One more thing.....
So Russ is FINALLY finishing this year, June 25th is his last day to be exact! I want to do SOMETHING for him....I mean come on he has been in school to reach this goal since August 1997!! 13 years ago! Question is what and where? Any good ideas? I am thinking maybe a lake party at Degray since we love the water so much and it is close for both sets of families and friends....
Hmmm....random
Such a strange few days for us....I am SICK of snow for one! I do NOT like being cooped up in the house all day and I do NOT like being sent home from work. Yes, it has been well established I am crazy! :) I was just gettn going and had to head home because the roads were getting bad. Thankfully, mom was here with the kiddos.
The storage unit is rented and boxes are there. I was not nearly as sad as I was when I packed up all our Christmas. I just bawled like a baby knowing this was the last time in our house and next time I saw it all would be in Mountain Home...that is a praise the Lord, by the way. It is the whole Durham thing I am still coming to terms with. We head out Thursday night (hopefully, weather permitting) to find our dream apartment! haha! Russ has a whole spread sheet with schools and their "scores" and a few other statistics listed I am not proud of but anyway...his organization is driving me crazy! I have my list and I betcha we get a place off mine...
I am getting back in the swing of things with Dr. Al-Mefty (oa) and the patients have been SO good to me! Thanks Kelli for the adorable scarf!! I am just hoping we get all the important stuff worked out...like when I get a paycheck!! Russ said he had no idea I was such a philanthropist! :) Meaning, I still have not received payment for my last 6 weeks of work at the clinic in Glenwood and then have been following OA around for the last 6 weeks for free too....What can I say it is all about the patients~ But, I have been working some at UAMS. Even though I am still hot to trot at the administration and what they did to oa I am so comfortable there and know most of the people from maintenance to attendings.
I should be heading to bed but before I do I will be writing soon about Beth's (u know my bff, Beth Moore) new book. It is unbelievable. LIFE CHANGING! I have told so many people already about how wonderful it is and I want you all to know too~ It is: So Long Insecurity, You Have Been a Bad Friend to Us....and hasn't it though! Exceptional read and so eye opening to some behaviors I have.
Awesome Opportunity
I have the great privelage of telling all of you about one of my favorite people in the whole wide world! I have my circle and she has been in it since kindergarten! You need to check out the exceptional, talented, and fun work of my BFF Danielle Hicks Davis! She is an AWESOME photographer and has great prices. What I think makes her unique is she looks outside the box and she is not scared to get on the ground for the perfect pic or act crazy for your kiddos~ You will be thankful you did!! Promise~
Please check out one of the most talentest and fun photographers I know....and also my best friend Danielle (Hicks) Davis:
Our Family Christmas~
We celebrated Christmas morning at our house! Russ was on call Christmas Eve but it wasn't a bad night~ Yea! The kids were so excited! They actually let us sleep until 8:30!! I know, I know don't hate I am sure it is the LAST year for that! This was the first year Lexi really "got it" and it was so fun...she asked why Santa left the box to Lauren's four wheeler in the garage!! haha! Russ came up with a quick answer for that one. Poor Will was feeling awful as you can see by the snot pouring from his nose! UGH! From Thanksgiving until after Christmas it seemed like we had every bug known to man visit our house...including pink eye and the stomach destroyer! Anyway, we loaded up and headed to Rison after opening presents....left the house looking like we had been in a tornado zone...much fun to come back to~ insert sigh!
a past devotional that spoke straight to my heart...
“Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.” Luke 6:37 (NIV)
We tend to label ourselves by our past mistakes, and then we wear these labels as if there were no alternative. Failure; Unfaithful; Unfit Parent; Liar; Gossip; Addicted; Bitter.
The Bible tells us that as a person thinks, so they become. Therefore, if you want to live an unhealthy life, you can. If you want to punish yourself, you will. However, being self-destructive is not God’s plan for your life. In fact, to think this way is to see yourself outside of God’s saving grace.
That’s why the Christmas season offers such hope … because God gave us what we needed most—a Savior to save us from ourselves. The key to putting your past behind you, and moving forward with a bright and hopeful future, is to accept Christ’s forgiveness for you.
You’ll find it comforting to know that you are not alone in your troubles. The Bible tells us, “For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23, NIV). That means there is not one perfect person in the entire world. We have all made mistakes. I know I’ve made my share. Still, no matter how hard we try to do everything right on our own, we can’t. So God gave His only Son as payment for our sins. In other words, Christ paid our debt. This payment is a gift of God which He freely offers to you and me.
The awesome thing is, we don’t have to earn this gift. Through Christ’s death on the cross, God simply says, “Your sins are paid in full.”
All you and I have to do to receive His forgiveness is to agree with God about our sins. You might say something like this in prayer. Yes, God, I did that thing … I receive your free gift of forgiveness for the wrong I have done, and I accept heaven as my eternal home. Cleanse me and change my life. Fill me with your love, hope, joy and peace.
If you sincerely mean what you’ve confessed, then you have been forgiven. Your slate is clean. God remembers your sins no more. It is as if they never were. That’s the good news of Christmas and the open doorway to peace!
The next thing you must do is forgive yourself. You will stay in bondage if you continue to label yourself as a bad or unworthy person for what you have done instead of focusing on the changes God can bring about in you. You must stop defining yourself by your past and read the Bible to learn how God defines His people.
Just think; this could be a Christmas where you experience real peace, joy, and forgiveness. It’s why Christ was born … to set you free.