, but I'm pretty sure heeding said advice probably saved my tush a time or two, or at least saved some folks a day of heartache.

Courtesy http://donhall.blogspot.com/

Notes from the past 45 days (give or take) include ...

• I am not a fixer. As much as I try to live my life in a Godly way, I can't make other people live His way.
• I am not perfect. Well ... this one wasn't just realized, but I thought I'd mention it, given the "Godly" reference above. I slip, I ask for forgiveness, and I try again. Aren't you glad for The Cross?
• As hard as I try to be accepted by some, my attempts fail. Miserably. You might ask why I need acceptance. Generally, I don't seek it much. Those days are falling farther into my past, including the recent past ... like just five days ago in the past. It's not like I'm trying to change who I am in order to be accepted, it's that I continually try to explain myself. I'm rather tired of that. It's like talking to a wall and I'm done with it.
• God is good all the time, and I mean all the time. In the tough spots, He is good. In the embarrassing spots, He is good. In those moments where we lack understanding, He is good. God is in everything and everything is in God. Though we might not be friends, God has a plan. When you get old, I anticipate that I'll be caring for you. I may not like it, but for me to love God, I must love people. And that includes you.
• New friends can yield a lot of love. Especially like-minded Christian friends who pray passionately with and for you. Try it sometime.
• My children are growing too quickly physically, but perfectly in God. For example, my son, who will be four in ... wow, three short weeks, caught me by surprise the other day when we had this quick exchange.
  Me: "You're getting so tall! I think you got those long legs from your Daddy."
  Him: "No I didn't!"
  Me: "Well where did you get them from?"
  Him: "God gave them to me."
•  My daughter is me. This realization requires a lot of patience and prayer. And not even an ounce of gratitude for my mother, who wished her on me. Ha! (Thanks mama! You know I wouldn't trade that child for all the world.) And good luck world. She's a firecracker.

So there are my random thoughts for now. Time to throw a hot dog on the grill and enjoy the rest of my Sunday. Y'all go enjoy it, too.

Much Love,

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

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

a new project. y'all ready?

Last year I created an account at the site http://365project.org/, a site where users can share a photo each day for 365 days. It's a creative outlet for amateurs and professionals alike. Wellll ... I have 47 entries with my last being in November.

My 365 Project photo for August 21, 2010 of my precious
niece who is still waiting on her baby blanket.

I have good intentions when I begin projects, it's the follow-through that gets me. For instance, I began knitting my newest niece a baby blanket in either late 2009 or early 2010. She was born this past August and I have yet to finish her blanket. It's almost done! Only a few more rows! But ... I laid it down and have not yet picked it back up.

Does it come from being held to high standards at work where it's not acceptable to not complete a task? Is it just laziness? Why can't I ever finish anything I start unless I'm being paid to? I'm not going to let the questions and negativity keep me down. I'm starting a new project (smirk).

This just might drive you crazy, especially when only God knows what the content will be, but I'm setting off on a journey that begins today. A blog post a day for ... 60 days. (Let's start small. Achievable goals are always better, and not just in weight loss.)

My reason for blogging each day? I'm always near a computer and love to write anyway (heck, I get paid to write). Why didn't the photo-a-day project work out? I was always on the hunt for the perfect photo, unable to settle for a simple snapshot. That hunt equals time, plus then sitting down to weed through my captures and upload "the one". Writing is definitely more of my forte than photography, although it's a love I will always have and pursue, just not on a calendar.

To help you keep count on this project, or in case you drop off the grid for a few days or plain ol' start ignoring me, I'll add a line at the bottom of the post below my signature, just as you see on this one. It's a momentous occasion! Pray for me!

Gettin' Her Groove Back: 1/60

hold on, my heart

Have you thought about the changes you've made in your life and said to yourself, "I'm doing good!" only to have a moment that brings back a flash of your old self? I had a moment like that yesterday.

Something, no, someone that I desperately want to be was bestowed upon another. Sharon is a great writer, no doubt, and extremely charismatic. She's a fine example of what a Christian woman should be. My surge of jealousy was personal and had nothing to do with her; it could have been anyone that the Lord chose to anoint. The issue is that it wasn't me.

The Anointing by Stephen St. Claire

Furious with myself, I let my husband know that I needed prayer - on the double - to still my jealous heart and wipe it clean. His words were so perfect that I felt as though it were Jesus texting me rather than James. "Your time will come as long as you are not ignoring what you're called to do," I read. Does God speak or what?

So to Sharon, if you're reading, I wholeheartedly congratulate you! You have what it takes to do what has been declared, and I hope to be following along behind you shortly. I have a gigantic hug for you when next we meet. And no, I'm not jealous anymore. :)

Resting at the feet of Jesus,

an unscratchable itch

There's nothing worse than wanting to write right in the middle of a work day. Okay, I'm paid to write, but not here ...

Hoping the itch remains until I can do something about it.

my daily devotions

I've been reading a daily devotion for writers. It's been an amazing, enlightening journey so far, and it's giving me great encouragement as I move forward with this dream.

If you, too, have the gift of writing and a desire to share the love of Jesus Christ with others through your talent, check out For the Write Reason: 31 Writers, Agents and Editors Share Their Experiences with Christian Publishing. Each chapter includes Bible verses to strengthen the message and an action for self-exploration. I hope it blesses you the way it's blessed me.