Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, that no one should boast."



Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Emotionally drained

I am going through a season in life where being a grown-up is hard stuff. Never before did I think life after college would be so difficult and that the real world is not all sunflowers and smiles.  I am learning that working in the real world is also difficult and that not everyone is going to love you or your personality... which is hard for me since I hate conflict so much.  There have been days in the real world that I have cried because I honestly do not know how I am going to make it through to the next day -- sometimes the tears are good to cry out but other times I am so frustrated that all I know to do is cry.  Loving on little kids is my passion and learning is what my heart desires right now, but sometimes my life passions and pursuits is not where others around me may be and that makes me sad.  I cannot control anyone but myself -- which is hard for wanting to be the peacemaker on most days.  So today, I am tired, sad and just reaching out to God on my tiptoes hoping that I will feel His presence even more when I am out in the real world.  My prayer for the past couple of weeks has been, "God show me what you need the desires of my heart to be and where you need me to be."  I have not gotten a clear answer, but I do know that my passion for loving on kids cannot be smothered.  I need to hold my head high and remember that my worth is not found through anyone but my MAKER.... He is the one that will give me the strength to make it through each day.  Some seasons in life are filled with wilderness moments -- where God needs me to take a journey and humble myself so that I can trust in His divine plan even more.  I am definitely on a wilderness journey and my heart hurts, but I know that God will be with me every step of the way and we will make it through together.

"Lord, help me to feel your presence each day I walk through this wilderness."

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Will this week ever end?

This week has been a long one.  One that quite frankly never seems to end.  One that I wish would come to a close so that I could start over with a fresh week.  The kids have taken it out of me this week.  Just been too much hustle and bustle.  It is all too much! Though, I thank the Lord that today is Hump Day and Friday is almost here and I can wear jeans and not have to worry about ironing clothes for work... PTL!

We have both been busy with work this week and Reagan has been out of town and got in late so that has worn him down too!  To top it all off, it is still warm in San Antonio and the first day of Fall is Friday, so I really need to pray harder for some cooler weather... I am tired of sweating when I walk outside... NOT OK!

Even though we have been busy and hot there is one thing new in my life this week!  I got invited by one of the counselors at my school to be a part of her women's bible study that meets at her house so that I could meet new ladies and fellowship with them.  I feel so blessed to not only be able to work with her daily, but so humbled that she invited me to their group ... I feel great about what God is already showing me through the Bible Study they are doing (it is called One in a million by Priscilla Shirer ... the first week has been fabulous!)  So, this is definitely something new I get to look forward to every Wednesday night and I am super excited... not only for the study but to make new friends!

I hope everyone isn't as tired as I am and have made it successfully to hump day!  Just a couple more days and then the weekend ... WOOHOO!

Have a fabulous evening!  I will update soon on how my first night at the new bible study went!

"Lord, give me endurance to make it through the rest of this week.  Help me to find my strength in you.  Thank you for the love you pour out to me each day. Amen."

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Farmers Fight... Gig 'em Aggies... WHOOP!

This weekend we spent time in the good ole' town of Bryan College Station -- I was raised an Aggie (since my dad is an alum) so always going back to this town brings back childhood memories and all the fun Aggie stuff we went to!

This weekend, we ventured up College Station for a lot of fun festivities!

On Friday night,  we got to watch Reagan's brother, Jon, dunk his Ring!  He is graduating this May from the Business school at A&M, and we could not be more proud of him!!  We love Jon to pieces!  It was so much fun to be a part of the Aggie Ring Dunk Tradition with him and see all his friends and family there that love him oh so much!  All our family came in -- Reagan and Jon's mom came in all the way from Nebraska (she doesn't miss the important stuff in her son's lives for anything), their dad and step-mom and brother came in, my parents and my brother came (Hunter had to work.. BOO!) and Jon's aunts and uncle and cousins came -- it was one big family gathering plus Jon had a bazillion friends come and be a part of the fun.. so it was a blast!  It was great to just celebrate and love on Aggie friends -- they are such sweet people!

Reagan and Jon after Jon Dunked His Ring -- Reagan is one Proud Aggie Brother :)

Jon, Reagan and their Momma celebrating after the Ring Dunk!

So, where did we stay while in College Station.... Well one of my dad's good buddies offered to let us use his huge RV for the weekend!  It was so much fun to stay in there with my family and Reagan and tailgate before the Aggie game on Saturday night.  That RV had everything you could ever need in it... great way to travel!

Saturday, we tailgated and then headed to the Aggie football game that night!  They killed Idaho, so it made for an even better game!  The game was a blast and we had wonderful seats, thanks to my Aggie Alum Dad!  Reagan loved the game, especially the Aggie touchdown tradition (every time the Aggies score the crowd kisses their date!  Reagan got a lot of kisses since the game was such a high scoring one!)  Between all the kisses he got and all the Aggie yells he got to do, he was one happy camper... I greatly enjoyed every minute too.. being at the stadium brought back so many great childhood memories!

Reagan and I at the Aggie Game! We loved all the traditions!! Even considering going to Texas A&M San Antonio for Grad School... we shall see -- WHOOP! :)

This morning, we finished the weekend out with a yummy breakfast (Shipley's donuts -- SO FREAKING GOOD and a childhood favorite!) and then we packed up and headed home!  Now we are all ready to relax a bit and get ready for another week!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend... we sure did!

Jon, thanks for having us it was an absolutely wonderful weekend! Hope to see you soon and love you bunches!!!

As all Aggie's say: "Thanks and Gig 'em!"

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Prayer

The power of prayer amazes me... it leaves me speechless at times that God cares enough about me and loves me enough to listen to my every prayer. Whether I think my prayers are important or not, God always listens -- that is so incredible to me.  This thought alone overwhelms me and leaves me speechless at times, because my God is just this big and great... WOW what a mighty God I serve.

Lately, I have found myself not knowing the answers to a lot of things in life... which frustrates me because at times in life I just want the answers right now-- I am learning this is not how God's timing works -- (ex: how to be the wife my husband needs me to be, what plans God has for my future, etc.)  These things I know I cannot figure out on my own, and quite frankly it stresses me out even more when I think I need to figure these things out on my own.  A dear friend told me the other day, just go to God in prayer... He knows what is best and will let you know the plans for all things on His time.  Such a great reminder I needed.  All I can do now is pray that God opens my heart and shows me even more how to be the wife Reagan needs me to be (there is always room for improvement as a wife... I am learning this) and future plans for my life is something I have to give to God every day.  Giving Him the desires of my heart definitely pleases the Lord, but in the end the thing that pleases Him the most is when I listen to His guidance and follow the plans He has laid before me...so hard to do at times when I don't understand His plans, but definitely what God needs and wants me to do and when I look back on these times of my life it is so incredible for me to see how God used others to work through me and how God used me to fulfill the plans He had for me life -- the result is definitely so fulfilling.  So as I continue to pray that God gives me peace and guidance, I also need to be diving deeper into the Word so that I can hear Him even more clearly.  I know the more I read His Word the more clearer I will hear Him for the direction I am needing in my life... I look forward to all that God is going to show me in the next couple of weeks.

Also, becoming even more intimate with my God is a desire of my heart this year also... learning how to get closer with Him and be more consistent (it is so hard to slip and blame the craziness of life on not having time to spend with God... but this year I am going to keep going even when I mess up, because God does not want me to give up -- all He wants is for me to pursue Him with a humble heart). I am excited to hear from my God and love and look forward to the intimate time I am able to have with Him in prayer... it seriously overwhelms my heart at times.

Thank you to all my sweet prayer warriors who are praying for me right now as I seek God's wisdom for my life... it means so much to me.  Don't know what I would do without my prayer warriors!

"To walk out of God's will is to step into nowhere."  - C.S. Lewis

Thursday, September 1, 2011

September is Here!!

Praise the Lord, September is here!! I could not be more excited!!! Seriously, with today being the 1st day of September that means fall is coming and the HOTT temperatures will finally start to decrease (I am definitely ready to be out of triple digits)!!! Fall is such a wonderful time of year in Texas -- it's not too cold and it's not hot (well let's hope it's not -- this fall better be just like the ones before) the temperature is just right!  I love fall clothes-- I always have... boots, sweaters, long sleeved shirts, jackets!! I have pinned lots of fall clothing ideas on Pinterest and I cannot wait to do a little shopping (Reagan would be glad if I didn't), but I need to add some new fun things to my fall/winter collection! Not only do cute clothes come with fall but everything yummy and pumpkin comes with fall too... Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pumpkin Bread, Pumpkin Pie... YUMMO!  So to say the least, the Farish house is ready for Fall to begin... we are done with all this hot weather!

This week has been busy but good for us... other than going here and there we have had time to just sit and relax with one another which has been super wonderful! Love me some time with my hubby! :)

YAY for tomorrow being Friday and TCU playing Baylor tomorrow night-- cannot wait to watch the game... SO EXCITED that college football has begun!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and a relaxing LOOONG weekend!

This verse was part of my devotional this morning and I am really working on memorizing it because it is so important for me to remember... especially when people hurt my feelings or treat me how I do not think I should be treated... just a great verse to hide in my heart.
John 15:12 -- "My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you."