I AM...

I am STRONG

I am BRAVE

I am READY

I am DETERMINED.

SUCCESS is not optional.

God has a CALLING for my life.

It's AWESOME.

It's GOOD.

I am ENJOYING it. Agaist ALL odds. I CHOOSE the path of JOY. And no matter WHO is JEALOUS, ENVIOUS or HATEFUL, I WILL press forward being ME.

What YOU need to realize is that NOBODY can control you unless YOU let them. Seek that which DRIVES you. There WILL be those who desire you to FAIL. But faint NOT. Trails and struggles birth STRENGTH.

The GOSSIP falls on DEAF ears...because GOD orders my steps...not mankind.

My life is too SHORT and PRECIOUS to fret over the DRAMA.

Precious Owen

I don't have long to type right now..
I need to ask you to pray for sweet Owen. Remember Abby Grace? The sweet little girl who I asked you all to pray for last summer? God worked a total miracle in her life..now I am asking you to pray a miracle for her newborn little brother, Owen.
Please visit their blog to catch all of the details.. He is in need of our prayers.

My annoying blog will not let me post pictures of him.. please visit HERE to see him.. he's so adorable.

Also pray for his mother, Amanda, my sweet friend who is trying to survive one night at a time during all of this. They have 3 other kiddos at home.. so imagine how all that feels.. being pulled all those directions on top of the worry of the situation.

Thanks for being awesome prayer warriors,
Rachel

NEW BLOG HOME

HI ALL!

I have moved the blog to a more "comfortable" place for now! There, I will expand more info on business and family... I will leave this blog open for strictly business purposes!! So please keep checking here for business updates/info!!

BUT--if you'd like to follow our new family blog, please email me at marquez.rachel@yahoo.com and in the subject line put BLOG FOLLOWER! I will email you back the new blog info! :)

Thank you for all the faithfullness to my blog!!!

I just want to say for the record...

...that if I were a shoe, I would look like this:




{swoon!!}

OBSESSED!

Oh Lordy, Lordy!!

This week I stumbled upon this in the grocery store...




...and boy is it GOOD!

I've heard all the raves about this product but hadn't yet had the chance to taste for myself. What have I been missing?!?!

And the best part? It's actually HEALTHY for ya! :0)

Slather this stuff on toasted wheat bread (my FAV), or as my boys like it, on a banana! YUMO!

Prayer request:
Please pray for a couple friend of ours.. I don't want to mention their names but they are just precious to us and are going thru some pain right now in the loss of their unborn child. I ache for them. Yet they are handling this with the grace of God's peace.. I admire it.

Hope everyone has a GREAT weekend!!!! :)

How are we doing?

Man, it's been too long. I am such a terrible blogger these days!!

I'm keeping this short because I am determined to "hit the hay" before midnight!! That would be a first!

I hope you are all doing so well. There is so much going on over here that I will have to do another post just to fill you in. It's all good and wonderful and fantastic and YIPPIE God is good! LOL Can you feel the excitement? :0)

So here are some photos as of recent... I will have before and after pictures of our new house hopefully next week so check back...
Hugs to all!
Rachel

Heavy Spirit

I have a heavy heart and spirit tonight. I won't lie. I won't get on here and pretend life is perfect. I won't be fake. I'm pretty much through with all that. It's no fun and people can usually tell anyhow..

I have such a saddness in my heart. Let me tell you why and can I ask you to pray for these people?

Someone I know found out they had a miscarriage a few days ago. And they are pretty sad about it. In telling the world, the stated in the same sentence how they know God has a purpose for this pain. Wow. Faith. Real faith. Please pray for this couple. I won't mention their names but God knows..

And second, this one has really crushed me. A couple-friend of ours lost their 6 week old baby boy on Sunday. He passed away. He was asleep on Dad's chest. They both fell asleep. When dad awoke, baby wasn't breathing. They tried to save his life but to no avail, he went home to be with Jesus.
It just sickens me. Is that ugly to say? Sounds ugly. But it's my heart right now. I don't like to cry. But I'm fighting tears right now. Even though nobody in my house is awake...why would I be afraid to cry then? Hmm.. I think because letting tears flow is like facing the emotions within which is sometimes hard for me.

I just cannot imagine what they are feeling. I feel guilt looking at my little Parker wondering why it wasn't him? Don't get me wrong, I'm so thankful... but really. The loss of a child? I cannot imagine a worse pain.

I think about what the coming days will be for them: walking past his nursery, dirty or unfolded laundry belonging to him that still needs to be washed or put away, his carseat in the car, the reminder phonecall from the doctor for his 8 week checkup, remembering his cry, thinking you hear it in the middle of the night only to realize that he's....gone.

Yes I know he's in heaven with our Lord. Yes I know that he is at peace.. if you are searching for that blog post that shines the faith of God thru adversity, you will not find it at the moment. Like I said previously. I am being real. These are my real feelings. Give me break if you will. I KNOW in my head all of those things are true. That pain and suffering does have purpose. But let's imagine that it was YOUR child. Gone. Man, I never want to live that truth.

It's totally selfish that I am sitting here having a pitty party when that couple over there is living without their precious son. All 3 of mine are tucked away asleep and for now, are here with us. I realize that all of that could change in one second. I live in fear of that everyday. I thank God everyday that He gives me THIS day with them. I am not guaranteed the next.

Why am I finding it so hard to pray for these people who are suffering??? Makes no sense. I truly feel that it's because when I DO speak with the Lord over this, I am going to have a total meltdown of emotion. It hits so hard as a mother when you pray for peace for the parents who have no choice but to go on without their precious little one.

Please join me in prayer for these ones who are suffering. I pray that the enemy would be bound away from their home and their hearts. I ask that bitterness not set in and that peace and joy will soon fill that hole.

I ask you Lord, to help me put life in perspective more; but not at the cost of tragedy, please.

Never again shall I sit and worry, fret or lose sleep over things that truly do not matter without complete guilt. People are suffering. Over REAL issues. How selfish of me to WASTE God-given time (that I am not owed) over some of the most childish things know to mankind.

I'm so thankful that God's mercy starts anew each day. What. a. blessing.

Please Lord, help the hurting all over. Meet their need. Fill their spirit with peace. Just put Your hand upon them.