I want to give her a shout out for a couple of reasons:

-I think it’s important to let people know you love them and appreciate them.  The truth is, they may know it, but it’s always good to be reminded.

-Mother’s Day is almost here & I want to celebrate her as a mommy.

-I want all of you to know how great she is.

-I’ve always been taught that you should give honor to whom honor is due.

Gia will probably think I’m a silly one for posting about her on my blog because she hates to be the center of attention.  I have justified this in my mind because technically she’s not here on my blog in person and she won’t have to see all of you reading about her.  Haha!  Don’t you like how I got around that?

I met Gia about 6 years ago (is that right, Gia?)  We met at church.  She started coming to my small group at church & the truth is she didn’t really like the first few of them, but she kept coming back.  She has been a part of my life ever since then.  The first thing I remember learning about her is that she WILL tell you the truth.  If you want an honest answer, go ask Gia!  I appreciate her honesty.  Sometimes it’s hard to hear, but she’ll keep you in line; about doing what’s right, about your faith & about your fashion choices.  ;)

Gia & I have walked through many different seasons of our lives together.  A lot of them haven’t been easy, but we’ve made it and are still making it.  Gia is literally one of the strongest individual’s I have ever met.  There have been times where I’ve literally thought to myself, “I don’t know how she does it.”  Her strength amazes me.

I’ve watched her get married, have her 2 precious baby boys and now I’m watching her grow her 3rd little bean as we speak.  I am so thrilled for her.  I’ve watched her grow in her walk with God & seriously it’s incredible!  I am so proud of the woman of God that she is.  When she first came to my small group she had just given her heart to Jesus, she was sold out for Christ!  She got involved in about everything that was going on in the church.  There have been challenges and bumps along the way, but I’ve only watched her faith grow.  Now she is one of our greatest leaders here in our young adult ministry at the church.  When I watch her lead a small group or preach on the cross my heart is so moved.

Gia & Dan’s 2 amazing sons!

My heart is moved because I am reminded of the transforming power of Christ in a person’s life.

I’m moved because I know her walk with God is THE REAL DEAL!  The “Real Deal” doesn’t mean you always get it right.  It means you’re real enough to say when you mess up or your fail.

I’m moved because she has never given up and now she is ministering to other ladies.

Gia is one of the most giving people I know.  She is just down for her friends!  She has an amazing cupcake business (shout out to Once Upon A Cupcake) and she is always wanting to bless people and make something beautiful for her friends and family.

Gia has prayed with me so much!  If you read my blog last week you will know that I recently had a miscarriage.  Gia was one of the first people I called to tell and she immediately left her job to come meet me.  She dropped everything to be there for me.  I DO NOT take this for granted!  I even called her all morning on the way to the Dr. and then on the way to the ultrasound, etc, etc.  I call her because I know she cares about me and my feelings.  I know she can be trusted with my feelings & struggles.

Gia prayed with me while I was trying to get pregnant and just about everyday after when I had questions or I would worry.  I am so thankful to know that when I call her that she will gently and sometimes sternly remind me of what the Bible says.  Her famous line is, ” Ok, we’re gonna’ pray.”  What a blessing it is to have a friend like this.  She has encouraged my faith in such a great way!  I know there have been so many times where she’s thought that she needed me or my advice, but there have been so many times that I’ve needed her & her advice.  I love when a friendship is give AND take.

Today, I want to celebrate Gia.  She is one of the greatest women I know.  She is not perfect (sorry love) but that’s why I love her.  God didn’t create perfect people.  I’m beginning to realize more & more that we’re not perfect, because He wants to perfect us through Himself.  Gia will be the first to tell you that she has walked through “life” and that she is not “Perfect Peggy”.  I love that she has a story and that she has a big enough heart to share her story with people and out of that story comes such a wonderful ministry to others that brings growth and change in their life.

Whenever my husband needs some advice on a fab gift to get me or he needs help arranging something fun for me, he will call Gia.  He calls Gia “His Road Dog”.  Ron loves Gia probably a little more than I do (if that’s even possible) He was the first person Gia met when she came to Trinity.  They met in the lobby and the rest was history.  She is such a wonderful part of our little family.  Our hearts our forever thankful for her life, her friendship, her story & her love for us.  Ron & I always say we’d take a bullet for this family!

Her oldest son, David AKA “Little Man”

Precious Nico

I’m at 1,000 words, so I need to wrap it up.  I love you Giovanna & my heart is forever grateful to God for placing you in our path.  Your life exudes strength, wisdom, love, generosity & a true genuineness.  Happy Mother’s Day!

Leave Gia some love & comment at the top of this post

Hope all of the mommies have a fabulous Mother’s Day and if you’re not a mommy celebrate yours & the mommies in your life!

Warning: this blog is going to be honest, vulnerable and will expose my heart & my feelings.

The last few weeks have been the hardest of my life.  I have been sad, I have been in pain, I have been upset and I have cried, A LOT.

Ron & I got pregnant back in February.  It was such an exciting moment when I finally took the test & “Pregnant” popped up on the little screen.  We were in shock, but super excited about the future.  We couldn’t wait to meet our  little red-head. I started dreaming of what he or she would be, what they would become, I started creating the little nursery in my mind, I even bought a little ottoman for the soon to be nursery that I had my eye on for several months.  We told our families and it was such a great time. I was so excited to start our family.

Three very short months after, we got the news that our precious baby had died.  I was crushed, devastated and broken in that moment.  It was one of my greatest fears come to life.  As I sat in the dark ultrasound room all alone I literally cried out to God.  I was whaling in agony.  I will never forget this moment. It was the most hurt I’ve ever experienced.  All of a sudden a great peace came over me, like nothing I have ever felt before (and I have felt His peace many times).  The tears stopped and in that moment I knew I had a choice: I could ask God “Why?” I could be angry at God & try to figure it all out OR I could trust Him and know; I mean really know, that His plans for me are STILL good and that I was going to be ok.  I began to cry again because the ultrasound tech was not able to tell me what happened, I had to drive out to my doctor for her to tell me what I had already known in my heart for several days.  I called Ron ( I had gone alone because I wanted to be strong & Ron was very sick that day) and he came to get me to take me back to the doctor.

I will leave out all of the details of the days to follow.

I will tell you that the days that followed and continue to follow have been hard, very hard.  I will also tell you that I have fallen deeper in love with my Jesus, I have fallen deeper in love with my husband, I have fallen deeper in love with our Fasten leadership team, I have also fallen deeper in love with my family and friends who have been SO SUPPORTIVE and so wonderful throughout all of this.

I am taking it day by day and there are times where I feel sad that this       dream/this hope/this great desire that I have to be a mommy has been ripped away from me (temporarily).  I want to tell you though that I will have beautiful children.  This is a promise that God has promised me and my family.  My heart is so hopeful!  The night I found out the baby had died it was raining and I told my husband that heaven got a precious angel that night.  Even as I sit and type this my heart is crying.  I know I am going to meet Baby Jones in heaven one day.  ;)

It’s so crazy that I am even sharing this story with anyone because when I first found out I was pregnant I didn’t want to tell anyone for a while, but now that the miscarriage has happened it’s humbled me, a lot.  I used to think that if something like this happened it would make me a failure or I used to ask myself, “What will people think?”

Who cares!!! It makes me human, it makes me honest and dependent on a Savior. What the enemy intended for harm, the Lord WILL use for good.  It’s funny & amazing how God will use the circumstances of your life to humble you, to teach you & to minister to you all at the same time.  It all makes you stronger for the future & increases your faith for the future; IF YOU LET IT! The last few weeks an old Kirk Franklin song has been in my spirit that has really ministered to me.  The verse that has spoken the loudest is,  “No matter what may come my way, my life is in His hands.”  What a fact we can rest in!

Wow!  I am being really vulnerable here.  It’s kind of liberating!  Ha.

I guess I wanted to write today to express to you the vastness of Christ’s love.  Through this experience I have been able to understand more of “Who” Jesus is. Even the fact that God created science.  Everything has to be so perfect for a baby to be formed and when it’s not your body knows.  Despite what evolutionists and scientist may say; God created it all!  I serve a GREAT GOD!

My husband, Ron preached a message this week about faith.  He talked about a phrase that a lot of young people around our church use.  It’s simple, “I believe you!”  I have heard so  many people say this for so many years & it never hit me like it did that night.  In my spirit I heard so clearly the Lord speak to me.  He simply said, “Erin, believe again.”  I began to weep in my seat.  I said softly, I will believe again Lord.”  When times are tough and you face really hard things that you don’t have the answers to, being “spiritual” doesn’t always come easy.  To be totally honest, I don’t always want to obey and sometimes I get an attitude and sometimes I don’t want to confess the promises of God.  Let’s be real, it feels easier to feel sorry for ourselves and complain sometimes.  This night was not one of those nights. I felt the presence of Jesus so strongly.  I WILL believe again.

In life there are so many times where we get knocked down, we get hurt and disappointed and we fail sometimes, but God is just asking us to believe again.  He’s not asking us to see everything in the future and get it all perfect, just believe one more time.  Just take it one day at a time and CHOOSE to believe.  It’s definitely a choice.

Today my heart is so hopeful, it’s so overwhelmed by the goodness of God.  I am so thankful for so many of His promises.  He will NEVER leave us or forsake us.  Sometimes He may feel far away, but He’s always there.  So whatever your situation or circumstance may be today, tomorrow or the next day, I want to encourage you to believe again.

I like to find out people’s quirks or just random, fun facts that maybe people don’t know.  Yes, I realize that may make me a bit quirky.  I will own it!

So, today I thought I’d share a few things about myself that maybe ya’ didn’t know & YES! these are totally random & insignificant!!

1. I cannot go to bed at night if the tv remotes are not all in one place and the pillows on the couch all have to be fluffed & in their proper spots on the couch.

2. I despise cats.  My husband is currently trying to get rid of them.  They visit my yard quite often.

3.  When my wallet is clean and all the receipts are out it, ALL is well in the world.

4.  I LOVE a to-do list.  Even with all the technology I have in front of me, I still love to write it out on a piece of paper and draw a line through it when it’s done.

5.  I am always putting sticky note reminders on my computer at work.  My mom does it too.  haha.  I like the feeling when I get to rip those off as well.

6.  When I clean, I can’t just clean a part of the house, it has to be the whole deal!  My husband knows when I’m about to make a clean sweep of the joint.  Haha

7.  I sometimes count numbers in my head to make certain words 7 letters.  I’ll add letters, even if it’s a 5 letter word to make it 7.  I’ve done it since I was like 7 years old.  RANDOM!

8.  I love Reese cup Blizzards from Dairy Queen.

9.  When I’m sad or even glad I go to Target.  Sometimes, I don’t even buy anything.  I leave feeling really good!  I guess you could call it one of my “Happy Places.”

10.  I am very big on having the same scent in my house, so I always buy the apple cinnamon airwick room deodorizers.  it doesn’t matter what season it is; you’ll always smell that scent in my house.

11.  I use a cuban mop to clean my floors.  My mom did when I was young & well, I copied her.

Well, that’s enough randomness for one day.

I hope you are having a great week!

Wow!  What a question, right?  I would automatically tell you, “NO!” if someone ever dared ask me that question.

The truth is, lately God has been wrecking me with this question.  You know when God asks you if you trust him…..it really makes you think.

What about when you finally come to the realization that you don’t trust Him like you thought you did?  It’s very sobering.  I hate feeling like I don’t fully, 150%, whole heartedly trust God.  Let’s be honest, it’s really, really difficult sometimes.

The great thing about recognizing a weakness in your life is that there is always room for improvement & we have a chance to grow.  Growing pains hurt and are kind of miserable at times, but the end result is maturity and tenacity and a deeper understanding of who our teacher is.

In my case, my teacher has been Jesus lately.  Who better, right?  I often fall short of His glory.  The great thing is, it makes me realize how much I need Him.  I’m not meant to get the glory anyway; Christ is!  So that works out perfectly.

Lately, the Lord has been pressing me about certain areas of my life where I lack faith-let’s just call it like it is.  I wouldn’t come right out and say that, but my actions put on a demonstration sometimes.

I have been reading scripture and meditating on God’s faithfulness, how He knows it all & sees it all.  I have been meditating on the FACT that God’s timing is perfect; how He sees every detail & how He is working it ALL out for my good.  I have been worshiping like I never have before.  I am learning to worship as the ONLY option; instead of a last resort.  I don’t mean singing a slow song, I mean on my face in desperation, repentance & in awe of what a GOOD God I serve. Yes, the repentance part is super important!  Wow, I’m being very vulnerable here (deep breath)  I don’t say this to be proud, but to tell you that I have struggles, that I’m far from perfect, but Praise God that I serve a god who is perfect in all of His ways!  He is always working things out in me.  The end result is always beautiful & demonstrates strength, but most of all it brings glory to His name.

I want to encourage you today as I have been challenged to trust God just a little bit more.  As we grow in our relationships, we are able to trust more because we know & understand in a deeper way.

God has NEVER given me a reason to doubt Him.  I am the only doubter in our relationship.  There is NOTHING too big for Him, there is nothing too hard or too trivial.  He cares about us with an everlasting love. His love NEVER fails, it NEVER gives up, it NEVER runs out!  His promises are YES & Amen!  Sometimes, you just gotta’ preach yourself happy!!  I know these things at my core, but not always do they reflect in my thoughts or in my actions.  It’s not enough to just “know” something.  We need to know & BELIEVE.

Day by day, I am giving up my “trust issues”  ;)

I wanted to share a few fun DIY home furnishing finds.  I’ve been on a kick.  ;)

I love the headboard! Fabric with a fabulous pattern can always make things beautiful!

I LOVE this look...New Paint & fun fabric will spice up your old dinging room chairs.

Hope you enjoyed these creative ideas as much as I have.

Happy Thursday!

If you don’t speak spanish, you’re probably asking yourself, “What does that mean?’

It simply means, Happy Decorating!

Do you ever look around your home & say to yourself, “There is so much more left to do.”

I do, quite often actually.  I feel like I still need to find a few more accent pieces or that perfect piece of furniture for that little nook.  I move things around over & over til’ I feel like that specific item finds it’s little home.  Crazy, I know.  I feel like everything has it’s perfect place & you shouldn’t buy something or hang something if you really don’t LOVE it & if it doesn’t make you feel happy.

In my opinion, your home should invoke positive emotions on the inside of you when you come in or sit in the living room sipping your coffee or tea or whatever you fancy.  ;)

I love my home & I love decorating, so maybe that silly feeling will never go away for me.  I asked my husband the other day if it was normal.  (Probably a silly question) He didn’t really have much to say…must not be his thing.  Ha!

I’ve been browsing around the stores for the after Christmas sales & I’ve come across a few things that I will put on my “I’ll think about you for months list.”

I almost hardly ever buy anything full price, especially furniture, so I stay patient until I feel like it’s worth the purchase.

Two of my favorite home decor stores are Pier 1 Imports and Kirkland’s.  I feel like these 2 stores best capture my home decor style.

Here are a few things I have my eyes on:

LOVE this bookshelf from Kirkland's. I want to put it in my entryway. I think it's classy & fun!

Option 2 for the entryway: I love this "tree hanger" from Pier 1. It also comes in Antique White if that's more your style. It would be nice to throw your bags, coats & keys on when you walk in the door. A little less dressy than the first option. ;)

I have had my eyes on this bad boy for months! I would love this in my dining room area to use as a buffet table or even in my guest room to be used as a dresser.

I love this look for my guest room as well. I bought a bunch of paint to cover all of my dark brown furniture that is presently in my guest room, but that project has not been started. ;( Someone encourage me!

This traveler's chest would be perfect for my guest room...It's kind of a world theme from a lot of the countries we've visited on mission trips. This piece is from Kirkland's

Here is a similar, smaller chest from Pier 1.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on my choices.  Where do you shop for home decor/furniture?

Feliz de Decoración/Happy Decorating!

I’m glad to be home and relaxing. Today I was piddling around online and found a few inspirational photos I’d like to share with you; especially you brides that are planning, planning, planning.

Great look for ANY winter party. I love this look if you are wanting to invoke feelings of romance!

Easy, inexpensive & an all around lovely centerpiece. via Remodelista

Planning a party for spring? This would be gorgeous!! You could also do this for the winter season with lighter shades of floral. Whites, blush & even greens. via EssEmmBee

Hope you feel inspired the way that I do.

I look forward to sharing with you in the New Year!

The other night at our young adults service the Lord dropped a word in my heart out of scripture.  It’s found in 2 Timothy 2:13.  “Yet while we are faithless, He is still faithful.  He cannot deny Himself.”  I have heard this verse before, but when I heard it in my spirit that night I felt like I had been hit by a mac truck.  I just thought to myself as I stood there in worship, “My God,  you are sooo faithful; I don’t even deserve your faithfulness”

The thing about it that amazes me and leaves me awestruck is that He still remains the same.  He never changes!  He is faithful, so He can’t deny who He is.  Praise God for that!  Stop & think about how often you change your mind, your point of view, your opinion or how often your emotions change within a day. We can get out of control at times.  I’m not saying that changing your mind or having emotions is bad, we just have to keep it in balance.

If we say that we believe God is our provider, we need to mean it.  ItIt’s easy to SAY one thing & DO another.  It takes hard work, persistence & faith to say & do the same thing!  What about when we tell God we trust Him & then in the next breath we are complaining about our circumstances?  I am guilty of this.

There is a song that I’ve had in my head all week by Jesus Culture called, “Your love never fails.”  The song has me this week.  He is always working things together for our good.  He knows when we need it, why we need it or don’t need it, how, who, what, etc.

I want to encourage you this week as I have been encouraged/challenged.  Take God at His word.  That seems so easy, but at times it’s very difficult.  If God said it, he’ll do it.  We just have to believe it.  Continue to pray for God’s will to be done in your life; not your own will.  Trust that if things don’t go according to your plan that it’s for good & for a reason.

Maybe you don’t pray much or have never prayed; start today!  There is no better time than the present.  It may feel awkward or pointless, but I promise prayer changes things, it strengthens you & produces a greater trust & knowing of who God is & how much He loves you and wants to take care of you.

Take a minute to listen to these lyrics!  They will bless you!

Here goes:

Tina D’Ariano.  Her first name is actually Diamantina.  I think it’s beautiful!  A few of us tease her that no one can pronounce her name right, so it never sticks!  ;)

I met Tina about 4  years ago at our church.  I remember her big, curly, fabulous hair & of course her cute clothes.  She is a fashionista for sure.  As a matter of fact she has quite an elaborate shoe collection.

Shortly after meeting her she came to the young adult ministry my husband & I pastor & I got a chance to invite her to my small group.  She always had things to say & add to the group as we met, but she was still not completely sure about the whole church thing & the whole Jesus thing.  We joke that she would come to group/church and then go wild after she left.  I loved her all the same.  Slowly but surely she became more & more serious about her relationship with Jesus.  I was so proud of her.

There is really so much I could say about our journey/friendship together, but the bottom line is that she has grown so much in so many areas of her life.  She loves Jesus, she loves her family & she loves to give to others.  There have been countless times that people from the church have needed a place to stay and she ALWAYS has opened her home.  Whenever someone was throwing a bridal shower, birthday or baby shower she would always volunteer her house.  I remember when she moved into her new home she said that she wanted to use it to be a blessing to other people.  Tina is so unselfish.  She is always thinking about others.

Tina is super determined.  When she sets her mind to something she is going to do it!  Sometimes her determination has made me laugh about certain things she has been “determined to do.”  We won’t go there on the blog today.

Tina & I have had our ups & downs, we’ve shared happy times and sad times, we have sat with one another and prayed with one another, we have celebrated joys & successes, we have recognized failures & defeats together & I can truly say she is one of the most genuine people you will ever meet.  I love doing life with her.  I am so thankful that I have had the opportunity to share my life with her & her share hers with me.

Some of the things Tina does that make me laugh:

She buys things and then returns them like nobody’s business.  She always finds something “better” or “just what she was looking for.”  I remember the first time I went with her on a “return spree” I looked in the car at all the bags & thought to myself, “this chic is not playin’ !”

She spends so much time accessorizing.  Not just with her clothes but with her home too.  I will never forget the day I went shopping with her for a birthday outfit.  HILARIOUS!  She spent HOURS toiling over the perfect accessories for her ensemble.  Don’t get me wrong, I love accessorizing, but she is one of a kind!  Even with her home….One week certain vases or pictures will be in one spot and the next week they will be in a totally different room.  It’s hilarious!

Some things I appreciate about Tina:

When I got engaged, she was there in NYC with me.  What a special moment.  I’m so glad I got to share it with her & another dear friend, Elishya.  She celebrated with me and shared in my joy.  You don’t always find that in every friendship. It’s easy for jealousy or discouragement to come in. This is not the case with Tina though.

Tina was there with me through some of the planning of my wedding.  She was such an encouragement through the whole process.  She was always excited when I shared wedding details with her, you know stuff us girly girls love.  Even when I was sick right before my wedding her & a few other friends came and wrapped all my candy apples favors while I laid on the couch.   She celebrated with me at my bridal shower & picked out an amazing Diva handbag cake (I still think about that cake), then when my husband & I bought our first home & so many other exciting life events.  She’s a friend that is there & truly shares in your joys.  I truly believe Tina is going to reap all of those things back to her because she has sewn so much love, joy, goodness, kindness & encouragement into so many people’s lives.

Tina is sensitive.  She is sensitive to how others feel.  She is really good about noticing when people are down or need a hug.  That is such a great attribute to have.

Tina teaches & leads ladies in our young adult group, she is an example to so many.  She is passionate about helping others & there have been countless times that her acts of service & her ability to lead have brought me to tears. (Yep, I am crying now)  I’m not here saying Tina is a perfect person, but I’m saying she’s am imperfect person who strives to do her best!  Tina is what I’d like to call, “Real.”  I love “real” people.

I really could go on & on but I don’t want to make my other friends sad.  Haha.  Just kidding.

Today I celebrate Tina’s life.  I celebrate the woman that she is.  I celebrate the life that she gives to so many around her.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY FABULOUS TINA!

If you know her & she’s impacted your life in some way, show her some birthday love & leave a comment at the top of this post (under the date)

I wanted to share a few pics of my Thanksgiving with all of you.  It’s been awhile since I last blogged.  I spent a great week on a Caribbean Cruise.  One word: RELAXING!

We all filled out the leaves & hung them on the tree while we shared what we were thankful for

Place settings

little favors

I love this woman!

So thankful for these two!

My dad's leaf

My brother's

Ron's leaf...at least he has his priorities straight...HAHA

CUTE

Silly

Sooo good!

Let’s just say we were stuffed…we didn’t even really enjoy the dessert…lol

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  I sure did!  Have a GREAT weekend!!