Family Vacation 2015 ~ Seaside, FL

Two weeks ago, we made the long drive to Seaside, FL with some of our family. There ended up being 22 people there, spread out over 4 condos (ours was a teeny tiny one..more on this later). It took us around 16 hours each way, with lots of bathroom breaks, gas stations, snacks, movies and sleeping, but we made it! We drove our Tahoe and fit 7 people in it including 1 carseat and 1 booster seat, a full size icechest, luggage for all of us, pillows, stuffed animals, cameras, purses, hats, a diaper bag. Needless to say, we were scrunched in there like sardines!

Last year, we stayed in a 3 story condo on the beach, with plenty of space for all of us to spread out and have some alone time if we wanted. This year, well let's say, we had some quality bonding time. I booked our place and found that across the street we could stay for a third of the price as last year, and since there were 3 less people staying with us, I figured it was a no-brainer. We walked into a 1 room studio with a pull-out couch, a murphy bed and 2 kid size bunk beds. OH and the best part..1 bathroom for 7 people! We had to take shifts on taking showers, getting ready, even going the bathroom in the middle of the night.

BUT, these things make the BEST memories!!! I left there after our 7 days so relaxed and feeling more blessed than ever that God gave me such an amazing family. We got to spend time each day with family that we don't get to see as much as we would like and it was SO nice! I would sleep in a sandy murphy bed every night if it meant that I could walk next door and get icecream, go play in the sand and ocean with them, and beat them at Nerts ;) whenever we wanted.

Addison even got to share a special birthday party with her cousin, Cohen who turned 3 just a few days before Addi turned 9. Since we left on her birthday and we had to postpone her party because of the flooding in OK, we threw a small family party for them and had sloppy joes, cake, cookies and presents!

 

Addison LOVED the ocean! She spent all of her time there either on a raft floating, kyaking with her dad, looking for seashells or just playing in the sand.

 

Teagan took a few days to warm up to the ocean, but loved playing in the sand and of course the pool! She had so much fun with her 2 cousins, Aisling and Cohen, because they are all around the same age and don't get to see eachother that often.

Austin, I was a little concerned about since she was only 6 months old when we came last year, but she took right to it! She would be covered in sand head to toe and still having a great time. She probably ate a pound of sand in a week and it didn't phase her a bit.

Everyone who has taken kiddos to the beach knows that it is not an easy task. Hauling children, towels, sunscreen, snacks, hats, buckets and shovels and every other beach toy imaginable, but through all the work, we had a BLAST! Nothing beats watching your kids having fun and loving life!

Family is EVERYTHING! I pray that I cherish each memory that we make together and spend our time doing things that truly matter. My love for these people is deep!

Kristi

 

 

 

 

Are you living, or just not dying? There is a difference.

Last year before our 16 hour trip to Florida, we invested in a dvd system for my Tahoe and it has been a life-saver. At the time, only 2 of our girls were old enough to need headphones and so we only purchased 2. Now that Austin is old enough to want to watch too, most of the time it gets played through the car so that we ALL get to enjoy it...OH BOY! The movie they have been stuck on lately is The Croods. I have never seen whole movie, but I have got to listen to it several days in a row now. Well this one sentence jumped out at me and I can not seem to shake it. The teenage daughter is talking to her dad and says “That wasn’t living!  That was just …. ‘not dying!’  There’s a difference.”  

Ever since I heard that phrase, it keeps resonating in my spirit. Am I living, REALLY LIVING? or am I just not dying?

I feel like I am just not dying.

 I WANT to live, really live, but I'm not. I catch myself living for tomorrow, next week, next year, but not today. I get caught up in the BIG PICTURE of my life that I don't live for what is going on right now.

I am reading the book, Experiencing God by Blackaby/King and it is talking about really living in God's will day by day. All of us ask these questions at some time in our life.. Why am I here? What is your will for my life? Where am I supposed to be? What am I supposed to be doing? But we wait...and wait..and wait..and let each day pass us by waiting to see the big picture. It's like we won't move until we see everything He wants us to do, God doesn't always work like that. So many times in the Bible, all He told His servants was to "Follow me". He didn't give them a map with directions and an itinerary. He simply said Come and they came.

John 14:6 " I am the way, the truth, and the life".

Matthew 6:33-34 " But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness , and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."

Sometimes we make things that are so simple, so complicated. To follow God's will for your life, all you have to do is take it one day at a time and listen to His voice. He will never mislead you. He knows where and when and who and why, but He won't always tell you, because then we take things in our hands and screw things up inevitably. Take the story of Abram; all He told him was "Get out of your country.. to a land I will show you". Would you go with that little direction? Or would you wait for months and years until you knew the whole plan before you moved?

God is All-Knowing, we aren't. And thank goodness for that! All He asks us to do is to trust Him and be obedient. He will take care of the rest if we let Him.

Philippians 2:13 "It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure".

This is my new daily prayer: Lord, I will do anything hat your kingdom requires of me. Wherever you want me to be, I'll go. Whatever the circumstances, I'm willing to follow. If you want to meet a need through my life, I am your servant; and I will do whatever is required.

God Bless,
Kristi

2015 ~ The best is yet to come!

I love everything about coming into a new year! It's the feeling of getting to start over, try again, creating a new story despite the past year. I love making new years resolutions for me and for the first time this year - for my family. I don't make them too hard, but I do try and be specific, so that we can truly measure when we accomplish our goal.

My resolutions this year:

1. Get fit!

2. Speak declarations over my family daily.

3. Put down my phone when I'm around people. Be intentional in my presence.

4. Send notes of encouragement to people.

 My sister talked about making goals a few years ago and one thing she said has always stuck with me. She said "A goal without a plan is just a dream". This hit me deep. So many times we make a goal: to read my bible through in a year, to lose 10lbs, to have a better relationship with my spouse, but we never make a plan to accomplish this goal, so it just becomes a dream, a distant dream. Make a plan to accomplish the things you have set out to do in 2015. If you want to read the bible through, then you need to determine how many chapters you need to read a day to accomplish this goal and stick with it. If you want to lose 10lbs, then you need to have a workout routine that you can stick with and hold yourself accountable. Make a plan and make your goals a vision instead of a dream!

My tribe has made a few for us a whole:

1. Be on time

2. Pray together more

3. Have people in our house once a month

4. Spend more quality time with loved ones.

In order for us to accomplish these, we have to plan. Being on time does not come easy to me, especially when I have 3 girlies to get ready as well as myself. All of my goals have to be planned out and I have to be intentional in everything I do. I hope that with this new year, you will make a plan to accomplish everything you have set in your mind and heart to get done this year. Live it one day at a time...live intentionally in everything you do and have your end goal in mind. I pray that as you end 2015, you can look back and be fulfilled with how you lived this year.

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." ~ Philippians 4:13

Love and prayers, 

Kristi