Faith Lifts!

Boy does it ever...Faith does lift me and when Faith Lifts was started a while back, I became an avid reader. Today I have the incredible privilidge of having an article featured on there. It's under the Marriage section and you can click on the above picture and it will take you directly to it.
My faith made me who I am today, a sinner saved by the grace of our Lord. May you draw close to Him today.


Karen

My Writing

I am sorry that I have been lackluster in my writing this month. I spend numerous hours on the blog each day, just not writing. I have been doing lots of reading on others sites, though. I would like to think that because I haven't written means there isn't much going on, but that's not the case either. There is a lot going on, just most of it I can't mention here, for various reasons. Nothing huge...just life.
In the meantime, we are making plans for the summer already. Have I mentioned that I will be 30 in August?? If you don't me that well, you must find out that I LOVE BIRTHDAYS!! See this, this, and this from last year. I think we are going on a getaway. It won't necessarily be on our birthdays, but it will be near that point in time. I am thrilled! I am praying it all works out.
Speaking of birthdays, my mother-in-law's birthday is Friday. We are going out to their new house on Saturday to celebrate!!
Today and tomorrow will be exciting...I am expecting baby annoucements from two of my girlfriends. They are each going into the hospital today and will most likely have their babies by tomorrow. Both are having boys.
I promise to write more...really!!!

Enjoy Him!
Karen

Where did March go?

It's March 19th!! Where did March go?? Seriously, I think it flew right out the door after February. I know we have two full weeks of March left, but I really felt the first two weeks were a blur. Every day just inches closer to Boo's 3-year birthday in late April. He tells me he is already 3. I say, no, you are going to be 3. He says Oh. "Oh" is his new thing. That along with "I don't know" when he most certainly does know.
We have been slacking in the bedtime routine again...we do good for months and all it takes is about 3-4 nights of not doing it and all of a sudden the kid goes wild. I can pin the exact dates, but it's not really anyone's fault, we can help that revival went till after bedtime, so we are rushing home to get in the bed...
Last night Jeremy and I had a talk with him about the routine and that not obeying it will lead to consequences. He is feeling the effects this AM as he is exhausted. I felt bad though when he cried as I dropped him off. He definitely could have used another hour of sleep and some snuggle time with momma...ahh, the joys of being a working momma. :)
I hope everyone had a nice weekend. I am looking forward to a beautimous week of nice weather...plus, I need some girlfriend time and we have a playdate planned for Saturday. YIPPIE.
In Him-
Karen

It's MONDAY!

Monday...ugh...and to make it even more a Monday...it's the Monday after Daylight Savings time where we lost an hour from Saturday to Sunday. This Monday is even more a Monday than that, because my bosses' (the husband and wife team that I work for) are out of town this week. This means I have project managers all up in my stuff when I walk in the door...they have learned to give me my 5 minutes or they will be sorry...and yet, I managed to get them all in order and send them on their way. I felt accomplished. I joyfully announced that it was Monday, although no one batted an eye and everyone did huff and puff...remind me not to EVER be like this. Is God still not in control of the whole universe? Is He any less in control just because you (or I) are feeling out of control? NO! The answer is NO. So, my prophetic self says...GET OVER IT. :) Nicely. I say that nicely. :)

All my girlfriends who I have been partying with all week at the Ultimate Blog Party are tired too...my feet hurt from jogging to so many places and wearing those cute, but uncomfortable shoes...yeah, I am that girl. I may have cute shoes on, but they probably hurt my feet. :) hee hee. Not today, though. I have sandals on. HEY! Did you hear me? I HAVE SANDALS ON!!! I am sure we will get another cold spell before Easter, but today, I have sandals on. Thank you very much!
So, you wanna meet some of my new friends? Oh you just gotta!!!

1. The Preacher's Wife - now you all know immediately why I like her. Lisa and I have lots in common and she is absolutely beautiful. She just started doing some writing for CWO in the Jehovah Java Cafe, and I just like her style.
2. Guinevere Meadow - This girl is hysterical!!! I spent hours on her blog catching up on her pregnancy (I have baby fever) and just fell in friendship with her. She is real and talks about raising that sweet thing she refers to as Lancelot. She just justified buying a new dress for Lancelot's christening and I can so remember being like that when Boo was born.
3. Terri @ In His Hands - Terri is an introvert, so she flourished at this party, where you could stay in your PJ's, if you wanted. She stated how much of an intovert she is like this: "It took me YEARS to gather up the courage to order a pizza because you know, the pizza man might talk back to me. So, this is the perfect party for me." I laughed out loud so much that I cried. I can't imagine ever being that introverted, so we are total opposites.
4. Lisa-simply His - notice the small s in simply? You know why she said it's a small s? Because the focus is not on her, but on God. We were kindred from the point she said that and that she was a dreamer - dreaming of scrapbooking, writing, and speaking. HELLO??? Those are all things I sit and dream about too!!

I met other pastor's wives, Susan and the above mentioned Preacher's Wife. I met Laurel, who I actually have seen around but never chatted with, and Barbara who share my great love of Mexican food! And so many more...

Thanks to everyone who stopped by and keeps stopping by. It's been such a pleasure getting to know you all.

In Him-

Karen

Last Day for Blog Party!

Last party post

I get kind of sad when a party ends...although, my feet hurt, from standing so long chatting with all these great wonderful ladies, but I am mostly sad because there was just no way I was going to be able to visit everyone!! With currently 906 people on the list, and who knows who will sign up before I get this posted, I would have to stay home and do this for 24 hours a day for like a week!! So, if I didn't make it to your party, please know, I am trying.

I must say, I have met the best, craziest, funny, and wonderful people this week. I spent a whole hour catching up on one girls story about being a first time mom as she journaled much of her pregnancy on her blog. I have laughed. I have cried. I have prayed. I am looking forward to putting together a post of these "new" people in my blogosphere.

I will finish with this:
This week was incredible. God showed me even more just how awesome He is. He is worthy of nothing less than my all and He showed me what that actually looks like. At church, we had a four day revival from Sunday to Wednesday night. In one word: INCREDIBLE. The people were great and helped lead us into worship and breaking down walls, but more importantly the Lord was AWESOME. He showed up and we were all about His Glory. The topic was Thirst. We dumped out our cups on the platform Sunday night after writing on the cup what we were filling our cup with that wasn't the Lord. Monday night we got sugar packets - various ones, and talked about what we use as a substitution for God. Tuesday night - Marriage/Hurt night. Moving testimonies and funny videos, it was a night to rekindle that flame with your spouse or with the Lord. Wednesday was just a pure celebration of all He's done and getting a water bottle to remind us to be filled with His spirit.
I crashed last night. I was exhasuted from early mornings to late nights, but it was all worth it. I hope and pray that as we come off this high, we don't forget what He's done, what He's doing, and what He's going to do.
Hey, girls, IT'S FRIDAY!! Insert me doing Friday dance...after all, this is a party!!

Love in Him-
Karen

Since Friday...

Blog Party post #2, see below for #1!

Well, I am overwhelmed about the Blog Party...and you know me, I don't get overwhelmed that easily...so many people to meet and see, I just don't think I will be able to hit everyone!! I am trying, but it's over 600 people now...holy cow!
I like telling stories, so if you are here from the Blog Party, sit down, stay a while, and have a Coke - the real thing, you know, from Atlanta!! :) I am going to dote about my son for a minute...

My Boo will be 3 in April. My mom, his grandma, thinks he is a genius (she's not partial or anything) and this just fueled her little fire when I got the notice from the preschool that he would be moving to the 3-year old class in a week. A week, people. I was all emotional, cause it's no secret I want another little one, and now my baby, my big baby, is not a baby, but a big boy, who can write his name, spell it, spell all the other kids' names, says his alphabet, numbers and is learning that 5 and 5 makes 10!!! Oh my word. If he could just get that #2 potty thing down...
I spoke to both of his teachers and they absolutely think it's time and that he needs a challenge...my family reading this goes...DUH, he's YOU and Jeremy's kid!! Sounds familiar to them. I am the same way with working. I love a challenge. Yes, I can do all the assistant type duties, but if you don't give me a challenge, I will be bored!! I recently had a job opportunity with a minstry. That's my heart. My passion. I want to return to ministry so badly, however, the job was like a step down for me. Now, don't get me wrong, I mustered over it for weeks...going back and forth between the ministry and my current job and I had to tell the people no, I just couldn't do it. There proved no challenge in the job... The Lord gave me a great peace about staying where I am.
So, Boo will be slowly transitioning to his new class all this week...he gets two friends who are coming with him, and he likes both of them, so I pray this is a good fit for him. His two new teachers are very nice, although, he is in love with his current teacher, so pray for that transition if you are reminded.

REVIVAL!!! It's revival at the church! I don't think revival is something planned, so let's say it's a spiritual renewal and awakening. Freshness and newness has been evident in the last few weeks, ever since the beginning of the year...we had the Sacred Assembly just two weeks ago, where we had 24 hour prayer time for 7 days and that was an experience, so this is just like the icing. Life Action Ministries joined us yesterday to lead us for the next few days will Wednesday night. I pray that as they come, the hearts of the people (us) would be open. Open our eyes Lord, we want to see you!

Hope you have a great Monday and a great week!

Soaking Him up!
Karen

It's Party Time!

GIRLS!!! It's PARTY TIME!!!

For the next week, the Ultimate Blog Party is the place to be!
Welcome to my blog, it's nice to meet you. I want to know all about you, but first let me tell you a little bit about myself...
I am currently a pastor's wife working mom. My husband and I have been married for 6 years this July and we have one little boy, who I affectionately call Boo. He will be 3 in April. My husband is the Young Adults and Discipleship pastor at our church in Duluth, Georgia. We have been here for just under two years. The Lord made the decision for me to return to work in January of 2006, so I have been working as the Assistant to a Landscape company since then. Our little one attends a church preschool and absolutely loves it. It was not my intentions to return to work, but the Lord changed my heart and made it all happen and that's okay with me. I serve a loving, wonderful, awesome, just, kind, and righteous God, who never gives His glory to another (Isaiah 42:8). Amen to that.
Jeremy is my gift on earth. He is all that encompasses a man who follows God's heart and I adore that about him. He is kind, compassionate and caring, and makes me smile often. I am blessed to be his wife.
I love LOTS of things, but nothing more than Jesus. I like to scrapbook, although I don't do it often enough...I am sure I am not the only one who feels that way! :) I like to read. I love writing and hope to write a book one day. I love telling others about Jesus. I feel there is nothing greater than sharing your life,and what the Lord has done in it, with other people. I want the light of His love to shine through me so brightly that you can't even see Karen, only Him.
Some other things: I like cooking. I like Mexican food. I have curly hair, but can wear it straight. My family doesn't call me by my name, most times, only by my nickname, and you know what...I love it! :) I have some crazy girlfriends who I dearly love and am challenged by daily. I like music, although I don't sing very well. We were created to worship! I enjoy being a pastor's wife and feel that among the things God has called me to do, He has challenged me most with that responsibility.

I hope that you have gotten a chance to know me better and I can't wait to talk to each of you...I am the outgoing one at the party, the one who can't stand to leave early if she hasn't spoken to everyone, so I must leave you now. Help yourself to some sweet tea and sandwiches. Coffee is brewing and I am excited you have joined us. Enjoy the picture as you mingle...

Toodles-
Karen

Pictures

All in all the trip to Florida was good...an adventure, but good. We arrived Thursday to my aunt's house. We got settled in and over the next few hours, my aunts and uncles would arrive, but I was waiting on my cousin, Mike. I hadn't seen that boy...excuse me, man in 10 years!! David was all over the place, laughing with Papaw, finding out that bean bag chairs are awesome and telling my cousin, Nolan, about pottying. Oh dear. Dinner proved fun and exciting with me getting a great chance to catch up with my cousin.
Friday, Jeremy and I took Boo to Disney, literally flying by the seat of our pants that day and my cousin, Mike and his wife Jen went with us too. We split off, only because we weren't planning on riding any of the big rides, just the kiddo rides. I believe a good time was had by all...although Mike and Jen got stuck in the mass arrival of people coming to the Pirates/Princess party.
Here is Boo and I on the teacups!!! We went fast!

This is Boo and Jeremy on Dumbo...notice that this time he is not crying his eyes out!! If you saw our pictures from September, then you will know why this is the cutest pic ever.

On to the real reason why we went to Florida...my grandfather's memorial service. It was wonderful. Just exactly how I pictured it would be, although, the stories were unscripted in my head, they were all funny, hilarious and serious all rolled into one. Gary Caruso, friend and editor of Chop Talk magazine, gave a resounding eulogy that I am sure my grandfather was humbled by. My husband spoke eloquently and directly with authority from the Lord about marrying into our family and about the decision my grandfather made to make peace with the Lord. As my uncle said...he was fine until he said the word, Pepaw. Then, it made it real and personal. You can see below the fine picture of my grandfather after pitching Game 7 of the 1957 World Series. Boo and I were trying to do the hand signal for 3. He does it well and kept telling me that he is going to be 3, but he's now 2. :)

Ahh...this picture now adorns my desktop at work...it's titled, My Boys! I love these boys dearly, with the love of a sister. I am blessed to be the only granddaughter in my family, which also means, I am blessed to have some fine men in my life. From left to right - Lewis, Nolan, my, Mike, and Danny. Mike is my older cousin, the me, then Danny, Lewis, and the baby, who now stands taller than me, Nolan. This is what I grew up with!!! Mike and I spent summers, spring breaks, and Christmas' at our grandparents house each year. As we got older, we drifted apart, but I gotta tell you, we reconnected like we hadn't been apart in years. It was awesome. Danny is a junior at FSU. Lewis is a freshman at TCC. Nolan is a sophmore in high school. These boys...well, tears just well up in my eyes when I look at them. They are strong, independent, men and I pray each day that God will bless them and watch over them.
It was a nice 5 days in Florida and a nice gathering of people honoring my grandfather. He was and will remain a special man in my heart. I look at these boys and see him in each of them...

In His Hands-

Karen

Tags: Lou Burdette

Out of Town

I am so sorry!!! I posted about the Par-tee going on at the end of the week, but I did not post that I would be out of town for a few days...fear not, I am back now!! :) I was in Florida for the past 5 days, visiting the family and attending the memorial service for my grandfather. Wow...it was truly incredible and the people...the stories...the pictures...all breath-taking. I got to spend some wonderful time with my dad and my cousin that I haven't seen in 10 years. It was great. I promise to share more about that in the next day or so and boy do I have some great pics too...however, something cool happened while I was away...
I am the featured blog on Laced with Grace this week!! How cool is that??? I am so honored that they chose me! Thank you girls! I love all of you and have enjoyed getting to you. These girls have great stories and scripture to back them up. They are solid and just a joy to know in the blogosphere. If you haven't read them, seen them, or met them, GO NOW! :)

I am settling back in to work today, so I promise to post more later this evening.

Soaking up life-
Karen

Party!!!

Now, who doesn't love a party??? Okay, maybe quiet, not-social people, but that's not me at all, so come join me for the fun!! It's a blog party...however, not just any blog party, but an ULTIMATE BLOG PARTY!
It's a week long bash from March 2nd - 9th. There will be prizes! All party guests who sign into Mr. Linky (on their site) will be eligible for the random prize drawing. All winners will be announced at the site 5 Minutes for Mom at 7PM EST on March 9th.

This is a great chance to meet some other bloggers! Come join us for the fun! You don't even have to pick out something to wear!!! It's that easy. Did I mention there would be prizes???

Karen