Sunday go to meeting clothes!!

Once a year my church has a "Back to Church Sunday"!
It's a time where the men wear suits and the ladies wear dresses and hats:)
It's a time where we just loosen up and dress up! Always a fun day. We even breakout all the "old" songs, you know the ones from the 80's, hahaha!

I LOVE my church and the family that I have there! We have been truly blessed with so many GREAT friends and relationships!
When we first came to Light and Life Downey, we were hurt, broken and in need of acceptance and love. What we found when we got there were people willing to mend us and help put us back together. People that would accept us regardless of our pasts, present or how we looked. What we found was Jesus with skin on!

I just have to take a moment to thank all of my family at LLCF Downey!!
I can see the Lords hand a year ago. He was leading us into relationships that would help support us both as we went into this hard year. Friends that would hold me while I cried over the death of my sweet dog, friends that would listen to me as I shared the news of my moms cancer tests, and friends that would laugh with me and friends that would ALWAYS turn my eyes back to Jesus!

Since we have been at LLCF Downey, we have been involved in Youth ministry, Women's ministry (which is a seperate blog all together) and Trav has done most of the Photography for the church! (that is why he isn't in any of the pics)
We felt so blessed that we just had to give back to the people and serve at the church!
As we grow new friendships and help heal, mend and love on other broken people.... We just wanted to take a moment to say THANK YOU to all our church family!
Gods love grows out of each one of you, and extends to all around you. We are truly blessed to be a part of LLCF Downey!

A new "normal"

Wow! It has been WAY too long....
So much has happened this year, so much has changed...I just couldn't find the words to describe the pain that I was feeling or I'm not sure that I wanted to invite the world into MY journey these past 7 months.
BUT, I know that if I share my experiences, that somewhere out there, my life may help, reach, teach, heal, or help others that are going thru the same thing.

Changes:I fear change to some degree, I LOVE to change my hair, my furniture or even my style of dressing....One thing that I assumed would always stay the same was MY FAMILY.
My family adopted a new "normal" in May of this year. My mom was diagnosed with Stage 2 Breast Cancer. She has gone thru surgery, and is now is Chemo.....


I have seen my mom go thru so many different emotions and feelings. I have seen her be STRONG, I have seen her WEAK, I have seen her CRY, and I have seen her LAUGH!!!
My mom is an AMAZING woman!! Not only is she an INCREDIBLE woman, she is a woman of the LORD!!!!!
Thru all the ups and downs of her new "normal", the one thing that is consistent, is her faith in the Lord!!! She has NEVER wavered from that! She knows that she is in the Lords hands, she knows that HE is in control!! She knows that she is a testament of His love for her and His faithfulness:)

So, mom.....thank you so much for the example that you have been to me. Thank you for the early morning encouragement that you send me! Thank you for being honest with me, thank you for pointing me to Jesus when I felt hopeless, thank you for being the strong woman that you are, thank you for praying for me.........Most of all I thank you for letting the Lord heal your body and your spirit, thank you for letting me watch you grow deeper with the Lord as your body grows weaker, thank you for sharing yourself with me in new ways, and thank you for always letting me ask questions....
I am truly blessed to call you my mom!!!
I have seen a new strength in you mom...I know that it is not you, but it is the Lord!!!!

Psalm 28:7
The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.