Forgiveness

A little less than a year ago, my church held their annual revival. But before the revival began the Lord gave my Pastor a message about having your heart prepared for revival and if there is bitterness in your heart you can not be properly prepared! I felt that this message was just for me and it was! God always knows what we need and when we need it... we just need to listen to that still small voice, although in my case it wasn't a small voice; it was loud and clear voice. "Jessica I forgave you, You can forgive her!" I heard that over and over!
It began 3 years prior when I was deeply hurt and wounded by someone I loved very much! Someone that I thought could never ever hurt me, but she did! I let bitterness build and build inside me for 3 years too long and it was time to do the right thing! As soon as I left that service I called her and asked her to forgive me for being mad for so long. And the following poem was something that was from my heart, because at the time I did not know how to express what I was going through or feeling. So I am not a writer nor a poet but I had to somehow find the words to express this trial in my life because it had such a great impact on me!

I am ashamed to say
That I have been harboring bitterness deep inside me,
And it just would not let my conscience be.
Because I know that it’s not the Christian way!

I felt wronged and betrayed
By someone I held so near and dear,
But losing her would be my biggest fear.
So knowing what I must do, let not my conscience be swayed.

I must follow Christ’s example.
He was wronged and betrayed more than I, but He still forgave.
He that had no sin, died for us to save.
I must forgive her as well, so that I can be found faithful.

I can not see the future as God can.
Because when this trial first came into my life
All I could see was heart ache and strife,
But now I realize I must follow God’s plan!

God is the Author of my story.
And although I long for the bond we once had,
If I follow Christ’s example it can not be bad,
And to God be the Glory!

Let all bitterness , and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Ephesians 4:31,32

As a child I recited this verse probably a thousand times, but as an adult I fully understand its importance in fullness and appreciate it so much more!

Newlywed Game

Newlywed Game
My sister-in-law posted this on her blog and I thought it would be fun to try with Patrick! He did good I was impressed but some answers were pretty funny!

1. She’s sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
Patrick: Sex and the City
Me: Sex and the City since E! is showing all the old ones that I never saw.

2. You’re out to eat, what kind of dressing does she get on her salad?
Patrick: Balsalmic Vinegarette
Me: Balsalmic Vinegarette

3. What’s one food she doesn’t like?
Patrick: Mushrooms
Me: Mushrooms! Gross!

4. You go out to eat, what drink does she order?
Patrick: Water with lemon
Me: Even even answered with lemon, exactly how I order it, word for word! HAHA!

5. What shoe size does she have?
Patrick: 7.5
Me: 7.5, He has bought me shoes, so I know he knew this!

6. What’s her favorite type of sandwich?
Patrick: Honey Ham with Mircle Whip on a Hawaiin sweet roll
Me: I love this sandwich and eat it a lot! Obviously! But I would also say Philly cheesesteak!

7. What would she eat everyday if she could?
Patrick: Same as answer above, See #6
Me: Yes I could eat this everyday and not get tired of it!

8. What is her favorite cereal?
Patrick: Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Me: Sorry babe, I love those but my favorite is Me Lucky Charms!

9. What would she never wear?
Patrick: Thong Bikini
Me: Bikini, but if I wouldn't wear a bikini there is no way I would wear a THONG bikini! Yikes! HAHAHA I give it to him I would NEVER!

10. What is her favorite sports team?
Patrick: Jacksonville Jaguars
Me: I love my Jaguars! One day they will be in the Super Bowl!

11. What is something she does that you wish she wouldn’t do?
Patrick: Not doing dishes
Me: He is right I hate that I get behind some days but he really had a hard time even thinking of that so I have been doing better!

12. What is her heritage?
Patrick: English/ Irish
Me: True, I have been doing more research on this a lot lately!

13. You bake her a cake, what kind of cake?
Patrick: Red Velvet
Me: Vanilla with Vanilla icing! Yum! This was his second choice.

14. Did she play sports in high school?
Patrick: Basketball
Me: Haha! He said this because he remembered I got pushed on my butt by Melissa, but that was just PE. I only actually played softball, because he doesn't consider cheerleading a sport!

15. What could she spend hours doing?
Patrick: Shoe Shopping
Me: He knows me so well!

16. What is the unique talent that she has?
Patrick: No gag reflex
Me: Umm I dunno...

17. What is her type of coffee?
Patrick: The kind without coffee
Me: I love his answer... so funny and he is right that is the best kind! HAHA

Copy & paste this & fill in your own answers with your hubby!

Perfect or Imperfect?

Most mornings my husband, Patrick, and I wake up about the same time every morning although there are some times where he gets up early and leaves before I even get out of bed, but he always tells me goodbye and kisses me before he leaves!

This morning was one of those mornings where he kissed me goodbye before I got out of bed and Sophia woke up as he was going downstairs so we went downstairs to wave bye-bye to daddy! A little later, as Sophia was eating breakfast and I was cleaning the bathroom, I happened to glance in the mirror, and thought, "Wow, I let Patrick kiss me good-bye looking like this!" Which made me wonder how many women get up before their husbands to look perfect for him, or do you let him see your imperfections???

Quick Crab Stew

This recipe is from Paula Deen, but it doesn't use a lot of butter and I used Heart Healthy soups from Campbell's so it really isn't that bad. I didn't use the sherry we don't like it, so it is good without it!



Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of potato soup
1 (10 3/4-ounce) can condensed cream of celery soup
1 soup can milk
1 soup can half-and-half
1 pound claw crabmeat, picked free of any broken shells
1/4 cup dry sherry
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
In a large saucepan, melt the butter and saute the onion until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the soups, milk, and half-and-half. Add the crabmeat and bring just to a boil. Add the sherry and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve immediately. Or allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate or freeze immediately in plastic microwavable reusable containers with lids.

Top Ten Moments of 2010!

I originally saw this as a Christmas card idea, but didn't have the time, but I thought it was a good idea to share my 'Top Ten Moments of 2010' so here they are...

1. Sophia's 1st Birthday- It was amazing how fast that year went by, but I enjoyed every minute!

2. Hearing Sophia utter the words, "Mama"- It brought tears to my eyes!

3. Watching my baby girl develop into a beautiful and very active toddler- I love watching her learn new things, from learning how to roll over, then crawl, to walking and now running!

4. My six year Wedding Anniversary with Patrick- We spent our anniversary in Savannah and it was special because it was our first night away from Sophia since bringing her home from the hospital!

5. Being Matron of Honor in my "sister's" wedding- I was so honored when Brooke asked me to be apart of her special day! She has always been there for me so I am glad I could be there for her!

6. Being an Aunt for the first time- I was very happy for my sister-in-law and her husband when they had their baby this year, she was worth the wait!

7. Completing my 1st 5K run- I say first because I would love to keep doing 5k runs. I would have love to have completed under 40 mins but it was my first and I will improve it over time!

8. Having Thanksgiving in our house for the 1st time and having all the family over- It was a little intimidating planning a meal for 11 people but all in all it went well!

9. Going to NYC for my 27th Birthday- I love NYC and it was an amazing surprise getaway and we had a great time together!

10. Eating at Daniel- It was the most amazing food that I have EVER ate! It was an experience eating there! It has changed the way I feel about food! Quality is much better than quantity!

Simple mistake!

I was at the store yesterday and in a rush, while rushing through the store I grabbed pudding for a dessert I was making and grabbed 'cook and serve' pudding instead of 'instant'! I thought, "Oh well, I can still use it; it will just take a little longer." Well, I cooked the pudding and continued with the recipe, but it did not turn out the same!Let's just say that I had to throw the whole dessert out! I have made this dessert a dozen times and love it, but it is funny that by buying what you think is basically the same thing can change the recipe so much. I don't think I will EVER make that mistake again! I think I should have made time to read the box a little more carefully! haha

Making time for health and running!

I have had enough of extra weight, and the sad thing is I can't blame it on pregnancy because after Sophia was born I weighed less than before I was pregnant! So I have decided to make time to be healthy, so that I can be a positive example for Sophia and I'm sure Patrick won't mind either! ;) Instead of waiting until the New Year to be healthy, like most people, I am doing it now.
I started Wednesday really focusing on running and found a race that will be my first 5K race and that is my goal right now! So I have a little more than a month to be ready. I know that is quick but this first race is just to complete it, not about how quick I finish! I am happy to report though that I did shave 3 whole minutes off my mile today! I was pretty excited about that. Also realized that I need better shoes because the tips of my toes were rubbing the inside of my shoe and they felt tingly! Well, marking my calendar for Dec. 18th for my first 5K! It is fuuny cool that this is my first because I didn't know about this race, but this race is named for Ryan Kishbaugh the son of a doctor I worked with in Rehab Spinal Cord and he wrote a book before he died. The book is titled, Run Because You Can! Good thought!