There's been a theme in what I think the Lord is trying to teach me right now. I've really been thinking about what it means to be filled with the Spirit. It started with a study my small group began last fall focusing on what it means to be living your life in Christ, and how to be a Spirit Filled follower of Jesus. The more we get into it I'm realizing how selfish my life has been over the past....well.....25 years. It's really not so much about me and my life, as it is about God's plan and how my life can help carry out that plan. I know, not rocket science, but still something that's hard for me to remember on a daily basis when my wants and needs seem so important.
So, the verse that's been changing my thoughts lately is Ephesians 5:18 "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit." The Baptist raised brain in my head has always read that verse and heard..." don't get drunk because it's wrong" Haha, typical right? I know that it's wrong, and I agree that it's wrong, but all this time I've been missing the point in this passage. There's a second half, with some heavy instruction.
Something else that's been stuck in my mind lately is a phrase our pastor said one Sunday morning last fall. He says "As Christians, lets not let it be so much about what we're against but rather what we're for, which are the things of the Lord." When I live my life focused on trying to do things that God likes as opposed to avoiding the things he doesn't, it feels less like a set of rules to follow, and I'm excited to make the right choices because I feel like I'm making progress and pleasing the Lord. I'm a glass half full kinda gal, so when we can focus on the positive I like that.
So, when the second part of Ephesians 5:18 gives me a DO instruction rather than a DONT instruction, I like that. "but be filled with the Spirit."
So, my goal lately has been to be wasted and drunk with the Holy Spirit. I want to focus on God's plan so intently that come decision/action time there's not even a thought about choosing wrong or right. If I'm filling my mind with the things that God loves, then the actions that He loves should just pour out of me without thought!
Have you seen the movie Julie & Julia? If not, come over ASAP and we'll watch it (then we'll register for Culinary classes together). It's about a twenty something named Julie Powell living in NYC who decides to attempt every recipe in Julia Child's infamous
Mastering the Art of French Cooking over the course of one year. She finds that she really admires the way Julia Child lived her life, and writes on her blog that she feels like a better person when she's under the influence of Julia Child. When the recipes get difficult and things become messy Julie has a meltdown (or two) and a big fight ensues with her husband during which she locks herself in the bathroom crying hysterically. Before storming out, her husband exclaims "You are so NOT under the influence of Julia Child right now!" OUCH. She realizes that she was being selfish, and writes a blog post about how wrong she'd been, how her husband was right, and that she wasn't acting in a way that would do Julia Child proud.
I'm Julie Powell. I pretty much constantly act in a way that doesn't make God proud. I guess it's because I'm human and I freak out when life gets hard, but I'm starting to realize how silly it makes me look. And also how little glory it brings to God. So, I'm working on being controlled by the Spirit. Not controlled by myself.
Like I said, I know, not rocket science. But knowing this and acting it are two different things. It's time to close the gap between knowing and doing. Ramblings I know, thanks for listening..err....reading.
Willow really loves the boat, she lives to sit on the front deck and feel the wind in her fur!
My parents left Saturday afternoon so my dad could prepare for his flight to Ohio the next day, so it was just us girls on the boat that night. I decided pretty quickly that although I felt safe there I didn't enjoy being there as much without my parents! We had some fun girl time making dinner and watching a beautiful lake sunset! Later we sat up on top of the boat with blankets to watch night life on the lake, but it's pretty quiet this time of year so we headed to be pretty quickly. 
We left the boat at 5:30 AM to head downtown Austin because my sister in law Gina was running the Austin Marathon and we wanted to be there early to cheer her on! I got to watch Gina run her first marathon almost two years ago, and I was so proud and inspired by her that I couldn't miss watching her do it again! We met her several places along the course with signs, cowbells, and one super cute baby cheerleader to cheer and encourage her as she ran the race! She was so positive and had a big smile each time we saw her!
Here's Gina somewhere near mile 15, doing great! She had some foot problems the week before the race and we all prayed God would heal her feet for the race, which He did! Praise Jesus!
Here's our cheering squad, me with Ava (rocking the Run Mommy Run shirt and a Team Mommy jacket I made her)! This girl is the cutest motivation we could have brought! I also brought along some posters and we whipped out the cowbells from her Big D marathon in 2008! Here are Gina's parents holding Ava somewhere near mile 10.
Doesn't Ava look so cute with her daddy? Just waiting to cheer for her mommy! She had fun waving each time Gina ran by and just wanted to chase after all the runners! Maybe someday we'll be cheering Ava on in her own race!
And finally we have Gina crossing the finish line after 26.2 miles of running! Looking Good Gina! The finish line was right in front of the state capitol and there was plenty of encouragement. As you can see the finish was lined with support!
I'm so proud of my sister! She's so dedicated to her running and is proof that with determination and discipline you can do anything! I'm now super motivated to get back on track with my 5k program!
After all was said and done we were stuffed and ended up just hanging out and listening to some Mitch Hedberg routines. It was so thoughtful that the guys wanted to treat us to a nice evening and spent so much time cooking and preparing for the evening! 
Above is Brad mid stride down the frozen foods aisle, and below we have mom in full length furry hooded coat hunting down an assortment of Ziploc bags.
Finally I grabbed my last item and headed for the cash register! My heart was pounding with the thrilling thought of the win, and when I reached the front I realized I had achieved my dream! I WAS FIRST!!! And there was no one at the front to congratulate me. This was when I realized that we weren't on the TV show version of Supermarket Sweep, and I probably just embarrased myself and my family racing through the store like a fool on a mission. Oh well, I WON!! Brad showed up shortly after me, with Dad trailing in third and mom coming in a close fourth. It was a good game, excellent effort by all players and I think it may have been my favorite part of the entire workiversary celebration evening. If you've never played this game, quickly find a group of family members or friends and let the games begin! Here's one last shot of the contenders lined up at the finish. Way to go family! 
This weekend my roommate had a baby shower to go to and she made the cutest diaper cake! Just thought I'd share a picture to give another idea to anyone thinking about making one of these. I love the button theme, and think the colors are so cute for a spring baby!
In this second picture you can kind of see the glass eggs that are tucked into the nest. I didn't even know about these when I ordered it because there was only a small picture on the website. I really love them, they're kind of a hidden treasure and I think they're just enough crazy to be fun! Below shows the burlap chandelier cord cover I got to go on the fixture. I just love the entire look! To me it seems a bit whimsical, a bit rustic, and a bit fancy all in one!
