A Life of Gratitude

This morning my family drove to Hoboken, New Jersey to take the train into New York City. While we were in Hoboken we were able to make a stop at Carlos’ Bakery. For those of you who aren’t familiar with TLC’s show “Cake Boss,” Carlos’ Bakery is the home of Buddy Valasquez and his family. They have an Italian bakery that has become a tourist attraction in Hoboken. Buddy is the “Cake Boss” because of the elaborate cakes he makes and decorates on the TLC show. I absolutely love this show! Several years ago I was inspired to start making cakes because of this show. Now, I bake and decorate several cakes per month and it was all inspired by the “Cake Boss!” We're here!!!! Hoboken, NJ!!! Me, Dylan, Evan, my mother in love-Cheryl, sister in love-Darcie  and sweet nephew Levi Me and the hubs, outside of Carlos Bakery! The stars of Cake Boss... Don't these look yummy?  We got a hole bag of treats to take home! Usually there is a REALLY long line outsi

I absolutely love reading all the posts on Facebook on Thanksgiving. I enjoy taking the time to read each post because I really like seeing what all of my friends are thankful for. Honestly, this is the only day I see positive, grateful posts by many of my friends. It seems like most people have a lot more to complain about than they have to be happy about. Its sad really, in our world, we have an abundance of things to be thankful for but we don't always recognize it. So seeing all these messages of gratitude today has been very refreshing.  Most people are thankful for their families, some are thankful for food or living arrangements, a few are thankful for their faith, one or two are thankful for new additions to their families, some are grateful for their jobs, and a couple are thankful for their pets. I can't help but wonder, to whom are grateful for these things?  Does the average person truly understand that God is the giver of all these amazing gifts...the simp

My little family traveled almost 10 hours to Pennsylvania today. It was supposed to be an 8 hour trip but because of the weather and traffic, it took 2 hours longer than planned. Believe it or not, our 5 year old and 2 year old were little angels. They watched movies and napped and never really complained or whined. It was actually a very enjoyable trip. After the busy weekend we had packing and moving, it was nice to just sit still for almost an entire day.  As we were driving along, I had a lot of time to think, especially while Bryan was resting. There was standstill traffic and I was watching the folks in neighboring cars. It was apparent that some of them were unhappy about how slow the cars were moving. I could tell that many of them were complaining and it made my mind wander back through out the day and even the past week. How many times do I hear someone complain within a day? How many times do I complain in a week? How often is my mind cluttered with my own complaints or

Oh where do I even start? Today has been so full of God's blessings, my heart is overflowing with gladness! This morning as Bryan and I were packing up the van, we turned to look at our little house. The tears just started to flow from my eyes. I couldn't believe this day had finally arrived....moving day, that is! On one of the many trips out to the van, I saw one of our neighbors. She came over to tell us goodbye and the two of us started boo-hooing! As we hugged, she told me something that will forever change my life. She said, "if it weren't for you sharing your faith, I would have never found my way back to Jesus." Even as I type those words, I am in awe of God's timing and His ability to use mere people. I only met this neighbor a little over a year ago. If our house had sold when we first put it on the market, I would have never met her.  I cannot even express how grateful I am that God used me to point my neighbor to Jesus. It makes waiting for

Tonight is our last night in our "old" house. Tomorrow we will be moving out of our sweet little house on Carlisle Way. This house has been such a blessing to us over the years. Bryan and I spent our first night in this house on our 1 year wedding anniversary. Three years later, we were in this house when we found out that we'd be having our first baby. And then three years after that, we found out we'd be adding another son to the bunch. Both of our babies took their first steps in this house, celebrated their first Christmas and first birthday here and have become best friends in this house. As excited as I am to move out and move on, there have a been a few sentimental tears as I've packed. We have so many wonderful memories in this house.  God is so involved in our lives. Not only has He blessed us with so many amazing memories in this house and allowed our home to sell at just the right time but He also provided one last special memory on our last night

This morning during my quiet time I was reading Proverbs 20 when verse 24 popped off of the page for me. It says, "The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?" (NLT)  Maybe its just me but for some reason, I always want to understand everything! But, the Bible clearly says that there is no point. I'm just not going to understand God's ways.  I am comforted by the promise that the Lord directs our steps. Not only does He direct and guide me but He is also continually directing the steps of others, even if they don't know Him. Lately it seems like I am constantly waiting on someone to do their job. We only have three business days until we close on our house and the appraiser hasn't come yet. We've also had to send paperwork to my doctor's office 3 different times because it was filled out incorrectly. I guess you could say I'm just ready for folks to do their jobs correctly and in a timely manner. It can be so

Last night Bryan and I celebrated my birthday. Yes, my birthday was in September but my sweet husband gave me tickets to see Hillsong United in concert! So last night, we not only spent the evening together, just the two of us, but we also got to enjoy an incredible night of worship! The Greensboro Coliseum was absolutely packed. It was amazing! I honestly think that nights of worship like this one give us a glimpse of what Heaven will be like. The concert wasn't over until 10:30 but I could have stayed there 10 more hours, at least. I never get tired of worshiping my Savior!  Today I am thankful that my husband knows me so well. Seeing Hillsong (or any other Christian band) in concert is the perfect gift for me! Bryan couldn't have given me a better birthday present! I love that I am married to a man that stands beside me and worships Yahweh boldly. We sing together, we worship together, and we run this "race of life" together. What a blessing! I

Praise the  Lord,  Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, praise him with timbrel and dancing , praise him with the strings  and pipe, praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything  that has breath praise the  Lord.  Praise the  Lord . Psalm 150 Each Sunday morning I help in Upstreet which is a worship time for elementary students. There are several adult singers that lead worship and a large group of 4th and 5th graders that make up the Praise Team. The Praise Team worships the Lord through dance. I have the honor of helping this team each Wednesday and Sunday morning. It is so much fun to dance with these students. I love watching them praise the Lord!  Every Sunday, as the Praise Team leads worship, I notice a first grader near the front row.

Our little house is only our little house for 10 more days!! Hallelujah!!! And...our little house is covered in boxes and tape and newspapers. As overwhelming as it is to pack up an entire house, I am incredibly excited about this experience. I don't think I'm the only one either! Dylan and Evan have been my little packing buddies all week. It is so cute to watch them help! Last week at this time I had no idea where in the world I would find enough boxes to pack up our entire house. God has truly provided. I have had so many friends offer to donate boxes, paper, and even bubble wrap. In fact, I had to turn some boxes down this evening because I don't have enough room for them all. Bryan and I were also worried about finding a storage unit for a price that fit our budget. Well, a couple of days ago, Bryan came across a unit that was running a special for only $16 for the first month! That is unheard of! God provided the perfect unit, for the perfect price. He continues

These have to be the cutest, silliest, most lovable little boys in the world! Things are a little crazy around our house these days. We have the normal hustle and bustle of every day life along with the added pressure of packing our entire home and moving out of our house in eleven days! Yay and Yikes...all in the same breath! This evening, I took a break from all the stuff I need to do and played. My husband encourages me to play more and I really should listen to him. Those moments of play with my precious boys were good for my soul. They are so full of love and life and laughter. Its contagious, really! After we played, I sat in the bathroom with my boys as they took a bath. As I was watching them play I was amazed by their big personalities! They are so different yet so alike. They splashed and yelled and made funny faces. I smiled and whispered prayers of gratitude for these exquisite little guys. Oh, God has been so good to me! Today I am thankful for a few moments

Dylan has been excited about packing shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child for weeks now. We were originally going to pack 2 boxes but he insisted on doing at least 3. So, this week, we packed 3 shoe boxes full of goodies for boys and girls that are less fortunate. I love sharing this ministry opportunity with Dylan because he is able to focus on giving instead of receiving. He has helped me pack boxes in past years but this time, he basically did it all by himself. It has really become his little project! He picked the gender and ages, glued on the labels, marked the correct boxes, helped pick out all the items to go inside the boxes, packed the boxes, and wrote a letter to go inside. He was so proud of the final product. We prayed together for the sweet children that will receive these gifts and this morning, Dylan dropped off his boxes at church. Labeling the boxes Stuffing the boxes with goodies "I love you and Jesus and God love you too!" Writing the

After 2 and 1/2 years, our house is finally under contract! I have to say, I was beginning to wonder when it would ever happen! My God is so faithful! At just the right time, He came through for us!  Today I am thankful that our house will have a new owner soon! Its so surreal. I can't believe we'll actually be packing up in a few days. I am also grateful that God's timing is so perfect. He has had a plan all along. This is just the right home for the new owner and soon we'll find the perfect new home for our little family! Knowing that God has good plans for us is such a sweet blessing! I am also thankful for answered prayer. We've been praying for this house to sell for over 900 days! It took a while but God answered, in His time! I don't think I could be more excited about that red "under contract" sign but you know, this wouldn't feel nearly special if we hadn't had to wait so long. I guess sometimes the suffering, the waiting, a

If you had told me a year ago that I would be a contributing author in a Christian magazine, I probably would have chuckled. But, guess what?? Even though it seems entirely ridiculous that He would choose me, God is allowing me to tell of His goodness in Spark Magazine! After writing an article about Dylan's Diaper Doozie in the September issue of Spark Magazine, I was asked to be a contributing author in every issue! I cannot even express my excitement! Check out my first "official" article in the November issue. http://www.sparktriad.com/2013/11/05/seeking-the-giver-more-than-gifts Today I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to be a part of Spark Magazine. I honestly cannot believe that God is using me in this way. I am humbled and shocked and thrilled, all at the same time. I am also thankful that God fills me with the words to write. I've never been a writer really. In fact, I'm not sure where this "talent" came from...it

Many of you have been praying for American pastor Saeed Abedini, who was imprisoned over a year ago because of his faith. Well, yesterday, things got much worse for Pastor Saeed. He was moved suddenly, and for no apparent reason, to another prison in Iran. This prison houses violent criminals and is known for "disappearing" prisoners. Apparently, the prisoners just take matters into their own hands. Pastor Saeed is in desperate need of prayer. His family needs our prayers as well. I cannot imagine what his wife and children must be going through right now.  I keep up with "Pray for Pastor Saeed" on Facebook and today I saw the following post by Pastor Saeed's wife: "Today I heard the news that the new converts in Evin prison are carrying the torch and continuing to do what Saeed was doing. They are heart broken that they have lost their pastor, but they have become more passionate to share the Gospel in the prison.  I am in tears knowing the seeds

"Make a joyful noise to the  Lord , all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises!" Psalm 98:4 I've been noticing that a lot of my Facebook friends have begun sharing one thing each day that they are thankful for. It has become somewhat of a Facebook tradition during the month of November. As I see each of these posts, my heart smiles because it was 3 years ago, on November 1, that I began my journey of thankfulness. In November of 2010 I posted one thing each day that I was thankful for. I remember, when I started, someone asking me if I could really think of 30 things I was thankful for. I took that as a challenge. 30 days later, I still had tons of things that I was thankful for, so I decided to start a blog. I called the blog, "A Year of Gratitude." Every day, beginning on January 1, 2011, I shared at least one thing I was grateful for. After that year, I realized that gratitude had changed my life. Constantly searching for things to be g