"He restores my soul..." Psalm 23:3

How is your day going today? I hope that it is beautiful, calm(or exciting...whichever you prefer!) and HAPPY!I couldn't sleep last night...My heart was heavy for different people (all very special) in my life. I know so many people that are going through their own personal heartaches, tests, or even times of making decisions...all amidst the joys of life. I picked up my Bible and in the front cover, there was a list that Pastor Mike had printed out for us after we had "brainstormed" together. The topic was "Oh Lord, I thank you that you are...". Thought I would share my favorites..."Oh Lord, I thank you that you are... Loving, Kind, my Comforter, Patient, Trustworthy, Faithful, my Healer, my Provider, my Friend, a Peacemaker, my Savior, IN CONTROL!" I gave all of those on my mind to this awesome God last night...He gave me peace! Have a blessed day and a FUN weekend!

I, too, have been "tagged"-by a very nice "Mrs. Lisa"!

[What I was doing 10 years ago...] I was happily married to "my man", Dan, and enjoying our firstborn...Corey! He was a dream come true for us!
[Jobs that I have had...] Office cleaner, babysitter, RN(Med/Surg.-2 1/2 yrs./Cardiac-1 yr./OB-16 yrs.),wife-17 1/2 yrs. and Mommy-10 1/2 yrs.(the last two being my favorites and the most important!)
[What I have planned for today...] Homeschooling, tidying up the house(the "I.H.C." laundry is all done, though! ha!),taking the kids to piano lessons, giving all of my four "blessings" lots of hugs and kisses, and helping some "little ones" come into the world(tonight is my work night).
[Snacks that I love...] Mexican dips/salsas with chips, honey mustard pretzels, celery filled with crunchy peanut butter...warm, iced, "homemade" cinnamon rolls really "do" it for me(My dear Mother-in-law makes the BEST)...oh, and how about creamy, chocolate fudge filled with nuts? I could go on...
[States that I have lived in...] West Monroe, Louisiana(I was born there); Indianapolis,Indiana(moved here when I was 10); New Castle, Indiana(my family moved there for a couple of years, then back to Indy); Cincinnati,Ohio(my college days); Griffin, Georgia(an adventure!); Kettering, Ohio(my husband's college days)and FISHERS,INDIANA(where I hope to stay!)...
[Bad habits that I have...] Worrying over things out of my control(I am praying for God to help me in that area!), sporadic exercise(I am admonishing myself daily about this area!), and forgetting to take my one-a-day vitamin(Yes, I AM in the medical field and know better! Thank you very much!)
[If I were a billionaire...] I would become "debt-free"(My husband and I would go to a Christian financial advisor to help us decide for the future, of course);I would assist family and friends to become debt-free; I would give generously to Christian ministries/missions/orphanages; I would help my husband plan a lovely Victorian house to build on a nice piece of land(maybe it would have a beautiful creek running through it...OK, now I am really dreaming!); and I would love to take a LONG, impulsive, relaxing, family vacation with no deadlines to meet(maybe a MONTH long OR even longer! Oh, and any friend/family member with a nice, relaxing personality could go along!ha!))!!!!!! OK...so there ya have it! I am tagging anyone that cares to be tagged(Catrena?- Kelly?- Bette?- Charlotte?- Shelly? -Nett?- Jessica?- Becky,my sis-in-law?(Are you blogging yet?)-Anyone that has not been tagged????????)I just know that you would LOVE to play along...AND I would really like to hear about YOU!

Just lovin life...

I have been recently contemplating about how "fast" the days go by....what gets accomplished, etc. My "Cade" was giving me lots of hugs and kisses tonight(He is my "funny" child...the other night in church Pastor Mike said "Can I get an AMEN?"... Cade said rather loudly..."Hallelujah, Praise the Lord"...then he whispered to me, "I was just helping God out!" I had to laugh!). Anyway, as I touched his baby soft cheeks and lips and felt his little arms around my neck...I wanted time to stand still! But it doesn't, so I must cherish these moments. Hugs from my precious Grandmother, chats on the phone with my dear Mom, sharing dreams (and yes, kisses) with my sweet husband, sharing everyday moments with my three children(even when there is housework to be done)...the list could go on but you know what I mean, right? It is so easy to look ahead and not live in the moment! God, help me to focus on the everyday blessings and sweet moments that you give me and not take any "one" of them for granted! (OK, bloggers...I am feeling serious! ha! No, I am just loving life!)

Special guests...

Our special friends--David, Annette, Austin and Emily Marcum came for a weekend visit! We so treasured every moment! God has blessed us with "forever" friendships that originated many years ago! Nett and I talked, talked and talked(while the guys were extremely goofy! ha!).The kids played nonstop( I think they are making forever friendships, too!). Friday evening, my parents and my brother's family stopped by for coffee and dessert....Nate serenaded us with his beautiful guitar playing! (They have all loved Nett since I first brought her home from G.B.S.!) After a leisurely brunch on Saturday, we went to the IMAX and saw "Hurricane on the Bayou". It was a rather moving experience! We also shopped for Colt's gear since Austin is a big Colt's fan! We were "treated" to dinner at "On the Border"!(Thanks guys..it was delicious!) We so enjoyed our time together! We love ya'll! Thanks for coming!

Easter memories...

Easter is such a beautiful time to reflect on all that Jesus has done for us...It is a time of worship and praise to God for sending His Son to die on the cross for our sins. It is also a time of glorious hope for... He is risen! A time to celebrate...to worship as a church family through beautiful songs and the glorious message of the risen Christ AND a time to enjoy family. After church we gathered as a family to eat at Mamaw Smith's house...lunch was delicious! Thought I would share my pictures! Hope all of my blogging friends had a great Easter!

Easter

Family fun...

This past weekend we had family guests from WV[Dan and Becky(Danny's sister),and their three children...Joey, Jenna and Jacob]. We had such great QT! Danny has four siblings and we always enjoy family reunions, but it is so fun to have "one-on-one" time with each family. Dan, Becky, Danny and I were able to "catch up" on great conversation and alot of good laughs. Fun for the kids included an Easter egg hunt at the Gaither's studio(there was a really cool Christian magician/balloon artist there, too), pizza at Ben and Arie's(a game restaurant)and just being together. We also tried out some new recipes... AND got off our diets a bit!(smile) Thanks for coming, guys! We love you! God has blessed us with wonderful family!

Field Trip and Piano Recital...

A couple of weeks ago Danny came home at lunch and we headed out for an afternoon fieldtrip to downtown Indy...We visited the State Museum and had a great time! Corey has been studying about state history and so this was very beneficial to him, but Cassie and Cade really enjoyed it also! We browsed through the museum, watched a couple of movies, had a midafternoon snack of buttery popcorn and pop from the snack stand(SO bad for my diet! ha!), and bought souveniers at the gift shop. We really had a fun family day! Then, last Saturday was Corey and Cassie's Spring Piano Recital... Corey played "Firefly Fandango" and Cass played "Something's Under My Bed".(Dressy attire was required MUCH to Corey's dismay...a suit on Sat.? Cassie on the other hand loves to get dressed up...any day of the week! Typical male and female perspectives...I guess!) Thought that I would share my pictures...

ism,recital