Tough Week, but God Always Offers Peace

This week has been extremely difficult for me. For various reasons I have had a wide range of emotions, and tonight they all just seemed to merge together and form a not so pleasant time for me. I never thought I was much of an 'emotional' person - usually I bottle everything up and show no emotion, but for some reason, in recent months, it just all seems to come out in journal writing, tears, and sighs. So tonight I needed to dive into my bible and find some encouraging words, and this is what I found:

Experiencing God's Peace
The peace Jesus promised...was not absence of conflict - the early believers faced conflict from all sides. Instead, it meant a deep inner peace made possible by the presence of the Holy Spirit in each believer's life. The Holy Spirit's peace allows us to find, deep within, a peace from God as we face the storms and stresses of life. This isn't peace as the world gives or as we might want it to be. It isn't a promise of life without problems. Instead, it is peace in spite of the problems, the stresses, the crises.

The apostle Paul wrote: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. They you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

Paul explained that as we face the storms and stresses, we can turn our worries into prayers and present our needs to God. And you know what will happen? You'll experience God's peace. Your heart and mind will be blanketed with it - guarded against unwanted intruders. Your stomach will stop churning. You'll be able to sleep. You'll be able to face the day without tears. You'll be able to focus on what needs to be done. You'll be able tot deal with your kids without yelling at them. You'll be able to get through the crisis intact.

How can that be? The conflict is still there; we still have a long way to go to get out of this crisis The peace comes not from feeling good about our situation. It comes from knowing the one truth that matters most: God is in control. That alone is the foundation of our peace. No matter what happens, we can trust our God to be at work for us.

We can make it. The journey may be long head of us, the light at the end of the tunnel not yet visible. But God is here with us. Place your hand in his and walk forward with him, unafraid, unhurried, and at peace.
-Linda K. Taylor


This is a video I found of a song that I have grown to love. The words are perfect, and although the girl in the video is singing at a funeral, her voice is beautiful and truly conveys what the song means. Please listen if you have a chance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDHrIXcW_rI

Finally...pictures

I guess it's time to finally post a little something about my man! :) Almost four months ago I met Jason, while finishing up my Masters in Switzerland. It's been a whirlwind ever since! He is an amazing man, has a heart for God, and has quite an intriguing occupation! www.thirstmissions.org He has been a blessing in my life, and I have realized that God does answer prayers at just the perfect time. We have been able to see each other quite often - another blessing - but have unfortunately only taken a few pictures together!

So yes, I do have a boyfriend ladies and gentleman, and these are the first two, of many pictures, yet to come! Year 30 has definitely been the best yet!

This is a picture from my friend Leah's wedding. We met in Tulsa for the big event, and unfortunately, I cut off his head. The guy is 6'4" - not used to being around such tall people when trying to take pictures!
This picture is from two weeks ago, when I went to visit him in Minnesota. I took a few days off and enjoyed all the beautiful colors of fall. I posted some more pictures earlier on my blog - scroll down to see those.
God is good - Jason is a blessing - and I look forward to seeing what this chapter in life holds!

Pumpkin Patch 09

The weekend was finally here! It was time for the Pumpkin Patch and a Reunion. On Friday I drove up to Erin's house and headed up to Tyler with her and Greyson early Saturday morning. We met up with Heather and Brooklyn (3 yrs old-soon to be 4), Jen and Audrey (3 yrs old) and Abby (9 mo.), and then Erin and Greyson (4 yrs. old). I get thrown in as "Aunt Addie" and I loved every moment of it!

The weather was cool and humid - a perfect Fall day in East Texas! Take a look at the pictures and the memories we made on Saturday! I wonder how many new additions will be added by next year?!

Baby Emma

Finally...pictures of Baby Emma! Due to illness, I was unable to meet Baby Emma Suggs the day she was born, but I made it to the hospital as soon as I could! She is precious, and at home now enjoying life in the Suggs household!

Aunt Carol, Jody and Emma

Four Generations

Aunt Margaret and Baby Emma

He survived!

Almost two weeks ago my boyfriend flew back to Texas. It was the weekend to meet "THE FAMILY." As most of you know, my family, well, has spunk - we'll just call it that! I don't know if it was more of me being anxious about this "step" to take, or more scared about what would come out of the mouths of my family, but all in all, it was a wonderful weekend! Things were a bit chaotic migratingfrom house to house, but as usual, God blessed each and every day. The family, especially Grandma, loved him! Looks like he gained the Nauman/Winkles approval...The real test is meeting Aunt KK and Alan! Now that should be interesting! :)

100 Posts and still going...

This is the most amazing time of year!

As most of you know, Fall is my absolute favorite season and unfortunately, I live in a part of the world in which the true colors of Autumn are rarely seen. Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit my boyfriend in Minnesota, and I do believe the leaves started changing colors just for me!

The high for the four days I was there was around 46 degrees - rainy, overcast, and perfect! We went to this state park and spent a few hours exploring the trails and trying to capture some of the beauty!

I had my fair share of football (Go Packers!) and baseball, Buffalo Wild Wings and cold weather. It was hard to leave Minnesota on Tuesday, not just because I was leaving my boyfriend, but I also couldn't get enough of those leaves! :) Year 30 has offered me more blessings than I could have ever imagined - God is good and I look forward to seeing what he has instore for the future. Can it really get any better?!

Surviving the Week

God continues to grant me endurance and peace. When I thought I couldn't handle anymore, God was always there to open another door. This week has been a long one. The week started with a continuation of me feeling physically awful from the previous week. There have been a ton of kids out at school, but I just didn't want to waste a day I could use to travel for a sick day! The hard-headed Nauman side of me wouldn't call in sick and really didn't want to go to the doctor, but I gave in due to way too much pain and that good ol' convience care, which really is the slowest place around. They got me in before school on Tuesday, and that gradually began my road back to recovery. The doctor told me three days before I'd feel better, and she was right, which made those three days feel like eternity! I've had to skip every church and singing function and mom even worked at the public library for me while I took a two hour nap at her house. Mom is great! :) Wednesday brought a new Baby girl into the family, courtesy of Jody and Rachel Suggs. Precious Emma was born at 6am on the 16th, 6 lb. 10 oz, 21" long. Thursday, a day which I was actually going to call in sick brought 17 subs to the Junior High, with not a single one in my classroom. After an hour of calling almost everyone on the list I was given I gave up - just went to school sick, but thankfully, they found coverage for me for a family funeral I needed to attend at 2.

My distant cousin Darryl was killed in a car wreck last week - so tragic. He was 40 years old with three kids and a loving family - such a sad funeral, but I was thankful to be able to go. Mom and I rode together, attended the graveside and visited with family at the community center in Midfield. We do have a lot of family in this town and area, which many of you know, and unfortunately it's times like these when you actually have a chance to visit and catch up with everyone - that was a blessing. On our way back into town, mom and I stopped off at the hospital to see Baby Emma - she and Rachel both have an infection and will be in the hospital for the next six days. I don't know all the details, but as of today, both are doing much better. Emma is adorable - and no, I didn't hold her - still too cautious about my own "not feeling well" so I will have to spoil her another time.

And then there was Friday. Friday I woke up feeling great! I reviewed my class for a test they have on Monday, organized my room a bit, and pampered myself with a hair appointment! Oh, did I mention it was pay day this week, with my new missing years of service and Masters degree added?! I thought I could use a bit of pampering! Nothing too drastic - just the ability to no longer see grey hair, and a bit of blonde roots again :) Dad picked me up for our Homecoming game last night, and well, the game itself was awful, and the lack of a breeze produced a sticky night, so we came home early. Although it wasn't the greatest game, I did enjoy seeing some familiar faces, and finally feeling well enough to do something.

That brings me to today. I woke up way too early for a Saturday, and in a few minutes I will be opening the garage to begin a morning of outdoor grooming! I talked Dad into coming over to help, and Jordan offered a hand out as well - I just have to wake her up so we can start! It's another day of pampering for me - I plan to get my nails done this afternoon after a walk around Market Days, so all in all, it should be a great day! I am so thankful to be feeling better!

This next week should be just as busy - workshop in Victoria on Monday, working at the library and supper club on Tuesday and then my man flies in Wednesday evening. It's that time when he is fortunate enough to meet the rest of my family - pray for him! LOL! He's only met mom and Billy, so this week should prove to be memorable for all! God has blessed me beyond belief.

So enjoy this weekend! Go outside - bask in this beautiful weather and day God has given us!