mom + dad, you are such an inspiration to us in many ways! here's to many, many, many more years of happiness ahead of you!
we love you!
6.27.2010
happy anniversary, mom + dad!!!
mom + dad, you are such an inspiration to us in many ways! here's to many, many, many more years of happiness ahead of you!
we love you!
6.26.2010
hbd to me!!!
today, june 26th, {well, technically yesterday...since i'm still in china} is my birthday!!! i'm usually REALLY BIG on celebrating birthdays, but since i knew i was going to be in china for work, i didn't really make a big fuss about it. so, i was quite surprised at how my day actually turned out!
although i was away from my family + friends, i still managed to have a pretty awesome day!
- first, i woke up to see another day....{thank you GOD!}
- second, my hubby was the first to wish me a happy birthday both on china time + atlanta time :)
- third, my hotel surprised me with a delicious birthday cake with strawberries + a cute little message {picture above}
- and, fourth, i booked a REALLY awesome, unconventional tour of beijing....and had a BLAST!!! {pics to come in a later post}
i am truly thankful for all of the texts, calls, and facebook "happy birthday" posts i received today...it made being so far away on my birthday a tad bit easier!
6.22.2010
happy graduation, dominique!!!
earlier this month, the hubby + i spent a weekend in san antonio, texas + attended dominique's {our niece} high school graduation. it was great to see her walk across that stage + get her diploma...my heart was absolutely filled with pride!
she's currently attending a summer program at the college she'll be attending in the fall.
our prayers are with her as she begins this new journey in her life!
we love you, dominique! :)
~~~
**note: this blogpost is SEVERELY overdue. i was waiting on a picture that i could post; however, the hubby + i had some technical difficulties with our camera that day + dominique made mention that her pictures from the day were deleted also!!! :( but, in an effort to not be totally "pic-less", i have posted one of my fav pics of me + dominique {circa 1994/1995ish}! eat your heart out!!! LOL!
happy father's day!!! {yeah, i know i'm a tad bit late}
i'm on a flight headed back to china...what a great way to pass the time of this 22hr travel day than to write a blogpost, huh?!...
this past weekend, the hubby + i traveled to slidell, louisiana to attend our mom's {from the stampley side} 50th bday party...a post complete with pics from the party is to come as soon as i get back from china {note: blogger is blocked in china, so i can't upload pics}...
...as you know, sunday was father's day + we started the day by attending church with the fam.
have you ever attended church + felt like the message was just.for.you?!? well, that's EXACTLY how this sermon was...in the words of the pastor, "this [was] not your typical "feel good" father's day message". the message was about generational curses - a subject that the hubby + i have been discussing for quite some time as we continue to lay the foundation for our family. pastor lawrence weathersby of living the word international - www.ltwi.org - talked about fathers being aware of the generational curses that they perpetuate in their families + the consequences of not stopping the cycle. the distinction was made for fathers because it was father's day, but this subject applies to all parents.
the subject of generational curses is a biblical one...and can easily be seen in our daily lives. have you ever been told that you do not so favorable things "just like your mother/father/grandparents/other members of your family, etc."? well, that's a verrrry simple way of describing a generational curse. they are propensities to do a certain thing / act a certain way that are passed down a family from generation to generation...unless at some point they are stopped. we all have them...no family is perfect.
on our ride back to atlanta, the hubby + i listed out our generational curses + have decided to make a conscious effort to pray about them + to change our behavior as it relates to our own "not so favorable" traits. as wonderful of people the hubby + i would love to think that we are - ;) -, there are things that we don't want to pass down to our children + our children's children...we want them to be better than we are...as our parents have wanted for us.
.:::i must also add...after the sermon, my hubby made a great point...the same way that there are generational curses, there are also generational BLESSINGS + they should be cultivated + prayed for also:::.
this past weekend, the hubby + i traveled to slidell, louisiana to attend our mom's {from the stampley side} 50th bday party...a post complete with pics from the party is to come as soon as i get back from china {note: blogger is blocked in china, so i can't upload pics}...
...as you know, sunday was father's day + we started the day by attending church with the fam.
have you ever attended church + felt like the message was just.for.you?!? well, that's EXACTLY how this sermon was...in the words of the pastor, "this [was] not your typical "feel good" father's day message". the message was about generational curses - a subject that the hubby + i have been discussing for quite some time as we continue to lay the foundation for our family. pastor lawrence weathersby of living the word international - www.ltwi.org - talked about fathers being aware of the generational curses that they perpetuate in their families + the consequences of not stopping the cycle. the distinction was made for fathers because it was father's day, but this subject applies to all parents.
the subject of generational curses is a biblical one...and can easily be seen in our daily lives. have you ever been told that you do not so favorable things "just like your mother/father/grandparents/other members of your family, etc."? well, that's a verrrry simple way of describing a generational curse. they are propensities to do a certain thing / act a certain way that are passed down a family from generation to generation...unless at some point they are stopped. we all have them...no family is perfect.
on our ride back to atlanta, the hubby + i listed out our generational curses + have decided to make a conscious effort to pray about them + to change our behavior as it relates to our own "not so favorable" traits. as wonderful of people the hubby + i would love to think that we are - ;) -, there are things that we don't want to pass down to our children + our children's children...we want them to be better than we are...as our parents have wanted for us.
.:::i must also add...after the sermon, my hubby made a great point...the same way that there are generational curses, there are also generational BLESSINGS + they should be cultivated + prayed for also:::.
6.15.2010
i.just.don't.understand.
i'll apologize in advance because i can see that this is going to be an "intense", yet vague blog post - for good reason. i honestly just need a place to "vent"...a lot of times i'm not the best at communicating my feelings verbally, but i have found that writing can be very therapeutic for me. so here it goes...
my family + friends are very important to me.
have you ever been "at odds" with a person + you initially weren't really sure what exactly they were upset at you about? but...in an effort to reconcile the situation, you "put yourself out there" multiple times by initiating conversations to get to the "bottom" of the issue...aaaaaaand every time you talk to the person you leave the conversation thinking, "okay...maybe now we can move on! this could be the start of new beginnings!", buuuuuuut in subsequent interactions you realize the person is still harboring ill-feelings?
well, that's basically where i've found myself over the past year - actually over a year.
my caveat to this is that no one is perfect - no one - so, i do understand that there are things that i probably could have done differently. the basis of the "disagreement" is the fact that i made a decision with someone else that apparently impacted more than just me + the someone else. my issue with this is that my decision was one done out of LOVE, yet i am basically being prosecuted for it. the rest of the "disagreements" stem from the initial one...and it's just been a spiraling, downhill drop from there.
i honestly have gotten to the point where the "why's" of the situation no longer matter to me...i'd rather be able to agree to disagree, if needed, + move on. i really think that it's unhealthy to keep "rehashing" the past + revisiting conversations that have already been "settled"/discussed or to remain upset about something{s} that you're not willing to talk about. i would much rather focus on the future.
is that a selfish thought?!
maybe it is, but i'm somewhat at a loss because i am the only person in this equation that even makes an attempt to address the issues at hand - and i'm not even the one with the issues. i'm the only one that has made any attempts to call/text/visit/etc to discuss the situation. my frustration with everything is increasing as time goes on because i feel like people are looking to me to make things right, but i can't do it alone. i get the "i wish you two would get along/work it out/go back to the way things were" phone calls, but i wonder if the person in question gets the same calls? my husband is always in my ear about praying about the situation {i thank God for him} + forgiving even when my natural mind doesn't want to, but i wonder if anyone is in the other person's ear...
i got my hopes up a few months ago after our last conversation {which i initiated} because they said they wanted to work on rebuilding our relationship, but i've yet to receive any type of communication from the person {with the exception of one voicemail that was to convey information unrelated to the situation}. right or wrong, i told myself i wasn't going to call anymore - i was going to wait until the person reached out to me as the hand that i've repeatedly extended in an effort to reconcile has.grown.weak + it would be nice to know that the person is willing to at least show some effort in rebuilding the relationship.
sooo...what AM i going to do about it?!?
pray! Pray!! PRAY!!!
a facebook friend of mine posted a video about forgiveness a few weeks ago - it is truly my prayer for my relationship with this person as well as others that have been strained as a result.
change my thinking
during one of our church small group meetings at our house, one of our friends put forgiveness in perspective: Jesus died for all of our sins + He doesn't expect us to even "pay Him back". He loves us unconditionally, yet we still as humans continue to fall short. basically...WHO AM I to not forgive someone when Jesus continually forgives me?!? it's definitely a hard concept to grasp with the natural mind, but in my quest to live my life more like Him, it's what i'm striving for....i'll be the first to admit...i'm not there yet, but at least i'm trying...
my family + friends are very important to me.
have you ever been "at odds" with a person + you initially weren't really sure what exactly they were upset at you about? but...in an effort to reconcile the situation, you "put yourself out there" multiple times by initiating conversations to get to the "bottom" of the issue...aaaaaaand every time you talk to the person you leave the conversation thinking, "okay...maybe now we can move on! this could be the start of new beginnings!", buuuuuuut in subsequent interactions you realize the person is still harboring ill-feelings?
well, that's basically where i've found myself over the past year - actually over a year.
my caveat to this is that no one is perfect - no one - so, i do understand that there are things that i probably could have done differently. the basis of the "disagreement" is the fact that i made a decision with someone else that apparently impacted more than just me + the someone else. my issue with this is that my decision was one done out of LOVE, yet i am basically being prosecuted for it. the rest of the "disagreements" stem from the initial one...and it's just been a spiraling, downhill drop from there.
i honestly have gotten to the point where the "why's" of the situation no longer matter to me...i'd rather be able to agree to disagree, if needed, + move on. i really think that it's unhealthy to keep "rehashing" the past + revisiting conversations that have already been "settled"/discussed or to remain upset about something{s} that you're not willing to talk about. i would much rather focus on the future.
is that a selfish thought?!
maybe it is, but i'm somewhat at a loss because i am the only person in this equation that even makes an attempt to address the issues at hand - and i'm not even the one with the issues. i'm the only one that has made any attempts to call/text/visit/etc to discuss the situation. my frustration with everything is increasing as time goes on because i feel like people are looking to me to make things right, but i can't do it alone. i get the "i wish you two would get along/work it out/go back to the way things were" phone calls, but i wonder if the person in question gets the same calls? my husband is always in my ear about praying about the situation {i thank God for him} + forgiving even when my natural mind doesn't want to, but i wonder if anyone is in the other person's ear...
i got my hopes up a few months ago after our last conversation {which i initiated} because they said they wanted to work on rebuilding our relationship, but i've yet to receive any type of communication from the person {with the exception of one voicemail that was to convey information unrelated to the situation}. right or wrong, i told myself i wasn't going to call anymore - i was going to wait until the person reached out to me as the hand that i've repeatedly extended in an effort to reconcile has.grown.weak + it would be nice to know that the person is willing to at least show some effort in rebuilding the relationship.
sooo...what AM i going to do about it?!?
pray! Pray!! PRAY!!!
a facebook friend of mine posted a video about forgiveness a few weeks ago - it is truly my prayer for my relationship with this person as well as others that have been strained as a result.
change my thinking
during one of our church small group meetings at our house, one of our friends put forgiveness in perspective: Jesus died for all of our sins + He doesn't expect us to even "pay Him back". He loves us unconditionally, yet we still as humans continue to fall short. basically...WHO AM I to not forgive someone when Jesus continually forgives me?!? it's definitely a hard concept to grasp with the natural mind, but in my quest to live my life more like Him, it's what i'm striving for....i'll be the first to admit...i'm not there yet, but at least i'm trying...
6.04.2010
a prayer for my husband...
as a christian wife, i truly understand the need of praying for my husband + for my marriage. i recently began searching for a "simple" yet powerful prayers that i could commit to praying on a daily basis + wanted to share one i came across. of course, i could come up with something on my own; however, at times, it's hard for me to find the right words to say. this prayer truly speaks to me because it is about my husband + his needs....NOT MY OWN. so many times we pray for what WE want...for how WE want others to treat us. putting aside that selfishness truly allows us to experience love + marriage the way God intended it to be.
before getting married, my husband + i completed a six month pre-marital counseling course through our church, destiny metropolitan worship church. in one of our sessions, one of our facilitators said..."if you concentrate on your spouse's needs + he/she concentrates on yours...neither one of you have to worry about your own". that is SUCH a true statement. i cannot at all tell you that i'm a perfect example of that principle - i do lose sight of that at times...but it is definitely something that i am working on...for him ;)
i will be adding this prayer to my "repertoire"...
Lord, bless and preserve my cherished husband, whom You have given me: Let his life be long and blessed, comfortable and holy; let me forever be a blessing and a comfort to him, a sharer in all his sorrows, a consolation in all the trials of life; make me forever lovable in his eyes and forever dear to him; unite his heart to mine in fondest love and holiness, and mine to his in all sweetness, charity, and submission. Keep me from all ungentleness and pridefulness; make me humble and obedient, that we may delight in each other according to Your blessed word. May both of us rejoice in You, having our portion in the love and service of God forever.
Amen.
*adapted from www.faithandfamilylive.com
before getting married, my husband + i completed a six month pre-marital counseling course through our church, destiny metropolitan worship church. in one of our sessions, one of our facilitators said..."if you concentrate on your spouse's needs + he/she concentrates on yours...neither one of you have to worry about your own". that is SUCH a true statement. i cannot at all tell you that i'm a perfect example of that principle - i do lose sight of that at times...but it is definitely something that i am working on...for him ;)
i will be adding this prayer to my "repertoire"...
Lord, bless and preserve my cherished husband, whom You have given me: Let his life be long and blessed, comfortable and holy; let me forever be a blessing and a comfort to him, a sharer in all his sorrows, a consolation in all the trials of life; make me forever lovable in his eyes and forever dear to him; unite his heart to mine in fondest love and holiness, and mine to his in all sweetness, charity, and submission. Keep me from all ungentleness and pridefulness; make me humble and obedient, that we may delight in each other according to Your blessed word. May both of us rejoice in You, having our portion in the love and service of God forever.
Amen.
*adapted from www.faithandfamilylive.com
6.02.2010
congratulations, mr. + mrs. wechsler!!!
the hubby + i just got back from our memorial day weekend getaway to punta cana, dominican republic to share in the BEAUTIFUL wedding of our friends, hannah + bob. the wedding was ABSOLUTELY amazing!!! we had a BLAST! we met a lot of really great people from both sides of their families/friends + in proper facebook fashion have all "friended" each other on facebook - GOTTA LOVE IT!
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