There's a Song in the Breeze....

Grandpa Oscar and Russell

Last night I got the call that my great grandpa, Oscar Davis, passed away.  He was 87 years old.  I don't know how those that lose family members that don't know Christ as their Savior function in a time like this.  The reassurance that he's in a true Paradise is what gets my family through.  He's with his Savior!  I cry, but they are happy tears.  Can you imagine the reward he is getting for the way he lived his life?!?  It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it!  My favorite memory of him is leading songs on Sundays at church - he didn't sing just to sing - he praised the Lord with every word.  What a blessing to grow up seeing!

I listened to two songs this morning by Mandisa - "Not Guilty" and "You Wouldn't Cry".  Two of my favorite songs, and so reassuring in this time:

Not Guilty
I stand accused.
There’s a list a mile long
Of all my sins,
Of everything that I’ve done wrong.
I’m so ashamed.
There’s nowhere left for me to hide.
This is the day
I must answer for my life.

My fate is in the Judge’s hands,
But then He turns to me and says:

I know you, I love you.
I gave My life to save you.
Love paid the price for mercy.
My verdict, not guilty.

How can it be?
I can’t begin to comprehend
What kind of grace
Would take the place of all my sin?

I stand in awe
Now that I have been set free.
And the tears well up as I look at that cross
‘Cause it should have been me.

My fate was in the nail scarred hands.
He stretched them out for me and said:

I know you, I love you.
I gave my life to save you.
Love paid the price for mercy.
My verdict, not guilty.

I’m falling on my knees to thank You.
With everything I am I’ll praise You.
So grateful for the words I heard You say:

I know you, I love you.
I gave my life to save you.
Love paid the price for mercy.
My verdict, not guilty.


(John 3:16, Romans 3:21-26, Revelation 21:27)
 

You Wouldn't Cry
All you saw was pain.
All you saw was rain.
But you should see me now.
Moments filled with tears
Lasted all those years,
Disappeared somehow.
You never said goodbye.
On your knees you cry.
You’re still asking why, but

Blue has never been bluer.
True has never been truer.
Honey never tasted so sweet,
There’s a song in the breeze,
A million voices in praise!
A rose has never smelled redder,
The sun has never been brighter.
If I could find the right words to say,
If you could look at my face,
If you could just see this place,
You wouldn’t cry for me today.

What you think you see
Isn’t really me.
I’m already home.
You’ve got to lay it down
‘Cause Jesus holds me now.
And I am not alone!
Your faith is wearing thin,
But I am watching Him
And He’s holding you too, and

Blue has never been bluer.
True has never been truer.
Honey never tasted so sweet,
There’s a song in the breeze,
A million voices in praise!
A rose has never smelled redder,
The sun has never been brighter.
If I could find the right words to say,
If you could look at my face,
If you could just see this place,
You wouldn’t cry for me today.


Rest in peace, Grandpa.  I love you!  :)


Well, on a completely different note, I'm still walking and I'm very proud of myself for sticking it out!  This is the first time in my LIFE that I've walked every day, alternating 2 miles/1 mile each day for more than a few days.  I've even RAN a few times!  :O  I'm following Weight Watchers Online and actually following the program just how it says rather than tweaking it to lose weight quicker.  Needless to say, the first week, I only lost 3 pounds.  I weigh in again on Sunday, so we will see!  I definitely feel like I've lost at least 3 more pounds this week, but if not, I know I'm losing inches.  I can just feel it!  I am tracking measurements, but only once a month.  I will post those as well (not that anyone cares, but I feel more accountable if I share with the world!).  ;)

And I'm Feeeelin' Good!

Well, it looks like MORE SNOW!  I'm not complaining or anything, but today sure was pretty!  The sky on the way home was beautiful!  I almost pulled out my phone to take a pic...but I remembered that I had gotten onto Mom this morning for texting while driving (or at least that's what I think she was doing--maybe not!), so I didn't think she'd be too proud of me.  ;)  I know it's not the same as texting, but you still have to look down.  Anyway, I am ready for more beautiful days like today.

So...big news!  I am officially back on my diet.  I gained WAY too much weight after going off of it last year.  To be completely honest with myself, I gained back all but two pounds of the weight I had gained from being pregnant.  :(  Therefore, I am back to it, and back strong.  I am even exercising!  I haven't done that since I was a teenager!  This is day 3.  I will weigh in every Sunday (and I MIGHT share the results...if they are good!).  I am walking 2 miles every other day, 1 mile on the "off" days.  I am so proud of myself and I feel SO GOOD!!!

A big inspiration for this diet was this.  It stated that because of my "morbid obesity," I am at an extremely high risk for heart and lung disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, sleep disorders, gallbladder disease, colon cancer, endometrial cancer, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer.  Talk about a wake-up call!  I want to be here for Russell and Ricky and any other future members of our family for a long time.  Why am I letting food be more important to me than them?!?!  No more.

Speaking of future family members, this is another reason for the diet.  No, I'm not pregnant!  But I AM planning for the future.  Ricky and I have talked, and we both agree that 2012 will be (Lord willing!) the year that Moon Baby #2 is created.  :)  Of course, this is also dependent on his job -- he HAS to have a day job because I can't do it alone!  I also refuse to be huge before I even get pregnant.  I want to be healthy and give the future Moon baby the best chance of being healthy as well.  Hence, this diet.  This LONG diet.  Hopefully, this permanent lifestyle.  I want to be an example to my kid(s).  Ricky has already done this and I am so proud of him!  80 or so pounds lost and he's kept it off.  He's been a huge inspiration to me as well.

Please pray for me, that I am determined enough to keep this going.  I know I can do it.  I just have to be stubborn enough to keep at it when it's hard.  And I've been told by quite a few people that I am plenty stubborn!  ;)

Too Much Free Time!

So FSPS has been out of school for the past two days.  It has been so nice to just kick back and relax in my PJs all day with my hair wild and no makeup on!  Ricky was off yesterday and didn't go in to work today until 4 pm, so since everything was closed or the roads were too icy to travel to, we got to spend true quality family time together.  :)

The weather is stinkin' cold!  Right now it's 17 degrees outside, not including the wind factor.  Yesterday, when it was sleeting outside, Russell saw that the ground was white and thought it was snow.  He said he was going to go outside and touch it.  I agreed, and didn't make him put on his warm stuff (coat, gloves, hat, etc.) because he was just going to run out there and come back in.  I stood at the window and watched him run out there.  Did he run out there and just bend down and touch it?  No!  He ran out in the middle of the yard, did a face dive into the hard sleet, then rolled over and started trying to make a snow angel!  He is one goofy little boy.  When he realized it wasn't working because the ground was too hard (about 3/4 inch of sleet at the time), he got up and ran in.  That boy was FREEZING!!!! 

Random photos from today:

I love this eyebrow thing and to be honest, I'm a little jealous!  I cannot raise one brow without raising the other!  Russell and his daddy share this trait.  :)

I tried and tried to get picture of him and Jessi, but according to him, I don't need a picture of him.  Just Jessi!

Super Special Jessi

Fun times, fun times!  I love my family. 





In other news, today I dug out several old photos from albums back in the day.  Here are a few...

Not sure exactly what year this was, but aren't we cute?  It had to be my 11th or 12th grade year.  It's so true that you don't realize how pretty you were until years have passed by. 

Me and my sweet little bubba. 

Grandma Beverly (my dad's mom) and who I'm guessing is my brother, Ben.  Not sure though!

Granny, Mom, and Uncle Marty

Darla, Mona, Randy, and Dad.  4 siblings!  My dad is the bottom right. 

I love my Daddy!

I just find it a little ironic that I loved FBLA so much in school, and that I am now the sponsor at Kimmons!

Cheesiest.  Photo.  Ever. 

This is probably half of the girls from my graduating class, which is why it is so hard for me to imagine the number of students per grade in the FSPS system!