16 and 50

 Birthday season is here! For the Gimenez family the majority of our birthdays fall in the first half of the year. So we stay pretty busy celebrating!

First up was Silas. This guy turned 16 this year🙂 I can't believe it's been that long! Especially since we announced that we were expecting him on this blog. 

He had been planning his birthday "cake" for a long time. He wanted a pecan pie without the pecans. Is there such a thing? So I did my homemade pie crust and then the filling for the pie and poured it in without adding any pecans.

And the result? I don't think I'd try that again!🙂🙂

Next up is Patrick. This year he's celebrating 50 years! We had to celebrate his birthday a day early because we had a trip to SeaWorld planned 🙂 He enjoyed a chocolate mousse cake surrounded by his children and grandchildren. He loved every moment!

Then it was off to Orlando! We arrived and went to Disney Springs. I still can't believe it's free to get in there! We enjoyed walking around and looking at the shops.

Then we had some delicious fish and chips. Except for Silas. He had a chicken sandwich 🙂

It was such a fun evening! It was chilly and the lights were still up from Christmas and it was beautiful!

The next day was even chillier and windy as we headed into SeaWorld.

We rode a bunch of roller coasters,



And saw a bunch of shows!

It was a chilly day but it warmed up beautifully.

And I think the trick to small crowds and short lines is going to SeaWorld in January when it's really cold🙂

It was so fun🙂

And I pretty much lost my voice for the entire next week!

 

Family time really is the best time!

How have you been reading?

 Where do get your energy?  For Patrick's birthday I bought him an Espresso machine. He's loving making some super strong coffee for the two of us each afternoon. But honestly we are at the age that if he makes it too late in the day, we have a hard time sleeping that night. It gives us that much energy! 

As a Christian lady, where do you get your spiritual energy? I guess I could leave of the "where"  of that question and just ask, "Do you get your spiritual energy?" Are you strengthened spiritually every day? 

I think we know the "where" part. That's God's Word. We really know the "why" part too. We know that we need strength from the Lord to live this life, this week, this day and even this hour. Moment by moment we need strength from the Lord!

So if we know we need to be in God's Word, let me ask, "How has it been going for you?"

Here are some thoughts to consider as you go to the Bible each day: 

Read on Purpose!  Set a time. Reading the Bible won't happen by accident. Our flesh is just too strong. We need to set up a time that will be our time to read. It helps if it can be a quiet spot. For me, that means waking up before my family. That extra 30 minutes has become a treasure to me!

Read with a plan! That doesn't mean you have to have a schedule that you cross off everyday. Sometimes I do that, other times I have a different routine, but have a plan of where you want to read. This year I am taking a book a month and reading it over and over and saturating myself with it. I love it! 

Read Slowly and Thoughtfully! This isn't a race to finish and then be done. This is time with the Lord! Let it sink in. Choose to think about it all throughout the day. Let it effect your heart not just in the morning, but all day! Write down the verse that really spoke to your heart and read it aloud often that day. Put in on the fridge, on a mirror or as your lock screen. Choose to think about what you've read! 

Read out loud! Sometimes it's good to get by ourselves and just read it out loud. I like to do this outside. It's amazing when You read it with your eyes, say it with your mouth, hear it with your ears, let it soak into your mind, then it affects the heart. 

Read it so that you can pass it on! Choose to speak about what you've read to someone. Pass it along. Your kids need to hear it. Someone you meet may need to hear it. When we have good news we just can't help but share, right? It should be that way when we read God's good news to us too!

Sister Friend, just read it. You won't regret it, I promise!