Professional Goals

So much has happened in March. It has been a super busy month, full of exciting things.

The biggest and most exciting news to share is the promotion Craig received to become Store Manager.  Again!

Some of you already know that Craig was previously a Store Manager for a couple years. The joy that it brought at that time soon turned tumultuous and the odds were stacked against him. Finally, after lots of prayers and tears, Craig decided to step down and regain his focus and renew his strength.

I watched Craig struggle professionally and wanted so desperately to take away his pain.  I heard the heartache when he felt as if he failed on many levels.  But, I also swelled with pride as I saw him reach every single goal he had made.  He never gave up and kept his focus on everything that was so important to him.
 

These past two years have been nothing but life lessons, not just for Craig, but for the whole family.  We rediscovered and maintained our center, which is our relationship with God, and we have newfound joy and positivity.  We have been so thankful for the happiness and success we've had this year by remembering to keep our faith and that God truly wants to give us the desires of our hearts.

We are reminded that it is always when we go through those cloudy moments, with our hearts full of pain and ache, that God brings out the sun once again. This time it is brighter and the skies are even clearer.

 

Financial Goals

I'm not going to go into a lot of details with our finances because it is extremely personal.  However,  Craig and I definitely had some financial goals that we made at the beginning of the year.  We knew for these goals to be met, it was going to take a lot of faith in God and we needed to leave it in His hands. 

That is exactly what we did.

God took care of everything. 

And He still is.

As my dear friend told me recently, "God's math doesn't add up."  We have seen financial provision so many times and it just leaves us dumbfounded.  It is impossible to figure out these situations through our human ways.

It just makes our faith grow stronger and the miracles of God seem even more realistic.

Spiritual Goals

To say this new year is off to a bang is an understatement.  We knew going into this year that there were specific goals we wanted to reach.  We also knew that it was going to take great faith to reach every single one of those goals.  Often times, the journey seems treacherous or even impossible.  You begrudgingly drag your feet, even though you want to get to the end.  It's just the "getting there" part that seems so tiresome and not always fun.

Craig and I had some spiritual goals.  Not really goals, per se, but we really wanted to grow spiritually, however big or small that may be.  We made some decisions last year that we felt God was calling us to make.  But since we are all human and can be hesitant, we tend to constantly ask God to show us a sign that we are still headed in the right direction.  We can be so unsure because of our human nature that we are blinded to see that our faith has already restored our sight!

These past few months, Craig and I have had some spiritual questions and concerns.  Slowly, God has provided the answer to each and every one of them.  The answers were like music to our ears. 

We had one final question for God and He answered it in such a big way today.  God's anointing was on the church service this morning, from beginning to end and even past that. The tears came to both of our eyes immediately and they never stopped.  The presence of the Spirit was so real that the usual church service was interrupted so we could all continue to experience Him and his goodness the entire time.

And there is nothing more special than seeing the father of your kids, your life partner, your best friend, cry out to God as he is praying over his family.

During this amazing moment of feeling His power, grace, and love over the whole congregation, we just knew we had the answer we had been seeking.

God is so good.  He is so faithful.  He will not tell us to go on a journey and then leave us.  He is guiding us, but we need to remember to keep those blinders off.  It may not always be easy, quick, or fun.  But it will definitely be worth it.

Ringing in the New Year

And with great celebration, we ring in 2016.  A new year.  A new beginning.  New goals to set and new adventures await.

2016 will be the Year of Goals for this family.  We have some big goals set for this next year that we are determined to reach.  By doing so, it will help us reach even bigger goals we have further in the future.

We went over our Goal List as a family and discussed what needs to happen in order to check these off.  Some sacrifices will be made.  There may be days it seems impossible.  But we know what needs to be done to reach every single one.  Overall, we are so excited to start reaching them, one check at a time.

Looking Back

Our theme for 2015 was the Year of Positivity.  I must admit, it was really hard to stay positive at times, but we knew despite whatever trials we went through, better things were coming.

 



Craig was transferred to a store 45 minutes from home.  With traffic in this area, it usually took much longer.  However, he was only there for about a month before being transferred again to a store only 15 minutes from home.  This time it included a small promotion.  However, he was not happy there.  Being closer to home was great, but there are a lot of other factors that go into enjoying your job.  I could see the difference in his demeanor and experiencing some things myself in that store, I could see why he didn't like it.  Finally, in September, Craig got transferred (AGAIN!) to a store 12 minutes from home.  It's much larger, closer, and he got to work with his old store manager again.  We get to see him all the time.  he doesn't have to fight traffic, and he is so much happier.

I continued my college education, but this time I had to attend classes on campus for the Fall semester.  The first couple of weeks were so hard!  I wanted to cry, I kept asking Craig if I was doing the right thing (he assured me I was), and I felt like our normal family life was thrown completely off track.  I just kept pushing on and realized this school schedule would become the new normal for us.  It was tough for us to get through.  Some weeks were easier than others.  Unfortunately, I had a night class on Wednesdays so I would be gone from 7 am to 9 pm at night. We just kept telling ourselves it's for a good reason.  Thankfully, my wonderful in-laws are not too far from campus and I was able to go to their house during my downtime.  They let me nap, study, fed me dinner and sent me on my way again. :)  I finished the semester with a 3.75 and will continue to study hard for many, many more semesters.

 

 

As a family, we made a huge decision together.  After many months of prayer and seeking God's guidance and wisdom, we decided to change churches after 10 years.  It absolutely was not an easy decision.  It was not a decision influenced by anybody else.  But rather, we knew the time was coming for this change.  We just did not know when. 

 

We had tried a few other churches throughout the years, but never felt at peace.  This time, I can tell you exactly the day, the time, and where I was when I distinctly felt God telling us it was time to leave.  Although we were all a little sad to leave the church family and the comfort we were familiar with, we knew we needed to be obedient to God. 

 

God has led us to a new church not far from home that is just perfect for us right now.  The first few weeks, we were just in tears every service over the peace we felt with this difficult decision.  The second service we attended was a message and interpretation in tongues (1 Corinthians 14) about God bringing restoration to our lives.  It was EXACTLY what I needed to hear. 

 

It was a smooth transition, but not always easy.  Old friendships have seemed to die off as we try to make new ones.  The kids have loved this church since the first week we attended, which is a huge sigh of relief for us.  Sometimes change is scary, but the outcome can be beautiful.

 

 

 

Despite these big changes in our lives, we also enjoyed some great moments.  We celebrated God's Creations with beautiful vacations to the Great Smokey Mountains and Atlantic Ocean, celebrated love with weddings and anniversaries,  celebrated family with memorable holidays and family reunions, and celebrated life with peaceful and enjoyable birthdays.  We stayed positive throughout this rocky year and God has continued to show us that better things always lie ahead.



The Truth About My Coffee Habit

If you follow me on social media or even if you know me in person, you probably know about my love for coffee.  Perhaps you've even been on a coffee date or two with me and know I just love sipping on some hot goodness. I post funny memes about coffee or even pictures of the infamous red cup (scandalous!).

What most people do not know is that I actually don't drink that much coffee!!!!  This past semester we were given a semester long wellness assignment in my Music and Wellness class and had to improve one area of wellness in our life (physical, mental, spiritual, etc.).  I chose to work on my physical wellness which included cutting back on coffee.  Previously, I was drinking two cups a day, one in the morning and one at night.  I changed my habit to only one cup a day and even cut back on all of the sweetness that goes into my coffee.

Now, were there days that I had more than one cup?  Absolutely!  Some days were just tough to get through and enjoying a cup of coffee would certainly help me relax.  In fact, Craig calls it my "good attitude potion."  There were even some mornings when I didn't have any coffee at all (but I didn't do that often).  For the most part, I stuck to only one cup.

Of course, I will continue to enjoy the beloved drink and am actually writing this from a coffee shop.  I will continue to have coffee dates and check out cool coffee spots, which are some of my favorite things to do.  I will continue to post funny memes and pics and love all the ones that people send to me as well.  I just wanted to prove to myself over this semester that I can complete this assignment and complete it well (I made a 102 in the class) and make sure my coffee habit remains under control.



Kaitlyn's Birthday Letter

Dear Kaitlyn,

You have been a huge blessing in our lives for 12 wonderful years.  We will always take time during this special day to reflect upon the moment our family truly began.  The struggles leading up to your birth were soon forgotten when we first heard your cries.

You have become an extremely creative individual with the most unique projects.  You can visualize something in your mind and make it happen.  You love to create gifts for others and are overjoyed when everyone is amazed at what you can do.

You are incredibly caring and always think of others.  You are always so eager to give back and want to help in any way possible.  You never want anyone to feel left out.

You love God and want others to know Him, too.  You are a great Bible study leader and are always wanting to invite friends to church.  We also love seeing Scripture verses posted around your room.  You truly take God's Word to heart.

You are a Daddy's girl through and through.  You absolutely love spending time with him and he feels the same way.  As much as you dislike being compared to your mom, I know the affection is still there.  You have also become a great example for your brother and enjoy hanging out with him.  It brings us great delight to see you sharing those silly moments with him.

Enjoy this next year and embrace every moment.  Continue to dream up more creations and make them real.  Search for those that are lonely and reach out to them.  Share the Gospel and love of God with others.  And keep making your family smile and laugh through your silliness. 

We love you always and are so proud of you,

Mom and Dad