Is it Christmas, yet?

I love the Christmas Season! The warmth of the first fire in the fireplace and wearing a warm sweater, the joy of Christmas music, the anticipation of Christmas morning and gifts. I just love it! I do hate what consumerism has done to Christmas, but that's a whole different topic. Anyways, I just thought I would post some pics of the Christmas cheer around the Herron home so far.

Our Christmas Tree!

The Christmas Village on the hearth

One of Seth's presents. I was impressed with my bow-making skills!

So there's a little Christmas joy from our home to yours. I hope the season doesn't cause stress and chaos in your life. Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ. Christ came to bring peace, love and joy. I hope that's what your home is full of this year. 

Thankfulness

God has brought it to my attention that you can't be content until you are truly THANKFUL. So in my journey I am learning to pay attention to every blessing in my life. Seth is constantly telling me to pay attention, but I always insist that I am! Maybe he's onto something. This week will truly be a week of thanksgiving, not just turkey, food, shopping and putting up Christmas decorations. I urge you to take a look at your life and find what you have to be thankful for. And not just your stuff. I am vowing to do go an entire week without complaining. About anything. Only thankfulness.

May your week be merry and bright!

Contentment

I was reading a friend and fellow blogger's blog a few days ago, and she posted a link to another blog for a specific post about contentment. I can honestly say that is one of my biggest struggles right now. I love my life, don't get me wrong, but I always find myself longing for the next step. Buying a home, kids, buying a home... Ok so the home part is definitely a biggie. We are so blessed to be where we are. We live rent free with Seth's grandfather, we have the master bedroom and bath, a cleaning lady who comes once every 2 weeks, Seth's parents right next door so we can get out of our house when we need to. I mean really, it's not a bad set up... for now. Obviously, we want our own place eventually. I'd like one sooner rather than later, but you have to have this thing called a downpayment and when you're husband hurts his back and can't work, it is trickier to save for one. God is so good though and He is our provider. I have to keep reminding myself of that fact! He also knows what we need when we need it, including a house of our own. So the next few weeks I'm going to be on a journey. A journey to contentment. I hope you'll join me!

And I'm back in the game!

Oh, how I have missed blogging. There has been lots and lots going on lately in the Herron home and I've decided I'm just going to make time for things I enjoy. Writing is one of them. Even if no one reads this, I enjoy writing it. So there.

I won't bore you with everything that's happened the last couple of months, but just to catch you up on the last week or so, last week I had the stomach flu. While in Louisville, at a conference for work. It sucked. Throwing up is no fun, but especially not when you're by yourself on the 24th floor at the Galt House Hotel. So I get back and start to get over the yuckiness, then Sunday morning Seth ruptures a disc in his back. He hurt it a long time ago weightlifting in high school and had surgery on it 2 years ago. There was a 7% chance it could rupture again and guess what? It did! We spent all day in the ER and got an appointment with his neurosurgeon on Wednesday. Surgery is scheduled for Monday. I hate it for Seth, because he was really enjoying his job and he won't be able to work until after Christmas most likely. It is hard for him to sit at home and do nothing. Oh he can entertain himself for sure, but he likes working and bringing in income. He's a man. Hopefully the surgery will go well and he will be back in action in no time!

So all of this mess with Penn State is kinda crazy. I mean, obviously, I am sad to hear that any children were hurt like that by adults. I can't imagine what kind of person could ever do something like that to a child. I'm not sure which would be worse, being a mother to a child who was molested or being a mother to someone who grew up to be a child molester. It amazes me how lightly so many people take the job of "mother" these days. It is the MOST important job ever. Next to being a father, of course, but each person can only be one or the other and they are both important. SO important. Anyways, not really sure how I got off on that tangent, but I just hate how all of this has unraveled. If JoePa knew about the awful things that man was doing, he was absolutely bound by law to report it. And not just to his superiors. To the authorities. But so was the other coach who was a graduate assistant at the time, who I believe was the one who actually saw the abuse taking place. Why wasn't he fired? I just think it's weird that all of this is coming out now, all of a sudden after so many years. Some of the boys that were hurt are adults by now, I can't help but wonder what kind of emotional scar tissue that leaves. That's something that never goes away. I am so grateful that I have the hope of eternity and that one day it will all go away! All of the pain and scarring will be healed by the Healer. What a glorious day.

I am currently in the process of praying for God to show me a clearer direction for this blog. I enjoy writing commentary, and I don't think I'll completely get away from that, but I would like to have more of a "purpose" for this space. More to come on that as the Spirit leads.

That's all for me tonight. It's my bedtime. Long day tomorrow. Goodnight!

Ignorance

I have been fired up all afternoon because of a few people in my hometown who are making a big deal on FB about something they don't have all the facts on. It makes me incredibly irritated when people start talking about something and they don't have all the facts, because then all they do is stir up stuff and get other people all fired up over nothing. This is one thing that makes me HATE social networking. If you have a problem with something or someone, go talk to that person or do some research before you post it all over the internet. Seriously, people.

OK, that's enough about that. School has been going on for two weeks now and my office is a wreck! It will take some time to get things settled, but I'm loving every minute of it so far. God is so good! Seth and I also bought a new car last week! It's a 2012 Ford Fusion and we love it! My car, Sally, had to go. Too many problems and we never knew if she was gonna start right or not. So we traded her in and couldn't be happier. It was our first "big" purchase as a married couple. How fun!

That's about all that going on in my own little world right now. Hope this finds you healthy and happy!

Whew!

First off, I cannot believe I didn't post AT ALL during the month of July. Just goes to show how incredibly insane this summer has been. There has been loss and grieving, excitement and joy, transitions and changes in every aspect of our lives. I have already shared with you the sad news of Seth's Granny's passing, and a few weeks later we were celebrating God's blessing of provision in our lives with a new job for me! This was not something on my radar, and to be honest, God had me in a place where I knew He was going to show up to provide. I believe the Lord does this because the second we think we can do things on our own we are wrong! Life is soooo much more abundant when God provides and is in control. So I was presented with a job opportunity by my mother-in-law (who is awesome and one of the most Godly women I know) because she had been praying for me over the last few months and had this particular job on her mind for some reason. She didn't know of any openings, but she kept praying. Then another amazing Godly women, our friend Ruth, came to her saying that this job had come open at Southern Elementary (which is 30 seconds form our house) and that she thinks I would be great at it! So of course Becky came to me to tell me about it, and although I had not been planning on that, I strongly felt that this was the Lord's provision, and it was a job I could potentially love and enjoy, not to mention be used to minister. So I applied for the job, and we waited and prayed. For almost a month. Finally I got a call for an interview, went in and found out that 38 other people had applied and that they were doing 10 interviews that day to be narrowed down to 3 or 4. The next day I got a call back for a 2nd interview, and went in for that the next night. When I left that interview I had the most amazing peace I have ever experienced. I knew God was in control and was not nervous about the situation at all. 3 hours later, I was offered the position and the rest is history! I am so thrilled to be the Family Resource Coordinator at Southern Elementary School, and have loved every minute of my job so far. The staff is AMAZING, and it just fits. I couldn't be happier. God is sooo good and His provision is perfect. His love is perfect. He is perfect.

It was the best of times it was the worst of times...

It's been very busy around our house the past few days. Seth's Granny, who has been in the nursing home since November with severe Alzheimer's, passed away Monday afternoon. We knew that it was going to happen soon, but it happened a lot faster than anyone expected. Although she fought the disease for many years, she had a wonderful, long life. She was happily married to Seth's Papaw for almost 65 years, had two amazing daughter's, Shelia and Seth's mom, Becky, and touched the lives of anyone who knew her. I never had the pleasure of knowing her the way most remember her, but even while her memory failed her, she was kind and sweet. Every time I saw her, after introducing myself of course, she told me how pretty I was. Now, there's one thing to be said for people with dementia, they may not always know what exactly is going on or who they are, but they very rarely lie. I don't say that to mean that I really am pretty, just to say that it made me feel good, because I know she wasn't saying it just to be nice. She always had a genuine compliment for me. Even if it didn't always make sense.

This is the first death in the family, mine or Seth's, since we have been married, and I wasn't sure how to handle it at first. Afterall, I didn't want to step on anyone's toes or be in the way at any point, but I do want to do what I can to help. I hope I have done an ok job at that, mostly I wanted to be there for Seth's mom and help out in any way. It's not always easy to know what to do, but I pray that I can make this difficult time a bit easier. I can't imagine losing a parent.

The good, no, awesome part in all of this is the fact that Granny is now with her King, feeling no pain and she knows exactly what's going on! I like to think that she just "met" me for the first time on Monday, and I hope as she sees me that she approves of her grandson's choice in a wife! At least I know she thinks I'm pretty. Death is not easy for those of us who are still here, but let's remember that we were not made for this world. At least we weren't made for this world the way it is now. We were created for paradise, and I for one can't wait. I want to do as much good as I can here, but when it's my time to go I will be happy to be with Jesus. I know that Granny is so excited to be home.

Lovin technology

My new favorite thing? Dry shampoo! I have had a beautiful, voluminous, soft hairdo for 4 days now without washing it because of this amazing stuff. I don't think I'll ever really wash my hair again! Ok I probably will. But it's awesome and I'm so thankful to whoever invented it.

Today I'm enjoying a beautiful summer day. It's not too hot, so I'm sitting on the back porch swing doing a little reading, journaling and blogging. I had breakfast and good conversation with some wonderful friends this morning and look forward to a peaceful afternoon with the hubby. Life is good. God is even better. He is working in my life right now and it's so awesome to see His hand in everything I do. I was reminded this morning of a story I once heard. I'll share.

   A man woke up one morning to find a giant boulder blocking his door. He heard the Lord say, "Push the boulder." So he pushed with all his might until he could push no more. The next day, unwilling to give up, he pushed again all day. Everytime he thought about quitting, he heard the Lord very clearly telling him to keep pushing the boulder. But no matter how hard he pushed, the boulder wouldn't budge. Finally one evening he cried out in frustration, "Lord! You have asked me to move this boulder but no matter how hard I try it won't budge! Did I hear you wrong? I don't understand!" The Lord replied, "My son, I never asked you to MOVE the boulder, I asked you to PUSH the boulder." And with that the Lord moved the boulder.


So many times we hear God ask us to do something very pecific, and we assume we are responsible for the results. We try to do too much by ourselves instead of just doing the work He asks us to do and trusting Him with the results. That is so much where I am right now. I know God has called me to do things, but the results are out of my hands and I have to let Him do the rest. He is faithful and just and always wants what is best for me. I no longer want to settle for "good". I want God's best. Only He can lead me there. And He will. Do you trust Him to lead you to His best?

Happy Memorial Day!

With allergy season hanging on for dear life, the past few weeks have been exceptionally torturous for my poor nose. I'm sitting on my bed watching Father of the Bride with a pile of used tissues to my right and a box of clean ones to my left. I wish I was outside doing something fun and Memorial Day-ish, but alas, it's cloudy and the freshly mowed grass is not my friend right now. Seth is working during the day and I have to go to work at 5, so I won't get to spend any time with him either. This is our crazy life right now, with our work schedules consistently clashing. We're young and neither one of us really have our "careers" under our belts yet. But ya know what, it is only making us stronger. We know that this won't last forever and we're thankful for the time we do have together. We have tons of blessings, and I know that one day we will look back on this hectic season and know we are the better for it. Short term sacrifice for long term gain.

In other news, yesterday was the last day of school. Although I still have to go on Tuesday for our closing day, yesterday was my last real day with the kids. I'm really going to miss them! They have caused me stress, but they're kids. They are gifts from God, and while I get angry thinking about some of their home situations, I know that they all have a chance to make it. I hope I was and can be a small part of helping them realize that. I'm also sad about leaving the awesome teachers I have had the privilege of working with for the past 2 years. I have grown to become friends with them, especially in the past few months. We've had some really good times while trying to keep each others' sanity intact. It's bittersweet, this moving on to a new career path. I'm excited to start cosmetology school (yes I am going back to school!) in August and I know that God has great plans for that part of my life. Excited to see what He has in store!!!

Thoughts for Today

Okay, so there have been in the past few days, a few people in my life who have written beautiful posts or notes about the recent "happenings" in the world. From the tornados and floods, to the Royal Wedding, to the killing of the world's most wanted man. My best friend, Lauren, has captured the essence of how I (and I suspect many other Believers) feel about these matters. Visit her post here: http://donaldandlauren.wordpress.com

Today the third, fourth and fifth graders that I work with got to go swimming at the indoor pool at Bowling Green High School as a reward for their hard work during our grueling 3 weeks of state testing. I was the ONLY adult who actually got in the water and played with the kids, and I had a blast! That's my favorite part of what I do. I judged a few diving/backflip/cannonball contests, taught 3 girls how to swim (just the basics, and not necessarily successfully), played in a water basketball game, and smiled and laughed a lot. I am going to miss those kids next year. I will go back many times to visit I'm sure. Awful as they can be sometimes, I love them all dearly and hope and pray for their futures to be meaningful. Whether or not they are "successful" by the world's standards, I just want them to matter. That's what I pray for my own (future) children, and for myself. I want to have an impact for God's kingdom. Period. For THINE is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.

The End is in sight!

3 1/2 more weeks and school is officially out for the summer! Today was our last (finally) day of state testing, my precious little 3rd graders had to take a 2 hour IQ test this morning that was actually... kind of hard. They did their best and were completely worn out by the end of it, so for the afternoon we had a cookout with yummy grilled hot dogs and watched the movie Barnyard. They loved it and we got to relax a bit. Tomorrow we're taking the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders swimming at the pool at BGHS, so they are pumped about that. Almost there...

Seth has this Friday off for the first time in probably 3 or 4 months, so we are going to have date night! I can't wait. Shopping Friday afternoon for things around the house, dinner, then out with friends afterwards for good conversation and fun (not to mention a b-day celebration for Elizabeth)! Being a grown-up is hard a lot of the time, but it has its perks. Hard work pays off and life is nothing without faith, family, and good friends.

I considered blogging about the recent joys (Will & Kate's wedding), tragedies (tornados in AL) and... well whatever you want to call OBL's death. But at the moment, all of that is a bit heavy for me. Maybe I will have more to say next time I log on, but for now, I will marinate in my own thoughts and let you marinate in yours. After all, the longer you marinate the juicier the meat.

Little Miss Who?

I've had a few people ask about the title of my blog recently. Most notably, one of the wonderful teachers I work with who never says anything other than exactly what she means, said "so what's Little Miss Magic all about?" Haha. For those of you who are not parrottheads, which I would assume is the majority, it is the title of a Jimmy Buffett song that is very special to me and my Dad. It is a song he wrote about his daughter Savannah when she was very little, wondering what she would be when she grew up. He talks about knowing that one day she'll learn to fly, which is something I learned to to from my Dad, so the song has a lot of meaning. We danced to it at my wedding. The funny part is, I'm 26 and am still deciding "what I'm gonna be." So my Dad is probably listening to that song and wondering the same things he did when I was 6!

The reassurance is, God has me on a fabulous journey, and I'm more concerned about who I'm becoming than what. It's not about me, it's about Him! And although I feel strong in a path to take as a career (more to come on that soon), its really not about that either. I will be happy and enjoy the work I do to help provide for my family and hopefully get to bless and help others through my career, but that's not going to define me. Praise Him for that freedom! I want to first, be my Father's daughter, totally sold out to living my life here for Him and His glory. Second, I want to be a good wife, third, a good mother (if that works out someday). Those are my "jobs". That is what I want to be known for.

Today, my fifth grade class had a project where they were passing around papers with their name on it, and each student had to write something positive about the other on that paper. One of the boys, who is going through a lot at home right now, seemed a little down when he got his paper back. He told me that most of the kids wrote that he was a good artist, which he is. He is known for his awesome drawings and sketches. But he wasn't satisfied or affirmed when that was the only thing the kids said about him. He even said, "I wish someone would've said I was nice or a good friend". Why do we put so much emphasis on achievements and accomplishments? Not that it's not great to achieve or accomplish something, but in their heart of hearts, no one wants to just be known for what they do. We want to be known, loved and appreciated for who we are. So, maybe the point isn't so much of "whatcha gonna be", but "who ya gonna be."

So Long Sweet... Spring Break.

It was a good break. A much-needed break! We had thunder, lightning, tornados, rain, sunshine and warmth. I spent time with family, friends, and my amazing husband. I had a wonderful time catching up with old friends in Lexington, eating at favorite restaurants and watching movies. I also planted some flowers for the first time (we'll see how green my thumb is) and enjoyed sitting on my back porch several evenings watching the sun go down. I spent time with my best friend, my Creator, my Redeemer and He gave me true rest in Him. I learned about Him and His unimaginable glory even more! I saw His work in my community and my home. How blessed am I to experience His presence!!

I've also been doing a little cooking. I've always wanted to be a good cook, I just mostly don't have time to prepare a fancy meal. However, I am learning to cook a good meal... in the crockpot. Saves time, it's easy, and delicious! What more could you want? Tonight I am making cheesy chicken and rice. Hopefully it will turn out yummy!

Tomorrow it's back to work. 7 more weeks and school is out! One more week and we start state testing, which is always fun! Oh the joys of public schools. Here's how I'm counting down the last few weeks: Testing for 3 weeks, field day, field trip to Beech Bend, and field trip to Holiday World. Not a bad way to end the school year. I think I can, I think I can... 7 weeks folks!

Long Time No Post

When you don't have the internet at your house for 5 days, it's hard to update your blog. So after an hour on the phone with a lovely girl that may or may not be on the show "Outsourced", our problem has been resolved. Yay for the internet!

I am reading the book Forgotten God by Francis Chan, and I must say it is phenomenal. He is such an amazing man of God who speaks truth and has a genuine love for God and for people. And I firmly believe only 3 chapters in that if the church spent some time in the book of Acts and knew that that is God's design for the church through the power of the Holy Spirit, the church would look DRASTICALLY different than it does today. There are certainly Spirit-filled people, and even the occasional Spirit-filled church in America, but as a while, we don't live as if we are followers of GOD ALMIGHTY, creator of Heaven and Earth! I include myself in that. But I feel the Spirit moving... and for the first time I am responding to His call, His beckoning to a higher and clearer way of living. He is so good. I have no idea how long I'll be here in earth, but I do know that I want to do as much good as I can to as many people as I can for as long as God allows. I want His love, mercy, grace and power to consume me and ooze out of me in a way that is contagious to those around me. 

I'm really thankful for my life right now. While I have not escaped the daily struggles of life and arrows from the enemy, God is so good. My relationships are so rich, from my family to my husband to my friends, old and new. Life has taken a turn for Seth and I the past month or so, and we are now in a huuuge transition period. But God paved the way and we are focused on Him and what He wants for us, what He created us for. Living with hope, faith, love and passion is truly the way. I'm so blessed. He is so good. Amen

Transitions

Have you ever gone into a season where you felt that everything was about to change? That's where I am right now. I've felt it coming for a couple of months now, but didn't really know what the "change" would be. And some of it I could've never guessed. God is so good though. He knows what we need, when we need it, and he knows how to comfort us in times of trial or confusion. When we seek Him, and only Him, confusion turns to clarity. I praise Him for the clarity He has given me, and the peace I have in Him.

There's nothing like peace. I think that the word peace is overused, both in society and in the church. I know that I personally have made the statement that I have "peace" about something, without really understanding what that meant. I don't know that my heart and my mind have been in agreement for a while. It has been awesome to spend time sitting at the feet of Jesus, getting to know Him on a more intimate level than I ever have before, and through that, I know more about myself than than I ever have. I have peace and clarity, and total freedom in Christ. God is so amazing. The changes that are taking place in my life and the life of my family are so good, because they are in line with the people God created us to be.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful husband and the man that he is. He is not my first love, Jesus will always hold that spot, but he is a great and Godly man and I'm thankful to live this journey with him. I love you, Seth! Again, God knows what we need, when we need it. To have a supportive and honest husband who brings out not just the best in me, but God's best, is more than I could've ever dreamed or asked for.

So, at the end of the day, God reigns and love rules over evil. Peace, clarity and freedom rule over confusion, discord, and bondage. Praise Him! More to come on the changes...

A Few of My Favorite Things

I love March. Here's why: 1. My birthday, 2. March Madness, 3. Spring (or the end of winter), 4. St. Patrick's Day (it's fun to pinch people), 5. Mardi Gras/Easter, depending on how the calendar falls. I mean seriously, it's by far the greatest month of the year. Tons of great things to celebrate, and usually the weather starts to get nice outside! So let's all pay homage to the month of March, our dear friend who brings joy to the masses.

I am finally starting to feel like myself again after being sick with bronchitis for 2 solid weeks. It was rough, but I am back! Can't wait to start Zumba again this week and eat something more than chicken noodle soup. Seth is on Spring Break this week, so he'll get to sleep in everyday, which will make me very mad. Grrr. Oh, well, he'll get payback the first week in April when I'm sleeping in and he's the one getting up at 6 am!  Let the countdown begin.

The book I am reading right now, The Sacred Romance by John Eldredge and Brent Curtis is absolutely fantastic. God is so good about giving us what we need when we need it. If I had read this book a few years or even a few months ago I don't think I would've understood it the way I do now. Life is just not easy, and it's not simple. Well, it is and it isn't. It should be simple, but because of sin, we complicate everything. We stay so focused on our little "me-world" and try to manipulate the world around us to fit how we see it and want for things to be. All the while trying to please 15 people and be who we think they want us to be, including God. We adapt to our surroundings. But God created us very intentionally, specifically, and purposefully. Life is the journey of becoming that person. The first step is to get to know God in an INTIMATE way, because how can we know who we are without knowing our Creator?? He created us for love and relationship and glory, and He is soooo good! When we spend quality time with Him every day, we have a better understanding of who He is, which helps us to understand who we are. We are after all, a reflection of Him. To truly know ourselves, we must first know Him. I am just now, after many years of being a "Christian", really getting to know Him on an intimate level. I have known about Him for a while, even talked to Him a lot. Didn't do a while lot of listening though, and never really sat at His feet in awe of who He is. It is so beautiful to sit at His feet.

I will leave you tonight with a quote from The Sacred Romance. "The Spirit has come to empower us to continue the invasion of the kingdom, which is primarily about freeing the hearts of others to live in the love of God." Now THAT'S purpose.

Yummy... Finally!

When you're sick, food doesn't always taste right, which sucks. After 3 days of laying in bed with no energy, I have finally emerged victorious over the flu. Still coughing and have a sore throat, but energy and taste are back! So for dinner, I wanted something to celebrate the return of my taste buds. I decided to grill some marinated chicken breasts and serve crescent rolls and herb and butter rice. Yummy! For the marinade, I looked up some recipes, the. Threw together some things that I thought would go well together. Hopefully it will turn out nice.

Church was really good today. Since Seth and I have moved back to Beaver Dam, we have been going to his church, Beaver Dam Baptist. Unfortunately, Seth has to work most Sundays and doesn't get to go, so I go with is parents. Today's message was about loving our family of faith, or the church. Christ said the two greatest commands are to love the Lord your God and love your neighbor as yourself. It is really hard to love someone as yourself sometimes, especially if that person has different political or moral values, or has been unkind to us in the past. But that is the kind of love we're called to. We are only free to love like this when we are fully engaged in an intimate relationship with God! He himself is love, and invites us into that love, which then allows us to give it to others. It's called Agape Love, and it knows no boundaries, unlike the "love" most of us have experienced in our earthly relationships. How awesome is our God to love us so deeply. Before we can really love one another, we have to really experience total intimacy with God. That is the journey I am on, and I suppose I'll always be on it while I'm here.

"Chains be broken, lives be healed. Eyes be opened, Christ is revealed!" -from "You'll Come" by Hillsong United

Yay!

So, I started a blog! How exciting. I love to write... and talk... and I have a lot of thoughts. I thought this would be a fun way to get them out, maybe it will give my husband a break! Haha.

So I've been sick the past two days, I think it may be the flu. It hasn't been horrible, but I have zero energy, can't stand up for more than a few minutes without having to sit down. Yuck. Gonna take the weekend to recover so I can be ready to go with energy next week. I hate feeling drained.

Seth is working until 10pm, as is usual for a Friday night. His work schedule is not ideal, but that's just where we are right now. Life is not always ideal, but we make it work. It's not about us anyways. Praise God for that!