Primitive!- Not with everything we own on my back!

We had an amazing weekend of primitive camping. It was hot but fun.

 I will check in later to tell you all the details.

good news: I survived it, the only fatality was my cell phone..... it is dead, gone, bye-bye! Should get a new one sometime this week.

We hiked to get to the primitive campsite (the gray area on the map below). There was nothing around us except trees and the wilderness. At night all you could hear were animals, birds and you could see a ton of fireflies - too cool!

It was so peaceful and everything that we took with us for the trip was in our backpacks; Here is a sneek peek of where we went and what we took.

I will add in some fun pics, video and details as soon as I can........

The Taylors primitive camping trip to be continued.......

Tootles.

-Melissa

To be continued...

Hello all, I havent forgot to end the story of what happened at Tapestry. I was out sick yesterday so I will be playing catch up today and tomorrow so, I will add in the rest of the story when I get the chance.

Love ya- thanks for your prayers.

-Missa

Tapestry Women's Conference (Lubbock, Tx)

This weekend I attended the Tapestry Womens Conference 

on Friday and Saturday in Lubbock, TX!

As I always say, I am surrounded by amazing women of faith! I had the privelege of traveling with 8 of them to attend this conference. 

The conference was held at our home church in Lubbock. Church on the Rock and it was so good!

The speaker was a women by the

 name Margaret Fineberg and if you have never heard of her, I would recommend you go over to youtube to have a peek and then over to amazon to purchase some books, I started her book The Organic God and it is nothing like it sounds but, at the same time completely like it sounds - great book! 

The words of encouragement that Margaret shared at the conference were great, some of the questions she has for the Lord are the same as the one I continually find myself asking "Is this all there is, this can't be it- there's got to be more". But the great thing is we are not left with just the question, we are equipped to find the answers - So, if anything I realized I am normal (according to my own standards anyway)  :)

During the conference there were breakout sessions and you could pick from (according to topics) which one you wanted to attend and after looking at the list I knew imeediately where the Lord was sending me and sure enough, it spoke to me right were I am and I will never be the same. I mean the 45 minutes I was in that small room hearing this Word from the Lord CHANGED MY LIFE!!! I will elaborate on that more tomorrow in my blog......

Then, one of the neatest things happened: 

On this trip we took one of the youth girls who is a daughter of one of the women. She wanted to go to a youth breakout but not by herself so, I told her to pick one and I would go with her.

(this is soooo cool- hold onto your seat)

We walk into the room for the break out and guess who was teaching?????

One of the youth we taught when we were in Lubbock!!!! God is soooo amazing! We just looked at each other in surprise and smiled to see eachother. I sat down to listen and it hit me.... I was now sitting in front of her to hear her teach about God... our roles had switched- too cool!

This beautiful young women was in our (scott and I) 7th grade discipleship group in Lubbock. Then this hit me: Wow! I was standing before some fruit of the seeds that I had helped sow! Don't get me wrong, I am not taking credit for God's work... but, I was sitting before a success story.... Now, I'm not a sentimental person (so I tell myself) but, as I sat down in her class for HER to now teach ME I gotta tell you, It took everything for me not to cry as the thought hit me then I remembered when... on her first day at church (and for most of the duration of her being there before we left)..... she was one who I asked the Lord to please keep her. She was having trouble fitting in and being comfortable. You could see discontentment and self doubt all over her. But, as always... God gets the Glory!!! Here before me stood a BEAUTIFULLY (inside and out) GORGEOUS young women in love with God, teaching others how to love God and sharing her story with other young women... Afterwards, I stayed back when the class released. Hugged her tight and said, "I am soooo proud of you! You have always been such a beautiful person - I'm proud of you and so is your Father God." after talking to her I learned that she went to Masters Comission and that she has been working in youth for a few years and that she is waiting on God for what lies ahead, I told her that I loved her and I'm praying for her just as I did on our last day at youth church in Lubbock before we came to Austin......

Then it happened! I walked away and the tears begin to flow -> I was so joyful, I was so touched and so honored and so humbled that God allowed me to see this- that this would happen in this way on this day! I realized that we do things "as unto the Lord" and we may not always see the fruit - heck, we may never see the fruit but, it is there.... as I learned in my breakout (which I will talk about tomorrow in my blog) you never really know the power of  the right yes. You never know the lives that will be touched and changed and saved when you say YES TO GOD!

Anyways, this weekend was amazing! I am in awe of Gods goodness, favor and presence in my life- I will never be the same!

-Missa

Road trippin with the girls

Back to Lubbock TX tomorrow (Friday)!

I'm road trippin' with the girls (8 amazing women)!

Going to Lubbock for a women's conference - it's been YEARS since my last trip to Lubbock- it's gonna be fun!

I Have a great expectation of receiving from the Lord this weekend!

Have a great day, pray for us as we travel!

-Melissa

Celebrate good times- Come on!

EVERYONE AROUND THE WORLD COME ON!!!

I am soo happy!

The weather is cooling and Fall is setting its sites upon us.

This is one of my favorite times of the year, times when there is a cool breeze in the morning and the evening and the thought of the holidays begin to creep their way in your life.

During this weather I love to enjoy a stroll outside before bed and not to mention- I get excited about the return of the pumpkin spice latte and the gingerbread latte will follow soon. I really enjoy having a cup of coffee outside with a good book and my hubby at some park bench or laying on the grass in some park.

WELCOME! Welcome weather that inspires life!

Ahhhh weather that Scott and I love to pack a lunch and get lost on a hiking trail somewhere.

Bring on the camping..... bring on the fishing...... Bring on life outside of my apt!!!!!

YAY!

I love this weather.

Hope you enjoy it today too!

Penne Gorgonzola = Life Lessons!

I know many of you may get uncomfortable when I goosh over my hubby but, if you knew what the Lord did in my life prior to my marriage you would know when I say, " I love and adore my husband" I truly mean that I love and adore my husband! What I mean is, I realize what a blessing he is and I love the Lord all that much more for placing such a wonderful Godly man in my life!

I know that Scott loves the Lord and since God IS LOVE, the love that Scott has for me is so beautiful!

So naturally, I see the Lords love and blessing in my life most through my marriage. 

(Not to mention... my husband is quiet the looker, he's so good looking) anyways, my point today is:

Last night we had a meeting that didnt work out and I did not have anything planned or ready for dinner so this kinda put a stretch on an already busy day. Scott called me out of the blue at lunch time and said "I'm gonna make you dinner tonight okay" so I said ok and asked if he needed me to do anything. He said "nope, Im taking care of all of it". I almost did a cartwheel I was so excited. Scott cooks for me sometimes and it is always a good meal but this time he was asking me if we had things like mushrooms (one of my favs) and gorgonzola cheese (i love cheese) so, I knew this was going to be a treat and that he was really trying to make it special so, later when we got home I got out of his way and let him have the kitchen (which is my sacred place by the way- so I thought) and he made the BEST penne gorgonzola I've ever had! It was sooooo yum! He did a great job! 

But when the feasting was over questions began to arise in me...... has he known how to cook these 8 years????? Has he been fooling me by asking questions like what is garlic powder? what is sea salt? hmmmmmm, have I been in the dark this whole time and hey!!!!!!! When I am out of town does he cook this way for himself? It was quite funny when I asked him if he has been hiding this all along. We got a good laugh out of  the thought of it!

Scott offers to cook alot, Im definitely going to take him up on it!

But after we ate and cleaned up the kitchen...I begin to feel the nudging of the Holy Spirit on my heart -> I learned a lesson through this meal and I want to share it with you!

As we were cleaning together I was thinking about what a great treat this was I was reminded of all the times Scotts offered to make dinner, or fold laundry (really anything around the house) but because I know he works so hard I've always felt I needed to do it. Afterall, I only work part time right! If thats not enough then my pride and my ego are sure to get in the way....and on top of the pride and ego is the the thought of those ridiculous traditional roles that we are told we are suppose to fall into (yeah, you know the ones) as these things raced in my thoughts I also remembered all the times I said no to him, all the times I said no to such a great night, I robbed myself of blessings! I probably robbed him of a blessing as well- by not allowing him to show me love in this way and take care of me and help me but, I said no. So in the end I would cook, fold laundry- run an errand myself and I probably did it frustrated, tired and probably even complaining under my breath the whole time. How hard I've made these things on myself when i didn't HAVE TO, I CHOSE TO!

Ladies, let your husbands help you- so what if your husband doesn't put the forks and spoons where you would. And who really cares if the bathroom towels are not folded like you would fold them or if the socks and undies are in the wrong drawer. (Think about your proirities here) Marriage is about team work -> Don't be a ball hog! Sometimes we women like to be martyrs. We love to let others know how much we do and how much we suffer for those we love! We think it makes us a better mom or a better wife! Come on.....

Don't go there! God has blessed you with an amazing family! Don't carry your burdens alone.

If you do go there, you will end up robbing yourself and others of a great blessing! Not only a blessing of some saved time but a blessing of your husband having pride and a sense of value and worth at home too! Why do you think so many men are prone to being work-a-holics? Because they have value and a sense of worth and identity at work. 

Now ask yourself, how does he feel at home? Worthless, not important? Think about it ladies - your husbands a gift from the Lord- he gave them to you because he trusts you with them and also remember, if there are areas you need to work on.... God is faithful and through him ALL things ARE possible! We all want them to be successful at work.... well ladies, i challenge you to position your husband for success at home too! 

I could tell Scott took joy in making this meal for me :) It meant a lot to me and I enjoyed it too!

Have a wonderfully blessed day everyone!

-Missa

Riding in the rain = kissing the concrete

This weekend was our monthly family first weekend. I LIVE for these weekends. I love to interact with others but man, I love when we have these weekends to just relax as a family and hang out. Friday night we went for a dessert and a cup of coffee after dinner. We tried out Monument Cafe in Georgetown... it was okay. Not my favorite but will work for a slice of pie on a late night if no other place is open :) Scott and I sat and talked and laughed for a few hours, it was fun!

Saturday all day it rained so we stayed inside. We both love when it rains so we opened our blinds and enjoyed it. Yep, 2 things I love:

I love the rain! 

and,

I love my bike!

Why not combine the 2 right? That seems so logical to me, even if the weather was not cooperating we decided to scratch the itch and ride anyway - in the rain. IT WAS A BLAST!!!!! 

We rode our bikes around the apartment complex. Through parking lots, down to get ice cream and then.......

The hallways of our new place are concrete and when we got home I thought I would be smart and ride through the hallway dripping wet (don't worry we are the only ones up here right now, besides the other side of us there is one guy there but he's never home) I was laughing and riding my bike down the hall when I realized, "Melissa, won't the water dripping from your bike and clothes make this concrete slick?, why yes Melissa, I do believe so! Yep, you better slow down before you fall" Just then, I snapped back to reality and I hit my brakes to slow down - my bike skid into the wall and then I fell to the ground! Yep, I kissed the concrete and the wall and my bike petals too. It was soooooo funny! Scott was standing at the door to our apt with the key in the hole laughing at me....So there I was, sitting on my butt - one leg perched over my bike laughing at myself thinking, "why don't I ever listen to me" I wish I had it on video to share bc I knew this was gonna happen yet I listened to my inner child when she said, "Go for it girl- burn rubber in this hall way- or are you scared?"! (She gets me in alot of trouble that way) 

I was laughing so hard I couldn't get up - It wasnt until later in the evening I realized I had cut my leg on my bike petals :) 

Oh well, it was totally worth it! The marks were a badge of honor if you will - for the entire week all I could think about was riding my bike on Saturday, and that is what I did, even if it was raining! Weather men, rain, forecasts, even a concrete wall- nothing got in my way from riding my bike! 

The funny thing is - I handled my bike fine on the street :) 

oh well, it was fun!

Today we are just lounging around, Scott is watching the cowboys and I am about to take a nap!

Hope your family first is amazing too!

-Melissa

Silly songs in the car with the kids -

Ridin' to G-Town.

Yep, G-town.... you know, good old Granbury TX.

We're so hard-core! Hehe.

Hope you go cruzin' with your family this weekend!

-Melissa

The contents of a Blue Moon

What is a blue moon breakfast?

I have had a few people ask me so, here you go!

A blue moon breakfast is just that, a breakfast you eat once in a "blue moon!"

There are several reasons why I do not make this very often (only on holiday mornings or special occasions (its scotts favorite).

The reasons I do not make this breakfast often are:

1) I love my husband and I want him around for a long time

2) Bacon does not prolong a persons life span

3) It is labor intensive

4) To take only a few bites is impossible - no matter the promises you make to yoursef - you ALWAYS over eat

5) Regret! Oh the regret you feel afterwards.... such heavy food does not sit well for the rest of the day.

6) The workout afterward as you try to redeem yourself from indulging.

7) again, I love my husband and want him to be around for a VERY long time

The blue moon breakfast consists of:

• homeade tortillas
  
• scrambled eggs (with cheese)
  

and here are the killers

• bacon 
  
• papas (fried and steamed potatoes with cut up bacon in it) yep, you heard that right- there is bacon in the papas too.
  

Since this is such an extremely un-healthy breakfast it is definitely something we only eat (as the name applies) once in a blue moon! I can not even IMAGINE the fat content, and honestly, I dont want to. It is very yummy though and if you ever want me to make it for you, I will!

But, before I do- I will make you sign a waver for in case your heart can not handle it I am not liable. Should you fall over at my table I can say, I warned you!!!

Just kidding! I love you and I would never hurt you :) 

This is Scott's absolute favorite breakfast, he loves it! I love that he even asks for them by name-Papas! Pronounced... pop-ah-ssss (its a hispanic thing)!

-missa

My new fav store & an annoucement!!!

I have discovered a new favorite place over the weekend.... wait, let me back up a bit.

If you remember back in July I had a blog that was titled: Spongebob dreams of Italy.

Well, Dreams come true! 

We have secured our flight for France and Italy in March 2010!!! We are scheduled for 10 days in Europe! OMG I am sooo excited!

We have been praying, dreaming and saving for years for this trip.... I have been clipping coupons, saying no to eating out (with some exceptions) and everything else I could think of to cut corners - all working toward this dream becoming a reality.

So in my planning to backpack through different areas I was looking at backpacks for the trip and that lead me to REI.

Have you ever been to REI? Oh my gosh, there is everything a person could ever need or want to have a great outdoor experience. Everyone knows we love to go fishing and camping and now I have this amazing trip to plan for so, this store is like Christmas to me right now.

There are compact tents, sleeping mats, stoves....everything you would need attach to your backpack and live in the outdoors for a week or in our case a few days :) We have a camping trip planned for the end of the month so, I was really excited to see all the possibilities :)

No longer would we have to pack the car to the ceiling to go camping... REI is awesome!

So anyways, back to my dreams coming true, I found so many neat items at REI that I cant wait to get for my trip..... I mean seriously, I am such a nerd! I got so excited to see compression packing that will compress our clothes so our backpacks are not so bulky and since everything we are taking will be on our backs I was amazed to find foldable daypacks for our day trips. Not to mention the amazing backpacks themselves, they are a work of art! Im telling you I got a rush when I put the backpack on I immediately was taken to another place in my mind... I could imagine myself hiking in the hills of italy overlooking the vinyards and walking the streets admiring the colorful buildings and amazing architecture, or walking through the cistine chapel and the museums and even taking pics of all of the beauty and of the eiffel tower and Notre Dame! I can already taste the Gelato!

I am overwhelmed with God's goodness in my life!

So anyways, I love REI!

If you have never been there, go! Go and look and play and dream! Who knows, God is making mine and Scotts come true and he can do it for you too!

-Missa

my upside down pursuit of passion

This week our Pastor has challenged us to find what our passion is.

He started off by asking: 

"what is your passion"? 

Man, I have never been so stumped! I DO alot of things! I have a like/love/passion for many things.... some I dont even talk about with others (just things my husband knows I enjoy doing)... hobbies I thought maybe could be my true passions???? I dont know! Let's see.....

I love love love down time with my hubby! I love to be with people.. I love to help people achieve victory in their lives, I love to help the hurting, I love to work with youth, I love to make bulks of meals for people to enjoy, I love to bake, I love to take photos, I love to sing out loud (as loud as I can in fact), I love alot of things.... I mean alot of things, then.... there are my dreams; one day to be a stay at home mom raising children, travel the world, go on a mission to rescue children sold into the sex slave industry....Take a whole week and do nothing! You know, just dreams. Lots and lots of dreams but, this one question has really challenged me to find out what my passion is - I want to find it NOW. I dont want to waste anymore time on just functioning, on just maintaining life. I want to make a difference, an impact, know that my life matters for something. This one question has turned my world upside down - WHAT IS MY PASSION ???? Figuring it out is a bit harder than I thought it would be. I mean.... this is deep! What is this thing inside me- this passion? I am trying so hard not to let confusion set in.. especially since I thought i've been functioning in my passion.... but, really maybe I am just functioning! Scary thought!

As I've been searching this out I have really been mediating on it and praying about it because it is an important thing to find out. 

I was reminded a time when Scott preached about passion many years ago and something he said has never ever ever left me.

If you look in the dictionary under passion you can read this: the sufferings of Christ on the cross or His sufferings subsequent to the Last Supper.

Wow! Passion. Christ was passionate about his Love for you and for me.. we meant that much to him that it was his very passion that kept him on the cross for us.

Now, how in the world can I have a passion like that and about what?.... 

What would make me feel so much love, conviction and motivation? What is it that wakes me up in the morning? What is the point of it all??? What Im saying is;

Romans 12:1

¹Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. ²Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

What is it that I am to offer my life for, what is it that is "his good, pleasing and perfect will" for me? 

Think about it for yourself.

I hope that this week you will take some time to figure out what your passion is... it is that passion that the Lord can use through you to propel you into your purpose!

Lots to think about - Tootles!

-Missa