tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84875389107261721542013-02-27T16:47:28.191-06:00{casa de coats}Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-38067876205409629062013-01-30T11:23:00.003-06:002013-01-30T20:42:08.335-06:002013-01-30T20:42:08.335-06:00He Knows<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>Therefore, he had to be made like his brothers in every respect ... for because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. </em></div>
</blockquote>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>- Hebrews 2:17-18</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em></em> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
There are days where I throw myself a pity party and tell myself that no one understands the things I go through. But how wrong am I to harbor these sinful thoughts.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Jesus, who is perfect and mighty, humbled himself and came to walk the earth as a human. He was like us -- he had a physical body, ten fingers, ten toes. Even though he lived a sinless life, he knows what suffering and pain feels like. He knows that we are tempted <em>daily </em>by the devil. He fully and completely understands.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Jesus was made like us in "every respect." How comforting is that to my soul! He calls us his "brothers" (and sisters). He identifies with us. Not only do I serve a Savior that is ruling the universe by one word (Heb 1:3), I also serve the same Savior that understands our weaknesses, who understands what it is like to live on this sinful earth. </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
He is high and lifted up, but he is also near and personal. What a gift.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<em>Lord, what a gift it is to serve a Savior that knows and understands temptation and suffering. Jesus can identify with me, so much so that He calls me his sister. I thank you for sending Jesus to earth, for it is by him being humbled and suffering on the cross that I get to experience freedom from sin and Your daily grace. Forgive my selfish thoughts, thinking that no one understands. Remind me to cast my burdens at Your feet. You know me better than I know myself....</em></div>
Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-45366645512728419882012-11-09T09:51:00.002-06:002012-11-09T13:41:33.409-06:002012-11-09T13:41:33.409-06:00walkingLately, my days seem to run the same way. <br />
<br />
And while predictability is a good thing, it can also be a beat down. Monday looks like Tuesday, which looks a lot like Wednesday, so on and so forth. And this is the season I am in right now. It won't always be like this, or so I keep telling myself. Ten years from now diapers will be a thing of the past. It is just a season.<br />
<br />
I started reading Spurgeon's daily devotionals again. I had the app downloaded to my phone years ago but stopped reading it. This morning I just decided to open it up and see what Spurgeon had to say. And boy did I need to hear.<br />
<br />
<em>"So walk ye in Him."—Colossians 2:6.</em>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<em>If we have received
Christ Himself in our inmost hearts, our new life will manifest its intimate
acquaintance with Him by a walk of faith in Him. <u>Walking implies
action.</u> Our religion is not to be confined to our closet; we must carry
out into practical effect that which we believe. If a man walks in Christ, then
he so acts as Christ would act; for Christ being in him, his hope, his love, his
joy, his life, he is the reflex of the image of Jesus; and men say of that man,
"He is like his Master; he lives like Jesus Christ." <u>Walking signifies
progress</u>. "So walk ye in Him"; proceed from grace to grace, run forward
until you reach the uttermost degree of knowledge that a man can attain
concerning our Beloved. <u>Walking implies continuance</u>. There must be a
perpetual abiding in Christ. How many Christians think that in the morning and
evening they ought to come into the company of Jesus, and may then give their
hearts to the world all the day: but this is poor living; we should always be
with Him, treading in His steps and doing His will. <u>Walking also implies
habit</u>. When we speak of a man's walk and conversation, we mean his
habits, the constant tenour of his life. Now, if we sometimes enjoy Christ, and
then forget Him; sometimes call Him ours, and anon lose our hold, that is not a
habit; we do not walk in Him. We must keep to Him, cling to Him, never
let Him go, but live and have our being in Him. "As ye have received Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him"; persevere in the same way in which ye have
begun, and, as at the first Christ Jesus was the trust of your faith, the source
of your life, the principle of your action, and the joy of your spirit, so let
Him be the same till life's end; the same when you walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, and enter into the joy and the rest which remain for the
people of God. O Holy Spirit, enable us to obey this heavenly precept.</em></blockquote>
<br />
<br />
<em> </em>No matter the season I am in, I must continue to walk with Christ. Being a mom isn't glamorous all the time. No one knows how many times I change nasty diapers. Or how many times I peek in to make sure Audrey is sleeping okay. Or how time isn't really all of my own anymore. But God sees all of my efforts, and at the same time all of my failures. He sees when I have to stop cooking dinner to comfort my crying baby and then end up forgetting to add an ingredient because my brain is elsewhere. He sees what I do, day in and day out. <br />
<br />
Sometimes, I think that there's no way for me to glorify God during this season. I'm just a mom. I don't work in a corporate building, or run my own business. I so often downplay my role in this family. But that is the work of the Enemy. I can glorify God. I am carrying out His mandate by raising His children. I am sacrificing my time and energy to nurture and care for this precious baby. <br />
<br />
I must continue to walk with Christ, no matter the season I'm in. If I'm not walking forward, I am either stagnant or going backwards -- neither of which I want to be doing. I want my walk to be transformed into my daily life, into every small detail of my day -- every diaper change, and every dinner failure, should all point to God's glory. <br />
<br />
I pray that my walk would not be something I hide in secrecy, but that it permeates into even the smallest part of my everyday life.<br />
<br />Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-73183804464237179372012-11-07T09:53:00.001-06:002012-11-09T09:52:01.439-06:002012-11-09T09:52:01.439-06:00dear audrey: three months<em>Dear Audrey,</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Today, you are three months old. Even as I write this down it doesn't seem to be true. These first three months have gone by so extremely fast. Too fast for my liking.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Well, you have lived through your very first presidential election. The outcome of the election is not what I had hoped for or prayed for, but I trust in God's plan. He will provide and take care of His people regardless of who our president is. We cannot put our hope and trust in a person -- it must always be placed on our Mighty Lord ... remember that, Audrey.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>And while the election didn't pan out how I would liked for it to, what a blessing it is that we live in a country that hold elections peacefully. That is something I take for granted. I pray that God continues to bless America for your sake.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Okay, back to you. Boy, you have got a little dramatic flare that has developed. You are going to be a pill -- I can already tell. You sleep about 9-10 hours a night, which makes me very happy. Sometimes you wake up around 3 or 4 and start talking but usually talk yourself back to sleep.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>And while we are on that subject, I predict you are going to be a talker! I don't know who you would have gotten that from. Both your daddy and I hardly ever say a word. ;)</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Speaking of Daddy, you are definitely a Daddy's girl. When he gets home from work you just start smiling and talking to him. If you are napping and he goes in to give you your paci, you can't hardly keep it in your mouth because of your big grin. But the worst is when he tries to give you a bottle -- there's just no point. You just smile and coo at him ... it's disgusting! (I try to not let it hurt my feelings since I'm the one who is home with you all the time!)</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>You still love bath time and ceiling fans. You like to grab at toys on your activity gym and hold onto your toy rings and put them in your mouth.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>You now don't love tummy time so much. I think it's because you would rather look at things instead of the floor. I keep telling you to roll over if you hate it so much but you ignore me and decide to scream instead -- this my lady, works only under the age of one. Don't even attempt to try this in thirteen years from now.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>We still haven't dropped you off yet in the nursery at church. We are going to attempt to tackle that this weekend!</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Audrey, you are such a good and easy baby. I'm not even sure if I'll ever have a baby that is such a joy to me as you are. Your daddy and I love you so much and are so thankful that the Lord has given you to us. I continue to pray that you will love the Lord with all your heart. And I pray that I would be a mother that shows God's love and grace to you daily, but also His compassion and forgiveness. And as much as I love you, God loves you even more -- always remember that.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Audrey, you are a blessing to my life more than you will ever know. I love being your momma!</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Love you always and forever,</em><br />
<em>Momma</em><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ww6yAY1WPZs/UJqCOBWE6HI/AAAAAAAAAxc/yI7NcoyYDHM/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Ww6yAY1WPZs/UJqCOBWE6HI/AAAAAAAAAxc/yI7NcoyYDHM/s640/IMG_1758.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XlKqsolw6x8/UJqDMtUWHXI/AAAAAAAAAxs/iugUSH8sq54/s1600/IMG_1606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-XlKqsolw6x8/UJqDMtUWHXI/AAAAAAAAAxs/iugUSH8sq54/s640/IMG_1606.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUroJcmtRgw/UJqB-8uck0I/AAAAAAAAAxM/Qvr4o_UXzr0/s1600/IMG_1434.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-YUroJcmtRgw/UJqB-8uck0I/AAAAAAAAAxM/Qvr4o_UXzr0/s640/IMG_1434.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-2222639021436432662012-10-30T15:26:00.001-05:002012-10-30T15:26:33.462-05:002012-10-30T15:26:33.462-05:00love purely<div style="text-align: center;">
<em>"The aim of our charge is love that issues from</em></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<em> a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith."</em></div>
<em></em><br />
I often question my motives - which proves to be a good, sanctifying, and humbling thing to do from time to time. I started reading through 1 Timothy last week and this verse stuck out to me above anything else in the first chapter. Paul tells Timothy (and us) what is most important -- what we are charged to do as Christians -- to <em>love</em>. <br />
<br />
We are called to love not only our neighbor but also our enemy (Matthew 5). And let's be honest, some people are easy to love and on the other hand, some are very difficult to love. <br />
<br />
But regardless, Paul charges us to love -- and we know it is genuine love if it has three key components. First, it has to come from a<em> pure heart</em> - rather than one filled with sinful desires. Secondly, it has to come from a <em>good conscience</em> - rather than one laden with guilt. And finally, it has to come from <em>sincere faith</em> - rather than pretense and hypocrisy. <br />
<br />
I hope I can tuck this little nugget of truth away and remember it whenever I start feeling unappreciated or unloved. Loving people takes effort -- sometimes the most simplest tasks are by far the hardest to do when it gets tough. God sees our efforts, even if no one else does. <br />
<br />
Keep loving purely.<br />
<br />
.........<br />
<br />
<em>For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another. </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>We love because He first loved us.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>{1 John}</em>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-38800265408972264332012-10-22T15:48:00.000-05:002012-10-24T15:21:43.446-05:002012-10-24T15:21:43.446-05:00yes be yes, no be noMy church is doing a study on The Sermon on the Mount and is going in detail through each point that Jesus made. This week it was on divorce and oaths. As I was doing the homework assigned to this section, I read a question that made me stop and think. It asked, "<em>Why is keeping promises and honesty in general so important according to Christ?" </em>When I first read it I skimmed through it and didn't really think about it. But it is more than just an easy question to give an easy Sunday School answer to.<br />
<br />
<em>....But I say to you, Do not take an oath at all, either by heaven ... or by the earth. ... And do not take an oath by your head... Let what you say be simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything more than this comes from evil. - Matthew 5:34-37</em><br />
<em></em><br />
John tells us that Jesus is the "true light" (John 1:9) and that "God is light and in him is no darkness at all" (1 John 1:5). Jesus even refers to himself as the "light of the world" (John 8:12). It is our charge to be more Christlike -- to radiate light. We are to walk in the way that Jesus walked (1 John 2:6). To radiate light means to not live in darkness ... to confess our sins and to speak in truth and love. <br />
<br />
Deceit is darkness. It is the work of the devil. Eve was "deceived" by the serpent (Gen 3:13). Paul tells the people of Corinth to not be surprised by deceitful people because Satan himself disguised himself (2 Corinthians 11:13-14). <br />
<br />
These two ideas are polar opposites. One one end of the spectrum you have light, truth, Christ ... and on the other end you have deceit, evil, Satan. <br />
<br />
Keeping your promises and being an honest person is so important to Christ because it shows where your heart is. If I'm striving to be more Christlike then I should be striving to walk in integrity, to not flake out, to follow through with my plans. If I'm making false promises and agreeing to things only to appease the other party when in all reality I have no plans on following through then I am being a deceitful and crafty person. <br />
<br />
The Bible says in Luke that "out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks." What is pouring from my lips is only a taste of what is going on in my heart. I need to be striving toward the light end of the spectrum and if I am doing so then not only are my words going to be filled with truth, my heart is going to be in a much better place as well.<br />
<br />
So, what am I striving towards? Do I follow through when I say "yes"? Is my prideful heart getting in the way of saying "yes" when I should be saying "no"? Am I a person of integrity and honesty or am I a person of meaningless words?<br />
<br />
And praise God that there is hope in the cross because true perfection in this area will never be accomplished by my own works. There is only One who walked on this earth perfectly and because of His dying work on the cross, I can be forgiven of my <em>daily </em>failures. And while I know I will never grasp perfection, I strive for it (or should strive for it) day in and day out. <br />
<br />
<em>But above all ... let your "yes" be yes and your "no" be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. -- James 5:12</em>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-22821524864778777262012-10-21T10:31:00.001-05:002012-10-24T15:22:10.935-05:002012-10-24T15:22:10.935-05:00reality bitesWell, yesterday was a big day for me. I was away from Little One for three hours and the world didn't come to an end. Shocker, I know. <br />
<br />
Now, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I wasn't checking my phone every thirty minutes to make sure Tyler didn't need me because I'd be lying. And I'm also not going to lie and tell you that I wasn't just a tad bit upset when there wasn't a text message reading "I need your help, ASAP!" or "this kid keeps crying and I don't know what to do." or something along those lines. In some weird way I was hoping that Tyler couldn't get by for three hours without needing me. And I know that dads need one-on-one time with their babies away from the mom ... yada yada yada. But my goodness, I missed that little stinker!!!!<br />
<br />
So it was good for me to have a reality check and realize that yes, other people are capable of taking care of Audrey (and by "other people" I mean her loving father) and no, the world won't come to an end if I'm not around 100% of the time. A good, harsh reality for my little heart.<br />
<br />
Another reality hit me while I was sitting in church yesterday. It is time for Audrey to venture into uncharted territory -- the church nursery. It's amazing how they grow and develop week after week. Two weeks ago, Audrey slept quietly in church and never made a peep. Flash forward fourteen days and this baby is mesmerized by the lights and sounds and wanted to talk the whole time. (And don't worry, I'm not talking about tongues here -- just baby noises! ;) I kept trying to put her paci in her mouth in a last ditch effort to silence the coos but she didn't want anything to do with that and was highly offended that I would even consider the thought.<br />
<br />
So we had to dash out thirty minutes early for the sake of the people sitting around us. Tyler kept telling me that she wasn't being <em>that </em>loud and that I just have "mommy ears" and can pick up on her sounds more acutely ... which is code for "I can ignore it and you can't."<br />
<br />
So just like that I went from not even thinking about leaving Audrey in the nursery to not even considering taking her into church next week. But Tyler's right -- I can't concentrate on the message when Audrey is sitting right in front of me making her adorable little facial expressions ... moms are always on alert and that is why God made moms but that's always why He made dads -- you gotta have balance!<br />
<br />
We shall see if I'm up to the challenge next Sunday. Stay tuned.Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-30252911236951653632012-10-15T18:12:00.000-05:002012-10-24T15:22:10.937-05:002012-10-24T15:22:10.937-05:00dear audrey: fingertip snip<em>October 11, 2012</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Dear Audrey,</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>I thought about not writing this to you. I didn't want you to know about your first injury ... I wanted to keep it all to myself. But I decided I should confess. Here we go ... </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>It was a week ago today. I was about to start packing for our first road trip and decided you needed a little nail trim. A lady must always keep her nails in proper order (please remind me of this from time to time), so I decided we needed to start at a young age. It happened on your middle finger, right hand. I went to snip that darn nail and got your tiny finger instead. Now I've done it before where it just pinches you so I didn't think anything of it (don't judge me until you are a mother yourself) but then I saw that look on your face. You gave one huge pout and I knew what was coming -- the scream.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Your face instantly turned bright red and I tried to get you to stop crying. Then I looked at your finger and saw blood. I started crying, too. So there we were, both upset and crying, in your nursery. I quickly rushed into action and grabbed a towel and applied pressure. It bled and bled and then bled some more. After ten minutes I called Daddy. He told me to call the doctor if it hadn't stopped bleeding in another ten minutes. I told him how I didn't want to call Dr. McDowell because they would think I was a horrible mother and call CPS. He lovingly told me I was being a bit dramatic and to call.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>So I waited and waited and squeezed your finger for another ten minutes but it wouldn't stop. I called the doctor and they told me to wait another twenty minutes and if it still hadn't stopped then to call back. Twenty minutes later, I called back and they told me to come in because Dr. Adam wanted to look at it. </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>I freaked out. Why do I need to come in? Could it possibly be that bad? I didn't even know how I was going to drive you to the doctor without getting blood every where. You had blood on your onesie, on your face, on my shirt. It looked like a war scene -- or that's how I envisioned it. So I wrapped your hand and then stuffed it in a mitten and raced to the doctor's office. </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>And of course I get stopped by the DART train. Which had one passenger on it. Waste of taxpayers money. But I digress.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>I finally managed to get you to the doctor's office and by then you weren't even crying anymore. He looked at it and said you didn't need stitches. Once I heard the word "stitches" I started crying myself. I felt like such a horrible mother. What mother cuts her precious baby's finger so bad that it could possibly need stitches? Only a horrible one.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>I don't know if the ladies at the office were just trying to be nice but they assured me that they had all done the same thing to their babies. Probably all lies but it made me feel a little better.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Dr. McDowell wrapped your finger up and Holly put a pretty, glitter bandaid on it and you never shed another tear -- you already have a love of sparkly things ... oh dear.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>I felt like I needed to tell you this story so that if your finger isn't perfectly rounded at the end you wouldn't ever have to wonder what happened. I am also not ever trimming your nails again. They will just have to be super long. And you'll just have to wear mittens until you can control your arms and not scratch your eyes out.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>If you ever read this, remind me that I owe you a manicure -- and make sure you get the deluxe mani with the parafin wax treatment... you deserve it after what happened. :) </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Maybe someday we can look back and laugh about this day. ..... Or maybe not.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>I love you always and forever -- rounded fingertip or not!</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Love, </em><br />
<em>Momma</em>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-92139137655086641912012-10-10T15:16:00.000-05:002012-10-24T15:22:10.940-05:002012-10-24T15:22:10.940-05:00dear audreyI started keeping a journal to Audrey. Someday I won't be here to tell her how much I love her or to share stories so I figured I needed to start writing them down for her. I thought I'd share a little of what I wrote today....<br />
<br />
<em>Dear Audrey,</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>I am starting this journal for you because someday I won't be here to tell you how much I love you. It may be tomorrow, or seventy years from now when you are a mother yourself. My hope is that this journal shines a light on who you are and how much of a gift you are to me. I have longed and prayed for you for so long. My desire to be a mother has finally come true and I couldn't ask for a better daughter to begin this journey with.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>You are two months and three days old today. My, how time flies. As I am writing this you are asleep -- or should be -- in your crib. You are such a good sleeper and I am very thankful! In these last two months you have started smiling and you smile a lot! You absolutely have the prettiest grin. </em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Audrey, I don't know if you will ever enjoy reading this journal but I want you to know just how much your daddy and I love you. Sometimes I sit and stare at you and wonder what you will be -- the person you will become. I pray that you love the Lord with all your heart. I also pray that God would give me the wisdom and knowledge to be the best mother to you, that I would constantly point you to Christ. </em><br />
<br /><em>Audrey, I know that I will make mistakes and it is a given that I will disappoint you as a mother. But I want you to know that I love you with all my heart and that will never change. Yes, you will make me angry and frustrate me in your teenage years. You'll even roll your eyes at me and we won't always get along but I will </em>always<em> love you.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>It is a true privilege to be your mother. I am so blessed that God has entrusted your precious little life to me. I love you always and forever.</em><br />
<em></em><br />
<em>Love,</em><br />
<em>Momma</em>Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8487538910726172154.post-84430969971486601092012-10-10T15:05:00.000-05:002012-10-24T15:21:43.453-05:002012-10-24T15:21:43.453-05:00anybody home?My, it has been a long time since I sat down to write. I had to stop and evaluate why I blog. My biggest fear is that I would have a blog that accentuates the positives in my life (and most likely blow them out of proportion) and disregards the negatives. I fear that this blog would only show case and highlight the spectacular parts of my life with no humility or honesty. So I stopped writing. <br />
<br />
I looked back a couple of days ago to some of my first posts. This blog has evolved over the years and changed with each season of my life. There are joyous times but also heart breaking times. I needed to write about things I went through not necessarily for your sake, but for mine. And I'm glad I did. <br />
<br />
My hope for this blog would not be to showcase what a great life I live, because it isn't any different than yours. I'm a real person who has crappy days and gets tired and cranky. Life isn't always lollipops and rainbows and I would hate to portray that it is. My hope is that I would write about things in my life that would help you get a sense of who I am and what God is doing in my life. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I hope my family can read this and it makes the four hours down I-35 or two hours down I-20 seem not so far. I hope that this blog has a voice and a passion and a purpose.<br />
<br />
So let me catch you up. (I'm still assuming that someone reads this.) I'm now a mother. Audrey Grace Coats was born on August 7th and we are in love. She is absolutely a joy. Which leads me to my next post....<br />
<br />
Whitneyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07541035708983344209noreply@blogger.com0