1. Jesus
I can honestly say I would not be here today if it were not for my merciful Savior and loving Lord.
The night before my 13th birthday I sat on my parent's kitchen floor sawing at my wrists with a paring knife. Nothing was happening, and I was getting irate! I finally started jabbing at them instead. As the hot tears streamed down my face I heard a sweet but firm voice say, "It hurts. Stop. You're hurting Me." I looked down at my left wrist and to my complete surprise I saw a faint hand covered in blood and knife markings. I blinked, over and over, and as I stared I could not believe what I was seeing. I started jabbing again, and finally broke skin in one tiny spot, but stopped as new wounds showed up on that mysterious hand. I heard the voice again, and that's when I realized it was God. In that moment I knew without a doubt that He was real. He cared about me. All those years of growing up in church and a Christian home didn't give me a personal relationship with Christ. Up until that point I lived how I wanted and then Sunday I would feel guilty, go to church with family, repent for my sins, and then go about life the exact same way. I had no idea what it meant to have a personal relationship with Jesus. As with any relationship, it's never been perfect, and I still mess up. However; that night I told God that I believe He died for me on the cross, that I knew I was a sinner, but that I wanted Him to forgive me and help me to live for Him the rest of my days. It has been a journey to say the least, but I am growing and learning every day.
2. Family
Aside from my relationship with Christ, my main focus is my role as a wife & mother. Therefore; you will quite often find me talking about things pertaining to my husband Zach, and my daughters Penelope (Penny) & Lillian (Lilly). My extended family also means the world to me, but I'll do my best to keep them out of this. ;-)
Zach and I met when I was sixteen years old, he proposed when I was nineteen, then we got married when I was twenty. It has been a whirlwind of love, hurt, laughter, anger, joy, and honest-to-goodness real marriage ever since. Four years into our marriage we added momma & dadda to our titles. Then a short 18 months later our 2nd child arrived.
I guess you should know that I claim to "not be a kid person." Basically I grew up babysitting, but it was really only because I wanted money, not because I enjoyed it. On the other hand I always had a strong desire to be a mother. Strange combo, I know. When Zach and I got married I wanted to have kids right away, but we had decided on a "five year plan" so as the years went on I strongly questioned if I ever wanted to have kids. Literally the week before I found out I was pregnant I told Zach I didn't want kids, ever. But isn't that just God's humor sometimes. He knows the desires of our heart, and He knew I didn't mean those words in the least bit when I spoke them. I had an amazing pregnancy. Truly, it could not have gone any better. I actually feel guilty when woman have or have had horrible pregnancies. I loved every single thing about being pregnant that first time around. Labor & delivery, yeah, that was amazing too! Go ahead and place me in the category of "one of those woman." ;-) If I'm feeling up to it maybe I'll give Penelope's labor & delivery story it's own post...to be determined.
After I gave birth I wasn't sure when I would go back to work. I was managing a sixty-six unit, multi-family, low-income apartment complex. There was an out-of-town conference I had to attend six weeks after Penny's birth; she came with me, but that was rough. Then I went back full time when she was just eight weeks old. Thankfully my job was flexible enough that I was able to run home and feed her whenever she needed me. My mom hadn't been working for a while, so Zach and I asked her to take care of our peanut in our home for minimal pay. It worked out great, but eventually Zach and I decided that we wanted me to be the one to stay home and raise Penny. It was a really tough decision for me for a few reasons. One of which, was the fact I wouldn't be financially contributing to our household income. I have held a steady, paying job since I was fourteen. The thought of not going to work five days a week, and instead taking care of our child, really freaked me out. The night before my first day "staying home" I had a slight panic attack. What am I going to do with her all day, every day?! Well, I guess we'll find out, won't we!
3. Food
I love food. Plain and simple, love it! I have a major sweet tooth and am constantly forcing myself to do things like "no sugar for 40 days." I love sharing recipes. I love receiving new recipes. I'll just leave it at that; I love food. =)
4. Adventure
Not going to lie, the first thing that pops into my head when I hear the word adventure is travel. I know that travel is not the only adventure though. There are tiny nuggets of adventure slipped into every day experiences. I Googled the definition of adventure and this is what popped up:
ad·ven·ture
noun
noun: adventure; plural noun: adventures
- 1.an unusual and exciting, typically hazardous, experience or activity."her recent adventures in Italy"
synonyms: exploit, escapade, deed, feat, experience - daring and exciting activity calling for enterprise and enthusiasm."she traveled the world in search of adventure"
synonyms: excitement, thrill, stimulation
risk, danger, hazard, peril, uncertainty, precariousness"they set off in search of adventure"
verb
dated
verb: adventure; 3rd person present: adventures; past tense: adventured; past participle: adventured; gerund or present participle: adventuring
1.
engage in hazardous and exciting activity, especially the exploration of unknown territory.
"they had adventured into the forest"
I hope you have enjoyed this first post. Get ready for more randomness to follow!
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