Busy Summer

I'm trying so hard to keep my blog updated and to participate faithfully in a few meme's. So far though it isn't working so well. This last week has been unbelievably busy, with things popping up out of the blue to crowd even the free moments that I thought I'd have.

Last weekend we had a 3 day Bike Rally called Thunder in the Foothills, to raise money for the ARM Missions Relief project-which takes food to those locally and in surrounding counties that have none. We camped, we fellow shipped, we were fed great food for our spirits and our bodies, we seen old faces, made new friends and grew. The Lord prepared us for things coming and we handled a few sad situations well. It felt so good to be back on the front lines for my Father.

Saturday evening, I had to leave the Bike Rally to go to Trey's birthday party. We had such a great time. There was a huge crowd and Trey was mesmerized by everyone singing him Happy Birthday!

I've had a busy week at work and little sleep all week. I type right now exhausted and can barely hold my eyes open. I so wish I had the energy to get up pictures of everything. I will soon!

Take care. Jenileigh

Thankful Thursday

Today I'm thankful for my family. I'm thankful for my husband and his strong faith in God. I'm thankful for each one of my beautiful daughters, my son-in-law, my grandson, my mom and dad, my brother, my sister and my in laws. Thank-You Father for each and every one. All of us knitted together make quite a story.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!”

~ Psalm 100:4 (ESV)

Wordless Wednesday

Marriage Monday

Tony and I will be married for 18 years on July 4th this year. I think our marriage is a mixture of traditional and modern. We aren't all one way or the other and we've certainly grown and changed over the years. I think one of the greatest assets in our relationship is the ability to forgive one another. We are more in love and closer today than we ever have been in our entire relationship and that means a lot to me. My favorite scriptures, the ones that have spoken to me, taught me, humbled me and led the way are listed below. I know I am not what this scriptures describes but I pray that Jesus change me more and more daily that I may be a virtuous wife for my dear husband. I pray today over this Holy Covenant spoken and witnessed before the Lord. I pray protection over everyone in our world and I bind the hands of the enemy and all his works that come against marriage with all intentions of destroying it. May the Lord protect, heal and seal in Jesus Christ's precious name!

Ecclesiastes 4:12 And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.

Proverbs 31:10-31

    ¹⁰ Who can find a virtuous wife?
      For her worth is far above rubies.
       ¹¹ The heart of her husband safely trusts her;
      So he will have no lack of gain.
       ¹² She does him good and not evil
      All the days of her life.
       ¹³ She seeks wool and flax,
      And willingly works with her hands.
       ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
      She brings her food from afar.
       ¹⁵ She also rises while it is yet night,
      And provides food for her household,
      And a portion for her maidservants.
       ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
      From her profits she plants a vineyard.
       ¹⁷ She girds herself with strength,
      And strengthens her arms.
       ¹⁸ She perceives that her merchandise is good,
      And her lamp does not go out by night.
       ¹⁹ She stretches out her hands to the distaff,
      And her hand holds the spindle.
       ²⁰ She extends her hand to the poor,
      Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy.
       ²¹ She is not afraid of snow for her household,
      For all her household is clothed with scarlet.
       ²² She makes tapestry for herself;
      Her clothing is fine linen and purple.
       ²³ Her husband is known in the gates,
      When he sits among the elders of the land.
       ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
      And supplies sashes for the merchants.
       ²⁵ Strength and honor are her clothing;
      She shall rejoice in time to come.
       ²⁶ She opens her mouth with wisdom,
      And on her tongue is the law of kindness.
       ²⁷ She watches over the ways of her household,
      And does not eat the bread of idleness.
       ²⁸ Her children rise up and call her blessed;
      Her husband also, and he praises her:
       ²⁹ “ Many daughters have done well,
      But you excel them all.”
       ³⁰ Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing,
      But a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised.
       ³¹ Give her of the fruit of her hands,
      And let her own works praise her in the gates. 

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Tony. I am so proud of you. You are such a loyal, loving, caring father. I admire you. I'm so thankful that the Lord has seen fit to bless me and each one of my girls with you. And Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there!

Treyton loves Strawberries!

Perfect Night

Yesterday evening was an amazing night. I worked till five, paid bills, and made it home by 6:30 ish. Tony was playing at a revival on the mountain. I had not intended on going but as I turned in the driveway I had this strong desire to GO. I called him on his cell as he was already en-route. He was getting gas and agreed to wait for me. I couldn't get the girls to go, so I quickly grabbed my new camera the Nikon D7000  and left to meet him.

When we arrived at the little church I was almost disappointed. I thought well this is a small place and there aren't even any vehicles here. I wondered if anyone at all would show up. I took several pictures outside and toyed with the settings on my camera, trying to learn how to set it for the perfect light indoors and out.

In no time at all that little church was full. I was so surprised! Inside was absolutely beautiful. The walls were done in knotty pine and there was an old pipe organ. Everyone was so friendly, all smiles and hugs, welcoming us there with open arms.

Lots of Tony's family came. His mom, aunt Bonnie, uncle Kenny, friends Buddy and Faye and Faye's mom. I felt so at home. I loved the atmosphere. There were people of all ages. A perfect balance of babies, children, teens, young adults, adults and older adults. The young were caring for the old. There was just a simply harmony about the whole place. Peaceful. Loving. Simple.

Tony and his group "Almost There" sang first to open up the revival. They were absolutely awesome. (If you are reading this and are a fan of gospel bluegrass send me an e-mail via the contact Jenileigh button above and I will gladly send you a copy of their latest cd. Free of course!) By the last song Tony was really moved by the Spirit and had a hard time singing the song. I couldn't stop the tears. It had been so long since I had felt the presence of God so strong. The churches group then played and after they were done the special speaker came up to speak. Her name was Blonnie Gregory . She spoke on laying down on God because of our flesh tiring and how we try to do things on our own instead of allowing God to equip us. She shared so many miracles and beautiful testimonies. My eyes never dried. My face was swollen and my heart was full. The ministry that she and her husband lived was truly inspirational. Her husband Bunny passed away last year but she marches on. Her son and grandson were there last night and it was evident that they shared Blonnie's strong faith.

So many things passed before my eyes. How far I've fallen back into my old self. The me before I opened this blog. The me before the Lord had transformed into a new creation. I don't really know how it happened or why but I know that I realized that I was missing something great in my life. My walk had come to a rest area. It's time to take a step again, and put one foot in front of the other.

A lot of pain surfaced in me. From years ago during a hard time for Tony and I when we were forced to leave our home church and find a new one. Hurts from other brothers and sisters in Christ that wounded so deeply. But stronger than any of that was this emptiness of longing. Longing for that small country church, with sweet fellowship and the tight knit bond of caring for one another that some how seems to get lost in larger churches.

Pray for us. Pray the Lord continue to speak to my husband and that I submit to his guidance. Pray for our hearts to be truly healed and mended.

I love you my precious husband. I am so proud of you for continuing your walk and not sitting down beside of me during this storm cycle of life that I was so wrapped up in.

(I'll come back and add pictures later.)

Beautiful June

How I love the summer weather. I'm not a big fan of the heat but it so beats the depression that comes with the winter. Last year I was really on top of things with my exercise and eating habits. I managed to lose 30 pounds from February to October. It wasn't a drastic loss just a gradual loss and I never felt deprived or like I was on a diet or strict work out regimen. I was up to walking-jogging-walking 16 miles a week. Somewhere along late Fall, I fell back into a slump. I gained back my 30 pounds plus some. Which is typical for the person like me who lived her entire life being a human yo yo. ;)

I kept telling myself that I would start walking again this past February but it never happened. Now it's June and yesterday was my first 1 mile walk. Geez It almost killed me. I'm not kidding. It was all I could do to make myself place one foot in front of the other. The itching on my thighs is horrid. The sweating, the lack of oxygen, the slow pace, the inability to complete my 2 mile course. All I could think was, "Why in the world did I ever stop doing this?" Good times.

I was sore afterwards and my legs ached all night long. I had a bout with insomnia, my long lost friend, and couldn't fall asleep until nearly 2 am. It made for a wretched morning. Yet, in spite of all of this I felt better. Today I have more energy and the drive to walk again this afternoon. I am so glad the beginning is behind me, prayerfully it'll be downhill from here. Prayerfully.

On to other things......

I am totally loving my job. My schedule isn't too hectic. I love having the evenings, weekends, and holidays off. The doctor often takes days for personal time and I am salary paid so it doesn't reflect on my paycheck. Nice blessings.

I finished my spring semester of college and started my summer. It wasn't long into this semester when I found myself overwhelmed. I decided to drop my college load for the summer and resume in the fall. This was a big relief for me. It gives me guiltless time to spend with my nephew and grandson. :) Good times.

Sky and Meadow are glad to be out of school for the summer. Meadow had a great school year, while Sky struggled some. Meadow will be returning to public school for her fifth grade year but we are undecided on what to do for Sky. We are praying on whether to send her back to public school or to homeschool her again.

The temps here have been in the 90's! Today is a little cooler in the 80's. Oddly it seems like May brought forth the weather of August and June seems to holding the usual season of May. The sun is absolutely gorgeous. I love clear days like today.

We are planning to go to the beach in a couple of weeks. I am so excited. It's great to get the down time away from all of the hectic every day same old, same old.  The house that we have doesn't have T.V.'s in every room like every other year. I think it's going to be great to have all of the family together and no media instantly and individually available. Imagine everyone having to watch the same show. Wow. Good times. Good Times.

Well I guess for today that is about it. Till next time.......

Best Friends

Lydia and Meadow. Sweet precious girls. 

I love my Sister

This is my sister that lives in Myrtle Beach. We only see each other a few times a year and I miss her so much. I'll be seeing her in a couple of weeks and I'm looking so forward to it!

Visit to my Sissy's

Derron my nephew, in my sister's garden.

Above: My sister and Derron. The first time he saw the ocean.

Below: Derron LOVING the waves!

My grandson Treyton. He didn't take to the ocean as well as Derron!

My sweet Heaven and Treyton.

Rari in the ocean with Derron. Derron is swimming up a storm!

Above: Treyton playing in the sand.

Below: Handsome Boy!

Above: Derron. This picture reminds me of something from the 60's.

Above: Me and Derron

Below: Heaven and Trey

Me with Derron. 

We went down to the beach to visit Sissy on a Friday and returned to Virginia on Sunday. It was a rough trip with a 15 and an 11 month old! We still had a great time. I can't wait to return and have an entire week to stay. Those short trips really tire you out. I miss my sister so much. I only get to see her a few times a year.