Friday Fellowship - Mary Bost

Today on Friday's Fellowship - I'm sharing a friend I've never actually met in person but I feel like I have.  We have so many friends in common and have just missed the chance of getting to know each other.  

Mary Bost is a wife and mother and lives in Dallas.  She grew up in Bentonville and went to high school with some of my close friends and she was later best friends with my friend Marci (who I refer to as Pioneer Woman. Also known as the mother of Hollis' BFF Joseph.)  Mary's husband grew up in Arkadelphia where I went to college and we share a lot of friends.  His best friend was Julee Turner's husband Matt who you may remember.  

About a year and a half ago, Mary's husband was diagnosed with brain cancer and their lives were turned upside down.  Their faith has been so strong through their struggles but Mary also blogs a very real picture of their lives as well.   I'm so glad she is my guest today! She's has such a funny personality - you will love "visiting" with her! 

1.  What is your favorite Food?

Watermelon. Avocados. Brownies. Brussel Sprouts. Peanut Butter. Peanut Butter M&M’s. 

In that order. Not combined. I could eat Watermelon every day for every meal but I'd want to follow it up with a brownie. 

2.  What is your very favorite piece of clothing right now? (FASHION)

I'm the last person to ask about fashion. I try to wear clothes that look fancy but feel like pajamas. I'm like a kid when it comes to fashion; I don't want to wear anything that is scratchy, has an itchy tag, or is too tight. I prefer dresses, leggings, and long tunics. I recently scored a brand new pair of AG skinny legging jeans ($25 from thredup) and I'm excited about wearing them this fall. They are softer than my pajamas.  Speaking of Pajamas... Can Pajamas be my favorite piece of clothing? If I'm at home and I'm done running errands for the day, I am in my pajamas and house shoes. 

3.  Tell us about your Family?

Jonathan and I have been married for 9.5 years (10 in June). We met at the University of Arkansas my first year of Architecture school and his last year of computer science school. I've loved him since I was 18 years old. We have two kids, Lucy and Henry. 

Henry is 4 and in Preschool three times a week. He will be going into Kindergarten next year! He is funny but in a serious dry wit kind of way. He can be really silly but he is more reserved than his sister. He loves to eat, ask questions, play tee ball, play with his friends, say potty words, pretend to be a power ranger, read about dinosaurs, carry around dinosaurs and snuggle with his mama. 

Lucy is 8 and in the second grade. She is full of energy. She was a colicky baby and we laugh now because we think she just hated being a baby. She is funny, kind, smart and a good friend. She loves Jesus, I Love Lucy, Little House on the Prairie, shopkins, 2nd grade, soccer, volleyball, playing school and being the teacher, and pretty much anything and everything. 

Jonathan may not look like it, but he is a nerd. He loves computers, Xbox, software development, different computer languages, Minecraft, and cheese. He is a software developer for a company here in Frisco, TX. I'd give you more details but I have no idea what he does.  He is also the funniest person I know; He's had me laughing for the past 14 years. Another little fact about Jonathan is that he loves to scare me. He will jump out from behind things or run up behind me just to get a good scare. The best scare is when I had just finished washing my face in the shower and when I finally got the water out of my eyes and looked up He was pressed against the shower door! I about died! 

I could just end my family story here and pass off that we have everything together and paint a picture of perfection but… we aren’t perfect and neither is our life together.  

On April 25, 2015, I woke in the wee hours of the morning to Jonathan having a grand-mal seizure. After a 911 call, ambulance ride and CT scan we learned that Jonathan had a mass on the left side of his brain. He had brain surgery the next day to remove the mass. We were told by the doctor after the surgery that the mass had undefined borders and they were not able to remove all of the infiltrates but were able to remove the bulk of the tumor. A week later we received the pathology report that Jonathan had Grade 3 Anaplastic Astrocytoma Brain Cancer… Since the pathology report he has done 6 weeks of radiation combined with an initial 42 days of chemotherapy followed by 14 rounds of monthly oral chemo. We have 10 more rounds to go and should finish by the summer of 2017. 

So to sum up… We are a family in the throes of raising kids and surviving daily life with Brain Cancer. 

4.  What is the most important quality in your Friends? OR tell us something that a Friend has done for you that you can't forget. 

When we moved to Texas I didn't know a soul. I had a 12-week old baby and a 4-year-old.  I was so lonely. I prayed that God would give me a friend. It didn't even have to be a good friend. I really just wanted someone.  God exceeded my expectations and through our church, I found the most wonderful group of friends! 

My friends are amazing. Each one is so different from the other, too. Some are shy. Some are Alphas. Some like to exercise. Some like to eat at Chuy's instead of exercise. (those friends are my favorite) Some have kids. Some don't. But what they all have in common and what I love most about them is that they are come as you are, grace-filled, and Jesus centered women. 

5.  What's something you have learned recently in your Faith journey?  And/or share your favorite scripture right now and why or your favorite Bible Study or book you have read recently.  

Since Jonathan's diagnosis I've really learned what surrendering yourself to God and trusting Him really means. Every morning I wake up and turn the day over to God, "your will, your way." I'm not going to act like it is easy or I do it well. It's all I have. I can't fix this problem but I know that God is bigger than this and Jesus can. He may not fix Jonathan the way that I would but I know however he does it will be perfect. Jesus drags me out of bed every day and God gives me enough strength to get through that one day. 

Favorite verses right now:

For I consider that the sufferings of the present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. – Romans 8:18

And after you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. – 1 Peter 5:1-14 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understand. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. – Proverbs 3: 5-6 

6.  What is your biggest Fear?

Not growing old with my husband… And sharks. 

I'm a pretty laid-back and fearless person, it's one of my better qualities, but thinking of not living with Jonathan puts me on the bathroom floor. Sharks are just scary. You don't see them coming and then they bite off your leg. 

7.  What are some of your Favorite things right now?

La Croix, comfortable full coverage panties, school routine, peanut butter M&M’s,  

8.  What has been your biggest Failure?

I fail a lot... I narrowed it down to three. 

1. I never used my Architecture degree. 

2. Childbirth- For the longest time I felt like a failure for having two C-sections. (I have a small pelvis and my kids have giant heads.)

3. I can't make gravy. This is a southern fail. I've tried doing it like my Mama. I've tried doing it like my Memaw. I tried following a recipe. It always tastes like bland mush. 

9.  What do you do for Fun?

I love to thrift shop and yard sale. I get super excited to walk into a disorganized store filled with treasures! You never know what you will find! 

10.  Tell me about what animals you have? (Furry things)

Wesley Bost is the newest member of our family. He is a black and white Parti-Poodle. I like to call him a party Poodle because he loves to party at 4:45 in the morning. Jonathan and I had 2 Dobermans, Autumn and Whitney, for 12 years before they passed. After they died I said, "No more dogs!" One day Lucy and I were talking about a dog and I said, "We aren't getting a dog! They are messy and shed!" She said, "Let's get a poodle." One thing led to another and we were looking at puppy poodle pictures online and there just happened to be a breeder in Tyler, TX. When I saw Wesley's face I knew he was the one. He has taken a lot of stress out of the house for all of us! 

11.  What is your favorite FILM? (Movie) 

Elf and Love Actually. I just introduced Elf to Lucy and she thinks it's as funny as I do.  

12.  What is one Fact we might not know about you?

I have three facts… 

I was extremely shy growing up. My mama had to pack my lunch every day because I was too scared to tell the lunch lady what I wanted to order… I outgrew this… By the start of college I was a fully functioning human and now I can talk to anyone about anything. My friends get the giggles when I tell them about my shy days. 

I don’t know my left from my right… I do know it if I have time to think about it… For example, I write with my right hand and I know which hand that is but if you say turn right while driving I will panic and pull into the left lane…. This drives Jonathan crazy! 

I have a whisker… a 1” long whisker that I pluck regularly… I have no idea when it will make an appearance. One day I will have a flawless chin and then 5 minutes later I will have one long whisker popping out to say Hello! 

Hope you enjoyed meeting Mary.  You can find her here:

instagram- https://www.instagram.com/mbost20/

facebook- https://www.facebook.com/Trustwithoutbordersjonathanbost/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

pinterest- https://www.pinterest.com/mbost/

Blog: http://www.bostfamilyblog.com

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Cotton Candy, Copperheads and Crowder

The minute we got back from Little Rock Friday afternoon, I ran up to the girls school and I was the mystery reader for Harper's class.  She was so surprised.  I took the girls home and then I went right back at 3 to help with our school carnival.  

This was the only picture I took. The PTO puts on the carnival as a fundraiser.  I worked from 3 until 10:30 setting up, taking tickets and cleaning up.  It was HOT and hard work but we raised a lot of money for the school so it's worth it.  Scott and his parents brought the kids up but I barely got the chance to see them.  They had fun any way.  

Saturday morning we decided we would go do a local nature walk.  It was SOOOOO humid and hot but a beautiful day.  

At the end of the walk is a gorgeous water fall.  

Scott's parents came to help this week because we had so many things going on and they were a life saver!!  But it also just gave them a chance to come spend time with the kids.  My girls LOVE when they came visit and were begging them to stay longer.  They would be happy if they just moved in.  It's so nice that they can come stay with us for a while!

Right before we took this picture, we had hiked down from the top to the bottom of the waterfall and we had all walked down a hill and Scott and his Dad were last and suddenly they screamed like little girls.  A huge copperhead came out from under a rock and nearly struck at them.  And Will and I had JUST walked past the snake (I never saw it).  We were so lucky none of us got bit.  I think it may be a while before we go back. ha! 

Saturday night was the local high school beauty pageant.  A girl from our church was in it and all contestants have to ask an elementary student to be their "Future Miss" and escort them.  Harper got to do it and she was SOOO excited!  She looked SO grown up and pretty! I let her put a tiny bit of makeup on and she was thrilled.  Hollis had on some too and she asked me all night long "Is my makeup still on?"  She was SO proud!

Her three years as a Future Miss.  She has grown up so much! 

My pretty girls! 

Dressed up and ready to go.

One of Harper's friends from her class was also a future miss so they had fun being together!!! Such sweet girls! 

Isn't Makenzie beautiful? She's such a sweet girl! We came home after and stayed up until midnight watching the Arkansas/Aggie game.  

That's all I'm saying about that. 

Sunday we went to church and we taught Will Holden's class.  This boy is SUCH a character! 

We had a little bit of rest Sunday afternoon and then the girls and I had to be back for choir practice in the afternoon.  I raced home and then Scott and I headed back to church.  

We were SOOO excited because David Crowder was in concert at our church! He is our favorite!!! And it was an amazing concert!!! Tedashi, a Christian rapper, opened.  Scott loves him.  I'm not too big on rap - but I really liked him and his message.  It was just fun to have a date night and go to a concert! 

I was glad for Monday to come and for the cool weather that has finally showed up! It's FALL! 

Park Hill

I'm coming off about the busiest four days I have had in a long time.  I need a long nap! It's been a fun week though.

Thursday, Laurie and I drove down to North Little Rock to speak at Park Hill Baptist.  We have never spoke together so that was fun.  One of the best parts of the trip is they let us stay in their hospitality house which is an old house across from the church that they had restored. 

I LOOOVVVEEEE old houses.  I will probably never own one but I love to tour them! 

I didn't take many pictures but it was so pretty inside.  

My favorite part were all the glass door knobs and the fun little phone booths.  I remember my mam-ma's old house when I was a little girl had both of these things.  It made me so happy.  

The event was fall themed and it was so beautiful.  One of the ladies who designed Arkansas Children's Hospital's new wing did the decorating for the event.  

I got to meet several people like Brooke that I have been "friends" with on the internet for a while.  She's friends of friends and I love following her family so it was sweet to meet.  There were SOOOOOO many OBU people at the event which was fun.  I even met an older lady that one of the dorms is named after.  Such a treat!And I met a sweet lady named Glenda who had prayed for Harper from the beginning and she was just such an encouragement to me - I can't believe I didn't get a picture with her!

Our friend Shari Edwards! She is the one who asked us to speak.  It was fun to get to be with her.  We have met through women's events in the state and her daughter-in-law is Harper's teacher.  

Harper's audiologist and one of my favorite people was there and I was so happy to see her.  Her sister who I love was also there but somehow I didn't get our picture.  

It really was just fun to get to have a little 24 hour "vacation" as I called it with Laurie! We had such a good time.  Laurie did an AWESOME job speaking on when God has you in a hard place or "foreign land" and how to trust Him in that.  And I tagged on to just talk about God wants us to step out of our safe zones and love our neighbor.  

I was SO excited that two of my very best friends and college roommates came to hear us! They live in Little Rock and I just never see them enough.  We have been friends for 25 years and every time I see them it's like a moment hasn't passed.  

So thankful for life long friends! 

Laurie and I decided on the way back that we needed a stop at our favorite place to end our trip.  

It was a great way to kick off fall!

Friday Fellowship - Meet Jenny Marrs

Well - I'm pretty excited about my new series.  I have so many interesting people lined up to visit with us on Fridays!!  I hope you will enjoy this and come back each Friday! 

Today I want to introduce you to my friend Jenny Marrs.  I first met Jenny at a parenting class when our oldest kids were babies. We have so many mutual friends and over time we have just been at the same place at the same time and I'm thankful I have gotten to know Jenny.  

Jenny and Dave went through a lot to get their family and have such an interesting story.  She tells us all about it below.  Through adopting Sylvie from the Congo they grew a love for that country and the children there.  They began a ministry called "Feed Their Tummies".  They raise money to help feed orphans in the Congo.  They have concerts frequently in our town called "Bentonville Sessions".  They have great bands play in fun venues and the money all goes to help.  They also are active with Help One Now.  

They also live in an awesome old farmhouse that they actually moved way across town to the country and then restored.  Dave is a builder and he is awesome at what he does.  

So here are the Friday "F" questions with Jenny:

1. What is your favorite food?

Lately, I’m loving quinoa. I fully realize this is the most boring answer, ever. But, really, it’s so yummy and versatile!!!

2. What is your favorite piece of clothing right now?

I love everything Noonday. A few months ago, a friend gifted me a new pair of Noonday earrings and I wear them as often as possible. They dress up any outfit and are just bright and fun.

3. Tell us about your family.

I’ll try my best to keep this brief… My husband is a home builder and, most recently, started dabbling in farming. We have a blueberry farm, honey bees and a bunch of animals.

We struggled for years with infertility. In 2008, we jumped on a roller coaster when we started the process to adopt - doors slammed shut left and right. After another failed match, we decided to make one last ditch effort with fertility treatments and finally became pregnant with twin boys in the fall of 2009. They were born prematurely and spent a month in the NICU but are now perfectly healthy and strong. The first of our four miracles.

When the boys were 18 months old, we felt led to start our adoption process again. We wouldn’t realize it until many months later, but the day I published my very first blog post to chronicle our adoption was the day our daughter was born a world away. We finally learned about our girl in November of 2012. She was in the Democratic Republic of Congo, not Ethiopia as we had originally planned. We changed our agency and our country program and completed new mounds of paperwork to finalize our adoption of Sylvie as quickly as we could. In August of 2013, everything was finalized and we were finally able to travel and meet our daughter. We planned to bring her home that next month. In September of 2013, the Congolese government issued a suspension on exit permits for all internationally adopted children. This meant our legally adopted daughter could not leave her birth country. We were absolutely devastated.

This same month, we received the surprise of our lives when we learned I was pregnant. Our fourth baby was truly a miracle and, even though the timing felt all wrong at the time, I can look back now and see how perfectly God orchestrated it all.

Charlotte was born in May of 2014 and on July 7, 2014, we received the most incredible and long-awaited email from the US Embassy in Kinshasa. Our daughter was being released to come home. In a complete whirlwind, she arrived home two days later!

Apparently, we only have kids in pairs. That summer was WILD. Two four year olds, a newborn and a newly adopted toddler is an equation for chaos. We struggled and lost a small amount of our sanity. Yet, we treasured those long-fought-for moments and pinched ourselves as we praised God for abundantly answering our prayers.

4. What is the most important quality in your Friends?

Honesty. My close friends are incredibly transparent and real. The older I get, the more I realize how messed up we all are. The truth is that no matter how many pretty pictures a person posts on Instagram, they aren’t perfect. No one is. And, if you’re perfect, I feel uncomfortable around you because I am SO not. I like messy and real and honest.

5. What’s something you have recently learned on your faith journey? Favorite scripture. Favorite bible study.

I am continually learning about surrender. My ministry has undergone a lot of change this past year and I have to be honest and say that it has been really hard. I have been so disappointed and frustrated with certain plans and dreams falling flat. BUT. God has taught me that if I surrender and lay down my plans and let go of my expectations, then He can do His work. I know His hand of protection has been over us through these changes. I have seen it and I can trust Him for what’s next. This work has always been His and He has graciously invited me to take part. I simply have to say yes, lay down my ideas of what He should do, grab ahold of His hand and walk with Him. Then, He blows me away every time. Every, single time. It really is exhilarating to watch His plans unfold!

Favorite scripture? Oh, that is HARD! I cling to different scriptures during different seasons. When we were waiting for our adopted daughter to come home, I clung to Ephesians 3:20. I quickly learned He truly can do more than we could ever ask or imagine. Psalm 91 is a favorite when I’m in the midst of spiritual battle and am struggling, particularly with fear.

Favorite bible study? I’m currently really loving the First5 studies. I have been enthralled with the old testament books - Exodus and Numbers especially. The ladies of First5 do an excellent job with the app and the experience guides.

6. Biggest fear?

I am petrified of flying. This is a rather newly acquired fear that kicked in after having children. I also have self-diagnosed PTSD after an incident with an emergency landing after an engine caught on fire in the air.

But, an even bigger fear than flying in a metal tube, is the fear of living a life of insignificance. And, to be clear, I don't want to measure the significance of my life by the world’s standards. Significance doesn’t require a big gesture or a certain number of likes or readers or photo opportunities. I’m learning how significant our days can be regardless of the monotony or seemingly mundane circumstances. Lately, the Holy Spirit has been impressing the importance of embracing smallness and simplicity. He keeps reminding me that a life marked by love is a life well lived. I just keep trying to lean into Him and take the next step before me. Sometimes that looks like changing soaked-through sheets on my toddlers bed. Sometimes that looks like hosting a concert to feed orphans in Congo. Sometimes that looks like laying down my current needs and stepping into the grief with my daughter as she processes loss and change. It looks differently each day, each moment.

7. What are some of your favorite things right now?

Shuana Niequest’s new book, Present Over Perfect. She is speaking my language.

“Some of us are made to be faster, and some slower, some of us louder, and some quieter. Some of us are made to build things and nurture things. Some of us are made to write songs and grants and novels, all different things. And I’m finding that one of the greatest delights in life is walking away from what someone told you you should be in favor of walking toward what you truly love, in your own heart, in your own secret soul.” - Shauna Niequest

The app, ArtKive. It allows you to snap a photo of your kid’s artwork and file it within the app by child/age/grade/date. I am currently working on printing books of the boys’ kindergarten artwork. It’s a life saver for this momma who can’t handle piles and piles of papers. I still save a few special pieces of art but, mostly, I toss it all. {And, I do get caught sometimes when they find the papers in the trash. But, now I can tell them: don’t worry! I’ve already taken a photo for your art book! }

8. Biggest failure?

I fail in a million small ways every day. I lose my temper, I drop one of the ten balls I’m holding in the air at any given moment, I forget to return voicemails and my email inbox is overflowing. I’m reminded daily of my desperate need for grace. And, in turn, my need to extend grace to others.

9. What do you do for fun?

I have always loved to read. I try to make time to sit on our porch swing with a good book as often as I possibly can. Reading helps me relax and unplug. Also, it has to be an actual book in print on paper. I can’t do a kindle or read on my phone. I need to disconnect completely from electronics sometimes.

10. What animals you have?(furry things)

We now live on a small farm with three dogs, nine chickens, five cows and a cat.

One of our dogs was abandoned as a six-week old puppy and discovered at the end of our dirt road in a plastic bag with her two brothers by our neighbor. So, of course, we kept her.

I helped hatch one of our baby chicks recently. When my husband collected the eggs from the coop, he heard a faint chirp coming from the inside of one of the eggs. {WHO KNEW THIS COULD HAPPEN?!} Apparently, the momma had abandoned the egg to help with the another newborn chick born the day prior. Thanks to the help of my Facebook friends (and, quite possibly the most hilarious Facebook feed of all time), the baby chick hatched and is now thriving. I had to assist her out of the shell and can now claim the title of Poultry OB.

And, owning cattle is a new adventure. Our kids named the cows: Princess, Big Red, Hamburger, Tenderloin and Baby.

The cat is a new addition. A friend had to give him away because he was killing squirrels in the neighbors’ yard. We are always accepting of cats who kill rodents here at the farm, so he was welcomed with open arms.

11. Favorite film?

I have a slight obsession with the movie, “Under the Tuscan Sun.” I actually like the book better than the movie - and they are very different - but the scenery from the film makes me happy. Tuscany is my favorite place in the world and I like to daydream about buying and restoring an abandoned villa like Frances Mayes. When I was hospitalized and on bed rest for a month before my twins were born, I watched this movie at least once a day.

12. Fact we might not know about you?

Despite my current paralyzing fear of flying, I used to be fearless and went skydiving when I was twenty-two years old. I was in Arizona for a work training, and a group of us (including my friend at the time - now husband - Dave), decided skydiving would be a fun idea. Why on earth I thought it would be FUN to voluntarily jump out of a perfectly good airplane is beyond my comprehension.

I remember waiting for my turn to jump from the open door. Each time a person would jump, the rest of us would inch our way toward to the opening. The closer I was to that open door, the more clearly I realized this was a really, really terrible idea. Once I finally jumped, I stared at the altitude watch during the entire free fall. I wanted to be sure to pull the cord at exactly the right moment. After I pulled the cord, I felt a surge of relief.

Then, I heard it.

The parachute was making a strange flapping sound.

I very distinctly remember the conversation that followed.

Me: What’s that noise?

Guy-tandem-jumping-with-me, after a few moments of silence: We have a slight problem with the parachute.

Me: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SLIGHT PROBLEM WITH THE PARACHUTE WHEN WE ARE THOUSANDS OF FEET ABOVE THE EARTH!!!!!

Tandem-jumping-guy: Well, the parachute is ripped.

We eventually landed safely and I kissed the ground while sobbing uncontrollably. Needless to say, I will never, ever, ever do that again.

You can follow Jenny on Instagram HERE.
You can read her blog HERE.