{June 18}

{43} Accountability ...I'm fortunate to have a couple of friends who are not afraid to hold me to my word, to call me on the carpet when needed, and to encourage me to keep doing hard things. Fighting for my marriage is hard, but these friends are in my corner...cheering me on and willing to give me a kick in the pants if needed. Love these girls!

{44} A Card In The Mail ...ahhh, such a simple thing, but big impact. My BFF Amy, sent me the most encouraging card. It reminded me that I am strong and the person that I once was and encouraged me to find myself and my inner strength. I needed that boost today.

{45} 8 o'clock Walks ...so much nicer than when the sun is beating down, hot in fury...and there's something about being outside as the sun sets below the horizon.

{June 17}

{40} Work ...some days I'm just thankful for the reprieve that work can sometimes bring.

{41} Sandwiches ...I'm so glad that my family doesn't need to be impressed with gourmet meals every day or even need meat & potatoes at every meal...tonight...it was sandwiches :)

{42} Honesty ...sometimes it hurts, but I believe that in order to heal we have to feel the pain.

{June 16}

Today was a day for hard eucheristeo. Some days are like that and today was full of it. I would love to say that I handled it with grace and compassion and forgiveness, but I'm human, and in my human flesh I cried. I lashed out. I pouted. I sulked. I got angry. I think that's ok. It lets me know that I'm still alive...in spite of thinking that this season of life may kill me...I'm still breathing.

{37} Songs That Move Me ...Two songs into worship and I'm a mess of tears. Music is probably one of the things that stirs my soul more than anything.

{38} My Wounded Heart ...it is so ravaged right now that every emotion is raw and on the surface, but that's ok. I'm feeling with every ounce of myself probably for the first time in years and I know that God will heal my heart and make it new again.

{39} Family Coming Together ...pulling together in a time of crisis and even though the situation looks hopeless, we keep trying...as a family. We put aside our opinions and differences to help each other out and to support one another. God gave me the perfect family just for me :)

{June 15}

{34} Finishing ...sometimes you just have to be proud of the fact that you finished the race, not necessarily how well you finished.

{35} Tears ...I know they're not forever and that with every tear I'm getting stronger.

{36} Showers ...after a race in Arkansas humidity, I'm thankful that I have a shower to wash away the sweat and grime. I'm pretty sure everyone around me is thankful.

{June 14}

{31} Friday....so ready for the weekend! Need I say more?

{32} Crockpots...dinner was ready when I walked in the door. It's so nice to not have to worry about what's for dinner and know that it's just there...waiting on you...cooking all day. Yummmm.

{33} New Life...we welcomed a new little one to our family today...Jackson Reed Edington.

{June 13}

{28} Gorgeous Sunsets...God's artwork never ceases to amaze me. I'm so grateful to live on a hill where I can witness this almost nightly.

{29} Conversations on the Lawn...tonight we (Matt, Mallorye, Olivia, Alicia & Me) just plopped ourselves on the grass and enjoyed the evening. It was so nice to just slowdown and savor the dusk...of course until the mosquitoes came to visit.

{30} Videos of My Son...I couldn't be at Blake's camp this week, but he sent me a video of him playing and I love that technology allows me to see some of his great moments even when I'm not able to be right there.

{June 12}

{25} Thorlo Running Socks...so seriously, these are the best socks for running that I've found. I never thought socks would make that much of a difference, but man, was I ever wrong? My feet don't hurt and the extra cushioning at the toe is phenomenal. If you're a runner...get these! Your feet will thank you.

{26}A Listening Ear...I've needed this quite a bit lately. Thankful to have people in my life that are ok with listening to my drama.

{27} Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch....my comfort food. Don't judge me :)

{June 11}

{22) Email....it's my favorite way to communicate with my BFF, Amy. We both can keep up with each other through the day, in spite of our hectic work day, via email.

{23} Prayer Wall...a place I can come and connect with God specifically to pray.

{24} Capri...my newest running buddy. This girl pushes me beyond my limits and we share some pretty awesome conversation along the way.

{June 10}

{19} Running Into A Friend at Wal-Mart...I absolutely love running into my friend, Jennifer, no matter where that happens to be. Her zest for life is so contagious and you can't help but feel better after being around her. Love that crazy girl!

{20} Washing Dishes...with this little cutie. I remember watching Mallorye do this with her grandma and now it's my turn to create memories with my granddaughter. 

{21} Young Love...Blake and his girlfriend spent some time together. It's so refreshing to be reminded of how it feels to be young and newly in love...even if it's just puppy love.

{June 9}

{16} Holy Spirit...so glad that God gave us the Holy Spirit and that I don't have to be that for others. I think God is pretty pleased that I've came to that realization too :)

{17} Sunday Dinners...one of the things that I look forward to each week is having lunch with my kiddos. Sometimes we go somewhere nice and other times its just burgers, but it's always with the people I love the most.

{18} Army Wives...I love love love this show. I know it's just a show, but I can relate with so many of the emotions that are portrayed.

{June 8}

Today I just needed a breather...the stress of the past couple of weeks was getting to me and I felt like I couldn't breathe...that I couldn't think clearly...so, I decided to just go for a long drive to nowhere in particular. I took back roads & dirt roads. I rolled the windows down and cranked Bob Seger up. I stopped when I seen something refreshing. I breathed. Deeply.

{13} Letting Go...sometimes we just have to let it go and recognize that we are not in control and that not being ok is perfectly ok.

{14} Books....I love to read. Right now I'm reading a book about running, "Second Wind," but it's really about life. The more I run, the more I realize how much running is a metaphor for life.

{15} Quiet....This little park was the perfect place to just enjoy the quietness and be still before God. 

This was such a needed day of relaxation and reflection...I'm glad I listened to my Spirit and just got away. Sometimes that's just what you need.

{June 7}

{10} Kiss The Cook...this is a cozy little restaurant downtown that only opens for lunch. The amazing lady that owns it is a great friend [shout out to Libby!] and one of those examples of living life full, with eyes wide open and a heart even wider. On Fridays, she is doing a "pay it forward" kind of day and today's proceeds went to another great friend, Holly, who is battling cancer at MD Anderson. It was also just a really good excuse to have lunch with my daughter and have an amazing grilled cheese on homemade bread. Mmmmm...yum!

{11} Wiggle Room...so, I couldn't pay all of my rent today. [sigh] I think in the 7 years we've rented from the Bratton's, this has only happened two other times. I'm so thankful for their understanding and willingness to let me finish it up next week. It's not a place I like to be, but sometimes life throws curve balls and you just have to swing at the pitch you're given.

{12} Early Bedtimes...with no agenda for a Friday night, this girl tucked in early and did NOT set the alarm! Love that.

{June 6}

{7} Good Report...I went to my podiatrist appointment this morning [the one I missed yesterday] and he said my foot was healing wonderfully. I can start running as tolerated and in another week or so, it should be completely healed. Ahh...music to my ears!

{8} Reynold's Lake...this has become a place I go often. I like to watch the sun set on the water and drink up the tranquility of the twilight hour.

{9} Patience...God is teaching me this right now and although the lessons have been painful, I'm starting to slow my reactions and respond in love. I'm a work in progress, but still...progressing.

{June 5}

{4} Oversleeping...ok, so it meant that I missed an appointment, but at least I got a little sleep, which seems to be lacking these days. I'm gonna count it as joy!

{5} Sports Camp...I met a lady that has been attending our church for months. Her daughter was saved the night before at Sports Camp and I wouldn't have probably ever met this family if it hadn't been for this event. I really wanted to stay home and be a recluse, but I'm so glad that my sensible side kicked in and I followed through with my commitment and met Amy.

{6} Taking Work Home...another out-of-the-box gratitude, but this allowed me to feel a little more accomplished and prepared for the remainder of the week. I don't usually take work home, but I was starting to feel overwhelmed at all I had to do...this helped me put things in perspective.

{June 4}

So, I've tried to start this blog several times before...a place to record the blessings of each day...to count the gifts that God gives...all the way to 1,000..and more, but every time I've tried, I've gotten distracted by life and all of it's trials and busyness....

But...there's always a but...life has not been kind the past few weeks and I was reminded today by a dear friend the importance of counting our blessings...to see God even in the hard moments, so I will try again...counting each day the ways that God chooses to bless me.

{1} Melatonin...JoAnn brought me a little "happy" tonight in the form of a bottle of Melatonin that she scored at Walgreen's for FREE. She knew that I've been having trouble sleeping lately. I'm so thankful for friends that pay attention to the little things in my life.

{2} Vickie...I know she probably has no idea how she encouraged my heart today...just a simple text to check on me....and is a big reason why I decided to try this "counting gifts" thing one more time. I'm certain at this season of my life I need to be doing this more than ever before.

{3} Sharing a peanut butter & jelly sandwich with a cute little red-headed toddler...who happens to be my granddaughter, Olivia.