Break every chain..

I've recently discovered a song by Jesus Culture called "Break Every Chain."

There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus
There is power in the name of Jesus

To break every chain
Break every chain
Break every chain

All sufficient sacrifice
So freely given
Such a price
Bought our redemption
Heaven's gates swing wide

There is NOTHING that is too big or too bad for Jesus.  It doesn't matter if it's addiction, be it to drugs, alcohol, pornography, sex, or anything else.  It doesn't matter what we do, God can still reach us. 

I believe that God's grace is much greater than we tend to think it is. The devil will try to tell us that our addiction is too strong for God to break. He will tell us that we aren't worth God's time. He will tell us that we will never amount to anything. He will tell us that we will never be able to live up to what is expected of us, should we give our lives to Christ. He will tell us that we will fail.

Well, you know what? The devil is a liar.

You are worth His time. You are good enough. You can do it. You were meant to do great things.

There is nothing that we could ever do that would make God love us any less. We are the apple of His eye. 

Think of the love between a mother and a child. Or between a husband and a wife. That love that is so deep doesn't even compare to the love that God has for us. Words could never describe it.

Our culture tells us every day that certain things are okay, and, to be frank, they are not. I saw a quote the other day that said, "When you have to compromise yourself or your morals for the people around you, it's probably time to change the people you're around." I completely believe that.. BUT regardless of the lifestyle you live or the people you hang around (or what you do with those people), while I choose to live my life for Christ, it doesn't mean that God loves me any more than He loves you. You are just as special and just as important to Him as I am. It doesn't matter if you are addicted to drugs or if you're a gossiper or if you can't get a hold on that pornography addiction or if you're a compulsive liar or if you are having an affair.. It doesn't matter if you're a thief or if you're a bully. God still loves you just as much as he loves those who live for Him. He still desires to reach out and touch your heart and transform you. 

There is power in the name of Jesus, and he desires to break the chains in your life. He desires to show you all that He has planned for you. He desires for you to reach your FULL potential in Him. It doesn't matter what you've done. It doesn't matter how bad it may seem or how ashamed you may feel. Nothing is too big. 

I don't know why God wanted me to share this, but I know what He has a reason. He loves you and wants you to know that.

Hurricane Isaac

Down here on the Gulf Coast, we are taking a beating from Hurricane Isaac.. My town is about 30 miles inland, so we typically don't see too much damage from storms.  Isaac came into town on Tuesday, and everyone thought it was just going to be a breeze. Yesterday, in fact, Josh and I were out and about all day to keep from going stir crazy.  Last night, however, things took a change for the worse.  People in my town lost power for the first time. We still haven't lost power, thank goodness. (Knock on wood.)

There are areas on the Gulf Coast that are prone to flooding due to the fact that they are low-lying and/or close to water.  Never in the history of ever has my little town flooded from a hurricane.  When we woke up this morning, though, my facebook newsfeed was filled with pictures of flooded houses and streets. To make matters worse, Mobile, AL (which is about 15 miles east of us) are opening their floodgates shortly.  They did this during Hurricane George several years ago and caused all kinds of flooding in Mississippi.  Now, they are adding to the flooding that we already have.

While we were out and about yesterday, Josh and I went down to the beach in Pascagoula, MS to see what the conditions were like.  It was barely raining and the wind was barely blowing.  Areas were flooded, however, so we had to park a street up from the beach and walk down.  Once we got to the actual beach, the wind was blowing so hard we could barely stand.  I've never been in wind like that.  It was CRAZY.  There is no beach anymore.  Just water all the way to the highway.  I've been through many a hurricane in my life (including Katrina), and I'd never experienced that before.  It was really neat, actually.  During Katrina, there was a lot of flooding in the flood zones around here due to the storm surge, which caused a lot of people to lose their homes.  We had a storm surge during this storm, too, but not nearly as bad.  Most of the flooding from this storm took place during the night last night and was the result of rain and rain alone.

A store about 5 minutes from my house

The CVS in the main part of my town

Pascagoula Beach. If you look close, you can see volleyball nets sticking up from the water.

Pascagoula Beach Pier

My grandparents' back yard. They flooded the last time the Mobile flood gates were opened, but not to this extent, and this is before the gates were opened.

 Please keep our area, along with the rest of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Louisiana, and all others affected in your prayers.

20 weeks

How far along? 20 weeks

Total weight gain: down 1 lb.. I lost 6 lbs in the beginning, and maintained until this last month, in which I gained 5 lbs.. 6-5=1, so therefore, I am down 1 lb from pre-pregnancy weight.. lol
Maternity clothes? Several maternity bottoms and a few maternity shirts.. A lot of my normal shirts still work, so I'm sticking with as many of those as possible for now..
Stretch marks? none yet
Sleep: Blah.. Last night, I slept wonderfully, but every night for about a week before that.. Yeah right.. Getting to where it's uncomfortable to sleep on my back, and my arms and legs start to fall asleep on my sides, resulting in lots of tossing, turning, and very frustrated sighs, huffs, and puffs.
Best moment this week: This evening, as I was lying in the tub, I looked at my belly, and it JUMPED! It's done it several times since then.. She starts kicking, and I can SEE my belly move.. It's the weirdest thing.. haha
Movement: Oh man, yes! She moves a lot! I still don't really feel her when I'm moving around, but almost every time I get still, she goes CRAZY in there!
Food cravings: Blue gatorade.. Yesterday, I bought a huge bottle of it.. I'm talking, you have to use both hands to drink straight from the bottle.. Yeah, it's almost gone.. I've also really been craving sour cream and onion chips. This afternoon, I was searching frantically for some.. Turns out, Josh ate some and didn't close them back very well.. They got stale and he THREW THEM AWAY. I wanted to cry. =)
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not too bad anymore.. Smell still get me sometimes though.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Hungry, hungry, hungry!!! and an ever-growing belly.
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy the majority of the time..
Looking forward to: When she kicks consistently enough that Josh can feel her.. He's tried to feel her, but as soon as he puts his hand on my belly, she stops.. Then she starts up again when he walks away.. I guess she's shy.. =)


Have a happy weekend!

My brother is a daddy.

Today was a good day..

It started off with a doctor's appointment to check on my sweet Abby. We had our anatomy scan, where they check all of her organs and such and make sure everything is there and functioning properly.  Everything looked great, and Little Bit is estimated to weigh a whopping 14 ounces! Tomorrow, I will do my 20 week update.. I can't believe I'm halfway through already! It has gone by so quickly!

After the appointment, we headed to another hospital, where my brother and his wife had a sweet baby boy named Parker! He is so sweet.. On Monday, when she went to the doctor, he was estimated to weigh 10 lbs 5 oz., so they opted to do a c-section, due to the fact that he was so big.  When he got here, however, he was only 8 lbs 12 oz... He's got super chubby cheeks, and he only cries (so far) when he's hungry or when you mess with him. haha.. He just wants to be left alone..

Here are some pictures from the day!

Sweet baby

My older brother, Heath, and my grandpa

Proud daddy! My younger brother, Jesse

Jesse, Kassie, and Parker

Parker with him's Aunt Ashley!

In the delivery room

Hope you all have a great evening.. Be back tomorrow with a 20 week update! =)

Fall? Are you there?

I need fall.

I need boots.  I need scarves.  I need leggings and sweaters.

I need bonfires.  I need football season.  I need soup weather.

Fall?

I need this temperature to drop about 20 degrees so I can wear pants on my untanned legs and not burn up.

Fall, please hurry.  I NEED YOU.

18 weeks

Not much makeup or hair-fixing going on today, as I've been working from home.. ha!

How far along? 18 weeks

Total weight gain: down 6 lbs
Maternity clothes? I've gotten a few more maternity tops (like the one I'm wearing in the picture), as well as some leggings and.. wait for it.. maternity skinny jeans! They are my new faves! When I tried them on, I heard the angels singing.
Stretch marks? none yet
Sleep: Still sleeping pretty well, although last night I kept getting some crazy leg cramps. Yowzers..
Best moment this week: I've started really showing this week.. Maybe it's because it's my first pregnancy, I don't know, but that is so exciting to me! It makes it feel so much more real to look down and be able to see the baby is growing!
Movement: Yes! I have been feeling her the most when I lie down really still. I don't feel her everyday, but it's getting more frequent! =)
Food cravings: Nothing really specific, but I do have a "brag on my husband" moment to share.. He is out of town on business, and he just so happens to be in the town that has my favorite Greek restaurant.. Their hummus is the bomb, and I've been wanting some lately, so Sweetie is bringing me back some!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Ugh. The smell of corn. I went by my mom's last night, and she was boiling corn on the cob. Almost puked.
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: Hungry, hungry, hungry!!! and an ever-growing belly.
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy the majority of the time..
Looking forward to: Decorating the nursery.

I  hope you all have a wonderful week! I keep trying to think of something to blog about OTHER than pregnancy, but I just really have baby on the brain right now! haha

16 weeks

How far along? 16.5 weeks

Total weight gain: down 6 lbs
Maternity clothes? I can still wear a lot of my shirts, but I've had to get several maternity bottoms.. Or at least something with a stretch waist band!
Stretch marks? none yet
Sleep: Most of the time, I sleep pretty well..
Best moment this week: Finding out the gender! =)
Movement: I think I may feel a little movement sometimes when I lie on my back really still, but I'm still not totally sure..
Food cravings: I don't have any specific cravings, but when I want something, I want it NOW!
Anything making you queasy or sick: Not really anymore.. Although yesterday morning, I had a breakfast burrito and a few bites tasted like pizza sauce, and it grossed me out. haha
Gender: It's a girl!! I was right, and Josh was wrong! haha We can't wait to meet our little Abby Kate!
Labor Signs: No
Symptoms: MUCH more frequent trips to the potty, hungry all the time, and a growing belly!
Belly Button in or out? in
Wedding rings on or off? on
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy the majority of the time..
Looking forward to: Decorating her nursery!

We've been on vacation all weekend in Destin, FL, so I didn't get a very good belly pic.. This will just have to do.. I apologize for the blurriness!


Have a happy Tuesday!