Guess Who Is 20????

So I (Meg) thought that I should probably HACK Jen's blog tell you all that today is...

Jennifer's 20th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!! WHOOP WHOOP

I know a lot of you have been blessed by reading Jen's blog. So I was wondering if you would mind blessing her back and leave her a little happy birthday note? I know that she would love it! :)

Speaking of blessings I am SO blessed to have Jen as my older sister.
God knew what He was doing when He gave her to me and I am so thankful he did! I don't know what I would do without Jen in my life! :)

And now how about I show you some pictures that....
ummm...you wouldn't normally see (I will now run for my life!!!!! :)
(the pictures are not all from this year, they are from the last 6 years or so. But I am sure you would have guessed that :)



Um. Give her a break. Her friend was really tall and she was still learning all the ropes to cutting hair! :)

She seems a little frazzled that I posted that picture :)

Holding a pail is quite confusing you know!!

I had to! :)

Ahem....No comment!

It's called...impressing our Southern friends!

This is Jen and I back in 05 or 06....

Kerri, Jen and I...
We love eachother :)

 And now for some more serious pictures....

Happy birthday to my dear BEAUTIFUL big sista!!!!!

Jader is ONE!!!!

It seems like just yesterday that I recieved the best birthday present that I have ever gotten. The first thing I noticed when I saw him was his red hair. It hadn't been washed yet when he got home, so I was able to take him and wash his sweet little head for the first time... and his flaming red hair stuck out in all directions... cutest thing ever :) And he is STILL the cutest little thing ever!

Jade LOVES popcorn (he calls it pop,pop,pop :), so I brilliantly decided to make him a popcorn cake! :) I had planned exactly how I would make it and how it would look like while I was trying to fall asleep the night before. (that's usually when I figure out all of lifes problems... :)  But, sad to say.... it didn't turn out AT ALL like it was supposed to.

I spent 3 hrs. icing the cake, and just as I was putting the finishing touches on it thinkin' about how nicely it turned out when.... it began to fall apart. And it continuted to fall apart up until it sat on Jade's highchair.

Needless to say... I was pretty much really very sad. :'(

But Jady liked it... so I guess that all that really matters.... I guess....

Jade liked the candle the best.... that is until he tasted the icing :)

Ya.... I AM holding up a part of the cake for the picture.... it got worse ya'll.

Happy baby.... happy Jenny :)

I LOVE YOU JADER!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!



Treasured Moments

I got to thinking about my life.

I started thinking about how much fun it is to live in such a large family. 

Then I began thinking about how when/if I get married, I'm going to miss these days! 

I'm going to miss all the fun that comes with living in a large family and the unique situation that I have to grow spiritually and learn all the fun stuff that I'm learning without all the pressures and stress that comes with having a home of my own.

I came to realize that these moments that I'm living right now are once in a lifetime moments. When/if I get married someday, my whole world will change. My days with my beautiful large family will be over and I'll be starting a new life.

I decided to change the name of my blog to Breathe Deep (moments like these are treasures to keep) first of all because I love Guy Penrod's song "Breathe Deep" but also because I want to take in every single moment that I have as a Pauls girl. 

God has given me each breath and I want to breathe em' deep because I don't want to take any moment for granted.

And that is the reason that I have this blog, to capture all the moments that would otherwise be forgotten.

Every single moment is a gift, a treasure.  


It's what I do with these moments that will count for a lifetime.

My God, in Whom I trust

Photo credit goes to Meg

I've heard of situations where girls feel that they need to just get out of their home and go to college, get a job, meet new people in different crowds and even go to bible college because they are afraid that if they don't "get out there" they might miss the opportunity to find Mr. Right and get married.
I've heard girls say "well, my mom and dad met in college... what if the Lord has someone for me there, and if I don't go.... I'll miss out!?"

And then there are girls that believe that the reason that they are not finding their "soul mate" is because they don't look good enough, or that they don't have the right personality.
I have fallen into that trap of thinking along that line many times.

I have a hair dresser that asks if I have a boyfriend every single time that I go to get my hair cut. Every single time I say "umm... no"(all the while I'm trying not to laugh out loud :) And then she feels like she has to make me feel better and replies with something like "well with this hair cut.... you'll have a boyfriend in no time".  Its like she thinks I'm looking for help to find a boyfriend (not to mention that she thinks I'm crazy for not having one...) and that I need to try to make myself look better or feel better. Her tone changes like she is talking as if she pities me.

Whenever I have feelings of doubt and feelings like "I'll never get married if I keep waiting around here" or "No one will want me, I'm not pretty enough or funny enough" I have to keep turning my heart back to God and remember that as long as I am doing what I know that God has called me to do, He will bring the person He has for me wherever I may be in life.

It's all about trusting in the One who can see the big picture. Trusting that He knows the plans that He has for me, plans to prosper me and not to harm me, plans to give me a hope and a future. 

All I simply have to do is wait....He'll do the rest.

I'm not saying that I just sit at home all day waiting for prince charming to come waltzing into my life. I believe that the Lord wants us all to be productive in whatever situation that we are in.
Nor am I saying that I crawl into my little personal shell and not allow myself to think or feel.
It's not about hiding, but rather about being open to what the Lord has prepared for us.

If God has a husband out there for me, and if it is His will for me to get married... then it is going to happen! I don't have to go lookin', I don't have to get all excited and worry my head off about it. Because if it is God's will.... it is just gonna happen, not matter what I do.

And if it is not God's will for me to get married, then I will choose to be joyful in whatever situation He puts me in. 

We are not here on this earth to make ourselves happy anyway. We are on this earth to bring glory to the name of the Lord.

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.

~ Friends ~

As we walk the path of life,

We meet people everyday.

Most are simply met by chance.

But some are sent our way.

These become special friends

Whose bond we can't explain;

The ones who understand us

And share our joy and pain.

Their love contains no boundaries.

So, even when we are apart.

Their presence enhances us

With a warmth felt in the heart.

This love becomes a passageway,

When even the miles disappear.

And so, these friends, God sends our way,

Remain forever near.

LOVE you LIZZY, MANDS and BECKA!!!!

Miss you MUCH and MORE every day!!!

Sunday Fun ~ Music Monday

Yesterday we had the opportunity of having our Pastor Tony, his wife Joanna and their family over for the day. We had a blast riding horses, playing football and eating good food :p

Here are a couple of pictures from when we were riding....

Joanna, you and a horse look BEAUTIFUL together!!! Thanks for riding with us!

AND.... since it is Monday, I can't leave you without a song! This one is called Brothers and Sisters sung by the Sisters and the Booth brothers.

 I heard this song for the first time today.... and LOVED it!!! Hope you like it too :)

Ohhhhh Strawberries!!!!

We've done lots of strawberry picking this week. Like 30 pails lots.

And somehow all of that strawberry picking leads to all of this strawberry cleaning and freezing.....

We have fun!!

But after eating all the many strawberries that we somehow happen to eat during the process, we tend to get a little ummm, well.... mmmhmmm......

~ Riding ~

We rode our horses last night, So I asked Megan to take pictures for me to blog. She ever so kindly did :)        

    (Thanks Megs!!)

So, without further ado.... here they are!

Left to Right ~ Me on Princess, Ker on Pic and Mom on Sierra

Mom and Sierra

Ride on!

Me and my baby

JEN ♥ PRINCESS

Handome Pic

Ker Bear and Picker Boy

We love him ♥

Off we go!!

Pictures from Sunday ~ Music Monday

Megan took some pictures from our day yesterday. I decided to share them.... cuz' really.... what good are pictures if you don't share em' right?? OF COURSE RIGHT!!! (ever watched "fiddler of the roof"??? ahem...)

After church we went down to the lake for a baptism. 

While there one of our new friends (who also just celebrated the birth of his first son.... Congratulations David and Amber!!) offered to take a picture for us.....

A little while into umm.... picture-taking, we realized that something funny was going on....

Maria decided that she wanted to be part of our family (cuz' who wouldn't right??? :), 

WE LOVE YOU MARIA!!

We headed to the park with some friends for a picnic, and we also played a MEAN game of football.

(Just FYI, MEAN usually means.... GOOD but in this instance it also means umm.... MEAN. Cause one of the reluctant participants ended up with a sprained ankle :( (PROMISE... it wasn't me!! :))

But it was FUNNNNNN!!!!!

Afterwards we cooled off with some freezies... love freezies!

I think Maria was enjoying them a tad bit to much :)

OHHHH and I MUSN'T forget!!!!! I got to drive a GRAND CARAVAN!!!!

Even though it IS a dodge... I'm cool with that, cuz' it wuz still FUN!!! 

Thanks Joanna!! 

After all the park fun... we headed over to friends house for a campfire. There are no pictures... I'm assuming that's because Meg was to busy laughing and having a good time like the rest of us :) 

Thanks Mike and Maria for being brave enough to host our HUGE family!!! 

Ah yes.... I just love Sunday's :)

Once again... today is Monday. So I'll leave you with a song.

This song is one of my FAVOURITE GVB songs. Once again starring my FAVOURITE GVB man. This song is from the first Gaither video that we heard, within a few weeks Ker and I had all the songs memorized and loved to sing them at the top of our lungs while doing the dishes. This song quickly became my favorite.... I hope you enjoy it as much as I do :)