Friday, July 30, 2010
10:19 AM | 
Posted by
Erin
Hi friends!
I admit it. I have been a terrible blogger this week. But it has been one of those weeks.
You know what I am talking about. The kind of weeks where SOMETHING is going on every night after work. I love it like this! I really, really do! It just doesn't leave much time for blogging.
Most of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook already know that I received GOOD NEWS from the doctor's office this week. My pathology report came back normal! I know many of you have been praying for this report. If I could...I would give you all a gigantic hug!!! Thank you!
I love knowing that our blogging community can join in prayer despite being spread across many states and even different countries.
I love knowing that the body of Christ is not limited to geographics or demographics.
If you have a special prayer request, please leave it in the comments {or email it to me at erin(at)erin(dash)brady(dot)com}. If you are going through something or you have a health concern, let us know and we will pray for you, too!!
You know what else I love? Praise reports. Our human nature is so good at focusing on the negative. The glass isn't always half empty! Sometimes, God answers prayers just as He did for me this week. If God has answered a prayer in your life recently, let us know! He blesses us in so many ways...let's praise Him for it!
~~~~~~~
On Tuesday night I did a shoot with my sister-in-law, her husband and their baby boy, Luke. I cannot believe that he is already 9 months old! Where does the time go? I am still working on the pictures but I just wanted to share a couple with you. I am hoping to get several more added to my photography page this weekend.
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
Don't forget to leave prayer requests and praise reports in the comments!!!
I admit it. I have been a terrible blogger this week. But it has been one of those weeks.
You know what I am talking about. The kind of weeks where SOMETHING is going on every night after work. I love it like this! I really, really do! It just doesn't leave much time for blogging.
Most of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook already know that I received GOOD NEWS from the doctor's office this week. My pathology report came back normal! I know many of you have been praying for this report. If I could...I would give you all a gigantic hug!!! Thank you!
I love knowing that our blogging community can join in prayer despite being spread across many states and even different countries.
I love knowing that the body of Christ is not limited to geographics or demographics.
If you have a special prayer request, please leave it in the comments {or email it to me at erin(at)erin(dash)brady(dot)com}. If you are going through something or you have a health concern, let us know and we will pray for you, too!!
You know what else I love? Praise reports. Our human nature is so good at focusing on the negative. The glass isn't always half empty! Sometimes, God answers prayers just as He did for me this week. If God has answered a prayer in your life recently, let us know! He blesses us in so many ways...let's praise Him for it!
~~~~~~~
On Tuesday night I did a shoot with my sister-in-law, her husband and their baby boy, Luke. I cannot believe that he is already 9 months old! Where does the time go? I am still working on the pictures but I just wanted to share a couple with you. I am hoping to get several more added to my photography page this weekend.
In case you didn't know, boys like tractors!
Isn't he adorable?
I hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
Don't forget to leave prayer requests and praise reports in the comments!!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
1:23 PM |
Posted by
Erin
On January 19, 2010, I wrote about my miscarriage.
On May 12, 2010, I wrote about how I thought I was pregnant...but I wasn't.
Yesterday, on July 21, 2010, I had out-patient surgery. It was the surgery that I should have had in January.
Seven months is a long time to be on this roller coaster of knowing that something is not right.
So what's the moral of this story?
If your doctor doesn't hear you when you say that there is something wrong...FIND A NEW DOCTOR. Ladies (and gentlemen), you know your body better than anyone else on this planet. Listen to it. Be persistent.
My doctor apparently found a few polyps (or something...I am not even sure) that he sent off to pathology. This is good because it means that there is a logical explanation to the symptoms that I have been having since January.
I ask for your prayers. Please pray that the pathology report comes back normal. Please pray that the surgery yesterday fixes all that was wrong.
My gut tells me that things will be normal...but still.
Even though all of this could have (and should have) been corrected in January, I know that God had a reason for this to happen. I put my trust in Him.
I am ready for moving on!
On May 12, 2010, I wrote about how I thought I was pregnant...but I wasn't.
Yesterday, on July 21, 2010, I had out-patient surgery. It was the surgery that I should have had in January.
Seven months is a long time to be on this roller coaster of knowing that something is not right.
So what's the moral of this story?
If your doctor doesn't hear you when you say that there is something wrong...FIND A NEW DOCTOR. Ladies (and gentlemen), you know your body better than anyone else on this planet. Listen to it. Be persistent.
My doctor apparently found a few polyps (or something...I am not even sure) that he sent off to pathology. This is good because it means that there is a logical explanation to the symptoms that I have been having since January.
I ask for your prayers. Please pray that the pathology report comes back normal. Please pray that the surgery yesterday fixes all that was wrong.
My gut tells me that things will be normal...but still.
Even though all of this could have (and should have) been corrected in January, I know that God had a reason for this to happen. I put my trust in Him.
I am ready for moving on!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
12:22 PM |
Posted by
Erin
~I realize that we have a choice~
~I choose happiness~
~I especially cherish my nine-year old...because next summer, she won't be nine~
~my husband makes me smile without even trying~
~I love how The Word changes my perspective~
~red velvet cupcakes are...glorious~
~running is a must due to over-consumption of {previously mentioned} cupcakes~
~Running is no longer torture~
~Laughter medicates~
~I understand that there is no substitue for good friends~
~I see that beauty surrounds me even when beauty is not obvious~
~God's love is tangible~
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
3:45 PM |
Posted by
Erin
What do you think?
Didn't Tracey over at Little Bitty Blogs do a FANTASTIC job of designing my site? If you are thinking of giving your blog a makeover, please go visit Tracey. She is good. Really good.
See my tabs across the top? Check out my photography tab. I just posted a few pictures of my friend's family. These pictures were taken the night before her husband deployed. I think her idea of having portraits made the night before he left was SO SMART!
If you think about it, will you pray for my friend and her husband? In fact, we should always hold up our nations' soldiers in prayer. They sacrifice so much for us.
We made it home from vacation but only because we had to. I could live at the beach. I don't understand why my husband won't buy me a beach house. (Could it be the money? Naaaahhhhh.) When we turned onto our road, I closed my eyes and BEGGED him to keep driving.
Alas. Here I am, back in the real world.
It's not so bad.
I feel very refreshed and renewed.
Although I didn't read as much at the beach as I had anticpated, I did re-read Deuteronomy Chapter 6. Which is one of my favorites.
Verses 5-9 say:
That first sentence is a theme in this chapter. The theme continues throughout the Old Testament and makes other appearances in the New Testament. Mark 12:29 specifically refers back to this section when it talks about this being the most important of all the commandments.
The most important of all the commandments is to love the Lord Your God with all your heart.
The most important commandment...
My favorite part of this section from Deuteronomy 6, though, is what Moses says next.
Impress [these commandments] upon your children.
He tells the children of Israel how to accomplish the commandment. Talk about God. Bind it on your foreheads. Write it on the doorframes of your houses.
He tells the children of Israel when to accomplish the commandment. At home and when you are walking. When you lie down and when you get up.
And with that, Moses pretty much covers....everything.
We should impress God upon the hearts of our children when we are home and when we are not home; when we stand and when we sit. We should wear it so that others can see it.
I talk about God to Kelsey. We listen to Christian music. We go to church. We read The Bible together.
But I have a renewed sense of purpose thanks to this verse.
Didn't Tracey over at Little Bitty Blogs do a FANTASTIC job of designing my site? If you are thinking of giving your blog a makeover, please go visit Tracey. She is good. Really good.
See my tabs across the top? Check out my photography tab. I just posted a few pictures of my friend's family. These pictures were taken the night before her husband deployed. I think her idea of having portraits made the night before he left was SO SMART!
If you think about it, will you pray for my friend and her husband? In fact, we should always hold up our nations' soldiers in prayer. They sacrifice so much for us.
We made it home from vacation but only because we had to. I could live at the beach. I don't understand why my husband won't buy me a beach house. (Could it be the money? Naaaahhhhh.) When we turned onto our road, I closed my eyes and BEGGED him to keep driving.
Alas. Here I am, back in the real world.
It's not so bad.
I feel very refreshed and renewed.
Although I didn't read as much at the beach as I had anticpated, I did re-read Deuteronomy Chapter 6. Which is one of my favorites.
Verses 5-9 say:
"Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.(NIV)"
That first sentence is a theme in this chapter. The theme continues throughout the Old Testament and makes other appearances in the New Testament. Mark 12:29 specifically refers back to this section when it talks about this being the most important of all the commandments.
The most important of all the commandments is to love the Lord Your God with all your heart.
The most important commandment...
My favorite part of this section from Deuteronomy 6, though, is what Moses says next.
Impress [these commandments] upon your children.
He tells the children of Israel how to accomplish the commandment. Talk about God. Bind it on your foreheads. Write it on the doorframes of your houses.
He tells the children of Israel when to accomplish the commandment. At home and when you are walking. When you lie down and when you get up.
And with that, Moses pretty much covers....everything.
We should impress God upon the hearts of our children when we are home and when we are not home; when we stand and when we sit. We should wear it so that others can see it.
I talk about God to Kelsey. We listen to Christian music. We go to church. We read The Bible together.
But I have a renewed sense of purpose thanks to this verse.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Would you like to join us as we read through The Bible? Just leave a comment and let me know so that I can link up with your posts. We don't have a schedule. We just read and share what God gives us.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
11:29 PM |
Posted by
Erin
This is the view from our back porch this week.
Which explains my absence. I mean seriously...when the beach is this close to one's bed, the laptop becomes a cruel reminder of the real world.
The world where balancing checkbooks and answering phones and waking up early is the norm.
No...I am leaving that world behind this week.
I would rather make funny faces with my favorite 9-year old. (Do the funny pictures have to be so...unflattering??)
And take random pictures of our toes.
At at the end of every day...thank God for...
creating.
I have been reading Deuteronomy this week, too. This book is Moses' final words to the Israelites before they entered the promised land. He reminds them of how God saved them from Pharaoh and of the miracles that they witnessed and how God always provided for their needs. Moses knew he would not be entering Canaan with the children of Israel due to his reaction to the peoples' unbelief back in Numbers 20. Moses reviewed the 10 Commandments and the laws that God revealed to them over the years. He pleads with the people to obey God and reject idolatry.
That...in itself...is what has stood out to me through the first 8 chapters of Deuteronomy.
40 years is a long time...roughly one entire generation of people. But it is not long enough to forget the miracles that occured in order for the Israelites to be released from Pharoah. Or long enough to forget that God gave them manna to eat every day. Or that he provided water when there was none. For the most part, all of the children of Israel were there and witnessed these amazing events.
They forgot. They waivered in their trust of God. They could not stay focused.
And God still loved them.
In Chapter 4, verse 29-31, Moses says, "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul. When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you, then in later days you will return to the LORD your God and obey him. For the LORD your God is a merciful God; he will not abandon or destroy you or forget the covenant with your forefathers, which he confirmed to them by oath.(NIV)"
Moses is pleading with the Israelites not to forget. He is pleading with them to love their God.
I can't help but think that this same thing is happening today. God is pleading with people. But not in a fire-and-brimstone kind of way.
I think He reminds of what He has done for us.
I think He gently says, "See. When you didn't know how you were going to pay your bills, I provided."
Or He says, "See. When you thought you were alone, I provided someone for you."
Or He says, "See. When you thought I gave up on you, I was really right there the whole time waiting for you to ask me for help."
We witness His participation in our lives all the time. And, like the children of Israel, we forget.
And though it's not Moses, He usually finds a way to remind us.
I pray that I need less and less reminders. I pray that I stay focused on what He has done for me.
***Public Service Announcement: I am working on my blog's design and I am far (far) from being done. Please bear with me as I play with pages and templates. Thank you***
Thursday, July 1, 2010
5:06 PM |
Posted by
Erin
You know that phrase. Well, I have been having fun!
And time? Itsa flyin' by!
You probably remember that I invited all of you to join me in reading through Deuteronomy. Well, I have been reading...just not as fast as I had hoped.
But you know what? It's ok. Reading His word isn't a chore for me and I refuse to feel guilty over my speed.
My friend, Kim, is reading along with us and wrote a great post on her blog yesterday. I would encourage you to go over and read how the first seven chapters of Deuteronomy ministered to her. She really captured some of the things that stood out to me, too. Wow. I was just reminded of (again) of how God never gives up on His children. Never.
So you may be wondering what I have been doing that is just so gosh-darn FUN??
My friend got married!!!
And she asked me to take pictures.
Well, that might be a stretch. She had a "real" photographer but she knew the professional pictures would take a while to get back. I was tasked with providing pictures for immediate enjoyment and for the newspaper announcement.
And I take my taskings very seriously.
How awesome is this hair-piece? If you knew Drew, you would say, "That is SO Drew!!"
Drew and her dad danced to the very upbeat version of "Save the Last Dance for Me," by Michael Bublé. There is nothing better than that twirly-dress feeling.
And time? Itsa flyin' by!
You probably remember that I invited all of you to join me in reading through Deuteronomy. Well, I have been reading...just not as fast as I had hoped.
But you know what? It's ok. Reading His word isn't a chore for me and I refuse to feel guilty over my speed.
My friend, Kim, is reading along with us and wrote a great post on her blog yesterday. I would encourage you to go over and read how the first seven chapters of Deuteronomy ministered to her. She really captured some of the things that stood out to me, too. Wow. I was just reminded of (again) of how God never gives up on His children. Never.
So you may be wondering what I have been doing that is just so gosh-darn FUN??
My friend got married!!!
And she asked me to take pictures.
Well, that might be a stretch. She had a "real" photographer but she knew the professional pictures would take a while to get back. I was tasked with providing pictures for immediate enjoyment and for the newspaper announcement.
And I take my taskings very seriously.
How awesome is this hair-piece? If you knew Drew, you would say, "That is SO Drew!!"
Drew and her dad danced to the very upbeat version of "Save the Last Dance for Me," by Michael Bublé. There is nothing better than that twirly-dress feeling.
Her bouquet was beautiful and smelled....heavenly!
Oh look! It's me (in the center) and my cousins!
There is something seeing a grandfather bent over and dancing with his precious grand daughter that is just heart-warming. Because you know it is uncomfortable for him but the look on her face makes it totally worth it.
I'm a sucker for weddings. I think it's because everyone is so excited for the future; it's a new start. And who doesn't like the chance to dress up every now and again?
I wish Paul and Drew years and years of happiness. I hope they love each other in 20 years as much as they do today. I hope they only fight over silly things like accidentally putting the produce in the wrong drawer in the refrigerator. They will, no doubt, lean heavily on God to direct their path....and He will.
Congrats Friends!!
(Note: if you read in Google Reader, I apologize for the double post. The photos in my initial post were too big on my blog but they looked great in reader.)
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