Dog Whisperer?

Dog Whisperer? I'm in if it means avoiding paying someone to teach our dog some obedience. But, really it isn't obedience.. I don't know HOW to label it. She is a MYSTERY this one.

If ever you meet her it will be difficult to put together the two 'dogs' in your mind. Maybe we should have a bad dog name for her. Sadie when she's sweetie; Afraidy, Fadey, No Lady, Malady (doesn't rhyme but really works) when she's bad?

On to the newest update. So, as mentioned, she ripped up the carpet again. It REALLY is shocking since she is so docile and sweet always, she just has REAL difficulty being censored it seems as yesterday since she has lost her 'roaming free' priviledge, I put her in the crate and put the door against the wall so she couldn't bang out of it. To our shock and, truly, wonder, since she couldn't get out through door, she CHEWED A SADIE SIZED HOLE in the back of the crate. I'm talking the HARD plastic kind! I don't know HOW she did it, hence the bad dog name since it's like she's a completely different animal.

I was talking to some friends, and one said, "This may sound weird, but I watched these Dog Whisperer videos and it really helped." Our neighbor confirmed and so now I am looking for said videos.

I left her out today and have ZERO concerns. I know the house and all it's contents will be completely fine when we get home ... That's what is SO WEIRD and really makes me mad. She won. HARUMPH! This all started because we don't want her to sit in the guest bedroom chair so we closed the door. NOW, we have the door open and I have zero doubt she is either sitting happily at the guest bedroom window, OR on the guest bedroom chairs stinking it the HECK up.

Any other suggestions? Oh, my mother in law IS bringing a metal crate. But, that only concerns me for her safety ... we've seen that she pretty much won't stop when she sets her mind to it.

Merry Christmas Eve.

Sadie Saga, Part 2

Welllll, I got home from work yesterday and she had done it again. No need for severe discipline, as soon as I hollered her name she ran to me and rolled over on to her back.

SO, today she will be spending the day in the kennel with the door facing the wall and a blanket between the door and wall so that if she decides to bang, bang, bang to get out of the kennel it won't gouge our wall. The first day we had her, we put her in the kennel while we went to work and she greeted us at the door when we got home. She's a bit of a houdini.

Anyhow, we LOVE this dog. Please pray that she starts being good and gets over this major separation anxiety. We have to take her in to get her final heartworm treatment and is going to stay for two nights... I honestly don't know how she's going to do it.. Eep.

Poor, POOR, Sadie

Sooooo, I was gone all weekend with two of my VERY besties! It was sooooo good and just WELL with my soul. Thank you, Lord! It had been much much much too long!

So, I get home and Ryan and I decide that we want to lay low with some Pluckers and Mama Mia. Good times, right?

WELL, Sadie almost got the PERMANENT boot from our house. Seriously.

Since we got her, we just let her roam free in the house while we're gone. She has never chewed on anything/given us pause to our letting her stay out of a kennel during the day.

That was before today, my dears.

We get home from picking up dinner and a movie and Sadie had CHEWED UP, nay, PULLED BACK the carpet in front of the room she loves. I mean BACK!!! We closed the door to the guest room before we left because she's getting in a habit of sitting in our chair in there and we don't like that. SO, we closed the door and left. We were 'welcomed' home with Sadie's hugs and love and THEN the great discovery of the carpet COMPLETELY pulled back in our hallway leading into our guest room. GEEZ LOU FREAKING UISE, this dog! She is a determined pup!

She was pretty much IMMEDIATELY excommunicated from our home, and if it hadn't been SO dire I would have taken a picture of what she did. Severe punishment ensued, screaming of our not keeping her was declared, and when tempers cooled a bit we realized we could give her another chance.

Pray for this sweet pup. She is SUCH a gentle little spirit, but when she has a mind to it there is apparently no stopping her. Please pray that she will see the error of her ways so we can keep her.

And if someone happens to have a carpet stapler they're willing to let us borrow, please let me know.

We do love you, Sadie.

Poor Sadie.

So, I've been home sick since Sunday and sweet Sadie got SO excited Monday morning when I didn't go to work only to realize my being at home didn't mean extra fun for her. Same today, she smiled her little dog smile and then realized she just needed to go about her normal 'day business' as though I wasn't here. AND, we ran out of dog food yesterday so I am home AND not feeding her.

How's that for bonding.

It's a Wonderful Life.

So, all Christmas season I've been wanting to see "It's A Wonderful Life." I really don't know why... maybe it's because it seems like classic Christmas, warm and fuzzy. AND, I've never seen it.

I was just out shopping, came home and made chilli cheese nachos, and sat down to see what was on T.V. We don't have cable so I'm flipping through and the ONE thing on T.V. right now is "It's A Wonderful Life!" I just smiled at God's sweetness.

So, it was 15 minutes until the movie was over, and I started watching when he was in the cab and the cabbie didn't know him. By the time he chased his wife into the crowded room and she didn't know who he was I was fighting back SOBBING! I don't know WHY this made me so emotional... All I can say is, "What a GREAT MOVIE!!" My GOSH! Then he gets home and doesn't even care that he supposed to be arrested, owes all this money, he is RIVETED with his children, his wife bursts into the house and they embrace... geez. No wonder this is a classic.

Oh man, it just makes me so thankful for all that I have. To realize and think about what life would be like if those I loved didn't even know me... had never known who I was. Horrible. What a GREAT movie to remind you that what matters is knowing and being known. Maybe that's why I was touched so deeply ... to see a man who knows each person SO well and they don't know him at all.... don't know he exists. Ow.

Anyhow, I just wanted to share about this. I LOVE this movie and I can't wait to see the first three fourths of it :O)

I can't BELIEVE it!

SOOOOOO, I was just reading a friend's blog and found a saw on his blog a video clip that I saw YEARS ago and have told sooooooooo many people about because it's one of the funniest things I've ever seen.

SO, here is the link! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMS0O3kknvk What a wonderful surprise!!!!

Also, we had our Staff Christmas Party tonight and I had so much fun! :O) I will post pics as soon as I'm able :O)

Two Words

Macaroni Grill.

Thank you Christmas Party Season.

Shrimp and Artichoke Dip
Bruschetta
Mushroom Raviolli
Cute Christmas Mugs as party favor

A GREAT party!

In abundance.

Grace and peace in abundance.... Grace and peace in ABUNDANCE! Grace and peace be YOURS in ABUNDANCE through the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ!

2 Peter stopped me in my tracks this morning and I was barely even into it.... To say "grace and peace be yours in ABUNDANCE" is no small thing, and it is through the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ! If that is true, why aren't we constantly living in abundant grace and peace? What keeps us from that?

I wanted to look up the 'root' of the word "knowledge" because I am thinking the key might be there... WoW! I jumped over to Crosswalk to get the root, but to do that I have to first look at the verse in the New American Standard Version and it reads:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;

Love THAT!

So, back to "knowledge" ... That's what I thought.

Strong's Number: 1921
Browse Lexicon
Original Word
Word Origin
epiginosko
from (1909) and (1097)
Transliterated Word
TDNT Entry
Epiginosko
1:689,119
Phonetic Spelling
Parts of Speech
ep-ig-in-oce'-ko
Verb
Definition
to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly
to know accurately, know well
to know
to recognise
by sight, hearing, of certain signs, to perceive who a person is
to know i.e. to perceive
to know i.e. to find out, ascertain
to know i.e. to understand

I specifically love "To become thoroughly acqainted with, to know thoroughly."

Our grace and peace will continue to grow, and even into ABUNDANCE as we grow to know God and Jesus Christ more and more... that is just SO TRUE! How could it help but multiply in realizing, learning and having GOD HIMSELF write on our hearts who He really IS. Worthy of trust, fully loving and good, in complete control and GOSH those are just a few.

He is SO rich!

Anyhow, I just wanted to dive into that you with you a bit this morning. Lord, one little half of a verse and there is just so much of You. Draw us deeper and deeper into Your word, Father. Help us to stop and sit and think and talk to you about it and ask you about it when we are impacted by something you have spoken to us through your Word. There is SOOOO much of you to take in, thank you for the depths!!! Thank you for drawing us in.

YESSSSSSSSS!!!!

I do not doubt that God loves me in the details :O) Case in point would be that Ryan and I had to run to Lowe's and Wal Mart today after work and I was soooooo hungry. I said as much to Ryan that I would probably have to grab something to rip into while we were there. SO, because I was hungry, we divided the list to conquer and go faster. I grabbed my goods, went to the front, didn't see Ryan and couldn't reach him on his phone so I thought MAYBE he had already paid and was waiting for me. I very last minute grabbed some sour cream and cheese chips to add to my purchase, bought it, then proceeded with my bag of goods to the open area at the front in front of produce. I know, it's the same in every Wal Mart. I proceeded to open my bag of chips, and I am not even kidding, I don't know that I could have been happier. Just standing there in the middle of Wal Mart, holding my grocery bag, munching on chips. THEN, I turned around and there were FREE HOLIDAY TWINKIES at the bakery! Can you even BELIEVE that?! I have NEVER seen something wrapped FOR FREE at Wal Mart. BUT, there they were. A big bowl with long twinkies, white icing and Christmas sprinkels. Hello. Obviously for me.

So, I grabbed one, opened the wrapper and proceeded to eat the twinkie.

LOL oooooohhhhh gosh! Wal Mart stereotype hello, Anna Johnson! Ryan walks up and I am SURE he was thinking, "For real? Is this my wife?" For I was standing, still in the open area, alternating between my bag of chips, and my free twinkie. I was L-I-V-I-N-G and more than one child stopped walking and stared at me in flat out envy.

As they should have.

It was a great moment :O)

Oh, to give THANKS! :O)

You know, I started feeling really bad just after Thanksgiving festivities, and it wasn't the aftermath of the feast that had me feeling gross. It was that I get so stressed in trying to decide what we're going to do, who we're going to see, and that instead of looking forward to holidays with HUGE excitement I feel bad that I can't do more and be more. I get lost in feelings of false guilt. It's been that way ever since my parents divorced and we had to start choosing who to see on what holiday and for how long. Gross.

SO, this year in our Father's sweetness He showed me and is encouraging me to anticipate and be excited about the holidays because Thanksgiving was and always is wonderful. Thank you, thank you, thank you Lord for the great sweetness that 'is' my family :O)
I am soooooo blessed to have family to choose from and coordinate with. It is glorious and I am so thankful! Gosh, what about being with people who make your heart warm isn't something to look forward to? To realize, with most of these loved ones, I only get to see them twice a year.

What a GIFT Thanksgiving is!

We spent Thanksgiving with the "Johnsons" and I am still getting to meet some of the relatives on the Johnson Family side, definitely still getting to know everyone and they're getting to know me.

Then, we went to Dallas and stayed with Ryan's brother, sister in law and niece. SUCH a good time!

On Saturday we spent time with the "Mattern" (my maiden name) side of the family and I got to see my dad, grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, brother in law and SWEET NEPHEWS!!! ... I realized with a SHOCK and a START that it had been 6 months since I've seen them! That is entirely too long as evidenced by Solomon SHRIEKING when I walked into the door... running to me at a FULL sprint ... I swept him up into my arms and he held on as tight as he could, relaxed a little and sighed, "Oh Goob." Oh gosh, I cried it was SOOO sweet! They call me, "Gooby" and in his little heart sigh all he could breathe was, "Oh Goob" and just rest in my arms. Too much, I tell ya! Here are their precious faces, my Noah and Solomon :O) Thank you, thank you Lord for these sweet times. I cherish them.

OH! though I didn't get a picture of this, a memory I want to write here so I don't forget: Noah and I laying on the carpet in the guest bedroom, me pretend sleeping, and Noah whispering singing to me every word of Twinkle Twinkle Little Start in his little boy voice. I WISH I knew some great quote about children being little pieces of heaven, or making the earth stand still, or purity and innocence being painful in their goodness... they would all apply to this moment.



SOOOOO, fun on the living room floor... Noah literally pinning me (and laughing and being SO proud! HI-LARIOUS!)

A sweet Solomon face :O) This kid laughs and smiles ALL of the time, but a photogenic kiddo he is not. I have YET to get him to smile for a camera...

Noah likes to smile for the ol' cam, but doesn't like the flash :O)

My little model :O)

Here is Solomon smiling (because he DOESN'T know I have the camera... literally hiding behind a recliner here!)

Heading into Christmas I REFUSE to live under any false guilt, and will instead GREATLY anticipate getting to be with people I treasure. YAY!!! Time with people I love and so soon!!!

Thank you, Jesus, for another sweet, sweet, sweet Thanksgiving.

Pics, pics, and MORE pics! YAY!!

Sooooo, for the cruise for our 1 year anniversary: It was 7 days long and we went to Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel! A LOT of pics are on Facebook, so head that way if you want to see more :O)These were the people we got to eat with every night... we had PRAYED that God would bring who He desired and He brought an AWESOME table together! We looked forward to dinner every night! (food was great too :O) )

We had 3 days 'at sea'

Our routine 'at sea' ... wake up at 9:45, go eat breakfast, head up to this deck to layout and either read, listen to sermons, or sleep. At 2 p.m. Ryan would go and get our lunch - DESSERT TRAYS!!! Then we'd sleep/relax more, head to sushi at 5 ish and then 'real' dinner at 8:15. Yes. It WAS great!

There were two 'elegant' nights and this was the first one. Steak and lobster tails all around!! :O) THE BEST lobster I have ever had!

Quiet time on the deck with Jesus my first morning there :O) So great :O)

We got back from our cruise the day before our actual Anniversary ... I walked into our home and exclaimed, "WE LIVE IN A MANSION!" LOL! We had gotten so used to our cabin on the cruise :O) It was WONDERFUL to spend our anniversary in our home. And Ryan, being the absolute MAN that he is, STILL delivered flowers to work for our Anniversary. THEN, my sister in law and brother in law took us out to an AMAZING sushi dinner ... YUM!!!!

On .... to SADIE!! Our new dog! Very tragically the week before we left for the cruise my dog Caedmon (who has been staying at my in-laws for the past year since we were in the condo) was hit by a truck and killed. Very sad because he was going to come home to us when we got back from our cruse (now that we have a house and backyard). SO! We really prayed for a dog with the same personality as his: Docile, gentle, not a huge barker, just a laid back dog that wants to love and be loved. We also prayed that we would 'just know' when we saw the dog... and that is what happened! YAY!! Sadie is 2 years old and some kind of retriever mix. Feel free to share your guesses as to her breed because we have no idea. I am sure MUCH better pics will follow but here are a few for now :O)

She is NO FAN of the flash... crack me up! BUT, one of my favorite things about her are her ears :O)

LOL! This was the first time she saw the flash... totally startled her :O)

Soooooo, that's how things 'are' in the Johnson household these days :O) (Oh my gosh, we're a "household"!!!) We are loving our new home together, our new dog... Christmas is almost completely up and we're starting a new habit of turning everything off by 8 p.m. to start winding down by studying, listening to teaching, getting in the Word... all of the things that are SO important to grow into who I want to 'be' but don't do if I don't make time for them :O)

It's a new leaf :O)

OH! Also, we're going to have to intall a doggie door ... any suggestions?

LIFE has happened!

WOW! It's been a while since I've blogged and it's because LIFE has happened... in such great ways!

I don't have the pics 'on hand' right now so I'll just give the sneak preview here and post some pics sometime this week.

1. We took a 7 Day Cruise for our 1 Year Anniversary! ONE YEAR as of Nov 10. Can you even believe it?! Man! I don't even know what to say about this year, except that God really can and DOES and HAS done this past year exceedingly abundantly more than all we could have asked or imagined!

2. We're all moved into to our abode (well, not FULLY decorated, but close) and loving the heck out of it!! We had MUCH debate about the color the accent wall would be in our living room and went with a deep blue. I only mention it because it has FINALLY, in the third week of November, gotten cold enough to light a fire and it is breathtaking against this color!!! I got a little tear in my eye the first time we fired it up. (shocking that I would tear up, I know). So, we are LOVING the blue and LOVE LOVING a gas fireplace with no prep or clean up.

3. Ryan finished his 2nd semester of his Masters last week and is KICKING BUTT! He would be embarrassed that I put that, but he just IS and I have to give him public accolades for it :O) I am SO proud of him. If he stays on this track, he will graduate Nov 2009. WOW!

4. We are leading a small group and LOVE IT!! This is our first chance to lead together and it is great... also, our small group is just so good! The people God has brought together, well, we just have a really tender spot in our heart for them :O) It started as an 8 week commitment, but we're going to keep going. There is NOTHING like doing life with other people!!

5. Being that it is still CRAZY hot here, I didn't really put two and two together that Thanksgiving was this week. When I did, and realized I had time this Sat but none after this, I decorated for Christmas this weekend!! YAY!! So now we have our tree up and Christmas Decor... it is almost all I can even STAND! I have ALWAYS wanted outside lights (and never had them) so this week they're going up. ALSO, since we're in a house, I realized I can GET MORE CHRISTMAS STUFF!!! WEEEEEEE!! :O)

6. As of Saturday we have a DOG! She is TOO precious and we named her Sadie. I have already come to call her, "Sadie Lady" and I'm pretty sure she likes it :O) She is a 2 year old golden retriever mix and is so docile and gentle, which is exactly what we wanted. For those of you who knew my sweet Caedmon, she is an exact personality match :O)

Like I said, I'll post pics sometime this week. Let me just sum it up by telling you that yesterday around 4:30 it had started getting dark, and I walked in the living room to find football on TV, our windows opening to the greenbelt behind our house with the Christmas tree in front of it, my dog sleeping on the living room floor, and my husband sleeping on the couch. Is this really my life?! This SWEETNESS?! We walked our dog for the first time together last night around 9:30 and I got a little emotional because it was the fulfilling of a YEARS long girl's dream. To walk at night with my husband and our dog.

Oh man, God is GOOD. He is SO sweet. There really aren't words to give Him enough glory and thanks for all He has done and continues to do. What am I THANKFUL for this Thanksgiving??? Where do I start?

Love to you,
Anna

Making the house our home :O)

Hey everyone :O)

I just posted OODLES of pics of our new home on Facebook... we aren't nearly finished decorating yet, but I wanted to let you see it because we are SO HAPPY with the way it has turned out. I JUST LOVE IT!! Thank you Jesus! :O)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=82014&id=648660305

Do you know I am here with you?

Oh my goodness... walking back just now I didn't know if I would be blogging about this and was praying about whether or not I should. For one there is no possible way I can adequately express what just happened to me, also though it was so good and tender and sweet that I was wondering if it should just be between me and God, but as I was walking back I remembered that I needed to email my Soul Revolution Group to remind them of some stuff. As I was emailing them it just poured out of me so I am going to paste below what happened:

My hands are frozen right now because I was just outside for a couple of hours taking a walk with God. Can I just encourage you in this... whatever you felt God talking to you about last night in our group or lately, please take a couple of hours in the next few days to meet with just Him. What He just did in my heart and the renewing of my spirit is nothing short of amazing.

Every month Gateway gives every staff member a day of Solitude to just be with you and God. Today is my day of Solitude and this morning my plan was to walk to Starbucks, grab my favorite drink and just take a walk and talk with God. This weekend Ryan and I are moving out of our condo and moving into our house and so I wanted today to be about thanking God for this first amazing year of marriage and all that He has done. I wanted to take a walk and celebrate everything and also say "good bye" to living in this area. There is a little church near our house that has always intrigued me when I've been walking and I thought that this morning I would walk, grab my Starbucks and just walk over to that church and linger, you know? Just take it slow.

So, as I'm walking over there, I walk around outside and I just keep walking deeper and deeper into their property which is set back with lots of huge, beautiful trees. I walk up to a labyrinth on the back of their property and just start walking it slowly ... all of the sudden I am remembering last night when we were doing that exercise and sensing God asking me, "Do you want me to do that again?" and I responded yes because I felt He was asking me about the weight and peace and rest I felt in doing that exercise. As I am walking slowly, leisurely I just feel that weight and peace come back and it was so good. For minutes I was walking in stillness and then would just talk to Him about whatever came to my heart. I was talking freely to Him about things that had been on my heart/burdening me and then I would just continue to walk in stillness and 'clear mind' … Then I felt Him ask, "Do you know that I am with you? Do you feel me with you?" It was the SAME thing I felt He had said to me last night when we were all being still and I felt then that Jesus was saying, "I am with you. I am right here." So, today when He said that, He just kept saying it and I was weeping openly and thanking Him for wooing me to this place to walk with me and show me that. I had forgotten that He literally walks with me EVERY day. I hadn't forgotten that He hears my prayers and is powerful, but I haven't been walking knowing He is physically right there with me.

So, I keep walking slowly, aware of His nearness and when I got to the end/middle of the labyrinth there is a stone and I just fell to my knees and wept. I poured my heart out about everything that was there and I just really sensed in my heart He was just stroking my hair and welcoming me back to Himself.

You guys, it was so good. There is no way I can adequately describe what happened except to say that He fully guided my coming there this morning to come back to walking with Him. When I was 'done' crying and being with Him I went inside the church and asked to borrow a Bible, pen and paper and went back out to the rock to sit and read and write. I had a Jesus story in my mind, but couldn't remember where it was, so I opened the Bible and this is one of those Bibles that has side notes that better explain whatever is being said on that page, and I just started WEEPING because this side note said, "What joy for those you choose to bring near, those who live in your holy courts. What joy awaits us inside your holy temple." That is EXACTLY what God did with me this morning!!!

I am still processing how God Himself would be so tender and specific and sweet to draw me near to Himself like that. There is NOTHING that I have done to deserve that kind of love…. His love for me says to me, "Though you may feel you have lost Me, I never lose you. I always know where you are, what you are thinking, what you need and why you are not walking with Me or talking to Me."

Again, I can't even begin to express the depth to which He touched me in this. (my beeper just went off :O) ). He was so gentle to draw me to Himself like that.

Anyhow, that verse was in Psalm 65 if you want to read it later. All of that to say, please take some time to be with Him in the next few days and be willing to walk out whatever you feel He is doing. For me, this morning was just me walking out what I was wanting to do and having the time to walk slowly and walk as I desired. … it led me to an amazing encounter with God. I long for that for all of us. I pray we will give Him the freedom to talk to us/do in us whatever He is working to do. HE IS GOOD and we can trust Him.

As I am wrapping this up, I feel Psalm 16:11 - You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever.

My Chance...

http://www.gatewaychurch.com/AboutGateway/ListenOnline/tabid/147/Default.aspx
Click on "Moving Toward Others"

Do I even KNOW you?

So, here I am, sitting at work, typing along, talking to a new dear dear friend, and her phone rings. She answers and all of the sudden is speaking FLUENTLY in German. WHAT?!?!?! I had no IDEA she spoke another language! INCREDIBLE!!!

ARRGGH!!! I love languages and was JUST thinking either yesterday or the day before how I really do want to be fluent in Spanish. So.

1. I can't even BELIEVE she's just ripping it out in this long conversation and I had NO idea she spoke it. (She's STILL talking and I am just SOAKING it in and and enjoying the heck out of this fun surprise!)

2. I wonder if it's time for me to start REALLY pursuing becoming fluent en espanol... I took 5 years, but just never used it to make it mine, you know?

Anyhow, that was a VERY fun surprise! I have never heard German for any length of time and it's a really fun language!!! Beautiful :O) I wonder what it was like at the Tower of Babel when everyone just started speaking other languages... that probably wasn't beautiful, more scary, but either way it's interesting to think about how this all started :O)

Here's to hoping you get to overhear great conversations that you don't understand today :O)

A GREAT Sunday Afternoon!

I would take a picture to evidence my great afternoon, but my vanity prevents me.

Let me just say: Spaten Premium, Chips & Salsa, Sour Punch Straws, Popcorn, Frito Pie and The Dallas Cowboys.

Amen

Do you want a Revolution? WHOOP WHOOP!

LOL!! I LOVE that song and I'm singing it a LOT these days (Kirk Franklin, I'm sure you could check it out on YouTube... actually here's the link for kicks and giggles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSQQRGVCJV4&feature=related ).

Anyhow, I'm not actually singing the full song, just shouting those words inside because they're the only ones I know :O) BUT, what keeps bringing it to mind is that Gateway (our church) is doing a 60 Day experiment with God called Soul Revolution and almost 3,000 people have signed up to try it. I was emailing a friend about it today and realized I haven't blogged about it. If you haven't heard about it, or even if you have, you should SERIOUSLY consider doing it!

All info is at www.soulrevolution.net. I hope you'll check it out :O)

Soooooo sad.

http://cosmos.bcst.yahoo.com/up/player/popup/?rn=3906861&cl=10074029&ch=4226714&src=news

My weekend:

I was reading Psalm 63 on Friday and came across verse 3: "Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you." That verse really stopped me... better than LIFE?! Wow. And I stopped and talked to God about that...is your love really better than life, etc, and I thought back to the ways I have experienced Him and how He has blown me away in the way that He loves me and I love that it says BECAUSE your love is better than life... How we have to first acknowledge experiencing that love and we will THEN glorify Him with our lips. That is just so true!

Anyhow, after pondering that and now having warm fuzzies in realizing the full on truth that His love REALLY IS better than like, my husband came home and fully confirmed what God and I had just been talking about. I am BLOWN away by the way that God loves me through my husband! Wooooooo do I LOVE my hubs being a great man, submitted to God :O)

My Friday night:

Ryan came home with sooooooooo BEAUTIFUL roses and then sent me into the living room to completely relax while he made an incredible dinner! Man alive, Lord, your love IS better than life!!!

On Saturday we tackled the massive home makeover (specifically all doors, trim and kitchen). MAD PROPS AND THANKS to Danyelle, Anne, Michelle, Heidi and Christy.... and of course my hubby shubba lubby (sorry everyone ;) ).... This is where we are now... more pics to come!

If in the next few weeks you have a hankering to do some painting, just give me a call :O)

So glad you came :O)

A friend was sharing how she feels like she's lost the desire to be with God, to come to Him and is kind of scared about the lack of desire, and the lack of a repentant heart. She doesn't want to feel this way, but just does and doesn't know what to do about it. I can TOTALLY relate to that and told her that that is exactly where I've been recently and how I didn't really become repentant until I got in the Word and asked God to open my eyes to His words and anything He's trying to teach me.

I know it's different for everyone in every season/circumstance, but I would say that if you're feeling like you SHOULD have a repentant heart, ask Him for one and if you even should feel repentant. Could be that it isn't repentance that is 'needed,' but a renewed longing for Him. He'll tell you :O)

I have a spiritual coach through work and I was talking to him about all of this on Wed and he is always giving really good illustrations. He was saying how with his six year old daughter he ALWAYS desires to give her a hug when she gets home from school. Some days she's all about it, and some days he can tell that she just doesn't want to and that is okay. It doesn't change his love for her. But sometimes, as her father, he reaches out for her because he wants to and it's his responsibility, right and privilege as her father. One thing though that he never does is let go first. When she comes to him to hug him, love him, etc he is sure to never let her go first. He will stand there and love her for as long as she wants or needs.

He said, "She must have had a really hard day in kindergarten a couple of days ago because she came home looking for me and when she found me she just grabbed me and held on. And she didn't let go, so we just stood there holding each other and loving each other. And when she was ready, she let go." I just WEPT when he told me that because it is SOOOOO important to remember that just because we don't feel intimate with God it doesn't mean He doesn't love us just the same and it doesn't mean that when we come back he may not be there with the same love.

When we come to Him for love and to reconnect with him He is there always. WE are always the first ones to let go. Whether we come to Him and get filled up with His love, and in our ignorance walk away and get depleted again, and then come back and the pattern repeats... OR, we come, connect and get filled up, and then holding onto His hand start walking again... Either way, His love for us doesn't change. I love the visual of Him holding me in the hallway as soon as I walk back into His heart. I love that He DOESN'T let go of me. Ever. He has promised that He will never leave or forsake me. That is the truth and that is sweet.

Anyhow, love to you, and I hope that your time with Him is sweet in knowing that when you come to Him, His love for you hasn't changed at all. He's just happy that you came.

One down...

Our first project... yay!!! :O) (Soooooo, there have been some questions about these pics. 1. We are still living in our condo, we just wanted to knock this out before we move. 2. The tan is the original, the black is the 'new and improved.' I'm all about darker colors :O) )

The Bride Cometh ...

When we first came to Austin, a guy on the side of the road was asking for donations for ARM ... "Austin Restoration Ministries." I don't remember if we gave him any money, but he gave us a little slip of paper with their name, mission statement, and phone number. Essentially, it doesn't matter who you are, what your issue, or if you pay... if you want off of the streets, drugs, alcohol, etc, they take you in no questions asked, no money charged, you just have to commit to their program for nine months. Every time Ryan and I went to throw the slip of paper away we just couldn't... throughout the almost one year we've lived here God has continued to give us opportunities to be connected to their ministry and today we got to go to the wedding of a man who runs one of the houses.

This was probably THE most celebratory wedding I have EVER been to. Ever.

They had the service on a Sunday morning so when we walked in the pastor was wrapping up his sermon and it was GREAT to hear him just shouting and quoting scripture... It just felt GOOD. People were sitting around white rectangular tables, purple flowers in the middle of each, the wedding 'arch' up front covered in purple and white flowers with netting... Then he finished and said, "All right, let's get some folk married." He stepped down off of the podium, the music started and the groom walked out... everyone started CHEERING!!! Ryan and I just started happy laughing :O) Then the wedding music started and when the door opened and the first bridesmaid started walking down the aisle a woman hollered, "Ya'll get up. Everybody up." and EVERYONE stood to their feet and started clapping and cheering for them... it was a 10 minute standing ovation welcoming the bride! When the last bridesmaid walked down they closed the door and the room got completely silent (everyone still standing). The song started and it was SO LOUD and with SUCH expectancy ... it just kept swelling and when they opened the door I swear a RUSH poured through the room, the bride stepped out and a woman shouted "Hallelujah!" and everyone was praying out loud, "Praise God," and "Thank You Jesus" EVERYONE was clapping and shouting and welcoming her... I just started crying... I couldn't even help it. Talk about, "Here comes the bride!" We shouted and clapped, people stepped into the aisle taking pictures of her and she was walking SO SLOW and just soaking it in. It was honestly one of the most BEAUTIFUL things I have ever witnessed or been a part of... this room full of people, all colors, delivered from all kinds of things, some still in just the beginning of trying to walk out... I was sooooo moved.

Oh, there are SO MANY things I could share, but that is what impacted me most about the wedding. I have NEVER seen something like that and could only think, "THIS is what it should be like. I can't imagine how cherished and celebrated she feels."

Okay, so, now I'm getting choked up realizing that this just a GLIMPSE of the welcome WE will get when we go to heaven. The bride of Jesus Christ Himself. I can't even begin to fathom the celebration and my heart aches at the thought.

Hello, "Thirty!"

I've heard for YEARS that people are typically much crazier about their thirties than their twenties, so aside from the SHOCK of thirty... I've been excited.

Thus far, "thirty" has not disappointed!

Driving to work that morning I was honestly a little sad. Ryan was at home sick and in still being feeling fairly new to Austin I didn't know if my birthday would be celebrated. FULLY silly in hindsight but that morning it felt very real .... WELL!!! My wonderful new friends BLEW ME AWAY by bringing food and treats to our group that morning, chocolate birthday cake and THEN when I got to my cube they had crazy wonderful decorated!! And, those fake flowers are staying in case anyone was wondering. I'm also thinking I'm going to put up a mini Christmas tree just for kicks and giggles :O)

Anyhow, 'thirty' continued with closing on our first home (many pics and details below) and we are now getting to play with what we want to do to make it "Ryan and Anna" as a friend so perfectly put it! This is what we're thinking for kitchen counter and cabinets... WEEEE! :O)

Ryan had said earlier in the week that we could go anywhere for my birthday dinner and in thinking and praying about it all I wanted to do was grab some sushi and wine, have a nice dinner at home with my hubs, and then write in our "Story of God's Glory" book. When we got home from the closing, Ryan told me to hop into a bubble bath to chill a bit - WONDERFUL!!! He put on candles and worship music and it was greatness. When I got out he had cleaned the entire house, lit candles EVERYWHERE, arranged the sushi on a platter and chilled our champagne. A GREAT first 'married' birthday :O)

And, apparently, thirty is the gift that just KEEPS on giving because I've been gifted with a massage from Clairie, tickets to the "So You Think You Can Dance Tour" with sweet Winks (I KNOW!!!!) and my husband is paying for me to go skydiving with Stefani... a dream all of my life in the making!

"Hello 'Thirty' ... WONDERFUL to meet you!"

Important Note: James 1:17 ~ Every desirable and beneficial gift comes out of heaven. The gifts are rivers of light cascading down from the Father of Light. There is nothing deceitful in God, nothing two-faced, nothing fickle. "... Thank you, Jesus :O) I love you too."

The house that God built.

To say that we bought a house just isn't accurate at ALL... God has literally given us a house and He has BLOWN our minds in the way He lined it all up!!! He has done this in such a way that it has taken me a week since officially closing to actually attempt to blog about it because it is so wild.. SO, this may get long, but I'll do my best to be as brief as possible while not minimizing the BEAUTY of it all!!! I can promise you with all confidence that it will be worth the read.

*SQUEAL!!!!*

A few months ago when I was driving back to Austin from Tyler I was in a VERY serious accident. Long story short, I was driving about 75 mph in one of those zones where the concrete walls are directly against the lanes (no shoulder), hydroplaned, realized it was going to be very seriously (possibly take my life) and I closed my eyes and said, "Lord Jesus put your hedge of protection around me, I pray that your arms will physically surround me...." and didn't stop praying until the noises stopped. What had happened was I hit one wall head on (at 70ish mph), my car spun around and hit the back of the car on the same wall and that shot me back across to the other side head on into the other wall. No other cars hit me, I was not injured in ANY way. I had one tinsy scratch on my wrist and didn't even get a bruise from the seatbelt. It was fully wild and OBVIOUSLY a miracle. So, the car was totalled. We got the money from the insurance company to replace the car, but everytime we started looking neither Ryan or I felt a peace about it AT all, so we decided that we would just carpool until God showed us what we were supposed to do.

In the meantime, our lease for our condo was is up in October, and with Ryan working full time, in school pursuing his Master's full time we had started asking God if we just needed to resign for another year, move to a smaller place to save money, or buy a home. There were a lot of concerns but the greatest was that it would just be MUCH to much to buy a home while Ryan was working and schooling it full time. So, we just laid it down and asked God to direct us.

Sooooo, one of Ryan's friend from work was leaving to go to another company and we went to his going away party. As we were leaving to go home, we went upstairs one last time to say goodbye and these girls asked us to sit down. Thinking that we really 'should' we do, they find out we're newlyweds and want to hear our story, then one girl looks at the other and says, "Kelly! You have to tell them your story." Long story short Kelly shares that she has quit her job, and is moving to DC in September to marry someone. She says, "So, all I need to do now is sell my house here and find a job." She said flippantly, "It's right next to Gateway (where I work) so if you know anyone send them myway!" Something in me perked up and I was thinking, "We need to go see her house!" But i didn't want to say anything to Ryan because I didn't want him to feel pressured at all in thinking I wanted a house. SO, I prayed that if it was okay for me to say something, that Ryan would bring up something about buying a house. That weekend we go to Ryan's brother's house in Dallas, who has just bought a new home, and on the way back to Austin Ryan looks at me and says, "Just and I were talking and telling me what they paid and we can TOTALLY buy a house." And my heart lept and I screamed, "I know and I think we should go see Kelly's!!!"

SO, now come the bullet points to TRY to sum this up:

• We go see her house... it is PERFECT for us: 3 bedrooms, 2 full bath, it's on a green belt so noone will ever have a house right behind this one, it is blocks from a community center and an elementary school and it is less than half a mile from the church where I work (Hello!! Remember, I still don't have a car and could literally WALK to work!!)
• She bought it as a repo and has COMPLETELY gutted and redone the house so EVERYTHING is brand new as of two years ago.
• Before leaving she tells us we HAVE to meet her neighbors, we go over and the guy is someone Ryan had met at church and really liked!
• We tell her to pray about the price, commit that we won't talk her down from whatever she thinks is fair, she gives us a price that blesses our face off and THEN suggests that we just buy/sell ourselves without agents and that she will just rent from us until she moves in September.
• The house never had to go on the market (Blessing for her in not having to deal with that AND blessing for us as houses in this price range are snapped up in almost 7 seconds in Austin)
• We are given an amazing interest rate on the loan and get a SWEET down payment deal since I'm a first time buyer.
• We were able to buy Homeowner's Insurance at HALF the going rate through Progressive! (crazy!!)
• ANNNNNNNNNddddd, we only saw the house two times before we told her we were in. We never even had to stinking look at another home! We just KNEW because of all of the things we had prayed and God lined up that He was telling us to keep walking, so check THIS out. As we leave her house after telling her we are going to buy it, I ask Ryan how his day was and he said, "It was a good day, but I went to register for the summer semester and I missed the deadline by two days." YOU GUYS!! During this ENTIRE house buying process Ryan has been out of school, we signed on the house and he starts school again next week! I KNOW IT!
• We were scheduled to close last Thursday and it got bumped four times. It was weird because it was the ONLY thing that had gone 'wrong' in this entire process.... the ease of this process has been jawdropping, everything from inspectors to appraisors to neighbors, to sellers, EVERYTHING. At every step we have told God that if this wasn't His desire to just close the doors and that would be okay. So, when closing kept getting pushed back we went to Him again and said, "this is still yours, just let us know." Wellllll, the day we walked in and ACTUALLY closed? MY 30TH BIRTHDAY!!!!! As we are signing the closing papers, I start giggling and said, "God just gave me a house for my birthday."
• Another 'kicker' and with this I really will close as we have now come 'full' circle... When we started praying about buying a house we didn't have the money for a down payment, we just knew God would make it happen if it was supposed to. ... The money we were given from the insurance company for my car was the same amount we used to buy this house.

Amen and amen and PRAISE THE LORD!!!! Thank you!!!!!!! We are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO eager to see what You will do in and through this home. It is Yours.

"Booby"

Who knew this could be such a beautiful word, but when screeched with great delight from the lips of my nephew there have been few sweeter sounds. No, no sicko here... My nephew Noah calls me Gooby, his precious younger brother Solomon (2 and just now learning how to speak) is OVER come with delight when he sees me and in a way that only a two year old can screams, "BOOOBY!!!" and it brings tears of joy to my eyes. I mean, really, does it MATTER what they call you as long as they are saying your name with a screech of glee? I didn't think so either.

SO, this past weekend in Tyler was beyond all that is 'sweet and wonderful'! It was PERFECTLY timed in that Ryan was going to Tijuana for a missions trip and we needed to get our car fixed in Tyler. SO, we thought it would be perfect timing for me to go get it fixed, and skydive with my best friend, Stefani, for our 30th birthdays. BUT, it turns out God was just working to get me there :) Neither of the above happened, but what did was an amazing weekend provided by my Savior in ways that only He could:

• The people my heart needed to see, God completely arranged one on one time with: My mom, Lisa, Veronica, Jimmy (step dad), Stefani, Betsy (came in from Dallas), Claire, Heather, Becky, the boys ... wonderful!


• I got to go to Girls Night In at my old church, which marked one year to the weekend that I said, "Yes, God I will be your girl" and He changed my life in every way... He is glorious! I will literally be standing in our kitchen washing dishes sometimes and just start crying thinking, "I could have missed this" if I hadn't said "yes" to Him.


• At Girls Night In I got to hug the necks of most every woman at Grace that was SOOOOO precious to me. I missed out on a couple, but only a couple :)


• I spent Friday night with some of my very best friends 'winning over' our waiters at Cheddar's. Waiter, "Would you like this on separate checks, or do you want it on one check?" Anna, "Yes." And there we go...


• Veronica and I at Cafe Tazza: Veronica, "I would like something cold and chocolate."


• Mom, Veronica and I at Villa Montez: Veronica, "He texted me and asked if I wanted to hang out today." Anna, "When it rains it pours! WOOOOO!"


• Stef and I at Starbucks, "This is perfect! It even LOOKS Africa!"


• Bets, Stef and I at BBQ: HYSTERICAL LAUGHING ... "They have this crazy wall that you can climb..."


• Brian Brandt... someone who means SO much to me, preached on Sunday!! NOT NORMAL! (timely message for me, by the way. shocking)


• The Noah Face, "Gooby's my friend." and "Pop goes the weasel!" and "You take care."


• The Somonon (Solomon), "BOOBY!" and "Zeba" (wanting to watch the Zebra Video). and "Booby, run!"


• Taco Bueno, I pull up to the drive-through speaker, roll down the window, and a red wasp the size of a BIRD flies into my face. I SCREEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMMMMM! and roll up the window. It flies away, Claire is crazy laughing and says, "You just screamed in the ear of whoever is working the window!" and I'm like "NO WAY! She hadn't greeted us yet..." and I roll down the window and ask, "Um, did I just scream in your ear?" And a girl leans in from the background and says, "THAT was ME." Apparently she had yanked the headphones off of her ear when I started screaming and relinquished window duty. Have to admit, I screamed for many a second. Poor thing.


• Seriously SO many other 'sweets' of the weekend and it culminated with my being with Claire at McDonald's back in Austin on Sunday night. We walked to McDonald's and I was thinking, "I sure would love an icecream cone, but I don't need one and I'm not going to ask Claire for a dollar for one." Then Claire ordered and ordered a cone and said, "And you're going to eat it with me!" and I was like, "Thank you, God! I didn't even say anything!" then, we're waiting for our food and talking and the girl doing the ice cream cone turns around and she has TWO in her hands... ONE FOR ME!!!!!! I was like, "God, you are AWE-SOME!" I walked out of that McDonald's in GREAT triumph, icecream cone held just like Lady Liberty.

Perfect end to a fully providential weekend. Thank you sweet, sweet, sweet, Lord. Your love notes amaze me. You amaze me :)

For more pics of the boys head to my Facebook page. For a GREAT little clip, click below :)

I'm not gonna lie...

I love me some American Gladiator!

A few fun things :)

Soooooo ... VERY random, fun, wonderful things going on in these parts :) Wanted to share a bit with you.

1. I'm in HEB the other day with my hubs... we divided to conquer and while he's snagging fruit juice I realize they have 5 CHEWY COOKIES on sale for $1!! While I'm standing there, I look up to see my AMAZING husband walking up grinning with red roses! I squealed out loud (of course) and declared, "Roses AND cookies!?!" I can't even BELIEVE it! (okay, I just noticed that this pic of roses is when he brought home roses two weeks ago. Seriously, this guys is UN-believeable. But the HEB story is great too so I had to leave it :) ).



2. Basically, I was a professional baseball player today ... almost. I DID get to walk on a professional field and it was super cool. While the guys Betty Blake and I were with were talking about how they wished they'd brought a ball and gloves, all I could think about was a soccer ball on that amazing grass! Either way, super fun :)

3. The last pic is a sneak pic at a potential HUGE event... Yes. This is an official "teaser."

love to you all

Both sides ...

Something that God has REALLY been impressing on my heart (and spoke DIRECTLY to me through someone else) is that in order to have consistent intimacy in my relationship with God (and truly in any relationship in general) I have to be honest in sharing both sides of the heart experience.

First Key: Actually bringing my heart to God. This is absolutely critical in having an intimate relationship with Him. I have to bring my heart to Him... and in bringing my heart, I have to bring ALL of my heart. Which is the 'second key.'

Second Key: Both expressing praise/thanksgiving/rejoicing about life and all that is happening, etc, etc and expressing despair/pain/confusion/frustration/anger in the same way. If I am only doing one of those, or am heavier in one than the other, I am going to be out of balance in my relationship with God and stifled in consistently feeling connected and intimate with Him. I was told that, “The American Church in general is great at the Praise Muscle, but needs to grow in the Lament Muscle.” I would venture to also say that a lot of people stuck in consistent heart pain who don’t feel connected/intimate with God anymore may be great at the Lament Muscle, but could use some work with the Praise Muscle.

For me, I need to grow in the Lament Muscle. I am NOT good at the expressing despair/anger/frustration to God. A book someone just told me about that I want to mention to you is, “A Sacred Sorrow: Reaching out to God in the Lost Language of Lament” by Michael Card (http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Sorrow-Reaching-Language-Lament/dp/1576836673/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216405304&sr=8-2). There is also an “Experience Guide” to help you start walking this out (http://www.amazon.com/Sacred-Sorrow-Experience-Guide-Reaching/dp/1576836681/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1216405304&sr=8-1). I don’t know which I’ll get yet, probably both :)

Anyways, one of the things we see in Psalms 91 is that God LONGS to show us that He IS our covering and our safe place, but our hearts have to come to Him in order for us to be confident of/feel His protection and covering. I think this is also confirmed in Psalms 107:13-16.

Anyhow, if you want to dig deeper, here are some passages to work through.
Jude 1:24; Psalms 107:13-16 (all of 107, really); Job 28:18; Psalms 34:18; Romans 8:26-39; John 16:7-15; Acts 17:24-28

Feel free to share your two cents… I’d love to hear it :O)

I’ll ‘end’ with a verse sweet Bets shared with me today, "And now to him who can keep you on your feet, standing tall in his bright presence, fresh and celebrating -to our one God, our only Savior, through Jesus Christ, our Master, be glory, majesty, strength, and rule before all time, and now, and to the end of all time. Amen! (Jude 1:24-25)

Helps?

How do I 'subscribe' to friends' Blogs so that there will be a list on my profile?

What are 'team members'?

Thanks! :)

2, again :) Yeesh with the theme, here... NOT INTENTIONAL

You guys are so fun! Thanks for the really warm welcome and encouragement :) So, a couple of questions have come up....

1. With the pics in my 'hello world' post where I'm so excited, Ryan planned this crazy awesome surprise birthday party for me last year and that was right when I walked into the room .... there were well over 40 people from all of the different areas of my life ... I just could not believe it!! SO GREAT THIS MAN!!! WEEEEEE!! :) ( i love how proud and happy Ryan looks in these pics ... it makes my heart warm :O) )

2. The name Grace Unveiled reflects who I am, and also who I want to be. So, I love, love, love this passage:

2 Corinthians 3:12-18
"12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

My name means Grace and my greatest desire is that I would continue to walk in the freedom I've received by the grace of Jesus Christ and that His glory would continue to be reflected in me and that I would be un-veiled in that (free, not hidden)... Not only do I want to live in a way that is real and reflects what God has done in my heart and life, but this scripture says, "EVER-increasing glory"! That is an AMAZING thought and really excites me :)

Beautiful days to all of you :)

"The pressure of a name."

OH MAN, this makes me laugh! I've just sat here for a good thirty minutes trying to come up with a name for my blog.... "Johnson & Johnson" being my first choice - taken. "How about God in real life?" Eh. Didn't do anything for me either... Starting this journey a bit ago I asked for God's help because I wanted the name to be great ... really capture who I am, what I want this to be about, etc. And then it came to me!!! Grace Unveiled 2! Why so perfect? Check this puppy out: http://www.graceunveiled.blogspot.com/. That was me 4 years ago almost to the month! Wild, huh? SOOOOOO funny that I had such great dreams of rants that would maybe give me enough accountability to actually take action. Instead, an empty blog. Can I promise better with this little guy? I hope so! I've been thinking about starting one for a while and tonight I hopped on the computer to download some pics and realized that it was "The Night." I had no idea :)

So here we are, Grace Unveiled 2. I put the 2 to signify a second try at a great name and a great dream... now I'm all warm fuzzy because I realized that Grace Unveiled is now 2 with the sweetest of Ryan Mckays. It blows my mind to think about all of the absolutely wild things that have happened since Grace Unveiled began. Funny that I didn't need to vomit out my crazy rants for God to take me on adventures I would have never imagined. I won't jump into all of that now, I will just say I'm glad to be back, and happy to be 2.