Verse of the Day

Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.  Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  -Peter 5:8-9

As Christians we must remember that the devil is for real.  The devil will try to pull you off course when you're weak and try to direct your focus off of Jesus.  Instead of focusing on trying to always do the right thing we must continue to keep our focus on Jesus.  By doing so, we will have no other temptations to look a different way.  Always remember who is in control; God.

One little, two little, three little stitches...

Four little, five little, six little stitches... Seven little...

Yes, it's true.  Our little man has 7 little stitches above his left eye.

It all started on Saturday night around 3:30 AM when I heard a thud and then a loud painful cry.  I went into Jayden's room to see that he had fallen out of his bed.  I comforted him and told him he was fine (I figure he was just scared) and then he continued to cry so I moved his hand which was covering his face and noticed his entire left side of his face was covered in blood.  From his hair line to dripping off his check onto his clothes.  Adam immediately jumped out of bed as I screamed his name and took Jayden into the bathroom to clean him up.  What I was hoping to see was just a little scratch that was going to stop bleeding once we put some pressure on it.  However, what we saw was a gash the length of his entire eyebrow that was thick and deep.

We hopped into the car and made our way to the emergency room.  Our very first trip to the emergency room due to injury (spent the night in the ER in France due to a stomach virus).  We arrived at the hospital at 3:45 AM and was immediately taken to a room and the nurse quickly got everything ready.  As soon as the doctor came in he knew he needed to get ready for some stitches and that's when I left the room.  Adam said Jayden did great, only cried when he saw the needle.  Believe it or not, we were home by 4:30 AM.  I hear all these horror stories about waiting in the emergency room for hours upon hours.  Thankfully that didn't happen to us!  As soon as we arrived back home, Jayden went right to bed and asked if next time he goes to the hospital if I could call the ambulance to pick him up instead of Daddy driving him.  I then told him I hope to never go back there again!

Videos of the Week

There are two videos I would like to share with ya'll this week.  The first one, my dear friend Erin shared on her blog under the title "Identity Crisis."  Please check it out.  Deanna Favre talks about how her faith is getting her through her current family troubles.

The next video is a glimpse of the first night of encounter for HillsongNYC.  The short video gives you an incredible feeling that God is really moving and the people of HillsongNYC are really starting to build a faithful church in His name.  To God be the Glory!

Please note: you can totally see Adam and I in the front row during the praise and worship part of the video.  Adam is a complete rockstar!

Healthy Diet: Black Bean Salad

This past weekend, Adam has decided to go on an even more strict diet than he is currently on.  I actually don't know how that is even possible but I guess that means no cheat days and much more fruits and vegetables.  The problem I have noticed thus far is that he needs to eat at least every 90 minutes because he can not seem to eat enough to feel full.  So I have been trying my hardest to help him with his new diet.

Every Tuesday we invite our friends over to taco tuesday.  I use chicken instead of beef, wheat tortillas and low-fat cheese.  But still, Adam didn't want the tortillas or the cheese so I looked up a recipe and found a great black bean salad.  He had the black bean salad and added some chicken and a little rice on top to create a taco salad.  Enjoy the recipe!

Black Bead Salad

Black beans are a delicious staple of Central and South American cuisine—they fill you up without filling you out. This black bean salad with a decidedly Southwestern flair is quick and easy to make, high in protein and fiber, low in fat and calories, and tasty as all get-out.

• 2 15-oz. cans black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups freshly cooked black beans)
• 1-1/2 cups frozen corn, defrosted
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, chopped
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
• The juice of 2 medium limes (about 1/4 cup)

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and enjoy! Makes 6 servings.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

HillsongNYC

There are no words to explain the weekend we had in New York City.  It was the most incredible, fulfilling weekend I have ever experienced in my life.

To give a little background, it goes like this.  After years of not having any communication, Adam and his college room/teammate Carl Lentz had began to talk again.  They have one of those friendships that years could pass by but when they're together again it's like a day has passed.  At the time, Carl and his wife Laura, were pastors at Wavechurch in VA Beach.  But since then Carl and Laura have been called to New York City by God to plant a church.  They have teammate up Hillsong (a thriving church that has many locations throughout Europe) to start HillsongNYC.

It has been an amazing ride thus far but on Sunday night it was their first night of Encounter; the official launch of HillsongNYC.  Over 5,000 people gather for 3 different services at the Salvation Army Center in Union Square.  The atmosphere was amazing.  God was certainly moving!  People joked about us staying and being there for all 3 services but I wouldn't have had it any other way.

I met some of the most amazing, kind-hearted people to walk this earth.  Their love filled the air and their love for Jesus and desire to have an impact on a city that many people don't know which direction their walking in is so strong.

November 14th is their next Encounter night.  It is in your best interested to be there!  Fly, drive, ride the train!  Whatever it takes... be there.

Professional Photos: Jayden

I love professional photos.  The crisp look of the pictures and the clarity of the pictures when they are printed is just amazing.  Adam's cousin's wife is a photographer and she took some pictures of Jayden the other day (when they missed their flight back to CA and had a few extra hours to play).  Here is the link to a few of the photos.

Enjoy!

Photographer: Jodi Foucher, San Francisco, CA

Expressions

If you were to spend more than 2 hours with Jayden you would quickly realize he is a man of many expressions and voices.  He has his player voice and then his deep, old man coach voice and his facial expressions go along with his voices.  I swear the child could act.  

While we were at the Cape this weekend we were sitting outside and Jayden decided it would be fun to take silly pictures with different faces.  Here is a glimpse of what the Harrington's do for fun!

Beauty & Confidence

I saw a commercial today that really caught my attention.  Basically it was about a woman who walked into a room with little confidence and said, "I'm here" and then another girl walked in full of confidence and said, "Here I am" (insert sexy, confident tone).  Both girls were very pretty but you could see they way the second woman presented herself she had confidence in who she was.

During my walk with Jesus I have become much more confident in who I am as a person and with my looks.  For starters, God does not focus on my appearance but rather what my heart feels and my inner beauty is what is important to Him (1 Samuel 16:7).  Secondly, as simple as it may sound, Adam makes me feel absolutely beautiful.  So as God is strengthening my inner beauty and Adam is strengthening my appearance, I am more confident in myself today then I've ever been.

Are they're days that I am not a fan of my hair, my skin or my body?  Of course.  But I have learned that when that happens I need to take my focus off my appearance and focus my eyes on the Lord.  For my top priorities do not lie on my looks but on God, my husband and our son.  The Bible does tell us that it is important to present ourselves nicely but not to take it to the extreme.

With that being said, my friend of mine told me a little story about herself.  She is a professional make-up artists, yet she rarely ever wears make-up.  I asked her why since she is so good at what she does and she said it was simple; she replied, "Why would I spend time putting on make-up every day when I can use that time reading my bible or spending alone time with the Lord?"  She continued to say, "I wear make-up about once a week or once every other week and that's when I have date night with my husband.  I love getting all dolled up for him on date night so I feel super glamorous for him and only him!"  She made perfect sense.  And I've been following her lead for a few weeks now and I love it.  I don't wear much make-up anyways but now I skip all the make-up and save it for date night; a special night with the love of my life.

Verse of the Day

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.  -Proverbs 27:1

How many of us take something for granted today that isn't guaranteed tomorrow?  I have a hard time taking care of things I can today and not be distracted of what needs to be done tomorrow or the next week.  Let's make a pack to enjoy our walk with God today and trust in his faith that He will take care of tomorrow.

Marriage Tip #1: Date Night

Look at me writing about marriage tips when we haven't even been married for a month yet!  After 5 years with someone and 4 years living with them, you kinda get to know what works in a relationship and what doesn't.  And one thing that will always work is date night.

After having Jayden, Adam and I didn't go on date night very often.  I nursed Jayden for his first year of life so at times I felt like I wasn't able to leave his side for more than a couple hours (I didn't have enough supply to pump and I wasn't willing to supplement with formula when I could simply go home and feed him).  But since Jayden has grown and Adam and I have worked on what keeps our relationship as strong as possible, we have made a pack to establish a bi-weekly date night.  It is my favorite time of the month.  Now date night doesn't have to be anything too special like a fancy dinner and dancing; for Adam and I it usually consists of dinner and maybe a little shopping at Pottery Barn or Target (I know, we're really cool). But there are those times we like to get dolled up and hit the town!

Last night Adam and I went to see Barefoot Truth in concert.  They were amazing!  Great music, great vibe and even better lyrics.  We had such a great time!  Check them out!

So the moral to this post is to schedule a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly date night.  Keep the spark in your marriage alive.  Get away from the children and enjoy your husband or wife!