Knowing What I was Missing Before

I was planning an writing on this topic anyway today, but then I read- as I do each morning – NieNie. I am telling you now that if you are not reading her you need to – really…remember this post I did about her here?

Each Monday Stephanie does a NieNie asks segment on blogher and today she asked “What Make You Lucky?” Oh it was perfect!!!!

What makes me Lucky is knowing what I was missing before…

Before I was blessed with a beautiful daughter.

Before I met JAG.

Before I experience what a true, loving, healthy and respectful relationship feels like.

Before I put God before anything else in my life.

Before I was able to take pictures like this…

I keep no secrets about how lucky I feel to be where I am today. I just want to tell that one reader who I am not sure if I know in person or not that he will come. I still think back to that Valentine’s weekend where I sat alone in my house. No Shelby, no big Valentines date – just me, some wine and some chick flicks. During that weekend I made things right in myself. I looked around and said “I am fine right here. If God chooses to not bring anyone to continue my life with I will be perfectly fine right here”. Then of course I said “Please please God. Ok ok…it is in your hands”. I was done with dating. I was content being single – it was a hell of a lot easier then dealing with the loser market of men that came my way. Most of you know how the story goes – a chance email check which lead to a website which lead to a picture of a man which lead me to read his story. Which in that exact moment I knew, cheesy as it may sound, that the big man upstairs said, “you needed to go through what you did, so that you would be ready. You are ready, so here he is.” Well, probably not in those exact words.

I am lucky in that respect. I used to pull my hair out when people would say, “maybe if you take a break from looking he will come to you”. My statement was always, “the next one will be the one…I know it”. That never happened.  I know all of my single readers will cringe when I say find peace within you. Love you and where you are on this exact minute. I am not Dr. Ruth – is she a love doctor or a sex doctor – anyway I am neither, but I do know that I would not have been able to even if I had met JAG before to be where I am if I did not find comfort in being single, step back, and put it in God’s hands. Also enjoy your time. The quiet time to read a book or watch whatever you want to watch on TV or to dance in the kitchen to anything you want. To do those things that us girls do when no one is at home – like spend an hour in front of the mirror removing blackheads – oh wait that might just be me. I also talk to myself… a lot – is that being alone or crazy? Anyway, take the time to enjoy your space before you do this with your life.

My stuff stacked in JAG’s garage.

Don’t get me wrong – I am ecstatic about my move and my starting of a new life and family. I wish I could hug every one of my single readers and friends. I understand what it was like, I was there. My hope is that you will feel what I am feeling now – because I appreciate it so much more then I would have a year ago – for that I am lucky.

 For my lovely reader who asked here is the start of my cross wall. Gweedo, the first husband, would never let me have one – I won’t go into why, but I didn’t even have to ask JAG.

He (JAG) did correct the order of my Faith Hope Love crosses though – what would I do without him – my crosses would be all wrong.

No go visit Stephanie’s blog the Nienie dialogues and check her link to blogher to read what makes others Lucky!

August was AWESOME!!!

Yes I know I have to stop using that word, but please find me another to describe my stats for August.

294 Visits

218 were return visits

76 were newbie readers

I am not trying to big brother you, but these numbers keep me posting everyday! I love it! Thank you!

Check out the map!

Yeap that is the United States…and…

Canada

France

Netherlands

Tanzania

Sweden

South Korea

Italy

For a girl who has never lived outside of Texas this is an awesome feeling for me. I told my mom that I had a reader from South Korea and she asked, “What in the world are you writing about?” My mom was not one of the 294 visits, but I am giving her my laptop, so she can visit any site she wants without getting a virus. If you remember my father thinks my blog will give him a virus. God love them!

By the time this posts they will be here with Shelby and I. I am so excited. I really hope to get some good pictures if my father will let me. Maybe just one so I can document him without a mustache. Don’t worry I will only do it if he lets me.

Again, thank you! You ready this right now means the world to me!

I Love Getting Mutliple Reminders

Have you ever had one of those days where you were meant to hear something? Someone (mostly like the man upstairs) needed to drill something in your head and he was going to use multiple people to make that happen.

I hate to admit, but I gotta keep it real, that my lack of blogging is partially caused by my lack of thinking I have anything of value to share with you. I get into these, “who really cares about my useless rambling”…I know. Then I sit back and remember – I am not doing this for you (sorry), but for me and mostly for Shelby. Yikes…as soon as I typed that I thought they may have been tacky. I am in a tacky mood today, much like yesterday- I beat myself up at SkinnyTart.

Yesterday my oh-so wise future father in-law who would like to now be called JAGdad posted a beautiful blog that ended with “God does bless, keep, smile upon, and give us peace. He has blessed us to be a blessing to others." I love that sentence; I love the entire blog, but that one sentence…man.

No, this blog is not a suck-up blog for JAGdad…well not completely (big smile).

Later in the day I was watching video blogs from other wonderful people who are on this weight loss journey with me. One absolutely awesome woman did an entire blog about how we are God’s gift to this world and to others and how we should treat ourselves like that. See…that was Him again make sure I got the first hint.

Then by the afternoon I realized I had a new reader from South Korea. WoooHoo! I had to change the map to show the city dots just so I could see that little dot all the way to the right. And to be honest (my father would be so disappointed) I had no idea where South Korea was on the map.

I love all my readers! Thank you! I really do hope that I provide you with something each day. You are a gift to me and I hope I am the same for you!

100th Post

I sat of awhile on this post. I even wrote other posts and scheduled them for later in the week. I wanted my 100^th post to mean something, to give you something besides details on my life. I wanted to teach, I wanted to help this is what has been really weighing on me this week. I know that all my blogs and vlogs help someone in some way either by giving them a laugh or helping them see that they too can share their life with people.

Last night I sat at the kitchen table completing my Beth Moore bible study for this morning’s class and this verse popped out at me.

²² Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. ²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:22-33 NIV 

 I know it may mean nothing to you now, but it means something to me. My hope is that there is at least one person who is reading this that it touches. If that occurs that writing this blog was worth it.

Just so you know that beautiful picture was taken by my ohhh so talented future father in-law. It is one of my favorites. I did the “ask for forgives not for permission” when I searched this picture out and snagged it…sorry. Did I even tell ya’ll that I was marrying into an extremely talented family? Some days I do not feel worthy and then someday I think…I have talents too.

I really hope that all my readers have a wonderful day and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for getting me here, to my 100^th post.

Thank you Thank you Thank you!

Wow

That is really all I can say besides, Thank You!

Can you believe that I had over 200 individual visits to my blog this month? I can’t!

And look at this!

Yeap! That is USA, Canada, Malaysia, United Kingdom, Brazil and Australia! Oh MY GOODNESS! That is so awesome! Thank you!

So, I am coming up on my 100^th blog entry this week…kind of crazy to think about. I was wondering…is there anything that you want to know?

Come on…don’t be shy…I know some of you read me often. I would love to know what all you little dots want to know and really want to know what the BIG dot up in the Northern Part of the U.S. would like to know. I am an open girl…I don’t mind sharing (well may not mind…I do have some limits).

So, give it a shot! Leave me a comment below (in this blog) you don’t even have to tell me who you are. Then I will either answer in a written blog, or just maybe a Video Blog (oooohhhhhh).

Again, thank you! Even if you spent 2 minutes on here it means the world to me!

Thank You for Reading Me!

Over the past couple of days I have been overwhelmed with the realization that people actually read my blog. I know I sound stupid, but I think it is awesome! I love getting comments from reader and from friends that I didn’t know read my blog.

Also love getting my reports from Google Analytics and seeing all the little dots of readers I have in the United States.

You should have heard the squeal I let out when I saw I was being read in the United Kingdom! That is so AWESOME!

Then a bigger squeal when I had a reader appear in Australia!  

So I wanted to “shout out” to my readers in Texas, Wyoming, Utah, Georgia, Oklahoma, California, Ohio, Arizona, Louisiana and Florida along with Canada, United Kingdom, and Australia. Thank you Thank you Thank you for taking time to read my blog!

And one special shout out to my x-husband. Woohoo! Shout out to you! You found my blog…Yeah! I am so glad that you had the time to read through the past two years of entries! Now that you have done that and thrown your fit I get to have a lovely little disclosure that says…

Some names (and faces) have been change to protect (not sure why) identity.

Woohoo! It sounds so TV Crime Show-ish! So readers, let me introduce you to Gweedo, my x-husband. Here he is pictured with his wife Mill.

Sorry…I know for my readers that this is a little dramatic, but I have to say my x-husband provides a weekly source of comedy in my life and that comedy is something I deal with therefore I choose to blog about it.