Currently, I am......

1) Sitting in my hotel room back home in OC, California.

2) Exhausted (in a good way) from a day at the Carlsbad outlets with my godmother and mom.

3) Watching Americas Got Talent

4) Reflecting on the amazing conversation we had with our grandparents in Vancouver, WA this past weekend. It's so amazing to hear testimonies of grandparents and to see their excitement when they talk about the Lord. I love them so much and I love that they love Jesus so much!

5) Happy that I was able to spend a day with a friend I've had since we were 10ish years old. It's amazing how fast time flies--we went from hanging out before/during/after soccer/little league games talking about boys and silly things to spending time walking around Fashion Island, staying at our nice hotel and talking about babies and diapers and husbands.  God you are so good :)

6) Ready for tomorrow! Adventures with my daddy and visiting my aunt and uncle in Malibu.

7) Super excited for this rental SUV I got. It's a fully loaded 2013 Ford Explorer and is LEGIT. I never thought I liked Explorers before...but i'm in love with this one haha


Happy to be seeing family. Blessed to have these loved ones here. Can't wait to continue my vacation tomorrow.

So blessed and thankful. Ephesians 3:20.

-M

Knowing that you are exactly where you need to be.

{{Our Saturday night}}

{{Love these moments}}

Y'all....tonight it hit me. We've lived here for 14 months. We've lived in 2 houses. We've went to 3 churches. We've spent many many many hours praying and asking God to show us why we're here and what to do now that we are here. We've been excited. We've felt defeated. We've felt intimated. We've felt like part of the team.

Tonight, we were standing in worship around a baptism pool and the music started going and people started celebrating the lives that were being changed. It was such a perfect moment. I remember sitting in that auditorium (pretty close to where I was tonight) about 3 months ago...the week the Moore tornado devastated our city. I remember crying with those that lost loved ones and homes. I remember standing with arms stretched out wide giving it up to God and thinking "God...we know you're going to use this as a powerful message and, somehow, light is going to shine." It was emotional. It was surreal. Yet tonight, I cried seeing all the lives being changed with baptism. I cheered with the church/the city. I thought about families being restored. I thought about the hope that is coming back to this city. I witnessed the amazing miracles that God has done during this summer.

We walked out of service and talked to many friends & had dinner with some of them that we met not too long ago..but yet, I feel like we have belonged for a while. We don't feel like the "new guys". We feel like family. We celebrate together. We cry together. We pray together. Travis and I got in the car and looked at each other and you could just tell that behind our huge smiles we were both thinking "God...you are so perfect. Your timing is everything."

Tonight--we thought about our futures here. We thought about our kids growing up in our church. We thought about planting our roots. Ask us 14 months ago...and we would have said 'heck no. not happening. not staying here." shoot...ask us 6 months ago and we probably would have said that also.

That attitude all went back to the amazing adventures and life group that we were blessed by during our couple of years in Houston. We were told we were moving to Oklahoma and honestly...the hardest part about leaving was leaving our life group. Those are our true friends. We're going to be alone in OK. (these were the thoughts crowding our brain the weeks leading up to us moving) It was tough. But we knew (sadly to say...deeeeeepppp down)  that God had His perfect reason for moving us. We knew that He wouldn't leave us. We knew that Ephesians 3:20 was also true in Oklahoma and wherever we were going...He was there. Waiting for us. Anxious to see us carry out His plan for us. So we had hope.

Today--I am so blessed to be a witness of Ephesians 3:20 once again. He has plans for us that are beyond our wildest dreams.

If you're facing any challenges/changes, I encourage you to look ahead. Know that God is already there and He already knows what you're going to go through. Don't hold on to "how it is" and choose to not experience what He could have for you in a new season. Sure, it's hard but just because you have to leave or change something, doesn't mean that those people/experiences have to leave your memories. Take the opportunity to grow. I know that when I moved, I got better at "keeping in touch" because..let's be real...from thousands of miles away (between CA, TX and OK)...'keeping in touch' is a whole 'nother level!

He's ready for you to embrace your new experiences. He places blessings OUT THERE for you to discover when you take yourself out of the 'comfortable' and 'normal' and walk into a change/challenge that He has put in front of you. He overcame death so He can help you overcome whatever you need to!

Take a deep breath and smile...it's gonna be alright ;)
-M

T.G.I.Saturday

I love Saturday's. Today is no exception.

We were up bright and early at 6AM (clearly, we don't know how to sleep in).
Made cinnamon rolls (yep--totally ruined my eating better plan)
Watched an episode of Revenge (ADDICTED!)
Took Valor (our German Shepherd/Boarder collie) on a play date.
Now...getting ready to go the mall & whole foods....and it's not even 9AM yet!

Phew!  We also have church tonight. YAY!

Well...I can't wait to share all the cute things we get at the mall today. We're re-decorating our guest bedroom and decorating our master bedroom (currently...there is NADA on the walls & a serious lack of cute bedding....and that is about to change...hopefully).  Here's to hoping we score some awesome things at the mall! Target really disappointed me last night (I don't think I've ever said that before!) but seriously....I couldn't find anything that I loved.

Have a great Saturday!

{{Flashback to the FREEZING cold Saturday we spent in St. Louis at the Budweiser brewery. I tend not to function at temperatures below 50...and if I remember correctly..it was in the teens this day!}}

Smile,
M

Travis' birthday!

This last weekend was Travis' birthday. We celebrated the best way we could---with awesome friends! He didn't really have any plans and never told me what he actually wanted to do (typical guy...right?!). So, I planned to surprise him at dinner with 15 of our closest friends here (a few of their other-halfs are deployed but at least one of them called in and said happy birthday to Travis! haha). We went to a pizza place around where we live and it was awesome. It's amazing what a few hours with friends does...it's like a fresh breath of air! 

{{Right before we left for dinner.}}

Sunday morning we woke up bright and early and headed off to church! The message was INCREDIBLE! I'll leave you with a token from Sunday's message, "Only God can send the water, but sometimes He wants you to dig a ditch." Check out 2 Kings 3:9-18 for more. It's amazing how once WE show our faith...God will show HIS FAITHFULNESS. BOOM! AWESOME! 

{{Serving with my main squeeze on Sunday}}

{{Yes, I wore that scarf twice in a row}}

We then went to Whole Foods (which is SUPER exciting...like seriously, I love that place). Check out these peppers they had hanging out front! 

{{Obsessed with Whole Foods.}}

This week has been busy at work. I think about blogging all of the time. I really do. Problem is, by the time I get home. Make dinner. Clean up dinner. Feed the dogs. and get ready for the next day...it's shower & bed time. These days just FLY by! 

I love reading up on how everyone is doing. I love seeing God move in your lives and I love sharing what I'm learning and how God is making miracles happen. So, with that, I will just say that I have a notebook that I am now bringing around with me at work just in case that AWESOME idea comes to mind that I just HAVE to blog about that week. This way, I don't forget. I have a reminder. and it keeps me distracted at times when I need some good distractions.

Until next time....smile on and enjoy your blessings! :) 

PSALMS 28:7

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

Planning to plan

Well...my moms 1 week stay with us has concluded and she is currently on an airplane somewhere between the middle of the US and the west coast and I already miss her.

So...what do I do when I'm extremely homesick? I plan. Yep. I even plan to plan. Crazy. but hey, if it works then let's do it. So far I have planned out days 01-15 of the Whole30 challenge that my parents and I are going to start doing together. I have done it a couple of times but they haven't. I figure that if I send them the meal plans, recipes and detailed grocery list...then all they have to do is print it out, buy the food, and stick to it. Sounds like a sweet gig right?! We will see how it works. I really love my parents and I can't wait for them to see how amazing they can feel after 30 (almost-painless...) days of no grains, no dairy and no sugars.

The next plan: my workouts. I have really slacked the past 2 (gasp!) weeks. I took my PT test...kicked butt...then sat on my butt...a lot...for 2 weeks. I feel gross. I hate not working out. I'm (usually) a workout fanatic and I (usually) love it! I know..I know...NO excuses. I have my alarm set for 0500 tomorrow ready for a nice run in the 80 degree moonlight! I have to be at work around 0640 so this is my only time to get an outdoor run in before it turns 100+ degrees out. I also try to do at least 20 push ups every hour on the hour during work.

I'm working on budgeting out a home gym in our garage. I want the full set up. Squat bar, kettle bells, medicine balls, rubber mat, pull up bars, indoor rowing machine....and of course, we can't forget a nice big American flag hanging on the wall as the perfect motivation when I'm face first in the trash can yacking (oh...add trash can to the list). I love CrossFit. I love the workouts. I love the motivation. However, I hate the $$$$$ bill every month to just get in 2 workouts a week. I used to go to CF 5 days a week..and it rocked. Now-a-days, that $$ isn't worth it. I would rather work out 5 days a week...at the crack of dawn..in my own garage....whatever works, right?!

So alas--that's all that is going on around here. Time to get ready to wake up in a few short hours and run my heart out.

-M

The 4th of July

My FAVORITE holiday is The 4th of July. I love the sunshine, BBQ, Family, Friends, Music (lots and lots of country music this year) and good 'ol Patriotic people! The last two 4th of July's my mom has visited us and it is such a treat to be able to spend quality time with her. Her trip this past week started out a little rocky (she was VERY sick) but she was able to get the energy up and play a round of croquet with us in our front yard! Yesterday my mom and I planted flowers in my front yard and it was so much fun. She leaves today so I am going to soak up all the time I have left until I see her again in September. I'll get back to this blogging thing soon. Some exciting things are happening around here and I can't wait to share!

{{My gardening buddy yesterday. Love her.}}

Over & Out,

-M