Another THANKFUL weekend...

Our weekends have been full of beautiful weather and relaxation.  It's been a blessing in the middle of craziness!  

On Saturday, Baehr went golfing with a friend so I got to spend the day with my sister and nephew.  :)  We met up around 10:45 am and starting shopping.  For those of you who know Courtney, you KNOW that she HATES to shop so I was prepared for a very interesting day since this was her idea.  It turned out to be a fantastical day!  We both found several cute things, and then headed to Chip N Cheese (as CAL calls it) for Lunch.  

Cal and I taking a picture for Mimi. 

We went to a few more stores after lunch, but CAL was getting a little antsy after all that shopping so we decided that was enough for the day.  We headed home, and I got home just in time to lay out a little before Baehr made it home.  I decided this was the perfect weekend to start reading The Hunger Games.

 
For those of you who don't know about The Hunger Games, it is a trilogy by Suzanne Collins about a "16 year old girl living in a post-apocalyptic world".  Over Spring Break, one of the ladies on my Facebook posted that she was looking for a good book to read and several people posted "The Hunger Games".  After doing some research, I decided they looked pretty good so I bought all 3 on Amazon. 


I started the first book on Saturday and couldn't put it down.  It's so good!  I finished it up last night and can't wait to start on book number 2!  I love when you can find a good book!  If anyone wants to borrow it, just let me know.  :)

On Sunday, we decided to have a relaxing day full of nothing.  I love days like this.  It was a gorgeous day, and we were both craving some crawfish so we headed over to Blue Water for lunch on the patio.  For those of you in Houston / Spring who don't know about Blue Water, you MUST go.  It is delicious, and if you like crawfish it's worth every penny!  Here is one of the HUGE crawdaddys we had....

It was another great weekend for the Baehr Block.  It's weekends like these that make me even more thankful for Baehr, our families, and our friends.  We have been so blessed in our 6 years together and I am grateful for all that we have.  These are the weekends that I remind myself what life is all about - family time, hugs, laughs, and making memories.  Life is good over here.  I pray that yours is the same!  :)

 

 Colossians 2:6 & 7 

 So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

It's Track Season...

For those of you who don't know, I am back at Northland helping with Middle School Track.  Luckily coming back from "Spring Break" means we are on the down hill slide to the District Track Meet.  WOOOHOOO!  I love track season, but with things being so crazy at Xtreme I don't have enough hours in the day to get everything done...or at least I felt that way last week.

We had track meets Thursday and Friday last week.  The first one was an elementary track meet.  We were excited because CAL's school got to come.  He participated in the long jump, softball throw, 50M hurdles, 50M dash, Sprint Medley, and the 4X1 Relay.  Some of you might notice that this is too many events for a track participant, but Mr. CAL likes to sign himself up for events. (haha)  My sweet but very bossy nephew came away with one first place and two second place ribbons!  I am so proud of him!  Here he is practicing his hurdles...

On Friday, we had a middle school track meet at CCS.  We didn't have a full team because this meet was originally scheduled for Tuesday.  We ended up getting 3rd place in both the girls and boys divisions.  Not too bad!  Here are the four fab track coaches!  :)  

Mom bought us these awesome jackets!  With the warmer weather we don't get to wear them as much and we have trouble finding each other!  haha 

 One track meet today and then another one next Tuesday and we are DONE.  Hopefully we can finish the season with two championship trophies!  I'll keep you posted on that.  :)

GO COUGARS!

Without Him...I am NOTHING...

During my devotional I felt this overwhelming sense of peace, but in the days since it ended I have felt myself being pulled back into the lull of every day life.  I haven't changed the way I live...I still have my daily patterns, but I am back into the prayer at the end of the day instead of the continuous conversation.  I have noticed that my eyes are starting to focus back on what's ahead instead of  seeing the small things God is doing minute by minute or hour by hour.  The only way to describe it is going from walking hand and hand with Jesus to veering off at the fork in the road - you can still see Him, but you aren't as close as you want to be.


Life is so busy.  There are so many things that I want to do in this next year.  Personal accomplishments that I know I can complete, but I know that without making my relationship with God my number one priority none of that matters.  


I have never been a fan of 1 Corinthians 13 because I feel like it is overused, but writing this I keep thinking "Without Christ, I am but a resounding gong or clanging symbol" so that's what I will finish this post with, but when I read it I will replace love with Christ because without Him, I AM NOTHING. 

1 Corinthians 13

1 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Happy Easter from The Baehr Block...

Happy Easter Time!  

The weather has been beautiful here this weekend so we have been having outside days... yard work.  We even went to Houston Garden Center today to get some mulch and garden stuff to spruce up our yard.  I am also trying to convince Baehr I need a Magnolia tree, but so far he hasn't given in.  :(

So to celebrate Spring, I changed our background on our blog to Easter, and also changed the name to The Baehr Block.  I hope everyone has had a great weekend, and we hope that you are enjoying these beautiful days as much as we are.  Here is a view from my layout spot....

I love that our yard is greening up!  :)  

Romans 15:13

“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Spring Break or 4 day weekends...

Being an adult - non school worker means missing out on Spring Break.  Spring Break also means my job at Xtreme Volleyball is in prime travel season and in the craziest time of the year.  This year we sent 3 teams to St. Louis and 5 teams to California so I spent most of the week preparing everyone to head out.  All of our coaches / teams left on Thursday so I thought it would be a perfect time to take off a few days.  :)

I took off Thursday and had a major productive day.  It's amazing how much stuff you can find to do when you are supposed to be "taking off".  (haha)  As a bonus to my day, I got to eat lunch with mom and Baehr got out of work early (wooohooo!) so we started our weekend around 4 pm.  

Friday morning I woke up with some serious allergies and decided to take some medicine (which I never do) and apparently the medicine I took was also to help you sleep...sigh!  Baehr and I had already planned to take Friday off for The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo so we headed down to the Reliant Center around 2 pm (I slept the whole way there) and spent the day eating, people watching, and rodeoing.  I would like to blame what happened around 4 pm on the meds too....I SPILLED A CHERRY FROZEN ICE ON MYSELF!  WAH!    

The cherry stained my leg under my jeans...I'm pretty sure these jeans are ruined!  WAH!

It was just one of those days, but I was NOT going to let this ruin my day.  We ended up having a grand time.  Here we are before the rodeo started....

Wild Card Night at the Rodeo

Baehr got us awesome tickets to Train.  It was a great show...he gave away a guitar, a hat, 3 shirts, and even brought people up on stage.  IPhones don't take that great of pictures so here is the best one...

"Hey Soul Sister!"

Over all it was a grand pre-weekend to my weekend!  :)  Now it's time I get back to my March Madness!  Happy Spring Break everyone!

Rainy Days...

Happy Rainy Days!  It has been raining here since Friday morning, and has given us a good excuse to do NOTHING.  :)  I love weekends like this.  


Our weekend started off with a Baehr, Gigi, CAL night.  CAL ruptured his eardrum Friday morning so we weren't sure how he was going to be feeling that night.  Courtney dropped him off around 4:30 pm, and he was pretty quiet for the first hour.  When Baehr got home, we decided to order some pizza and watch a movie.  

I bought some jelly beans at the store, and the boys were picking out the best ones!  :)

Poor CAL, he has to put gauze in his ear to keep all the nastiness from oozing out.  So we spent time figuring out the best way to get the gauze to stay in.  Here he is watching Brother Bear.  

People say that rupturing your ear drum is one of the most painful things you can experience.  I am so impressed with how well CAL handles the pain and all the medicine that comes with it.  He is such a trooper.


Courtney came home from the Rodeo around 11 pm to pick him up.  He was already in bed sound asleep so I had to pick him up and give him to her.  He is getting so big! I hate to admit it, but he might be too big to be picked up!  :(  


It was a great start to a relaxing weekend!  Now excuse me while I go sit back on the couch!  haha  

Day 31...My last day of this devotional...

"Day 31: I am ready to walk in freedom in my life. I refuse to let bitterness keep me from an amazing future. Today I'm going to forgive those that have hurt me. I'm going to forgive myself so I can walk in victory. It's time to move forward because I have a God-given destiny to fulfill." 

Follow Up:  My 31 day devotional is over.  So many things have changed in me personally:  my prayers, my walk with God, my relationships, and my outlook.  It has been a life changing experience and I want to thank Elise for introducing this devotional.  God has placed people in my life for a reason, and I see that now more than ever.  I am excited to stay on this new journey and see where it takes me.  

Romans 6:4 

We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

 

Day 30...One more day to go!

"Day 30: I am fully equipped for a life of true fulfillment. Everything I need for my destiny is within reach. I pray God will open my eyes to the opportunities, people and resources He's put in my life to further His plan. Even if what's available seems small and ordinary, in God's hands it can become extraordinary."

Follow Up:  So so true!  My athletes seemed to be connecting with me last night.  Amazing how just one day can make all the difference in the world.  Or maybe I am just opening my eyes to their small steps.  

Day 29...

"Day 29: I am enlarging my vision for the amazing things God has for my future. My hopes and dreams are in His hands. I'm entering into a season of abundance where God is restoring impossible situations and opening up new doors. God's favor is at work in my life right now to raise me higher than ever before."

Follow Up:    The coaching part of my life has always been easy.  A constant, no change job.  I love it.  I love my athletes.  I always have.  It's just something I know I am supposed to do.  This year however has been challenging, but I have to know that even in the most challenging years there are athletes there that need me to keep trying.  I will look for God to work in my life, open doors, and make the impossible possible.  I have 3 weeks left of track season.  Who knows what could happen!  :) 

Day 28...

‎"Day 28: I am letting God be in control each and every day. I'm not going to make a big deal out of things that are not a big deal. No matter how things look, I know God is still in control. When things don't go my way, I won't get uptight. It's not worth losing my peace over. Instead, I'll stay in peace, knowing that God is still on the throne."

Follow Up:  I love this chapter in Psalms that I just found.  It says everything I need, and everything I am feeling about this devotional.  My eyes are on you Lord, my eyes are on YOU!

Psalm 25
Psalm 25 Of David.

1 In you, LORD my God,
I put my trust.

2 I trust in you;
do not let me be put to shame,
nor let my enemies triumph over me.
3 No one who hopes in you
will ever be put to shame,
but shame will come on those
who are treacherous without cause.

4 Show me your ways, LORD,
teach me your paths.
5 Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.
6 Remember, LORD, your great mercy and love,
for they are from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth
and my rebellious ways;
according to your love remember me,
for you, LORD, are good.

8 Good and upright is the LORD;
therefore he instructs sinners in his ways.
9 He guides the humble in what is right
and teaches them his way.
10 All the ways of the LORD are loving and faithful
toward those who keep the demands of his covenant.
11 For the sake of your name, LORD,
forgive my iniquity, though it is great.

12 Who, then, are those who fear the LORD?
He will instruct them in the ways they should choose.
13 They will spend their days in prosperity,
and their descendants will inherit the land.
14 The LORD confides in those who fear him;
he makes his covenant known to them.
15 My eyes are ever on the LORD,
for only he will release my feet from the snare.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies
and how fiercely they hate me!

20 Guard my life and rescue me;
do not let me be put to shame,
for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness protect me,
because my hope, LORD, is in you.

22 Deliver Israel, O God,
from all their troubles!

Granny's Piano...

As soon as you walked into Granny's house there was a piano.  It sat there for as long as I can remember.  My cousin took piano lessons on it, and I'll never forget the letters being taped to the keys.  It never meant much when Granny was alive...it was just a piano.  While I did enjoy playing "Heart and Soul" and some other song I learned during my brief stint at piano lessons (Thank you Mrs. Brackeen), I hardly ever remember it being played.  There is, however, a very famous picture that I love...(sorry about the quality!  It's a picture of a picture!)

Cousins:  Lindsey and Michael, Courtney and Me

My grandmother passed away in August of 2002 and I have not seen her piano since December of that year....almost 10 years.  Once her house was sold, the piano moved to my Uncle Chris'.  When he passed away several years later we had it moved into storage in Shreveport since we didn't have room for it here in Houston.  When Baehr and I got married we contemplated moving the piano into our apartment, but moving a piano up to a second floor apartment didn't sound reasonable or fun (haha) so now that we are getting settled into our house it was time to get it here.  

My sister also has a storage unit in Shreveport and decided she needed to go clean some stuff out this past weekend so she volunteered to pick the piano up while she was there.  We got it all set up, and after a few hiccups (the locksmith forgetting to come, not being able to get the lock off for an hour, and not having the right ratchet straps) Courtney finally got it loaded up and headed home.  

Here is the piano in the storage unit....WOOOHOO!  :)

We didn't hire any movers here because Baehr just knew we could move it ourselves.  (He likes to overestimate my strength! haha)  Lucky for us, as soon as Courtney pulled into the driveway, CAL's Kinder teacher and daughter drove up!  :)  They live one street over, and volunteered to help get the piano out of the uhaul and into the house.  We could NOT have done it without them.  

Here is the finished product!

Cal loves it and thinks he needs piano lessons.  Baehr is not sure he loves that CAL loves it!  haha  I love my boys!

I ended the night sitting outside talking to my sister.  We could hear CAL playing the piano from inside and everything felt right.  We are so blessed to have each other, to have amazing parents, to have CAL and Baehr.  We are truly loved and we love each other.  

There isn't a day that goes by that we don't miss Granny.  She is such a huge part of us.  I am just so glad that we have another piece of her here.  Thank you sister!  :)

Day 27...

‎"Day 27: I am going to make the best out of every day. I'm going to invest time and energy into building relationships with family and friends. God is placing great opportunities in my life; I'm going to pause and appreciate them. As I choose to enjoy the journey, my life will be much more rewarding and fulfilling."

Follow Up:  Doing this 31 day devotional has already made my journey more rewarding and fulfilling.  I definitely pray more and my relationships with the ones I love and that love me are stronger.  I have found peace, but am still working on letting little things bother me.  There is a bigger picture and I must trust that He is taking me there.  I love this new journey I am on, and I am so excited to see how the Lord works in me.

Day 26....Happy Texas Independance Day!

"Day 26: I am where God wants me to be at this very moment. Every experience is part of His divine plan. I am confident and thankful that He has a special purpose for my life. I'm going to be happy and enjoy this day. As I honor God in this season, I will begin to bloom right where He has planted me."

Follow up:  I woke up this morning feeling good and feeling like things were falling into place.   I am where I am supposed to be!  :)  One of the things I kept thinking this morning was, "You can't be everything to everyone. You just have to be you."  So today, I am just being me.  I don't need to be any more or any less than that.  I am happy, relieved, and carefree.  I am...excited that I am in a great place!  Onward and upward I go.  As myself and no one else. :)

Day 25...Happy Birthday Cousin Jana!

"Day 25: I am going to live happily and see today as a gift from God. I'm thankful for my relationships, my health and opportunities God's given me. When I think back on what he's done. I'm filled with hope and gratitude. I'm expecting great things for others around me as well, and I pray my joy and happiness will brighten someone else's day."

Follow Up:  I feel like I can just repeat this devotional and say, YES!  This is what it's about.  So I will....

I will live happily today because today IS a gift from God.  I am thankful for all of my relationships....that is an understatement.  I am thankful for my health and the opportunities God surrounds me with.  When I think back on what he has done....I AM FILLED WITH HOPE AND GRATITUDE!  I am expecting great things for others around me...I pray my joy and happiness will brighten someone else's day!  

Life is just really, really good.  I cannot say that enough.  The title of my blog is "The Baehr Life: Blessed Beyond Belief" and it describes our life exactly:  The Baehr Life....The Good Life, and yes, by the grace of God we are BLESSED BEYOND BELIEF!  

And on a side note... A very happy birthday to my cousin, Jana!  I pray this year brings you a fresh new start and more joy than you can ever imagine! 

Genesis 49:26

Your father’s blessings are greater
than the blessings of the ancient mountains,
than the bounty of the age-old hills.