A Great Ride

I love surprises and today Richard planned a doozy…11 hours and 525 miles!

I woke to Richard’s voice whispering “Baby, let’s go”…he had planned a ride on the motorcycle and was ready to get started. After my morning coffee and a Facebook fix and it is time to go…The sun was shining and the temperature was bearable; two prerequisites for a great ride.

He was serious about the ride today. He cleaned his bike, shined our helmets, put on his sun screen and was sitting in the driveway waiting for me. He was ready to go and go he did! He always has to get that power surge out of his system at take off…head back and cheeks flapping in the wind and with his “Yeah Baby” we are off!!! With my camera in hand, MP3 plugged in playing and cold drink at hand I settle in. I never know where we are going when we head out and today was no exception! Little did I know I would be gone for eleven hours! This trip took us to little towns we have never been and sites we have never seen! Country roads thru Beaumont, Zavala, San Rayburn Reservoir, back through Lufkin, Crockett then home via Hwy 45 though Downtown Houston and home.

Eleven hours on the back of a motorcycle is a long time…time to visit with my man, listen to music, pray, and reflect while taking in all the beauty God has provided for our pleasure. When we first start out Richard is very chatty…he talks about work, finances, friends, and dreams for our future. As we get further along in the trip he begins to shut down and go to a quiet solemn place within. At this point I plug my music in and begin to pray and reflect on life. Whether I am talking or reflecting, I am always snapping pictures.

Capturing Memories:

Capturing memories in pictures has always been very important to me. Perhaps because I have very few pictures on my early years and what pictures do exist belong to others. Richard always says, “let me take some pictures of you to document your existence”. There is a lot of truth to that! Pictures become the touchable and tangible that our loved ones were here once they are gone. My family teases me frequently about taking so many pictures but…they are always the ones tagging themselves on Facebook and they eventually thank me later. I really enjoy taking pictures from the motorcycle because there are minimal obstructions when snapping but I have to be fast or it is gone. I have limited time to capture a picture when we are traveling at 60 to 80+++ mph… Richard always thanks me for taking the pictures because my view of the ride is so different from his.

Refreshments:

Of course a great meal out is a must for every ride. This little restaurant was really a sweet find! We had a wonderful Grilled Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing and a big tall glass of water with lime…Very refreshing and extremely tasty!

Gods Protection:

Every motor cycle trip begins with a prayer. I ask God’s protection on our life, that Richard remains alert, his reflexes quick and he not become fatigued while driving. This trip was no different and God honored my request! The trip began in wooded back roads with single lanes; very relaxing! Then because it was getting late we decided to go home via the highway. Fast pace with two lanes of people jocking back and forth for position. This is when Richard must be on top of his game. He has always made a practice of not riding behind trucks or trailers hauling anything. We were on I-45 going thru downtown Houston when he changed lanes because the truck in front of us had a load of dining room furniture on it. Just as he moved to the lane on the left the entire load of furniture began to fall out of the truck and flying into the vehicles behind it. Richard quickly sped up so we were parallel to the truck so we would not get hit by any of the debris. Immediately I began to thank my Father for the favor he showed us and for honoring my prayer for protection and for giving Richard a sharp mind and quick physical reflexes!

We love our days together on the open road with the sun on our skin, wind in our face, and connection we have to each other throughout the day!

Things I Learned on this Trip:

Relax and soak in the beauty God has provided
There is a Sonic on every corner until you need a drink and then you will have to drive 100 miles
Dodge whatever is thrown at you & trust God will protect

Now that we are back home we are worn out and sore…Sunday: Great Worship, football, naps, and a wonderful lunch. This is a great weekend!!!

Love Lee ♥

Lighten Up

Sep8

Live, Laugh, Love…Are you enjoying your life? Are you living in the hum…drum…same ole…same ole? Well, good news! You don’t have to!!!

When life gets heavy God wants us to lighten up! Those thing dragging you down can easily become a burden before we know it. However, we do not have to live life hauling around a bunch of junk! The Lord is right there ready to take our junk over. But, before he can lift it from us we have to be willing to give it over to Him. Psalm 55:22 says “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall”.

I have always said, “It is easy to step out in faith when you know you will land in His hands” He will catch us but we have to take the step…He will take away our cares but we have to be willing to hand them off to him.

God keeps His promises but requires we activate His promise with our actions. In this case we must relinquish all control and cast…or throw our cares to Him.

What’s dragging you down? What are you holding on to?

Just open your hand, heart, and mind and let go!!! He is standing right in front of you to take it over but you must LET GO!!!

LIGHTEN UP… Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you 1Peter 5:7

Love Lee ♥

What Are You Wearing Today?

Sep7

Living on the Gulf Coast, one of our greatest challenges is mosquitos. People spend tons of money on mosquito spray, mosquito nets, screen enclosures. It is amazing the lengths people will go to in order to protect themselves from the attack of these pesky insects.

What many do not know is we are under attack from something more dangerous and painful than mosquitoes yet we do little to protect ourselves. This attack is the attack of the enemy on our lives. While people will spend loads of money on mosquito protection, Christians forget to put on Spiritual protection which is free!

“Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:11-18)

Belt of Truth: Historically the belt was the first piece of armor applied. It was used to hold other pieces of armor in place. In addition the soldier would tuck his shirt in the belt to allow more mobility and freedom of movement for his legs. As Christians we must put on the belt of truth which is the truths found in God’s word. Without the truth we would not be able to recognize the lies of the enemy.

Breastplate of Righteousness: The soldiers would put on the breastplate to protect the chest and vital organs. Righteousness comes from being in right standing with God. Therefore, to protect the vital organ; the heart we must stay in right standing with our Heavenly Father!

Sandles/ The Gospel of Peace: In Biblical days battles were fought on foot. Sandles were vital to protect the tender feet from rocks, thorns, and hot parched sandy grounds. Christians should walk and proclaim the peace of Christ by walking boldly in the Gospel of peace!

The Shield of Faith: Was used as both a defensive and offensive tool. Defensive to protect from the fiery arrows being hurled and offensive as a weapon slug at the enemy in the most vulnerable moment. By carrying the shield of faith we too can protect ourselves from the fiery darts hurled at us by satan.

The Helmet of Salvation: The helmet protects the brain and head in battle. Many of our battles become a battle of the mind. With the salvation of Jesus Christ guarding our thoughts we can win the battle!

The Sword of the Spirit: The sword was used to deflect the enemy’s blow as well as apply a blow to the enemy. We are able to use the sword to hide the word of God in our hearts or to attach satan when he attempts to attack!

God gives us a free protection daily but like mosquito spray…it will not work unless you apply it.

So, I ask…What are you wearing today???

Love Lee ♥

Labor Day Celebration

Sep6

Good-bye Summer… Hello Autumn

It is always with sadness I say good-bye to Summer, my favorite season of the year. However, with Autumn comes the cool breeze, crisp fresh air, fires in the fire pit, warm savory soups, and sweet breads. Life begins to slow down, the grass grows at a slower rate, and the leaves begin to fall. The days become short and lazy.

This year we decided to send Summer out with a bang…with the sweet laughter of Family and Friends, playing games, Smokin Dick’s BBQ , watermelon, swimming, and fire side chats…

Games:

The featured game was LCR (Left, Center, Right).

Instead of using money we played with black-eyed peas and the person winning the pot wins a prize.

Everyone knew they were in for a challenge when Pappy agreed to play. It is so fun to see the competitive side of people come out!

Smokin Dicks: When the first hint of Autumn blows in it serves as an excuse to light the pit (not that he needs and excuse).

The ribs were by far the best Richard has ever made! Ummm Ummm Finger Lickin’ Good!!!

He also smoked brisket and sausage and they were equally good.

Served with incredible sides followed by decadent desserts the meal was a huge success!

Watermelon:

Deb and Greg brought the biggest watermelon I had ever seen. With the initial cut the sweet juices began flowing! Kids and adults alike all enjoyed…

Swimming: The water was so refreshing. Nice and cool…Cannon Balls, Hand stands, and nose dives; all great fun!!!

Fire side chats:

Finishing up the day out by the fire pit with a hot cup of coffee, magazines, and good conversation was a beautiful ending to a wonderful day!

Thanks to our precious Family and Friends for a wonderful day!

Love Lee ♥

Unexpected Surprises

Sep5

I love unexpected surprises!

Richard and I had nothing planned for the day except to smoke some meat on the pit. I woke up grabbed a cup of coffee and headed to the deck out back. Richard had already lit the pit, trimmed some trees and had a fire going in the fire pit; Nothing better than a cool breeze, fire in the fire pit, and a cup of coffee in hand.

Later that morning he mentioned, “Oh a friend of mine may drop by for a while”. Sure enough one of his co-workers dropped in and had his little boy with him. After visiting for a while, I asked where is your wife? He replied at home…I encouraged him to go get her and so he did.

What an unexpected surprise. Getting to meet the sweetest family and make new friends…all because we had no plans and decided to just enjoy the day. Blessings and Surprises come when you least expect them…

This precious family was my Unexpected Surprise! Are you looking for yours?

Blessings!

Love Lee ♥

What’s Making You Crazy

Sep3

Albert Einstein once said “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results”.
The greatest portion of my workday is focused on processes. How are we doing it now? Can it be done differently? What are the steps involved.? What do we need to do to get different results? The Methodology used to evaluate processes is the Deming Cycle, or PDCA Cycle which is a continuous quality improvement model consisting of four repetitive phases and seven steps for continuous improvement and learning: Plan, Do, Check and Act. The PDCA cycle is also known as the Deming Cycle, the Deming wheel of continuous improvement.

I learned this model in 1992 as a brand new nurse fresh out of school but did not think to apply it to my own life. It has just been in the past three years I have applied this model to my life. I began to ask myself what am I doing on a daily basis that is making me crazy (doing over and over again and expecting different results). As I began to apply this to my personal life and began to tweak those daily tasks in my home that suck the life out of me things began to change.

Another area I applied this model to was my Spiritual life…Perhaps someone or something pushes my buttons and I find myself reacting the same every time and in return I get the same results… frustration, anger, dissappointment…I am sure you are getting the picture!

First I had to identify the root cause of the negative emotion, pray, read my Bible, and seek God’s guidance on what I need to do differently to obtain a different result. Then develop a PLAN of action to ensure I do the right thing at the right time. Next, I need to DO the plan! Then, I need to CHECK to see if the plan is working…if yes–> then Yeah!!! Way to GO…If No then I need to ACT. I need to go back to the PLAN phase…Key to the success of this in my personal life is to include God in every phase SEEK His guidance and PRAISE Him for every success!!!

Life is full of opportunities for PDCA’s. So I ask…

What is making you insane?

The Deming Cycle:

PLAN

Define the issue/problem that you are addressing
Understand the root cause of the issue – why is it happening?
Develop the detail of what needs to be done
Prioritize, to ensure that you do the right things at the right time

Do it! – implement your solution to the problem.
You might do a test first or a pilot, or you must just ‘go for it.’

CHECK

This is really the crucial step in PDCA. Check on the results of your actions. Are you getting the results that you expected? If not, why not?. What else can you do?
If you’re online, this may involve using Google Analytics to measure your performance.

ACT

Reflect on what you’ve learned in the ‘Check’ step.
Understand what needs to be done differently.
Act on the findings

STOP THE INSANITY….

Love Lee ♥

Right Before My Eyes

Sep3

OK all my Facebook friends requesting a share button be added to A Love Lee Place. It is finished!!!

I have spent numerous hours over the last few days trying to figure out how to install the share button. Terms like HTML, Plugins, Java Script are just a few I have researched. After reading multiple “How To’s”, practiced adding HTML and numerous re-boots along with Copy/Past Copy/Past Copy/Past Copy/Past Copy/Past.Believe it or not I discovered a share button in my permissions. VIOLA…There it is and I Like It and I want to Share!!!!

Love Lee ♥

Adding Passion in Life

Sep2

This morning I read a post on Facebook and the very word that came to my mind was Passion…

Susan Revermann, writes: Passion can be anything powerful or compelling, a strong desire towards something or just overall enthusiasm in life. Having passion in your life helps give personal power to live fully. When mind, body and spirit work together, it can help to manifest your potential and overcome obstacles. Many people shy away from seeking passion because of fear of failure and of taking the risks that will lead to an undefined future. Defining passion in life can fuel creativity and inspiration and change your life experience.

Yep, that defines my precious Brother-in-Law Mike Smith. This was what he posted: Forget about the Pied Piper because all of the little kids came out of their classrooms and followed me down the hall as I played “If You’re Happy and You Know It” on trumpet. The new primary playground is now open and I left them blowing bubbles and playing on the new playground!”

Mike retired from teaching band in public school and then went immediately to teach in a Christian school. His passion for music is evident the very moment he picks up his French horn. One is moved to emotion at the sound of the very first note he plays. Mike while passionate about music is even more passionate about Christ!!!

This caused me to think about my own passions in life. For as long as I can remember, I have been told “you are so passionate”. To that I say “YES I AM” !!! I love life and live it in such a way that everything and everyone matters. However, one area I am most passionate is Women’s Ministry and speaking God’s love, mercy, and healing over women’s lives. Women’s Retreats, Ladies Night, Teas, and Lock-ins are an awesome way to remove ourselves from the hustle and bustle of the world and focus on relationships…with both God and Sisters in Christ. However, Women’s Ministry is equally important in the everyday life; ministering to women who get caught up in the everyday hum drum life and become discouraged…Yep, this is the calling God has placed on my life and I am passionate about His calling!!!

What is your passion?

Having trouble figuring it out? Perhaps you might want to check out “How to Define Your Passion in Life” for some help.

Live life with Passion!

Love Lee ♥

Being Transparant

Sep1

A Love Lee Place ♥

Recently I met a young woman at Quintana Beach her name was Sarah Parent and from the moment we met it was as though we had been friends for ever. She was energetic, passionate, and innovative in her thinking. In just a matter of minutes I knew she and I would be friends for a very long time. As we were saying our goodbyes I told her it felt as though I had known her forever and I was going to miss her terribly. Her response was profound and made perfect sense. She said, “It is because I am transparent and it is easier when two transparent people meet”. While I have always been a people person I had never heard it defined as transparent. It is usually when I drop all pretense and I allow others to get to know me that life long friendships are birthed.

As I was reflecting on this concept I thought of one person that was totally transparent; The Apostle Paul. He did not put on pretense but instead was very open about his life and about his weaknesses. His weakness became an opportunity for the power of God to be active and evident to and for others. When Paul reflected on his weakness, he was soberly realistic. In 2 Corinthians he allows us to see into his heart, to understand his hurts and his deepest longings. All for the glory of God!

I love living a transparent life. There is little to keep up with. Do I mess up? You bet I do!!! But my motto is “I screw up…I fess up!” meaning it is vital to be transparent with God because bottom line…He knows!!! Then in keeping with being transparent, I share my experience so hopefully someone else will learn from my successes and my mistakes.

A related article which I really enjoyed and wanted to share is Being Happy in The New Year? – Guest Author, Jeff Elkins

Have the Best of Days!!!

Love Lee ♥

Our Stay at Quintana Park

Aug29

Wow…It is hard to believe our stay at Quintana Park has come to an end. After a month of sun, fun, and relaxation it is time to head back to reality.

I was certain after a couple of weeks I would be going stir crazy but have found it to be quite the opposite. Our 38ft motorhome with 2 slides to quote Richard “is quiet cozy”. We have discovered creative methods to store our belongings and food however, Richard has not quite captured the concept of putting his shoes away…

Cassie, Canton, and Maggie adapted well to RV living. They too enjoyed the small living quarters because we were never out of their site. They loved their walks on the beach but were not thrilled with the bath that followed. Each evening they would sit out under the palm tree with us and enjoy the ocean breezes.

Typically RV’ing is our way of getting away from the world however, this trip was very different. We pulled into the park on Friday and on Saturday we had the family out for a big birthday bash for my little brother. The second weekend our dear friends Rayfard and Evelyn came out for a visit. Then the following weekend my friend and co-worker Darlene and her husband Max came out in their RV and spent the week in the site right next to us. In addition to visits from old friends we have made some new ones. We met the most wonderful young couple who made the life changing decision to sell their home and become fulltime RV’ers.

In addition to relaxing I have set up a website which will allow me to blog, network, and promote my passions. The site is “A Love Lee Place” where family and friends can find positive and encouraging posts. I still have so much to do and learn to bring the site up to where I want it to be…I owe a huge thanks to Sarah for teaching me the basics of setting it up!!!

Our journey continues so we are headed out to see what the remainder of the day holds…Blessings!

Love Lee ♥
A Love Lee Place