distracted

I feel like I have been a little 'out of it' when it comes to the blog world. It's not necessarily a lack of interest, time, or thoughts...instead...


I feel like I am being bombarded with distractions.


I may open my computer with the intention of accomplishing one thing ( say... a blog post, or some homework ) , but somehow I end up doing something 5 other things completely different than what I had planned.  

For example,

Facebook, blogger, pinterest, stumble-upon, my three different e-mails, youtube, google, etc...

Is anyone with me?? 

We live in a world full of distractions

The word distract literally means

1. To cause to turn away from the original focus of attention or interest; divert. Ok, so here's the scoop. Often times, what we are distracted by are not necessarily bad things. However, I think we focus too much on the distraction, then what we are being distracted from. "...The original focus of attention..." Honestly, I started this post with no intention of it being about God...but I think I have been distracted myself.  What am I distracted from? My original focus of attention for my life is to point people to Jesus Christ. When I am not doing this...I am being distracted.  I truly believe that one of Satan's biggest tactics is to keep us busy and distracted. If we don't focus our attention on God...we will not live our lives for God...and we will not point people to Jesus.  Just like I can spend hours clicking an endless number of links on an endless number of Internet sites... Our days, weeks, and months can too easily become a link of distractions keeping us from our original focus of attention.

Thoughts on a Thursday

It's windy outside

My first crock pot meal is cooking away

The dishwasher is running

My prince is coming home early tonight

homework can wait

We might go for a walk

Or just stay inside

My toes are cold

I think we will stay inside :)

I like being married

"As we live in Christ, our love grows more perfect" 

1 John 4:21

I Am Second

Check this out.

Home - I Am Second

food, friends, family, football

My weekend was

 filled with food, friends, family, and football

(say that 10 times really fast :)) 

Friday,

we went to the restaurant "Hell's Kitchen" with some friends!

It was quite an interesting place...but the food was yummy!

The menu told me my sandwich was on of the "best 50 sandwiches in America!" 

We were ready to eat!

Saturday,

We had another fun couple over for dinner.

We made our own individual pizzas!

I must say...they were quite delish.

dessert is a must!

My prince wanted to register for this game because he thought it had a funny name. haha.

We played, and it was actually pretty fun? 

Sunday,

We got together with family for lunch and football.

I brought some peanut butter cookies!

and forgot to take pictures of the yummy food :(

But got some with my cute nieces!

hehe

I will not even mention how disappointing the Vikings are. Nope. 

(but I still like to wear my sparkly pink Peterson jersey)

:)

My prince and I are going to end the night with some Cribbage...yes we are that cool.

Here's to another week! 

p.s

(still working on thank you cards)

How long did it take you?? Any advice??

with some help...

Today I am facing procrastination head on.

With the help of my much loved Keurig

and my weird new obsession of Cinnamon graham crackers...

I am writing my thank you cards for the wedding.

yes, you should be cheering. 

This is a big deal.

:)

baking, parades, and resting

My weekend was full, but quite delightful.

Friday,

I got to babysit my adorable nieces!

We baked cookies

and colored

We also went to my in law's house for dinner and dessert. Family is so fun! 

Saturday,

I did a little photography, and then was in another baking mood!

I put on my apron, and made some Cranberry muffins...

Yummy and healthy too! 

The big event on Saturday was that our church was in a parade! 

Our theme was iHope. We made a float of an ipod that was logged on to Faithbook :) creative huh? It goes along with our new series coming up, which is iHope in God. 

After the parade our church worship team lead worship for the community!

Some leaders from around the city also came up and prayed for different things...so cool! 

We won 3rd place for our float! 

I ended the day with a little BINGO :) 

Sunday,

I was not feeling the greatest.

I stayed home from church, and slept alot. 

After some medicine and rest, I decided to make some homemade chicken noodle soup. It just seemed appropriate for a sicky on a rainy day 

My prince and I watched the Vikings loose AGAIN, and we both got some much overdo reading done.

Life is so busy.

I am realizing lately the importance of having a day to just rest.

I hope you all had wonderful, restful weekends! I would love to hear about them! 

Waiting For Tomorrow

I'm going to be honest with you.
I am the queen of procrastination.

Tomorrow...

I'll eat healthier

do my homework

fold the laundry

call that person

make that appointment

post that blog

... there's always tomorrow to get stuff done ... right? 

I find myself doing this in my relationship with God too. 

There's just not enough time today
or
I'm too tired

tomorrow...

I'll read the bible

pray for that person

give that money

give up that sin

be more loving

fully surrender

just not right now.
maybe tomorrow...
(have you ever felt this?) 

This song spoke right to me.

Lord, give us strength, courage, and perserverance to live for you completely TODAY.

Minnesota Bride

It's Friday! Wahoo!

I just wanted to share something kinda fun with you all!

I was informed that the Minnesota Bride Blog wanted to post some of our wedding pictures on their site...I was so happy with how all our pictures turned out, and it is so fun to see them on this site!

Check it out:

http://mnbride.com/blog/stillwater-wedding-vintage-vibe

That's all I have time for today...enjoy your weekend!! 

house keeping

Today I finally did some cleaning around the house. I have been noticing/being annoyed by the messes, dirt, and clutter everywhere...but I have been too lazy busy to actually do anything about it. 


Well I conquered the bathroom, kitchen, bedroom, and loads of laundry... It wasn't necessarily easy or fun, but I feel much better, and being in the house is more enjoyable! 

Have you ever experienced this??

I love when God uses everyday experiences (like cleaning) to remind me of greater truths. Here is what He reminded me of today...

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." 1 Corinthian 6:19-20

hmmmm...

our bodies are the temples ( or house ) of the Holy Spirit.

I wonder how the Holy Spirit feels about a messy house? 

Our sin is like dirty dishes, laundry, and messy floors. We can ignore it, add to it, and make excuses for it...but it never goes away on its own. 

In fact, the longer we leave it, the more we add to it, and the ickier it becomes.  

It is not easy or fun to get rid of, but it is always worth it. 

And just like a house...we continually have to be cleansed. 

The difference between cleaning a house and cleaning our hearts is this:

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." ~1 John 1:9

We can not clean/purify ourselves. We must do the work of recognizing, confessing, and surrendering...but God is the one who will purify us! 

I'm so thankful that God loves us in our messes, but loves us too much to leave us there. 

pictures and purpose

My weekend was spent in South Dakota at LifeLight music festival! My prince and I took our youth group Friday night, and returned Monday night. 

Youth pastor and wife :)

goofy boys

coffee is a must have

Our group!

hanging out with the youth was a blast!

We had a little bit of car issues...

but we had lots of fun!

great music

I experienced God this weekend through music, speakers, fellowship, and his beautiful creation.

It was a great weekend, but I'm not going to lie...I am EXHAUSTED.

in fact, 

The past couple weeks I have not been feeling the greatest...

My body is tired, weak, and sick

My schedule is full

My mind is stressed 

My house is messy

...It's very easy for me to become crabby, or have a negative attitude.

BUT

The past couple weeks I have also been continually reminded that God is in control.

He is Alive in me, strong, and powerful

He has a plan for my life

He doesn't make mistakes

He knows what He is doing, and what is best for me

He loves to use messy people

"And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." ~Romans 8:28

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." ~Jeremiah 29:11

hmmm I just felt like I should share that with you all. I hope you are encouraged today! Despite how we feel, God is in control.

FALLing for you

Can you believe it is September already?! Summer has flown by!

I must admit though, that fall is my favorite season. Here are a few things I love about fall...

crunchy, colorful leaves

scarfs

hot coffee

apple orchards

cute boots

taking walks

beautiful sunsets

SO basically... taking a walk in an apple orchard with cute boots, a scarf, hot coffee, leaves, a sunset, and my prince!

:)

This weekend I am adding a new exciting thing to my fall favorites. My prince and I are taking our youthgroup to the LifeLight music festival in South Dakota! 

I am very excited.
Especially to see Tenth Avenue North, and to hear Francis Chan speak! (author of Crazy Love = great book)!

Well, my point in telling you all of this was to ask for your prayers this weekend. We are excited to see God move in our youth, and pray that their hearts will be open to TRUTH.

...

I would LOVE to hear what you are up to this holiday weekend??

OR

What you love about fall?? :)