Peace

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. ~ John 14:27 (NIV)

These last 2 weeks have been anything but peaceful for me. Still adjusting to the move (new jobs, new house, and new sitter for the boys), winter weather reaking havoc on our house in Sylva (all I'll say is frozen pipes!), hitting wall after wall with trying to find a graduate program that I want to complete AND can afford to complete AND that's accredited, Haze shoving a tiny Lego piece up his nose, Haze getting strep throat again, Mack still not sleeping, losing power...at sun down, before dinner is done, and then just everything going on in the world today.....how am I supposed to feel peaceful?

How are ANY of us supposed to feel peaceful?! Let's be honest, we all have our own lists like the one I just made...more month than money, kids--'nuff said on that one, work stress, family drama, health problems, ISIS and global terror, on and on on..... it's disheartening to think about all of these things. We find ourselves ONLY thinking of these things and we're suddenly depressed, terrified, overwhelmed, anxious, and tense. But doesn't the Bible tell us that God didn't give us the spirit of fear?

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 

 ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

I knew that was in there somewhere! 

So I'm driving into work this morning and am just taking everything from the last 2 weeks in....getting overwhelmed...and I catch a Charles Stanley sermon on John 14 and God's peace. It hit me like a lead balloon, y'all. Do not let your hearts be troubled....and do not be afraid. I was reminded and humbled again that God is in control, He's in the details, and He's already there and in whatever mountains and valleys I'll go through tomorrow, next week, and next year! When I told my aunt Melissa that we were moving and asked her to pray for us as we transitioned, she said to me, 'He said He'd go ahead of you.' And you know what? I've said it before...He did! He worked out the details of our move to the coast and He's in control and working out the details of EVERY issue we bring to Him in prayer! 

I read a Billy Graham devotion last week that said as Christians we don't have the right to walk around wringing our hands in fear about anything (the devotion was about end times) because God has promised us that in the end, it's all going to be okay. I think that holds true even in our every day struggles and worries. In the end, it's all going to be okay because God is in control and we have His peace to comfort us, guide us, and watch over us through our trials and when we are on the mountain top! 

The last half of my drive into work was bright...even on a day as cloudy as this one! I took in the beauty of this eastern NC winter morning! Where we live is called 'The Land of the Pine'....can you see why? Seriously, Pine Trees are EVERYWHERE!

Look closely, you can see the pines on the left leaning in towards the road.

See how droopy the branches are? Ice is heavy and Pine is a 'soft wood' (that's one of the only facts I remember from helping Adam study in school!).

As I took in the cloudy view, I felt at peace. We've all said it as we've looked at everyone's snow pics in the last few days, there's just something 'peaceful' about the snowfall and winter scenes. It gives us perspective many times....it sure did for me this morning. I hope these verses remind you of how loved we are by an Almighty God, how we are not alone in this world and that God's peace truly is one that passes all understanding. 

Just to let you all know...Haze is recovering from strep nicely! Godzilla and King Kong are back to destroying the 'city' (i.e. Angry Birds game blocks) and his appetite is back! Mack, I think is teething and that's the bulk of his sleep issue. And Adam has been called out on 2 wild fires so far....I know wild fire is nothing to smile about (really--it's not!), but he loves what he's doing with the Forest Service and seeing him that happy at work truly does make me happy! :) We really are all adjusting well and loving this new chapter in our lives! More good things are coming and I'm ready! 

My next post should have lots of 'memories' to share! The in laws are coming down for the weekend. They haven't seen the grand babies in a MONTH! I think that's some kind of new record for them! MIL is on her way down today with a friend (whose grand baby also happens to live here!)! Mack and Haze are spending Thursday AND Friday with the 'Square Mimi' (Haze has 2 Mimi's and he separates them by shape!)! MUCH fun will be had by all! :) OH! And Haze has no idea! Mimi is just going to 'be there' when we get home tonight!!!!

Love to you all! Thank you for letting me share my thoughts with you all in this way!  

 

I've Got A Song

'When I get up in the mornin', I start my day with rejoicin'. I've got a song.....' 

Okay, so not exactly. More often than not, my mornings start with my rolling out of the twin bed I keep in Mack's room slower than cold molasses so as not to wake him up, quietly go downstairs to crawl in the shower, grumbling the whole time about how tired I am because Mack didn't sleep....again.

'No matter how much it's rainin', you'll never hear me complainin', I've got a song....' 

Again, not exactly. I'm quiet until Adam wakes up and inevitably asks, 'What's wrong?' The flood gates are opened and all bets are off. 'I'm exhausted! I'm late! I'm hungry! My sinuses are killing me!' On and on and on. (He listens, smiles, and kisses me...every time!)

This morning was no different than the above described. No, I'm not proud, but we've all been there. Out the door, to the babysitter, and off to work 5 minutes ahead of schedule! I have about a 20 minute drive from the time I drop the boys off to my office, so I've tried to use that time to pray, think, and reflect.

This morning, I was thinking of my cousin and her husband. You see, yesterday they welcomed their first child into this world. Sweet Grayson Marie Moore was born weighing in at 8.1 lbs and 20 inches long! Mom and baby are doing great!

Now who wouldn't have a song after seeing this face?!

'It's a song of hope. It's a song of love. It's a song of peace that comes from above. I've got a song. I've got a song to sing! It's a song of power and of victory. It's a song of the life that He's given me!'

You see, my family takes our babies very seriously (so much so, we have them in batches! Seriously, we do! We have another one due this summer!). We love them from the moment we know about them. We spoil them from that moment too. Pictures, birthday parties, surprise gifts, dance recitals, surprise visits, you name it...we do it. But most importantly, we pray for our babies. This sweet girl was no different. She's been prayed for, loved on, and patiently waited for and now she's here and everyone is thrilled and singing their song of thanksgiving and praise for this new life that God has blessed us with!

Needless to say, I quickly got over my 'mood' this morning and found my song for the day! I pray that you found yours as well!

1 Samuel 1:27: I prayed for this child, and the LORD has granted me what I asked of him.

A New Chapter

We are officially eastern NC residents once again! The last 10 days or so have been a whirlwind of moving, unpacking boxes, adjustments for the boys, and trying to remember how you get to Lowe's from our house! :)  I'd forgotten how much I like coastal NC living; how beautiful the sun is in the mornings here and how much warmer 32 degrees is on the coast than in the mountains!

I have to share this because I still smile and get excited every time I see the box! My brother and future sister in law came up from Charleston to help us unload our moving truck (huge shout out to them!). They brought 'house warming' gifts....a six pack of some German (I think) beer Adam likes and coffee for me...but that's not all I got! In the prettiest green and pink bag was this little box.....

EEK!!! Not only is my brother getting married to a T-E-R-R-I-F-I-C girl, but I get to be a part of their special day! Needless to say, I said yes and the shower planning has commenced! Cannot wait to celebrate this joyous event!!


Last week, Adam and I were both off while we moved and got settled here, so we had all week to spend with each other and our boys....and cabin fever set in for all of us around Wednesday! So we decided a trip to Fort Fisher Aquarium (or 'in-quarium' as Haze has called it) was in order! I don't have a single picture to show you, not one. Adam and I took turns chasing Haze and holding Mack, so that's all we had time for! The only picture I have is the one below of Haze's exceptionally long, Carolina blue rattle snake that he got in the gift shop!

Terrifying isn't it?....

 Friday was the big day for the boys! It was time to go meet the new babysitter and spend the day! :) I'll admit, as ready as I was for a 'date day' with Adam in Wilmington, I was so nervous about leaving my boys. We've been blessed beyond measure in our child care providers since Haze was born and I didn't know how I would do leaving them. But, God is good ALL the time! Haze didn't miss a beat and walked in like he owned the joint (those of you who know Haze aren't surprised, are you?) and Mack took right to Jessica (those of you who know Mack know that he's not too keen on 'new' people!). Both boys spent the better part of Friday with her and had a great day! Adam and I did too and thoroughly enjoyed our date day in Wilmington (complete with shopping and pizza from Mellow Mushroom!).

Yesterday was everyone's first day 'back to the grind'. The boys did great with Jessica (everything else is okay as long as they are!). Adam and I both had great first days at work! I learned that I will only get 30 minutes for lunch Monday thru Thursday in order to get off at 3 on Fridays (hello Mommy time!) and Adam learned that he has to go to a training to learn how 'to throw fire out of a helicopter'. Let that sink in a minute. I'm not sure what all that means, but I'm sure it'll make for a good tale or 2 when the training comes around! :)

God is in the details, y'all, and this move is evidence of that for us! From our home in Sylva to child care here...God is in the details! He's taken care of everything that needed to be taken care of and I'm in awe of his continued grace towards us. Prayers are appreciated as we continue to learn our new jobs, our new home, new town, and especially as the boys continue to adjust to their new sitter.

More to come soon, just wanted to update!