JJ, Janet, Sissy, Jaunita... Mom

Tonight at bible study, we decided to have a low key hang out... it was just what we all needed in the middle of this crazy week. As part of our hang out time, we all shared our highs and lows of the week. My high was my MOM!!!

My Mom is really one of my best friends, and I feel so blessed to be able to say that truthfully. There is really no one else I would rather talk to or share my joys and sorrows. She is amazing! Tonight, I was particularly struck with how much I have enjoyed talking to her recently. It has been so refreshing to laugh, cry, vent, and chat about all that life has brought to our family and our lives lately.

My Mom, you would say, is the glue of the family. She keeps us all sane, and sometimes I wonder how she juggles it all. We are a pretty tough bunch. She makes life so exciting and never ceases to show my brothers and I all that the Lord has to offer us. Here are some of my favorite things about my mom:

- Her sense of humor: It is magnanimous! People are naturally drawn to my mom and her lifegiving personality!
- Her genuine love of the Lord: My mom's love of the Lord is real and genuine. I am so thankful that she shared Jesus with my brothers and me, and have raised our family with Christ at the center.
- Her selflessness: For the past few years, my mom's main role has been caregiver, on top of mom, wife, sister, business partner, friend, daughter, etc. She has more than risen to the occasion and has done it joyfully! However, she has always possessed this quality. She continually gives of herself, expecting nothing in return. You will never find a harder worker than my mom.
- Her creativity: She is organized and creative! Very few people work both sides of the brain, but Mom does. She is so talented! I love to brag on her and her work.
- Her "mom" skills: She has three completely different children and has the ability to meet each of us right where we need to be met. We are so blessed that she doesn't have the same expectations for us or need for us to be something we are not. She fosters our strengths and continues to sharpen our weaknesses. She is our biggest fan!
- She shared Doodah with me... enough said.

As I was writing these attributes of my mom, I began to see a pattern, she possesses so many of the same characteristics of Christ! How blessed I am! I only hope I can have half her strength, half her courage, and half her wisdom one day. I dream to be a mom and wife that she has been and continues to be. I am so thankful for you Mom... I LOVE YOU!

The Details

This is the first Saturday in two weeks I haven't worked and I am enjoying every minute of it. I slept in, have watched lots of Fox News and College GameDay, spent some time in the word and listening to sermons... overall a pretty successful morning. I decided to listen to a couple of sermons (or parts) that are a part of a series I had heard earlier in the summer. The pastor walked through the book of Ruth and was able in a magnificent way to bring the story alive and provide some very applicable points. I have to take these sermons in parts because they are packed full of great information. Well, today I was really struck by several points as he walked through the first part of Ruth chapter 2. The one I want to share with you is about "The Details."

As an event planner, I am only as successful as the many special details I create at an event. My Mom is the same way. She truly believes that her business is successful because of the details they attend to and create. She taught me long ago that the big picture any one can do, but it is the details that complete a finished product and a lasting impression. The details are important.

In chapter 2, Ruth has chosen to follow her mother-in-law, Naomi, of her deceased husband, back to the land of their people. The start of chapter 2 they have arrived in Bethlehem and Ruth is wanting to find work.

"And Ruth the Moabitess said to Naomi, "Let me go to the fields and pick up the leftover grain behind anyone in whose eyes I find favor." Naomi said to her, "Go ahead, my daughter." 3 So she went out and began to glean in the fields behind the harvesters. As it turned out, she found herself working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelech."

Now for those who are not familiar with the story Elimelech is Naomi's deceased husband and was Ruth's father-in-law. The passage reads, "As it turned out," she was picking grain in the field of one of her distant relatives. It sounds lucky or by chance, but really the Lord found purpose in the details. He placed her in Boaz's field. All this rambling to say, the Lord is involved in the intricate details of our lives. I found that so comforting this morning. He is very aware of the big picture but also about the little things. We don't have to "Sweat the small stuff," He does it for us. Just as the details of an event are important, so are the details of our lives. The Lord cares, and is involved in them all.

"O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD." Psalm 139:1-4

Sometimes I Miss Montgomery

Sometimes I miss Montgomery! I know, many of you are thinking, "what?" It may not be the coolest town in the world, but I do believe it will always be one of my fondest memories. I became an official citizen of Montgomery in July 2007. I accepted a job and moved into my first apartment, by myself! Once good ole Dad had the alarm system up and running, I was a happy camper. I do believe there was a crack house two streets over; I don't lie. Just right around the corner from the Governor's Mansion! Okay, so this post is intended to talk about the things I loved about my time in Montgomery, not the bad stuff. I haven't had any listings yet on the blog, so here is my first:

Reasons why I LOVED Montgomery: (In no particular order...)

1. 302 Cloverdale Road: From the beginning, I adored my little apartment. It was one bedroom and one bath with an entry hall, a tiny little kitchen, and a living room with 14 ft ceilings. My mail came through a slot in my door and was waiting on my foyer floor when I arrived home from work. It was the perfect first dwelling as an adult.

2. Corsino's Italian Restaurant: This hole in the wall is conveniently placed 3 minutes from my house and 30 seconds from work. I ate there at least once a week, and when I called, it took about 15 seconds for the owner to say, "To-go, and with extra blue cheese crumbles." It was glorious!

3. Location of work: From my curb to the Governor's Mansion drive was approximately 2 minutes. The longest part of my drive was waiting for the gate to open at the mansion. No traffic!

4. Hal and Jessica Taylor: These are some of the most amazing people in the entire world! They would feed me, house me when I didn't want to be alone, and take me in as if I was their own. I arrived in Montgomery knowing of them and left with two new best friends! They remain a constant in my life. I think the Lord might have taken me to Montgomery, just to give me the guidance of these faithful people.

5. GBR: I loved working for the Governor! I was able to do some really fun things and learn a lot in the process. Several lessons were not easy, but pertinent to my future and, now looking back, helping to refine my character and strengthen my heart. It was a great first job!

6. Painted Pink: I am a sucker for a new Michael Starr every now and then. I do believe they have the best selection of any store I have been in, and their dress collection is amazing!

7. La Zona Rosa: My personal opinion is that Auburn is lacking in a really good Mexican restaurant. Montgomery is not! La Zona Rosa is a fabulous Mexican establishment, with a most delicious Chimichanga and margarita!

8. Shakespeare Festival Park: When I first moved to Montgomery and didn't really know anyone, I would run after work at the Shakespeare Festival. I loved these quiet late afternoons running through this beautiful landscape.

9. Alone Time: I learned how to successfully be alone; not in a creepy way! I loved to climb in my big chair, with a book, a good sermon or a good Moxi'd T.V. show. There were many nights I went to bed so content with the time I had spent alone. It was definitely time I learned to appreciate.
10. Biscuits Baseball: There is really no entertainment in Montgomery, however, there are the Biscuits! This minor league baseball team is actually very entertaining to watch, and who doesn't love a ballpark frank! yum!