The Love Dare

Ok so I posted last time about this book I found called the Love Dare Inspired by the movie Fireproof. For those who don't know what that is it's a Christian movie that Dale and I love. Anyway these two authors decided to turn it into a real book and I found it the other day. I loved what I saw of the book so I bought it and we have taken the dare to make our marriage better and live better. Not that we are having issues or anything but who couldn't use just a little help in how to truly love on another right. Anyway I am going to be blogging about this challenge everyday and in the process I am sending out this challenge to all my readers to try it yourselves. It can only help right. So this is how it will work. I will post that days page and you do the work. If you have questions leave me a note and I will answer them. In this book there are 365 daily devotional reading on unique aspects of genuine love, 52 weekly dares to help you express love in your marriage, dozens of specific prayers to pray for yourself and your spouse, questions to get you thinking strategically about your relationship, and more than 100 Go Deeper sections that enhance personal bible study. Understand that this is coming strait from the book. I don't claim to be the one who came up with it. I love what I am reading and just want to share it with all of you. So here we go.

Day 1

Love is the greatest of these

If I have all faith, so that I can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing

1st Corinthians 13:2

Loving god and others is what life is really about. No matter who you are or what you do, it comes down to whether you'll live a life of love or not. And there is a vast difference between the two. One is priceless....and one is meaningless.

Love is the most important ingredient to any meaningful relationship. It is fundamental to true significance. Your quality of life is directly tied to the amount of love flowing in you and through you to others. Though it's often overlooked, love is infinitely more valuable than riches, fame or honor. They will pass away but love remains. You can be fulfilled without these, but not without love.

The absence e of love leaves a devastation void, When it is not present, your spirituality becomes superficial, your benevolent deeds self-centered, and your sacrifices insincere. In any relationship where love is not your motivation, you can expect it to feel bland and unfulfilling- if not meaningless. When asked to identify life's greatest command, Jesus summed it up this way: to love God with all you are and to love your neighbor as yourself. Will you embrace a life of love?

This weeks Dare

begin praying this week: " Lord, teach what real love is and make me a loving person."

I hope that you all take this dare even if you are not married and truly apply it to your life. You will only be enriched by the whole thing.

Blog at you later.

What a great day

Wow what a great day. I got up this morning with such enthusiasm that I almost scared myself. He he. I got dressed and threw a load of cloths in the wash then headed out with my husband to run some errands. We went out to lunch and had a great conversation. It was so nice to reconnect with him again. It seems like it has been forever since we have really connected in that way. I guess it really helps keep us in balance when we can do that. I think I truly have a full understanding now why married couples should still date each other. I love my husband so much. After we ate lunch we went to the book store and I got the Love Dare book. It is from the movie fireproof. For those who have never seen it or heard of it, it is a dare that a couple takes to improve their love for each other. It happens over a one year period and you do it together. I can't wait to start it. Not that my marriage is in trouble but be truthful who couldn't use some help in that department right. Anyway we are going to start it tomorrow so I will keep updated on how it is going. I will post the dare each day so those who can't or don't want to go get the book can still do the challenge with your spouse. I promise it will make a big difference in your relationship with your spouse. Anyway after the bookstore I had to stop by wal-mart to pick up the last minute things the kids needed for school then headed home to wait for them. After they got home we went to Target so Dominic could use his gift card he got from his grandparents and then went to go see a movie. Well truthfully two movies. DJ and Dale went and saw The Expendables which is a total guy flick full of testosterone and Elyssa and I went and saw Eat Pray Love. A great movie by the way. I wont spoil it for those who have not seen it but want to. Lets just say I didn't truly understand the title until I saw the movie fully. Now I get it. I loved it so much. Not sure that Elyssa truly liked it or understood it but she sat through it with me. It was nice to really bond with her again. Just her and I. Now I want to see it with all my girlfriends. I know they will truly understand it and get its meaning. Anyway we are home now and I am tired so I am going to hit the hay for the night.

Blog at you later.

Scrapbooking/ realizing my true self

Ok so I got up nice and early this morning and did a little tidying up in the living room and kitchen. Funny how you can spend all this time getting everything the way you love it only to have two children come home from school and completely destroy it in 10 mins. Got to love those kids. Anyway after I did that I got ready and headed over to Diana's for our weekly get together for chatting and Scrapbooking. We always have such a great time together. Elaine brought this beautiful two page layout for us to work on and the first thing I said was " Wow that would be perfect for pictures of my grandmother." Oops I think that came out wrong. I wasn't trying to say it looked old but somehow it just reminded me of my grandmother. I said I was sorry but she knew what I meant. Anyway we usually get together from about 9 till 12 but we ran over by about an hour and a half. It was just to much fun. Afterwards I came home and did some more cleaning. I almost have my room done. Just need to do the laundry and then it will be perfect. Not that it will stay that way but one can hope right.

Anyway I really need to get back to the gym but I just can't bring myself to do it when my house isn't finished. I will most definitely get back on Monday. Not that anyone really misses me there but I need to do it for myself. I have come to the conclusion that if I just learn to love myself the way I am and do my best then I will start to really become who I want to be. So in that I have chosen to continue to work out with the same vigor that I had before and eat the same things I always have and love the way I look and everything will balance itself out. Well that is enough insight for one night so I will leave you for now but........

Blog at you later.

Back in the swing of things

Ok so this week has been a crazy week. It started out crappy and then got better. The girls left to go live with Tj until my mother moves down here and in the process I got my feeling hurt because I basically felt slapped in the face over the whole situation. Anyway I got over it and went about my life. Tuesday I cleaned my house and decided it was really time to CLEAN my house. So I went about the task of organizing everything. I got the front of my house done other than the dinning room because the bunk beds are sitting there waiting for the truck to come and pick them up on Monday. I didn't finish until about 11:45 at night but I feel much better now that it is done.

As for today I did the kids rooms and my laundry room. Wow its amazing what you find when you clean out your laundry room. I found a bunch of cloths I thought were lost but were just hidden in all the mess. I have not gotten to my bedroom yet but I think I will tackle that one tomorrow after I go to my scrapbooking get together. Well I am pooped so I am going to bed now.

Blog at you later.

Random Dozen

The return of the Random Dozen has arrived. I have been waiting a long time for this. I am so happy it is finally back. Well read on and see if you learn anything new about me. The copy and paste and let me learn something new about you. Enjoy.


1. When was the last time you laughed until you cried?
That would have to be about a week ago with my sisters

2. If you found $10 today, what would you do with it?
Not much. $10 doesn't buy you much but I would probably buy lunch for me and my husband at the store and have a nice picnic in the shade of a big tree.

3. Do you volunteer anywhere?
Yes mostly at my kids schools. lol

4. What is your favorite summertime veggie or fruit, and how do you eat it?
Oh easy one. Watermelon and I love it sliced and with salt.

5. Is your social sphere (circle of friends) small, medium or large?
I would have to say medium to large. Depending on the day. Lol

6. When was the last time you attended a family or school reunion? How did that go?
The last family reunion I attended was not a happy occasion. It was the death of my step dad. As far as School reunions go I missed my 10 year but am planning to go to the twenty year.

7. When you're feeling blue, what is the best way someone can cheer you up?
By just being there and listening to me.

8. Have you taken a vacation this summer?
Nope not this year was to busy taking care my my two little sisters who just lost their father.
Unless you count Girls Camp in which I couldn't even finish the whole week.

9. What is the most unnecessary item you carry with you all the time?
I don't think I carry anything unnecessary. I don't carry much at all but if I had to pick I guess it would have to be nail clippers.

10. What is the best summer flick you have seen so far?
Duhhh The Twilight Saga, Eclipse.

11. Describe a perfect summer day.
A day with my whole family and no drama. Temperature at about 75.

12. Please a share a favorite photo from the summer so far!
Well considering I didn't do much this summer I really don't have any photo's to share this time.

Well that's all for now......Blog at you later.

Fried and Skate park

Ok so yesterday was a busy busy day. It was something like 110 degrees outside so we decided to spend the day in the pool. We went out at 10 and left at 2:30. Lets just say I fried myself. I even used SPF 50 and reapplied twice and still fried. Leave it to mean to be the once person sunblock doesn't work on. Ha ha. Anyway Ryan and her gang came over and swam with us for the day. We had to leave early cause it started to storm and I had no plans of being fried in a different way. Anyway once we were home I cleaned up the house and then headed over to Michelle's house with Cheyenne to fax some paperwork off and got to finally visit with my buddy who I have not seen or talked to for about a month. It was so nice. Cheyenne and Kelsey seemed to really get along. Which is great because they are only a year apart. We left there at about 10:30 and got home at 11:15. I hit the bed and was out like a light. Although I did toss and turn all night because of my sunburn. Ha ha.

Ok so now for today. After all the running around I have been doing for the past week to get the girls enrolled in school I finally got the last of it done. Both the girls were missing shots off of their records and couldn't get them transferred until they got them, so today I tried to get them into see my kids pediatrician but couldn't get an appointment until the 25th so I took them to the health department and they both got the shots they needed. Now all I need is for mom to fax the power of attorney to the school so that I can get them all enrolled. After that Dale had a few things to take care of and then Ryan's gang and us headed home to get Dj and Elyssa. Then we all headed to the skate park so Dj and Shannon and Hunter could skate. We didn't stay long because it was so hot so we left and got our things together and went to the Y to go swimming. Now we are home and making dinner then Ryan and her kids are coming over for movie night at my house. Oh ya I almost forgot while we were at the Y Ava kept begging Ryan to take the swim test and both of us thought she wouldn't be able to swim that far doing the overhand stroke but she proved us wrong and did it on her first try. I am so proud of her. I can't believe how big she is getting. First kindergarten and now passing the swim test. Well I have to go for now.

Blog at you later.

Been so busy

Ok so I have been totally busy trying to get everything ready for school to start that I have not had anytime to blog lately. I hate when I cant blog. I feel like I am missing a part of my day. Anyway I finally have everything all settled in with the girls and they seem to really like it here. Other than the fact that Dj and Cheyenne are always at each other fighting about one thing or another. Its great. I think its the fact that they are both strong willed and hard headed plus the fact that they are both in the stage of their lives where everything is haywire all the time. I love them both but I think I might strangle them if they don't knock it off soon. I cant wait until school starts. They will be way to tired at the end of the day to fight with each other. Yeahhhhhh school. Plus all the kids are saying they are bored like every five minutes. Anyway I will blog more later. I am way to tired considering the fact that I have not been sleeping well lately. Ok well.

Blog at you later.