Thanksgiving, Birthdays, and Love

We had a blessed four day weekend.

We spent Thanksgiving at both of our parents's houses. It was nice to be able to see some of Josh's extended family that we hadn't seen in awhile.

(My sis-in-law and I...and her little turkey)

(Everyone except my hubby who was taking the pic)

After we went to my parents's house, my sister and her hubby came over to watch Home Alone with us. I remember watching Home Alone every year on Thanksgiving on TV, so it's kind of a tradition for me. I don't think they play it on TV anymore on Thanksgiving, though, so we had to buy it a couple of years ago to keep the tradition going.

On Friday morning, we went to a Christmas tree farm so my brother-in-law and sister-in-law could get a tree. It's surrounded by apple farms and cute little shops. We had a fun time walking around. We then ate another Thanksgiving meal in the evening at my brother-in-law's house. We played a couple of crazy rounds of spoons there and enjoyed each other's company.

On Saturday evening, I threw an ugly Christmas sweater party for Josh's birthday! It was so much fun to see how creative people were with their sweaters. We even gave out a prize for the best one. We played a lot of fun games and stayed up way too late, but it was worth it.

(I couldn't find a sweater, so I improvised)

(My husband's brothers and their wives)

(Jeremiah won the contest!)

Sunday morning, one of my nieces got dedicated at church. It was such a blessing for us to be a part of that. I'm excited to see the kind of person my niece is going to grow up to be.


On Sunday afternoon, we went over to my parents's house to celebrate my mom's birthday (she and Josh share the same birthday). My sister and I made lunch for everyone, and then we watched a couple of movies.
When we got home, we decorated our Christmas tree!




By the end of this weekend, I was exhausted! But, it was such a blessing to be surrounded by such great family and friends. I love how full my heart felt this weekend. We have so many things to be thankful for.

Baby Love

As I was in the midst of writing my last post, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law were at the hospital, receiving the news that their baby was going to be born that night!


We got to go see her yesterday.


She's a beauty.


My two little nieces have been so healing for my heart. This was one of the hardest and most emotional years I've ever experienced...and yet, it's been one of the best. I can't help but look around and see all the wonderful things I have in my life to be thankful for. I feel so blessed. I may not have a baby of my own, growing inside my stomach or in my arms, but I have such a full life.

This week is one that we all stop and look at what we have, the things we can be thankful for. I wish I was this thankful all year long... God is so good and I too often don't acknowledge that. Let's be more thankful.

I'm Blank Because...

I love this idea that Little Miss Momma came up with last week. You can check out her post here.

I'm happy because...
The holidays are upon us!
I get to spend a lot of time with family this week
I saw Breaking Dawn this weekend
My niece is now 2 months old and is filling out oh so nicely...and my other niece will be here this week
We got to hang out with some old friends last week

(My niece)

I'm thankful because...
God sent His Son to die on a cross for my sins... (we watched clips of the Passion of the Christ in church tonight...so humbling and painful to watch)
I have some really amazing people in my life
We have a roof over our heads and a nice warm bed to sleep in
Even though we don't have a baby, we love each other...and that is enough

(From our honeymoon)

I'm weird because...
I really don't like eating my food with my fingers (I use a knife or fork as much as I possibly can)
I only like certain brands of bottled water
I only like waffles with peanut butter and syrup (had them for lunch today)
I hate trying new things...unless it's food
I keep all my bathroom items and cleaning supplies in certain spots...and get irritated when they get moved

(And, one more because I just couldn't resist)

What are you "blank because" of?

Thankful on Paper - Week Three

First of all, this month is flying by...is it really already the middle of November?

I can't believe it's already Week Three of Thankful on Paper either.



This week, I chose a dear friend to write to. She and I have only really known each other for about a year and a half...but she is one of my closest friends. She is really easy to talk to (we literally talk about anything and everything), and she's such a huge encouragement to me. I feel so blessed to know her.

Even though there is still one more week for Thankful on Paper, this has really helped me learn to be more appreciative of the people I have in my life.

5 Years

Tomorrow, my grandpa will have been in heaven for 5 years.

It's still hard with him gone...especially this past year. Things have changed so much in my family...and I wish he was here.

But, he is without pain...he is cancer free...and he spends his days (are there actual days in heaven?) worshiping Jesus. What could be better than that?

Still, I miss him, and I look forward to seeing him again one day.

(My grandpa and I...when I was a baby)

This day reminds me to cherish those around me. To make the most of the relationships and time I have right now...because you never know how long people will be in your life...or on this earth.

Hug people a little tighter, laugh with them a little longer, and share your heart a little more often.

Partyin' It Up

Well...not that kind of partyin'...

Friday night, we attended a friend's birthday party...which happened to be a murder mystery dinner! It was so much fun. My hubby's character was Dr. Indy Jonas (he happened to be the murderer), and my character was Zangelina Holie.

(I was told to dress like a southern belle for my character. I had this dress from my dear friend's wedding three years ago. I borrowed the fan from my sister-in-law, and the hat from a friend. My vial of "my ex-husband's blood" was tropical punch Kool-Aid - apparently, it's an Angelina Jolie thing)

(Megh and I...her character was Fasa Shone, and she was told to dress up like Cruella de Vil)

Sunday afternoon, we threw my beautiful friend Megh a bridal shower! There were about 50 ladies in attendance. We had a lot of fun with the games...and watching Megh open her beautiful pile of presents! I am so blessed to be in her life...and to be one of her bridesmaids!

(The bride-to-be and her bridesmaids)

How was your weekend?

Thankful on Paper - Week Two

For this week's Thankful on Paper, I chose someone who is very dear to my heart to write to.

She does a lot of things behind the scenes at our church and is amazing at organization. She is one of the easiest people to talk to that I've ever met, and she is completely trustworthy.

I wrote her to thank her for who she's been in my life for the time I've known her. I thanked her for the amazing conversations we've had.


She is one of those people that just oozes Jesus. She is amazing and I truly am thankful to have her in my life.

Join the party at Rachel's blog.

Taking Steps

Life is all about taking steps, isn't it?

We either take steps in the right or wrong direction...or sometimes towards the middle ground.

Whatever steps we take, we are constantly taking them.

These past few months have been all about taking steps for me. With lifestyle changes, involvement changes, relationships, and even how I'm spending my time...I've been taking lots of steps in different directions.


But, no matter where life takes me, there are certain things I know I must always take steps towards:

My relationship with God - He doesn't call us to remain stagnant and never move forward. We need to constantly be growing and moving in the directions He wants us to go

My relationship with my hubby - I have to pursue a deeper relationship with him on a daily basis. We have to communicate with each other and take time out of our daily routines to spend time with each other. It's vital to the health of our marriage

My relationships with everyone else - God puts certain people in my life for a reason. Whether they be family, friends, people at church, or the woman I run into at the grocery store - they cross my path for a specific reason. I need to make sure I am investing in them in the right ways, and taking the right steps with them.

How about you? What people or things are you taking steps towards this week? What areas of your life are you running after...or running away from? We all take steps...let's just make sure they're in the right directions.

Be blessed this week.

Sacrifice

Tonight was really powerful at church.

We have been studying Matthew in depth for almost a year now and are nearing the end of Jesus's life.

We talked about the last supper tonight and the meaning behind passover.

Even though I've read these passages over and over, and heard sermons about them many times, it just hit home in such an impactful way tonight.

On the night of the original passover, when the Israelites were in bondage in Egypt, God told Moses to have the Israelites prepare a feast with a male lamb. They were to eat the whole lamb, saving the blood to smear on their doorposts, so that when God passed through the land to kill all the firstborn males of Egypt, His people would be spared. This was how God freed His people from the bondage of slavery in Egypt (see Exodus 12).

Then you have Jesus. God's only son (male lamb) whose blood was shed for us to free us from the bondage of our sin. Now those who believe in Him are spared from God's eternal judgment.


It's amazing to me how perfectly God's plans fit together. The first passover was not random. Even Abraham almost sacrificing Isaac was not random. Nothing is ever random. God has it all planned out...and it's always perfect.

I struggle a lot of times with doubting God's promises or His plans for me...especially when they seem extremely out of reach or unlikely. Yet, He never broke a promise in all of the Bible...so why do I doubt His abilities now? After all, He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Hebrews 13:8).

I am so thankful for the sacrifice Jesus made for me...and for you. I don't know where I would be without Him. To think of how many sacrifices I would have to make each day for all of my screw ups...it makes me sick to my stomach. I am so grateful Jesus was the final sacrifice...the perfect one...so that we don't have to worry about all those sacrifices any longer.

Thank You, God...from the bottom of my heart.

Thankful on Paper - Week One

This was the first week of Thankful on Paper.



The first person I chose to write my note to is a newer friend of mine. We've only really gotten to know each other over the past 6 months or so. I really felt like it was important for me to tell her how much she means to me. She's an amazing encourager, she immediately stops whatever she's doing to pray for people, and she gives the biggest hugs.

Who do you need to show appreciation to?

It's not too late to join in the fun! Check out Rachel's blog for more details.