Yesterday morning, my daughter and I fled the house early in the morning to get to an orthodontist appointment. In disappointment, I had forgotten to take any reading material with me. At the doctor’s office I sat in the waiting room for an hour and a half. Using my time wisely, I decided to make a list of what the kids needed before they left for camp and the beach next week. I checked my cell phone several times. It was early to call anyone.

 After about ten minutes of feeling awkward, I picked up a North Carolina Signature magazine I had never read before. Most of the magazine consisted of vacations spots in N.C. It was great to see many familiar places…that I call home. As I was flipping through the pages a unique picture caught my eye.

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Our family returned home last night from the beach. We survived the remnants of Big Bertha, the tropical storm off the South Carolina coast. The storm stirred up the wind, the waves and the jellies! My kids loved the challenge of boogie boarding. The ocean was so rough I didn’t take my eyes off of them. I stayed in the water and I couldn’t resist the attempt to be boogie boarder mom of the week!

One morning when we had calmer waters and the jellies had stung a few of us, we decided to take a walk along the beach. We met a man and his wife from Italy who spent three hours building a 4 foot tall detailed sand castle. It resembled the one at Disney. The man was hired by Hilton to teach a class to kids called, “No Hastle Castle.”

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This morning I am sitting in my car with the windows open while the girls are at their final swim practice. Normally I sit and watch them swim or go for a run, but I need to utilize my time today. A gentle cool breeze is flowing through the car as I am writing my blog for the week. The next few days are literally packed full! My final picture needs to be chosen for the back of my book cover. A friend of mine is meeting me here this morning to help me decide the best one out of 90 pictures!

Today errands need to be run, the house needs to be cleaned, (I like to come home to a clean house after vacation!) piles of laundry need to be done so we can pack for the beach to be ready to leave on Wednesday morning. My father-in-law arrives tonight to see the girls swim all day tomorrow at finals. The all day event lasts from noon until 9:00.

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God is so good to give us children. He knows what we need! Raising children is definitely a tool that God uses in our lives as part of the self centered stripping process! Our children also teach us valuable lessons about God and life. This week my daughters have shown me an incredible example of fearless love.

We had new neighbors purchase a house across the street this spring. They have two daughters my daughter’s ages. The girls met and hit if off! They had seen each other only once or twice over spring break because the new neighbors needed to finish school in Virginia before moving to Winston. The father stayed here to work his new job.

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The Lord arms me with strength (and confidence) and makes my way perfect. Ps. 18:32

Left to myself and my own thinking sometimes when a few things go wrong, I can easily lose sight and give up. Satan knows right when and where to pounce at my weak spots. This weekend I returned home from our July 4th weekend exhausted. Life was beginning to feel like it is always so hard to make things right with people.

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