Combat undies...

No words.  Just giggles.

Confused...

My outfit (or just me) is confused.  Motorcycle chic jacket meets Middle Eastern-inspired print dress, rounded out with preppy stacked yellow platforms.  It mostly works, right?

Please excuse the awkward picture.  Hubby and I are working on our photography skills. 

OK, now leave some love (if you've got any), then head on over to No Model Lady to check out more lovelies!

"Coloring a Picture of Prayer" Throwback...

Originally published April 9, 2009

I have been blessed to know great, Godly women and to have discovered great, Godly authors. One recurring theme from these women is to pray, pray, pray for your husband.

That can seem like a bit of a daunting task. Remember when you were little having a blank sheet of paper placed in front of you and being asked to color something? For those of us that were not born with artistic abilities, it seemed too big a task to even begin. "Can't you narrow it down a little?" I always thought.

I think the same goes for prayer. We all want to pray for our husbands, to color on that blank page, but "can't you narrow it down a little?"

Each man has his own specific needs that need to be prayed for. That's like the teacher telling you, why don't you draw a house? Or how about a butterfly? Start praying for those specific needs.

I also think that each man and marriage should have universal things prayed for. I pray for Hubby's specific needs as they arise, but I am also in constant prayer for "broader" issues.

1. Pray that any form of temptation would stay away from your marriage. When/if temptation does arise, pray that you would both be strong enough to resist.
2. Pray that your love will continue and mature with each waking morning.
3. Pray that destructive, negative thoughts (jealousy, temptation, confusion, etc.) will be shielded from his mind.
4. Pray for confidence to always be the leader of the family.
5. Pray that God will provide Christian friends and mentors for him.
6. Pray that he will be able to properly allocate his time between family and work, and that he will be able to focus solely on each in its proper time.

Hopefully praying for your husband will not be a daunting task, and that when the blank page is put before you, you'll be able to fill it with a beautiful creation that you can be sure God has hanging on his refrigerator.

How do you pray for your husband?

A few of my favorite things...

Pretending to be British while I drink tea and eat scones during Baby's afternoon nap. I may or may not talk with a British accent during tea time.

A study of Jesus' life, Part 2...

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." -Philippians 2:5-11.

Jesus Begins to Preach, The Calling of the First Disciples: Matthew 4:12-22, Mark 1:16-20, Luke 5:2-11

• Jesus preached to those around him (Matt. 4:17).  That's it.  He told people to turn to God. 
• Jesus called on others to help him in his ministry (Matt. 4:19, 21).  He didn't try to do it all himself or go it alone.  If I have been called to minister to others (which all Christians have), I should surround myself, in ministry, with others that also desire to spread God's love.  (Please note that I don't mean to surround yourself only with Christians, as where is the ministry in that?)

Part 1

Baby (fighter pilot)...

This is probably the most obvious statement ever, but I love love love my baby!  And that he already wants to be like his amazing daddy! 

A study of Jesus' life, Part 1...

"Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.  And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death--even death on a cross!  Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."  -Philippians 2: 5-11.

When I decided to re-read through the New Testament a few months back, I immediately skipped the Gospels, deciding that I had heard those scriptures enough and already knew what to expect.  It wasn't until a week ago that God really put on my heart how naive and proud this attitude is.  With a polite nudge from God, I am now reading through the Gospels, focusing on Jesus' life and how He lived, hoping to glean simple truths from His lifestyle.  I invite you to follow along with me as I learn how to have the same attitude and lifestyle of Christ Jesus.   

The Temptation of Jesus: Matthew 4: 1-11, Mark 1:12-13, Luke 4: 1-13

• Jesus was tempted when he was physically weak (Matt. 4:2).  He had been fasting in the desert for 40 days when Satan decided to make his appearance.  Be on the lookout for how temptation will come to you when you are the most exhausted.  If you're tired physically, temptation could take the form of irritation or laziness.  If  you're tired emotionally, temptation could take the form of self-pity or emotional numbness.  If you're tired spiritually, temptation could take the form of religion (just going through the motions) or apathy towards God.  All of these temptations come from the great tempter himself.  
• Jesus fought temptation with God's word (Matt. 4: 4, 7, 10).  When Satan offered Jesus food, Jesus responded with God's word.  When Satan offered Jesus the world, Jesus responded with God's word.  Know what the Bible says so that when temptation seems appealing and tries to talk you into whatever it is, you can also fight it with God's word.
• Jesus commanded Satan to leave (Matt. 4:10).  Jesus got mad at Satan and told him to back off.  We can do the same thing!  Look your temptation straight in the face and demand it to go away from you. 
• After Jesus resisted Satan, angels (ministers of God (Heb. 1:14)) came to take care of Jesus (Matt. 4:11).  God will send a "support system" to you after you have dealt with or while you are dealing with temptation.  I believe these could be close friends, accountability partners, family, church members--anyone that has your best spiritual interest at heart.  God will bless your resistance to temptation by surrounding you with His angels. 
• Satan will try to tempt you again (Luke 4: 13).  Always be on the lookout for his deceptive ways.  

Modernish nautical...

I apologize, in advance, to those who know me in person.  You'll be seeing a variation of this outfit many times this spring because I heart it so much. 

Navy and white striped tee, green cashmere hoodie (not sure what I was thinking when I bought this, but it's hands down one of my favorite pieces), dark wash skinny jeans, white eyelet slip-ons, and big ol' gold earrings!

Sunday afternoon on a jet base...

Our very own air show.

What to wear to a change of command ceremony...

I love to get dressed up for military events, so I thought I'd help give y'all some ideas on how to dress for the events we attend while associated with the military. 

This one is for a change of command ceremony.  This should be something "churchy."  Keep it conservative (it's probably not about you right now), but still fun and fresh!  This outfit idea features a button front shirt, frilly navy skirt, layered pearl necklace, nude peep toe Mary Janes (!!!), and, since this is a Navy base, a straw clutch that looks like a fish net (I like tongue in cheek fashion!). 

Change of Command by semperwifey featuring glass jewelry

I would love to hear about your ideas for this type of event!

Adorably annoying metallic shirt...

Just like the faux fur vest from last week, this bronze western-cut shirt always mocks me in my closet: "Na na na na na naaaaa!  You'll never wear me!"  This is another piece that, in theory, should be easy to wear, but unfortunately it usually just stumps me!  I hadn't worn it in years until this past weekend when I decided to show up this shirt's way of thumbing its nose at me.  So I pulled out my wide leg denim trousers (back in style, woo hoo!) and metallic t-strap platforms, and showed this adorably annoying shirt who's boss!

 

Think about such things...

"Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things." Philippians 4:8

"Be agreeable, be sympathetic, be loving, be compassionate, be humble.  That goes for all of you, no exceptions.  No retaliation.  No sharp-tongued sarcasm.  Instead, bless--that's your job, to bless.  You'll be a blessing and also get a blessing.  Whoever wants to embrace life and see the day fill up with good, here's what you do: say nothing evil or hurtful; snub evil and cultivate good; run after peace for all you're worth."  -1 Peter 3: 8-11 (MSG)

Yut yut devil dog...

With our last move, we were informed of where our next TWO duty stations would be.  (*Please sing this next sentence out loud, or at least in your head.)  HAL-LE-LU-JAH!  Basically, at duty station #4, we were told #5 AND #6.  Since #5 (our current duty station) is so close to #6, I recently took the opportunity to go explore a bit.

It was simply this--amazing!  Duty stations #2-5 have been Navy bases.  Don't get me wrong.  The Navy has been a wonderful host to us as Hubby has gone through flight school, and we have learned so much about the Navy and its own pride and traditions.  But we haven't been on a Marine base since we were at the Motherland (aka Quantico) several years ago.  There's just a feeling you can't describe when you're on a Marine base and in a Marine town.  USMC stickers of every kind on all of the cars, the spontaneous "oorah" bark from a group of Marines, knowing the significance of Chesty and being "salty", not having to explain what TBS is, camis and high and tights everywhere, and hearing a well-placed "Yut!" in conversations make for a truly unique atmosphere. 

Ahh, yes.  These were all on my mind as I drove towards Duty Station #6.  My giddiness to be back visiting a USMC town were welcomed with screaming jets overhead and a large sign marking "Semper Fi Highway."  I instantly felt at home in this new place, despite my having never been there before.

Now that I'm back home at Duty Station #5, #6 is like a siren call beckoning me back with its songs of "yut yut yut oorah oorah devil dog yut yut" and "yut yut devil dog oorah semper fi."  (Search "Yut yut devil dog" on YouTube for a good laugh!)    

In the meantime, I will just have to be content with singing my own version of "Yut Yut Devil Dog" among the Navy sounds of "Anchors Aweigh" and bleating goats. ;)