My, how time flies...

3 years ago, I married Ivan Johnson Jr.

In those 3 years, life has been sweet & rough, painful & joyful, but most of all it has been incredibly blessed.

Happy Anniversary Ivan ~ I love you!

You're Blessed...

I was reading a blog I follow, and the blogger was reflecting on what Jesus said at the Sermon on the Mount. He was referring to how Jesus likes it when we are simple and honest. To illustrate his point, he referenced The Message Bible. I rarely read The Message translation because I feel like sometimes it "dumbs down" (for lack of a better phrase) the Bible. But I decided to read Matthew in the Message anyway... and I am so glad I did.

"You're blessed when you're at the end of your rope. With less of you, there is more of God and his Rule."
~ Matthew 5:3 (Msg.)

Wow. Stopped me in my tracks. What a simple and powerful way to put it!

You are blessed when you are at the end of your rope. Not out of luck. Not hopeless. Blessed. Jesus doesn't say you won't be in pain, or that you won't feel lost and scared. He doesn't deny the fact that sometimes you will be out of options, and its gonna get hard. What he promises is that you will be blessed despite the difficulty. Why? Simply because when you give up control, it gives God room to work in your life.

I needed this. I really really needed this. Leave it to Jesus to be the eternal optimist. Since I am definitely nearing the end of my rope, I decided to read on.

"You're blessed when you feel you've lost what is most dear to you. Only then can you be embraced by the One most dear to you.

You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought.

You're blessed when you've worked up a good appetite for God. He's food and drink in the best meal you'll ever eat.

You're blessed when you care. At the moment of being 'care-full,' you find yourselves cared for.

You're blessed when you get your inside world—your mind and heart—put right. Then you can see God in the outside world.

You're blessed when you can show people how to cooperate instead of compete or fight. That's when you discover who you really are, and your place in God's family.

You're blessed when your commitment to God provokes persecution. The persecution drives you even deeper into God's kingdom.

Not only that—count yourselves blessed every time people put you down or throw you out or speak lies about you to discredit me. What it means is that the truth is too close for comfort and they are uncomfortable. You can be glad when that happens—give a cheer, even!—for though they don't like it, I do! And all heaven applauds. And know that you are in good company. My prophets and witnesses have always gotten into this kind of trouble."
~ Matthew 5:4-12 (Msg.)

Can I get an Amen?!?

December "Blahs"

What is it about this time of year that seems to give everyone a case of the "blahs?" It seems like people wind up with shortened tempers, saddened hearts, and just a general feeling of listlessness. I know I am personally guilty of all 3. Every year around this time, I think about all of my shortcomings in the past 12 months, and the New Years resolutions I failed to keep. Even though I have been out of sunny So Cal for 5 years now, I still miss the 70 degree "winter" days... where you can walk your dog in the evening without packing a parka. I want to curl up in bed and not go to work, knowing that when I get home it will be just as dark and cold as when I left 12 hours earlier... but maybe a little wetter. I just feel, well, BLAH.

This year, I am doing my best to not become a victim to the December Blahs. I am working on a positive attitude, and trying not to complain as much. It's hard for me. I am a complainer by nature... not that I am unhappy, I just like to complain! That's how I communicate people! :) But I didn't realize just how much I complained until I started my goal to stop it altogether. Just trying to answer Ivan's question of "How was your day?" became difficult. I started off slowly by answering "it could be worse" or "not too bad," all the while trying to force my weary face into a smile while cooking dinner and cleaning up puppy potty accidents for the umpteenth time.

It's gotten easier to be positive though, and I am starting to actually believe my answers. When I say "I am just thankful to have a job," I truly mean it... no false pretenses. Sure, I still struggle with fighting through the "blahs" but this new positive attitude is helping.

I hope to read "The Last Lecture" soon. My friend Sara told me about it a while ago, and it sounds like now might be the time for me to read it. Sara said the book was really inspiring and helped her in her own goal with keeping a positive outlook. Until then, I am doing just fine... and blessed beyond belief. Honestly. :)

My Life is... Shocking.

Last night around 10:15pm, a car came screeching into our neighborhood & hit my car that was parked in my driveway, which spun it almost perpendicular to the house. The driver & passengers abandoned the car & ran away, leaving the car running with a knife on the floor & a strong alcohol smell that permeated the air. The Lincoln towncar took out our electric box on the way to smash into my Ford, so the entire neighborhood was without power. The cops were able to find one of the suspects, which a neighbor positively ID'd. At this point, we dont know whose car it was, nor do we know if the driver/car has insurance.

At this point, my car is undriveable (transmission, axle & wheel problems, etc), so we had it towed to the autobody shop. Amazingly, it looks much better than it is! So for the 2nd time in a 4 week period, I had to take the car to CarStar in Oregon City & get a rental car (for those of you who don't know, Ivan & I got into a fender bender a few weeks ago and just got the car back). Needless to say, this is an expensive month for us.

The good news? Ivan's car was parked on the street and was missed by a foot or so. The fire hydrant was missed by inches. The electrical wiring didn't cause a fire. My car was inches away from crashing into the house but stopped just in time. We had neighbors in the front yard of their house who were able to give police a clear description of the suspects as they fled. We have car insurance. AND the best part is that we weren't in the car when it got hit. Talk about counting your blessings!

Now we just have to sort through the legal and insurance process!

My Life Is... Blessed

For as much as I complain (which is a bad habit of mine), my life is amazingly blessed. I am so thankful for all I have been given. A quick rundown of some of the things I am thankful for right now...

- My husband
- My house
- My dogs
- My job
- My weight loss
- My friends
- Health Insurance
- Clean drinking water
- GODS UNCONDITIONAL AND UNFAILING LOVE

Its amazing how when you stop and really reflect on your life, you can realize that there are SO many things to be thankful for.