It is almost that time of year. Signs of spring are starting to show (even though it is below freezing tonight!). With the coming of Spring also comes one of the most significant times of year for followers of Christ. In the coming weeks, we will observe and celebrate the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, symbolizing the believers' triumph over death as Jesus paid our sin debt on the cross.
In preparation for this most Holy and sacred of observances, I have chosen to observe the 40 days prior to Easter known as Lent. Here is a link to some information about Lent. http://christianity.about.com/od/holidaytips/qt/whatislent.htm
While Lent is a Christian observance, it is most closely associated with Catholicism. It is typically a 40 day period whereby we fast, pray, repent, and observe deeper spiritual discipline. Over the past few years, I have adopted the practice of observing Lent for the purpose of "giving up" things that are either distracting, time consuming and not beneficial, or would be some sort of "sacrifice" on my part.
This year, in preparation for the start of Lent on Wednesday, I thought I would share with you the things I will be giving up this year and why. Here we go:
1) Facebook: I know. This is going to be extremely difficult. But I spend probably an average of two or more hours a day on Facebook or playing those cute little games associated with Facebook. This takes time away from my husband. It takes time away from some things that I need to do at work, and it is time that I could use to journal, pray, read the Bible, meditate and further seek the face of God. I love keeping up with everyone and seeing what is going on, but from Wednesday until the Monday following Easter, I will take a Facebook and Facebook app hiatus, spending that time with my family, praying and in the word of God.
2) Soda/Soft Drinks: I don't have a problem with caffeine. I can go days without caffeine and be just fine. I drink plenty of water and don't drink more than one or two caffeinated beverages a day, including coffee. But I love Diet Sunkist, Diet Coke, Diet Dr. Pepper, Coke Zero, Cherry Coke Zero, you get the picture. So during this season of depriving myself of something that is not a necessity, I'm going 40 days with no soda.
3) Sweets/Candy/Cookies/Junk Food/Chocolate: If you know me well at all, you know I love all forms of dessert and treats. Even though I try to limit my intake to only a few times a week, I am a sucker for most anything sweet. You have my permission to check my temperature or ask if I'm feeling ok if I ever turn down birthday cake. But during this 40 day period, I am challenging myself to partake of NONE. Not one bite. Only meals, fruit, yogurt and healthy snacks. You might want to pray for and with me on this one. I'm sure Jason would appreciate it! ;-)
4) No computers/electronic devices after 8 pm: Jason and I are slightly addicted to our electronic gadgets. We both have iPhones, I have an iPad, Jason has a Nook, we both have laptops, and we are constantly on one or more of these devices. I am challenging my household to shut these connections to the outside world and focus on spending our evenings together with each other and spending time in prayer and Bible study. This will be tough, as we often need to address something for work, but I am challenging us to give it our all and see how we do.
5) Look for ways to serve: During this 40 day period, I am going to pray for and look for ways to serve God by serving others. Most of the time, with my work schedule and other commitments, I fall extremely short in giving my time to others. Be in prayer for me as I seek ways each week to be a blessing to others through an act of service.
These things are probably fairly typical for this day and age and not something that would shock anyone. But I don't think that the act is as important as the sacrifice that it represents. My intention is to pray through my cravings, utilize my time spent on social media and the like in prayer and meditation, and spend a little more time than normal in Bible study and meditation. I also hope that this plan will allow Jason and me to spend a little more time each day in prayer together and reflecting on the directions that God is leading our marriage, as well as individuals. I plan to blog again after Easter to let you all know how I did.
What are your plans for Lent? Do you observe some form of Lent? Why or why not?
I'd love to hear what this season means to each of you and how you observe it.
Monday, March 3, 2014
Thursday, February 27, 2014
A Good Week
Last week, I posted about changes. Usually with changes, there comes a bit of disruption in routine. Or at least an adjustment period. Praise the Lord, the Baxley's are adjusting to our changes swimmingly!
We are getting up a little earlier to get ready each morning, tend to our animals, and make sure we are packed and loaded for each day. We've done pretty well with this, neither of us being late for our respective engagements. I love how we work so well together, each picking up the slack for the other to make life easier and flow smoothly.
Jason has had a good week, filled with meetings, setting up his office, inspections and so on. He is off today and will help me run errands. He has adjusted to leaving earlier and getting to Montgomery on time beautifully. He is really enjoying having an office. This is his first office ever that is just his and not one that he shares with other shift supervisors. He has been working for the State for around 15 years, so this a HUGE milestone for him. Hopefully, I get him to take some pictures to show everyone.
My week has been really fantastic. I have had two busy days in court. On Monday after court, I came home and got a quick run in on the treadmill. I loathe running on the treadmill, but it was the best option to quickly get that run in. Tuesday, I enjoyed a morning Yoga class at Cornerstone. It was amazing!! I felt great afterword. I have a lot of work to do to increase my flexibility, but for this week, I did it! I got my hair done Tuesday afternoon and worked all in between. Wednesday was again a day filled with court and back to Cornerstone for a quick run on the treadmill and an Intervals class. I am sore this morning, but I need that. Today calls for a run. No pain, no gain . . . right?
With a little planning, we have been able to have dinner at home together each night this week. Good, home cooked meals where we can sit together and talk about our day and make preparations for the next.
Now, this may not sound like major milestones to you, but this week means a lot to me. I have been slacking on my exercise since after Thanksgiving. I disappointed myself because I failed to train and missed running the Mercedes Half this year. I paid for it and registered, but let the holidays, weather and laziness prevail. Trying to get back on track this year has left me feeling frazzled and in a constant state of chaos. It's taken me some time, but I finally feel like everything is coming together. I still have some new year's resolutions that I am working to incorporate and accomplish, but with more weeks like this one, I am on my way.
I know it is just Thursday, but I wanted to share with you that, at our house, we have had a great week so far. I'm praying that the rest of the week and our weekend is just as fantastic for all of us.
Stay tuned. In the coming days/weeks, I plan to blog about the following topics:
Friends and Friendship
The Observation of Lent, even for a Baptist
Biscuits! If I can make fantastic homemade biscuits, you can too!!
More changes . . . contemplating adoption.
We are getting up a little earlier to get ready each morning, tend to our animals, and make sure we are packed and loaded for each day. We've done pretty well with this, neither of us being late for our respective engagements. I love how we work so well together, each picking up the slack for the other to make life easier and flow smoothly.
Jason has had a good week, filled with meetings, setting up his office, inspections and so on. He is off today and will help me run errands. He has adjusted to leaving earlier and getting to Montgomery on time beautifully. He is really enjoying having an office. This is his first office ever that is just his and not one that he shares with other shift supervisors. He has been working for the State for around 15 years, so this a HUGE milestone for him. Hopefully, I get him to take some pictures to show everyone.
My week has been really fantastic. I have had two busy days in court. On Monday after court, I came home and got a quick run in on the treadmill. I loathe running on the treadmill, but it was the best option to quickly get that run in. Tuesday, I enjoyed a morning Yoga class at Cornerstone. It was amazing!! I felt great afterword. I have a lot of work to do to increase my flexibility, but for this week, I did it! I got my hair done Tuesday afternoon and worked all in between. Wednesday was again a day filled with court and back to Cornerstone for a quick run on the treadmill and an Intervals class. I am sore this morning, but I need that. Today calls for a run. No pain, no gain . . . right?
With a little planning, we have been able to have dinner at home together each night this week. Good, home cooked meals where we can sit together and talk about our day and make preparations for the next.
Now, this may not sound like major milestones to you, but this week means a lot to me. I have been slacking on my exercise since after Thanksgiving. I disappointed myself because I failed to train and missed running the Mercedes Half this year. I paid for it and registered, but let the holidays, weather and laziness prevail. Trying to get back on track this year has left me feeling frazzled and in a constant state of chaos. It's taken me some time, but I finally feel like everything is coming together. I still have some new year's resolutions that I am working to incorporate and accomplish, but with more weeks like this one, I am on my way.
I know it is just Thursday, but I wanted to share with you that, at our house, we have had a great week so far. I'm praying that the rest of the week and our weekend is just as fantastic for all of us.
Stay tuned. In the coming days/weeks, I plan to blog about the following topics:
Friends and Friendship
The Observation of Lent, even for a Baptist
Biscuits! If I can make fantastic homemade biscuits, you can too!!
More changes . . . contemplating adoption.
Thursday, February 20, 2014
Changes
Ok, confession time. It has been a while since I updated the blog. Shame on me! I should have done better. A lot has happened over the past several months to keep us busy, but I should have blogged about it. I'm sorry. I'll do better. I promise.
As most of you know, 2013 was a bit of a roller coaster for Jason and me. He spent the better part of the year in training for a new job assignment, on top of being sidelined for a while with his dog bite injury. Combine training, injury, rehab, special assignments, and our whirlwind DC trip and you pretty much have 2013 in a nutshell. There were other peaks and valleys, but no need to rehash it all here.
Fast forward to today. I was sitting in my living room, watching Jason. He was boxing up equipment, getting uniforms together to turn in, and cleaning weapons to give back that he will not need anymore in his new line of duty. I almost lost it. I may loose it now as I try to write about it.
As I watched my hero, standing there in his new "uniform" of 5.11 pants, tac boots and a monogram polo shirt, I had the most bittersweet nostalgia you can imagine. Gone are the days of a traditional uniform every day. Gone are the days of his office being a car. Gone are the days of regular nights shifts. He will still have call outs, special details, late nights, and on call; but it will be different from his on the road days. Very different. He will still have special occasions where he needs to wear his dress uniform, but those will be far more of a rarity than ever before.
His regular routine will now be going to an office in Montgomery. He won't have to wear a vest everyday. He won't have to do many of the things he has been accustomed to doing over the past 8 years. It is the ending of a era, the beginning of something new and wonderful, the culmination of a year's worth of training, being away from home, working two jobs for one salary and having more on our plate than we really knew what to do with. This is what 2013 was for. Now that it is here, I'm proud, relieved, excited for him and at the same time, I am sad.
Jason was a uniformed officer when we met. I know that is not who he is, it is just what he does. But you must know that he has wanted to be a Trooper since he was a little boy. He waited patiently during hiring freezes and age restrictions to finally get to the point to go to the Academy for his dream job. And he had it. He loved it. He was good at it.
My husband will tell you that he is beyond blessed to have the job that he has always wanted and then to have to opportunity to move on to another job that he thought he could only dream about. We prayed over the job change and I'll be the first to tell you that I wasn't 100% sure about it. For starters, that whole having to work every Auburn home game was enough for me to say no! But this is what Jason wanted to do, felt called to do, and believed in his core that he needed to do. I'm so proud of him and following his heart, his dreams, and the direction he felt the Lord was leading him.
As he turns in his car and other equipment to solidify his ending of his Highway Patrol days, I know he will be filled with the same bittersweet nostalgia that I have written about today. This is without a doubt one of the biggest changes we have made in our lives and the hardest part is that we don't know yet the full impact it will have on our life. (No pun intended for those who know Jason's new line of work!) There are numerous changes that will be coming in State government and law enforcement over the next couple of years. I don't know that much about it and I think even the powers that be are a bit confused with how it will all shake out. While I have been a bit disappointed to see Jason loose his "Trooper" title, I know that he is exactly where he needs to be and where the Lord intends for him to be. All of the rest will fall into place.
(For those of you who may not know us personally, Jason is now full time ABI, Alabama Bureau of Investigation.)
As most of you know, 2013 was a bit of a roller coaster for Jason and me. He spent the better part of the year in training for a new job assignment, on top of being sidelined for a while with his dog bite injury. Combine training, injury, rehab, special assignments, and our whirlwind DC trip and you pretty much have 2013 in a nutshell. There were other peaks and valleys, but no need to rehash it all here.
Fast forward to today. I was sitting in my living room, watching Jason. He was boxing up equipment, getting uniforms together to turn in, and cleaning weapons to give back that he will not need anymore in his new line of duty. I almost lost it. I may loose it now as I try to write about it.
As I watched my hero, standing there in his new "uniform" of 5.11 pants, tac boots and a monogram polo shirt, I had the most bittersweet nostalgia you can imagine. Gone are the days of a traditional uniform every day. Gone are the days of his office being a car. Gone are the days of regular nights shifts. He will still have call outs, special details, late nights, and on call; but it will be different from his on the road days. Very different. He will still have special occasions where he needs to wear his dress uniform, but those will be far more of a rarity than ever before.
His regular routine will now be going to an office in Montgomery. He won't have to wear a vest everyday. He won't have to do many of the things he has been accustomed to doing over the past 8 years. It is the ending of a era, the beginning of something new and wonderful, the culmination of a year's worth of training, being away from home, working two jobs for one salary and having more on our plate than we really knew what to do with. This is what 2013 was for. Now that it is here, I'm proud, relieved, excited for him and at the same time, I am sad.
Jason was a uniformed officer when we met. I know that is not who he is, it is just what he does. But you must know that he has wanted to be a Trooper since he was a little boy. He waited patiently during hiring freezes and age restrictions to finally get to the point to go to the Academy for his dream job. And he had it. He loved it. He was good at it.
My husband will tell you that he is beyond blessed to have the job that he has always wanted and then to have to opportunity to move on to another job that he thought he could only dream about. We prayed over the job change and I'll be the first to tell you that I wasn't 100% sure about it. For starters, that whole having to work every Auburn home game was enough for me to say no! But this is what Jason wanted to do, felt called to do, and believed in his core that he needed to do. I'm so proud of him and following his heart, his dreams, and the direction he felt the Lord was leading him.
As he turns in his car and other equipment to solidify his ending of his Highway Patrol days, I know he will be filled with the same bittersweet nostalgia that I have written about today. This is without a doubt one of the biggest changes we have made in our lives and the hardest part is that we don't know yet the full impact it will have on our life. (No pun intended for those who know Jason's new line of work!) There are numerous changes that will be coming in State government and law enforcement over the next couple of years. I don't know that much about it and I think even the powers that be are a bit confused with how it will all shake out. While I have been a bit disappointed to see Jason loose his "Trooper" title, I know that he is exactly where he needs to be and where the Lord intends for him to be. All of the rest will fall into place.
(For those of you who may not know us personally, Jason is now full time ABI, Alabama Bureau of Investigation.)
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