Psalm 139

I love perspective. I love how it teaches you, brings you peace, and clarity.

The older I get the more I realize how inadequate and flawed I am as a woman...as a person. And yet the older I get, the more okay I am with that. I see how futile and wasteful it is to strive for perfection. There is beauty in my uniqueness.....no matter how weird or different that may be.

I heard recently that people over fifty are found to be happier and less stressed than those under fifty. I think it's 'cause they've discovered the same thing that I'm slowly learning. I think that through their maturity in life, they've learned that it's more restful, more joyful, and more peaceful to love yourself as you were created, than to strive to be someone whom you were never meant to be.

At times I feel like the more perfect I become, the less I need to lean on God. Still, I strive for perfection anyway.....for myself.....for this inner image I had of what it would mean to be the perfect image of "me". What I fail to see is that if I just allow God to work in my life, submitted to Him, tilted my face upward and let Him mold me in His own time, that I would become perfectly as He intended me to be (Psalm 139). Maybe I would reside perfectly in a state of heartache for a while to learn a perfect lesson for my life......maybe I would be perfectly "antsy" and "uncomfortable" as He shifted priorities in my heart......maybe I would feel perfectly "alone" in a season of life so that He could perfect my reliance on Him, my courage, and my self-esteem.

Perspective.

Inadequacy.

Maybe what the world deems inadequate, God deems workable.

All I know is that God created me with a purpose....a vision. I want to fulfill it. In order to do that I have to be who He intended me to be -- whether or not I feel I am ready or perfect.

There is a beauty in that knowledge.....and peace knowing He finds me lovely right where I am.....because He sees the bigger picture.

Pet Peeves

Everyone has pet peeves. What one person can overlook can drive another person completely insane! What another person finds offensive or disrespectful, another can easily offer grace and mercy.

I'm not sure if our pet peeves stem from bad experiences or merely our God-given personalities but they are there constantly challenging us.

Here are a few of my pet peeves:

~ Hearing other people swallow. I don't know why, but it bothers me beyond measure!

~ Hearing other people chew with their mouths open when eating or chewing gum. Gross.

~ Wrinkled up paper. I like my papers to be crease-free and neat.

~ People who cut in line in front of me (in a car) and then wave "thank you". Uh, hello! I didn't have a choice!!!

~ People who don't RSVP to invites....especially family.

~ Girl cliques.

~ Anything wrong with my food...dirty glasses in a restaurant, bugs, discolored lettuce, stinky cheese, hair.....I get grossed out very easily.

~ Sticky price tags that don't come off easily and that leave that sticky gunk on there and won't come off no matter what.

What are some of your pet peeves?

blogging from the parking lot at my HEB

I'm waiting for Donut....he went in to our HEB to buy coffee. :o) mmmm....coffee! And not just any coffee....Dunkin' Donuts coffee!! :o)

Just really wanted to see if I could send/create a blog entry from the blackberry...I think I can!!

More to come later....bye!! :o)

I need to start my diet...

I seriously need to start my diet. I've decided that I am definitely buying a bicycle when I get paid. I don't want to walk....it hurts too much. So, I hope that riding a bike will make it easier on my joints to exercise.Ugh.

Thumbs Up!

Donato's report from his blood work came in the mail today.....everything came back VERY normal. In fact, some of the tests were on the very low end of the normal side! THAT'S "GREAT" NEWS! I'm so happy for him!

Big sigh of relief. :o)

(thank You Jesus!)

mmmmm! Egg Salad Sandwiches!

mmmmmm!!! There's nothing better than homemade egg salad sandwiches!!! Yum! I just had to share....hope you can taste it!!!!!!

Still unpacking and cleaning

It seems like we're never going to finishing unpacking. It's one thing to unpack into a nice, new and clean home.....but we've moved into an older home that needs a lot of cleaning and remodelling. The previous tenants were very dirty. The kitchen is so gross.....all of the cabinets will need to be deep cleaned and painted. We cannot afford the paint until the 15th which is next Thursday.....so all we can do is wait and work around boxes for now.

I really don't mind all the cleaning.....I am just so ready to begin organizing everything and making this feel more like a home. We're not used to having so many closets and space...it's very nice.

Major remodelling projects will be:

• kitchen cabinets - clean and paint


• washroom - clean, seal and paint


• extra bathroom - clean and remove outdated wall paper, repair cabinets and sink
  
• Chad's closet and room - spot paint


• our extra closets in our master bedroom - paint and clean


• library/desk area - build wall shelves for books

I can't wait for everything to be done. And that's just inside. We've got lots to do outside too.....but that's fun stuff! We have discovered a hidden koi pond in the backyard that we cannot wait to uncover and revive. :o) (okay, it doesn't look quite like this, but it's pretty)

Okay.....we're getting to work now....wish us luck!

A New Beginning.....

Donato went to the doctor for a physical today. He had been worried since going to see the doctor for his carpal tunnel. They informed him that his blood pressure was extremely high and they recommended that he go and see his general doctor for a check-up. Donato was very good and called his doctor to make an appointment for a complete physical, including blood work.

The results of his blood work should come back in several days.....and in the meantime Dr. Smith put Donato on Lisinopril, a HBP medicine. He took his first pill tonight.A new life starts for us today. We will begin to:

Start exercising daily.....

Watch what we eat.....

Eliminate unnecessary stresses in our life....

And be there for support for each other.

It's hard to admit that we're now "middle-aged" and that we cannot continue the bad habits we've had all of our lives. But we can do this.

I'll keep you posted with how we're doing on our new lifestyle.

Fourth of July Celebration

We had an awesome weekend with my sister, Deona, Everett and Emory! We celebrated fourth of July with them at their house.....they, as usual, lavished with all kinds of love, comfort, yummy food, laughter and fun! Sunday night we went to watch fireworks down the street from where they live....the night was cool and crisp.....it was unusually cool.....so very nice! We were joined by Deona's sister Dondi, her husband Roy and their boys Jordan and Matthew.....as well as Deona's dad Don, aunt Jackie and Courtney. What a nice and pleasant evening.

Thank you Monica & Deona....for such a good and fun weekend!!!!!