Philippians Chapter 3 ( part 1)

So here we go...next chapter and oddly enough I think my application for this week comes for verse ONE!

"Finally, my brothers and sisters, rejoice in the Lord...." 


I looked up the word "rejoice" in the greek and it its original meaning here is something along the lines of "be conscious of his grace."  Nice. I definitely have not been doing that enough, and thinking about my prayers lately the are mostly if not completely requests. Sometimes I'm thankful for prayers that have already been answered, but I've definitely been spending ZERO time just rejoicing in God for who He is. For the grace that He bestows continually...something I want to do more, especially as we enter into the Thanksgiving season ;-)

oooooo...there's so much in this chapter and I think I could write about something from every verse, but I'll just do my favorites...

in verse 3 ( ok, so I didn't get much further! heh) it reads:
"For it is we who are the circumcision ( meaning Jews, or God's chosen people), who worship in the Spirit of God and boast in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh-even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh." 


So, this could be a bit confusing if you don't know some background key "bible back story". Basically the Jews are God's chosen people as decided by their great great great (great) granddaddy's relationship with God ( Abraham). Then through Moses, God gave these people the rules to live by "The Law" ( which includes but is not limited to the ten commandments) ...and so, as Jewish people they had a lot of (rightly to some extent) confidence in their heritage and there relationship with God. However, and what Paul is talking about here, when Jesus and died on the cross came he did away with the Law...he got rid of all the hoops and bells and whistles that a person once had to jump through in which to get "in good" with God. He also did something marvelous ( in my opinion) and got rid of the whole "having to be a Jew" thing and basically gave EVERYONE the right to become children of God ( John 1:12) . And so here Paul is reminded the Philippians of that fact. And here's where I stopped to ponder....

 Do I sometimes put my confidence in other things, other than in Jesus and what He's done for me?

This is what the LORD says: "Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches, Jeremiah 9:23

Do I often put my confidence in my own heritage ( after all, I am lucky enough to have a pretty amazing family ( both blood and not) who have good relationships with Jesus and who's faith is strong ( BUT THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH!) and afterall, I am a good person- even though I have really really wanted to yell at my downstairs neighbor ( yes, the ones with the naked little boy sign out front) for waking Ransom up from his nap TWICE this week..I haven't=good person. And I volunteer, and give to the poor and I exercise and eat right and take care of the environment ( we drive a Prius!!) (ALL OF THESE THINGS NOT GOOD ENOUGH!) . I also read my Bible every day, and do Bible studies ( like this one!) and I pray and I try to help others grow in their relationship with God! ( NOT GOOD ENOUGH!!). Yup, bottom line. I should not be putting my confidences in any of these things, but instead realize and delight in the fact that all of this is not important. The only thing that is important-" the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord." ( verse 7) . 

Jesus wants me to KNOW his, and have a RELATIONSHIP with Him....and He wants me to quit putting all my trust ( aka. my worries, my time, my energies) into things that are not as important. Sure, all those things I listed above are part of it, but they are just that-PART, the toppings, the condiments...they are not the juicy goodness that is the bottom line: A relationship. With Jesus.

OH MAN! I haven't even gotten past verse 3!!! And I've said so much already!

How bout we call this part one and I post part two a little later?!?

New Recipe time!!!

So, as I have said before...I'm a little bit addicted to Pinterest. But, unlike past addictions this one is a KEEPER! I currently have a cute fall wreath on my front door, a fun fall centerpiece on my table and I'm working on a wine bottle vase right now....and don't get me started on the recipes.

Well, actually you SHOULD get me started because you have just GOT to try some of the yummy things that have been going on in my house lately.

First of all, Sunday Waffle Day is something everyone should do. I mean, if you need to make it Saturday Waffle Day or Sunday Pancake Day that's ok too...the point is. Breakfast is a lost art in my house most of the time...but I'm LOVING bringing it back and making it "special" again.

So, we tried a truly awesome recipe a few weeks ago and I've already made them again! PUMPKIN WAFFLES! ( I adapted my recipe from this link ...its pretty much the same I just save you a little on how many bowls you need to use-seriously. Who likes to do dishes?!?)

•  1/4 cup light brown sugar
• • 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• • 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• • 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• • 1/2 tsp. salt
• • 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• • 2 tsp. ginger
• • 1/4 tsp. cloves ( I have yet to have this on hand...still turned out yum!) 
• • 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
• • 2 large eggs
• • 1 cup whole milk
• • 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
• • 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm

1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature.
2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.
3. Separate eggs: yolks go into dry ingred. bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.
4. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks.
5. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff peaks form – about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside.
6. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, use electric mixer to mix everything together. ( This is why I do the egg whites first..so I can use the same dirty electric mixer...)
7. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.
8. Pour into waffle iron. ENJOY!

No time for the internet?!?!

Seriously. That's how life has been lately. But it's time for a genuine catch up so here goes:
 Ransom's been wanting to walk all over the house. Which he could TOTALLY do without me, but its SO MUCH BETTER ( according to a recent poll of one) if he's holding on to my index finger....so that takes up time.

And then there's hosting various visitors and guests in our home. ( our friend Christoph just left this morning. I hadn't seen him in ten years and Brett hadn't seen him in seven, but he's one of those totally awesome people that you can be comfortable around IMMEDIATELY. We loved having him in our home, I just hope he enjoys watching a one year old exclaim about cars driving by...because that's about the height of excitement around here....)
Brett's working at least 15 hours a day and some during the weekend for good measure. You just don't notice all that your husband does for you until he's not around ;-)....but when we DO get to see him luckily our time is filled up doing Army related activities. Examples: Last week we went and saw a play that Brett had to attend, and on Saturday we all went to the teeny tiny town of Lumpkin and enjoyed there Street Fair. I will say, on the Street Fair note, I'm almost glad  we were "invited" to go, since I would have NEVER gone otherwise...and I would have then missed out on the 4 piece marching band.

And speaking of....  I'm getting a ROOT CANAL. Which is AWESOME.  I literally have ONE cavity in my WHOLE HEAD and it turns out to need a root canal?!?! Doesn't that seem fishy?!?  So yes.

I know, I know, this post paints a dreary picture, but its really not- Fall is my absolutely favorite time of year and I refuse to have it ruined. Next week Ransom and I are headed to Texas for a week ( wooo!) and I'm currently digging an AMAZING Bible Study series that we're doing with some friends of ours...its called Experiencing God ( please ignore the scary looking Moses on the cover) and I have literally had all sorts of misconceptions about God ( and myself) blown out of the water almost daily. It's THAT amazing. I've also been making some rockin' recipes lately that I plan to share with you all in a few posts so staaaaay tuned!

Philippians Chapter 2

613 miles....that's the distance that Epaphroditus had to travel from Philippi to Rome. NO WONDER HE ALMOST DIED!! Across modern day Turkey, Macedonia, probably part of Greece ( I'm no historian here)...and then cross the Adriatic Sea and then over Italy to get to Rome.
THAT'S what E ( I am getting tired of slowly spelling out his name every time..and besides if we were in a real live Bible study right now I'd be calling him "E" because I can never pronounce names in the Bible anyways...so this makes it way more realistic), so that's what E had to do to bring some money to Paul in Rome.

I think after I had read the whole chapter and then did my research on E's travels it totally changed everything I was going to write about the chapter. It just became a lot more REAL. Paul talking about putting others before ourselves. Reminding his readers of the Example of Christ-who came to SERVE not to be BE SERVED ( Mark 10:45), who gave His very life for us all...my favorite "Easter" verses in this chapter being: (7-8)
rather, he made himself nothing
   by taking the very nature of a servant,
   being made in human likeness.
 And being found in appearance as a man,
   he humbled himself
   by becoming obedient to death—
      even death on a cross!


then Paul's reminder to the Philippians to not grumble or complain about doing good works ( this is no accident!! As soon as you start telling me to be selfless and humble, all the arguing and bad-attitude-ness in me starts bubbling over and I'm guessing its the same for the Philippians too!
And then Paul brings it back to talking about his own feelings towards them where we get to this verse:
(verse 17)
Even if I am to be poured out as a drink offering upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you..." 
Which when I thought about what that MEANS:
Ok, so a drink offering in my limited knowledge was basically pouring out some wine on to the ground. Now, its kind of a cool symbol of giving something up to God because-have you ever tried to scoop up a drink when you've accidentally spilled it ( let's say something precious like baby formula)?-its pretty well near impossible. So, the picture Paul is painting is here is that he's willing to literally spill out his life, "waste" it, not get it back, give it up completely for the Philippians. Wow.

I think its the idea that its "wasteful" which I kind of talked about in my last blog post. I seem to put way to much importance on whether its "worth it" not whether its just something that would honor God in doing it. Something to think about.

Anyway, back to the chapter. Like I was saying, after seeing the living example of this guy "E" I think I understand what verses 3 and 4 mean a lot more:
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interests of others.
613 miles.
So what's my application for this week? First let me tell you about this last week....I think that I was able to encourage someone else, in fact, God was very cool and allowed me to help someone on a particularly awful day: Army Packing Up All Your Stuff Day. So I was grateful for that answered prayer. And I was also able to tell someone who's been an encouragement to ME, "thank you"...but honestly it was not as well as I would have liked. It ended up being over text message and that's about as special as toast. But I'll try to do better on that one.
Ok, so this week...this week I feel like the study as shown me a lot about just HOW un-servant like I am. And that deep down, I am CONSTANTLY counting the cost rather than just diving in headfirst to love and serve others. So, this week I'm going to specifically do something that gave me a bad attitude all last week! More of my time ( and sadly money) to Brett's work environment. I'm going to stop there with the details because I don't really want to talk about it much here, but that should be enough for you to keep me accountable to doing it!!

Alright! What did you guys think of Philippians 2? And those of you who didn't write up a chapter 1 study...no biggie! Would still love you thoughts on either chapter just link them up here! :-)

Philippians Chapter 1....again

So, before I get started on Chapter 2, I have to share with you something that I got from my chapter 1 study this week...sometimes I'm a slow learner and I have to ruminate on things for longer than just a week-which is why I'm digging this study so much! No time restraints! Go at your own speed! It just all about reading the Bible and thinking about it a little more deeply! ( how many more exclamation marks can I use in a paragraph?)

So, last we I mentioned that I went and read Acts 28 which gives kind of the surrounding story of what was going on in Paul's life when he wrote the letter to the Philippians-anyway, it says in verse 30 that "He lived there two whole years at his own expense, and welcomed all who came to him..And now thinking back to what he wrote in Chapter 1 he says that he was rejoicing in his circumstances as long as it meant that the Gospel got out to people! So I just now connected the fact that he was not only in prison, and not only still preaching from prison ( which had to be limiting to say the least) but he was paying for it OUT OF POCKET!
Ok, so lets talk about money for a second because its here that I need some altering of mind. Basically, I think I could almost be as chill as Paul about his circumstances being less than stellar until I realized that I was going to have to pay for it! Sad but true. I would have started complaining immediately. And in realizing this, I am realizing that I may not be trusting God with our finances as much as I would like. Especially finances that we give away.....key word "away". As in no longer under my rule. I need to be ok with God deciding to use that money ANY way He sees fit...even if its something unpractical like paying for a prison sentence that seemingly limits ones ability to get around and preach...yeah. That's a good example of it not making sense in human terms but making perfect sense in God terms. In fact, after going back and re-reading this paragraph-I need to let go of my "rule" of ALL our money and resources! I am waaay too controlling!

Stay tuned for Chapter 2....

Take a moment

This morning Ransom woke up with a runny nose. A seriously runny nose. And whether its allergies, teething or a real live cold we all know that where there's snot there are germs and so I had to sadly cancel my afternoon plans with some lovely lovely ladies ( and their daughters).
A serious BUM. ER.

And I was all pouty and such and when I put Ransom down for his nap instead of dusting and sweeping like I TOLD myself I would...I plopped down to blog read.

And I read today's blog post by a lovely lady Jeanne who I have known my whole life....( you know when you get older and you realize that your childhood playmate's parents are really cool and you wish that they'd like you and be friends with you too? Anyway, that's how I feel about this lovely lady.) And she shared a video that she had done for Mikeschair's new album.
Now, let me just say this, I remember being a little kid and hearing what was happening to her son, I remember the prayers, the tears. But it resonated all over again today. I sat on my couch and cried.

Friends, we live in a fallen world, a world full of sorrow and sometimes things happen that are SO mysterious that the only place to find an answer is at Jesus's Feet. I loved how Jeanne shares how she realized the only way to get through what was happening was to go to the One who had let it happen in the first place...wow. As soon as she said it I remembered back to our own Heartbreaks and I knew exactly what she meant. Its probably one of the HARDEST challenges of my life, but I am so grateful for the beauty that such sorrows have taught us. Please watch this video. Currently words are failing me. I pray its an encouragement today!

Philippians Chapter 1

So, to set the scene. I have a headache. I found out today my babysitter had an accident has two torn ligaments and a sprained femur....and has to have surgery next week. ( and of course my first thought was THERE GOES MY DATE ON SATURDAY not to mention all the other sitting jobs I have lined up with her).  Ransom continues his crazy nap schedule today by only sleeping 45 min. ALL DAY....and I'm WORN OUT.


And that's the state that I entered into Philippians 1. Awesome!! But, seriously, its at times like these when my head is ANYWHERE but the right place that I NEED to be running to my Bible. This is the time for me to have some Jesus-work done....

So the first verse that "popped" for me was verse six:

⁶And I am sure of this, that he who began^(H) a good work in you. will bring it to completion at^(J) the day of Jesus Christ.


Incidentally, I copied that straight from Biblegateway.com where I can literally click on the cross references and they take me right to other verses in the bible on the same topic. Sweet!

Which, I really liked this one:

The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me; your steadfast love, O LORD, endures forever. Do not forsake the work of your hands. Ps 138: 8

I think I've always found oddly comforting in verse 6 of Phil 1, because it puts in blunt terms that which I am already very aware of: "I'm not done yet."
If I were in the oven, you'd want to stick me back in.  The older I get the more I realize just HOW much grace I still need from Jesus ( case in point: me thinking about myself and not my poor sweet babysitter with the messed up knee.)  BUT there's a promise there. A promise that God is at work in me ( as long as I let Him!) and He's gonna stay there until His work is done!! I am so grateful that He does not give up on us, that while He does, indeed, know just what kind of awfulness goes on in my head, He's fully capable and willing to help me become a better person...to become more like Him. 

The next verse that struck me was verse 12:

I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. 


This read through I actually went and read specifically about Paul's imprisonment in the Book of Acts:
 Chapter 28 and how Paul lived in Rome ( under house arrest) for two years at his own expense talking to anyone that would come and visit him and talk to him about Jesus. I think it helped give me greater perspective. I know it might be a bit geeky but it helps me to get the "story" behind what Paul's writing his letter.  And I think what reeeeally stopped me in my tracks was what he said about how him being imprisoned there had caused the Truth about Jesus to spread-sometimes because of people being sincerely inspired to share and other times because of some other mean-spiritedness in the person...either way Paul was happy that the Gospel was shared. Ummm...wait. Hold the phone!! You mean to tell me Paul didn't care what the motives of a person where as long as the Truth was shared?!? And this is how I need to be too?!?
Well, then I've wasted a LOT of energy in the past trying to figure out if the people around me were sincere or not!! I've also wasted a lot of energy judging others on how they like to tell others about Jesus, or how they show love...I'm a judger-mcjudger-pants.
The bottom line is if I cared a little less about what other people are doing and saying ( and thinking too..if I could some how figure that out) and spent more time trying hard to share what I know about Jesus and what He's done in my life with people. Well....yeah. That'd be better.
I am sincerely humbled by how little amount of credit Paul wants for himself ( I'd be all like, look at me and how God's using me! ME! ME! ME!) and how He give ALL glory to God.

And now on to verse 21-26:
For to me to live is Christ ( meaning sacrifice and suffering) , and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh ( as in on Earth), that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and to be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain (here on Earth) is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. 


I love these verses for several reasons. First once again, it shows Paul's devotion to the people in Philipi  that he was willing to keep on going because he knew that it would be better for THEM. The other great thing here is Paul's obvious desire to be with Jesus. 
I don't think I think about Heaven enough. But, really, the thought of being with Jesus is an encouragement and puts everything of today into perspective.....


I actually had to take a break writing this post last night because some things came up, and then in the middle of the night, the guy staying with us got up to take a shower and head to the airport...but left his phone alarm that had woken him up ( at 2am) on...and so, I spent a good ten minutes around 2:30am trying to find a guys phone in the midst of all his stuff while it goes off SO LOUDLY you could hear it in our room...all while he's happily in the shower. 
I tell you that, because I am in desperate need of perspective. My thoughts, my priorities they are all very "worldy". They have so much to do with just getting through today, when really I should have my heart and mind so transfixed on Jesus that that stuff is but a blip. I mean, don't get me wrong. I feel sure that even Paul would have been annoyed by that cell phone. ( haha!) but I think he would have used that hour or so after when he was lying in bed, heart still racing, to pray and spend time with his Best Friend....I want to be more like that. 


Ok, so this is getting super long! But I've got ONE MORE thought, and this one is where my application comes into play!! 
Its from verses 27-28,  ... that I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel, and not frightened in anything by your. 
 opponets...


I realize more and more just how SUPER IMPORTANT it is to have at least one person who you're walking side by side with it does indeed help you to stand firm and to keep striving and to not be frightened by things that come up against you ( even if its just the day to day stuff...) and so while my first thought in how to "apply" this particular idea to my life was to just in a very general way, I want to make sure its something I can quantify to you next week. So, instead, I've decided to specifically tell someone who's been of a particular encouragement in my Faith lately just HOW much they've encouraged me...and then I will also meet up with someone who I know I've neglected in the same way and hopefully I can be an encouragement to them!! I'll let you know how I do! 

Twwwoooo moooore daaaays

Hey peeps.

This week has been totally crazy. Case in point: Two and a half hours at the doctors office. During Ransom's nap time. awwwwesome!

Luckily we got medicine and Ransom is currently sleeping it off ( I've got my fingers and toes crossed that he'll sleep longer than usual.). Ironically he's been in that horrible transition between two naps and one for a while now, and today might ACTUALLY be the best napping we've had all week. Wouldn't that be ironic?!?

Anywhos. I just wanted to remind everyone to enjoy the fine "fall" weather ( 80 degrees...that counts right?!) or whatever weather you're having in your local...and then DON'T FORGET TO DO YOUR Philippians study!!! I'll be sharing my chapter 1 thoughts on Friday and I can't wait to hear what you guys think too! ( check out the top of the blog for all the links to everyone's thoughts from last week)

Lovely lovely lovelies

Just wanted to post to let everyone know that I've added a little Page Tab at the top of my blog where you can find all the links to the Philippians Week One studies. I need to ponder how/ or if to post the ones sent to me via email. I feel like I'm the winner here since I get to read ALL the posts! You guys make my day ( and week!).


So Ransom might be in the dreaded transition from two naps to one. Either that or he's teething/sick/or just plain ornery...all that to say-we had to spend a goodly amount of time outside in the lovely fall day in the hopes that it would rub off on him. It didn't.

Nothing like some spontaneous stopping of a walk to enjoy a spot. 

You can see here in this picture that Ransom is patting his chest in his "Please" sign. That took a MONTH to perfect. Whew. 

These are all the acorns that Ransom picked up and then dutifully brought over to me. Sometimes he can be sweet. 

Intro to Philippians.

Dun-dun-dun-DUUUUNNNN!!!! We're here!! And If I could make a trumpet sound I totally would! Almost every day this week someone's jumped on board the Bloggin' Bible Study train and  I've become more and more excited about it. You guys have shown me that its NOT scary to study the Bible, especially if its in the un-scary ( hehe) realms of the internets where no one can come to your house and TP it because you didn't answer "Jesus" to every question ( that would never happen) and apparently you guys are totally willing to join in this little experiment with me and hopefully bring this particular blogging community closer together! Excellent!

So lets get this party started: 

Philippians. The background:

It was written by this guy named Paul ( read how Paul became a follower of Jesus here) . And he probably dictated it to this other guy named Timothy ( basically Paul's right hand man, quite a bit younger but had also helped Paul start the Church at Philippi ) . He wrote it while he was in PRISON ( now there's a long story, and if you don't know it...I suggest you read the book of Acts sometime) . And he wrote it to the church in the city of Philippi in around the year 63 A.D. ( whatever that means! Man, I wish I was good at history sometimes!!) .

  

Now, I got most of my background info on this book from this handy-dandy other book called "Halley's Bible Handbook"  but you could probably find most of your basic background on the book of Philippians in most Study Bibles or....the wonderful world of Wikipedia. 

Some of the things that were clarified for me by doing my background research is that, it had probably been three or four years since Paul had last been to Philippi and it had been about ten years since his first visit when he founded the church there. It looks like the church had sent this guy, Epaphroditus ( don't name your son after him...please) with some monetary support for Paul and he'd gotten really sick on the way. When he recovered Paul sent him back with this letter ( Phil. 2:25-30, 4:18). 

Major themes thoughts of the Letter (I guess I'll stop calling it a book now...) 

Without even realizing it I picked a nice seemingly "lighthearted" book to study. Which I dig. But its also a bit of a mishmash of topics and I got waaaaay overwhelmed trying to make it into any kind of outline/major themes. So instead I'll just point out some things that stuck out to me this read-through. 

~Using seemingly difficult/awful circumstances for the good and glory of God. ( Chapter 1: 12-, 27-)

 I definitely need to have this attitude more often. The attitude that even when things do NOT go my way, my prayer should be that my circumstances in some way are advancing the Kingdom of Jesus. I guess I'd call that "Heavenly Minded"...which I am not. 

~A reminder of how Christ lived( and how we should live): 

Treat each other in a servant hearted manner ( first section of chapter 2). Something I really want to do better in. Especially with the people that have been placed in my life that may not be the easiest to love. 

Remember you are a light in a world that may not know Jesus. You might just be someones only chance of meeting Him ( through you!). (second section of Chapter 2) 

~A reminder that just because Paul had 'everything together' none of that really matters for Christ has made us ALL equal in our salvation in Him. ( Chapter 3:2-11) I need to stop looking at my "street cred" as a Christian...the fact that I give money to the poor...that I volunteer...the fact that I've read the Bible...memorized verses etc. etc. as what makes me cool or uncool. Bottom line. NONE of us are "Good People" unless we have Jesus in our lives. Period. 

~Striving to be like Christ, look to others that are doing the same and look to them to help you in your growth. ( chapter 3:12-20) I really want to reavaluate and make sure that the people I'm looking up to, the people I'm spending my time with and who influence me the most are REALLY the type of people that I want to be like. aka...are they following hard after Christ?

~Chapter 4:4-6...these are the verses I quoted yesterday and that I need to seriously write on my forehead sometimes!! They are SO helpful. 

Chapter 4:8-9...very helpful to me in keeping my mind from dwelling on whatifs and fears and concerns that I've contrived in my head..they've even helped me from spending my time daydreaming and thinking about things that I WISH would happen...which can be just as detrimental. 

Final thoughts: 

One thing that reading through this whole letter reminded me of this week, is that there may just be sections that I just DO NOT GET. And that's ok too....in fact, that's one of the major cool-factors of doing this bible study with all you awesome people. So I'd like to go ahead and add that to next weeks homework: Ask some questions that you do NOT have the answer to......I think sometimes the "A-student" in me comes out and I only want to ask questions that I immediately have the answer for, but there's something really great about reading the Bible with the attitude that we do not understand everything in it...and that we can come away with new questions and answers every time we read it! again and again! 

OK, now I'm SUPER EXCITED to hear what you guys think!!  I'll be collecting your studies ( if you want to send them in!) via email and blog-link. And I'd love to share some of your thoughts here on my blog if that's ok! Maybe a little sum-up-age later this weekend? ;-) 

Preview...

I'm so excited about our bible study this week!!! So may of you have said you're going to get involved and I can't tell you how that warms my heart! One thing I know for sure and that's that I need PEOPLE. Fellowship is one of the THE most important things about my faith, the sharing of that faith with one another- sharing what God has put on your heart and then rejoicing/crying/wondering/marveling at ( even questioning) what He's said together...well, its all pretty well the best.

So, because I can't wait until Friday I'll share one of the very first thoughts I've received from one of you guys...and it was very much needed today:

Favorite verse?!? Possibly.

Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:6-7


I've got a LOT of things to be anxious about today...so yeah. Sendin' up some prayers

Daddy son time...

They are so cute together!  I am thankful that the Army never allows me to be at all casual or flippant about our times together as a family. Every minute is precious. 

Blogging Bible Study: How it'll work!

Pic I took coming back from my first Family Readiness Group meeting for Brett's new company.

Alrighty folks! I'm excited! I've been praying and thinking about it all week and I'm starting my very first  Interactive Blogging Bible Study! WOOO!  Basically how it will work is if you're also a blogger and you'd like to post your thoughts on the Bible Study please comment a link to your blog post so we can all share. ( and if you don't mind, link to mine on YOUR blog post too!) 

Since everyone seemed excited about the idea, but no one had any thoughts on WHAT we should study, I've prayed about it and decided to go "Old School". We'll be doing a "Searching the Scriptures" or STS style study of the book of Philippians.  I loooove this kind of study but it scares some people so hopefully by going through it with me this month you will loose that fear ( since if *I* can do it...anybody can!) and learn to love it too...because it will work with EVERY SINGLE BOOK OF THE BIBLE ( and that's a lot of ready made bible studies ;-)!!  ) 

So here's my schedule: 

Week One: 

Read the WHOLE BOOK of Philippians!!! Come back here on Friday ( Sept 30) and I'll be sharing my answers to the following questions: 

Background of the Book. ( who wrote it, when did they write, who was the audience.)

Main Themes of the Book ( what I think I'll be getting out of the study, things I'll be on the lookout for-no wrong answers here! I won't be going back to see if its the same answer at the end of the study...so don't hold me to this ;-) )

Post YOUR thoughts either on your own blog and link it in my comments section, or email me your answers at abigail.abt(at)gmail(dot)com. I'll probably do a follow-up post where I share your thoughts ( IF YOU SEND THEM IN!) 

Week Two

 Read Chapter 1 (again!). Come back here on Friday( Oct. 7th) and I'll be sharing my answers to the following questions: 

What does this chapter say? ( any main things that jump out at me...)

Where else does it say it? ( I'll probably do some cross referencing here-basically looking up verses that I particularly like from the chapter on awesome websites like biblos.com and www.biblegateway.com and see where the same things are talked about in OTHER parts of the Bible!! 

What does it say to me? ( How does what I have just read and "researched" affect my life?) 

What will I do about it? ( Here's the really tricky part! I would like to come up with some way I can VISIBLY apply what I'm studying each week to my life so I will come up with some way to measurably and tangibly apply the Word of God in my life for the next week....I'll be telling you guys what I come up with and hopefully following up with you the next week to keep me accountable to what I'm doing ( or not doing!) hehe!

AND THEN!! I want you guys to do the same and once again link/email me your thoughts!!!

Week Three

Read Chapter 2, come back here on Friday for the same question/answer roundup. Rinse Repeat

Week Four

Chapter 3 etc. etc. etc.

Week Five 

Chapter 4 etc. etc. etc.

Week Six

I'll be coming back on the 6th Friday to talk about my major takeaways from the Book...the things that stuck with me throughout the whole process...I'll probably also discuss this whole "blogging biblestudy" business and what I learned from it, what I'd change if I do it again...If I should do it again. And hopefully get all your awesome feedback on these questions too! 

feedback.

A lot has been going on in the Wilson household the last week or two-but what's new? However, here are some thoughts I've yet to do much with, other than voice them one or two times:

One, I'm thinking about starting an Etsy store for my Mystery Dinners. Sure. I only wrote one of them but it was such fun( !) , an I've got one or two more roaming around in my head and I'm thinking I might also offer the option for a "personalized" one too, where the buyer could tell me the theme they wanted and how many people ( guys and girls) would be at the party and I would write one specifically for their needs...  Anyway, I think it'd be fun though I'm already hearing the voice in the back of my head saying, "no one would buy that!"

My other thought is I'm really itching to do a women's bible study...and while i have one or two ladies here that I think would also be interested, I'm ALSO thinking about maybe a BLOGGING BIBLE STUDY! Anyone interested could join in and start the bible study with me, and then I'll blog my thoughts once a week in the hopes that others would also share THEIR thoughts! Anyone interested?! Any thoughts on a topic or a study you think is awesome blossom?

So those are my major thoughts the other minor thoughts going on in my head are as follows: I'm SO glad Ransom has started having an appetite again ( last week was a LONG week that included some awful puking moments)...I'm SO excited that my Aunty D is coming to visit this week...I'm also excited for all the fall premieres of television starting up soon ( Castle, anyone?!?)...which makes me feel a little bit lame, but whatevers...I've also put off cleaning Brett and my bathroom for an embarrassingly long time and I'm really feeling like a housewife failure. WILL DO THAT TODAY. I really want to make those brownies again and I'm kind of glad I don't have any more beer in the house otherwise I'd make them RIGHT NOW....oooo....I could make some and send them to work with Brett...hmmmm...there's a thought! And speaking of food, I've instituted a "Waffles Sunday" at our house the last few weeks and its really ( oddly) helped my attitude about the day. It immediately makes the day feel "special" ( since really all my days end up having the same basic schedule) and I feel like I've had better quiet times/ listening to sermons/ singing hymns and praise songs "with" Ransom times since I've started this "tradition"....

Another....winner?

So, I never heard from the Katie that wanted to win the amazing ( or at least I thought) polish prize that I gave away a week or so ago... therefore I had to do a redraw. And to be honest, I hope this person comes forward because I'm starting to think that people don't like free stuff as much as I do...and if that's not the case, maybe the stuff that makes ME happy doesn't really do it for all you folk.

Anyway.....here's the winner!! She better comment on this post in the next 24 hours or I will seriously keep my totally adorable nail polish to myself in the future ;-)
Congrats:

 Esther said...

There was even a nip in the air here this morning. Fall is definitely on it's way. YAY!
My favorite thing is definitely comfy cozy sweaters (I have a new mustard yellow one that I'm dying to wear 24/7 when it gets cold enough).

PS. I really miss you! Kiss Ransom for me (if he'll sit still long enough).

The Holy Grail of brownies.

In college I lived in a Hall called Carrington. We had an amazing chef who prepared amazing meals for us three times a day.
I ate those meals and they were incredible. I also gained SO MUCH weight during my time there that when I was 9 months pregnant I did not weigh as much as I did then...which is neither here nor there except to point out that the food was AWESOME. And I still dream about the Mud Cake. The Mud Cake was this ULTRA rich chocolate cake that was SO dense it never got a joke in its life, and it was so rich that it put the Queen to shame...anyways. It was incredible and I've spent the past 6 years (!!) trying to find a recipe that lived up to its amazingness...

And then....then I joined Pinterest and I found this little gem:

Guinness Stout Brownies.

You can find the recipe here. And you best head over there right now and make these brownies. Because they will rock. your. world. Also you will need  milk with them or at least some whip cream...possibly some simple vanilla ice cream because they are not your stand alone whimpy brownie. These babies have bite.
And I believe that the search is over. These brownies seriously take the place of Mud Cake. Holy Moly are they good....PLEASE MAKE THEM YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT.

P.S. Katie hasn't contacted me about her Win and she has until Friday to claim her prize or we do another "drawing"....

There's a WINNNNNNNNNNNER!

So, since Brett's in the field this week, and my dear friend Tabitha is visiting for the week SHE got the honor of "picking a number" for my September Giveaway...and she picked....

katie said...

I love the weather feeling perfect, bowls of soup, and hot chocolate. mmmmmm

So, ummm...actually its kinda funny but I have several Katies who read my blog and so I'm not sure WHICH Katie this is...soooOOOoooo...if you wouldn't mind contacting me at thebrettwilsonfam(at)gmail(dot)com that would be awesome blossom and letting me know which one you are..and your address if I don't already have it ;-) 

In other news, I've started running again. I had forgotten how much I loathe/love it. Its a terrible combo that always keeps me in a state of not knowing whether I'll actually go through with it today or not ;-) But today, today I DID. Mostly because I plan to eat something yummy this evening in honor of my friend Miranda's birthday...because I'm supportive like that. 

Welcome!

Seasons.

DONT FORGET TO ENTER TO WIN "ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS"

So, today I feel like I was rather productive. I give full credit to the amazing weather. Weather that allowed me to wear jeans and not break out in a sweat. Magic. I am lovin' the cooler temps but wish upon a star that they'd last longer than a week...*sigh* Until then, however, I'm burning my autumn candles and pulling out all the domestic stops.

Case in point: Today, I went through my 'fall clothes' ( meaning, very thin sweaters, short sleeve shirts that are a tad thicker in material...) took all the "too summery for september" things out of my closet. Just because its going to be 90 degrees again next week does not mean I'm going to feel like wearing my floweredy print dresses until next May. I also, duh-duh-DUN, organized Brett's closet. I got one of those totally awesome collapsable hanging shelves things from the Target 2 dollar section ( SCORE! those things are usually 10 dollars, but if you wait until "fall" they always have them on sale for the "teens going to college" time of year) Anywho, his uniforms are now no longer "neatly piled" on the floor ( aka. THROWN ABOUT) and his PTs are not wadded up on the top shelf. ahhhhhh!!!! I feel so happy about this!

In other domestic pursuits, my darling friend Melissa and Baby Emmy came over this afternoon and we made some "Fall Decor"....I made a wreath which I think I'm happy with...I'll post a picture once I've taken a good one.  But really the point was I got to enjoy some good quality time with a good friend making something fun. I say it was a win-win-win. ( Idea for my fall wreath...TOTALLY FROM Pinterest ...are you following me yet?! Because seriously. I love this site.
In fact, Miranda, being the good friend that she is asked me today how my Facebook addiction was going since I'd gotten back on...And to be honest, its a NONISSUE now that I've found Pinterest! ( hehe)  I mean, I check it maybe twice a day! ( Seriously, taking a break from facebook was SO helpful and really gave me the perspective I needed, pinterest not withstanding, it was just what I needed.)

Many of you may be wondering how I've been doing since Brett's taken Command ( really?! You haven't?! What's your problem?!) and therefore dropped off the face of the earth. And to be honest, Ransom and I are doing surprisingly well. We miss him terribly. But evening routine has gotten better and I've learned to expect an evening of "Abigail Time". Once Ransom goes to bed I am able to sit around and lounge. Which, lets be honest, I'd rather do with Brett....but since he's away it gives me opportunity to be more productive. Such as this evening. I made and froze 8 breakfast burritos for Brett's breakfasts this coming week.  So yes. This is not optimal. But, as I keep hearing repeated over and over in my head. "This is only for a season...."

“There are things I can do now that I won’t be able to do later, and it’s about making sure I do the important things pertaining to that season right now.” - Louise

A diet coke ( and a giveaway)

I drank some diet coke yesterday. the pure kind. the kind with caffeine in it. Thus I was awake a LOT longer than I should have been last night...when will I learn?!
Anyway, here are some thoughts I had:

Firstly, I came across a craft that I really really want to do, but I'm scared because we all know my artistic abilities run rather short...You can read all about it here, but basically the idea is taking one of these ugly kid play mats:

And painting it to look like this:

So, yeah...probably not something I'm capable of pulling off so that it'd look good...but BOY would I like one of these for my kitchen!!


Secondly, I am SO READY FOR FALL! It is my favorite favorite time of year and I'm pretty much dying for sweaters and scarves, hot drinks ( without caffeine, obviously), spiced candles, soup, cute boots....the list goes on. Anyway, this made me think about how I needed to pull out my "fall" nail polishes ( the darker colors just seem to scream fall) and it reminded me that I haven't done a give away in a while. And this one...well...its super girlie....but we could argue that they have ALL been super girlie thus far so why mess with a good thing?!

Ok, so this month I'm giving away something that NEVER FAILS to make me super happy. Its my GO TO winter nail polish....and I think its best on toes, though it might be way fun for a holiday party nail too...so go with your heart on this one!
Here it is:

Yeah, its called RUBY PUMPS!! How could I NOT love it?!?! 

So here's the dealio...feel free to enter to win by commenting with your favorite thing about Fall...and I'll announce the winner next Monday! YAY!! I so love sharing my favorite things with my wonderful readers! 

New territory ( that looks rather old)

Brett's taken command! Exciting!
Yesterday his ceremony and the reception afterwards ( that was only a success because I have awesome friends)  went well...and then we had an Army function that night ( 'no rest for the weary' is my new catch phrase)  also went well...though I was COMPLETELY shattered by the time we got home at 10pm. Seriously, I was not cut out for all this shmoosing. Anyway... I was way looking forward to the long Labor Day weekend, even though today was technically the only day Brett and I would get to spend together since we're headed to the Navigator conference in north Georgia tomorrow. The conference that last year I cried at...( yaaay).

Annnnyway, of course, first day on the job Brett had to go into the office to deal with an unruly soldier. So there goes our day together.

And here's what I'm fighting against. I'm so annoyed. so disappointed. How do I not have a bad attitude?!?
Honestly. I'm about to have to be more like Jesus if it kills me.

We're moving!!!

Don't freak out. We aren't ACTUALLY moving...but that's definitely how I'm feeling of late. I know that I am way behind on giving you a follow up from my last dramatic post. But here's what's happened in a nutshell. First off, God was good and reminded me of, well, just how blessed I really am...and he also gently reminded me of all those who are probably much lonelier than I am. But, also in the mix I got this great email from a friend, one of those friends everyone should have...the kind who know you so well and who've known you for so long they can pull out the laundry list of all the things that God has done before and stick it in your face. Anyway, she was kind enough to remind me that this is how I felt when I first moved to New Zealand. And its how I felt when I first moved back to Texas. And when I first moved to Washington. And when I moved to Kansas and locked myself in the trunk , or the time I moved back to Washington. Or when I first moved to Fort Benning....
Well, anyway since you see a pattern here, I was annoyed ( at first) because I was like WE DIDN'T MOVE!!  I mean, its all well and good to feel alone and without friends and fellowship when you've just moved but WE'RE STILL HERE!!

However, it wasn't until several days later that another friend was visiting with us and he was talking about how God moves us so that we'll grow, that we'll spread out. So that we'll spread the gossip ( Acts 8:1)...and it hit me! Sure, we haven't physically moved, but we ARE starting a brand new chapter. A chapter where Brett's work is gonna be a 24/7 kind of deal, a chapter where our lives will look much much different from how they've looked up till now. And so, in that, it some how has helped me to think that we've moved again. That these feeling are normal and they are forcing me out of my comfort zone YET AGAIN. But, the hope in that is that community will once again be around the corner. I met today with my dear friend Melissa. Her husband also works on Kelley Hill and Brett and I have always known that we were "partners" in taking the Hill for Christ with Melissa and her Hubs...however, some how that's gotten lost in our busy busy schedule. But we're taking it back. Taking back our fellowship with one another, and hopefully in that we'll all be a little more encouraged in the Work we have set before us! God is faithful.
THANK YOU blog readers for your continued support, wonderful emails of encouragement and sometimes admonishment. I can always trust you to tell me the truth! Thanks :-)

A private thought

I'm about to write about something I don't fully understand. I've been trying to and I've decided maybe its just not meant to be at the moment and I should just write what I do know and we'll go from there.

I'm pretty sure last week I was depressed. Now, for those who I know who suffer from real depression I do not want to belittle or trivialize what is a real and true disease. So instead I'll just call it a serious Downer.

It had probably been coming on for a while though, because for the last few months my life has looked a bit like a horror film. People dropping like flies. Or should I say, people, fellowship any kind of anything. First, our Navigator community did some DRASTIC changing, changes that I will caveat by saying that I still ( even after what happened) believe in the fundamentals of...however, the result was that Community DISAPPEARED from our lives. Where we use to have Friday night BBQs-nada. where we use to have Chapel-nada. Where we use to have lunch after chapel-nada. Where we use to have Sunday night Searching the Scriptures Bible Study-nada. Where we use to keep track and know what was going on in the lives of the other leaders and laborers-nada. It went from weekly meetings, to every so often, to pretty much nothing. ( I'm leaving out a lot here, like the fact that a lot of people went out and started their very own small groups for the first time ever, and people who would never walk into a church or chapel were getting to hear the good news of Christ....this is why deep down I was positive and excited through this whole process...because I thought that ultimately the good was out weighing the bad...) , on top of that my friend Adelaide deployed (boo), my friend Amy moved ( boo),
and to be honest if I hadn't had walking with my friend Miranda in the mornings I wouldn't have seen anyone all week. And if it hadn't been during the summer where I had a trip to Texas, several visits from friends and family mixed it, then well....things would have probably come to a head even sooner. Because...the other major change that was going on was Brett's work.

 I've already talked about this on my blog so I won't go on and on, but basically Brett's work took it up a notch. And last week it took it up an even further notch and he's FINALLY GETTING HIS COMPANY! This is super exciting! For those of you non-army types ( lots of you), basically Brett's going to be the company commander for about 100 guys. Large and in charge. He's going to be wonderful. So, to break that down though- he'll be going from an intense horrible job with horribly long hours to hopefully a more fulfilling, exciting job with equally, if not longer, hours.

And so....here I was. At the end of my rope. People I never would have expected this. I never expected to feel so utterly alone.  Its not that I didn't have friends, or I didn't have people around. But I learned that I didn't just need human contact, I needed deeper communion. I needed a more spiritual connection that happened on a regular basis. I felt like we were drowning.

Anyway. I'm nervous about writing this. Nervous that it'll hurt someones feelings or make someone mad.  But, I'm writing it anyway. I'm writing it because its ultimately its how I felt.  That's why I'm calling it a Downer. Something that made me take naps every day. Something that made me cry, and I mean seriously cry three or four times ( for a non-cryer that's TONS). I mean, I was seriously taking pregnancy tests like they were going out of style. But ultimately I think it boiled down to the fact that we are not made to go at this alone. And I actually think that I, personally, am not even made to go at this life with just one or two people. I'm a village girl. I need a crowd of people in my life.

I want my crowd back.

I've been reviewing some of my old memory verses this week and I was in the car and I got to Hebrews 10:24-25. "Consider how you may spur others on towards love and good deeds.  Do not give up meeting together as some or in the habit of doing, but encourage one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching."

And, this is embarrassing to admit, but when I memorized this a long time ago I always thought I was memorizing for other peoples sake because I had never had a problem with that before!! Well, there I was in the car and I literally said, "oh." out loud...because that is EXACTLY what we, I  had done.

And after I figured that out, I magically no longer needed a nap any more. Now I just want this fixed. Really really fixed.

Please pray for the Fort Benning community that I'm "suppose" to be involved in. One thing that really sealed the deal for me was thinking about Brett deploying again. When thinking about it I thought about how last deployment my Fort Lewis community/family seriously got me through that deployment. But when thinking about Brett deploying again all I could think was: "I'm going to be SO ALONE." Now, I know that's not going to be the case, and I know that God will take care of Ransom and I when the time comes, but the fact that I even thought that...that's trouble! So, praying and seeking the Lord and having great Hope in a community that I still very much believe in, that we WILL get back on track!

Replacing

Now that I'm no longer addicted to Facebook ( I'm back and feel like I have a healthy amount of distance ;-) lol ). I've replaced my addiction with Pinterest ( which I blogged about two days ago)....and yeah. I'm loving it in a BIG WAY.

I think the difference is Pinterest is officially inspiring me and not bogging me down making me feel like I should be doing better ( like most craft/design blogs tend to do to me). So all in all. IM. A. FAN.

In other news, I should be writing thank you cards for Ransom's b-day. RIGHT NOW.

Not for the faint of heart

Baby Einstein possibly created Ransom's first therapist talking point last night...

So, Brett being gone until all hours of the night, me fighting off fatigue, Ransom being cranky/clinging, and the can't-put-it-off-any-longer need to unload and reload the dishwasher, all came together yesterday evening and I put in Ransom's new Baby Einstein DVD: Baby Shakespeare

The creepy depiction of shakespeare-frog should have been a tip off

So, all was going swimmingly and I was putting away the last of the five million sippy cups when Ransom starts crying. And not, whiny-I-need-attention crying or this-is-boring-come-play-with-me crying, but SOMETHING-SCARED-ME crying. 

So I hurry and scoop him up to console him and I rewind the DVD to see the culprit. ( and yes, I'm still holding my baby and so I'm probably about to re-live the earlier scared moment, never mind that...) 

Anyway, this is what I see: 

HOLY CHILD SCARRING BATMAN! This is seriously the "toys" they like to depict on this DVD?!?! Seriously?!?! I mean, I'm a grown woman and I'm going to have nightmares!!!

Anyway, I shake my head and Ransom and I start playing in the entry way ( the echo in there is excellent if you're 1 and you like the sound of your own voice....or if you're 27 and you've deliriously tired)...now, don't judge, but I forgot to turn off the DVD so its still pumping out the classical tunes and showing us pictures of random children and pretty-pretty things ( and every so often quoting a sonnet in a semi-creepy voice) when THERE IT IS AGAIN!!! THE EVIL EVIL MONKEY IS BACK!!! 

And it just so happened that Ransom caught sight of the TV at just that moment and, if I wasn't sure before, I was DEFINITELY sure the second time when Ransom FROZE in the spot and stared at the TV in horror. His little eyes started to well up with tears before I whipped him around and distracted him with a truck going by outside the window. Ahhhh to be one and have that kind of attention span! 

The moral of this story is stick to Praise Baby DVDs ( hahaha! I bet you thought I was going to say something like, "stick to reading" or something! hahah! You're funny!) ..I don't care if they try to woo you with Shakespeare and a child who can quote sonnets at the age of 2....there are some TWISTED people making Baby Einstein DVDs. 

Side effects

Brett is working "9 to 9" shifts at work this week. I put that in parentheses because I have yet to see the fruits of that first "9"....its more like 6:30 to 9...but I guess that didn't have the same ring to it.

Anyway, this has caused me to return to very weird eating habits. aka. I eat mostly chocolate.
your traditional "meals" are out the window...but I AM considering making these cake mix blondies I saw on Pinterest.

P.S. I just joined Pinterest today. So don't know much about THAT...but I'm all about consolidating all the fun things I find on the internets...Do I have any readers who are fans? Tips on how to best use this particular resource?

Napping

Its possible I have Mono.

My throat is sore and swollen, and I've had to take a nap every day for the last three days. And by had I mean, I seriously couldn't keep my eyes open. ( luckily my child takes a nap too...so that makes it a tiny bit easier) And I say Mono because I friend of ours has it, and we'd spent quite a bit of time with her before she was diagnosed.
Buuut, I'm pretending that this is just a weird cold and it'll all go away soon. After all, there is much to be done around here! I've got my fall consignment sale to get ready for....a baby shower to do a CRAFT project for ( honestly, this doesn't bode well...), plus Ransom's first year book to finish up by September 1st ( I have a Groupon that expires then). So, the next few weeks are busy busy and sickness is not an option.

And in the spirit of not being sick, here's a picture of my family and I at the wedding we went to this past weekend. ( we don't look sick at all..in fact, everyone looks quite nice).

It takes a village...

Throwing a first birthday party is difficult. The child is so young that really we might as well forget about them all together and focus on the parents since, lets be honest, the party is really about them. Buuuut, you don't want to make that too obvious and so you are left in a quandary.

I was faced with this quandary a month or so ago when planning Ransom's first birthday and I threw around all sorts of ideas-none of which I really liked. The only thing that kept coming back to me over and over again was the phrase "it takes a village". I have definitely felt that sentiment quite a few times during this past year when friends have cooked for us, babysat for free, listened while I moaned, given advice, gotten us out of the house for a much needed walk....sooo many things that have made a year in the life of an infant and WITH an infant possible....anyway, I wanted Ransom's first birthday to really be about the celebration of Community. The community that has loved us and loved Ransom this last year. 

We don't really go to an official "church" like most people in the Western world have come to recognize it. We attend small groups where we share our Walks with Christ and our victories and struggles in doing so and we are a part of a much bigger community that knows and loves one another throughout the week....that being said, Ransom had no official "Church dedication", but in my mind his first Birthday was an unofficial one. 

In the end I printed off a bunch of pictures of different people with Ransom. In the end I had over 40...and while that seemed like a lot, there were people that I was sad to realize I had never gotten a picture with Ransom. My neighbor Michelle, Amy B., Rolinda and Keri....honestly shocking! That being said, it was wonderful to see all the faces and all the wonderful people who have played a roll in Ransom's life this year. 

So, my Mom and I strung up the pictures as a reminder of this past year with Ransom. And I hope that we do it again next year, and all the years after...so that one day Ransom will have hundreds of pictures of the people who have been a part of his life. A reminder of the heritage that has brought him thus far. 

Also, if your interested...you can check out Ransom's Birthday Letter here. 

Ransom

Today Ransom Nathaniel Wilson turns one.

And really I have so much so say, so much to wax eloquent about. How much he's changed, and yet how I can look at those first pictures of him and I can already see the personality that we've grown to know over the last year and I love him more. More than I even did those first few moments when we were just getting acquainted. 

Ransom is a very talkative little boy and is currently having a very long and involved conversation with a remote control strategically placed at his ear ( his "phone"). So far the only words I can catch are "bye" and "papa"...but I'm assuming its about something serious and important because that's what his face portrays. 

I can also thank Ransom's wonderful Aunt Amber and Uncle Tim for the fact that I have this time to blog, since Ransom is down right OBSESSED with the balls from the totally cool "gum ball machine" toy they got him for his birthday. Hours of entertainment.  Hours.

 I'll be writing a blog on Ransom's personal blog as SOON AS I CAN because I don't want to forget all that's going on in his little world...but let me just say this...this morning I just so happen to get to this section in my Bible reading....coincidence? I think not...

The ransomed of the LORD will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Is 51:11

Speechless

I've officially lost my voice because of my cold. This is bad news because my Internet is down ( typing this the old fashioned way on my phone) and other than blogging the other things on my to do list required phone calls. *sigh*

Hey, surprisingly people have MISSED ME from Facebook!! Honestly with newsfeeds the way they are I figured no one would notice. But, it's nice to be missed and I'm actually looking forward to being back in the "know" after next week.... Im pretty sure there are a few weddings I need to attend via pictures. But my major concern is that I'll have missed something important... So if you know any good gossip that I need to know... Fill me in ;-)
Incidentally, is anyone else having problems with Yahoo?! I've kept my yahoo email for years even though I primarily use gmail. I have the yahoo one forwarded to google and all is well... Until last week when I started not getting notifications for things ( I used the yahoo address for ordering things online) and Brett got an email from some family who have been trying to reach me- apparently using that address. Long story short. I tired to login and it was a no go... Locked, beyond my abilities. Very strange. Anywho. If you have an old school yahoo email for me, go ahead and delete that baby. It's no longer valid.

I know this post is boring and very internet related so let me shift (Hahah) to another topic. Ransom. He's turning one on Tuesday. CRY ME A RIVER. Seriously people I am so beyond nostalgic at this point, country music is band and any Johnson &johnson advertisements banished from my sight or I swear I'll loose it all together... Anyway, get ready for some serious mushiness in the coming days. Babies. They getcha everytime.

The big picture

My picture wall just keeps growing! It makes me so happy!

Sick of it.

The next two weeks are really busy here in the Wilson household. Hayden is graduating Ranger School this weekend ( we are so excited about this amazing answer to prayer! He went straight through without recycling once!), we've had a house full of visitors the last few days with our dear friends the Woods in town. And next week we're preparing for my parents very short visit that coincides with Ransom's birthday...

So....

Of course, Ransom and I have gotten sick. He was beyond miserable yesterday and I've been feeling less than stellar today. It makes it EVEN MORE AWESOME that Brett will be working later than normal the next two days so it looks like I'll be pulling myself off the couch to Mommy it up with the champions of Suckitupness.

Anyway, I'm am TIRED of all this sickness going around and ready to get back into the swing of things! This is so frustrating.