momentary gifts...

Read this amazing blog to be reminded of the steadfast love of our God...

This inspiring couple married this past Saturday!

photo by Lydia Jane Photography

This quote by John Piper was read at their wedding:

Marriage is not mainly about prospering economically; it is mainly about displaying the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church. Knowing Christ is more important than making a living. Treasuring Christ is more important than bearing children. Being united to Christ by faith is a greater source of material success than perfect sex and double-income prosperity.

So it is with marriage. It is a momentary gift. It may last a lifetime, or it may be snatched away on the honeymoon. Either way, it is short. It may have many bright days, or it may be covered with clouds. If we make secondary things primary, we will be embittered at the sorrows we must face. But if we set our face to make of marriage mainly what God designed it to be, no sorrows and no calamities can stand in our way. Every one of them will be, not an obstacle to success, but a way to succeed. The beauty of the covenant-keeping love between Christ and his church shines brightest when nothing but Christ can sustain it.

the "letting go" moment...

Last night.... yeah.... last night....

the beginning was not very pleasant to say the least...

my dear mother in law came to pick up barrett before i left for work until ray got off. i was holding it together until they left with my sweet boy... then some MAJOR tears followed...

i called my mom so upset. i have never felt like i felt last night. my heart was so lost without my boy. i finally gathered it enough to get to work and get report. it was good to see my sweet friends from work, who are very encouraging during this season! once barrett was at home with his daddy taking his bottle & falling asleep my heart was much calmer. ray sent me a sweet picture text of the baby resting with his bottle. the baby slept all night and things went great! i realized while talking to my mom tonight that the hardest part was LETTING GO. it was the first time that i had to let go of the control that i have everyday with him. it was hard, to say the least. but ultimately my precious baby belongs to the lord... mom reminded me tonight that there will always be "letting go" moments as barrett gets older... the first time at school, the first overnight party, the first week long camp, the first etc, etc... its true... and i might as well just get over it and trust the lord :) mom reminded me that the tears are ok too as long as my gaze is still fixed on jesus "the author and perfecter of my faith."

2 nights ago barrett slept in his crib for the first time (yeah, i know... i love having my little guy in the room with us). as i laid in bed fighting all my fears i was reminded of the scripture that "god never slumbers or sleeps." i had a beautiful picture of barrett resting in his crib with jesus right next to him... his father who never tires, sleeps, gets weary...but lovingly watches over my son through the night.

so last night i just had a MOMENT... hehe... a moment of realizing that barrett was going to be fine without me. that was hard to realize, hard to be ok with. he has a loving grandma and dad that took wonderful care of him... but more importably he has a loving father in heaven that watches over him every second of every day.... he never slumbers or sleeps!

but this morning was a different "moment" in my life that i will never forget... as i pulled into the driveway... barrett in his pj's and daddy walking around the neighborhood holding him! so cute and happy! as i walked up to my boy... all it took was one look into those sweet big blue eyes and he smiled the biggest grin at me! it was such a sweet moment! so... the hard moments of learning to trust my heavenly father with barrett are not so bad when they are followed up by the big grin of my sweet boy... and the sovereign smile of my heavenly father! he knows what's best for us... and i KNOW and BELIEVE its GOOD!

and now my little guy is all cuddled up in my arms...

my god is good & always trustworthy!

Just a quick update....had to document my first week back to work!!

* Monday... work out, quiet time, peaceful day preparing for working on Tuesday... packing diaper bags, pumping milk, trying on scrubs, writing out directions for daddy & gigi, visiting GiGi at the office to see where she and Barrett will spend most of their time, just living it up with my little guy, baby to bed, crying before bed because I was sad to leave Barrett for so many hours tomorrow, dinner with my raybo, then to bed early!

*Tuesday... up bright and early, going through the lists in my mind, kissing my boys about 20 million times, driving to work after 3 months and praying, working steadily all day, pumping x 3, catching up with my nurse friends, getting picture texts from GiGi, remembering how to chart, racing to get my boy... who looked much bigger after 14 hours, listening to all the things that he did GiGi all day, heading home to see my other boy, putting Barrett to bed, eating dinner at 9:30 pm, and finally hitting the hay! I must say that I totally felt uplifted with prayers throughout my day! Thank you to everyone that prayed for our family... God heard your prayers and His grace carried us in tender ways!

*Wednesday... leisurely morning with my precious boy, i think i just stared at him the whole morning, Aunt Kates came over for some "mommy helper" time, got the house straightened, laundry started, grabbed frozen yogurt (YUM), caregroup dinner and sweet fellowship, ray worked late again, baby to bed, whew!

* Thursday... ray was off, restful morning just hangin as a family, made breakfast, off to the Y pool, nap, off to integrity softball game, chatted with friends, enjoyed the night air, uncle kyle spent the night, baby to bed, whew!

* Friday... woke up to a happy baby cooung (which honestly is just about every morning!!), baby's morning nap, mommy cleaned and of coarse had to catch up on facebook (ha), bath-time, chiropractor, goodwill, chatting with one of besties, lunch with a friend and her son, calm evening, ray's working late AGAIN, and i'm learning to be content....

* Tonight... marks my first night shift... so i would appreciate any prayers before you go to bed! :) pray specifically for ray and barrett's first night together! i know they will do GREAT! Ray is excited about some "guy time." haha :) love my boys and feeling wave upon wave of grace!

Philippians 4:11-13

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

12 weeks & soaking it up!!

Soaking up every second with my little guy before I go back to work in the morning!

Can't believe how quickly 12 weeks has passed!

Oh, I just LOVE him!!

first, the wall...

After a visit from a dear friend, my mind is racing with new ideas for my house...

My friend Carol from Charlottesville is more than a friend... she is a sister in the Lord that has encouraged me through many seasons of my life all the while herself battling cancer. She has cancer and her son, Chris, just finished treatment for leukemia. I have never know a family that lives each day full of the hope of Christ! They took me into their beautiful home in Charlottesville during the summer before my senior year of college. I was doing an internship at UVA hospital and they graciously opened their home to me! The rest is history... I became part of the family and they each hold a very special place in my heart. Not only is Carol one of the strongest people I have met, she is wonderfully creative and has many unique and cheap ideas for decorating homes. Other than the kitchen, baby room, and guest room the rest of the house is in dire need of some creativity and fun :) So, I am planning to take a little project each month (or so) and work on it when the baby naps or during "mommy helper" time, etc. The idea of learning how to decorate my house has gotten me excited... seeming that I usually get overwhelmed at the thought of doing a new project. I am loving my little townhouse though... its our home and I want it to be full of fun!!

We have a very large wall in the living room of our house. I wasn't sure what would actually look good on the wall seeming that it is huge! Carol had a sweet idea... and here's what my latest project will be (after I start getting my paycheck of coarse! haha).

Fabric Panel Wall Art!

Who knows how long this will take me to accomplish with a little baby in the house... but I am excited to at least start working on our home...

Thanks Carol for awesome ideas! You are such a precious friend to me!!

..... more interior decorating ideas coming your way in the months to come, thanks to Carol :)

trust

Sitting here tonight... just thinking...

I have done alot of thinking today...

Baby talk and thinking :)

As work begins to draw closer and closer with each day my heart has started getting a little more anxious with each day. Questions have been rising in my mind... I haven't worked for 3 months, will I still remember everything? How will this crazy schedule work with day and night shifts? Will Barrett forget about me? Can I really handle this? So.... I have been sifting through my false anxieties and God's faithful promises all day. God has reminded me that... I have been a nurse for 3 years and yes, I will remember everything. We have planned strategically to provide the best schedule for all of us, but we can always make changes once things get going. And no, Barrett will not forget me, I'm his mom! (plus I've got his food.... hehe) And yes, I can handle this because this is what God has called me to for this season in our lives. I was called to help serve my husband and right now this is one of the ways that I can help take some of the load off of him. It all boils down to me trusting God... What's new?? I think that trusting God is something that we're always having to work towards. There are times when I trust God more, but never a time when I say, "I have finally reached the point where I always trust God in every situation." I have to continually ask Him to help me to trust Him. I have to meditate on His promises and battle the anxieties that battle for my mind. So, praise God for his faithful promises! I know that I can handle anything because I have Christ in me. So, whatever He calls me to do, He will be faithful to equip me with all I need to complete the task. And... its only for a season :)

I was also thinking about how quickly time has passed. I had some dear friends come to visit last night and it brought back many memories of where I was a few years ago. To see the way that God has walked with me through so many changes is overwhelming. Remembering the different places and seasons God has taken me through reminds me that He has never left me. He always carries me through :) This year has so quickly passed... thinking about how I will never have another bridal shower, wedding day, or birth of my first born. It is just crazy how this year has flown by. Believe it or not, my little boy will be 3 months on Saturday. Yeah, crazy! I was feeling sort of down thinking about all the things that are over and will never happen again... but then I was quickly brought to a place of looking ahead...

I started to get excited about all the anniversaries I will share with Ray, all the family vacations, the milestones of Barrett walking and talking, and his first birthday, and even the other children that we will one day have.

Over the span of my 25 years of life, one of the hardest things for me is change... and well, now that I look back I see that I have come a long way!! :) There has been ALOT of changes in my life... heartbreaks, new jobs, college, moving, friendship challenges, disappointments, marriage, pregnancy, death, birth, etc. All of this in my short life... I know that I would not be where I am today if I had not gone through all that I have gone through. I would not know the Lord as I know Him now... to be the one constant in my life. A dear friend reminded me tonight that GOD NEVER CHANGES! What truth!

So in all this thinking today, I am going to go to bed tonight encouraged in my thoughts... remembering the God that I know and trust. One of our pastors reminded Ray and I last week... GOD IS FOR YOU! Sometimes I feel like I think of God as putting as much on us as we can handle before He just crushes us. Well, I know this isn't true, but sometimes life just feels this way. But for tonight, God has won the battle in my mind and I am TRUSTING HIM! He is good... and is completely trustworthy...

good night

new DECK!!

Our beautiful deck...

David, Ray's dad has graciously made the wood for a deck in our little backyard.

He has been building it himself every night this week.

Ray and I are overwhelmed that he would do this for us!

So... with hearts full of gratitude we are super excited as each day get closer to our sweet deck being finished!!

Can't wait to hear the pitter patter of my little boys feet running around on the deck one day! :)

Thanks you Dad David for how you have blessed us!

You hold a very special place in all 3 of our hearts!

And thank you Mama Sharay for letting him stay out late to finish the deck and for all the yummy dinners you have brought over this week!

And to Kyle, Grandma Hunt, & Duane Dudley for graciously helping!!

We are forever grateful for you!

Love you!!

My Dearest

I saw this quote on Girl Talk Blog... and it was just what I needed to read :)

When I have learnt to love God better than my earthly dearest, I shall love my earthly dearest better than I do now.

Insofar as I learn to love my earthly dearest at the expense of God and instead of God, I shall be moving towards the state in which I shall not love my earthly dearest at all.

When first things are put first, second things are not suppressed but increased. 
~ C. S. Lewis,Letters of C.S. Lewis (8 November, 1952)

Florida, Family, & Fab-u-lous!

Hunt/Grete Family Reunion

Niceville, Florida

Barrett waiting for his first plane ride!

He did amazing! No crying... slept and cooed :)

I am so proud of him!!

Finally arrived!

Barrett meeting his little cousin Sutton!

Fist pump baby! :)

Eating lollipops together at the beach.

Florida beach!

blue water, white sand!

beautiful!

Special swim time with daddy and Barrett

SIGNS!

So many sweet kids!

Hmmm.. time for some rest with Auntie Ferf

Aunt Trinky (PopPop Hunt's sister) with Sutton

GiGi and Barrett time!

We had withdrawls when we got back from seeing GiGi every morning :)

Gorgeous dock where we stayed!

Time with Auntie Kates!!!

Worship time with the family!

Baby Barrett laughed for the first time!

Yeah!!

Learned how to shoot!

haha! I was scared!

Date Night with the new married couples!

Dinner at Outback and a Movie

The Fam :)

Barrett and Sutton holding hands

As I think back over our time in Florida I am overwhelmed with gratefulness...

To think that an entire family is all believers... having devotions each night, singing worship music, encouraging one another in the Lord... wow! What a blessing!

What a sweet time of fellowship, laughter, and precious memories!

I am so thankful to be a part of such a dear family! Can't wait to make more

memories and spend more time these sweet families!

God is good!

On Saturday Barrett and I drove to Richmond to see my family. Ray had work so I headed down the road with my little guy. My sis is leaving for college in Tennessee in a few days, so we wanted to give her a chance to give Barrett a few kisses since she won't see him until Thanksgiving most likely. :( Once I got into Richmond I got lost... scary... and Barrett woke up and started screaming...and I ended up at a toll booth that you had to have exact change at! I was loosing it! I was in tears trying to search for coins in my car... which I eventually found... despite the people blaring their horns behind me! Mind you, Barrett is still screaming!! I finally see a little lady getting things out of her car. I got out and asked directions. She was so sweet and gave me perfect directions and I eventually made it. I must say that was a moment of major sanctification! ha! :)

It was sweet to see my family love on my son :) They were talking about all the new things he is doing, how big he has gotten, and just how cute he is :) My sis held him just about the whole time. Even when he fell asleep she didn't want to put him in his stroller. He is loved more than he even knows... and I am grateful.

On the way home, my sweet son decides to again start crying :( I pulled over twice, but then just decided to let him cry and get home. I think that I will wait a little longer before I take another trip without Ray. It would have been nice to have a second pair of hands. All in all we made it home, and my family was grateful for the time they got with him.

On another note, I go back to work 2 weeks from today! Yikes! How quickly time has passed! I am starting to get things together for how the schedule will look once I go back. I know that God is going to give much grace as we walk through this season :) I talked with my dear mother in law, Sharay, this morning and she was headed to get a car seat, diapers, wipes, etc for when she starts baby-sitting him :) I am so thankful for her love for Barrett and her heart to serve our family in this season. I know that she is so busy herself, but to see how excited she is about having him 1-2 days a week is so sweet! Ray is excited (i think) about having "boy time" with Barrett on the night shifts that I work. I am excited to see the special bonds that form.

I am actually feeling more and more ready to go back to work myself though. I know that many people have different opinions about moms working, but I am confident that this is what God has for us at this time. I am preparing myself for the first few time I leave him for 12 hours... but I know that it will get easier with time. I see how well he does with Sharay and how attentive she is to his needs... and that helps me to feel more peaceful. I am excited to see my friends from work and to catch up on their lives! I am ready to see the Lord use me in the lives of my patients again. Someone told us recently, GOD IS FOR YOU... and that is what I put my trust in! :)

Yesterday was amazing... I called Aunt Kates (Ray's sis) to come over and play with Barrett while I get a few things done! Well, Katelyn brought 2 of her friends... they helped me clean, straighten, dust, vacuum, and hang out with the baby! It was the most I have gotten done since before I was preggo! Thank you sweet girls for your servants heart! :)

Lately I have been feeling like its Christmas every morning.. because.... my dear father in law made wood for our deck... and they are building the deck this week! It is beautiful! I am overwhelmed at his generosity! I can't wait to have a place to sit and let Barrett play outside! :) I will post some pics of the deck soon!!

Well, I guess I better get some things done before my little one wakes up! Ahhh, the life of a mommy :) I LOVE it!