My Struggle

I looked the devil in the eye and let him in.
At first the emotions seemed exciting...breathless
My spirit struggled
I heard a whispering...
I turned to the right and then to the left,
Behind me a voice called,
"This is the way; walk in it" (Isaiah 30:21)
My spirit struggled
I heard a whispering...
I ignored the voice.
My selfishness was greater,
The excitement became an insatiable feeling.
It gripped at my life not letting go.
My spirit struggled
I heard a whispering...
I chose not to listen.
The excitement turned to confusion
This felt greater than myself
My spirit struggled
I heard a whispering...
I was in a dark cloud
I had grieved the Holy Spirit
I was seperated from God
My spirit struggled
I heard a whispering...
As dominos my faith kept falling
One selfish behavior gave way to another
Where was my way out?
My spirit struggled
I heard a whispering...
The excitement had turned to a tearing heartache
Only then did I see God...
Always there, whispering...
the word of God spoke to my hurting soul
"Put on the whole armor of God to withstand" (Ephesians 6:11-13)
Withstand and be proud of my choices
Don't let my emotions rule me
Know I am fighting the good fight.
My spirit was lifted
I listened to the whispering...


"If you want to change, if you want to break free from a vice that has you in its grip, a lifestyle you are trapped in, or an addiction that you can't seem to shake, then Christ has a word of encouragement to you: 'Get up and walk. You can do it. Be of good cheer, and arise.'(Mark 2:1-5)

I love this guy! Happy 13th anniversary!

This guy is the love of my life. I know exactly how lucky I am. I can love him intensely one minute and totally be maddened by him the next. We are both very opinionated people and we both think we are right most of the time. I wouldn't want someone who thinks just like me but on most issues we do agree. We've both changed a lot since we met, but we've grown together. I am surprised at how our values have changed over the years. I know that time, experience and mistakes have helped with that. But I also believe that "God works all things together for good to them that are called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28
Rog has supported me in every difficult time. It is true that I don't always feel in love as I do at this moment but I know that in commitment our strength lies! I can believe he will always stand beside me because he has proven it. I don't question his commitment 'cause he has proven it. I know that in good and bad he will hold my hand. I know that when I am moody, sick, ugly, or just plain crazy, he will still love me. We usually love because of how someone makes us feel about ourselves. It's really pretty selfish. When life gets busy or we forget to pay attention to each other our spouses get neglected. I don't want to neglect the best thing that has happened to me. I want to honor him with my love and respect. I want to keep earning his trust, sharing his good and bad times, growing, dreaming and living together as long as we both shall live. This Monday will be our 13th anniversary! We plan on celebrating tomorrow night by going to Indiana Beach. We had a blast on our 10th there, even though it rained. I hope we'll have our grand baby on Sat. am and Sunday and Monday Rog, me and Boog are going with Matt and Traci and kids 4-wheeling at Haspin Acres. Pictures to come! Rog got me a new camcorder to record our new grand baby. Camdyn is army crawling now, it's so cute! Life would not be the same without Rog to share it. When all the kids are gone (and they're going fast) I know we will have each other. We have dreams, we have history, we have children, we have passion, we have friendship. We agree to disagree sometimes but ultimately accept each other. No one is a perfect fit but Rog is my best fit.

Hold the Sun-Dried Tomatoes

I tried to dress up my shrimp Alfredo by adding sun-dried tomatoes. I love them in recipes at restaurants! Notice the nice color it adds with the broccoli:) I was so proud that I took a pic! Then my family sat down to eat...Roger said "Eww, I don't like these." picking out the sun-dried tomatoes. Erik tried one and made a face. So they piled all theirs on my plate. And being my first experience cooking with sun-dried tomatoes, I had added too many to start. So half into mine, I got a little overwhelmed with them! But still I have to say it was a good combination and I would recommend it to others. So...Here's my recipe. It is quick and easy for harried moms and dads. Try it if you like.

Shrimp Alfredo with Broccoli and Sun-dried Tomatoes

Ingredients
1 Bag frozen cooked, peeled and cleaned large shrimp (about 40) Thaw and remove tails if on.
1 jar of Alfredo sauce
1/2 lb of whole-wheat pasta
8oz frozen chopped broccoli
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped (revised!)
coarsely ground pepper
Grated Parmesan

Cook pasta according to package directions. In skillet add Alfredo sauce, frozen broccoli, chopped tomatoes, shrimp and pepper to taste and heat. Drain pasta and top with Alfredo sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
Serves 6
Calories: too many!