i could

have you ever been afraid to pray for something because you know God could use that prayer to cause major waves in your current calm?
i'm in a place like that right now.

i just finished a study on Philippians with She Reads Truth which was phenomenal!!
i've read through this book before, heard sermons on it, but this was like reading it with brand new eyes.
{something i've been praying for for a long time}
paul was just an amazing man.
that's it.
that's all there is to it.
amazing.

how many people do you know that could write a letter from jail to encourage & love on people for the sake of Christ?

there was one verse that stuck out to me:
"...for I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances."
{Phil. 4:11}

after reading this, i thought, Lord, i want this to be my prayer.
but then i retracted that statement.
i was afraid!
what would this mean?
how would God shake up our world to make this be a true statement?
what will i have to sacrifice?
i don't know if i'm ready to be shaken.

then today i came across this song:

i could just sit where i am.
i could just play it safe.
i could allow fear to dictate my next move.
i could miss out though.
i could miss what wonderful things God has in store for me.
i could miss out on a transformation that draws me closer to Him & who He wants me to be.

but what i long for is to go higher and to go deeper.
i long to go where He leads me.
for His mercy light my path.

{insta}week

so i guess if sandy wreaks havoc on us this week, this could be my only post until we emerge from our storm shelter.

i did decide to go to the store last night to grab a few things just in case. 

you know, stacy's pita chips, life cereal, sandwich ready tuna packets, apples, oranges & bananas.

yeah, water too...the last 2 cases in the entire store!

i really didn't want to be one of those people though. 

people are crazy! 

here's a peak into my week:

anyone else love raking leaves?

yeah, me either.

i raked twice this week but you would never know!
maybe sandy will take care of them for me?

my cousin donated some cupcakes for the food pantry on tuesday, and since it was our trick or treat night {if you're not from around here, yes, it's weird}, i decided to decorate them to hand out.

i attempted to make my own frosting, which was "eh" in my opinion. 

i added some candy corn to redeem them!

just a few shots from she reads truth this week.

we just started a study on philippians.

good stuff!

everything is a step for this little one latley.

baskets, bins, mike's work bag, toys.

if it holds him, he climbs.

on thursday i got to go to the orange tour.

it's a one day conference that goes around to various cities throughout the country.

this one was held at national community church.

i'm thinking a separate post will come later with my thoughts on the day. 

we've been into homemade pizzas lately.

i love it because i can enjoy whatever creation i want with no sauce!

{yes, i'm a weirdo & don't like pizza because i don't like tomato sauce}

i attended a baby shower this weekend to which we had to bring our own tea cup.

i'm not much of a tea person, so i don't own tea cups, but my mom gave this to me a couple of years ago for such occasions. 

someone gave it to her when i was born, and i love it! 

this week i taught pre-k, and as i was preparing materials, i was so thankful for this awesome reminder!

and speaking of pre-k, this had to have been one of the sweetest things i've ever seen.

he was just sitting there "reading" his bible, tucked in his little cubby hole for the longest time. 

today our church celebrated its 5th birthday.

we started with just a handful of us in our pastor's living room, and have grown into an awesome community & family. 

we are so blessed to call this our church home.

1. we took the kids into "big church" this morning where we go to worship with glow sticks!

then tonight we had a party that was such a blast!

2. this is the closest that eli will get to halloween this year. doesn't he make such a cute cowboy?

3. we signed up for the cornhole tournament & we brought it! competitive much? we only won 2 games, but we did shut one team out, so that was cool. 

well, i guess we'll see what happens in the next few days! 

could be a week full of firsts:

first time losing power for multiple days. 

first time losing power for multiple days with a one year old.

first time existing on stacy's pita chips & almond butter sandwiches.

{except that the pita chips may or may not be finished off by tonight}

first time i won't be able to check instagram 86 times a day because my phone is dead.

oh boy! 

have a great week, and be safe if you're in the path of "frankenstorm".

{seriously, why do they do this?}

bragging rights

i'm not really one to boast & brag, but if you'll allow me a few minutes, i'd like to do just that.

today's subject: my hubby.

the summer leading up to eli's birth {2011} my hubby began a job search so that i would be able to quit my job to stay home. 

his job search concluded in august of this year when he landed a position as a sports reporter for our local paper. 

yes, that's 15 months of searching & praying for a full time job.

120 job applications (no exaggeration, he kept track).

tireless hours of writing resumes and combing indeed.com.

he literally applied for any position he was even remotely qualified for.

people, he applied to be a 911 operator!

if you know my husband, you know this would've been an epic fail!

the man has to leave the room at the mention of blood or guts. 

he gags when he hears the cat throwing up. 

he would need the paramedics to come to the 911 dispatch office if he received a call from someone in a real emergency because he'd be passed on the floor with the first "help me, i've been stabbed & there's blood gushing everywhere!"

there weren't too many jobs i would discourage him from being hopeful about.

this one, though, i suggested might be best on the decline list.

bless his heart, he was so willing to do anything so that i could live out my dream of being a stay at home mom.

during those 15 months, we had no idea what God had in store for us, but we knew to just trust Him. 

we knew His timing would be perfect.

 and right when we needed it, he opened the door for a job that mike would describe as one of his dream jobs. 

{first being full time children's ministry director, of course. still waiting on that prayer to be answered!}

here is someone who holds no degree in journalism, has never taken a journalism class, with limited journalism experience having been offered a job as a sports reporter.

recent graduates of major universities who have received rewards & literary honors, who are willing to move to remote parts of the country, cannot find jobs, and yet, my husband has been given the opportunity to do something that he loves.
hang out at sporting events & write about them. 

that, my friends, is an only God thing!

to hear him say that he loves his job, makes my heart smile.

to think that he might've had to actually take one of the hundred plus jobs he applied for, only to be miserable, would've broken my heart.

recently, he was given the opportunity to work on a feature story that ended up being published as a front page article.
he put so much time & heart into this article & tonight i finally got to read it.
the topic of this article was certainly not an easy one to write about. 
a local high school quarterback whose father committed suicide.
that's heavy stuff!
he did an amazing job!
{you'll have to read it for yourself to see!}
 the feedback he's gotten has been remarkable & i'm just so proud!
 i love his ability to connect with people on the most genuine level.
that he cares deeply & honestly.
that he is sensitive, & therefore, people's needs grip him at the heart.
God has gifted him in the area of relationships like no one else i know & He is allowing mike to use this gift as a sports reporter for the evening sun. 

i'm so beyond thankful that once again God has provided for us & provided beyond what we could have ever asked or imagined.