Picture Challenge #30

Day 30 - A picture of someone you miss

I miss her.  

My cousin/best friend/soul sister Rebecca.   

We were 5 months apart in age. 

We lived 100 miles away from each other.

We wrote each other letters weekly, before the age of email and texting.

We spent most holidays together.

We went to the beach together.

We played dress up, made mud pies, and tormented her sister.

We played in the pasture and rode her horse.

We made college plans together when we were high school freshmen.

But God had other plans.

She left us way too soon.

It has been over 19 years since I last saw her face.

Over 19 years since I heard her LOUD laugh.

This picture is the last time I saw her.

Our last Christmas.

Our last sleepover.

Our last hug goodbye.

I know she's waiting on me up there, and I can't wait to see her again.

Until then, I miss her.

Every day.

Picture Challenge #29

Day 29 - A picture that can always make you smile.

My husband and me...just a normal day... HA HA HA HA HA!

A Difficult Two Weeks...

Exhausted. 

That is the only word to describe me at this moment.

The past two weeks have been hard.

School is wrapping up for my little buddy so there are a lot of events.  Field Day, end of year parties, yearbook parties, PTA wrap ups, Teacher Appreciations...so I've been busy at the school.

Baseball end of season tournament kicked off.  Also means end of season parties and emotions high from having a very tough season and it ending with our very first win of the season and then being put out of the tournament right away. 

But the hardest of them all, my Poppy went through aortic valve replacement surgery at 84 years old.  The surgery actually went well.  His heart recovered extremely well.  Recovery however, not so good for a while.  Driving downtown to the hospital every day for almost a week and seeing my grandfather who, when I was little seemed so larger than life and indestructible, completely out of it and struggling to figure out where he was or what he was doing really took a toll on me.  He is doing so much better now and back to his old self and should be headed to a rehabilitation center sometime this week!  I am emotionally and physically tired.

I will be picking back up my 31 Days To Clean challenge either today or tomorrow.  I've fell behind on many things that I plan on catching up on this week.

But I'm exhausted. 

Stay tuned...

31 Days to Clean Day 1...

"It's not so much how busy you are, but why you are busy.  The bee is praised. The mosquito is swatted."  - Mary O'Connor

If you didn't see my earlier post, Sarah Mae has written the book 31 Days to Clean: Having a Martha House the Mary Way.  I have joined the challenge to blog about each of the days the book highlights.  The book is available for download for only $4.99 here!

Sarah Mae has some challenges in the book that are Mary challenges that will challenge your heart and then there are Martha challenges that will make you just get in there and get it done. I am SO excited to dive into this book since Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World made me realize I'm such a Mary! 

So Day 1 posed the question "Why Clean?"
Good question.  Sarah wants us to look inside ourselves and ask why do we want a clean home.  My answer to this question is to have my home feel inviting to my own family.  I want my family to WANT to stay at home and to freely invite people over.  I want it to be a place of rest and refuge for anyone who came to the door.  I want my home to be a happy place.  My home's "mission statement" will be this: Our home will be an environment of love, rest and refuge without dirt and clutter.

So HOW am I going to do this?  I really hope Sarah Mae can help guide me on this journey!  She says in her intro to the book that cleaning doesn't come easy for her and that her "DNA is allergic to it."  Um...HELLO...that would be me! 

Won't you join me on this journey?  Go purchase her ebook or follow along with me on my blog.

*Editor's note* I just realized I started a day early, so check back Tuesday for Day 2!

Picture Challenge #28

Day 28 - A picture of something you're afraid of.