My word of the Year is......

Intentional... that is my word of the year. It is defined as "done on purpose or with intention" so this year I want live life intentionally.

•  Intentional living
• With food, exercise, what I watch, read, and say.
• Intentional actions
• Be aware of how my actions affect others. I want to be an encouragement.
• Intentional parenting
• To strive to make memories, and grow my children to know the love that surrounds them. To raise them to understand the abundance of their Father's Love for them. To make every moment count, because they go entirely to quickly.
• Intentional marriage 
• To be more aware of the different needs we have, and to make an effort to do those little things that represent respect and honor. God has blessed me with  a true man of honor, and I want my efforts to reflect my pride and respect I have for him.
• Intentional relationships.
• I want to be wise in where I spend my extra time, and with whom. I want to be kind in this act, but watchful of how I manage my environment.
 

Life can move so fast sometimes that we can swept away with it all, and in the past I have been known to say "I do lots of things, moderately well" well this year I want to do a few things exceptionally well.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts on 2012...

As 2012 comes to a close I can't help but to think about how this year has changed me, and ways in which is hasn't but I hope that 2013 holds the keys.

We started homeschooling, which has been an adventure that I am thankful to have been blessed to go on.
We learned how to be at peace in our circumstances, and to have an understanding of God's will for our life.
We have sucessfully adapted to being a 7 member family.
We upgraded our transportation with a new vehicle, which has been a transition .

I am excited about what is to come! I have always loved new notebooks with nothing written in them. This is no different, I just want my story this year to be full of success!!

Reviving the ole' girl

Well I am going to try my hand at reviving my blog. I have decieded that I like the outlet, as well as a place to share the things I am will try, am trying, and have tried.  So I'm gonna give it another go round!
Thanks in advanced for sticking around!

"USE AS INTENDED"

How many times do we read "use as intended" on labels? Do we often follow their advice or do we just wonder who figured out that hairspray and candles aren't soul mates, it seems their first date went down in "Flames"!! :)
How nice would it be if we came with that label? Directions for use, Warning labels, In case of emergency, Intended use, For Best Results.
I have learned over time that I was given a creative spirit. That is how I was knit together. I was give the ability to think and speak in a way that paints a picture of understanding. I see the extraordinary in the ordinary, my wish is that I can give others a different perspective on life. To bring a smile, an understanding, a thoughtfulness to life, to encourage others to choose Joy!
I believe that this is my "Intended Use", but I want to be more, I want to be "USED as intended"!  I want to live up to my full potential, I want be at full capacity!
 I pray that I will be used as intended, and that I will be blessed to be used in a context that allows me to use my gift of creativity, for it is in that way that I feel that I am a vessel for him.

Some Random Realizations as of Late

Over the past few months I have come to some realizations and thought it would be a wonderful way to get back on the Blogging path so here they are...enjoy!

• If you want improve yourself, don't give yourself excuses about why you can't. Just set your mind to the task at hand and have faith.
• Be the change you want to see in the world~ Mahamid Gandhi : If you aren't happy with the way things are going, be the change you wish you could see. Step out first, either people will follow or they won't either way you gave it your best shot!
• It takes approx 6 months in a new place before you feel less like the pack of underwear under the Christmas Tree.
• Don't take it personal, anything! It is the quickest way to make a tolerable situation nauseating.
• In all things treat your spouse with respect, it will reflect!!
• Challenge yourself each day to see if you can get 10 random people to smile back at you. It is an amazing gift to the reciever and the giver!
• There is a saying "This too shall pass", guess what it really does!
• The people you miss the most are the ones who challenged you to be better. Even if they didn't know that is what they were doing.

This is my first installment of Random Realizations!

Write Two Blogs and Call me in the Morning.....

For years there has been stock put into the value of recording your thoughts, although before the technology age it was referred to as "Journal" or "Keeping a Diary", but non the less it was encouraged, and mainly a "girlie" thing. I can remember one Christmas (actually many Christmas's) receiving a diary with a lock and key. Now days though we still have the same concept, it now had a different name of "blogging" , and as a newbie to the Blogging scene I can say the therapeutic qualities that it has are amazing. It is my outlet to share all those things that roll around up in my head that clutter up the space that is needed for something else. So in a sense blogging is a sort of mental garage sale.



In much the same way with material items, we do the same with our thoughts, we are pretty confident we will not need them again, but they're in good shape, and surely someone somewhere could get some use out of them. Good ideas, thought provoking ramblings, funny tidbits, craft ideas, noticed blessings.....the list could go on and on. The therapeutic qualities of going through your "attic" are immense! You can see where you have been, where you thought you were going, where you're really going, how strong you have become. We take the  things that we don't necessarily need to hang onto that are cluttering up our "attic" and we put them on the blog table in our drive way. We hope that someone will find "just what they are looking for" and put it to use. Whatever is leftover we just give to Goodwill, and we're left with a less cluttered "attic" ready to be filled with more stuff.  So if you are suffering from some mental indigestion I say ....Write Two Blogs and Call me in the Morning.

Less "Friendly Pat-Down" More "Strip and Search"~ Adjusting to my PCS

So in light of the recent news regarding TSA and their searching methods I thought this was a fitting summary of how I am adjusting to  this PCS (Permanent Change of Station). 
A friendly pat-down is uncomfortable, awkward, unsettling, but it is over fairly quickly. I mean you may have to put your shoes back on, straighten you clothes, but as a whole it is quick to recover from. We have PCS ed 4 times this far in our Army career, and for the first three they would fall into the "friendly pat-down" category. It was uncomfortable to not know how to get around post, it could be awkward trying to get a handle on the flow of the pick up lane at the kids school, even unsettling having to put on the "new kid in town" T-shirt and meet new people. However it was all over quickly, either because my level of investment was low so it was easy to meet the "new place information" quota, or because the puzzle pieces I came into contact with were precut to fit with me. Whatever the reasons, up to now I have been able to knock the new off pretty quickly.
 This move has been more of a "strip and search". Moving to a new post, new job, new lifestyle this time seems to feel more like my identity has been "striped" away and now I am desperately "searching" for it. Now let me add a disclaimer, as my identity as a mother, wife and Christian I am very secure in these and non of those relationships have faltered. This move however has really been a dozy on MY identity!

                     

  I had never realized how much of your identity is made up of your surroundings. The people you know, the friends you make, the places you go, your church, your bible study groups. I think this has been especially true due to the level of my personal investment.
 I have been teased about being a "shiner", that is someone who needs shined every once in a while, and I AM one,  I do need to be shined every once in a while, but who doesn't want to have the rag of praise rubbed over our (at times)worn and weary spirts? I love to be shined so that the the light reflects brighter off of me! It is hard to be a beacon when your spirt is dull, and the affirmation you get from your peers, the validity that comes with being able to use your gifts for the blessings of others, the knowledge that you have individuals who truly know and love you regardless of your flaws help to make you shine. These are all gifts in themselves, and although you don't need marshmallows in your hot chocolate to make it enjoyable,  they sure do make it a little more delicious!

 

  
Now we have been here just a little under 5 months, household goods=check, identity=????  I think the shipment got lost so the search is on.