Called to Fast

 Last night after a much needed night out with friends at Myler park barbequing, playing Frisbee, and spending quality time discussing our weeks and our plans for the 4th of July. We rushed home to get things in order for my parents who were coming the next day! An with all my stress of getting the house cleaned I misplaced what I would call my life line, my personal hand held planner, my bible search engine, alarm clock and my connection to the world! Yes my cell phone is all these things to me! So you can imagine my frustration! I frantically searched everywhere! Retraced my steps more times then I count and no where did I find my cell phone! When it hit me something my husband said to me the other day and I quote "Honey don't you think you need a break from your phone." The worst part about this statement is, it was and is true and at that exact moment I didn't even acknowledge what he had to say. Then I thought perhaps this is God's way of saying to me " Denae you need a break, take time for yourself and to spend quality time with me, take this time to fast" As much as I hated being wrong at the same time I knew it was the right thing to do. So here I am twittering my thumbs. An trying not to argue with the big man upstairs. So instead of relying on my phone I'm taking this time to rely on God because When we do, we can experience increased intimacy with him and close communion with Christ.  An he will bless and reward us when we obey Him and break the devil's chains of addiction. 

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.

Dead Heading at its finest

 This morning on my way to work I noticed my newly planted flower garden was starting to look like it need some serious tender loving care and I remember what my mom had taught me growing up. She is famous for growing wonderful and colorful perennials. In fact, her gardens boasts with an array of color from the first hint of spring until late fall.

An the secret to her green-thumb was all about “dead-heading.” Helping the plants thrive!
I remember every year our family would go out with our wheel barrow and my mom and dad would have these huge machetes to cut all the brown in the garden!  While I was down on my hands and knees plucking each deceased bloom. Its this that taught me a lot growing up.

Here is how it is done: As soon as any beautiful blooms begin to whither, fade, or turn brown, they must be removed. I’ve discovered that this is a tedious, never-ending task. Just when I think I have removed every dried up blossom, the next day a dozen more appear. But if I want my flowers to keep blossoming, I have to dead-head daily because the deceased blooms sap nutrition and strength from the core of the plant. They rob the flowers of energy that could be used for new growth. However, if the dead weight is properly plucked, the stems will give gorgeous petals throughout the entire season.

As I pluck the heads of my flowers, I am reminded of my life with Christ. There are places in my heart, thoughts in my mind, and actions in me that all stem from bad attitudes. As I'm sure a lot of you struggle with. An they are nothing but dead weight to my spiritual life. Often these deep-rooted thought patterns. Such as doubt,fear, grudges, or current conflicts that threaten to choke our growth and prevent us from displaying the splendor God intends for us to show. 

We start our day hopeful yet as the day goes on our own self-doubts or judgments of others often take root in negative thoughts and counterproductive actions that not only have the potential to ruin our day, but also affect those around us. However, if we are intentional in nipping these at their first appearance, we will be more likely to experience new growth in our walk with Christ and health in our relationships.

Dwelling on scripture is a great way to blossom us, rather than drains us. It is spiritual dead-heading at its finest. An all he asks us to do is wait patiently and watch the beautiful blooms begin to appear.

thanks to my beautiful mother for teaching me this amazing lesson! 

Blessed and highly Favored!

Do you ever just have one of those days when for no particular reason you just can't seem to shake the feeling of complete and utter joy! Times like these make me see the world in a whole different light! On a normal day I would probably end up fussing that I woke up 30 minutes late or for the fact that the wind is having an on going battle with my hair! But today I feel blessed! Blessed that I got an extra half hour of sleep! An despite my messy hair, I get to take a deep breathe and feel refreshed with the breeze on my face!! See how easy it is to just expect what were handed and be blessed at the outcome!

The Birdie told me so!

It absolutely amazes me how God has this incredible way of revealing exactly what we need when we need it! Do you ever feel completely lost? At that fork in the road and all you want to do is fall on your knees and cry out to him! I'm sure we've all been there! I know I have a more than a couple times! It just seems to me that the closer we draw to him the more he provides! How cool is that we get to spend quality time with him as well as soaking up everything he has to offer us all because of his undeniable love for us!

Its funny how the closer I get to him the more of myself is revealed. I mean seriously, who better to teach you then the one person who knows you best! Who knows the exact hairs on your head! What an unreal thought! 


An the amazing opportunities he has for us! Despite any ups and downs and winding turns that we may face. This Journey that were all apart of is truly a blessing from God. Recently Ive taken a step back to look at myself and see where God was leading me! An in doing this I realized i am at this point in my life were I feel stationary! This is funny to me because when I was younger I thought I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my life! I thought I knew it all! But I didn't take in to consideration what he wanted for me! Isn't that funny how that works! He was probably looking down at me and saying "Man Denae I have so much in store for you, you just wait and see."  An you know what... I finally see it!  God has revealed himself to me in a whole new light! 

Now its time to truly see everything he has in store. An as frightening as this may be I know that he is that little bird on my shoulder expressing all his concern, leading me in the right direction, paving the path for me! 

Vedauwoo!!!

Experiencing all God has created at Vedauwoo! This amazing national forest is truly a gift from the creator himself! Exploring the backwoods of Wyoming! Literally took our breathe away! I don't know how many times my husband and I would stop just to take it all in. At an altitude of 8,000 ft I was so close to the sky I could almost touch heaven!

The devils playground! An don't be fooled by the name! This really is a sight to see!  

 The view!!!

Letter from God!

You dont have to be clever to please me. All you have to do is to want to love me! Just speak to me as you would to anyone of whom you are fond of! What is it that you want today? Tell me, for I long to do you good. What are your plans? Tell me about them? Is there anyone you want to please? What do you want for them?Tell me about the poor, the sick, and the sinners; and if you have lost the friendship or affection of anyone, tell me about that, too. Who has caused you pain? Tell me about it and tell me that you will forget and I will bless you! Are there any people you want to pray for? Say their names to me and ask of me as much as you like. I am generous and know all their needs, but I want you to show your love for them and for me by trusting me to what I know is best! Is there anything you want in your heart that would make you a finer person? If you like you may write out a list of all your needs and come and read it to me. Tell me about your pride, your touchiness, and self-centeredness, meaness, and laziness. Dont be ashamed. There are many saints in heaven who had the same faults as you- they prayed to me and little by little their faults are corrected. Don't hesitate to ask me for blessings for the body and mind- for health, memory, success. I can give everything needed to make you a person holier and I always do! Tell me about your failures, and I will show you the cause of them. What are your worries? Are you afraid of anything? Have you any tormenting and unreasonable fears? Do trust yourself to me. I am here. I see everything? I will not leave you. Have you no joys to tell me about? Why do you not share your happiness with me? Tell me what has happened since yesterday to cheer and comfort you. Whatever it was, however big, however small, just thank me and then I will know you are grateful. And do you want to do something for me? Would you speak in my behalf to those who perhaps have forgotten me? Well, go along now, Get on with your work. Try to be quieter, humbler, more submissive, kinder, and come back soon, bring me a more devoted heart. Tomorrow I shall have more blessings for you!

We will be Fishers of Men!

When I was younger every year I looked forward to the first week of summer! The day when my dad and I would register for the annual  fishing tournament and pray for The biggest walleye or in my case the biggest bass! These last couple years I took for granted our fishing trips. Not wanting to get up at the break of dawn, and finding other things to occupy my time! Now I see just how naive I really was! Today my dad is fishing in the tournament and I find myself wishing I lived close enough to join him in the success of winning the tournament!! 

Genesis 1:22
Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

Home is where the Airforce sends us!

Seems to me that after these last few months of traveling, moving, and living off fast food and staying hotel to hotel, a little stability was all I could ask for! An as soon as we arrived to Cheyenne! Things seemed to calm down and go pretty smoothly! That is for picking up and moving cross country! All and all it didn't take long before we were signing papers and moving into our first REAL home! No more apartment living!! Good bye second story walk up! Hello 2 story house!! All and all moving in didn't seem to be all that bad once our furniture arrived it only took one full day and we were officially settled in and ready to jump right in to our new lives! An took time to experience life that we had never seen!

Antelope and her new born baby antes!

Once settled in we started our exploration of the "vast" city of Cheyenne that we would soon know to love! Starting with things we love to do! Didn't take us long to find the best coffee in town at Dazbogs, A great place to take puppy girl for a run at Lions Park, and most importantly an amazing church to worship our heavenly father at Element Church! After one month of attending God opened up some amazing doors! Through a small group and a job opening on staff as the pastoral assistant! Where I am now working full time and loving it!
I truly am Blessed and highly favored!

Galatians 6:4
Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life.

From one place to another!

Since you last heard from me a lot has changed! We have left Biloxi, Mississippi and Tanners Training days are now over as he graduated from Tech School. Thank goodness this time in our life has come and gone! With that Tanner got to sew on his Occupational Badge and wear it with honor spending the last year of his life slaving under the guidance of the MTLS at Keesler Air force base!
The packers and movers have came and went with all of our belongings and memorabilia from living in the south. As well as everything that filled our little 900 square foot apartment! As of now our life is waiting for us in a storage unit in Cheyenne Wyoming waiting patiently for us to arrive to what we will soon call our new home. But not until our little detour or as most would call it a major detour. We started out our trip driving the short distance of around 800 miles from what we use to call a home in Biloxi to a hotel awaiting us in Nashville! Spending enough time in the country music capital for us to catch up on rest and continue on our journey north up to Michigan for Tanner to do recruiters assistance and to see all of our friends and family! After a good 10 hour car ride the following day, we finally settled in at my parents home with a nice home cooked meal and 12 days of nothing but pure exhaustion! Tanner and I quickly noticed that being home was not much of a vacation and entailed a lot more stress than we ever intended! But none the less we saw everyone and had a great time. On the 12th day of our stay we said our good byes and headed south again! Although this time our trip was a total of 24 hours and long boring roads with no scenery. The first day we made it over half way and stayed in a hotel in bourbon, Missouri. Which is where I assume bourbon was made. The second days trip was not as gruesome but the farther south we got the hotter it got and the more we were ready to end our drive. Full speed ahead toward the lone star state we stopped once more staying another night on the road with family in Dallas. This made the trip a lot more bearable. Being able to relax and have good conversation with people we don't often see. The last leg of the trip put us only 5 hours out from our destination in Seguin, Texas. And all that much closer to seeing the in laws. Where Tanners dad put him right to work installing doors, and tiling there back porch. Luckily my husband is a machine and loves to work with his hands and doesn't tire all that easily. Tomorrow will be our last day spent here at his folks house where we will then head north and spend a couple more nights on the road and finally finish off our trip in what we will soon call our new home at FE Warren Air force Base.

R..remember E..everyone D...deployed!!!

As a Company, Southwest Airlines is going to support 'Red Fridays.'
Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed One of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen.
Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their ABU's. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering.
When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and Cheered for, it hit me. I'm not alone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.

Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal.

Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our Service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi...'

The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her...

The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.

The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up.

When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second... Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it..

After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney, bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'

The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event.

As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.

We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.

RED FRIDAYS ----- Very soon, you will see a great many people wearing red every Friday. The reason? Americans who support our troops used to be called the 'silent majority'. We are no longer silent, and are voicing our love for God, country and home in record breaking numbers.

Our idea of showing solidarity and support for our troops with dignity and respect starts this Friday - and continues each and every Friday until the troops all come home, sending a deafening message that.. Every red-blooded American who supports our men and women afar will wear something red.

If every one of us who loves this country will share this with acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family. It will not be long before the USA is covered in RED.
The first thing a soldier says when asked 'What can we do to make things better for you?' is.....We need your support and your prayers.

This makes me so proud!!! I'll proudly be wearing RED!!!

when in the south cook as the southerners cook!

Paula Deans Seafood Gumbo
Ingredients

• 3 large boneless skinless chicken breast halves
• Salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic minced
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 3 stalks celery chopped
• 1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
• 1/4 bunch flat leaf parsley, stems and leaves, coarsely chopped, plus chopped leaves for garnish
• 4 cups hot water
• 5 beef bouillon cubes
• 1 (14-ounce can) stewed tomatoes with juice
• 2 cups frozen sliced okra
• 4 green onions, sliced, white and green parts
• 1/2 pound small shrimp, peeled, deveined and cooked

Directions

Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy bottomed dutch oven over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken until browned on both sides and remove. Add the sausage and cook until browned, then remove. Sprinkle the flour over the oil, add 2 tablespoons of margarine and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until brown, about 10 minutes. Let cool.

Return the Dutch oven to low heat and melt the remaining 3 tablespoons margarine. Add the onion, garlic, green pepper and celery and cook for 10 minutes. Add Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper, to taste and the 1/4 bunch parsley. Cook, while stirring frequently, for 10 minutes. Add 4 cups hot water and bouillon cubes, whisking constantly. Add the chicken and sausage. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Add tomatoes and okra. Cover and simmer for 1 hour. Just before serving add the green onions, shrimp and chopped parsley.

It's Farewell Season

 Tanner and I moved into our very first love nest in september 2010 and now 7 months later we are faced with another move.  Feels like just yesterday I was unpacking and settling in making a home for hubby and I. Now to start the process all over. Trying to find the best way to schedule whats left of our time here at keelser and organize for the big move to F.E. Warren, Wy!

Living room

Living room

Kitchen

Dinning room for 2!

Bedroom

Time flys bye...

One year ago from yesterday on March 9th, my husband and I said are very first good bye and as much as I hated sending him off to what he would soon consider to be the most awful experience of his life, i knew it had to be done. Two months later he graduated basic military training and I can not express the level of pride I felt when I first saw him in his ABU's. Although now that I see him everyday in uniform I realize just how much I take for  it all granite. Who knew when we decided to make the leap into the air force and yes it was a leap, who knew all the good byes that were to follow. Seems that with every week that goes by I have to take another leap of faith to say good bye to all of the amazing people I have met, friends who i now consider family.