help your friends out and make money.. say WHAT??? :)

Hello, Friends! I know it's been FOREVER since I've posted.. this one will be short and sweet. I really wish I'd have thought to share this business opportunity with you WEEKS ago. (My bad. So sorry!)

At any rate.. there is this wrap.. an AWESOME wrap. It can literally tone and tighten your tummy (or whatever area you wrap) in only 45 minutes. Crazy, right?? It REALLY does work! At any rate.. I'd LOVE to sell you one, but today I'm offering you a chance to become a distributor yourself. See, until September 1st, you can buy your It Works! kit for only $99. After that it'll cost $199. It gets better -- in your kit you'll get a box of 4 wraps that will more than pay for itself! NO kidding!!! Click on the picture above for all the information you'll need to get an idea how much money you can make. (In this case, the sky truly is the limit)  The wraps work so well they actually sell themselves. The lady who just signed under me told me this is the easiest job she's ever had. AWESOME!

Oh, and did I mention that if you get in before the deadline you'll be qualified to earn the $10,000 GET OUT OF DEBT BONUS?? They give you four months to earn it - a VERY GENEROUS amount of time. ;) The lady I signed under earned hers in UNDER TWO months. WHOOHOO!!!

Okay, so $99 to sign up until September 1st.. the ONLY requirement is that you order a minimum of $80 a month each month after to maintain your distributor status. That part is easy - again, invest it in wraps and you'll DOUBLE your investment. This is such a great opportunity for those who work in the public. (Salons, gyms, spas.. ANYWHERE! Of course they also sell like crazy through facebook) ;)

Please check out my personal website if you're interested. You may also email me at wrapwithtonya@gmail.com



https://tonya.myitworks.com/Home

I had actually already written a post, but due to the fact that I hadn't researched the person/blog I was sharing, I decided to pull most of what I'd written. (I don't want to send you off to another blog thinking that because I sent you, that I'm in complete agreement with all of the content on the blog... and I may be, but I've not read it yet so I don't know. LOL!) Now, back to what's left of my original post from this morning. O:)

Romans 10:9 is a beautiful reminder of how God takes us right in the middle of our sin, and does something WONDERFUL! I just love that about Him. I love that He doesn't give us a list of laws to keep and then one ONLY then, offer salvation. Nope. He loves and accepts us just as we are - in all our brokenness.

Sending (((Hugs))) and lots of love,

submission - it's a beautiful thing!

Okay, so I said I'd be posting more often and had honestly intended to do just that. However, our internet went down the day after this post and we JUST got it repaired yesterday. (The internet repair guy pointed out that SOMEONE had run over the satellite pole "several times". I was quite surprised that he even commented on this.. I was absolutely under the conclusion that EVERYONE runs over EXTREMELY LARGE objects while mowing?) HA! At any rate.. I'm VERY HAPPY to be able to play online again.

On to more serious things..

I'd mentioned in my last post that God has done some TREMENDOUS things in my marriage over the past few years. It all started changing when we finally realized we were about to lose Brent.. Link completely fell apart and apologized for ________. (I'm not going to mention his mistakes/wrongdoings here.. I didn't come to point fingers.. I'm only sharing this because it's a HUGE part of where our marriage began to turn around) I forgave him, and apologized for my failures/shortcomings too. As I mentioned, I'm not here to share my hubby's faults, only my own - in hopes of sharing a truth that I've learned. A truth that breathed new LIFE into my marriage!

Fast-forward a bit.. not long after we lost Brent, God brought a couple into our lives. My sweet friend is one of those ladies who quickly speaks her mind - and does not withhold correction/rebuke. We began walking together which of course led to long talks. As we spent more time together she started sharing with me areas that she saw where I was NOT living out my calling as Link's wife. I was NOT a Titus 2 woman at all, at least not when it came to loving my husband the way God called me to.

It all boiled down to submission and how I responded to Link in moments of anger. (Back-talking, arguing with him when I didn't agree with what he said, or what he was doing.. the huffing, crossing of arms.. ANY physical symbol of not approving) Am I saying that we don't have the right as wives to express our feelings? Absolutely not! However, there are times for EVERYTHING. I learned that there is much wisdom in learning to practice self-control when I don't agree with my man rather than immediately contradicting him. (I'd seen many, many times in my life where the woman argues almost EVERY point with her man rather than praying and asking GOD to handle things) I'd been so used to arguing that it became my FIRST response even before taking a moment to realize that my hubby was actually RIGHT. (Now THAT'S embarrassing!)

The friend that I mentioned earlier gave me the book, Created to Be His Helpmeet, and was it EVER LIFE-CHANGING! Honestly, next to the Bible itself this is THE BEST book I've ever read! There may be parts of it that one may not agree with, but if you read it with a humble heart - HONESTLY SEARCHING for God's will for yourself, you WILL go away BLESSED and CHANGED! (You can also buy this book on amazon.com.. the Kindle edition lists for $7.69.) I'm pretty sure that I've talked about this book here before, but it is such a TREMENDOUS part of my story that I just had to share it today.

I guess it all boils down to how I've seen the role of submission transform my own marriage. Have I got it down perfectly? Of course not! I'm still learning, I'm still growing, and I still find myself biting my tongue when every fiber of my being is screaming out to say something. I have learned that when my hubs is in the wrong - to start praying IMMEDIATELY! Who is more capable of changing his heart, God, or me? That's a silly question, isn't it? Yet, it's SO HARD to push down the flesh and just let God be God. The Bible says that God is NOT the author of confusion. (1 Corinthians 14:33) It also tells us that, "the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body." - Ephesians 5:23. This just run so much more beautifully when we do things God's way. Amen? :)

I've just begun reading a new book today and have been encouraged with what I'm reading so far. The name of the book is, Feminine Appeal: Seven Virtues of a Godly Wife and Mother. (The Kindle edition is $7.99) I've been encouraged to re-examine Titus 2 and to step back and look at how I'm loving my husband and children. Believe me, I've learned the hard way that you never, EVER want to have regrets.

One last MAJOR issue that goes along with submission is that of respect. Here again, I find myself recommending ANOTHER book. (Sorry!) This one is called, Love & Respect. (The Kindle edition is $8.99) It was so helpful to me to realize that I show my husband love when I show him respect. Just as we (women) crave hugs, compliments, and kisses - our men long to be admired, lifted up, and RESPECTED! It shows a tremendous lack of disrespect when I immediately began to backtalk Link.. to challenge him. He doesn't NEED me to tell him how to do things. HE is the one God put in charge of our home. Again, if I feel he's wrong, I go to God with it. If I feel that this won't be an issue of contempt, and I feel safe (safe meaning that I feel like my comment/response won't lead to an argument) THEN, I will share my thoughts or opinions. If, however, I do feel that he'd feel challenged by my response --- I take it to God in prayer!

To sum up what I've learned:

• God put the man as the head of the home - therefore he does NOT need woman to correct/rebuke/challenge him at every turn. If I disagree with something I can voice it lovingly, but after that it NEEDS to go to GOD in prayer! (After that it becomes nagging - drip, drip, drip!) :o
• My man doesn't need or want me constantly telling him what to do, or how to do it. He is NOT my child, he is my MAN! (mmm-hmmm!) ;)
• I was created to be HIS helper, NOT the other way around!
• I should put into practice what I was taught as a small child: If I don't have something nice to say, I shouldn't say anything at all.
• I should never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, EVER-EVER correct him in public! If we're in public and he's accidentally giving out false information I can and should quietly share the facts. Doing otherwise might lead him to feel disrespected, or cause his friends to feel that way. (I sure wouldn't want him embarrassing me in front of my friends!)
• The respect thing seems to be as much a need for a man as the show of love is to a woman.. I should ALWAYS let my sweet hubs know how much I appreciate and love him!
• This is random, but since I've learned about that whole love & respect thing - all of those commercials where the woman blatantly disrespects her husband DISGUSTS me! It not only dishonors men, but it dishonors our loving GOD! People are watching us!

Please hear me say that I DO NOT feel like I have all of the answers. I'm ONLY sharing what I've seen in scripture and what I've seen in my own life. When I began to practice these principles, Link began to feel less defensive with me. We began to argue less and less.. he began to talk MORE.. we started to ENJOY each other on a level that we never have before. I can honestly say that he is a different man (giving GOD ALL the glory!) and I'm blessed with a marriage that I'd only dreamed of before! If you're struggling with the way you respond to your husband the way that I have and sometimes do, I'd like to encourage you to pray and study every scripture you can find on marriage. Study those on love, and respect, and how God instructs us as believers to live. It'll change your life, I promise! ;)

finally catching up...

Hello, my sweet bloggy friends! I've been saying for a while now (give or take a couple of years) that I was gonna attempt blogging again. I'd actually planned on trying during the holidays. I'd planned on journaling Brent's last Christmas with us, but this was the first year since he left us that I wasn't struggling horribly with everything about Christmas and remembering all of the hard memories that come with it. I mostly just wanted to be happy. I wanted to look forward all of the things that I've always loved about this time of year.. besides, Brent would want us to be happy.

With that said, we did have a very nice Christmas. I struggled some with New Year's Eve, then the next two days that follow, but as always - getting Jan. 2 behind us seemed to put an end to all of the dread for another year. (That's of course NOT to say that we don't miss Brent with every breath - it's just that all of those hard memories start in October and weigh heavy on my heart right up until the day AFTER he got his Heavenly healing) I can't say all of that without saying how VERY THANKFUL we are to KNOW that life doesn't end here - that stepping over into eternity is REALLY where it all begins. We're SO THANKFUL that we KNOW that Brent is with Jesus! (I'm still thinking I may move some of those last posts from Caringbridge over so that I'll be able to find them quickly. Those were the hardest days of our lives, but def the most miraculous and beautiful as well. <3

On to other things.. I realized when I pulled up my blog that I REALLY NEED to update my photos and information on here. Zach is now 14 and Gabe is 11. They both look more like little men now, than the baby-faced pictures that I have posted here. As soon as I have time to play around and see if I can remember how everything works, I'll post new pics. ;)

I have so much to tell you. God has done some MIGHTY things in our lives. My marriage is a kagillion times better than it's ever been. (Yes, I know that kagillion isn't a word, and that if it was a word I probably misspelled it, but that's okay.. I'm weird and totally okay with that) ;) I may attempt a post highlighting all of the beautiful ways that God has brought about these changes. With all of that said -- I'm SOOOO CRAZY about my man, and eternally THANKFUL for him!

Another major change is that I've lost some weight. (Of course you already know that if we're friends on facebook)

At one point I'd lost 65 pounds, but I found a few of them back during the holidays. O:) No, worries, I'm gonna outrun them again soon. Very soon, I hope. The weight-loss thing is yet another answer to prayer. God is faithful!

Well, I think that'll wrap me up for today. I'd really wanted to jump back into blogging and truly had no idea where to start. I think I just followed my ADHD around and posted random things as they came to mind. Sorry if it was hard to follow me. HA! Maybe I'll be a little more organized in the future.

I'll leave you today with a scripture that we've been memorizing this week..

13 You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart. ~ Jeremiah 29:13

checking in..

Hello, Friends!


It's been SO LONG since I've posted. WOW! I've been thinking that I'd like to try blogging regularly again, but haven't taken the time to start. God has shown me so much over the past few years and I'd love to share some of it with you. (I know that He's brought us down this path not only to draw us closer to Himself, but so that we might also encourage others) I want to be open to whatever God has for me, so I'm prayerfully considering keeping up my blog again. (I stopped because it became so time-consuming.. I've GOT to keep God, then my family first... Amen?) :)

I hope to check back again soon. For REAL this time... LOL!

celebrating Brent and giveaway winners...

WOW.. I can't believe I didn't even get ONE post in since I mentioned the giveaway.. I'm SUCH a slacker! Oh well.. on with the update.

So it was 14 years ago TODAY that God gave us one of our most precious and treasured gifts, He gave us our firstborn son.

Brent was as beautiful and healthy as any new mom could wish for. All ten fingers and toes were there.. he had hair the color of his daddy's, and his skin was as pink and soft as could be. He was PERFECT. We never knew what a short time we'd have to spend with this AMAZING gift, but OH the things he taught us in his short life!

Those of you that have been with us for any length of time have probably already heard me tell of how Brent started telling those he loved how they needed JESUS. (This started happening when he was only 4. He was told Zach - who was TWO at the time that he should ask Jesus to save him NOW.. ha!)

Brent "officially" accepted Christ as his SAVIOR on Easter Sunday at the age of 8. Yes, he was something special from the beginning. Our boy is such a treasure! (I hate to speak of him in past tense because he IS still ALIVE, AMEN?? He's actually MORE ALIVE in Heaven than we are here)

Oh, how I'd love to share all the details and all the ways he blessed us, but that might very well take FOREVER. To say he was a blessing to all of us would be a tremendous understatement.

I'd like to say a SPECIAL "THANK YOU" to all of you that are, and have been celebrating his LIFE with us this month!! It's a WONDERFUL feeling to know that he's remembered.

My challenge to you today is to ask you to do a random act of kindness for someone today in memory of Brent. He absolutely LOVED to make other people happy. It doesn't take much to bless someone.. it might be as small a gesture as offering a smile to the next person you meet. (You never know what might be going on in the heart of the stranger you meet on the street.. they too may be dealing with the loss, or pending loss of a loved one)

Yes, our boy was also DELIGHTED by giving gifts to others! That's why I chose to celebrate his LIFE by having a giveaway on his birthday. With that said.. the winners are..............

for the bloggy makeover... Erin

the Bible on CD - Laura - (I don't have any contact info.. please email me with your mailing info so I can get this out to you!)

a set of candles - Lisa Shaw

a Paula Dean Cookbook (did I spell her last name right?) - Nen

bath & shower gel - April

bath & shower gel - Jill

and finally, a Lunch for Life cookbook. This is a special cookbook put together by families that have/had children with neuroblastoma. There is a picture of Brent and one of his FAVORITE breads inside - Teresa

Congratulations to all of our winners! Would you please email me with your mailing addresses so I can get this out to you? ☺ nason5@aol.com

I SO WISH I could send something to EVERYONE! THANKS again for visiting and for joining us as we remember our sweet little man.


(Happy Birthday, Sweet Boy, we love you all the way to HEAVEN and back! We count ourselves BLESSED to have been your parents)

celebrating Brent's life with a giveaway!

Yes, it's that time again... It's time to celebrate Brent's life by having a giveaway on his birthday. He would be 14 this year.. man, I can hardly believe it.

Brent had the BIGGEST HEART EVER and absolutely LOVED to give gifts! That's why it seems only right that we celebrate him this way. I would LOVE for you to read (or at least look over THIS POST that I did last year announcing last years life celebration) This post will really give you a peek into what a GENEROUS heart our little man had!

So THIS YEAR I'll be giving away at least two gifts and will challenge you to do a R.A.K. (random act of kindness) in celebration of his amazing life on his birthday, October 28.


I'm still working through the details, but one of the gifts will be a blog makeover designed by "The Design Girl". (She's the lady that designed my blog.. I REALLY LOVE her work!) I've already made the down payment and my name is on the list so the winner won't have a really long wait! YAY!!



Another gift I'm really excited about is this...



This of course is "The Word of Promise Full Bible".

I "borrowed" the product description.. check it out!

Product Description:

"Come experience the entire Bible recorded with an all-star cast led by an all-star cast of actors, including Jim Caviezel as Jesus, Richard Dreyfus as Moses, Gary Sinise as David, Jason Alexander as Joseph, Marisa Tomei, Louis Gossett Jr., and over 600 actors contributing to this timeless work. This audio Bible is produced with state of the art audio technology. Including sound effects and an original musical score. This is a new experience in audio Bible like none before. There are 79 CDs in this set."


I heard about this while listening to the Rick & Bubba show the other day. The guy that's doing Jesus' voice is the same guy that played Jesus in "The Passion of the Christ".

Now, It seems like this isn't just your regular audio Bible. (It's not some monotone voice going on and on and on... ) It's a WHOLE CAST of people reading/speaking out the WORD just as it appears in the Bible. (It's done in the very trusted NKJV) I've ordered one for ourselves, but haven't gotten it in yet. I'm thinking this is going to be AMAZING! If you want to hear a sample of it for yourself click HERE.

Okay, so the only rule is this:

Leave a comment for the giveaway on THIS post ONLY. This will keep it simple! (I'll "link back" to this post each time I post to keep it easy for everyone)

If you want extra entries you can...

- post this graphic/link in your sidebar - 5 entries

<a href="http://nason5.blogspot.com/2009/10/celebrating-brents-life-with-giveaway.html"> <center><img src="http://i36.tinypic.com/121fi35.jpg"/></center></a>

- mention this giveaway and in a post - encouraging others to do a "R.A.K." in honor and celebration of Brent's life - another 5 extra entries

Of course you're free to enter as many times as you'd like! ☺ Remember, the drawing will be held on October 28... if you do anything for extra entries please say so in a comment so you'll get the credit. ☺

love, love, LOVE these boys!

The last post I did was to encourage everyone that wanted to, to eat at Chili's on a certain day and support St. Jude. (I was asked by someone in the comments if this fundraiser would be at all locations and I never got to answer - SO SORRY! Had sick kiddos and were gone to the docs office.. it was an all day run)

Anyway, on to what I wanted to share today.. ☺

While our son, Brent, was sick, we met lots of wonderful people, many through his caringbridge site. The two families that I'll be sharing with you today QUICKLY became FAMILY to us.

You've probably heard me talk about my friend Susan? (She's a friend/spiritual mom to me) Then there's Jill, she's another sister with an incredibly STRONG faith! she and her son Cooper flew all the way here to take part in "Brent Nason Day" back in September 06..





(Pictured: Brent and Ash in the chair, starting on the left in the back.. Zach, Gabe, Clay and Cooper)


Jill and Susan are also long time prayer warriors for our family.. I SO LOVE these ladies and their precious families!)


So our buddy Jordan (which is Susan's son) and our friend Cooper, who is Jill's son both colored peppers for Brent. (Since Cooper doesn't have a caringbridge site, PRAISE GOD he's HEALTHY!!... I'll link you to his sister Hutton's site.. Hutton is a little MIRACLE baby... you'd be BLESSED to read her story and to get to know their family too)

My heart just melted when I saw these!


This is Cooper....

and this is our buddy Jordan...

Yes, it's just WONDERFUL to know that Brent is remembered by his friends! I literally "teared up" when I saw these pics. Precious, PRECIOUS boys!

Okay, friends.. stay tuned! I'm already working on my next post where I'll be announcing my next giveaway. (This is how we'll be celebrating Brent's life this year on his birthday) ☺

Have a WONDERFUL day!!!

Eat Chili's today - Help St. Jude =-)

YIKES! I almost forgot to mention that by eating at Chili's today you'll be helping fund research for St. Jude. Yes, Chili's will be donating 100 PERCENT of their profit from today to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital!!

I thought that before I go I'd share a picture of Brent from a few years back. We'd gone on out one of these Chili's/St. Jude events to do our part. ☺ In the pic below is our precious Brent with Madelyn Beamon (another "Heaven Healed Neuroblastoma Warrior"), her mom Brandi, her Daddy Neal, and her brother Tyler. It's so hard to believe that so many children we knew from St. Jude are in Heaven now. Research is DESPERATELY needed and funding is the key. What better way to help out than eating at Chili's? Can you think of a better place to eat lunch/supper today? (I mean, if you were eating out anyway.. haha)




This is a pic of Brent with his cousin Clay, who was also one of his very best friends. ☺





Thanks for putting up with me twice in one day.. LOL! I hope you have a GREAT week!

Love,
Tonya

a yummy freebie while supplies last!

Hello, Friends!

As much as I'd like to do a heartfelt post this morning, I just don't have the time. I DO however want to let you in on something I just found out about. If you click smuckers.com/promotions, you'll have the chance to submit a time-saving idea and get a coupon for FREE uncrustables. When the page opens click on "see details". HURRY, it's only open to the first 20,000 entries!