Valentine's Day

I had such a wonderful Valentine's Day! I haven't felt that loved in a long time! I woke up feeling in a festive mood so I decided to wear a pink suit.

I had a great day at work. The secretary brought these beautiful flowers to my classroom in the afternoon. What a fun surprise!

Guess who they were from...JOEY! What a thoughtful brother! When I read the card and saw they were from Joey I then told all the boys in my class that they should be as good of a brother to their sisters as Joey. That afternoon I came home to mail from my dad and the cutest card I have ever seen. That night I got to go to my new favorite restaurant in ttown called Carmelos. Everything there is delicious! I had shrimp and grits. Pic below is of me and my two valentines, Courtney and Elizabeth (both teachers at TMS).

Lastly, to end the wonderful day UPS delivered a package to my door around 8. It was a package from my mom with two of my favorite things inside...SOURPATCH KIDS and a STARBUCKS giftcard! I am so blessed! Thank you Jesus for wonderful friends here in Tuscaloosa and for a mom, dad, and brother that love me without measure! And thank you that you, Father God, love me with an unconditionally love that enables me to love them back!

"I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." Psalm 27:13

Popcorn!

Thoughts for this week…I’ve been thinking a lot this week about how God woos us. I love that God doesn’t speak to us through shame, guilt, or fear, but through love and wooing. I was reminded of this when I was driving back to Tuscaloosa from Fairhope this Sunday. I needed to stop for gas and was planning on stopping at my usual stop in Grove Hill. I stop there every time I go home and know exactly where it is but for some reason I passed it without noticing. So I then saw a place in Thomasville but passed it on accident too…now I’m thinking what’s going on. Why can’t I just pull into a gas station…I’m usually not this flighty. Well I see another one shortly after and pull in. As I’m pumping my gas I notice a little sign on the pump that says “Free popcorn with gas purchase.” I got so excited!!! Popcorn is my favorite snack (besides cookies). After I went in and got my popcorn I walked back to my car laughing and saying, “Lord, you are so sweet and so fun.” God is so in control that he brought me right to this gas station just for fun and to bless me. Before I pulled in the gas station I thought, “I really want a snack but I shouldn’t spend any money.” And I didn’t have to! Another cool part…I was fasting one day last week and it happened to be popcorn day (the PTA sells popcorn as a fundraiser once a month). I was so sad I didn’t get to enjoy the popcorn (I really like popcorn!) I think it’s cool that God is in control of every minute of our day and he knows the things that we love, that make us happy. He delights in us and loves to pour out his love on us in big and little ways. I wonder how often things like this happen and I miss them, not realizing they are from the Lord. This event may seem small but it meant a lot to me! And the Lord knew that it would. Call me crazy but I am confident that the God of the universe is crazy about me (and you too)!