AWARDS!!!

I have recently received three awards and I am truly humbled by them! Thank you to Jerri Ann, Dawn, and Belinda for your thoughtfulness!

So, I'm going to return the favor and continue the chain by giving awards to some very deserving people, too!

This award was given to me by my sweet friend, Belinda. Now I get to pass along this award to five others that have touched my life and encouraged me in some way. I get to encourage them as they have encouraged me. I hope that you will visit them and leave them a comment to let them know you were there.

1. Malinda over at A Gift Worth the Wait has been such an inspiration to me. She and her husband waited a long time to have a child and sought God's will before they adopted their sweet Sara Madalin! She has a heart for God and for seeking His will in every situation. Her blog is full of humor, inspiration and tons of pictures of that precious baby girl of theirs, SM! Go check her out!

2. Kelly at Kelly's Korner

has one of the biggest hearts imaginable! She truly loves with the love of Jesus because she loves those she has never even met. She has a passion for both the singles and those going through infertility struggles, and has a blog dedicated solely to praying for these two groups of people. She didn't marry until she was 30 and then had a lot of trouble getting pregnant with her now almost 5 month old, Harper! She is an amazing woman after Jesus's own heart!

3. Sue at Praise and Coffee is one inspirational lady. I love reading her blog because she is full of great advice, wisdom and the love of the Lord. She infuses humor and grace into each of her posts and I always leave feeling like I've learned something.

4. Red Hot Momma cracks me up! She loves God and talks about her marriage and family like we were best friends! She always has good advice and is not afraid to speak her mind about touchy subjects like adultery and abuse and other things that touch people's daily lives and takes away from their walk with Jesus. She is an inspiration and definitely has a Golden Heart!

5. Trey at TreyMorgan.net. I have the honor and privilege of knowing Trey personally and I have to say he is just as loving, funny, open, and welcoming as he is on his blog. I happen to know for a fact he won a special blogging award for ministry while he was in Oklahoma at a conference and it didn't surprise me one bit! Trey is the kind of guy you just always want to be around. When he speaks you want to stop and listen because he radiates God's love in an awesome way. He is very open and honest, but also will admit when he's stumped or someone has taught him a lesson. He is so REAL and that is what I believe attracts people to his blog and to his church. C-town is SO blessed to have the Morgan family here.

If you receive this award and decide to accept, it's your turn now. You get to choose 5 blogging friends that you would like to pass the "Golden Heart Award" along to. Post this in a blog and make sure you add the heart photo in it. Then, notify those you have selected that you have nominated them. Ask your readers to check out their sites, leave a comment and if they like what they read become a follower!

The next award I received was The Passionate Blogger...thanks Jerri Ann! I am to list five things I'm passionate about.

1.) I am passionate about growing in my relationship with God and my Jesus. I think about it every day, most of the day long. I am always looking for ways to enrich my life through my relationship with Him. I am passionate about walking His path for my life and passionate about how I feel when I stray again and again. I'm passionate about others knowing how much God loves them. I want to shout it from the rooftops sometimes. My heart is so saddened when I know someone just doesn't understand the height and width of His love for them and that it is neverending, and all-consuming. I know I don't even begin to understand it's abundance, but what I do understand I want others to, as well.

2.) I am passionate about my husband and trying to start a family, which makes me very passionate about those who struggle with infertility. The old saying, "You don't know until you've walked a mile in their shoes," is so true when it comes to struggles with infertility. My heart aches right along with others when I know they are stuck where I was one year ago...in a joyless pit without hope. I still have no children of my own, but I have hope and that makes all of the difference.

3.) I am passionate about my family. They have helped make me such a large part of who I am today and I wouldn't have wanted to be loved and groomed by any other group of people, no matter how crazy they can be at times. They are my support system and I love them and appreciate them more than they will ever know.

4.) I am passionate about my dogs. Yes, I've already said that I'm the crazy dog lady, so that's no surprise. But, I can't help it. They are my children for now and I love them and worry about them and stress over them. In all honestly, those two sweet pups have comforted me the last 3 years more than many of my human companions have. When I'm having a hard day, they greet me at the door with nothing but love and adoration. They follow me everywhere and choose me over any one else. They were sometimes the only ones at home with me during the days following both of my miscarriages and they have slept in my bed with me countless times while McH has been out of town, or I've been sick.

5.) I'm passionate about music. All my life I have been able to communicate with written words. Music has been an outlet for me and something I've felt like I could be good at naturally. It is a source of expression and my most intimate form of worship. I love to sing, especially in the car with the music up loud. Playing our piano is cathartic after a long day. Music centers my mind and spirit before I begin my quiet time with God. If I had to choose between blindness or deafness I truly believe I would rather not see again than not to be able to hear absolutely perfect harmony.

Now for the business of awarding:

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Write 5 things you are passionate about apart from blogging, because we all know this thing can consume you.

3. Pass it on to 5 other people.

I want to pass this on to:

Jill at La Dolce Vita

Stephanie at Painted Shed

Kelli at Simplistic Treasures

Julia at Twice the Fun

Amanda at Silver Lining

Get after it, ladies!!

Here are the award rules:

1. List 7 things that make you Awe-Summm and then pass the award on to 7 bloggers you love (IF YOU WANT TO) =)

2. Make sure to tag the recipients and let them know they have won!

3. Also link back to the Queen that tagged you (I guess that is me???).

What makes me Awe-Summmm??? This is not easy to do.

1.) I LOVE my life. I really do.

2.) I tend to be cheerful in most situations. I try to see the positive in things.

3.) I'm a helper. If you need something done, I would love to try and help you do it.

4.) I'm a problem-solver. If someone has an issue, I like to work to find the solution. Most of the time this is good, but sometimes it can be a heavy burden for either me or the person I'm trying to "fix."

5.) I love to love you. I love to know people know I care about them.

6.) I try to be fair in all situations. Not necessarily equal, but definitely fair. And if I feel like someone has been slighted or a situation ISN'T fair, I am liable to let someone know about it.

7.) I want, more than anything, more than even being a mommy, to love Jesus with all that I have. I want to know Him more.

I pass this on to:

Kyley at An East Texas Slice of Life

Donna at The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Laura (my mom) at Our Dayze

Janera at My Garden Hat

Amy at Pirates and Princesses

Suzanne at Steece's Pieces

Amy at Will and Amy