The Right Occupation

Throughout my life I've dreamed of being a lot of different things.
I've always loved animals, so as a young kid I thought I should be a vet when I grew up.  Then later I wanted to be a nurse like my mom. My first year of college, I spent a lot of time worrying if I was picking the right career path. I decided to switch from pre-nursing to Ag Communications, then I added Ag Econonomics, then I dropped the communications part. Then right before Taylor and I got engaged, I very nearly made the full circle and went back to nursing, but didn't end up doing it.

I changed my mind thinking each new option would bring me more fulfillment with the work involved, making me happier in the long run…but I was mistaken.

I didn't realize the best thing I could ever do is be a mom.  No job could even compare or bring as much happiness into my life as my daughter has.

- My heart has never melted the way it did the first time I saw her smile.
- Nothing has ever brought me such true delight as hearing her coo and jabber in her carseat as we drive down the highway.
- And I can't think of any other job in the world where I would gladly wake up "to work" multiple times in the middle of the night. (Although thankfully, the past few weeks Taylee has limited it to one or two times per night, and I'm not complaining about that!) :)

I hope I can take some of the lessons I've learned since having Taylee and make sure I am applying them to the rest of my life - like remembering how much joy the simplest things like her smile or her coos can bring me. God has blessed my life so much, I know there are things I need to be more thankful and appreciative of, so I want to make sure I see the joy in the simple/everyday parts of life as well.

These last two and a half months have absolutely flown by, and I am amazed at how much Taylee has grown.
I am truly grateful my girl is strong and healthy and growing well, but admittedly it makes me a little sad to see how quickly this stage of life is passing by.
I know it would be completely futile to wish time would slow down, so instead I'm going to pray that by looking to enjoy and appreciate the simplest parts of life, hopefully I can be more present for each moment. In the future I don't want to look back and have regrets about how I spent my time.

Most of all I want to say thanks to my husband - because of his hard work and determination to provide for our family, I am able to stay at home with our daughter and experience all these little moments with her.

On the thought of how I spend my time…I now understand my mom's abilities a little better. I have always marveled at how much my mom can accomplish on any given day. Now I realize that when you have a baby, it's like you develop another gear and a lot better time management. During nap time, you can get a heck of a lot done. :) I still have  a long way to go to be able to match my mom, but I'm getting closer! ;)

A few pictures from the first couple months of Taylee's life…meeting great grandparents, grandparents and spending time with daddy.

Taylee's first combine ride - cutting some dry land corn

As for God, His way is perfect. Psalm 18:30

This was a recent Scripture in my daily devotional, and I appreciated the lesson that went with it. It spoke of different people in the Bible who had made plans, but their plans didn't come to fruition. However, they still submitted themselves to God. Because they were willing to give themselves to God rather than closing themselves off because their plans were denied, He was able to use them for a greater purpose and bring glory to Himself.
I pray I would have faith enough to always accept Your plan above my own, Lord. I submit myself to You. Please use me. Amen.

I hope you all have a great rest of the week!
Lyndee