It's Christmas Time!

There is no way I am getting Christmas cards done this year, so I am calling this post my official Christmas card to you. I haven't even bought one gift yet, so my time is going to be spent tracking down some really good deals over the next two weeks. I pray peace, joy and Christ's love to all of you this Christmas.

This year has been good. It is so nice to see those words written on my blog. Seasons of trials are never fun, but trust me when I say that God is working even when we don't understand. I read over last year's Christmas post and even though things are still stabilizing, we are in such a better place as a family.

I am thrilled with all that God is doing in the lives of each of my children. The tuition I pay for private school is really putting a pinch on things, but when I see them excelling and enjoying their environment so much, it warms my heart more than anything. It also reminds me that I may eventually get a new car in the year 2020.

Here are Seth and Annie right before they left for their school's Christmas program.

Annie was belting out "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." She was so nervous even though she was singing with a group of children. She looked so pretty and always had a huge smile on her face.

Probably the biggest blessing of the year has been my son coming into his own in junior high. He has found a love for music and literally plays non-stop everyday. He loves keyboard, but his passion is electric guitar. Skip and I held back tears as we saw him rocking out on stage for Jesus. He tends to gravitate towards bands like Queen and Guns and Roses for guitar licks, but thankfully his school lets them play contemporary worship music which does have a lot of guitar. The band leaders are young and have such a heart for God that I know Seth is in excellent hands to develop his talent. It doesn't hurt that he can jam out with his daddy each night too.

Our oldest Ashley is having a wonderful year at Annapolis Christian Academy. This school is so challenging for her, but she is pushing through with flying colors. She was reading a greek paragraph the other night, but it all sounding greek to me. Hee hee. Seriously, she loves the teachers, the courses (especially drama), and the friendships she has made.

To conclude this very long Christmas post, I want to give God the most praise for our new church family. Skip has a job there, but they have reached out to us like a family. I am so proud of the pastors, the staff and the volunteers who make it such a honor to be apart of the Real Life Fellowship team. We had our new campus opening this past week and we were blown away by God's blessings. We more than doubled our attendance and gave away 80 bibles. I can't wait to see how many will come to know Christ at RLF Flour Bluff and will begin to make changes in their lives to honor God.

If you are in Corpus or the surrounding area, we are having our Christmas Eve Services on Dec. 23rd at 7:00pm, Dec. 24th at 2:30, 4:00, 5:30 and 7:00 pm. We would love to have you join us for a Christmas Experience you won't want to miss!

Thankful Thursday: Hope and Trust

"Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my sighing.
Listen to my cry for help, my King and my God, for to you I pray.
In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3

I am so thankful for God giving me such a blessed heart this Christmas season. Even though it is going to be a different kind of Christmas for our family, I feel joy. We won't be giving many gifts, we won't be putting up a big tree(no room this year), and we will not have some of our loved with us anymore. However, there is peace, there is excitement, there is joy and there is love.

I am thankful that despite my concern for what do do in our current housing situation, I know God is moving and orchestrating something just for us. We had decided we would most likely be moving back to our home in January even though we knew this would financially make things tighter. We didn't feel there was a choice. We have been praying God would provide a way to help us when things just wouldn't add up, and last night we received a call from our renters saying they want to continue renting. They will also pay the full price of our mortgage payment. Praise God! We can continue to pay down our home while the market is crazy and now find something to rent with 4 bedrooms and at a more affordable price. I am hoping, praying and expecting something wonderful. We are seeking Him and trusting Him!

I am thankful for my husband who is leading our family with such love and humor. Our home is loud, but so fun! Thank you God for giving my husband a heart for You and for the gifts he has that make life so interesting and colorful!

Lastly, I am thankful for my sweet kids for being so understanding over all the changes that we have put them through over the last 2 years. They are willing to be flexible and seem to go with the flow even when their expectations have not been met.

What are you thankful for today??? I would love to know.

If you want to post your Thankful Thursday, just go to Grace Alone and leave your link. Be blessed friends!

Put It Into Practice

As Christians we are told it is wise to study scripture, to meditate on God's word and to plant His word deep in our hearts. When we are consistently doing the above, and then trials and circumstances enter our lives, we can use what truth we know to sustain ourselves and find peace and comfort. I could not agree more with these practices, but why is it always so hard to actually share these wise words when someone is hurting? I don't just mean hurting, I mean grieving.

Over the last several months I have lost my grandfather, Skip's grandmother, a dear friend and mentor of mine, relationships I once held dear and yet, despite all that, I have joy and peace like never before. I am not the problem right now.

I have friends and family who are deeply hurting. It ranges from losing a parent to finding out your child has been diagnosed with a questionable future, and a friend ending a relationship that she thought was her happily ever after. It truly breaks my heart that my words are empty when I try to give them an encouraging verse. I know The Word is not empty, but sharing what I feel God has laid on my heart is where it gets tricky. I don't know what they are going through. I may have dealt with similiar circumstances at times, but no one can truly feel another's pain. I try to remind them that God loves them more than they can imagine, yet when you are truly grieving, it isn't what they want to hear. They want you to just be there. I'm trying to just be there and listen, cry with them, or make a stupid meal if that will help. What I wish is that there were no pain in this world, that those I love could have every prayer answered and just go back to a time before the call, the diagnosis, or the sudden tragedy.

Time will heal so much I know, but I want to convey to my loved ones not to give up on turning to God during these times. He does have a plan and purpose for everything that happens, and He WILL use it for good for those who love him and are called according to his purpose.

For now I'll continue to pray my heart out for them and ask God to specifically show himself good to them. I am praying for glimpses of heaven throughout their days and for joy to fill their hearts once again. I want their individual season of pain to stop and for there to be rest and assurance for their future. One particular friend is facing so much, I just can't believe how life is consistently hitting her so hard and from every angle. For this particular friend, please stop and pray for her now, just a quick prayer. She needs it so much.

If you are one, like many of my friends today, that is feeling hit from all angles of life and discouragement is beating you down, please know that God needs to be your source of comfort, of strength, and of peace. He is the only one who truly knows how you feel and can give you want you need to continue fighting the fight, as hard as it may be.

These are just some of the verses that God gave me today to share with you:

"Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him." Psalm 34:8

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

"Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable- if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

Thanksgiving Highlights

Thanksgiving is still going on this Friday afternoon. We are about to enjoy more turkey and dressing with my in laws. All in all, this has been one of my favorite years to spend with family. Since we have been back in Corpus since May, it was so fun to come home to Victoria for Thanksgiving.

*Wednesday- Went to my mom's house for Thanksgiving and had a blast with my sis and brother's families. Even the star graced us with his presence. He was able to just be a kid and hang out with his cousins. We had great hopes of having dinner at 6pm, but we had so much food to make in one oven, that we ended up reheating and waiting until 8 to eat. The food was great, but the Turducken was not ready until 9pm and so we had that on Thursday.

*Thursday- Went to Edna, Tx and ate with the Mozisek clan. Yummy, yummy, yummy! Those bohemians can cook! We visited for several hours and then went to see Twilight, again. I missed the Cowboys play, but Skip was in an excellent mood when I got home. I wasn't when the Aggies lost:(

*Friday- No shopping for me today. It's weird but I have absolutely no desire to shop this year. I don't think my kids are going to go for no presents, but I really just love hanging out and enjoying every one's company today. We may go see Australia a little later and I'll let you know how I liked it with a review.

I want to end this Thanksgiving post with some really awesome news. My friend Deedee that you prayed for on Wednesday had a very positive outcome from her surgery. You can read her post here. Thank you Jesus for answering our prayers!


Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! God bless!

Praying For Deedee

This is my friend Deedee and I am so excited to introduce you to her today. She is an awesome woman of God who's determined purpose in life "is to know Him". After you read this post, go get to know her better at her site.


Deedee is an amazing godly woman who leads a huge women's ministry at BAF, my former church. From the moment I met Deedee several years ago, I knew she was someone that I wanted to be friends with immediately. She has a warm and fun personality that makes others so comfortable in her presence. What I learned soon after our first meeting is that that warmth came from time spent in the presence of her heavenly Father. She spoke encouragement into my life more than a few times, and she seems to do that with a whole lot of gals around this city and I'm sure around the country.

Deedee is a wife, a mother, a mother-in-love, a friend, a leader, a writer, no an excellent writer, a fabulous singer, and most of all a genuine friend to so many girls. I watched her take a fantastic women's ministry to a level of excellence which was completely amazing to see. She continues to grow and invest in the lives of thousands of women on a weekly basis. I could go on and on, but I want to get to something very important that is going on in Deedee's life right now.


Deedee was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. When I found out through her post here, I was shocked. Not by the diagnosis as much as I was by her attitude of gratitude amidst the trial. She was actually excited for the opportunity to get to know her God even more, what he would show her about his character and who He truly is. Amazing! So many ladies look to Deedee as a wise counselor and leader, and she never hesitates to point them to the true counselor, healer, and leader of her life, Jesus Christ.

Please join me in prayer for Deedee. She is having surgery this Wednesday, and nothing would bring more joy this Thanksgiving week than for Deedee to be healed completely from her cancer. May God comfort her and give her peace in the following days. May He strengthen her body for her road ahead, and may God be glorified through it all.

What's Making You Smile Today?

1. Having my kids off for a week.

2. Paying $1.69 a gallon for gas yesterday.

3. Sleeping in because I have my kids off for a week.

4. Seeing family for 3 days in Victoria!

5. My friend Laura's baby is doing better and may get out of the hospital in the next couple of days. Praise God!

What is making you smile right now?

Movie Reviews

It's been a while since my last movie review. It's probably because we rarely go see movies, and therefore hard to make a current review. In the last week I have seen two blockbusters and definitely was not disappointed.


I'll start with my favorite. Stephenie Meyer's best seller Twilight was exactly what I thought it would be...wonderful. If you have read the book, you will develop an even a deeper appreciation for the series and the characters. If you haven't read the book, please don't go see it. You won't get it, and you won't see what all the fuss is about. Well, you might if your my mom who saw it last night with my sis and neice. She said she is going to now buy the series to read. However it frightened her. The only time I screamed was in the previews to a horror movie which was just plain evil. My eyes were covered the entire time.

I took my daughter Ashley to the 12:01 AM showing (on a school night) and the die hard Twilight fans were out in full fashion. We got there over an hour early and barely found seats with pre-purchased tickets. Twilight shirts scattered our packed theater, and even though our film had a few glitches during the previews, everyone was so excited it made the anticipation even stronger. My daughter and her friend Jordan made Team Edward and Team Jacob shirts splattered with their favorite quotes from each. They had so much fun giggling and taking pictures and videos before the movie (an hour wait remember), that I thought surely the movie will be boring compared to all the fun they were having. Not a chance! They screamed the first time Edward, Jacob, Emmett, Jasper and Dr. Cullen crossed the scream. They oohed and awed, clapped, cheered and finally sat still and smiled as the main characters shared the first day in the sunlight together.

It was a pretty true to the book and as cheesy as young love gets. I happen to like cheesy and so I loved the movie. I am not going to actually give a real review of this movie and tell you what the story is about. You can find out everything you ever wanted to know and more about Twilight by going here, here or Ashley's favorite site here.

The only problem I have with Twilight is the obsessiveness I see with this series. Teens and even adults are going nuts over the characters, the actors playing the characters and the books. I wish my daughter had as many highlights and ear-marked pages in her bible as she has in her treasured Twilight books. Part of my job as a parent is to encourage a love, and a passion for God's word. When Ashley or any one of my kids hear a story come to life from the bible, it should far surpass the excitement of a teen fiction book. This bestselling series is not ending anytime soon; there are a possible three more movies since there are three more books. I definitely have my work cut out for me. But all this said, it was so much fun to take Ashley out to her first midnight show and stay up until 2:45am. She may be falling asleep during Greek today, but she'll admit that it was in the top ten nights of her life.

Skip and I saw Quantum of Solace for his birthday. It was strictly a labor of love for me. I have no interest in seeing a suave Daniel Craig speak in a British accent for an hour and 40 minutes, wearing gorgeous suits and always being the hero. Nope, no interest in that kind of thing of all.

Believe me? I didn't think so. Actually, I loved this movie as well. Great action, cool chases, and hang on the edge of your seat sequences. Daniel Craig is by far my favorite Bond. Although I'm really not much of a Bond fan except for View to a Kill because my boys Duran Duran did the opening song for that one.

*If you were looking for real reviews, I just realized I didn't do that it all. I just shared my thoughts about two really good movies I just so happen to see this week. If your like me and don't go to the movie very often, it is nice to go spend a trillion dollars and actually like what you see. If you did see a good movie lately, pass the info on to me. Even if it's a rental, we will have some down time this next week with family and would love to hear about a good flick.

Thursday Thanks Tank

I have so many things I need to do this morning, but the first thing is to give God some praise and thanks for what He is doing in my life and in those I love.

1. Thank you God for my husband and his call to serve you in full-time ministry. It is so hard at times, but the blesses far outway the cost. Thank you that he is able to use the gifts you gave him to the fullest.


2. Thank you for my children and the joy they bring into my life. Thank you for allowing them the privelege to attend schools we love and to have godly friendships there. Thank you for their health which I know is all because of you.


3. Thank you Lord for my bible study girlfriends. They are each so special to me, and as we close this next week, I pray you bless each one with even a deeper desire to know and trust you more.


4. Thank you for the awesome response to Skip's paintings. We were praying for a way to supplement our income to get back to our home in January, and I praise you that we are seeing a way. Thank you for Skip's gift of creativity and artistic ability.


5. Thank you for loving me despite my sin. Thank you for allowing me to come before you with a stained life, and for washing it clean. I do not deserve your grace, but you give it over and over again.


*I picked up this cute banner here. If you want to add your own thankfuls to your site, you can go here and leave a link.

Guess Your Spouse's Job or Hobby???

This is what I came home to find today. My furniture pushed against the wall and every type of musical equipment and computer known to man all over my living room. Skip is a musician and it goes with the territory that sometimes he is in the mood to work from home. That's great, but it makes it a little difficult for the other 4 people who must live in this small home.

This scene I walked in on made me think. Without telling me your husband's profession or hobby, what kind of scene might you walk in on, or what object might be left on the kitchen counter. Send me some info and let me guess.

Hopelessly Devoted to You

To the best hubby in the whole wide world, that still makes me feel like I did on our very first date.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SKIP!!! "Your The One That I Want " Hoo Hoo Hoo Honey!

To My Prayer Warrior Friends

Words are not there right now, but I feel I must let my prayer warrior friends know right away that Amber, my friend Debbie's daughter, has passed away. She left this world into the father's hands at 2:00pm today. I cannot imagine how her mother and father feel, her brothers, and especially Amber's husband.

This scripture was sent to me via the email with the news.
"Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints" Psalm 116:15

Amber was a Christian, Amber knew Christ intimately, and had even started leading the bible study "Believing God" before she was diagnosed with advanced leukemia.

Please pray for comfort for her family and friends. I did not know her personally, but I was in a bible study years ago with her mother. I remember when Debbie was praising God for Amber's new relationship with Christ and her desire to know Him more. She not only knows him well, she is now in His very presence.

Introducing Skip Mozisek's Fine Arts

I think part of a wife's purpose in marriage is to encourage, support and even brag on her husband. I am going to do the third in this post.

Skip is not only musically talented, hilarious, and a pro at all things media, he is also a wonderful artist. He painted quite a bit in the early years of our marriage, but life got busy and he started using his job for his creative outlet. He still is mega creative at work, but he is trying to use the small amount of spare time to do the things he loves. Besides golf and hunting, painting is one of his passions.

Over the last few months, I have mentioned several times that I want a professional picture of our kids taken. Skip did something even better. He painted a picture of my kids. I LOVE IT! It is modern, it is different, and it is a one of a kind.

Skip already has a few people wanting to buy one as the holidays are approaching, and if you are interested, you can always email me and I will give you the opportunity to talk to Skip about prices and sizes. He prefers to take the pictures if you are in Corpus, but he can certainly use one of your photos.

8 Things

I'm stealing this post from my blogging friend Susan. It looked like a lot of fun, and even though I wasn't officially tagged for it, I'm jumping in.

8 TV Shows (In no particular order, I catch these shows here and there)

1. House

2. Regis and Kelly (my morning coffee friends)

3. Madmen (my secret obsession-well, I guess it's no secret now)-must stop

4. American Idol

5. Intervention (It's so nice when it actually works for people)

6. Ace of Cakes

7. King of Queens (love to watch the reruns)

8. Everbody Loves Raymond (more great reruns)

8 Restaurants

1. LaPlaya Mexican Cafe' (fajitas or Enchiladas Verdes)

2. Casa Ole' (dinner Laredo)

3. Kinko's Mexican (love everything)

4. Papasitos (Fajitas -Do you notice a theme here?)

5. PF Changs

6. Joe's Crab Shack (coconut shrimp and twice baked potato- oh sorry, I forgot they quit serving the twice baked potato- I now hate Joe's) just kidding, I had it a couple of months ago

7. Olive Garden

8. Hungry Jacks (Victoria, Tx) best chicken fried steak EVER!

8 Things That Happened Today (I'm doing yesterday because it is still early and not much besides coffee and Regis and Kelly has happened yet.)

1. Bible study and prayed for my friends

2.Tried to comfort Triscuit our dog who had her womanhood stripped from her Monday. She is recovering slowly. She was a bit sick from the anesthesia. I won't tell you what she did with her puke yesterday. I almost puked. Luckily she is an outside dog.

3. Laundry, dishes, laundry, straightened up, laundry-we have a lot of laundry

4. Wrote out thank-you notes for daughter's school fundraiser we just had last week

5. Played on Facebook and talked on the phone way too much

6. Realized that I MUST go see an eye doctor. I cannot see up close! No more 20/20 for me

7. Made a quick grocery shopping trip with Ash

8. Went to parent update meeting at Seth and Annie's school with Seth, helped Annie with a Reading paper, and fell asleep watching food network since Skip was working on Christmas and Grand Opening stuff on the computer (I can't believe Christmas is only a little over a month away!)

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To

1. Our new RLF Flour Bluff Campus Grand Opening December 7th!

2. Skip's b-day in 4 days, but I haven't a clue what to get him

3. Two movies- Quantum of Solace and Twilight!

4. Seeing my family at Thanksgiving in Victoria (maybe my superstar nephew will make an appearance)

5. Skip's new paintings he is working on

6. Seeing God work on some big things we've been praying about

7. Getting a Sonic drink at Happy Hour today! I'm just being honest.

8. Having some alone time with the hubby when he finally gets out of bed this morning! It's his day off and he takes full advantage of the time to catch up on sleep.

One more- We are moving in January to either another larger rent house or back to the house we own. We really can't afford our old house, but I'm praying God will make a way!

Anyone can join in. Let me know if you do so I can come by and see your 8 Things (:

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful for Jesus.

Today I am clinging to Jesus.

Today I crying out to Jesus.

I am amazed at all the prayer requests relating to health over the last couple of weeks, and I feel like everyone I know is dealing closely with someone fighting to live.

Very close to my heart is my precious friend Debbie who has a daughter struggling for her life with advanced leukemia. Her daughter Amber has been mentioned on my posts before, but she is in critical condition, and needs a miracle. Amber knows and loves Jesus with all her heart and gives God complete control of all she is facing. Please join me in lifting her life up to Him who is the great healer. Also keep Amber's husband and everyone close to her in your prayers.

I just found out this morning that a dear friend of mine has been diagnosed with breast cancer. I don't go to church with her anymore, and had not heard the news. She leads a large women's ministry and has the most amazing spirit and heart you will ever see. She also gives God complete authority with her life and trusts. Not only that, she has a joyful attitude. You will be blessed if you go by her site and read her words. I promise. Please pray that she will have a quick treatment and recovery.

Lastly, my friend Laura (like a sister to me) is in our children's hospital right now with her one month old son Elian (Eli for short). He is not gaining weight, he has three holes in his heart, and he is being tested for possible genetic problems. We are praying that all his issues are because of his little heart working so hard when he eats. He is burning more calories than he's taking in and hopefully the doctors will be able to have the wisdom to find the cause and fix it. We are also praying for God to intervene and close the holes in the heart over time, and that Eli will gain the weight he needs to gain.

All of these requests are why I am simply thankful for Jesus. When it comes down to life, health, problems, trials and fears, we need Jesus. He is who we call on. He is who we rely on. He is who we praise, glorify, and thank today and always.

If you have a Thankful Thursday to share, go by Grace Alone and leave a link to your post. Be blessed friends!

Did You Miss Me? Just Kidding

What a week! It was busy, productive, stressful, tiring, fun, and most of all awesome! We lauched a new church campus in Flour Bluff, and for those of you not in Corpus, it is only about 8 minutes away from our previous church location.

This weekend almost didn't happen because of some major setbacks. Many of our staff was fasting and believing for God to work out some big giants we were facing with a fire alarm which almost kept us from opening the doors this weekend. Not only did God show favor, we had an outstandingly smooth, and incredible first weekend.

What I learned this week is what a great group of people make up Real Life Fellowship. The pastors, the staff, and the volunteers gave so much time and effort for this new community we are trying to reach for Christ. I felt honored to be a part of it all.

I also stepped out of my comfort zone as I helped in the media dept. this weekend. I actually sat at a computer with a head set and changed the different backgrounds and used a switcher. I've never been so nervous in all my life. It was so amazing to watch what goes on behind the scenes. I don't think I'll ever take all the behind the scene techies for granted again. They are awesome!

Here is the front of our new building.

The outside of the bookstore as it was being stocked. Our coffee/cafe does not open until our grand opening in two weeks. I can't wait to order a cappucino or hot chocolate in the winter.

Thought you gals might like to see the bathroom. We still have some things to add here and there, but the colors and designs are beautiful! I love the floors!

The indoor playground is huge, but not quite finished. It is the biggest indoor playground in South Texas, or so I've been told. I'm trying out the giant slide for sure!

The green room for the musicians, and media people and me (hee hee). It is so cool and colorful.

Here is a shot of the sanctuary. I didn't get a shot of the stage because they had a bazillion people working on lights and lifts when I grabbed this shot of the auditorium.

Here is my Annie in one of the sitting areas in the atrium. I just thought this was a cute pose.

One of the biggest blessings of our new church is the youth area. My kids are so involved and absolutely love it. They have made some great friends through their life groups and Ashley has just started serving in the preschool area. I could not be prouder of their desire to get involved. I'm sure in another year Seth will be rockin out on stage with his guitar in the youth band. He already gets up extra early so he can go watch the band practice. I love this!

Here is the indoor basketball court. The youth also has a big recreation area with pool and ping pong tables. What a great place for them to fellowship in a safe environment.

As wonderful as this week has been, it has also been filled with some big prayer requests. My friend Debbie whose daughter was diagnosed a couple of weeks ago with advanced leukemia is literally fighting for her life. Please join me in lifting her up in prayer. She is currently in very bad shape with her lungs bleeding, on a ventilator and completely unstable.

One of my BF's Laura who had a baby just a few weeks ago had to take baby Eli into the emergency room last night. He is having lots of pain and crying throughout the day due to digestive issues. They have found three holes in his heart, but that doesn't seem to be interfering with the pain in his tummy. Please pray for wisdom for the doctors and for Eli to be healed from all that he is suffering from right now. I know Laura is so worried even though she puts up a great front. She is tired, and in need of peace. Laura has been through so much this year with the passing of her mother in May and two major moves, and I want more than anything for Jesus to bring her comfort and rest. She is such an amazing Godly girl who seeks the Lord with all her heart and knows he is in control of everything.

Also, my sweet friend Lori is flying to Africa tomorrow to adopt a son from Ghana. It has been a crazy time for my pastor and his wife and the process has not been easy. However, very soon they will have a new little boy to call son. May she have a safe journey and a problem free trip. We can't wait to meet you Apollo!

That is about it for now. I hope to be back to normal blogging soon. I have missed writing and visiting everyone's blogs so much, but I should have some free time this week. Skip is even taking a well deserved day off tomorrow!