Filling My Nest: February 2014

2.24.2014

hands

I woke up in the middle of the night thinking so much about hands.

I took a photography class with my husband yesterday. At the beginning of class, the instructor went around the room asking us what we wanted to learn to take pictures of. I said that I wanted to learn to take portraits. Others said they want to learn to take photos of their kids, sports and vacations. He ended by telling us his goal. He loves to take pictures that tell a story. He likes them to have a noun and a verb. Although the class was just a review of what my cousin has taught me, I learned one huge lesson...

I want to learn to take photos with a story as well.

I have so many stories about hands and I want to focus my attention and my photography on hands. I feel like I could explode with all of the stories that are waiting to be told. I'm so excited to share many of them here.

2.18.2014

fifty-two

So I turned 52 last Friday. I used to have issues about my birthday, but that's no longer the case. The first thought I had that morning was not about me. I immediately thought about my brother, Dave. He died when he was 52, but on his birthday he had no idea it was going to be his last birthday. I thought about it several times in the days and weeks prior and honestly, it still crosses my mind. I remember having similar thoughts when I turned 43. That's how old my sister, Vic was when she passed away. It makes me appreciate my health and it also makes me realize life is short. I need to be concerned about the kind of legacy I want to leave when my life is over. I want to be kinder, more thoughtful, a better wife, mother, sister, aunt and friend. I want to love with reckless abandon. I also want to stop worrying about what others think of me.

I want to be this kind of woman... Proverbs 31:10-31

What are my goals this year? I'll get back with you when I figure it out. ;)

For now, enjoy this awesome video.

Much love to you,

Pigtails

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bKwRW0l-Qk&w=420&h=315]

2.09.2014

Marriage Conference

We spent Friday night and Saturday morning focusing on our marriage at a "Rock Your Marriage" conference. I wanted to write down some of my notes so I can refer back to them.

Here are my highlights and what I needed to hear most:

"But at the beginning of creation God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." Mark 10:6

God gave me my husband as a gift. A. Gift. I need to trust The Giver!

We really need to trust God and His Word and want the best for our spouse. We want them to be all that God created them to be.

God loves us in spite of... when we are at our worst.

Honor and celebrate our differences.

The Gift of Grace~ Wipe the slate clean.

The concept of forgiving and forgetting. We don't want to forget that we have been forgiven. God views us as if we have never sinned.

You can be married, yet living a divorce if you act as roommates.

Don't be lazy.

How do we inflate/deflate and love/respect our spouses? How do I feel loved? How do you feel respected? Ask those questions.

Am I a "feeler" or "thinker"? Is it about having feelings hurt or a fairness kind of issue? Do I need to get over it or get into it? From heart to head or head to heart? Think about it. Walk away to process.

Satan will do all he can to make me think my spouse is the enemy. He smiles when he knows he has won. We've lost if we become roommates or get divorced. We must feel safe in our relationship. Our goal should be that we want our spouse to be who God intended them to be and we don't want to settle.

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." John 10:10

The heritage that you receive is not as important as the legacy that you leave. We need to fight for our future and receive our identity in Christ. We must be intentional about our legacy and what we are passing on. What do I need to accept and reject (abandon) from my past?

What is a trophy and what is trash? I need to take an honest look at what I want to continue to pass on. Hunt it down. What am I hiding? What sin is in my camp? The things I do not want to be passed on need to... Stop. Here!