Warrior Wives

Why do many women complain about their husbands? Is it that they are dissatisfied with life in general (and therefore take it out on their other half), or did they just choose wrong?

I have never understood women who "settle" for a man, and I believe that women who do, aren't allowing God to fully bless and use them to fight for the Kingdom. Many of the wives I have encountered complain about their spouses, and make a big joke out of their dissatisfaction. In those situations, I do try to hold my tongue, however, I usually fail. I have in the past, reminded women that they chose them, and unfortunately, in the marriage mart, there is no room for buyer's remorse (or something paraphrased like that).

I want women to FIGHT for their husbands. I want them to know and fully enjoy a passionate marriage. Choose wisely girls, you're going to be married for a long time. If you wait and allow God to give you His best, you won't be sorry.

Photo Fun

I photographed a wedding in November. Since it was an evening wedding, I promised the bride that we would do a "daytime" shoot as well, just to give some contrast.

My hubby came up with a really amazing concept, and here is the finished product.

And, yes, she really hit him! She was BRUTAL....which might be why I love her so much!

You can check out more pics at www.photosbytrixie.homestead.com

February Blues

It’s the end of February, and I am blue. It’s raining and the wind is blowing, and I’m in my happy place, yet I know that this is short lived and it’s closer to summer than anyone realizes. I don’t want summer to come. Please God, make it not come. Can we please keep winter all year long?

I have a little saying that I say every February, because I’m trying to remind myself that summer is only temporary. Today, I am saying it a lot and out loud. “It’s almost Christmas, it’s almost Christmas”.

If you’re like me, and cherish our winter months, remember that there is always air conditioning, and hopefully everyone has it.

The Power of Feedback

I am an avid Ebayer. I use it all the time. I buy, I sell, I peruse. Well, today, I thought I would go in and clean up my account, leave feedback, and make sure I had paid for everything, etc. While I was checking my account, I decided to have a look at the feedback people had left for me, just for fun. Who would have thought that positive feedback would absolutely make my day? My love language is not words of affirmation, so the fact that I am giddy with excitement that I have no negative feedback, is completely foreign to me.

It got me thinking. How much impact do words actually hold? Is it the words themselves, or the way they are spoken, or is it simply the fact that someone took the time to write them?

I think we forget the power of the spoken word. We have always been taught that sticks and stones will break our bones, but words will never hurt us. Oh, how I wish that were true. I have never been wounded more than when someone says something mean or insensitive, or when someone informs me that I have done the same.

This season, I hope that we can all learn to make positive feedback a daily occurrence and be more aware of the things we say. It is the season of sharing after all, but maybe we can share the positive and be selfish with the negative.

Have a great Christmas!

Oh the Pumpkin!

I love all the Fall holidays. Yes, even Halloween. I was raised in a home that participated in Halloween only because there were three kids screaming to dress up (the fourth was entirely too young to help gang up on parents). My female parental unit (without naming names, we'll call her "mom") HATES Halloween. She says she hates the candy - apparently, the candy is from the Devil (funny how every year, she had to "check" to make sure our candy wasn't loaded with razor blades or poison). But, now that all her wee birds have flown the coop, she turns all her lights out and puts a sign up on her front door "NO CANDY".

I have noticed that they are selling candy earlier and earlier, and my husband's theory is that the reason they start selling it in June is so that you'll eat it all and have to buy more for the trick or treaters. I laughed, because, well, he's funny. Of course, what did I do? I bought three bags of candy last week, and guess what - yep, we have one left.

Anyway, I love seeing the houses all dressed up with their Halloween decorations. The kids would not let us get away with not doing anything, so here are a few photos of the pumpkin carving experience Monday night.

TRIPPING THROUGH LIFE

I did something really dumb yesterday. I tripped over my desk. I have a file drawer that will open if it is not shut completely, and I didn't notice that the drawer had slipped back open. As I got up to leave my cube, I tripped over the drawer, making a huge ruckus, banging and skinning my shin, and falling into the wall. People came running to make sure I was ok, but really I was more embarrassed than anything. But, you know what? That drawer no longer opens on its own, so somehow my clumsiness fixed the drawer.

Do you ever feel as though you bungle something so badly and you feel embarrassed, bruised and just downright stupid? Well, it's amazing how sometimes our most embarrassing moments turn out to be life altering fixers. We are all human and are not expected to be perfect, but we are continually trying to aim for perfection. It's very unrealistic. I say let's strive for excellence instead. If we are working as hard as we can, doing the best job we can, then we are striving for excellence, and those little trips in life are a great way to learn and possibly even fix a situation.

So next time you trip over a desk drawer, don't be so hard on yourself. Stand up, dust yourself off, and laugh! You never know, you may have just done something to alter your life.

TOO BUSY

We are busy people. In fact, I think we might be busier than you. Not possible you say? Perhaps not. But, don’t we often feel that way? My husband and I feel overwhelmed right now with the sheer business of life. We both work full-time, he is the worship pastor for our church part-time, and we own a recording studio, which is gearing up at a break neck pace since our move (oh yeah, we moved into a new house less than a year ago). On top of all of our “paying” work, we volunteer with different ministries, and we currently each only have one night a week that we don’t have a commitment – but it’s not the same night as each other.

I admit, I find some comfort in being busy. There can be a feeling of importance because so many people want my time. Why do I continue to feel a sense of guilt when I cannot commit to something? I have noticed my priorities are a little skewed of late, and my kids are suffering the fall-out of overwork.

Are your kids a little more emotional lately, are they acting out? Are you bickering more with your spouse, or feeling removed from your friends? Then you need to take a break! We as humans need to step back, take a minute and rest. Easier said than done, I know, but even God rested on the seventh day.

Do you wish there was a magic word out there that could stop you from over committing? Do you wish there was a word that was short, concise and could quickly get your point across? Well there is! That word is “NO”.

My goal over the next few months is to have freedom in the word “no”. I will take liberty in having days on my calendar that are blocked to do nothing. I will say “yes” more to my kids and my husband, and create some time for me. Oh yeah, and lest we forget, perhaps I will even block out some time for my relationship with God. Wouldn’t that be an amazing concept? Will you join me?