God’s Love Letters to You by Dr. Larry Crabb (Book Review)

God’s Love Letters to You by Dr. Larry Crabb is a 40-day devotional series that takes books of the Bible and breaks them down into short simple thoughts akin to letters from God. This book is aesthetically pleasing and would make a lovely gift. The devotionals are very clear, concise, and well written and while it does not delve deep into spiritual thought, it would be great for someone who wants something short to read in the midst of a busy day.


As I said above, the devotionals do not seem to be meant for a deep theological study of the Bible. If you are looking for long, deep devotionals then you should probably pass on this book and keep looking. However, if you are looking for a lovely gift devotional or something to supplement your studies during a busy time then this book would be perfect. The format of the devotional is nicely put together and simple. Each day begins by telling you which book of the Bible it is based on and what the lesson drawn will be. Each lesson also has a topic verse, the devotional or “letter”, thoughts for reflection, and a sample prayer. A devotional from this book would probably take 5-15 minutes with reading, reflection, and prayer and would be a nice way to connect with God on a daily basis.





Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

The Future of My Blog...

So, it has been FOREVER since I posted on here but I hope to be doing a little more on here in the future. I have begun "blogging for books" with a couple of great companies so y'all will get to hear about the books I am reading as I finish them! Yay!

I am also planning on writing the occasional post about the different things I am crafting, where I'm getting my ideas, and the different tutorials I have found online.

Besides all of that, there is really no telling what I will end up writing on here so I'll guess we'll just have to wait and see! (I do know that I can't promise a post every day or every week but I will do my best not to go months and months again!)

Being You...

"To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best, day and night, to make you everybody else means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting."                                                                 - E. E. Cummings

What a thought, that we have to fight to simply be ourselves, but how true is it? We live in a world that is steeped in the thought that we should act like, grow up to be, and fight to become someone besides the person we were created to be. Because of this, I think it makes it even harder to answer the question of "Who am I?". As a Christian I can turn to God's word and know that I was created lovingly by my creator and that he delighted in creating me which gives me the pleasure of knowing that being myself and no one else is to be the person God created me to be. I have restarted a bible study book that I didn't complete a couple of years ago which began with the E. E. Cummings quote above. I am hoping that it will give me more insights about truly being myself as I continue to read it.

Who am I and how can I be myself in everyday life? How about you? Who are you and how can you be that person every day? Just a thought...

Project Idea

Yet again, I am not being consistent with my posts. I think that my sporadic posting will most likely be a norm for me, just so you know.

Since I last wrote, I have been thinking about attempting something new but I'm not sure how confident I am in my ability to complete the project I have in mind. I want to write a children's book, not necessarily to publish it, just to write it. I would also like to learn a little about watercolor or some other form of painting so that I can illustrate it myself. This thought may never actually pan out to become a physical book but it is a thought that has been roaming around in my head for quite some time now. I think that it has been inspired by my love of reading, my education classes, and my growing collection of children's literature.

In other news, I am taking the first of my certification exams on Tuesday so I am officially on my way to becoming a teacher! That thought is a little frightening but I am excited! Anyway, it is late and I have to be up early enough to sing at church tomorrow so I should probably finish this now... Thanks for reading!

Musicals and Life

So, I know it has been a while since I have written. I really have no good excuse, just lazyness I suppose. I have been almost stuck in a rut in my routine, I go to class, come home, go to work, come home, do homework, watch television, work on craft projects, and occasionally do things with friends. As good as it is for me to have a routine, I think I'm just a bit stir crazy and I'm not sure what to do about it. Being alone in your apartment with only your cats and your phone to talk to can get a little tiring and monotonous after a while.

One thing that I did this weekend was go to see Musical Mayhem, a production put on by our awesome theatre department here at Wayland. I went on Thursday night and loved it so much that I went back today. The piece was unexpected, creative, highly entertaining, and had great choreography and musical numbers. I really enjoy going to theatre productions at Wayland because I normally know at least one person in the cast and it gives me the opportunity to enjoy quality theatre without leaving Plainview. If I had the time or the talent, (which is probably needed) I would love to be in a theatre production, but I don't see that happening any time soon!

If you don't know me very well then you may not know that I love musicals. There have been a scant few that I didn't like but for the most part, I love them! I remember the first musical I watched was the DVD version of Oklahoma with Gordon MacRae and Shirley Jones and I fell in love with the genre!

One of my very favorite musicals is The Music Man, which I also saw the movie version of with Shirley Jones. I recently watched the remake that was released in 2003 with Matthew Broderick and Kristin Chenoweth. Since this was one of my favorite musicals I was really afraid that they would botch it when they remade it but it was really good! Of course, Kristin Chenoweth has an incredible voice and made a huge impact on the quality of the film for me.
I know that you are probably tired of hearing my tirade on musicals so I will not go into my interpretation of The Music Man or what it means to me in this entry. :)

It is very lonely to be without my husband, even with my friends and family nearby. I feel stronger because of this separation and I know that everything will work out in the end but it is still difficult. Thank you so much for your prayers and continued support. We are officially past the half-way mark and on the down-hill slope. Thanks for reading and keeping up with my random ramblings, I hope you have a blessed week!

My Valentine

 This will be a short post but I had to post something for Valentines day!

My incredible husband was really sneaky and asked one of his friends here in Plainview to get me some flowers. It made my day! I was on the phone with Nick when I saw them and I just started crying. It is really amazing how much those little things mean to me right now. I have been sick today and dealing with a low grade fever so I haven't been in the best spirits, but those roses made all the difference!

How true are the words, "Absence makes the heart grow fonder." I have felt that so much lately and I love my husband more and more every day! I am so glad that he chose to pursue and marry me, he really is my best friend.

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support, Nick and I both appreciate it!

Class, Cats, and Crochet

I just realized how long it has been since I last wrote. Life is good, I am missing Nick so much but as of tomorrow, one month will have passed since he left and that means we are one-third of the way through!

A few things I have learned over the last couple of weeks:

1. Becoming motivated to do things like household chores, homework, and studying, is a lot harder when your husband is gone. I'm not really sure why but it really does effect that motivation!

2. If you leave a glass with ANY amount of liquid in it on your table, your cats will find it and knock it over. Unfortunately, I found this out more than once due to my next point:

3. When you are sick and really don't feel like doing anything, seeing anyone, or getting out, you will tend to waste large amounts of time and be lazy when it comes to putting away glasses of liquid. And your cats will take those moments to knock over the glasses of liquid, spilling the contents on letters to your husband and the random book that you leave on the table.

4. If you ever get started on a hobby like crocheting, you may find yourself doing the exact same thing over and over and over until your fingers are irritated and tender. (that's what I get for choosing a pattern that calls for 130 motifs to create an afghan.)

5. That you never truly stop missing your husband, regardless of how long you have had to adjust to the differences in your life. There will always be too many leftovers, things that you don't know how to do, things that remind you of him, an empty side of the bed, and a tear on the pillow because your heart aches from the silence in your house.


At long last, one checkpoint has been reached, we are one-third of the way through! Now to face the other two-thirds with strength, determination, and courage one day at a time.

Life is Good

It has been a couple of days since I last posted and things have been going very well. My life is not amazingly wonderful but it is also not horrifyingly terrible. :) Nick is doing well, I am so proud of all of the hard work he has done. I am also doing well, even though I miss my husband every day. I have been supported by my family and friends so much and they have kept me sane. (so far at least!)

Last week my mom and my sister came to see me and we went shopping at Kohl's. I was wandering through the store when my eye caught a cute little sign that stated quite simply, "life is good". My eyes teared as I thought about the simplistic truth in that statement. No matter how sad I was, how much I missed Nick, or how lonely I felt, life is still good. I am alive, my darling is alive and safe, I have a wonderful family and loving friends, life is good. That sign meant so much to me that my mom bought it for me! As she (my mom) and my sister packed some of the things in our living room I asked them to leave that sign out. We hung it in a prominent place on the living room wall so that any time I sit on my sofa I am reminded that "life is good" and that all of the sadness will come to pass.

One last thing before I collapse into bed, one of my friends taught me the beginnings of crochet tonight! I am really excited and I'm planning on getting some yarn and a crochet hook tomorrow so that I can start on a project! Anyway, I'm off to bed now, thank you for reading and please continue to keep Nick and me in your prayers!

Missing My Other Half

It is as if my heart breaks just a little when I hear his voice on the phone. I can't touch him, hug him, comfort him, or collapse into his loving embrace. I miss the strength of his arms around me and the sound of his heart beating by my ear. I know that it will all be worth it in the end but the pain is still there when I look at the empty half of my bed where he should be sleeping and realize that it will be a long time before that spot is filled again. But I am encouraged as well...

When I hear his voice I feel a surge of warmth rush through my chest. My heart pounds in my ears when my phone buzzes and it is my sweet husband calling me. I know that he is going through everything he is going through because he wants a good life for us and our future children. He is surviving all of this to train so that he can help give us the freedoms and pleasures we so readily enjoy and take for granted. He loves me and wants to give me the best that he can. I fall to sleep every night with tears in my eyes and sadness in my heart because my best friend is so many miles away training to give me a wonderful life.

It is bittersweet, bitter because I miss my sweetheart more than I could have imagined and sweet because he is doing it for us and our country. I know that in a few short months I will be with him again and I will be happier than ever! Until then, I hold on to the knowledge that day by day his graduation grows closer and it will never be further away than it is right now. Thank you for all of your support and prayers.

Two Minute Phone Calls

My phone has been glued to my side, really, I freaked out earlier when I realized that I went to the bathroom without it! I know that Nick can't call me during the day but it is like a safety blanket for me right now and I just feel comforted by having it near me.

Tonight, I began a movie at 9:00, knowing that if Nick could call, it would be sometime between 10:00 and 11:00. It was probably a good thing that I was watching a movie because watching those minutes ticking by probably would have driven me mad.

As the 10 o'clock hour began I found myself (no joke) ironing a sheet. Yes, a wrinkly old sheet that I have so that I can make a petticoat to go with my bloomers. I was ironing it! As if it needed to be ironed at 10:00 at night!

10:30 approached, no call yet and I was beginning to think that he probably didn't have time tonight to call.

10:45 rolled around and I resolved myself to going to bed without hearing from him, knowing that he was probably extremely busy and didn't have any time to spare.

10:50, still no call, apparently I hadn't resolved myself completely because I was still glancing at my phone to make sure it was working.

Finally, at 10:54 my phone rang! In my haste to answer it I accidently ignored the call. (Why is that even a option on phones? Really?)

Then, at 10:55 I heard the Stargate SG-1 ringtone and saw my sweetheart's face come up on my phone! I answered the call, very carefully this time, and got to hear his voice. We only spoke for two minutes but it was totally worth the wait! Hearing his voice, even just for a moment, made my eyes tear. I knew that he was stressed and that he didn't have much time to talk, but I got to hear his voice!

I'm sure that I will be doing this almost every night but I also know that it is worth every minute of staring at that phone, willing it to make a sound! I can't explain how soothing it is to hear, "I'm okay, I love you, sleep well". I am so very proud of my husband and I love him a little more every day. Hopefully I can get some sleep now, it is way past my bedtime! ;-)

(Maybe tomorrow I will get three minutes! But even if it is just one, it will be worth it!)

Today is the Big Day!

Today is the day that everything begins, everything changes, and the count down to graduation begins! Nick will be going to Maxwell Air Force Base today around 2:00 and begin his training and enrollment procedures. I can remember looking toward this date months and months ago thinking that it seemed so far away and now it's here! I am so proud of my husband, he has worked very hard and sacrificed a lot to get to this point. I know that it is going to be hard but I also know that Nick has a lot of motivation and drive to get through it.

I'm certainly not a big fan of sleeping alone and living in a mostly empty apartment with only my cats and me. Nevertheless, my classes begin soon and I will be busy with homework, family, friends, and crafts. Even though it is going to be hard, I know that everything will be alright and that God will give me the strength I need to go through this.

Yesterday, being the first day that Nick was gone, I did absolutely nothing productive. I suppose that isn't strange, I just didn't feel any motivation whatsoever. I have a huge pile of dishes and laundry that were begging for my attention but I quite effectively ignored their cries and spent the day in laziness. Eventually, I got out one of my older projects, the bloomers for my ragdoll costume, and did a bit of work on them. I didn't finish them but when I do I will post a picture, they will probably be super baggy and kinda cute! I also did a workout at my friends' house and had dinner with them afterwards so I wasn't totally closed up in my apartment all day.

Hopefully today will be different. I will do my best not to ignore my dishes and laundry and I will work to do the homework that I have to turn in tomorrow! Of course this couch is really comfy so we'll just see what happens! ;-)

Thanks for reading!

And So It Begins...

Okay, so to explain my slightly ominous title, today was the first day that everything really began to sink in.


Nick left today.


It is still hard to swallow, he is gone and I may not see him again for a full three months! I suppose that my brain really can't understand that and so I am trying to work my way through that little piece of information. Even though he left today he won't actually get to Montgomery until sometime on Monday. Even at that, his training won't begin until Tuesday so he will get a little bit of time to relax at his hotel.

Wow, it really is happening, the waiting time is finally up! I can't believe that my darling husband is really beginning his Air Force Officer Training in just a couple of days! I am so proud of him and everything he has accomplished. I know that this little bit of time will be hard on both of us but I also know that it will be worth it in the end. I would appreciate your prayers as we begin this new journey and especially during this time of separation.

I hope to keep myself focused with plenty of sewing projects and schoolwork so I will try to update with occasional pictures to let you all know what I'm up to!

Something Fun Every Day

I went to my night class in Lubbock yesterday and one of the things my teacher mentioned caught my attention, she said to do at least one fun thing with your students every day. That really made me think, it would probably relax the kids and make the day go by smoother if they weren't constantly concerned about schoolwork and could let themselves have a little bit of fun once in a while. I then started to think, if that does a lot of good for students in a classroom, how much good would it do for all of us? If we relaxed enough to do something fun every day then would we have less stress? Would we be more creative because we have given our brains a break from their constant workload? Would we finally be able to read that book that we want to read or play that game with our loved ones? I think that if we could let loose a little bit, we could enjoy life a lot more.

Since all of these thoughts last night, I decided to try to actually make myself do at least one fun thing every day. I got to ride in a plane with my father-in-law today and it was incredible! I had a blast and I think that I will count that for one of my fun things today. Of course, I don't plan on only limiting myself to one fun thing but that is the minimum! I will try to write down what I do so that I can keep track of them and see if it actually changes my mood or my attitude.

Hopefully this will take my mind off of Nick leaving and keep my attitude up! So, if any of you have suggestions for my "fun things" just let me know and I will give them a try!