Things I'm learning

God has taught me so much over the past few months, but especially over the past few weeks! As I prepared for the retreat and all through the weekend God spoke to me through music, His Word, and other Christian ladies.

One of my friends wrote about her experience at the retreat and it inspired me to get on my blog and share some things going on in my life. Check her out at The Four of Us.

I love worship music and we had some wonderful worship music at the retreat. Some of my favorites played were: Our God, Jesus Messiah, How Great is Our God, and How Great Thou Art. In Our God it says, And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us and if our God is with us, than what could stand against?? That is some good stuff!!

We always have great speakers that God uses to share exactly what we need to hear, but this year, He could have tapped me on the back and said, "Jackie, this one is for you!" Our opening speaker was wonderful (as they all were) and shared with us our the importance of self worth and who we are in Christ. Emphasis on IN CHRIST! As women, we are so busy, and have so many things going on and we think we have to be great at all of them. I know I do!! I expect a lot out of myself and I get discouraged when one area is not going as well as I would like! I feel like I'm letting some one down if all areas of my life aren't going well. I feel like I've got to be everything to everybody: the best wife, mom of the year, the best sister, the best friend, the best small group leader, etc. It is overwhelming! God reminded me that I don't have to do all this! Lean on Him. And as he reminded me through several family members throughout the week and again at the retreat: God is enough! It's not all up to me! He is ENOUGH!

So what does God is Enough look like to me in my life? It means, when I'm stressed out as a mom and feeling the pressure, slow down, pray, seek God's wisdom. When our schedule is crazy and I don't feel like I'm being the best wife, again, slow down, pray, and seek God's wisdom. When comments hurt, when people lose touch, when relationships change, I remember these things don't define me. God defines me. When work is stressful, remember my priorities. When I can't fit everything in, I remember it's ok. I don't have to be everything to everybody!

What a freeing truth! Of course I still struggle with pleasing people and pray often throughout the day. Most of the prayers are simple prayers for God to just help me through a situation or help me with an emotion I'm struggling with.

I'm so thankful for all that He is teaching me and how He is growing me!

I hope you will take the time to find your true self in Christ, not in what others define you as, but what God created you to be.

Disneyworld

We had such a great time at Disneyworld! It's one of those places that I know it will be fun, but when we get there, it is even better than I imagine. This is the first time I have been to Disney and not been completely worn out when we got home. We went to the parks first thing in the morning to beat the crowd and would stay until after lunch and then go take a nap before returning for the evening. Since it was spring break, it was really crowded midday so it worked out nicely to leave for a while. My family is definitely crazy Disney fans so we don't want to miss anything. We have to do everything as many times as possible! Although I am forty years old, I become a kid again when I get to Disneyworld. I love Main Street USA at the Magic Kingdom, Cinderella's Castle, and seeing all the characters. I can't help but smile when Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy walk by. I guess I have so many great memories at Disney that I can't help but smile!

Some of our family favorites are: Splash Mountain at Magic Kingdom, Expedition Everest at Animal Kingdom, and Rockin' Rollercoaster, Tower of Terror, and Toy Story Mania at Hollywood Studios. We rode these rides as many times as we could while we were there. We walked around the World Showcase at Epcot and enjoyed it, but Keith and I would like to spend more time at each country some time. We didn't want to bore the kids, they were good sports!

Fantasmic is a great night show at Hollywood and Illuminations at Epcot is wonderful. The firework show at the castle can't be beat. They had a special show at the castle that goes with their "Memories" theme this year and it is indescribable. That show definitely is on my list of favorite things to see in this lifetime!!

We were there at the same time some of our friends were there too so we hung out with them at different times throughout the week. That was just an added bonus! We took tons of pics, but here are just a few.



Breakfast at Tusker House at the Animal Kingdom. It was a delicious buffet!


The Garden Festival was going on at Epcot and the flowers were gorgeous! Each character topiary was unbelievable!


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We love Chef Mickey!

Ladies Retreat 2011

Amazing. Powerful. Life changing. Renewing. Blessing. Fun. Those are just a few of the words that come to me when I think about the retreat. I always enjoy the retreat and look forward to it each year, but this one really stands out! God blew me away again!

This was our 14th year to have the retreat and my third year to lead it. As the leader, I see the retreat through new eyes. God always shows himself to me, but the way He orchestrates everything for the retreat amazes me! He sends wonderful helpers to prepare and run the retreat. He sends speakers with the perfect messages for the ladies in attendance. He sends wonderful musicians to share their gifts through song. Although, I get somewhat anxious right before the retreat, God reminds me He is in control and He works it out perfectly for His glory.

I love to hear the ladies tell the stories of how God touched their lives and how He used the speakers to speak directly to people in the audience. It warms my heart!

I am so blessed to attend this retreat with my sisters, nieces, mother in law, and wonderful friends. That is just an added bonus to this retreat!! We always have such a special weekend full of laughter, crying, great discussions, and more laughing!

The ladies in attendance are such a blessing to me! Their kind words, encouragement, support, and love mean more to me than I can really express. They bless me and I am so honored to be a part of such amazing women.

God has taught me so much over the past few months. I'll share more soon!

Here are just a few pictures from the weekend!

Thankful Thursday

Well, it's Thursday and I couldn't let it pass without saying a few things I am especially thankful for this week.

I am so thankful for a wonderful trip to Disneyworld. It really was such a great time with my little family. The weather was wonderful and we had a so much fun! One moment that will stick with me forever is when all 4 of us were racing to Rocking Rollercoaster at the same time, dodging through the crowd, laughing and squealing about beating each other there and getting on the ride. As silly as it sounds to some, God reminded me in that moment how blessed I am!! It was such a treat to be at a place that I love and my family loves it just as much! We laughed so much and walked so much, but it is a trip that has left me with a ton of memories!





Secondly, I am extremely thankful for all the ladies who help prepare for our upcoming retreat. I could not do it without them!

Well, I'm exhausted. I'll share more of the retreat and Disneyworld next week.

Upcoming Ladies Retreat

Our 14th annual Ladies Retreat is coming up in two more days!! I am so excited! I am blessed with the opportunity of leading the retreat and it is so rewarding! I love the retreat for so many reasons, but the main one is to get away with my family and friends and grow closer to God and each other. Here are a few pictures from last year:






These are some of my favorite people that I get to spend time with while we are at the retreat! There are so many others attending this year as well that I really look forward to spending time with.

I am praying for God to move in an amazing way. I'm praying for lives to be changed and all of us to return home with a commitment to LIVE OUT LOUD for Christ. I'm praying that those who don't know Jesus Christ will come to know him this weekend! I know it is going to be the best retreat yet!!

Marriage Monday-Date Nights

As I think about our marriage and things that we do to improve it, this is one subject that comes to mind. Date nights. I love to go on date nights or date days. It is always something to look forward to. Years ago I heard a pastor talking and he said something that has stuck with me through the years. He said so many marriages fall apart when the kids are grown and move out because the husband and wife don't know each other anymore. The put so much into the kids, but not into their marriage. They look at each other and think, who are you? I remember hearing that and specifically thinking, "I never want that to be us!!" So, Keith and I have committed to taking time out for just the two of us. I would love to say that we make this weekly, but that just doesn't always work out. We do try to at least have a date night twice a month. We are blessed to have family around here for our children to stay with and now that they are older, it has gotten even easier. Our dates nights range from nice restaurants to movies or cheap eats at a place we love. The main thing is it is time with just the two of us and no interruptions. We take turns planning our evenings out and some times we plan it together. The place or activity we choose also depends on how much money we want to spend and how much time we have to go out. Here are some of our favorites:

Dinner at a favorite restaurant
Winery or wine bar
Our favorite ice cream shop
Sports event/with all the fattening food

Years ago we made a list of dates we would each like to go on. They range from expensive to free. (got this idea from a book I read years ago!) I still have it in one of my notebooks that I refer to for ideas.

For those times when we aren't able to get away, we find time at the end of the night when we've told the kids goodnight and gotten them off to bed. We drink a glass of wine and just spend time talking or watching a movie. Just something easy, but non interrupted and not distracted by the things in life.

I encourage you to make time for date nights. Remember it can be simple! Even if it is once a month. Make a plan and follow through on it. Don't make excuses. It does make for a stronger marriage. I know it is something we enjoy and look forward to.

Weekend Getaway

My husband just finished a turnaround a few weeks ago, which means he worked A LOT!! He has been on nights so I would catch a glimpse of him in the mornings or maybe 45 minutes before he left for work. Needless to say, it was a long 6 weeks! We survived though and decided to have a weekend getaway to celebrate it being over and enjoy time just the two of us! I missed him!! I'm thankful he doesn't have to do this often.

We love going to the hill country so I found a Bed and Breakfast that looked wonderful online. It was perfect and turned out exactly as I hoped. I'm one of these that has high expectations of things and can be somewhat disappointed when things don't turn out "just right." Well, no disappointment here. It was a perfect weekend! If you are ever looking for a nice getaway in the hill country, check out The Inn Above Onion Creek It is fantastic. The suite we stayed in was wonderful and the food was delicious. They not only had a hot meal each morning for breakfast, they also had a three course meal for dinner. This worked out great because we didn't have to go search for a great place for dinner in the evenings, but could relax and stay around the inn. We also visited a few of the wineries in the area and enjoyed lots of great wine throughout our stay. One of the best things was the couple's massage. It was so nice and relaxing. Every time I get a massage, I always say I should have one more often. I forget how great they are! Maybe this time I will follow through.

We had a great time just relaxing and hanging out together with no rushed schedule. Although we work hard at making time for just the two of us, some times we forget what that is like because of the busyness of life. I must say it is nice knowing that after so many years together, we still love hanging out together and having fun. So this is one weekend I won't soon forget.

If you looking for a great place to go, you should check it out!