A stinkin' awesome weekend...

As I sit and reflect over this past weekend in Chicago with Greg, as we celebrated our 10th anniversary, I am totally in awe with all that God allowed us to experience.
I am usually one who HATES (I know that is a strong word, but is rather true)driving long distances, but I would take this ride over and over again if I could. That 5 1/2 hour drive to Chicago was SUCH a blessing. God allowed Greg & I reflect over the last 10 years of our life and started to unfold a new vision He has for our family. We were able to share our hearts, our passion, our vision and what and how we desire to serve God together and in our individual lives. The entire weekend was filled with vision casting and I am so pumped to see how it all unfolds!
We stayed right smack dab in the middle of downtown Chicago Friday night which was amazing and then Saturday morning we went sight seeing. The weather was horrible, but we didn't let that ruin our trip. We had so much fun, just being Greg & Ragen, the couple God placed together 14 years ago. Don't get me wrong, we love our children with all our hearts, but this was truly a time our hearts yearned for and our souls really needed. Saturday afternoon we headed to another town, closer to Willow Creek, to another hotel to stay. I wish I could say this hotel was as awesome as the first, but I will spare you with the gross details of the first room we had there, definitely a memorable moment in our trip. (one of those that makes your skin crawl) We ate at the Cheesecake Factory which was amazing. We were seated right in the middle of two other tables, one of those moments you could have had a more private conversation with the stranger on either side of you rather than the person you are with, but it was so cool, as we started to dream of God's vision for us and our family, everyone else seemed to drift away, the food was great and the cheesecake was AWESOME, but nothing can compare to what God was cultivating in our hearts during those moments.
Then, came Sunday morning, after having the free breakfast we were given to mend the awful memories of our first room there, we headed to Willow Creek Community Church. It was so exciting to finally be able to experience this church, to see Billy Hybels speak in person was cool, and the message was great. The message was one of those that you swear they knew what you were thinking or what was on your heart when you walked through the room. Their new mission "Hungry" touched my heart and confirmed the vision that God has for Greg, the girls & I. But I have to say, as awesome as this experience was, I LOVE our church and the people that make Meadow Heights what it is and the people we do it for. I guess I am partial, but I truly missed worshiping with our Meadow Heights family. You may think I'm pitiful, but it's totally true.
All I have left to say is, WHAT AN AMAZING WEEKEND!!

Thanks Greg for sharing life with me and for this amazing weekend. I look forward to all that God has in store for us and our family in the upcoming years and can't wait to watch it all unfold with you.

God, I thank You for this amazing time with Greg, I thank You for all You revealed to us and the vision You gave us for our family. I pray that it will all be worked out according to Your will and in Your timing. Thanks so much for the Ephesians husband You've blessed me with. Thank You for rekindling, reconnecting, reuniting and reviving our hearts and souls.

Happy 10th Anniversary...

Today marks the 10th anniversary of one of the greatest days in my life, the day I married my soul-mate and best friend Greg!! Where in the world did those 10 years go?? I honestly don't know, but I do know that God has done some amazing things in and through our marriage in those years. Up and downs and believe me, times we both wanted to throw in the towel, but we knew that was not what either of us truly desired and God defintely didn't plan. So through these years we've learned that love truly is an action not a feeling, that it takes two...to love and to fight. Loving and respecting eachother is one of the greatest gifts we can give one another and not just on a special occasion, it's a choice we make daily, even hourly.

I remember the first time I really noticed him in school, way back in the day, and my heart knew he was going to be the man I'd marry, whether Greg knew or believed it or not! So I "stalked" this precious man, inviting him over for a casual game of basketball at my house, funny huh? Basketball won his heart over, even if I beat him every time ;-) SO, finally when the first official date came on April 11, 1994, it was all over but the crying. He knew it even more than I did that we were supposed to together forever...even if he didn't respond the first time I told him I loved him until about a week after. Four years to the day after our first date, we became one in Christ. God has brought two beautiful angels into our lives through this marriage and blessed our lives more than we will ever truly realize.

I am so thankful that God brought us together. Greg is the best and I am so thankful for the Godly leader he is for our family. The love, truth, encouragement, strength and support he brings into my life is priceless and for that I am forever thankful!

We are so excited about celebrating all that God has done over the last 10 years of our life. We are headed to Chicago for the weekend and I cannot wait!

SO, HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY Greg! I love you and thank God for you and remember...He shows the rivers where to run, He struck the match that lit the sun, He writes the songs the birds sing, He makes the flowers bloom in spring, but of all the things He's done, He made me for you and you for me, and that's more than anything!!

God, I thank You for this amazing man You've allowed me to live life with and for the leader He is in our family and our church. Bless Him Father in a way that only You can. Thank You for the amazing plan You have for our lives, may You receive the glory, the honor and the praise forever and ever!!

Race Day - Part 2...

I cannot believe I have not had the time to blog about the race! It was absolutely, positively one of the most amazing days! God showed up and blessed our hearts again & again!
I am so proud of all the women who persevered and finished the race! So, I want to give a huge shout out first and foremost to God for being my Rock, and then to my sista's who endeavored this journey with me.

* Chastidy Dillon-Amelung
* Anna-Marie Beard
* Vickie Branstetter
* Crystal Buckman
* Nina Davis
* Melissa Goldsmith
* Tara Lamb
* Dana Pursley
* Heather Self
* Kay Siebert
* Tracy Wade

Special thanks to Tara for inviting me into this journey, and for to all the ladies for their encouragement!!

I really need to give a play by play of the race, just so it will always be fresh in my heart and my memory!

To start it was freezing that morning, a whoppin' 36 degrees! So warming up was almost totally non-existent. But the weather didn't shatter any of the desires of our hearts! Which was stinkin' awesome! As the race began we literally had to walk for the first minute or two because there were so many people running this race, we were packed in like sardines! For the first mile my hands were numb, but still I was in my zone, comfortable and running with my two padres Anna-Marie & Heather. About the 1.5 mile marker I got this tremendous cramp in my back (due to the lack of warm-up) and it was awesome (not the cramp), but at that moment as I shared with the girls about the cramp, Heather immediately started to pray for me, as we were running, which isn't rare for us, but come on this is race day, this just proved that this race was WAY more than a physical race! SWEEEEEET! SO my cramp subsided and at the 2 mile marker the most amazing thing happened. As I was running, thinking how in the world am I going to make it through more than another mile, I looked up and directly ahead of us was the most beautiful, amazing sight, Children's Hospital with the sun shining directly over it! Wow! I was so overwhelmed! God brought this moment to me as a reminder of how powerful He is and of the miracles He performed there that week. Here we are running, in total tears and I told the girls, okay this is it, God did amazing things there this week and we are going to give our ALL to Him throughout the remainder of this race! Steadily our pace increased and our focus was directly on Him and what this race meant to each of us. Talk about phenomenal!! This race bridged a gap between God & I that I never even knew existed. The gap was me and not allowing myself to TOTALLY rely on His strength and not mine! BEAUTIFUL MOMENT! A moment I will never forget and will treasure throughout all my runs and races of life, physically and spiritually!

Yes, I did finish the race, I didn't stop there. Heather and I ran across the finish line together, with Anna-Marie directly behind us! AWESOME! We (God & I) finished the race earlier than my goal. 28 minutes, placing 66th out of 567 women with Heather & Anna-Marie right behind! It was all God, His strength! A moment I will treasure FOREVER! God can do ANYTHING, ya know!!

I have to say thanks so much to Greg, Hannah & Ashtyn for being right there with me, waiting for me at the finish line with open arms! They woke up at 5am just to be there with me. What a blessing! I Love you guys so much!


God, I thank You for being my Rock, for being my Strength and for allowing me to run this journey with You and through You. Thank You for the beautiful encouragement and reminder and for the amazing women who accompanied me on this journey. Bless our relationships Lord, may we reach out and empower women to fully rely on You and let them know how much You love them. You are truly amazing...

Race day...

Woo-Hoo!! Tomorrow is "Race Day" and I am totally pumped. Not because I am ready...because I have only trained 3 days in the last two weeks with all the craziness, but moreso because with this little training it is going to truly allow me to totally rely on God's strength and power, not mine! Sounds crazy huh? Being excited when I am a lot less prepared than I had planned...but that is what this journey is all about to me...glorifying God, depending on Him and persevering in His strength. It brings to light that I can plan all I want, but when it comes to humbling Yourself to Him and allowing Him to work in and through you, you really have to take each day as it comes.

I'll be the first to admit that as my training was slipping to the wayside, being the competitive person I am, I was starting to fret about how my time was going to be at the race. I tend to compete heavily with myself not really others, so I was struggling. But I feel great today as I have said "so long self" and this is all about You God. It's all about those who cannot run this race and truly humbling myself to Him and gaining just a teeny tiny glimpse of the pain that He went through for us that has allowed this week to be so amazing for our family. He gave His life for us and I want to use this one and only life to glorify Him in any way I can. I know it is impossible to outgive God, but I'm giving Him my all to Him and going to thank and praise Him the entire race...pain and all!

It's all for You God, All FOR YOU!!

Praise...

I am totally overjoyed and humbled by the healing God has allowed to take place in Ashtyn's body. Although she is not free from her disease this is one huge glimpse of God's almighty plan for her life. I cannot thank Him enough for the medical technology and doctors He has used to heal this area of her body.

No blood pressure medicine is a huge relief for her. As a adult it is hard enough for me to take medicine, but for a 5 year old with the amount she was required to take to control her blood pressure was a huge challenge each day. This is a true freedom for her that was granted by God and God alone.

We are totally blessed with amazing family and friends, who love on us, pray for us, support us and encourage us, which has blessed us more than they will ever know. God created us to glorify Him and serve and love eachother the way that He loves us and this has been the most beautiful example of the opportunities we have to glorify Him and the amazing love He for us and the love He provides for us through His people.

One thing I want to reflect through this journey of life is that no matter how this surgery turned out, good or bad, or how life continues to be a challenge with Ashtyn's disease, God is good ALL the time and He is our Constant, Protector, Refuge, Confidant, Healer, Best Friend, Father and Lord of our life. I could go on and on with all that He is to us and again I thank Him for the opportunity to fight FROM victory...the victory that He won on the cross for each of us.

Father God, Thank You for being our All in All...for the beauty of each day, for the breath we breathe, for life itself. Thank You for Your amazing love and the beautiful people You have brought into our lives. Thank You for Your healing power, Your timing and Your perfect plan. Thank You just isn't enough Lord, but I give You my life, I give it all to You and pray that You will use me to glorify You and to reach Your children for You. I love You Lord and I lift my voice, to worship You, Oh my soul rejoice, take joy my King, in what you hear, may it be a sweet, sweet sound in Your ear...