Dream Big

Like many of you, I've been working on my goals for 2008. I came across this prayer by Sir Francis Drake and wanted to share it with you. I hope you dream big for the coming year!

"Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves. When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little. When we arrive safely because we have sailed too close to the shore. Disturb us, Lord."

Website

Believe it or not, I FINALLY got my website up and running! It's only the first page, but it's a "work in progress",just like me! Check out www.kristenreyna.com when you get a chance. (Thanks to Alene for encouraging me to get this done.)

So many of you were praying for Alex, my aunt's husband who was in Iraq and I wanted to give you an update on him. Alex is now home and in LA with Lynette where they're beginning a new life together. Thank you so very much for your prayers for his safety and for strength for Lynette while he was gone. Praise God for keeping him safe and bringing him home safely to his adoring wife. Welcome home Alex! We're so proud, honored, and thankful for your service on our behalf!

Have a great week everyone!

Wow! It's been awhile since I've posted, but I've been busy trying to "declutter" my life. I don't think I've been successful in my attempt, but I'm a work in progress. Does anyone else get in this "mood" just before the holidays? It's like I can't go through the holidays without readjusting my priorities and decluttering my life beforehand. Like I said, I don't feel all that successful, but I've made some progress. I've let some things go that shouldn't have been part of my routine anyway. I'm also learning to say no to things that aren't worthy of the stress they cause. Here are a few of the questions I've been asking myself lately:

* Will this deepen my relationship with Jesus Christ?
* Do I feel the call of God in this situation?
* Does it enrich my marriage or benefit Chris?
* Does it enrich my relationship with my children?
* Is it healthy?
* Is it beneficial to achieving my goals?

Let me know what works for you in keeping your priorities where they should be and keeping your life "clutter" free.

The Blessing of Friendship

I'm having one of those moments...you know, one of those moments where all is right in the world...life is good. My husband, Chris and our fourteen year old (Ellen) are on a scavenger hunt with the student ministry at Christ Point Church. I'm relaxing at the computer and all I hear in the background is the sound of laughter. I hear Luka (my 6 yr. old) playing with her nearest and dearest friend, Kaleigh. They're playing pretend in Luka's room and I can hear them just getting the biggest kick out of each other! In the other direction, I hear DiMarco and Paige (another near and dear friend!) just laughing away while they play Xbox. What could be better than lifelong friends who know you like a sibling? Things aren't always this serene at our house. In fact, many are the moments when I could just pull my hair out! Right now though, I'm just enjoying the moment. I'm enjoying hearing my kids and their friends treat each other with such kindness. Today, I'm thankful for the blessing of friendship in the lives of my kids. We are so thankful for the Morris girls...so thankful indeed.

My fifth toe

Luka and I were headed to Target the other day and she was talking non-stop (as usual!) I hate to admit it, but I was just barely listening to her. I've never heard anyone talk as much as she does and I just wonder where she gets it! Anyway, I was lost in my own thoughts as she just chatted up a storm. Until I heard this line..."I have a beautiful nail on my fifth toe." Immediately I was tuned in to her incessant conversation, wondering what in the world she was referring to. You have to understand that Luka is a girly girl. She likes her hands to be clean, not sticky. Her favorite color is pink and if something sparkles, well that's just a beautiful thing! Long nails are a beautiful thing in her world. Obviously, one of her toenails was pleasing to her and looked beautiful in her "flippies", as she calls her sandals. The "fifth toe" thing was what I found interesting and asked her what that meant. Was that her "big" toe... her "pinky" toe...exactly what did she mean? She proceeded to say that I was ridiculous in guessing that it could be her big toe or her pinky toe. Her big toe was her first toe, then came her second toe, then her third toe, then her FIFTH toe, and lastly her FOURTH toe. She was adamant when I corrected her that I was taught the wrong way and it didn't go in the same orders as numbers do. This made me think about how much importance (as adults) we put on what "place" we're in. We worry about driving the "first place" car, living in the "first place" house, having the "first place" furniture, and all the while, putting what should be "first", "last". My prayer is that we all put God in "first", our sweet hubbies "second", and our adorable chatty kathys "third".

I finally did it!

Well, I finally did it! I've had good intentions about starting this blog for awhile now and I finally had the opportunity to do it. Actually, I couldn't sleep so I thought I would get some work done! I hope to share my thoughts (however dorky they may be!) and stories about my journey with you, but I truly hope you'll share your thoughts and stories with me! I'd love to hear from you. By the way, I sure hope I'm doing this blogging thing right. I'm sort of computer challenged, not ignorant, just challenged! Let me know if you have any suggestions as to how to do this better! So here we go!!!