Where has time gone?

I just realized today is FEBRUARY 21st! Where has all the time gone and do I have anything to show for it?

I've desperately tried to be purposeful this year and have only been mildly satisfied with my progress. I've slowed down in my effort to find my Chazown, which I regret. After our Women's Conference on Saturday, I plan to get back to business. My diet and exercise routine is ridiculously awful and you can read more about that issue at my other site www.cidpandme.blogspot.com. I'm in the process of changing that after finding out I have high cholesterol. Financially, I've done good but not as good as I'd planned.

As in everything, I can do better and I'm making efforts to do just that. I'm so thankful once again that I serve a God of grace. I screw up ALL the time in MANY different ways, not just missing my goals for the year. Despite me, He loves me through it all---good and bad. The best part is---He loves me just because that's who HE is, not because of my successes or failures. What an awesome God!

A Valentine's Day To Remember

I have to be honest here...sometimes when all the kids are home and we're all in one room together, I just want to scream! It's so loud and crazy and there are times when it's torture. (I said I was being honest!)

Last night was quite the opposite! For Valentine's Day, we all prepared dinner together (3 kids, 2 adults in our little kitchen) and ate by candlelight...kids and all! It was so much fun and the kids just loved it. It wasn't a romantic dinner, but it was beautiful just the same. It was our little family in our little corner of the world and it was just a glimpse of heaven on earth. Luka thought it was the most exciting thing we've ever done and DiMarco got the giggles halfway through the evening that just wouldn't stop. Ellen cracked us all up with her fear of flames, which makes absolutely no sense at all because she has three million candles in her room! Chris and I sat across from each other and just smiled at all the glorious chaos! I have the best husband and the best kids anyone could ever ask for. A Valentine's Day to remember!

Three things I love about my family...

Three, no four things I love about my husband:
1. He makes me laugh!
2. He believes in me more than I believe in myself.
3. He is so real. He is who he says he is...he's authentic.
4. He loves Jesus!

Three things I love about Ellen:
1. She loves Jesus!
2. She's spontaneous.
3. Her smile. It's beautiful.

Three things I love about DiMarco:
1. He loves organization!
2. He loves Jesus!
3. His thoughtfulness. He has to be the most thoughtful person I know.

Three things I love about Luka:
1. She loves Jesus!
2. Her hugs.
3. Her loud, unashamed, "I'm me, take me or leave me" laugh!

New Blog

For those of you who haven't already checked it out, please visit my other blog at www.cidpandme.blogspot.com. Visit to find out more about my life with CIDP. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!

Forever Changed

January 8, 1993 was one of the greatest days of my life. Ellen was born into this world and changed my life forever. I thought I'd take a moment to share just a bit of what makes her so special...

LN, you are forever God's girl. You unabashedly share your faith with those around you in such a unique way. Being passionate about outreach at the age of 15 is uncommon and a special calling on your life. You have a presence about you that says, "I'm me! I'm confident and content!" You are incredibly musically gifted and are using these gifts for the glory of God. You are incredibly intelligent and well on your way to an amazing career in whatever you choose. You will be thankful one day for your love of books and your love of writing. It's only a blink of an eye and you'll be all grown up, but one thing I know for sure...My life has been forever changed because God blessed me with you on this day 15 years ago. Happy Birthday, Baby! I love you.

Who Am I? Pt. 2

Yesterday I promised you that my next post would be more positive and I'm delivering on that promise today. Diving into my core values required examining what stirs up a righteous anger within me and what brings me bliss. To be honest with you, examining what brings me bliss was a bit more difficult to put down on paper than what angers me. Hmm...Wonder what that says about me? This list sparks something within me that I can't explain. Anyway, here's what brings me bliss:

1. Just being with Chris and the kids. There's no greater feeling in the world than being Chris' wife and the mom of the three craziest kids in the world!
2. Singing. Actually music, in general, brings me bliss and fills a place deep within me. Sounds cliche, but I actually "long" for music.
3. Writing and performing monologues. It's almost like preaching, only I get to pretend to be someone else! I can spend hours writing. I just get lost in it.
4. Creatively planning an event or a service to draw others nearer to Christ. What a humbling, yet exciting opportunity.
5. Seeing someone connect with God for the first time. Seeing the look in their eyes when they realize that Christ loves them and wants a relationship with them.
6. Helping someone make a connection (an introduction, a ministry opportunity, a small group, a volunteer opportunity, etc.) at church.
7. Seeing someone take the next step on their spiritual journey.

What brings you bliss?

Who Am I?

One of my goals for 2008 is to be purposeful and in the middle of God's will for my life. I want to be intentional in everything I do and part of that is knowing who God has designed me to be. If I want to know His purpose for my life, I need to know how He has designed me. By the way, if you haven't read Chazown, by Craig Groeschel, run out NOWWWWWWW and get it! It's on my Greatest Books I've Ever Read List and I think you'll enjoy it too. Craig says that to find your core values, start by making a list of what angers you. What stirs up a righteous anger within you, not just a pet peeve or an irritation. Here's some of what I've found (after much soul searching) stirs up a righteous anger within me:

1. When the "church" focuses on itself and not the lost. When worship services are designed to make Christians comfortable and fed...this is a huge one for me!
2. Hypocrisy, on any level. Dishonesty goes with this one.
3. Plastic people.
4. Aimlessness/unintentionality...is that a word?
5. Rambling discussions...okay, that's just a pet peeve, so it doesn't count!
5. When Christians are more interested in being self-righteous and "holier than thou" than in really reaching the world around them. For example, it gets me when we draw attention to movies that we think are "atheistic" in nature. Do we not realize that, as a group, we're calling more attention to these movies through our public protest? Or when we say we can't go to a certain establishment because "Christians" don't go there. Hello! Where are the lost?
6. When traditions (the way we did it last year, the way we've always done it) becomes more sacred than Scripture!
7. Doing things halfway. You know, not your best, not your first fruits, just your leftovers.

That's all I'll share for now because I sound like Spongebob Angry Pants! I promise my next post will be more positive! I'll even share what brings me bliss!

Happy New Year!