Daily Devotional

True peace only comes from the Prince of Peace.
Peace does not mean that everything around you is calm and tranquil; true peace means that you are able to remain peaceful during the storms of life.

But this peace, which the Bible promises is available to believers, can only come from God. Jesus said, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace" (John 16:33). In other words, Jesus came so that you could have peace.

Paul tells us, in Philippians 4:6-7, that we can have peace if we don't become anxious about life but instead give our worries to God: "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

Hand over all of your problems to the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ, and He will give you a peace that passes understanding -- a peace that is beyond comprehension.

Things Frequent Flyers Experience

1. No flight ever leaves on time unless you are running late and need the delay to make the flight.

2.If you are running late for a flight, it will depart from the farthest gate within the terminal.

3.If you arrive very early for a flight, it inevitably will be delayed.

4.Flights never leave from Gate #1 at any terminal in the world.

5.If you must work on your flight, you will experience turbulence as soon as you touch pen to paper.

6.If you are assigned a middle seat, you can determine who has the seats on the aisle and the window while you are still in the boarding area. Just look for the two largest passengers.

7.Only passengers seated in window seats ever have to get up to go to the lavatory.

8.The crying baby on board your flight is always seated next to you.

9.Guys, the best-looking woman on your flight is never seated next to you.

10.The less carry-on luggage space available on an aircraft, the more carry-on luggage passengers will bring aboard.

Daily Devotional

God has given us His Word as a guide for our life. However, His Word won't help us if we don't study it, know it, and live by it. Therefore, we must diligently study and apply God's Word if we wish for it to have an impact on our lives.

Jesus promised, "If you abide in My word ..., you are truly My disciples. And you will know the Truth, and the Truth will set you free" John 8:31-32 That's a promise that if we abide in His Word, we will know the Truth, because His Word is the Truth.

Why is it so important to follow God's Word? Because HIS Word keeps us from turning aside to the right or to the left; it keeps us on the straight and narrow path that leads to life. (See Matthew 7:13-14)

Therefore, abide in HIS Word, because HIS Word will keep you from sin.

Busy Week

This has been such a busy week! Monday night I ate out with some family members at one of my favorite resturaunts. (Kyoto's Japanese Steak House) It is one of those places where they cook your food right in front of you. It is YUMMY! The serving sizes are UNREAL! Every time I come out of there I feel like a stuffed cow! Tuesday night my daughter's grandparents came over to have a "play date" with her. Last night Brian, his mom, Baylee, Terry and I all ate at a new resturaunt in Flowood, Logan's Roadhouse. I thought the food was really good and the company was even better. I am so glad that my mother-in-law and I have such a good relationship now. She is a sweetie! Tonight Brian and I are going to the grand opening of "Headliners" (I mentioned this in an earlier post). I am SO tired but excited for the extra "fun" time I get to spend with Brian before he leaves. Tomorrow night we have to run around and do last minute errands before he goes out of town. Saturday night his dad's family is coming to see our new house and take us out to eat for Brian's "going away" party. Sunday afternoon will be interesting. It will kind of be a "come and go" gathering for any of Brian's friends and family who want to see him before he leaves. It has been a really good past couple of weeks and I have stayed busy which has kept my mind off of things but I do wish I would have had a little more alone time with him. Of course, anytime is special. I am just glad he has been having fun and had his mind off of things. I can imagine he is probably pretty nervous.

I know you are thinking....blah, blah, blah!!

Hero

We are all too familiar with Mariah's song....

And then a hero comes along with the strength to carry on And you cast your fears aside and you know you can survive So when you feel like hope is gone look inside you and be strong And you'll finally see the truth that a hero lies in you

.....but have you really thought about it? "The Hero Lies in You". Are there things in your life that you have done or things that you are proud to have brought yourself through...especially if during those times you did not think you would make it? Okay, so if you haven't thought of yourself that way is there one person in your life or a person in general who is your "Hero"?

Wonderful Weekend

I had a really good weekend! I am feeling pretty refreshed today but really not in the mood to work! Friday night my hubby, daughter and I grabbed a quick dinner and made a quick trip to the store.....then we raced home to get in bed by 8:45pm! Okay, okay....I know we sound like old people (especially since we went to bed before our five year old)...but we have had alot going on and needed the rest! Saturday morning we hung out around the house and then my in-laws came over for what turned out to be a very enjoyable two hour visit. Afterwards, my hubby and I had a date night. We went to eat at Up The Creek and the went to see the movie Secret Window. (Which I DO NOT recommend....boring!) Sunday we lounged around that morning then met the in-laws at Planet Rock and then had dinner at Corky's. After dinner we made our second trip to Wal-Mart for the weekend where my husband bought our daughter a new bike for her birthday and I got a DVD with my favorite actress in it (Julia Roberts)Mona Lisa Smiles. It was a good "girlie" movie! So that is pretty much it for my weekend! How was yours?

How Sweet

Brian has his sweet moments but this one just got me. I was standing outside while he was working and he just started staring me down. I was like, "What??" He said, "Nothing. I was just trying to get a good picture of you to take to boot camp with me." Well, of course, I start crying like a big baby BUT come on .....who wouldn't! So I just had to add this for the world to see ......MY husband REALLY will miss me while he is gone! I guess absense does make the heart grow fonder!

*sniff*sniff*

Headliners...I'm A Vip!

I am SO excited! Tuesday my husband won VIP passes to a new club that is opening in Jackson! The name of it is Headliners Entertainment Resort. It is a quadplex of dining and entertainment. The 30,000-square-foot building will house a Cactus Cafe, Banana Joe's Island Party, Rascal's Comedy Club and Headliners Live, a room whre local and national musical acts will perform. This is an AWESOME thing for Jackson! We have really needed something like this for awhile. My husband and I don't go out very often but when we do it is with another couple and we have the hardest time deciding on what to do. All of us are so laid back and no one ever wants to make a decision. This is perfect because everyone has options and everyone is satisfied. The only other place that has ever really stuck around in Jackson is "The Dock" which did have a club in the same parking lot and you could pay one price to get in both BUT that was really not my "thing". Inside the sports bar at Headliners will be three large projection televisions, eight big-screen TVs, pool tables, video games and an open patio facing Ridgewood Road with two cabana bars. My brother in law was offered a position to DJ but turned it down because he has too much on his plate already. He, however, is working on an ad for them in a magazine he co-owns called, The Jackson Free Press. I think the tickets are for Thursday, March 18th.....I will do an update to let you know how it goes!

Things You Can Control...and Things You Can't

Things You Can Control......
~Your reaction to others
~Your to-do list (and the number of items on it)
~How your day is spent
~Your goals
~How much time you're willing to spend on a particular project
~Your self-esteem and self-worth
~How you treat others
~Your exercise and eating habits
~The communication of your needs to others
~Telling people when you're stresses out and need time alone or help with projects
~Whether or how much you smoke or drink alcohol
~How old you act
~The way you raise your children

Things You Can't Change......
~The age or stage of development your children are in
~The way you were raised
~Whether the stoplight turns red or green
~How fast other cars are driving
~Other people
~The timing of your teenager's mood swings or your toddler's temper tantrums
~Your age
~When work or a project takes much longer than expected
~Waiting for your doctor 30 minutes after your scheduled appointment
~A death, illness, or accident in the family
~The Calendar
~Being laid off from a job
~Messes made right after you clean the house

Heart Attack...Nearly

Brian, my husband, has just nearly made me have a heart attack. He calls me and said Mark, his USCG recruiter, just offered him a position to go to Iraq. He told Brian that it would be more pay and he could get through school quicker. Basically, he would go to boot camp for two months, come home for a couple of weeks, go to school for nine weeks and then ship off to Iraq for 8 months! Ummm....hello.....I don't even know how I am going to make it for two months! I can't imagine going almost a year without seeing him! He, of course, turned it down for now and said he would consider it next year. (Yikes!) The reality of all of this is ......... there is ALWAYS a possibility of him having to go.......not just on a volunteer basis but because they make him. That will always weigh heavy in the back of my mind. I just have to remember that this is what he wants to do and I am VERY proud of him. It seems scary but I have to compare it to this.....would you really go to medical school and then never even practice medicine or deal with patients? More than likely you wouldn't so what he wants to do is protect his country so why get a job doing that and worry the whole time that you might actually have to do it?

Relationships 101

I have had a "gloomy" disposition lately. I have had alot going on and have had a few other people in my life that have had to deal with some of the same things. In saying that....I have done alot of reading and this is one of the things I came across that really hit home for me in more ways that one.

In small doses, competition can motivate you to achieve more. Constantly comparing career successes, wardrobes, bank accounts or your love lives can wear down your self-esteem and you relationship with a friend or family member. Competition becomes unhealthy when it makes up feel bad about yourself. One of the main ingredients in a positive relationship is that BOTH people feel that they can be themselves and don't have to impress each other. People tend to harbor an irrational belief that there's only so much good stuff to go around. The root of the problem is not yours or their good luck it is yours/their own flagging sense of self-esteem.

"People who try to beat others all the time are attempting to bolster their self image." says psychologist Tina Tessina.

If you are the competitive party:
* Think Before You Speak: Catch yourself before you say something that might hurt someone
*Acknowledge Your Issues: Take a look on the inside of yourself.
*Don't Beat Yourself Up

If you are on the receiving end:
*Talk to him/her: Create some distance; He/She may sense something is amiss and look at his/her own behavior at what is causing the distance between the two of you.
*Avoid His/Her Triggers
*Know When To Let Go: If the problem is excessive, you have to consider whether this is someone you can have a "relationship" with.

***Some so called relationships are not worth the abuse ....so move on with no regrets.

USCG

My dear sweet husband is leaving in two weeks to go to USCG boot camp. Those who know me KNOW I will be a sobbing little baby! I don't know what I will do without my sweetheart for two whole months! I won't even get to hear his voice until the 5th week! BOOHOO!

Various people have had some questions about boot camp and what all it consists of. I am posting this site so you can check out what exactly Brian will be doing the next couple of months.

For the family and friends of Brian....several people have asked me about writing to him while he is gone. Since it takes so long to get mail and since he won't have time to respond to everyone individually we decided it would be best if you would send me the letter and I will send it to him when I send mine. I am SURE I will be sending him a letter AT LEAST once a week! *wink* Also, I will be updating via this website with any new information, letters or phone calls I get from Brian while he is gone!

ABC's of Tiffany

A - Always on the go!
B - Beautiful Daughter - Baylee!
C - Cares for Others
D - Dancing.....love it!
E - Easily amused!
F - Friendly - too friendly sometimes...
G - GREAT husband named Brian!
H - Hunter is one of my brothers.
I - Ivey is my maiden name.
J - Justin is my other brother!
K - Know ALOT of people
L - Love Julia Roberts movies!
M - Mary Higgins Clark - love her books.
N - Not TOO Nosey! *wink*
O - Oceans ...... I think they are beautiful.
P - Practical
Q - Quiet...okay...well NEVER!
R - Ready for fun.
S - Savoir is Jesus Christ.
T - Trustworthy.
U - UNCONDITIONAL love for my family.
V- Very crazy dogs Tyson & Storm.
W - Willing to admit when I am wrong.
X - "X" 'cited about life! :)
Y - Yogurt & Ice Cream are my favorite!
Z - 'Zats all folks!!!!