SO BLESSED!

Tomorrow morning I have another MRI.

This one of my cervical spine.

I cannot adequately convey to you the deep peace I have.

Each one of you who have prayed for me have a part in it.

Your words have been heard and God is answering

your petitions in my behalf in an amazing way!

Thank you...thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Today was a great day!  I even "feel" healthy!!

So much to be grateful for...my wonderful hubby and his

precious tenderness with me, each phone call, prayer,

card, sweet thought, and all the words of comfort.

My cup is so full...you are so precious to me,

and to our Mighty God.

May He bless each one of you in a special way today,

and answer the prayer that is closest to your heart!

~~~~~~~~~~

A few pics to share from BHG (Better Homes and Garden)

I am filled with joy as I watch birds!

Don't know why but they just delight my soul!

I just put a bird bath in my back yard and am having a

blast watching them flit about!!

Who wouldn't love to have lunch al fresco here?

I know there is a soothing fountain just out of sight...

and a light breeze wafting about the fragrant aroma of all of the

beautiful flowers...aaahhh I am so there!

My dream studio!!  A walk down a lovely garden path...

I feel inspired already! Just needs a little chippy paint!

Remember back when I said some changes were coming

here at Holiday in the Sun?  I am almost ready for the reveal!!

I am so giddy about it!  Hopefully this other junk won't interfere

too much!  I will post an announcement after the final details have

been completed.

Love you lots!
Be sure to SPLASH some joy around today!!
Becky

Walkin' the Line!

It is a beautiful morning here in central Florida.

It's a little cool, the birds are singing, the squirrels are

scurrying around, and a light breeze is ruffling the palms.

My very favorite kind of morning!

Thank You Lord!

Well dear friends, wish I could tell you that nothing showed

up on my MRI, but that is not the case.

It revealed four lesions ranging in size from 6-8 mm.

It seems at this point that the goal is to eliminate suspicion

that I might have Multiple Sclerosis.

The Dr. wants to do another MRI of my cervical

spine area (the neck), and a lumbar puncture

to see if there is any evidence of previous activity or

other lesions.

There are a number of things about all of this that are quite

curious that will all have to be considered before any diagnosis

is made.

One of which is that I have been seeing the chiropractor and

have had relief from almost all of my symptoms.

So here I stand looking down the line to what lies ahead for me.

My friends, I can only see so far down the line,

but I have never been more thankful to know that

the amazing God of the Bible,

my Lord and Savior,

who formed me in my mother's womb,

who knows how many hairs are on my head,

who calls me by name,

and who will NEVER leave me,

has gone before me in this

and is already taking care of things up there where

I cannot see.

With Him, I will walk the line, and trust that wherever

this journey takes me, He has already been (He is the Alpha

and Omega you know) the beginning and the end...

He has strengthened my inner person and

 given me a very deep abiding peace, though

I must say I have been a bit weepy.

  I am making extreme dietary changes

that will help my immune system function at peak performance

and also help me get my weight where it should be.

Always a silver lining you know?

{a smile and a wink}

One thing I can say for sure is that the last 6 years of

my life there has never been a dull moment!

What an adventure this life is, huh?

I'm so glad that I have the Maker of the universe

walking beside me and guiding me through!

(sometimes carrying me!)

Also SO glad to have YOU all along with me!
What a HUGE blessing you are!!!

Of course, I continue to covet your prayers in regards

to all of this.

I will keep you updated for sure!

Have a glorious day!!

Love you bunches!!

Becky

Fun With Bloggy Friends!

Happy Saturday Gals!

Hope your day has been wonderful!

I got some garage saling in and did some yard work

out front, so mine has been GOOD!

Thank you SO much for all of your prayers, love and support

with my brain MRI and stuff!!  It went VERY well!

If you ever have to have an MRI, let me say sitting and

watching TV is the way to do it!

I should get my results on Tuesday!  I'll let you know...

I think they did at least find that I HAVE a brain!!

NOW on to some fun with BLOGGY friends!!!

Remember my trip to north Florida to meet up with some

wonderful bloggy friends?

Well, Claudie and Julie from Canada were part of that

fun!!  I told them that I had an "adopted son" who is a

Captain that operates an airboat, and they couldn't resist

stopping in down here for a ride!!

They have all kinds of similar wildlife in Canada...

but NO gators!!  And Capt. Josh is not only a guide, but an avid

gator hunter!  So the hunt was on!

Shelley, a sweet bloggy friend...who is SO much fun

came along and we had a great time!!

He took us first up to Deleon Springs so we could see some manatees.

This is a little boat house we saw as we rounded the curve to the springs.

A very large manatee coming up for air

There were all types of wildlife.  Tons of these waterfowl...just don't

know what they are!

Capt. Josh pointed out these tree roots...let's go look over there

It was the home of a nest of baby gators.  Here is one of the larger ones.

It's about 3 feet long

If you look closely you can see the smaller ones.

They were only about 1 1/2 ' long.  They are too cute!

 This is an Osprey...often mistaken for a bald eagle.

So beautiful!  As you can see the weather was divine! 

Capt. Josh had to take a little break for a minute...if you know what

I mean, and Claudie decided she would jump out and make sure that the

boat didn't drift away!

Now on to the big ol' boys!!  We saw a couple of gators that were

well over 10 feet long!  He had his eyes on us for sure!

Julie is a photographer and was leaning down and forward to

get a good picture of a gator that was only about 5-6 feet away.

I don't know if this was the one...but he was at least this big!

(we're talking 11-12 feet long my friends)

He raised up and lunged forward to go into the water,

and gave Julie and Claudie quite a fright!!

The St John's river is so beautiful and serene.

This is another little boat house that just captures the whole

feel of life on the river.

A picture of my fellow adventurers!

Left to right: Julie, Claudie and Shelley!

A day we will always remember!

If you ever have the opportunity to meet up with some bloggy buddies

 I encourage you to go for it!  We had a great time!

Have a praise-filled Sunday, my friends!

Love ya bunches!

Becky

UPDATE! Calling All My Girlies Out There!!

Good Morning Sweeties!

Can hardly believe that we are more than halfway through April

already!!  Where is the time going???

Sure have missed you all!  Things around here have been
a little bit weird.

About 2 weeks ago, I began to experience some strange
symptoms, and have been having tests run, going to the

chiropractor etc...

Tomorrow they will be doing an MRI of my brain.  Guess the

word got out that there might be some question about mine!! 

(HA!!  Laughter is the best medicine, right?) 
{smiles}

God has given me His peace, He is SO good like that!!!

 But I would still sure love to know that all of my
girls out there are praying for me!!

Would ya, could ya?

You all are the best!!
I will let you know as soon as I know something!!

Hope your day is filled with sunshine and JOY!!

Give someone the blessing of your smile today!!
Love ya bunches!
Becky

UPDATE:
I have cancelled my appointment for the MRI tomorrow,
and have scheduled a new one on Thursday at 4:30.

I did some looking around online and decided to opt for the
stand up MRI, which seems much more comfortable
and isn't closed in at all!

Which one would you prefer?  The first one I would also
have a helmet thingy on that looks like a catcher's mask.

In the stand up, I can even watch tv while they're doing it, which

will take 75 minutes.  I may get to sit as well...seems it would keep
my head more still.

Yep...thought you'd agree!!

Love ya,
Becky

Hopes vs. Fears

Do you ever struggle with fear?  

After a series of unfortunate events in recent

years, fear got it's ugly foothold in my life.

I mean it was stuck on me like glue!

I prayed and prayed, and as soon as I felt that

I was making some headway, fear would

walk up and body slam me again.

It affected every area of my life...maybe not

in major ways, but enough to cause me to feel that

I would never be able to move forward again

without...FEAR.

I heard a definition of fear one time...

F--False

     E--Evidence

       A--Appearing

                                          R--Real                                            

My friends, it couldn't be any more TRUE!!
Most things we fear are not true, or will never happen.
Even if they do...we will most likely live through it!!
(a little nugget from Nellie)

So I began to realize that I was helping fear run
my life, and began to

NOT FEED IT!!!

The Bible says to bring EVERY thought into

captivity to the obedience of Jesus Christ. {2 Corinthians 10:5}

And

 It also says that FEAR is NOT of God!!

2 Timothy 1:7

Do I hear an AMEN???!!!

So I got out my spiritual lasso and began to take down

those fears one by one!!!

Every time a fearful thought entered my mind I did a

wild and crazy thing....

I REJECTED IT!!

What a novel idea, huh?  Usually we just let them brew in

there for a little while, and before we know it we're a wreck!!

Needless to say before long, I was no longer governed by FEAR!!

I was starving those fears and feeding my faith and hopes with

the goodness and truth in God's Word.

Please indulge me as I share on last verse...

Romans 8:31

What then shall we say to these things?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

I have to be honest, sweet friends.

FEAR still comes knocking at my door... every once

in awhile or several times a day sometimes,

but FAITH answers and  FEAR  hits

the road!!  YEEHAW!!!!

Hope this helps you in any area fear might be plaguing you!
Simple truths, when simply applied yield HUGE benefits!!!

Have a wonderful week!!!

***FOOTNOTE***

While composing my last post my computer told me
Microsoft had to shut down no less than 5 times!!

On this post it happened once.

It never and I mean never,

happens when I blog about anything else!!!  Seriously!!

Try and tell me the devil isn't real!!!

J-O-Y!

We had a wonderful time at the beach today.

We arrived early when the beach was still quiet, and

the only sound we heard was the waves hitting the shore.

Absolutely delightful, and so very relaxing.

I watched as the sunlight danced across each wave, and

felt a deep sense of JOY in the beauty God put here

for us to enjoy. 

I am always in awe of His handiwork, and how it demonstrates

His great love for us.

BUT...

NOTHING compares to the incredible love He showed us when

He had His only Son, who was perfect in every way,

die on the cross to pay the debt for our sins.

YES...your sin and mine.  Through the death and resurrection

of Jesus Christ, God made eternal life with

Him possible for all who ask Him into their hearts,

 and turn from their sin.

He paid the ultimate price so those who believe and confess

Him, can leave this earth and spend eternity in heaven!!!

I don't know about you, but when I heard that I knew I had

to get to know this wonderful God!!!

No other god in the history of mankind has done such an

amazing thing!

The Bible, the Word of God, is the only source that has accurately

predicted world events, including Jesus' death, burial and resurrection

WITHOUT ERROR!!!

The beauty is that you don't have to believe me...

you can read His Word and find out for yourself!!

So why am I posting about this?

Because the decision to ask Jesus into my heart is the single

most life changing decision I have ever made!!!

He has been with me since I was a mere 13 years old, and didn't

really understand hardly any of His Word!!!

Sweet friends, I am praying this Easter that each of you know the J-O-Y

of a personal relationship with Jesus.

HE LIVES!

I serve a risen Savior,

He's in the world today;

I know that He is living,

Whatever men may say;

I see His hand of mercy,

I hear His voice of cheer,

And just the time I need Him

He's always near.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives

today!

He walks with me and He talks with me

Along life's narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives:

He lives within my heart!

In all the world around me

I see His loving care,

And tho my heart grows weary

I never will despair;

I know that He is leading

Thro' all the stormy blast,

The day of His appearing

Will come at last.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives

today!

He walks with me and He talks with me

Along life's narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives

He lives within my heart!

Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian,

Lift up your voice and sing

Eternal hallelujahs

To Jesus Christ the King!

The hope of all who seek Him,

The help of all who find,

None other is so loving,

So good and kind.

He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives

today!

He walks with me and He talks with me

Along life's narrow way.

He lives, He lives, salvation to impart!

You ask me how I know He lives

He lives within my heart!

Jesus really does live!!

May you know His great love for YOU!!

Have a Blessed Easter!

Much Love,

Becky

Out and About!

Hello Sweet Friends!!

Today was an absolutely gorgeous day in central Florida, so me and Maddy

headed out.  We had a couple of errands to run and then headed to a favorite

destination...a drive around Lake Monroe and a much slower drive

through the historic district nearby.

Everywhere we looked there were spring flowers laid out like a

magic carpet for us!!  What a delight after our coldest winter in

several decades!!

The lake is quite large and feeds into the St. John's River.  Today it

was glass-like and so very serene.

A bench overlooking the lake...won't you join me?

What is it about marinas?  I have loved them ever since I was a child.

Our family owned a 31 ft. sailboat and sailed often.

Maybe it's the fun memories!!  I think they also just imply

LEISURE; something most of us need more of!!

A little bit closer

More pretty blooms

Palm trees line the walkway next to the marina

A lovely knockout rose

And of course, we had to take in some historical homes!!!

Don't you love that window at the peak?  Oh and the brick roads???

I think I have shown this one before...must be a fave of mine!

Love the front screened porch on this craftsman!

I have no idea what kind of tree this is, but it is really this bright yellow!!

Any of you know??

Well, hope you enjoyed our daytrip!  We had a great time!

Tomorrow morning we are up and out of here early....

 Know where we're headed???

YEP!!! You guessed it...

THE BEACH!!!!

YIPPEE!!!

Our first trip of the season!!

Don't worry!  I'll catch some rays for you, too!!!

{s-m-i-l-e}

Gotta boost that vitamin D!!

Have a blessed Good Friday!! 

Jesus did it all for you, you know?

Love you lots!!

Becky