Happy Birthday Eve, Griffin

Today is March 15. It's 8:15pm. About this exact time last year, I was almost to the hospital to get settled for the night to be induced in the morning. I'm currently rocking Griffin to sleep, and it just dawned on me that this is the last night I'll be rocking my "little baby." 

Tomorrow is Griffin's 1st birthday, and to me, that marks the beginning of "big boy-hood." He's turning into quite the little adult. He's not too far from walking on his own, and his personality is starting to bloom. He's really goofy and quite the giggle box! 

I can't believe how fast a year has gone by. This past year has been such a learning experience and a real test of faith at times. There is no doubt he is a blessing from The Lord. This little boy has taught me about a kind of love so big that I thought my little heart was incapable of holding. He's made me truly appreciate the little moments and helped me put that into action by learning to say no (that's still a work in progress ha). He's made me want to be a better person, a better wife, and a better mom. Though he's young, I pray that I've started to "train up a child" (Proverbs 22:6), that I've shown him Jesus through the way I live my life. 

I know Griffin's life is just beginning, and while I'm a little sad that he's no longer an infant, I'm so excited to see him grow and develop into the young man God has designed him to be. Here's to year one, Griffin Ray! Happy Birthday Eve! I love you. 

Stay tuned for a birthday party post with pictures! ☺️

I Will Trust in You

I heard Lauren Daigle's song "Trust in You" for the first time tonight and was instantly touched by the words. The past day or two have been worrisome, and I can't seem to shake some things from my mind that have made me feel a little anxious and fearful. When I heard this song earlier, God used it to remind me that He holds tomorrow. Below are the lyrics; the words that spoke most to me are in bold. There is also a link to the lyric video on YouTube, so you should give this song a listen. It definitely blessed me! 

"Trust in You" by Lauren Daigle

Letting go of every single dream
I lay each one down at Your feet
Every moment of my wandering
Never changes what You see

I've tried to win this war I confess
My hands are weary I need Your rest
Mighty Warrior, King of the fight
No matter what I face, You're by my side

When You don't move the mountains I'm needing You to move
When You don't part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don't give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

Truth is, You know what tomorrow brings
There's not a day ahead You have not seen
So, in all things be my life and breath
I want what You want Lord and nothing less

When You don't move the mountains I'm needing You to move
When You don't part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don't give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

You are my strength and comfort
You are my steady hand
You are my firm foundation; the rock on which I stand

Your ways are always higher
Your plans are always good
There's not a place where I'll go, You've not already stood

When You don't move the mountains I'm needing You to move
When You don't part the waters I wish I could walk through
When You don't give the answers as I cry out to You
I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!

http://youtu.be/qv-SXz_exKE

Here's to 2016

2015 has been such a great, life changing year- mostly thanks to a little boy named Griffin. I kind of hate to see it end, but I'm already excited about some happenings in 2016- The Voice auditions (Yep. You read that correctly. I don't know what I've gotten myself into, but I'm going to try just to say I did!), "Dancing for Our Stars" for The Baddour Center, and vacation in Punta Cana! 

I came across this printable yesterday on someone's Facebook page,

and I've decided to put my answers here to share with you. That way, when I start slacking in a few weeks, you all can help hold me accountable!

So, I purpose to:

Embrace positivity and selflessness 

Engage in more prayer time 

Be a better wife, mom, worker, friend, but ultimately just be ME and be okay with who I am

Believe that good things do come to those who wait (aka BE PATIENT!)

Break my sweet tooth, my sweet tea addiction, and negative self image

Daily spend time with God 

Do more exercising 

Let Go of "what if's"

Learn to be content 

Live a healthier lifestyle and Live in the moment- stop living for the next major life event 

Give more time and attention to what is most important 

Grow stronger physically and spiritually and Grow closer to God, my family, and friends. 

So, there you have it, folks. I'd love to read your lists and see what you purpose to do in the new year. Here's to 2016! Happy New Year! God bless you!

Things I Wish Someone Would've Told Me about Being A Mom

I'm not one to wear my emotions on my sleeve, but I have been holding these thoughts in for awhile, so I have got to share them before I drive myself crazy. Here are a couple of things I wish someone would've told me about becoming a mom: 

1) That having friends when your a mom is hard! - You would think by 28, I wouldn't care about being accepted or fitting in, but truth be told, I do. Motherhood has made having friendships and a social life much more difficult. I was aware of the difficulty going into motherhood, but it didn't ever really sink in until Griffin was here. I long to have girl time (which is easier said than done). People don't think I notice, but I realize I'm not their first choice to hang out. I may be totally wrong, but I feel like I'm only included sometimes out of sympathy. I'm not nor have I ever been "the cool kid" or most popular, but the friendships I had before becoming a mom have seemed to be pushed to the back burner, and they take much more effort to work. I was quite a social person pre-baby, and I'm having a hard time adjusting to not getting to be quite so social. 

2) That motherhood makes you anemotional  basket case! - I used to laugh when my mom would cry over sappy commercials or movie scenes with cheesy, happy moments, but now, it doesn't take much to make me teary- sad or happy tears! Before Griffin, hearing bad news (especially about children) would make me sad, but now it just makes me fearful and overly heartbroken.  

3) That motherhood will teach you to slow down and enjoy the little moments - In our fast paced world, we miss the little moments quite frequently because we live for life's next big moments. I don't know if it's just me, but time has seemed to go by faster since I've had Griffin. It feels like he was born just yesterday, and in 12 days he will be 9 months old. If I blink, he'll be in kindergarten! I've learned to savor every little moment of down time I have with him (and with Cody, too). 

Maybe I'm not the only mom out there that has felt this way or thought these things. If you're a mom, what has motherhood taught you? Feel free to share your thoughts!

A Month of Thanksgiving: Days 25 & 26

The past few days have been spent enjoying time together with family and eating some good food, so I haven't had time to post. Since Thanksgiving is officially over and we're moving on to Christmas, this is going to be my final thanksgiving post, and since it is my last post (and I have two days worth of catching up to do), I'm going to just list the remaining things I have to be thankful for:

My health

My education

The Baddour Center- especially the residents who teach me life lessons daily

EVERY family member- not just immediate family but aunts, uncles, and cousins, too

My past- every lost friendship and ex-boyfriend, all of my past experiences (good and bad), every failure (and success, too) has shaped me into who I am today.

I hope you and yours had a blessed Thanksgiving! Just because Thanksgiving is over doesn't mean we stop being thankful. There is always something to be thankful for. There is always something good about each day; sometimes we just have to look a little harder to find it. I challenge you to ALWAYS find the good in your day! 

A Month of Thanksgiving: Day 24

Today, I am thankful for my grandparents, for the memories made with them and for their guidance and encouragement. I've only grown up knowing my granny (my dad's mom) and my granddaddy (who is actually my stepgrandad- I'm thankful that he accepted me and loved me like one of his blood grandchildren). I have so many special memories with them that I could share- from spend the nights to after school visits and talks. Such sweet times that I will always hold dear. 

There's also another lady who has been like a grandmother to me- Ms. Geraldine Laughlin. Long story short, I came to know and love her about 5 years ago when I needed a place to stay during my internship. Cody and I both have a special place in our hearts for her. She has such a servant's heart and love for The Lord, and it shows. She cooks us dinner every Tuesday night, and we look forward to our weekly dinners with Ms. G! She is the main reason Senatobia is home. She will never know how much of a blessing she has been to us!

A Month of Thanksgiving: Day 23

Today, I'm thankful for laughter. It doesn't take much to get me to laughing!  My favorite movies are comedies. Unfortunately, I tend to laugh at others' expense (i.e. If you trip and fall, I'm laughing first then asking if you're ok. Sorry, I'm that person.) and at inappropriate/childish things (i.e. If you squeeze the ketchup bottle, and it sounds like the bottle is passing gas, I'm laughing). I can also laugh at myself- believe me, I have a lot of "blonde" moments! I'm usually the only person to get my sense of humor, and that's ok. I've heard people say this about difficult circumstances- "You have to laugh about it or else you'd just cry." And it's true! There have been a few situations in my life that I could've been down and out about. However, I chose to laugh about them instead, and it made getting through them a whole lot easier! Laughter is definitely the best medicine.