looking forward to it!

So as you can see I'm not lying when I say life has been crazy busy as of late, hence the none existing blog. Besides dealing with sickness/death in my family and seeking to move forward with my life, ie finding a job, I've been keeping it together. Doing so by surrounding myself with those I so desperately love!
 A month ago we had Blake here for a week! I absolutely adore my little brother and I still miss him much because life with him is a lot of fun. He's a true buddy, he stuck right with me the whole week. He was phenomenal at Spring Arbor, the residents loved him! He enjoyed our trip up to check out App State and all the episodes of Vampire Diaries we shoved into our schedule. Most importantly he enjoyed being loved as much as we enjoyed loving on him. It is sad, how some people go through life not really "fitting in" anywhere, it breaks my heart, So whether here in my home or up there in the mad chaos of his own life, I will forever share the love of the Father with him, in my heart he will always fit! That was a great week, and I'm looking forward to him living out the summer here with us .

 

And, a BIG birthday was had by Shayne. 25 finally he's getting old like me! I absolutely love birthdays, I think there is nothing better than a day to celebrate someone! And, trust me Shayne is most definitely worth a celebration. We had a great time celebrating him on 3 occasions for the one occasion, haha.  I'm looking forward to spending this 25th year with my very best friend.
Also, in that week I attended a bridal shower for a dear college friend. I pray for Fritz and Patrick to experience marriage in the way our amazing Father intended for it to be because its nothing short of amazing.
I'm looking forward to spending their big night with them in May.

 Oh yeah, and my favorite Sara Moseley had her 18th birthday! We celebrated at Buffalo Wild Wings and then some bowling over at ECU! I'm looking forward to loving on Sara for the rest of her birthdays and all the days in between!!

Also, my nephew Noah turned 1! WOW! Where did this year go, right?? I guess it's true, time truly does fly when you're having fun! Noah, is so incredibly special... he's the sweetest baby to grace our family yet and we have two other really sweet ones, so that says how sweet he is! I'm looking forward to watching him grow up... but not too quickly!
 


And then there was a baby shower I helped throw for the fearless leader, Amanda Rich Morgan! Oh how amazing a person she is! Jack is going to have a wonderful life because Jack has a wonderful Mommy. I'm looking forward to meeting Jack soon.
On that same day, I experienced a little nostalgia by hanging out in the ministry center with 4 of my very best friends, those that God brought to me in that same room. Dani, Mal & Mason, Joni & BG, Melo and I sat and conversed over the Duke came in the place we feel completely and utterly safe, with each other! Not to mention Amanda and Jess were there and Jesus too, so who were we to fear... such a great great day! I'm looking forward to our beach trip in June where we can just have time to invest in each other again...
Then, I gotta a job........I'm NOT looking forward to early mornings but most definitely looking forward to the opportunity!

Then I had wonderful weekend at home! We went to Jonathan and Caddie's wedding and hung out with Katie and Cody. I'm looking forward to experiencing life with these life long friends, and I'm really excited about Katie and Cody's upcoming wedding!!!

Last week, we buried a special person. I'm looking forward to the day I get to see her again and the face of Jesus!
And, Brittany took me to get a Cubbie's burger... I'm looking forward to many many many more burgers with her because I can't even tell you how much I love the chance to hang out
Just this past weekend, I spent the weekend with Wynnie and Punky & Larry and it was fantastic, but of course they are fantastic. I'm looking forward to more visits and life philosophies with the 3 of them!


Seriously, I fell asleep at 8pm therefore I woke up at 5:30 am hence I've just wrote 3 blogs, BUT now I'm going to go lay day for a couple more hours. BECAUSE I'm looking forward to this FREEday I get to spend with my husband who took it off to spend with me on my last day before the start of my new career. I tell you, he's awwwsome!
 And, we're looking forward to taking some of our MOST Favorite teenage buddies tent camping tonight in Hatteras, yes it's going to be freezing but lots of FUN!!!

I am so loved, Life is Good, I'm looking forward.....

When one door closes another surly does open...

...because God is good like that! So, many of you know that today well, March 31st, was my last day at Spring Arbor of Raleigh Assisted Living. In the past few weeks life has been a whirlwind, but in the busyness and the chaos God lead me to a door he meant for me to knock on. So, one morning I got out of bed and said, I'm going to look for a another job today! A job that can be marked as the start of a career. And, what do you know, there it was right in front me, Activity Director at Hillside Nursing and Rehab. Well, sure I have the experience, the credentials, let me apply! Once I called and inquired on the job, I had the position within the next 4 days, now that's the work of the Father! I'm not that special! I start Monday.
 See the thing is, I've always had a strong self image and perspective of me, except when he came to a career. I know it didn't really bother anyone but me and my parents that since I've been out of college, I've not had a steady career in "one" specific field. So I'd have my days where I'd be all mopey about not working full time or having a real "big girl job", and I'd pray "Father move me in the direction that I can best be used in your Kingdom to bring people to know you in a professional setting." And, when looking over my resume for Hillside, Mr. Burroughs said " I am quite impressed with your resume, you sure have a career in serving people which is exactly what we need you to do here. " Why all of sudden, did it click to me...DUH I've had a career!..Maybe not as just a teacher, or just a mentor, or just a youth leader, or just a camp counselor, or just an Activity Director, but most importantly I've made a career out of serving people and right then and there I was humbled. As soon as, I got back out to the Jeep, I said to myself and God wow I really missed that point! I thank God for leading me to every position I've ever held because I can personally tell you what the purpose of every one was.
 I'll admit, I love teenagers, I connect with them and I personally NEVER saw me making a career out of loving and serving the elderly but boy do I love it! And, I'll admit this week has been hard on me, I hate leaving people but I do look forward to those in my future. Working at Spring Arbor has taught me more than any other position, or at least taught me the same thing but in a louder manner. Elderly are honorary, they are right you are wrong, it's their world you're just there to make it better, so obviously they have taught me humility and patience. Most importantly they are loving and lovable, wise and the best mentors, they sure know God and how to pray, they are fun, entertaining and absolutely precious. With that said, they've taught me to lighten up, enjoy life, make wise, smart decisions, to love the Lord above all things and to be intentional about mentoring the younger generations. I've made so many friends at SA, residents and fellow teammates, and I'm not lying when I say I've had my convictions about leaving but I know that my Father put me at SA to train me, equip me for Hillside, so I must go. With my departure I take all that I've learned, all who I love with me because I sure could not have made the move into a "career" or my first real "big girl job" with out each and everyone of them.  I can do this with confidence because I know me well enough to know that I understand the only true investment worth making is that in people. Therefore, I won't be a stranger to my family at Spring Arbor because yea of course I'll return for many visits but I will also carry them and all the wonderful and not so wonderful memories of them wherever I go. 

Blood is thicker than water but LOVE is thicker than Blood!

I'm finally ready to write this, it's sorta a tribute to the most incredible "grandma's" I've lost over the past six months. Back in September, Shayne and I had just got to the beautiful mountains and as he was filling up the car with gas I received a text message that read: "Grandmama died this morning", my heart stopped literally for just second and then it burst! The devastation came over me quickly but I was also filled with joy, peace and grace as I knew/ know that she had finally seen Jesus' face! You see this grandma I speak of, was not at all my biological grandma her name was Miss Elizabeth Bailey and she was just as much a grandma to me if not more than then women who do fill that role in my life. She was like NO ONE ELSE I'd ever known, she was one of the few really PURE people in this world. She had a heart for Christ and for His people and she expressed His love in the way he wants and has called us to do so, she was a perfect depiction of Him. "Miss" Elizabeth made me want to be a better person! She had a way to turn any gloomy day or situation into a rainbow. And, even when her own grandson that she so desperately adored shattered my heart into tiny little pieces, she loved me! She heard my side of the story and she knew the parts where he was tainting me and with that she assured me that she forgave me and him for any wrong doings that we had bestowed upon each other and because of her I was able to truly let it go to God and forgive him. She was at my wedding with the biggest smile on her face, I swear she was happy for me and proud to know me. But the biggest part of the story is that even in the times I was busy and didn't get by there as often, even in her moments of pain, she genuinely thought of others. She spent the last little bit of her life in  a hospital uncomfortable and in pain but she still lit up when we walked through the door. And, I believe her heart was singing songs of praise to the Father for ALL those she loved, and I believe she was praying for her family, her friends, the hospital staff that was caring for her and everyone else that she didn't even know because she knew God in way that very few do. She knew that we all needed her time with Him more than she did cause she would see him shortly, and that is what makes her phenomenal! That is what made her the best grandma I've ever had, the kind that on Easter made the 3 of us bunny cakes in the flavors we liked, the kind that looked you in the eye when talking to you, held your hand when you were heartbroken, the kind that attended everything that was important to us, the kind that loved to serve dinner and listen to us all talk, she was the real deal. And, I miss her A LOT but because of her I long to live more intentionally for the Lord!
  Through Love, I had another Grandma who too was a phenomenal person, her name was Brenda. Grandma Brenda was just a younger, little more hip grandma then Miss Elizabeth. But, in every way she was a Grandma who you wanted to love, and to be near often.  Grandma Brenda did not have a very long life but boy did she have a life filled with righteousness, compassion, and the love of Jesus. She just like Miss Elizabeth understood what it meant to be a daughter of the Father, they both knew the secret, LOVE. She too could turn ANYTHING negative into a positive. She never would quite let Britny and I slide on talking down about people or stupid situations, instead she'd have us focus or rather find the positive in it all. She understood forgiveness and she taught that, and everything about her was PURE. She loved to have a great time, to dance, sing, talk, walk around the block on warm days, anything that brought her and those she loved happiness. All of us who knew and loved her will always be affected by how she spent her life. And, last week at the funeral Kurt spoke about just this because when you think of Grandma Brenda the only thing that can come to mind is that she was a warrior for the Lord. He spoke about her concern that she did not lead the people around her to Christ, but the dash between the dates of her life were full and in that dash she did amazing things for the Lord and his Kingdom, that's for sure!
 So, everyday I take the time to thank my God for those he puts in my life either by blood or by love and I pray that my dash will also be a great reflection of Him and that by that dash I too can be a "Miss" Elizabeth and Grandma Brenda in His kingdom!  I want to leave you with the poem The Dash, and I hope that it will motivate you to go out into the Kingdom and LOVE like it's your only purpose because guess what....it is!

http://www.thedashmovie.com/
  I know many who have a dash worth sharing but these two, I can't say it enough, were phenomenal! They got it!

There's so much to come...

So it's been awhile since I've shared my heart and my mind... So stayed tuned there is SO much coming very soon!! I've been doing lots of thinking, changing, experiencing and u do plan to share it with you my readers... I've just been busy in the choas of life. Today is dedicated to writing and by the end of this day you will be all caught up on the things that have kept me from blogging, sorry to still keep you waiting but it's coming...

You look just like your father....

Countless times I have heard, you have GOT TO BE Donnie Whitehurst's daughter OR you look just like your Daddy!! And, trust me I take pride in both. To me there is no greater compliment than to be my daddy's daughter... I can never hear that enough. On my ride home today I was observing the version of myself that played out today, counting the things I got wrong and those I got right, sorta a self accountability system I have.  Mama called in the mist of this and asked "what are you doing", I say  "self accounting on the drive home" and once I explained it to her she says, "you are just like your daddy." After our conversation, it was back to me and the music playing in the Jeep, I starting to ponder on that. How incredible it is to be just like my daddy, to have people who know us both recognize and acknowledge how closely we resemble. Whether it be by physical appearance, or noticed in our actions/ expressions, or through our conversations. And, it got me thinking...how amazing would it be if the world looked and me and said "you are just like your Father", and yes meaning my Father in Heaven. See as much as it is a compliment to be Donnie Whitehurst's daughter it is the utmost privilege to be God's daughter. How much do I resemble my heavenly Father?... unfortunately it is not enough most days to be noticed., or pieced together. And, so today I aspire to be more like my Father because I want the world to see just how much I do resemble my "daddy" in Heaven. I want the world to noticed that I am my Father's daughter!