We Have Been Given So Much In Jesus.

bible.com/116/isa.9.6.nlt

The birth of Jesus provided so much to all of us. A wonderful counselor, a mighty God, an everlasting Father, and a Prince of peace.

I also want to add a loving savior.

Because Jesus lived, we don’t have to face the future alone. When no one will listen, we can talk with the Wonderful Counselor. When we are powerless in any situation, we can depend on our Mighty God. When we are unloved, we have an Everlasting Father who we can rely on. When the world is crumbling around us, we can rest with the Prince of Peace.

I am thankful that there is nothing that I have to face alone. I can go with Jesus, and he is fully capable to meet every task.

Oh, what a friend we have in Jesus!

Amen

–Dri

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Don’t Get Distracted By The Things Of This World!

bible.com/116/2pe.3.17-18.nlt

Stay Focused! Be encouraged with God’s Word!

Don’t Get Distracted!

Stay Blessed!

-Dri

It Has Been Awhile! Updates!

Hello All,

It has been a long time since being here amongst the WordPress.com community, but I am back.

Where Have I Been?

I ventured off onto the streets of WORDPRESS.ORG. For a while, I kept my head above water. Eventually, with a new baby and a preschooler, I had to admit that it was too much for me to handle (I have not posted a blog post this year).

I was going through transitions in so many areas of my life and blogging just had to go on the back burner.

I have decided not to renew with WordPress.org and to get back to the basics. I am on the other side of the transition process and now I feel that I need to find my voice again.

UPDATES!!!

I have transferred all of my posts from my WordPress.org blog, so you can find all of them here. Also, any time you read where I have referred to checking out my wordpress.com blog please disregard.

I have gone through and I believe that all my links are pointing to the appropriate places.

I am in no rush to return to the “self-hosted” life. Expect to see more of my postings around here.

I must honestly say that it feels good to be back!

I look forward to connecting with so many of you.

See you soon

–Dri

Life As A Mother Of Two – Simply Me Dri

Hello, Everyone.

I had my baby on October 16, 2017, and I had her without any pain medication. For those of you who do not follow me on social media, you probably were left waiting and wondering. You see, I planned to share my labor and delivery story but every time I recorded it I thought it was boring compared to other stories out there. (If you still would like to hear how it all went down, then please let me know in the comment section below.)

In this post, I want to recap my thoughts and feelings over the months of my pregnancy and then I want to share how things have been going. I guess you can say that I am going to look back over my expectations of a life with two and then the reality of it.

A Life With Two – My Expectations

Before and during the early months of my second pregnancy, I truly thought it would be an amazing but overwhelming experience to have two or more children. I expected that the first years would go similar to the way that my first had. If you have been following me for some time now, then you know that I suffered silently with postpartum depression for a little over 2 years after the birth of my oldest. Once I finally began feeling like “normal”, I vowed that I would be the best mother to my daughter and I was not interested in getting pregnant again.

Our oldest was getting older and every now and then my husband and I considered the idea of growing our family, but I wasn’t completely sold.

Fast forward to me finding out that I was pregnant.

If you saw “My Pregnancy Test Reaction” video then you witnessed my surprise reaction (Click Here if you missed it), but what you didn’t see were the moments after reality hit. I was balling Y’all!

Let me be honest!

I was terrified! I worried that I would go back into that depressive state, that it was going to be way more than I could handle, and that I wouldn’t have enough for two. Simply put I worried that I wouldn’t be enough. Yes, I am a Christian and I do believe children are a gift but I was terrified.

Life With Two – My Reality

On October 16 after about 20 hours of labor, my beautiful girl was born. Her name is Britnee Desiree’ and it was different this time around. Last time, I was so groggy from all of the drugs that I didn’t remember the first 12 hours of my oldest daughters life. This time I was present and I am so happy about that.

I expected things to be so much more complicated and stressful than it turned out to be, but I thank God that it isn’t. Also, I was concerned that I wouldn’t have enough love for two, but again I thank God that I do. Now don’t get me wrong, there are times when I need a break but I have learned my lesson from the first time around. I learned that I can’t do it all and that I will never be Super Mom, so this time I make sure to ask for help. I have also learned to accept help when it is being offered.

Overall, my life as a mother of two is a blessing but at times, I do feel overwhelmed. I intentionally take it one day at a time and I dare not to compare my mothering style with that of other moms.

Surprise! I have already made mistakes. I have found myself already doing some of those things that I promised that I wouldn’t do, but I am just going with it. Also, I find myself tired and short of patience at times which result in a lot more apologies than I ever wanted to give out but that is the life of a not so super mom.

It has only been a month, but I can honestly say that life as a mother of two has been a journey that I am greatly blessed to be on.

Thanks for stopping by and as always stay blessed!

His servant,

Before you Turn 4 – 7 Lessons You’ve Taught Me.

It’s hard to believe that on tomorrow you will be turning 4 years old. Words cannot express how proud I am of the person that you are. It brings me such joy to have you in my life every single day. I would love to keep you young and small forever but I realize that I don’t have control over such things.

You have taught me so much in your little life and the best I can do is capture the moments and lessons learned along the way. In this post, I am going to share pictures taken from this year and 7 lessons that you have taught me with your life at 3 years old.

 

Lesson 1: It’s okay To be Myself.

You are one of a kind. I love the way you go with the flow and how you are not afraid to be yourself regardless of who is around. Your motto seems to be “Why blend in when you could stand out”. I may be a little bias but I must say you are one cool kid.

Lesson 2: Go ahead and smile.

Life has its challenges but that doesn’t have to keep me from smiling. I can honestly say that you smile every single day. Sure you cry and have your moments but you are one happy person overall. I love being around you and you have taught me to make sure that I find time to smile every day.

Lesson 3: It’s okay to be silly sometimes.

I have been way too serious way too often in my life. When you came into my world, I discovered a new side to myself. You taught me to lighten up. It is okay to sing down the aisles at the grocery store. It is okay to run in the rain or jump in muddy puddles. While I have been spending time being so serious I have been allowing life to pass me by. You certainly make sure that doesn’t happen and I am grateful for that.

Lesson 4: You have reminded me of my motto “Never Give Up!”

I have always been a strong believer of not quitting what I start. As a mother, there are times where it seems like I am failing. Sometimes I wonder if I am being too hard on you or if I am being too lenient. There are even times when I am not as patient as I should have been. There are also times when I wonder if I am doing a good job. When I feel like this I can just look at you and see the growth. You know all of your ABC’s, you are independent, and you are alive and well. I don’t take full credit for this but I do allow it to encourage me to keep on trying. Yes, I get some things wrong but if I keep on trying I will eventually succeed just like you do.

Lesson 5: Get up and Get Outdoors.

Your first football game

You Love to go to church

You love your family

The first two years of your life I didn’t get out nearly as much as I do now. I was indoors and I wasn’t really feeling upbeat. This past year, we have been getting outside more than before. We run, scream, play, and see new things. We got to go to your first football game (Go Duke!) and we have been to so many different parks with family and friends. It has been a blast! (I have been slowing down quite a bit due to being pregnant with your baby sister but I plan to resume those activities as soon as I can.)

Lesson 6: It’s okay to be tough and girly at the same time.

You have shown me that you don’t have to choose between being girly and loving the outdoors. In a dress or in pants you don’t mind going outside. You love your hair and you love your girly outfits but you can still be found in the sandbox or chasing a neighbors dog. Why choose when you can have the best of both worlds, right?

Lesson 7: It is okay to stop and rest.

So Peaceful

You Love to Cuddle

At night, I tend to lie awake and worry about things from earlier in the day. Most times everyone is sleeping but your silence reminds me to rest. After a difficult day, I am reminded to rest when you are lying in my arms. I am reminded to rest when you are lying right beside me. No matter what has gone on during the day you make sure to get your rest. True you are only three but it speaks volumes to me, loud and clear.

Message to Abriyannah

Thank you for the lessons. Thank you for being you in my everyday life. As you grow older I truly pray that you don’t change for anyone around you. I love how much you love God and how you remember to pray at bedtime. I love how active you are in church. Your faith in God has ignited mine even more than before.

You have taught me so many things in just a short amount of time. I am looking forward to learning even more lessons from you. I want you to know that you are a great daughter and that I love you so much. In a few days, or less,  you will become a big sister and I am certain that you will be a great big sister too. I love you so much and I am looking forward to the next chapters of your life.  Love, Mommy!

 

Thank you for dropping by once again. I will see you all again very soon.

God bless,

Pregnancy Update: 36 Weeks & 6 Days

 

36 Weeks & 6 Days Update

Hello, Everyone!

It has been a while since I have updated you here on my blog. Before I took a hiatus from the weekly updates, I felt that I was complaining and being too negative and I really didn’t like that. I would talk about pains, complications, insomnia… and who wants to hear about that every single week?!

I have been doing very well and so has baby#2. I still have been dealing with all of those same symptoms and/or complications as before, so there is no need to go into that. For the past few weeks, I have been feeling energized and in a nesting mood. However, this week I have been very tired (I hope that doesn’t come across as me complaining).

If you have been out of the loop then please feel free to check out my Instagram page. I have been doing weekly updates on there. 

Tomorrow I will be 37 weeks, and I am so excited! My next doctor’s appointment is on Monday and I will find out if I have dilated any. **I am not sure but when I look in the mirror it appears to me that baby#2 has dropped some.**

I don’t really have any more than that as far as updates go BUT can you believe that we are still unsure of baby#2’s name?

I know, right?!?

Call To Action

We have a few that we like but we haven’t come to a concrete decision. So, if you have any ideas for girl names then feel free to leave them in the comment section below.

Thanks for returning, and if you are new please feel free to subscribe. I will be on maternity leave soon so that will give me some free time to blog.

See you soon!

His servant,

30 Lessons I’ve Learned In 30 Years | It’s My Birthday!

Welcome!

 30 Lessons I’ve Learned In 30 Years

Today is July 31, 2017, and that means it is my 30th birthday!!! Wow, it has definitely been a journey. There have been highs and there have been lows but there are lessons to learn for both. This post is all about that! Check out the video below where I share 30 lessons that I have learned in 30 years.

Check out the Video below!

30 Lessons Learned

(These are the lessons found in the video. I tend to talk too fast at times, so just in case you missed it, these are my thirty lessons).

1. Everyone isn’t going to like you.
2. Be yourself at all time (it’s not worth it to compromise).
3. If you’re going to go for it then give it your all.
4. Life is short. Spend time with loved ones.
5. Pray about everything because prayer is important.
6. Face your fears head-on.
7. Embrace me fully – flaws and all.
8. Accept people for who they are.
9. Forgiveness doesn’t mean putting yourself back in the same predicament.
10. Forgive yourself, get up, and keep going.
11. Marriage can be hard at times but it is so worth it. I mean you are meshing two separate lives into one. Keep God at the center of your marriage.
12. Don’t make anything more important than God.
13. Never be too proud to apologize when I am wrong.
14. Drink lots of water every day.
15. Find ways to be active every day.
16. Have a tight circle of friends that you can trust. Don’t go through life alone.
17. I am a Christian and I don’t have all of the answers.
18. Criticism isn’t always bad, take bits and pieces, and adjust.
19. You can’t make grown folks do anything so don’t waste your energy.
20. As a parent, it is okay to tell outsiders “I got this but thanks” (as a first-time mom a lot of the time moms who have been there and done that like to strongly suggest how you should or shouldn’t do things).
21. Keep outsiders outside of your marital issues.
22. Take pictures, write down your thoughts because it is great to look back on.
23. Never give up!
24. It’s okay to step outside of the box and go with the flow sometimes (I am a planner but I am learning to be spontaneous every now and again).
25. Never stop learning.
26. Keep an open mind. There are lessons to learn from any and everyone. Don’t count people out.
27. Don’t compare your life to others’.
28. Being kind to people makes a hard day a little easier.
29. Find a way to laugh each day.
30. It’s okay to treat yourself every now and again but don’t give in to every urge. Make sure to SAVE $$!

A Very Quick Update

By the way, I am currently 29 weeks pregnant. I almost have 10 weeks left until baby#2 is due to arrive. What an exciting time in our life! I am still dealing with the mystery complication but I am doing my best to stay positive. To learn what I am talking about click here. 

My Oldest and Me

This is the last birthday that I will celebrate as a mommy of one. I am so blessed to have this amazing little angel in my life. We are looking forward to seeing this big sister in action. 

Thank you for stopping by my channel and for dropping by on my birthday. I am truly blessed to see 30 years and I am looking forward to the many more lessons that lie ahead.

Come back again soon!

His Servant,