My 28 Thanks: Day 112

1. We actually celebrated the Labor Day Holiday and rested from work.

2. Gary had the Holiday off from the fire station.

3. Time with family.

4. We went to Andy Alligator’s Water Park with Gary’s family. It wasn’t super crowded at first.

5. Sunscreen.

6. Chlorinated water.

7. Even though the lazy river at the park became crowded and congested, I didn’t have any social anxiety. I usually DO NOT like crowded environments at all, but I didn’t mind it much. I stayed calm and cool.

8. I love watching kids have a great time.

9. Judah conquered his fear of the giant water bucket and stood underneath it while it poured. He didn’t stand in the splash zone, but he did go near the bucket.

10. I don’t smoke or have any addictive behaviors.

11. We were able to bless another family with some of our chairs at the water park. They were so thankful.

12. Gary told me multiple times today that he loves me.

13. Gary makes me laugh.

14. The weather was amazing!

15. Gary is an fully involved, amazing dad.

16. Gary’s family decided to take a chance at fantasy football this year. So, we started a family league. It should be fun.

17. We feasted on great food!

18. Everyone loved my broccoli, cauliflower, onion, and cheese salad.

19. Gary and I sat with all the kids on the trampoline. I told them an adventure story. They were all characters in the story who went to hunt butterflies in the butterfly field.

20. They loved helping me “fill in the blanks” of the story.

21. We laughed a lot and had so much fun using our imaginations.

22. We got paper bags and tried to have a “potato sack” race.

23. The game turned into a big chase with Uncle Gary.  Gary is a great play mate!

24. Kids laughter.

25. We spent an hour catching lightning bugs. It brought back memories and was so fun!

26. Memories.

27. Enjoyed an evening outside, relaxing with family.

28. Judah spontaneously told me, “I love you, Mommy.”

My 28 Thanks: Day 113

1. I had a great morning.

2. Jameson made his teaching debut in staff chapel today.  He did great.

3. He switched his teaching rotation with me, so I didn’t have to prepare over a holiday.

4. This allowed me to spend my entire holiday weekend with family (My momma) and free from work related stuff. Thank you, Jameson!

5. The Holy Spirit showed up in staff meeting.

6. We sang “How He Loves Us” this morning.

7. My teammates make me laugh.

8. I got payroll completed before I left for work today.

9. I had lunch with my sweet friend, Jamie. She has been through some tough times with me. I appreciate her friendship and wisdom.

10. She treated me to lunch at Tealicious. The chef for Tealicious was our chef at Camp Wow. It was a super great atmosphere and wonderful food.

11. Jamie shared her heart and insight with me.

12. God is messing with Jamie’s world. Her dreams are going to come true!

13. BIG things happended in my friends, Sam and Starla, lives today.

14. Pastor Marc had a great opportunity to minister to a football team today.

15. I live in Oklahoma…we still allow organizations like Fellowship of Christian Athletes and kids can pray in their schools if they want too!

16. Gary and Judah had a fun day at the park.

17. Today is my baby sister’s birthday. She is 22. I remember changing her diapers, feeding her, and helping her with homework. I can’t believe she is now finishing college. She is a beautiful, talented, and funny young lady.

18. Judah sent Haley the cutest of all birthday videos.

19. Judah was in an amazing, funny mood tonight. Everything made him laugh.

20. We snuggled in the recliner, ate popcorn, and watched an episode of Team Umizoomi.

21. Before there can be a victory, there has to be a trial. Trials lead to victory.

22. Before there can be healing, there has to be a hurt. Hurts lead to healing.

23. I get to lay down in a clean bed with a pillow and a blanket every night.

24. Judah’s 1st day of preschool clothes are laid out and ready to go, his lunch is packed, and his bag is packed. Mommy and daddy are the only ones not ready:( We are excited for this opportunity for our son.

25. Judah’s new school is super close to our home.

26. Judah was in bed by 9:00 p.m. And, after 3 Bible stories, he fell asleep.

27. Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego were thrown into hot lava and I LOVE how my son tells it that way!

28. The stories in the Bible are true!

When I woke up this morning, this song was blaring in my head:

When I Think about the Lord, 
How He saved me, how He raised me, 
How He filled me, with the Holy Ghost.
How He healed me, to the uttermost. 

When I Think about the Lord, 
How He picked me up and turned me around, 
How He placed my feet on solid ground

It makes me wanna shout, 
Hallelujah, 
Thank you JESUS, 
LORD, your worthy, of all the glory, and all the honor, 
And all the praise… 

How awesome it is to just think about the Lord.

My 28 Thanks:

1. I am excited about Jesus.

2. I think about Him a lot.

3. We had a lot of technical elements in our kids service and everything worked perfectly.

4. Pastor Clayton and family were our special guests and the kids loved the service.

5. I got the morning off from teaching! It was a nice break.

6. I got to enjoy the kids this morning. Instead of being “in the zone” thinking about my lesson, I was able to relax and visit with my sweet kids.

7. I heard kids talking about the fun service as they left with their parents. I love when kids leave excited about church.

8. We had lunch with Clayton and his family.

9. We have only hung out with them 3x, but it feels like we have known them forever. Gary and Clayton really have a great time hanging out.

10. All the video footage and still pictures worked great for Clayton.

11. Jameson came upstairs during service to check on our kids service. It is so nice to know my team supports kids ministry!

12. The kids loved the new song “Shine Your Light.”

13. Debbie and the Kidcrew knocked it out of the park. The stage team was rocking!

14. We had great attendance for a holiday weekend service!

15. My mom made it home safely.

16. Rony and Danielle made it back to California-their home-safely. They had a great roadtrip.

17. Sunday PM church service was cancelled. We are the church. We can “Shine our Light” for our neighborhoods as well. We can be the church anywhere, not just within the walls of a building. Enjoyed the time for fellowship and friendship building.

18. My crescent rolls for the draft party turned out really good. I didn’t burn any of them. Starla showed me up though with the cutest watermelon football helmet filled with yummy fruit. She is so fun and festive.

19. Dori brought bug spray and let me borrow it. It kept the hungry mosquitos away and my legs were safe from those nasty blood suckers.

20. I got first draft pick once again for my fantasy football league. Yes, Adrian Peterson is on my TEAM!

21. I have an awesome team for this year’s fantasy football league. Rony will be happy when I tell him that the 49ers made my roster list.

22. Mentally, I have already won fantasy football. Ha Ha Ha.

23. Pastor Ted and Tami hosted the draft party. It was fun hanging out with all the other fantasy players.

24. New people joined in on the fun this year. Let the smack talk begin!

25. Gary is excited to play too. We are on opposite leagues, so we don’t have to compete against each other. We even have some similar players, so we can kinda play together and cheer on the same groups.

26. Judah was covered in sweat from playing so hard with his friends. He had a fun night.

27. We walked home from the draft party because Pastor lives so close. Judah talked the entire walk home. It was so cute to listen to him retell the fun he had from the night’s events.

28. Judah wanted to hold my hand while we walked because…”Mommy, I want to hold your hand. It is dark outside and I don’t want a car to hit me.” I love my little boy!

My 28 Thanks:

1. I went to Crest at 8:00 a.m. The grocery store is very pleasant early in the morning.

2. Judah was so excited that his Nona bought him a pink donut with sprinkles.

3. Hanging out with my mom is always fun.

4. My nephews, Gage and Kolt, came over to spend the day.

5. I have a great respect for parents of multiple children, especially when they are all boys. Ha Ha Ha

6. The boys had a great time riding bikes, playing in water, eating, building blocks and forts, and so much more.

7. My house still stands.

8. Kyle and Meghan were able to accomplish a task today without the help of little hands.

9. Mom and I had hair appointments together.

10. Madi came over and watched the boys for a couple of hours so we could get our hair done. Madi is so sweet and the boys love her.

11. I love getting my hair fixed. It is so relaxing.

12. April put a new color on my hair and I love it.

13. My mom got sushi and MADE ME TRY IT. I have never eaten sushi before. So, I tried it. Now, I can check it off my “spontaneous, try something new” list. It was as I imagined….GROSS!

14. My grandma and uncle came over to see me house and visit for a while.

15. My Uncle Danny looks so good. I told him that he reminds me of the story of Lazarus.

16. I love living in a cul-de-sac. It is such a great, safe place to ride bikes.

17. Clayton sent a text that he is super pumped to be with us in KidMotion. We are going to have a blast.

–Celebrated my mom today, August 31st. She turned another year lovelier. So, the next few thanks are set aside for her.

18. My mom celebrated another year of life. So thankful for her life and health.

19. She loves unconcditionally.

20. She is bold, persistent, and never gives up on anything or anyone.

21. She loves people.

22. She loves to laugh and she makes other people laugh.

23. She loves her grandsons big time and they think she is the coolest Nona in the world.

24. She has great taste in clothes.

25. She always takes care of herself.

26. The boys fell asleep at 9:00 p.m. They were exhausted from playing so hard today.

27. Gary had a great day at the station.

28. I laid my head down at 9:45 p.m. I don’t remember much after that.

My 28 Thanks:

1. We had an awesome breakfast with our house guests.

2. Gary had a great time playing guitar with Rony. Even though it was a short time, they had fun.

3. Danielle and Rony blessed us with all their food and condiments. They weren’t allowed to pack any of it into the moving truck and didn’t have enough room in their car. So, we got blessed with it.

4. Some of the items are from Trader Joes. I hear that is an awesome place. Excited to try new things.

5. Danielle left me the sweetest hand written card. Hand written cards should never expire.

6. We all sad goodbye. I am so excited that my friends are getting to return home.

7. Gary, Judah, and I had a fun time running errands together.

8. We found the items that we needed at Hobby Lobby. They were all on the 50% off list too this week.

9. Gary helped me finish the set design for KidMotion. I am excited for Sunday.

10. It only took us 1.5 hours to finish the set.

11. I learned how to setup lights.

12. My friend, Angela Mondragon, loves her new job and it is such a better fit for her awesome family.

13. Gary made a special pallet wood valence for my new kitchen curtains.

14. It turned out better than I thought.

15. My new curtains are hanging in my kitchen and they are beautiful. I love the design.

16. Jenn Myers, a kidmin leader and friend from church, is an amazing seamstress. She made my curtains and they make my home smile.

17. Gary found out about a real life treasure hunt he can go on. He loves to find treasure.

18. Gary helped me straighten the house and wash sheets.

19. My mom is here.

20. She always makes us laugh.

21. We took her to PF Chang’s for her birthday dinner. She loved the food item she ordered.

22.  We went at 5:30 p.m. and there wasn’t a wait at all. We also got to sit at a booth (My mom and I always prefer a booth-we think it is warmer in a booth).

23. Our waitress was phenomenal.

24. Judah and I had a water fight with the water hose. It was so fun. Judah thought it was hilarious to soak me when I wasn’t looking.

25. People responded positively to my blog on fear yesterday. A few people let me know that it ministered to them as well. We are all in this together.

26. We ended the night sitting on the couch, sharing homemade popcorn and great conversation.

27. Judah fell asleep easily.

28. Freedom.

The first time I remember encountering fear or a spirit of intimidation was in the Summer of 2002. I had just graduated from Oklahoma State (Go Pokes) and had moved to Norman, Ok to attend OU Law school. I was starting law school that summer. Vividly, I remember laying on my living room apartment floor with the Contracts 1 book open preparing to “brief” the 200 pages of reading that I was supposed to do for the 1st DAY OF CLASS. Tears rolled day my face. For the first time in my life, I didn’t know if I could do it or if I even wanted to do it.

Before that time, I don’t remember being afraid of not being able to do something. Sure, I had a Godly fear to obey, follow rules, and respect my parents. But, this particular season in my life was the first time I experienced fear of failure, fear of inadequacy, and fear of disappoinment. Never before had I looked at any task an thought, “This is impossible. I don’t think I am good enough.”

Up to this point, I had worked feverishly to get into law school. I studied, sacrificed fun times, and spent lots of money on tests and a portfolio. I also watched Perry Mason, Matlock, and Law and Order for years (since I was a little girl), hoping I would learn some amazing court room skill that I could use one day.

So, you can understand the surprise when I told my parents I had just dropped out of law school on the first day. I remember my dad saying, “But, sis, this is what you have always wanted!” He was right. I THOUGHT I had always wanted to be a lawyer.

However, the summer before I had spent some time interning in Washington, D.C. for a Congressman. It was an awesome experience filled with rich history lessons, great sight seeing, and a discouraging look at inside politics. It was during that time, I realized that a political life/law life was probably not a fit for me. I would never be who I needed to be to fit that mold. God was changing my plans, but I fought it because I though I was supposed to be a lawyer.

When the first day of law school arrived, the desire to be something else mixed with the fear of inadequacy, thrust me into the admin office to sign drop papers. To this day, I DO NOT regret my decision. Truthfully, I know it was the right thing to do. I found a love for education and teaching and now ministry.

Now, fast forward 11 years, a different fear stares me in the face. I find myself at times sitting on the floor crying like I did those many years ago in my Norman apartment. I am not ready to share the details of this ugly mental beast, but I am thankful for the Word of God and the scriptures that are true…”God does not give us a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind.” Daily, I am walking through the process of freedom from this particular fear. Renewing my mind, rebuking the devil, seeking Godly counsel, and focusing on things that are pure, holy, and a good report. But, it is a walk, a journey. And, at least I am walking. I refuse to stay in the same spot.

Unfortunately, the fear is greater than the desire. Shocking, I know. Faith should absolutely fuel us. It does in my life too. But, I am in a season of removing some “bad gas” from my fuel tank. (That is a gross analogy…ha ha ha).

Many times, when “counseling” with people, I ask them, “Do you want to be in this same place a year from now?” Everytime so far, the person responds with a resounding, “NO!” Then, I ask, “Well, what are you going to do right now to start changing your life and breaking the cycle.?” Today, I ask myself that very question.

Joyce Meyers says, “Do it afraid.” It’s time to put on my big girl pants and do it afraid.

My 28 Thanks:

1. I took extra time getting ready this morning. I had worked late the day before and I needed some extra time to prepare for the day. I am glad that there is some flexibility in my job, especially since there is truly never a “clock out” time.

2. Judah enjoys having company. Everyone is a new playmate in his eyes.

3. I can renew my mind.

4. I don’t have to be afraid.

5. I am walking through.

6. God cares about me, every little thing, every part of me.

7. He is my friend. I can talk to Him.

8. I didn’t go to law school. I didn’t waste a lot of money pursuing something that I had lost a desire for.

9. I became an educator instead.

10. I use my degree and training on a daily basis.

11. Educators.

12. The educators who invested into my life.

13. I tried a new form of discipline on Judah and it worked well.

14. I was disciplined as a child. I am so thankful my parents cared enough to help me learn to control my anger, my language, my actions, etc…

15. Many of my kidmin team are going to the Family ID conference.

16. My in-laws got dinner for Judah and me.

17. My in-laws are so good to me. I am so blessed with the most caring in-laws.

18. Judah ate his dinner well.

19. My mom will be here this weekend to spend her birthday with me!

20. Holly dropped by for a nice evening visit.

21.She brought me a beautifully “Holly hand painted” shelf for my kitchen. It is so cute and perfect.

22. Holly can truly turn trash into treasure.

23. Judah almost caught a lightning bug. It was so cute watching him try to catch that cute creature. I remember doing that as a kid and making them into rings on our fingers.

24. Another evening spent on the back porch swing.

25. Rony and Danielle are loaded and ready to go back to their home. Home is a good place to be.

26. The last two nights, I have felt like a college girl once again hanging out late with these young kids. Enjoying fun conversations and meeting new people.

27. Judah.

28. Gary.

My 28 Thanks:

1. We ate breakfast together as a family.

2. Healthy food.

3. I had an encouraging, helpful conversation with my friend, Amy. She always knows what to say and when to say it.

4. Danielle and I are sitting next to each other right now, writing our Wednesday Thankful blogs. So glad she shares a love for writing and is on this journey too.

5. Daily people are reading my 10,000 reasons journey blog. They keep me accountable to this awesome adventure.

6. The Old Testament. I LOVE those stories.

7. My friend, JaQuisha, may be one of the kindest, selfless, and loving individuals I know. I am so glad that I get to see her everyday!

8. I received a HUGE shipment of brand new chairs for Kidz Ministry. It was a surprise delivery. They should have been here weeks ago. The facility team was so kind to help me unload the 34 boxes of chairs in a timely manner.

9. People can surprise you in good ways.

10. I am surrounded by people who rise to the occasion when needed.

11. Jameson found an old picture of me in a Christmas Production. He emailed it to me with the caption, “Nice Sweater.” What’s bad….I love that sweater. My mom bought it for me to wear my first Christmas as a teacher. Now, I look at it and realize it is truly one of those “teacher sweaters.” I had a great laugh about the good ole days.

12. Gary and I almost finished our new KidMotion set design. I think the kids will like it.

13. I had a great conversation with my Uncle Danny and my grandma. They are so excited about Danny’s great news from the doctor. And, he gets to go back to work on Tuesday.

14. My entire Kidz Ministry team was out of the church building by 9:00 p.m. This is huge progress. Thankful to parents who pick their kids up on time.

15. The Crossroads Cafe offers a dinner option on Wednesday night. It makes it so much easier for our family to grab a good, cheap dinner before church service.

16. Several of our church families bring neighbor kids to our Wednesday night ministry. They are so important. So thankful that they care. They are making huge, eternal investments in those kids by simply offering a seat in their car.

17. Pastor Marc had huge attendance numbers in CYM. Growth is the will of God and I am super excited for our Youth Ministry.

18. Bryce, one of my teen leaders, is a stellar young man and student athlete. He invited the entire defensive line of Southmoore High School to youth and they came!

19. Dustin was able to fix the KidMotion lights before our service. He was super busy, but took time for kidz ministry.

20. Everyone of my leader’s served last night. No one called in sick or had any work concflicts. I have a great, healthy team.

21. The energy and passion the Wednesday Night Kidz Ministry put behind the song “Jesus is Alive Right Now” was amazing. It was the best I have ever seen.

22. We had a smooth night of ministry.

23. We had a ton of kids and several first time guests.

24.  We have house guests from California. So glad I could open my new home up to them.

25. Gary made them a late night snack of scrambled eggs and fruit. They loved it.

26. We laughed so much. I love sharing stories of funny things. Ryan, one of our guests, told the funniest story of sending a text message to the wrong “Danielle” in his phone. I laughed and laughed and laughed. I enjoy funny people.

27. I actually stayed awake until 1:00 a.m. I am not a late night gal, but I actually did it. One more check on the “doing spontaneous things” list.

28. I asked the Lord some tough questions. I am know He hears me.

Jesus, my leader, steps into my darkest hour and turns it into my greatest opportunity.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Light penetrates the dark.

2. My darkest hour can become my greatest opportunity.

3. Everyone and every organization has a chance to have a turnaround story.

4. Dr. Mark Rutland. I wish he was a member of my family so I could talk to him everyday. He is such a wise man.

5. Dr. Mark Rutland’s book, Relaunch.

6. God makes beauty from the ashes.

7. “Even a field that is completely buned to a crisp looks amazing in about 2 months.” I appreciate the deep thoughts of my new co-worker, Jameson.

8. We had great discussion in staff chapel.

9. Pastor Marc led worship. He is a triple threat…He sings, He acts, and He (dances?). Well, he does preach!

10. We laughed a lot in staff meeting. I love laughing with others.

11. I love being surrounded by so many perspectives that have been formed by their own life experiences.

12. My uncle got a fabulous report from the doctor today. His heart is resonding to the medicine and he has been released to go back to work.

13. I had a great lunch meeting with Tami and Teri.

14. We talked Christmas Production. I love hearing their professional insight.

15. Tami blessed me with lunch.

16. Angela and I had a great conference call with a very creative genius. I love learning from the genius of others.

17. Angela is a great team player and a delight to work with.

18. I use my degree everyday. All my studies in English and Communications are vital to what I do each day.

19. Adoption proceedings for some dear friends of mine and their little girl will be final this next week. Their two year ordeal is coming to an end.

20. Pastor Ted told me that he appreciated my work on a specific project. It is nice to be appreciated.

21. An evening game of smack talk with my fantasy football brothers.

22. Judah and I had a nice walk around the neighborhood.

23. The evening weather was beautiful.

24. Judah finally got to see Paw Patrol. He fell in love with the promo commercials. He watched it 8x today. Thank God for freezone.

25. Laura, my sis-in-law, made extra food tonight for dinner. So, we got to eat with them. I love surprise easy dinner plans.

26. My mom is coming to visit in 3 days. We are going to have a great time celebrating her birthday this weekend.

27. God never gives up on you.

28. He cheers me on.

It has been a few days since I painted a more elaborate picture of my heart. Unfortunately, time constraints stifle my ability to write. My mind is racing and my heart is full, so I hope the time will come soon that allows me an opportunity to share.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Gary and Judah enjoy watching Phineas and Ferb together. They find similar things funny. Its cute to listen to them laugh together.

2. Judah wants me to hold him first thing upon waking up. If he had it his way, I would hold him for a good hour upon waking up. It is such a sweet time even if it is short lived.

3. I had chit chat time with Gary and Judah before leaving for work.

4. I choose to think on things that are pure, holy, and of a good report. If it isn’t, then I don’t want to think on it. My mind is better for it.

5. I live in this world, but I don’t have to be of this world.

6. The Drewery’s talked trash about my son today and I didn’t beat them up! HA HA HA! Secretviely, they want Aly to marry Judah so she can have an amazing mother-in-law. I love funny conversations with friends.

7. Gary changed out the KidMotion set today in about 2 hours. He is so handy.

8. Pastor Marc made me laugh really hard today. He has such a funny sense of humor. He fits well with our team.

9.  Jameson was encouraged today and I saw excitement from him.

10. I finished a very important script today. I love writing.

11. I finished the script 4 days before my deadline.

12. The people I submitted the script to liked it…I think:)

13. Conversations with Starla are always enjoyable. She has a natural gift to encourage others. Every time I talk to her, she shares another piece of her beautiful heart.

14. Sam Jones is celebrating a birthday today. I am thankful for his heart and his love to serve others.

15. I received a GREEN LIGHT today to pursue change on an issue that has been on my heart for 6 years.

16. Judah was so excited to go to his open house tonight at his little school.

17. He was polite, He said both “hello” and “goodbye” to his  new teachers.

18. Judah got amazing preschool teachers. I can’t wait for him to have this awesome experience. We are so blessed to be able to do this for him.

19. We actually got a super cute family photo while at the school. This rarely happens anymore. And, I didn’t have to bribe Judah with a quarter!

20. All 5 Oklahoma Hendrickson cousins will be at the same preschool on the same day in the same hallway. Oh Boy!

21. We had Pei Wei for dinner with friends, Rony and Danielle. We ate out on the patio and the weather was perfect.

22. Judah devoured his meal and had a great time eating with chop sticks. And, now Danielle has a good memory of fine Chinese Cuisine.

23. We shared the funniest of stories and laughed so hard. I love funny stories.

24. Rony gave me some pointers for fantasy football. I am going to destroy my league. I just can’t settle on a team name.

25. My firend Jamie texted me a sweet message today. She always brings a smile to my face. We are going to do lunch soon.

26. I already have Sunday’s service planned. I am working way ahead this week!

27. When pressure is applied, some people shine. I work with bright lights.

28. I am a part of something that is greater than myself.

My 28 Thanks:

1. Getting to church was easy.

2. I forgot to pick up new candy for our Spin to Win birthday game. So, Gary ran to Wal-Mart and picked up some awesome choices for us. The kids loved the new candy options.

3. Church service went smooth.

4. We didn’t have any technical problems.

5. Our kids church numbers were back up after all the summer vacations and festivities. I loved having a full house again.

6. The kids loved my modern day telling of Zacchaeus.

7. I love watching the kids worship to the song, “Glory to God.” They sing that song with all their heart.

8. Our kidcrew practice from the week before paid off. Our kidcrew was awesome and took it up a level.

9. I love spending time with my 6th grade small group.

10. Danielle sent me a sweet text letting me know that she was praying for us to have a great day and that we wil always be connected through prayer!

11. I love my leadership team. They are awesome and committed.

12. Judah told me that he learned about, “Jesus, the Bible, and David and Goliath.” I wish I could spell Goliath the way he pronounces it, but take my word for it, he says it so cute!

13. Judah loves his class at church. I love that he loves learning about Jesus.

14. We had a spontaneous lunch with the Drewerys. We don’t get to hang out with them too often.

15. Swadley’s wasn’t crowded at all and we got our amazing food fast.

16. Judah and Aly had a fun time together at the restaurant. Aly could be on my “Future Wife for Judah” list.

17. Kidcrew practice went well. Our team is ready for Shine Your Light this coming Sunday. It will be a great new song.

18. Mrs. Debbie has the energy of a 20 year old. Her love for kids music makes me smile.

19. I had a great conversation with Clayton and ironed out the details of our service for Labor Day Sunday. It is going to be so much fun.

20. I got a lot of work done Sunday afternoon, so Monday will be a breeze!

21. During service, I was able to pray with my friend, Laura. I am believing for a new season of life in her life!

22. I saw my friend Kenneth Fullwood sitting across the sanctuary with his mom. After service, I had a nice chat with a dear friend. I would love for Kenneth and Jenny to live closer. Our boys are meant to grow up together! The Judah and Joel team. Maybe one day…

23. Sunday PM service got out earlier than usual. We still had time to hang out as a family after church.

24. Judah fell asleep in the car on the ride home from church. I am glad we didn’t go out to eat afterwards. He was exhausted.

25. Even though Sundays are long days for Judah, he does amazingly well. His attitude is usually flexible and fun.

26. Gary and I cooked dinner together.

27. Gary is the spiritual leader of our home. Last night, a horrible commercial came across the television screen. Immediately, Gary began to pray against the enemy and evil. He prayed protection over our home. I will never put my TV channel on Scy Fi again. In my opinion, that channel is filled with shows who mask the demonic presence with Scy Fi.

28. No evil thing can come near my dwelling.

My 28 Thanks:

1. We laughed a lot today.

2. Laughter makes you feel so good on the inside.

3. We woke up early today and it has made the day seem so much longer.

4. My house has become a comfortable home.

5. My house welcomes me everytime I come through the door.

6. I feel safe and secure in my home.

7. I feel safe and secure in the arms of my Loving Father.

8. I can rest in the shadows of His almighty wings.

9. The morning consisted of play-doh fun, blocks, and pretend play.

10. I do not take for granted any moment that I get to spend on the floor in Judah’s play room. I love playing with him and making memories.

11. We made a huge play-doh mess on the wood floors and had a blast. Thankfully, it cleans up easy.

12. We washed the car today. Judah LOVES washing the car in the automatic car wash. I love experiencing such simple, silly moments with him. Gary and I are so blessed.

13. My friend, Debby, is rocking the Daniels Fast and feeling great! Proud of her.

14. Fantasy Football is fast approaching. Trying to decide my team name for this year. I could just go with “Winner” or “Undefeated” or “Can’t Touch This.”

15. We got so much accomplished on our to-do list. I love accomplishing tasks.

16. We had a great time playing outside in the water. Gary got into Judah’s TINY TINY TINY swimming pool. It was hilarious. I have a picture, but I promised not to post it:)

17. My plants still look so good. They are big and beautiful.

18. Our grass is super green. We have never had green grass throughout the entire summer.

19. I smelled lots of Fall scent candles today. Fall is approaching fast.

20. I came across an amazing Christmas Party idea today. Excited to share it with my friends.

21. I have cooked all weekend.

22. Judah is doing so much better sitting at the table and eating his entire meal. Gary and I are exhausted at the end of the meal, but I know it will pay off in the long run.

23. Training, training, and training a child eventually pays off.

24. Even though I am not a fancy meal cooker, Gary always appreciates my cooking and tells me Thank You all the time.

25. Talking about friendships tomorrow morning in KidMotion. It is so important to surround yourself with Godly friends. You definitely want to be “yoked” with someone who is going in the same direction as you!

26. I have great friends.

27. My in-laws made advanced plans for Labor Day. I am so proud of them.

28. Family.