Pack Mule

I hate packing. I love to travel, but I despise the arduous process of preparing the suitcases. Making sure all sundries are filled. Deciding on outfits (what if I have a surprise photo shoot, it hails in Arizona in July, or I land on Survivor Island... will I be prepared?) The jewelry. The shoes. The hair accessories. The products. The potions. And this is just the list for my KIDS' stuff. ARRRGH! I do not, however, hate checking my bags. I did not always feel this way. I used to be THAT PERSON who attempted to fit a Hyundai into a carry-on suitcase. I would carry my purse, my computer bag, and then then over-stuffed carry-on which fit into the upper compartment only with the use of Crisco, chicken wire, and prayer. Although the new airline fees deter me a bit, the idea of handing my baggage over to a responsible person is actually quite a relief (do you see where I am going with this?) We are not meant to carry around our baggage, whether it be emotional, spiritual, or physical. We are designed and encouraged by Jesus to "Come to me, all you who are weary and heavy burdened and I will give you rest". He can be trusted with our "stuff". He will not lose it, redirect it erroneously to Detroit, nor damage it. He will carry it for us and lighten our load and, with gentleness, will help us get rid of those things we can do without: our fears, our lack of faith, our hurts, our shame. I am ready to leave my stuff at the feet of Jesus...are you? Our family leaves for Washington D.C. in a few days. I will keep you updated on our trip. By the way, I am already packed. :) Amberly

Side WALK

It all started with signs advertising a book sale.

The only thing that makes me salivate more than fresh baked bread is the idea of a book sale.  I love books.  My family loves books.  I find myself teetering between frustration and pride when I catch my kids, AGAIN, in the act of pretending to be asleep and instead, reading a good book.

So, you can imagine my giddiness at the idea of a book sale in my neighborhood.

I got up early on Saturday morning to go to the gym.  I thought I might work out and then come home, shower, and get ready before rousing the troops to join me for said book sale.

They were all up.  I changed my mind and suggested that I would jog to the book sale (2.25 miles away) and they could meet me there. 

It was a perfect plan.  I was almost out the door when my son asked if he could join me.  I agreed.  I knew he might slow me down (no disrespect intended; he is just eight), but I would not miss the chance to jog/ walk together.

We were about halfway there when he said, "I love this.  I really enjoy your company."

Wow.  I teared up before the words left his mouth.

We were almost there when he began to complain about his foot.  I offered to carry him (which I did), but soon grew weary.  We gingerly walked the last 1/4 mile.

When we arrived, my husband and daughter were standing over eight boxes of books.  That is all.  Eight boxes.  Small book boxes, mind you.  It took me longer to tie my shoes than it did to peruse the entirety of the collection.  Ugh.

My husband said, "Ooooh.  I knew you would be disappointed that you had traveled that distance and found only a measley number of books."

I was disappointed in the book sale, but not in the time.  Josiah and I really had a good time, talking about music, Harry Potter, Legos, calories, and God.  There was nothing monumental, just a slice of time to spend time with one another.

One might draw a parallel between that walk and a walk with Jesus.  I want to follow Jesus where He is going.  I want Him to carry me when I grow weary.  I want to enjoy His company and have Him enjoy mine.  I want to be less concerned about the destination and/or pay-off and more concerned with the connection.

 Such connection would be better than a book sale ANY DAY...

Blessings!  Amberly

On pins and needles

I hate when my feet go to sleep...

Sometimes, after grading papers or working on the computer for any length of time, I begin to feel the sensation  of pins and needles creeping up my leg.

The science books will credit a lack of blood circulation for this phenomenon.    All I have to remedy it is get up and let the blood flow to the neglected parts.

There are parts of my spiritual life that are suffering from a little neglect these days.  Although I am not feeling the sensation of pins and needles in my heart, I know that I need to be spending more time in God's Word and listening.  I am disallowing a natural flow of God's truth and blocking blessings.

Will you stand up with me and take some extra time this week to stay connected to God?

Walk in His truth and know the blessings will flow.

Amberly

Top of the Monday to ya!

It was one of those days. I will spare you the details, but it started at 5:00 with a cycling class that boosted my prayer life ("God, please let my live through this class") One of the participants left the class early; I thought it was because the rigor was too great. Nope. The class was "too easy". It seems she was bored. Bored? Are you kidding me? Mind you, this is only my third attempt at the class, but the constant change in pace, resistence, and 80's songs are enough to make me look like an Oompa Loompa by the end. It is exhausting. And just when I start to get comfortable, the insructor has us turn the resistence knob on the bike to make it harder, burn more calories, and build our muscles and stamina. Some people think the Christian life is easy, boring, and uninspiring. Wrong answer. Jesus said, "I have come that they might have life and have it to the full". A life lived for God is never boring, often exhausting, and always purposeful. And just when it gets "comfortable", God often turns up the resistence to make us stronger. I am going to try to class again on Wednesday, but if that woman leaves again, I may have to sit on her just so she doesn't leave disappointed. :) Big wheels keep on turning... Amberly

Will you marry me?

Well, tomorrow marks 20 years of married life for Scott and me.

20 years.  That is crazy sauce.

I am a different person than I was 20 years ago;   I am heavier.  I have more wrinkles.  I snore.

In addition, I know more about myself than I did as a young bride.  And cooking.  And sacrificial love. And forgiveness.  And friendship.  And laughter.

And I understand more about God's faithfulness to me.  When I am too busy.  When I am lonely.  When I have a second serving of pasta.  Or third.  When I sleep in instead of spend time with him.  When I treat another unfairly.  When I say something in anger.  When I spend more money than I should.  When I withhold money that I could give away to one in need.  God is faithful.

Am I thankful for Scott?  You bet your sweet bippies.

Am I thankful for 20 years of wedded existence?  Indeed.

Am I more thankful that we serve a God who loves us more than we love one another?  Bingo

Happy anniversary, my love.  How about 80 more?

Amberly

PURSEonality

I apologize in advance to my male readers :)

Some women are obsessed with designer purses.  Although I appreciate beautiful bags, I only carry purses that could hold the equivalent of a toddler.  I always carry much more than I need (much to the chagrin of my back), but the worst part is the organization of said luggage.

My friend, Kathi Lipp, challenged me and my readers to clean out our purses.  Please read below and show off your PURSEonality.  Have fun and let me know if you win!

National Clean Out Your Purse Day May 15th Posted: 24 Apr 2012 11:36 AM PDT In honor of my new book, THE GET YOURSELF ORGANIZED PROJECT, I want to help you get your life together, and I want to start with your handbag… I’ve always known the truth: the bigger your purse, the smaller your butt looks. But with a large purse come the ability to fill it to the tippy top with a back breaking amount of “stuff”. I knew I had issues when I casually mentioned to Roger, “I wish they had purses with wheels on them.” His reply, “They do. They’re called suitcases – and you have a problem.” I would love for you to have the feeling that wherever you go, you are not weighed down by “stuff”. Here’s my super-speedy way of cleaning out my bag. I simply take my purse and dump it out into a plastic grocery bag. I sort the dump into Put Away, Put Back, and (in this case) Throw Away. Put Away Anything I want to keep that doesn’t belong in my purse gets put away. This is also when I go through receipts I’ve carefully placed in my wallet (or, more likely, the ones I’ve quickly thrown into my purse…) and random notes or other pieces of paper. If you’re away from home while you’re sorting, just put these items into another bag to put away when you get home. And when you get home, put them away in the right spot. Put Back If it belongs in your purse, go ahead and put it back into your purse. Throw Away Anything that’s left over in your plastic grocery bag (food wrappers, cash receipts you don’t care about, and so on,) is now garbage that gets recycled or thrown away. The beauty of the grocery-bag organizing system is that you can do it anywhere, anytime. Just grab a grocery bag and start sorting while you’re waiting for your kids to get out of band practice or while you’re on the phone with your mom. Clean it Up Give your purse a good shake and get out any stray bits, crumbs etc. I’ve even used a hand held vacuum to really get the bag clean. Label It and Put It Away Assign a spot for everything that belongs in your purse, bag, or backpack. I use three zippered pouches. Everything goes into one of those three pouches or into your wallet (or in rare cases, onto your key chain). The fewer items you place in your purse, the easier it is to know what’s in there. Wallet. I recommend you keep in your wallet only cash, receipts, checkbook, and credit, debit, and gift cards. Pouch 1: Makeup bag Lipstick and gloss Eyeliner Powder Sunscreen stick Blush and brush Eyeglass cleaner wipes Hand sanitizer Pouch 2: Emergency kit Fashion tape $20 Needle and thread Nail glue Advil Couple of adhesive bandages Pouch 3: Change Other Things to Keep in Your Bag Sunglasses case Cell phone Keys Keep It Up If I sort through the items in my purse once a week, it really is easy to stay on top of it. It takes only a couple of minutes to keep it up. Do you have to do it exactly like this? No. I just want you to have a clean purse that is functional and doesn’t give you a hernia. So tell me here in the comments that you cleaned out your purse by May 18th (and I’d love to hear what the strangest thing you found in there was!), and here is what you could win:  One winner will receive this beautiful Vera Bradley tote on the left filled with Kathi’s entire collection of books And FIVE winners will receive my FAVORITE tote ever: The “My Husband is a Hottie” bad filled with all of my books! National Clean Out Your Purse Day May 15th

Crickets...

I decided to start blogging to practice my writing and hopefully, bless some people in the process. I have fooled myself into thinking that I might even gain a large following. I clearly need to watch less "Julie and Julia"... If the blog software can be trusted, no one has viewed my last few blogs. I have even failed to get my husband to register as a subscriber. It is a good thing that it doesn't matter to me...YEAH RIGHT! I do care what people think. I do notice when people "like" my Facebook post, give me compliments, and ask my opinion on things. It is a trap, however. Proverbs 29:25 reminds me that "the fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord will be safe." I need to keep my eyes on Jesus, the only ONE who should matter. As I pursue "Joy to Go", I need to keep my priorities straight even if no one is watching...or reading. God's blessings on your week. Amberly

Mrs. Clean?

I hate to clean.  I love the feeling of BEING in a clean space, but the process is less than inspiring to me.  I love walking into my room when it welcomes me with something other than yesterday's socks on the floor.

We had a garage sale this weekend.  It was not only to raise funds, but also to purge our garage a bit and add some organization to it.  I love when the pathway around the stuff in the garage is clear and I can actually FIND the things for which I venture into the garage.

The next few weeks, my plan is to add some organization to other parts of my life as well.   I have lost my Kindle and am determined to locate it, but as I do, I keep finding other areas that need my attention.

The first stage includes switching winter and summer clothes.

The second stage includes selling some stuff on Craigslist.

The third stage is to clean out my purse and car.  On May 15, my plan is to join some friends of mine and do "National Clean Purse Day".   Any of my readers who join me will be entered to win a $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Card.   In addition, all blog readers who do the “National Clean Purse Day” project, and go to Kathi Lipp's blog to post about it by May 15, will be entered to win a Vera Bradley tote filled with Kathi’s books, and 5 more blog followers will be entered to win a “My Husband is a Hottie” tote filled with all five of Kathi’s books. 


Winning would be fun, but it will give you more to clean...sorry. :)


Wanna join me in organizing?


Amberly