Worship

Everyone has their own worship style.

Some through study. Others through nature. And still others through serving.

Me?

It's all about music for me.

My hubby & I were having a conversation the other day about worship. Why do we worship? Is it to gain favor with God or because we are afraid of Him?

We are called to worship God simply because he is God. Holy, powerful, majestic. He gives us life each day we wake up. We are surrounded by His love through nature. He knows every hair on our head (or lack thereof). He created  us in our mother's womb & has great plans for us.

I feel closest to God when I am listening to music. The old hymns are good... but I LOVE the songs that just cry out to God. You can hear the desperation, the brokenness of the song writer. I can identify with that dark place. The anguish. The pleading. Those songs are always a reminder of His faithfulness. How when we feel our lowest, He is right there with us, carrying us. He doesn't walk beside us. He picks us up. We can lean on His shoulder. Take comfort and rest knowing that we aren't alone. An opportunity to lift my hands in TOTAL surrender to Him and His will.

I also love the fast paced, all out worship songs. The ones that just praise His Holy Name. To me, they are thank yous for His faithfulness. They are a celebration of His power & love. It's an outpouring of love for my Heavenly Father and all that He has done for me. Another way for me to say THANK YOU!

So... what's your worship style?

Many blessings,

I survived!!!

Last night was family photo night.

I'll be honest. I was nervous. I wasn't feeling beautiful. But I knew it was very important to my MIL, so I put on my happy face and went along for the ride.

The photographer was great! Very friendly. Very down to earth. He had a way of putting people at ease. Even toward the end of the session, when Slugger was getting cranky & irritable, this guy just kept going. He knew how coax just 'one more' picture.

After looking at the pictures, I can say I really am happy that I went along with it. I feel beautiful. I will definitely be proudly displaying a LOT of these pictures in my home when we get back. I can't wait to make copies!

Judge for yourself.

Many blessings,

Being honest with you

So... vacation is just around the corner. Literally, just 2 days away. Most people would be counting down the hours. Songbird & Slugger definitely are.

Don't get me wrong. It's not that I don't want the time off with my family. Oh, I do! My crazy overtime work  schedule has given us little time together this summer. It's not that I'm not looking forward to the time with my  in-laws. I am. We usually see them once a year. Instead of them coming to us, we are meeting them for a week at the beach. Even my brother-in-law & his family will be there. We certainly don't see them enough. Maybe once every 3-4 years when we go to NJ.

No.. that's not what has me freaking out about vacation. Nope. It's me.

MIL had a great idea of having family pictures done on the beach. Everyone wearing the same colors - white tops & denim bottoms). Yeah. I don't wear white. Ever since I grew boobs & had to start wearing a bra, I've tried to avoid white. Even when I was super skinny in high school/college. I was a tomboy. Didn't want the guys to see that I wore a bra. Stupid - I know. But still.

Now that I'm a LOT heavier than I was in high school/college, I avoid white because it's not usually a very flattering color for a plus size girl. Even my wedding dress wasn't truly white. So you can imagine my horror when I was told we needed to wear a white shirt. I don't even own a white shirt. Actually, none of my family does - because we're fairly messy eaters.

Yesterday we went shopping. It was my only day off this week. I was NOT looking forward to trying to white shirts. Little did I know I was in for an even BIGGER surprise.

I caught a glimpse of myself in a full length mirror. We don't own any in our home. I'm content with viewing myself from the waist up. If I want to see my lower half, I just look down. Yeah... now I know WHY we don't have any full length mirrors.

I am large. Certainly not the image I had of myself in my mind. The only word that keeps coming to my mind is body dysmorphic disorder. I know I do not have that... I just have an unrealistic picture of myself in my mind. I still think I look like how I did in my wedding pictures - which was 100 pounds lighter.

Then we went shopping for shorts - because white shirts weren't enough. Yeah... My legs don't look as nice as I thought they did. I mean, I am 5'11". Not a short woman. But my legs - I swear I was a short, fat little person. My legs didn't belong on my body. No. They should have belonged to my grandmother when she was alive & overweight.

The only saving grace for the day was finding new bras. It's amazing how a new bra can boost your confidence. Not that I'm suddenly looking forward to wearing that white shirt in the family pictures. But at least my boobs will look perky.

So, I am trying to go into this vacation with a positive attitude. I am positive that I am going to enjoy the time with my family without any interruptions from work. They can call all they want... I won't be answering. Instead, I'm going to have a fun date night my my beloved, The Mayor. I plan on taking a ton of pictures of my beautiful family. I certainly plan on sitting poolside,well, sitting IN the pool and relaxing. Maybe even venture into the ocean. Though don't hold your breath.

Thanks for letting me ramble on.

Many blessings,