Steady My Heart

This is where I’ve been…Ever had one of those weeks?!

I’ve had many things on my mind lately and have been clinging to the promises that the Lord gives us in His word.  Sometimes the game of life is a rough road to travel. I’m so thankful that I am able to put my faith, hope  & trust in the Lord because what He says is really the only thing that matters…

 
I’ve been hanging on tight to these promises today & I hope it encourages you as well…
 
The first few are from Paul in PHILIPPIANS as he rejoices as a result of being persecuted:
Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
Philippians 1:20-21 – I eagerly expect and hope that I will in no way be ashamed, but will have sufficient courage so that now as always Christ will be exalted…For me to live as Christ and to die is gain.
Philippians 1:18 – Yes, and I will continue to REJOICE.. .{through trials and hardships}
 
The next are from Jesus in The Beatitudes in MATTHEW:
Matthew 5:11 – Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me.  REJOICE and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven..
Matthew 5:16 – In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
It doesn’t seem like a coincidence in Matthew 5 that Jesus tells those who are persecuted, insulted and falsely accused to “rejoice & be glad, because great is your reward in heaven”…and in the very next section (vs. 13-16) he reminds us that we are the salt of the Earth, we are the light of the world, and that we are to let our light shine! If you’re like me, discouragement is an easy way for the enemy to sneak in… Jesus used this small piece of scripture to challenge me to NOT BE DISCOURAGED. He knows our pains and heartache more than anyone else.  He has called us to REJOICE & be glad through this tough season…and not only that, but he calls us to let our light shine through it all. How? Because our faith, hope & trust are in HIM alone. 
 
A few other favorite verses that I use to “keep the enemy out!”
2 Corinthians 12:9 – My Grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.
Hebrews 12:3 – Consider Him who endured such opposition from sinful man, that you will not grow weary and lose heart
Romans 4:20 – Yet he did not waiver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God!
Lamentations 3:22-24 – Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

I don’t know about you, but more than anything, I feel like some of my closest & most intimate times with the Lord are when I’m singing along to worship music. I just love it & can’t get enough.
One of my favorite artists is Kari Jobe. She just recently came out with a new album {which I’ve heard is amazing}. The song below is called, “Steady My Heart” and is just incredible…I challenge you to sit and listen to the song and let the Lord, “Steady your heart”.

Be Encouraged!

Liebster Award & Craft Night Creation

Last week, sweet Sara from Momentary Memories in the Life of Me nominated me for The Liebster Award! I was honored that she chose my blog as one of her picks!

I've recently become one of Sara's newest followers.  She's a 3rd grade teacher,  a newlywed & is incredibly fun and creative! CLICK HERE to head on over to her blog to check it out! She's GREAT!

The Liebster Award is given to bloggers with 200 or less followers that the nominator thinks deserve recognition for their fabulous blogging abilities.

Here's how the award works. Each nominee should:

1. Choose five blogs to give the Liebster Award to.
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Post the award on  your blog.
4. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites.
5. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they've received the award.
6. Share five random facts about yourself.

These lovely ladies are all extremely talented in their "blogging abilities." I've learned LOTS from each of them in this crazy fun world of blogging!

I nominate:
Amy at Fresh and Fancy
Kristen at Life with the Ellwoods
Courtney at Little Moments
Courtney at The Broaddus Family
Ashlee at The Broadstreet Family

My little blog wouldn't be here if it wasn't from my cousin Courtney Broaddus and  my sweet childhood friend Ashlee Broadstreet. Thanks for inspiring me & encouraging me to start my own blog. It's been a fun adventure & I'm excited for it to continue!

Now for my 5 Random Facts:

1. My favorite food is Macaroni & Cheese. My favorite drink is Dr. Pepper

2. I've never been able to keep ANY plants/flowers alive, but I recently started a fruit/veggie/herb garden at our new house. And, guess what? It's growing like crazy! More on this soon...

3. In college, I started dating this one, really cute guy my junior year. He invited me to fly home with him for Easter weekend to Chicago to meet his family. {Side note: He was my 1st college boyfriend, I'd only flown in an airplane like 2 times before this & I'd never been to Chicago. To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was terrified.} We arrived at his house, I took my bags upstairs to the guest room, and as I was walking back down the stairs, I slipped on the first stair and fell all the way down the stairs. And, if that wasn't bad enough, once I hit the bottom of the stairs,  I continued to slide on their wood floors all the way into the family room. Yes, his family ALL saw me trip & fall.  It was a moment full of awkwardness & hilariousness {and pain on my part!}!!!
 Needless to say, I had to marry him after that. :)

4. I'm a Speech Therapist.  Working with kiddos is my passion, but I also love working with adults.  My full time job is working for a fantastic company in Dallas called, Cornerstone Pediatric and I also work PRN for Baylor Medical Center on Fridays & some weekends.  It's a ton of fun & keeps me busy!

5. I love kids more than anything {as I just mentioned} & I can't wait to be a Mommy one day. :)


Oh and one more thing...

This past weekend, our small group of couples got together on Saturday night to hang out.  The guys all went to play golf and the girls had a dinner & craft party over at my house. It was so fun!

All the girls made wreaths. We stayed up until Midnight watching, "Sweet Home Alabama," eating chocolate chip cookies, chatting & crafting. It was much needed girls' time!

Here is my wreath (in progress) & my blurry IPhone picture...

Have a wonderful rest of your Monday!

Our Chicago Adventure

Last weekend, we had the privilege of visiting my husband’s family in Chicago! Anytime we get the chance, we LOVE going to the windy city.

We flew up there and drove a big Budget truck back full of furniture from his family! I am so thrilled to actually have a dining room table & have an “office” set up in the extra bedroom.  I’ve mentioned it before on this blog, but I love furniture that has been passed down in the family…Some people don’t like that, but I sure do! I love the memories & stories that each piece has tied to it.  I love telling all of our visitors about everything in our house, where it came from, etc. & I just think it’s neat-o. 

More about our Budget truck trip back home in a minute, let’s talk about Chicago!

We arrived on Thursday & headed straight downtown to see the Cubs play at Wrigley Field! What a beautiful day we picked to attend my first Cubs game..The sun was shining bright & the Cubs won!







See that big backpack I’m wearing? {I don’t think you can actually see it from this picture, but it was big  AND heavy!} We packed up some nice(r) clothes in the backpack & we met Kyle’s parents downtown for dinner at Lawry’s The Prime Rib Steakhouse off of Michigan Avenue.  Can you hear my tummy growling just thinking about it? Major YUMM. It was quite the treat & we enjoyed every single bite!



Also, while we were in Chicago we got to hang out with our sweet friends, Rich & Jenna Tameling! They are a wonderful couple. Kyle & I wish we lived closer so we could see them way more often.  I think I could learn a thing or two from Jenna in the kitchen. She is quite the cook! She made Chicken Parmesan & an incredible salad for dinner.  {She also made the best Spinach Artichoke Dip I’ve ever had for our appetizer – Gotta get that recipe!}
After dinner, we walked around downtown Downers Grove & took them out for ice cream! Major Yum, again…


This weekend was a lot of fun, but it was also bittersweet.  Kyle’s sweet Nana went home to be with Jesus on Saturday morning {April 14}. She was a wonderful woman who has always been so active throughout her life.  I had the privilege of knowing her over the last 5 years.  Boy, have I been blessed by her!
I loved hearing stories Kyle’s trips to visit his Pa Pa & Nana’s house on Lake Michigan.
I loved hearing about Pa Pa & Nana’s little dog, “Buffy.”
I loved making 800 of Nana’s Special Recipe: “Cowboy cookies” for our wedding reception.
I love this sweet family so much & my heart goes out to my Mom-in-law as she goes through this…I can’t imagine. 
We know that Nana is dancing with Jesus right now & is so full of joy. Heaven must be an incredible place. Can’t wait to find out one day! However, I know that her husband {Pa Pa} and her daughters & their families are missing her greatly.  We get to travel back to Chicago in May to attend her Memorial Service.  We are really looking forward to this trip.

We enjoyed seeing other Phillip & Moore family members while we were in Chicago! We packed up our truck and headed out of town on Monday morning bright and early! Here’s my brother-in-law, Corey…Thanks for helping us load all that furniture. You’re a trooper!


So, Kyle and I set off to make our 17 hour drive back home to Dallas.  We listened to lots of music, played the ABC game too many times & had some great conversations.  We drove through Memphis, TN where Kyle insisted that we try some local Pork BBQ.  We were recommended to try a couple places like, “Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous” or “Lenard’s” but they were both closed on Monday. LAME! So, we found this little hole in the wall place called, “Tom’s BBQ & Deli”

Pretty sure “Tom’s” wasn’t in the best part of Memphis. Ha! However, we had seen online that this place was on the Food Network on two different shows because their Pork BBQ was just THAT good.  So, we had to try it…
Kyle got the ribs. I got the Pulled Pork. Not too bad.  The owner was AWESOME. He gave us extra sides & meat and really made us feel welcome.  Definitely recommend this place if you’re ever in the Memphis area!


After dinner, we headed to the Downtown area to get a Coke-float from another famous place we’d heard of, “Dyer’s.” It was delicious & we were stuffed.


While walking around, we passed a baseball stadium where Memphis’ minor league team the “Memphis Redbirds” were playing.  We said, “Well, Why not?” and we purchased tickets & went to the game!
Spontaneous Fun? Yes, please!



That night, we stayed in Little Rock, Arkansas & drove back to Dallas the next day. .It was a good weekend, overall!