August 4.

Kaeli and Bethany are having a sleepover tonight.

Wishing their dear friend, Satya, could be there to join in on the fun, they (with the help of Isaac) decided to make a little sign for her.

August 3.

A friend of mine had a bunch of coupon tickets to Shipwreck Island and invited Dylan and I to join her and her little brother.  So, I spent the day at the water park riding rides and getting just a little too much sun.

While we were there, we ran into Haley and Maddy.

Funny, since just last month I ran into Maddy at the Atlanta Aquarium.  It seems she has a tendency of running into me at overpriced tourist attractions. 

August 2.

Dylan finally cut his hair.  Now, if only he actually acted as innocent as he looked, he really would be a new kid.

I spent over two hours trying to get this devil to cut his hair.  He was starting to look like a female and it was driving me crazy.

However, not only is this kid incredibly stubborn, but he absolutely loathes haircuts.  Aside from my best friend, Dylan hates haircuts more than anyone else I know.  Thus, most of my day consisted of various attempts at manipulating Dylan into walking into SportClips. 

It started with starvation and abandonment in the heat, then personal property theft and threats of blackmail, and finally a deal involving a compromise regarding hair length and just a bit of bribery.  Yes, I am aware that every parent is probably crossing me off the list as a potential babysitter, but sometimes you gotta do whatever it takes.  Plus, it was incredibly entertaining.

Growing pains.

God is doing huge things in my life and in my heart.  I can feel it.  He's changing me.  Not into a different person, but into the kind of woman He intends for me to be.  It's not a comfortable feeling, and it's certainly painful at times, but the knowledge of the person I'm becoming and the hope of the future He has in store makes it all worth it.  I'm growing, and I've finally accepted that it isn't easy.  Relinquishing control to Him has been a constant battle for a long time and every time, He's shown me how damaging it is when I try to do things on my own. I'm ready to listen to the things He's trying to teach me and I'm ready to let Him mold me into a better person.

I'm learning to stand by my convictions in the face of trials.  I'm learning patience on so many levels.  I'm learning how to be steadfast, honest, openminded, trusting, faithful, and so much more.  I see these things developing in my life and it's really cool.  Although I know I'm far from getting there, and that I'll never fully attain any of these characteristics, seeing these things grow from my brokenness has shown me how powerful God is. 

He's wrecked me, and through the process of healing and learning, He is refining me.  I'm learning to cling to Him completely, and in turn, I'm learning how to be more like Him every day.  Honestly, that's really all I want. Sure, there are a lot of important things that I hope for, there are plenty of things I've lifted up to Him.  But the reality is, if I don't exude Jesus, nothing else matters.  

August 1.

These kids are crazy. 

I just connected my phone with my blog. Just a test post to see if this thing works.

Homeschooling. Hah.

This never fails to make me laugh.