This Season of Life

I've heard people talk about the different seasons of their lives. I've been thinking about that lately. I have to admit I only remember older people talking about the seasons of their lives. I don't think you recognize seasons when you are young, at least not any other than spring, summer, fall, & winter. Maybe the seasons of life are something you look back on.

Even the Bible says there are seasons, a time for everything.

"There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace. "
Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

I know that Andrew and I are in a season. It's a season that requires us to spend a lot of time apart. Right now he has to be gone two weeks out of the month every month until the end of the year. It's a time when I am completely busy with school. I gave up my prep recently and now teach 7 classes a day without a break other than lunch.

But it's just a season.

I have to say that in a way, I'm loving this season. Through it, I'm watching my marriage grow stronger every day. When you only have two weeks together each month, you want to make the most of time. We don't argue over silly things like where or what to eat. I find that we are both a lot less selfish in this season. We both seem to be very focused on each other and what the other one needs instead of our own needs. We laugh, we talk, and we just have fun together.

Not that our marriage was in the pits before, but it is just so much sweeter now. It is one of those things that I can't really put into words. I just so LOVE our time together lately, more than I ever have.

In fact our marriage is so much sweeter now, that I'm finding myself thankful that the Lord hasn't seen fit to give us children yet. When I look at what we would have brought our children into as opposed to what we will bring them into... I choose the future every time.

Sunday I jokingly said to Andrew it shouldn't matter to him if we have kids now because he is never home anyway. He just looked at me and said, "Exactly! I want to be home when we have kids."

Um wow....how has it never dawned on me that I would be alone more often than not with our child if we had one now. Thank you Jesus for knowing better than I do.

This little epiphany was intensified last night. I was grading a HUGE stack of papers. In fact I graded from 5:30 to 9:00 nonstop last night and didn't finish, but that's beside the point. Liam, being the easy dog that he is, was asleep and oblivious to the world. Liberty, though, was by my side crying because I wasn't paying any attention to her. She wanted to play fetch, but I didn't have the time. I can ignore my dog fairly easy and with only a small amount of guilt. But I just sat there thinking...what if I had a baby right now? Andrew is gone. I had a TON of stuff to do. And if I had a baby to take care of..... I would probably have lost it.

Again...God's ways are higher than my ways. For that I'm so thankful.


So we're in this season... a season of time apart, long hours, and no babies.

A season that I'm enjoying.... a season that I'm thankful for.... a season God knows we needed....a season that is making us stronger as husband and wife....a season that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Be ready to give an answer

I have three girls that come into my room during my planning period. One is my aid and the other two just sort of show up and help out. We have some very interesting coversations during this time. They like to keep me up to date on who is dating who at school and that kind of things.

Today they are in my room when one goes to get a book out of her bag. She says to the others, "Look what I'm reading!" I look up and notice she has a Bible in her hand. This shocks me because it is a little out of character for her. I ask why she is reading the Bible today and she tells me they told them at church they should start reading their Bible every day. The girls start talking about when they read and where they are reading.

Somehow the conversation turns to the world coming to an end. The one reading her Bible says she is afraid. I said I wasn't I was ready to go. She confesses that she is scared and a little upset because she hasn't had time to live her life and everyone is telling her the world will end in 2012. I assure her that they don't know. They said that about 2011 and they were wrong then. She says,"What if they are right this time?" I told her the Bible says no one knows the day or the hour. Not even the angels in Heaven. We looked up that verse and she read it several times before saying she felt better. She said she knew she wasn't supposed to write in her Bible, but she really wanted to highlight that verse. I told her she could write in her Bible..there's nothing wrong with that.


So we talk about a few stories in the Bible and she brings the conversation back to Jesus coming back and why I'm so ready for that. I told her I knew I where I was going because I was saved so I was ready for Jesus' return. They asked me what I meant by saved. I explained that I believed that Jesus is the Son of God born the virgin Mary. He died on the cross for my sins and three days later rose from the grave. I told them I wanted Jesus to be the Lord of my life and that I had a personal relationship with Him. This conversation led to Baptism.

I don't know that they are saved, but they all said they believed what I believed about Jesus. I've been smiling all day because of the opportunity Jesus gave me today. I've also been praying for these three girls. I know that if they were on fire for Jesus, their circle of influence is HUGE!!

I love that I teach in a school where I can have this conversation and not worry about the consequences. I would have had it anyways, but it is nice to know that I can have this kind of relationship with my students.

I pray that God will use me to continue to share with the young girls.

Randomness Part One

I have so many blogs floating around in my head, but when I sit down to write them out nothing happens. Nothing at all. I can't even manage to put a sentence together. Most of the post in my head are too short but together are too long so I thought I put a few together at a time.



Our Weekend....Friday night we went out to eat with The Winburns, some great friends of ours. We had a really good time. We came back to the house after enjoying some Casa Mexicana. The boys played guitars and we girls just sit and talked...we had a really good conversation. After the Winburns left, the husband and I watched The Bounty Hunter with Jennifer Anniston. I don't recommend it. It wasn't really bad, but it wasn't good either.

Saturday we got all geared up to watch our #10 Hogs take on #1 Bama. It was great for the first three quarters. Why is it that Arkansas always seems to give the game away in the fourth quarter?? Why haven't we figured this out and done something about it already? So frustrating.... Oh well...for the most part we played a good game.

Sunday was church and working on my scrapbook room. The desk is completely finished and installed. We bought a new rug for the room and I began to put things away. The husband built an addition. More on this later. I promise.


We have lots of birthdays coming up. I've been shopping for the perfect presents for my nieces and nephews. Over the next three months, we have a niece who will turn two, two nieces who will turn one, and a nephew that will turn three. I absolutely love being an aunt!! Any ideas on what to buy for these youngsters? I'm clueless!

Thursday night I'm going to "A Night with the Chapmans" featuring Steven Curtis, his wife Mary Beth, and their son Caleb. I am so excited. I only wish the husband was going with me. But alas, he is out of town again. The story of my life lately. More on this later too!

Wordless Wednesday

Happy Birthday

Today is my mother-in-law's birthday. I just have to say that God blessed me with the best in-laws that anyone could ever ask for. Momma Weaver is definitely the next best thing to my own Momma. :) There have been plenty of times when I couldn't physically get to my mother that my mother-in-law has been there for me.

Prime example...the first Christmas married to Andrew. It snowed and I couldn't get home to my family for Christmas. I wasn't happy. It wasn't that I didn't want to be with his family, I just wanted to be with mine. His mom completely understood. She just loved on me and let me cry.

She is a sweet godly woman. She is very wise in my opinion. I love you bunches Momma Weaver!!!

A Morning Must

A cup of coffee.

A coke.

A glass of milk.

Many people have their "morning must". My mom has two. Sometimes she has a cold glass a milk...so cold she puts ice in it, which I find strange, but to each their own. And sometimes it is a diet coke.

I never really had a morning must until lately. If you know me at all, you know that I'm an EXTREMELY picky eaters. Vegetables and fruits...not exactly in my diet. In my world, mac-and-cheese totally counts as a veggie. Doesn't it in yours?

The husband is always trying to get me to "eat like an adult". :) He tells me that when I become pregnant with child someday I will have to eat "real foods"....all his words, not mine.

A couple of months ago, he convinced me to try V8 fusion. I bought two kinds to try.

Pomegranate Blueberry
and Strawberry Banana


I wasn't really crazy about the pomegranate blueberry...a bit much for me.

But I love the Strawberry Banana. Now I have one every morning on my way to work. I get a full serving of vegetables and a full serving of fruits every morning before 8AM. It amazing!!

What's your morning must?

Happy Birthday

Today is my father-in-law's birthday! He is a man that is admired by many. He is a godly man and a loving man.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY WEAVER!!! We love you!

Beautiful

God cares about the little things in our lives. He truly cares about us and our feelings. He is a loving God!

In my last post, I mentioned that I've been struggling with some body image issues. Today I was blessed to be able to have dinner with my sweet sister-in-law, Jill and her daughter, Amelia. As we running errands before dinner, the conversation turned to self-image and knowing where to find your worth as a young woman. We weren't talking about me, in fact, I'm not sure that Jill has even read that post. We were talking about two young ladies in our lives that we are concerned about. They too are struggling.

This conversation reminded me that true beauty isn't found on the outside, but on the inside. Our worth doesn't come from how others see us, but how our Heavenly Father sees us. And He loves us and finds us to be his most beautiful creation. We are made in His image.

I love that my God loves me enough to remind me that I'm beautiful to him.

"So God created human beings in his own image.In the image of God he created them;male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

Monday Musings

God blessed me with another wonderful weekend. He knows I need these weekends to get through my weeks.

Saturday we had a wedding to go to. My dear friend Slack married a sweet guy, Will. I am so happy for the two of them. They have such a beautiful friendship with one another. The wedding was absolutely beautiful, as was the bride. I snapped a few pictures to share with you, but to be honest I just don't have it in me to get them off my camera today.

Sunday we went to Fellowship Bible Church. I really enjoyed the music, but was let down with the preaching. It seems to be that way every where we go. Either the music is great or the preaching is great...never feel that way about both. Fellowship offers several different styles of services so I think we will go back and check them all out.

We also spent the weekend working on my desk and scrapbook room. It is really coming together. I will show you pictures of that later too.

I'm really feeling deflated today. I've been struggling with some body image issues lately. Let's just say I have not exactly felt pretty the past few days. I don't really want to go into details, but it is something I covet your prayers about. Andrew has been the sweetest husband. He has tried his best to let me know he thinks I'm beautiful. And while I'm not seeing it right now, I believe he does.

Today I'm just feeling a desire to curl up and spend time with my Lord. I need Him! In fact that is exactly what I plan to do tonight.

Still

Fall Is In The Air

I'm loving the weather we are having this week. It has been much cooler. Unfortunately it has rained every day this week. I've definitely been praising God for the rain because we needed it, but it is getting in the way of my plans. I wanted to mow the yard for the husband this week. No big loss there. :) But I haven't been able to go outside and paint my doors and drawers for my desk either.

Even though as a science teacher I know the autumnal equinox, a.k.a, fall, doesn't arrive for another couple of weeks, in my opinion it has arrived. The Hogs have played and the weather is cooling down. What more do you need to know that fall is here?

This cooler rainy weather makes me lazy though. I don't want to do anything but curl up in my new chair with a good book. It doesn't help that I come home from work exhausted every day. These 7th graders are wearing me out!

I haven't gotten around to putting out my fall decor around the house, so I thought I would do the next best thing. Give the old blog a makeover.

I love the owl and tree. Owls are my new favorite thing! I'm not sure what my obsession is with them, but I definitely love all things owl right now.

The husband will be home tomorrow night. I'm more than ready. Having the perfect weekend only makes me miss him even more when he goes. We have a wedding Saturday that I'm praying won't get rained on and then we are taking it easy. The husband will leave again Wednesday for South Carolina. Even though I will miss him, I'm so excited he is taking this trip. It is pleasure not business. He is going to a conference with his brother and uncle. I'm praying God moves big time through this conference in the lives of all the men attending.

The Perfect Weekend A.K.A. The Longest Post

This weekend has been the best one I've had in a long time. The husband got home Friday night. We ran and grabbed some dinner and then spent what was left of the evening in bed watching 12 Angry Men.

Saturday morning we slept in. I ran a few errands once I was up and dressed for the day. I headed to Mardel because I wanted to pick up a copy of Mary Beth Chapman's book, "Choosing to See" I didn't find this book, but I did find one that I cannot wait to read.

This is the true story of a little girl named Audrey. It is written by Angie Smith, the wife of Todd, lead singer for the Christian group Selah. Angie carried her daughter Audry to term after being told that Audrey would never survive.

I know this is going to be a book that breaks my heart and has me in tears, but I just felt drawn to this story.

Anyways... I also picked up a stocking stuffer for the husband while I was out and about. I tell myself every year that I'm going to get all my Christmas shopping done early, yet every year I'm still shopping right before Christmas.

When I got back from my errands Saturday morning I worked on some school stuff while Andrew worked on his guitar project. It was such a beautiful day outside though that I couldn't stand to just sit inside the house all day. Off we went...we didn't have a destination when we got in the car other than to get out of the house.

The husband suggested Ashley's, a local furniture store. We looked around there for awhile and found some dining chairs that I loved. Sadly, we left without them. Our next stop was Target. We strolled around while eating some popcorn, which is all we bought while we there. :) On the way home, we stopped at Furniture Factory Outlet, a store that sales overstock furniture from other places. Typically we are in and out of there in five minutes. Saturday, however, we stumbled across a chair and half that folds out into a twin bed. We've been talking about something for my scrapbook room for awhile. This gives me a good comfy reading chair as well as a place for visitors to sleep.




Saturday night was GAME TIME! Hogs kicked off for the first time this year. We rented it on PPV and I suddenly truly learned the difference between Standard definition and HD.

We enjoyed the game. We ate game day food, nachos, and some of us wore our Hog gear.







Hogs won 44-3!!!

Sunday morning we got up and got ready for church. The husband decided we would drive to Hot Springs and visit Church at Crossgate. WOW! We both LOVED the service. Andrew found some flaws in the music, but that is my musician of a husband. :) It isn't a short drive, but it was a great service. I hope we visit there again. I left feeling renewed.

Being in Hot Springs, the husband treated me to one of my favorites...Dairy Queen. We got it to go and parked outside of Oaklawn. After we ate our lunch we decided to go in and watch some simulcast races. I've never been to the horse track before. We bet on a couple of horses and lost. I have no idea how to pick out a horse! But we had fun.

We spent Sunday night cleaning my room and bringing in my chair. We didn't pick up Saturday when we bought it. It wouldn't exactly fit in the husband's camry.

Monday brought a spur of the moment road trip to Batesville. Andrew found an amp on Craigslist that he wanted. We drove up and had lunch with my fam and then met the amp's owner at river front park. It a was beautiful day. We walked around for a bit and enjoyed the weather and each other's company.


We spent Monday night spray painting my scrapbook desk. We got the boxes painted and moved into my room. I'm so excited. I'm going to finish painting the doors and drawer boxes this week while Andrew is out of town. I also need to pick out the countertop. It should be all finished very soon.

It truly was the perfect weekend. Nothing all that out of the ordinary. Just good quality time with my husband.

not a real title for not a real post

To tired to put together a real post...

* It was a LONG DAY!! I'm feeling very frustrated with my students and myself. I hate feeling this way. I'm really looking forward to the long weekend. If you think of me say a prayer for me and my students. We could use it.

* No big plans for the weekend. The husband will home from TX just for the weekend so we will be relaxing and just enjoying our time together. Our only big plans are to sit back, eat good food, and watch the HOGS WIN!!

* I have several post written in my head, but when I pull out my laptop to write them down, they seem to disappear.

* I have recently discovered hulu.com and now spend all my time watching episodes of Major Dad. LOVE IT! Growing up, this was a special treat. It was the only TV show I remember watching that wasn't on Channel 8, which was the only channel we got.
When I make it through all the episodes of Major Dad, I plan to start on The Facts of Life or Doogie Howser. Can't decide. I wish I could find Just the Ten of Us. I loved that show. Anyone else that watched that one?

* I went to the foot doctor yesterday. I can now wear whatever shoes I want and get back to all that exercising I've been missing (please sense the sarcasm).

And just because my last few posts have been without pictures...


It's a few years old, but still one of my favorites.