It's been a long time since I've sat down to write out a blog post. I had every intention of doing one in January and then time got away from me. And now we are nearing the end of March.
I'm writing this on a plane on my way home from Colorado. Of course this won't be published until quite awhile after I get home. But my heart hurts and it's time to write some words down about why.
My beautiful CO bestie, that I cherish so very much, lost her amazing sister this past week. She fought a long almost 7 year battle with cancer. She did it. She fought hard and she no longer has to fight anymore.
I remember the very first time I met her. It was just days before she found out she had cancer. She was so full of joy, even though she had no idea why her body was doing such strange things. We went on to develop a sweet friendship. I got to spend time with her on almost every one of my trips to Colorado. We bonded over our mutual love of Gilmore Girls and Harry Potter. She surprised my husband and I two Christmases ago with scarfs she crocheted in our Hogwarts house colors. She would also write me the sweetest texts and comments on my Instagram. I feel like I barely knew her but knew her so well at the same time. She instantly made me feel so loved and cherished.
Her heart for other people, for the hurting and broken, for those everyone else would ignore, was so precious. There will never be another person on this earth just like Mary. She was a special gift. A gift I'm glad to have known, even for the short time that I had with her.
I got to say goodbye to her this weekend and celebrate her life. It was such a hard day, but it was also so very beautiful. We cried a lot, we laughed, we talked about how amazing she was and we danced. She truly would have loved every minute of that day. I'm not sure that I've ever been to a funeral that "perfect" before. It was Mary through and through.
I will miss her random texts. I will miss her kind words. I will miss her voice and how truly happy she was to see me whenever I was there for a visit. I will miss so much but I will always cherish and treasure every single interaction I ever had with her.
Showing posts with label Goodbyes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Goodbyes. Show all posts
Saturday, April 7, 2018
Thursday, October 1, 2015
Twenty Fifteen Part 9
Fall is officially here! Even though we've only had a few days so far that felt like fall weather, I am super excited!
We started off this month with a nice dinner with my parents. I love the times we get to spend with family and sometimes they are much too far apart!
Later that week, I had a wine night with my wine ladies. It was also a clothing party for a company called LuLaRoe. If you haven't ever been to a party by them before, they have super cute clothes!
The following night, I had a craft night with some friends. Since I decided last year I needed to get more crafty and decorate my house for more than just Christmas, I decided to make a few things to add to my fall decorations. I'm really happy with how the canvases turned out!
The next day, we attended the wedding of two of our friends! We went out with a few friends beforehand and then headed over to the wedding venue together. The wedding was so sweet and the place they got married at was gorgeous! We had some much fun taking silly pictures and dancing the night away.
The following morning, Josh and I headed to our favorite place! We had so much fun! We were there for a couple of days and tried our best to stay out of the heat! It was very humid and unseasonably warm there, but we enjoyed the short lines and were able to see the new parade and World of Color show! We also tried out a restaurant we hadn't been to before. While we loved the food, we didn't realize it was outdoor-only seating. So we sweat a little bit throughout dinner. But it really was such a fun trip and I'm glad we were able to spend that time together.
After we got back, we found out about our friend passing away, which was so hard (I wrote another post about it here). We attended his memorial service the following week and I was blown away at how many lives he touched. There were over 800 people at his service. Josh was able to put together a really nice video that they showed at the service. It was a hard day, but it was good to see the faces of all the people that he loved him, and that loved him and his family in return.
The next weekend, we celebrated our niece's 4th birthday! I still can't believe she is 4! Time really does fly by. Josh's brother's family went camping for her birthday at a nearby campground, so we drove up on her birthday and had dinner and s'mores with them. The next day, we went back and had a family BBQ party for her birthday. It was a great time with family and friends.
The next day, we got to witness quite a few people get baptized at church. I love seeing how God moves in people's lives and draws them closer to Himself. It was a very powerful and emotional morning. Later that evening, we had a church meeting to find out updates about what's going on and what's coming up in the future. Josh and I are so excited for what God's doing in our church. It's such a huge contrast to how we were feeling early last year, but I'm so thankful for God's leading and for the leadership He has provided to our church.
Later that week, we had a fun BBQ with some friends and family. I love when we happen to have a day that isn't super busy that we can do something spur of the moment. It doesn't happen very often, so it's nice when it does.
The following day, we spent some time with friends watching a football game and eating baked potatoes, chili, and lots of other yummy foods. I am not a big football fan at all, but I love the fellowship and food that comes along with watching games.
The next day, I tried out an idea I wanted to do the week before, but it just didn't work out. I sent a text to a bunch of different ladies to invite them to join me at a Starbucks to hang out and talk. Four ladies were able to join me and it was a really great night. I'd love to do this more often, to just throw the idea out there, and whoever comes is meant to be there.
And we finished out the month of September by attending a going away party for the youth pastors at our church. Both of them had served in the ministry for over 15 years. They hired me almost 10 years ago to be a youth assistant, and I learned a lot during my time in that ministry. While it is sad to see them go, we are excited for what God is going to do in their lives, as well as in the lives of our youth kids and leaders.
Other highlights for the month:
My BCBs and I read a book called The Luckiest Girl Alive. It was definitely a crazy read and it has some gruesome parts, but a lot of it really made me think about just how powerful of an influence we have on other people's lives, as well as how easily we can be influenced by others.
We had other fun nights with friends and coffee dates. Josh was able to pick some cabernet grapes with some buddies that they are going to use to make wine! I'm definitely excited to try it.
Things God has been teaching me:
God has definitely been tugging on my heart to move in some different directions. Some of which I definitely would not have had on the horizon even three months ago. It's been amazing and also a little scary, but I'm really excited to see how He's going to use me in some different situations.
And that's a wrap! It's hard to believe this year is already 3/4 of the way over!
We started off this month with a nice dinner with my parents. I love the times we get to spend with family and sometimes they are much too far apart!
Later that week, I had a wine night with my wine ladies. It was also a clothing party for a company called LuLaRoe. If you haven't ever been to a party by them before, they have super cute clothes!
The following night, I had a craft night with some friends. Since I decided last year I needed to get more crafty and decorate my house for more than just Christmas, I decided to make a few things to add to my fall decorations. I'm really happy with how the canvases turned out!
My canvases up with my Mickey ears wreath I made last year
The next day, we attended the wedding of two of our friends! We went out with a few friends beforehand and then headed over to the wedding venue together. The wedding was so sweet and the place they got married at was gorgeous! We had some much fun taking silly pictures and dancing the night away.
The following morning, Josh and I headed to our favorite place! We had so much fun! We were there for a couple of days and tried our best to stay out of the heat! It was very humid and unseasonably warm there, but we enjoyed the short lines and were able to see the new parade and World of Color show! We also tried out a restaurant we hadn't been to before. While we loved the food, we didn't realize it was outdoor-only seating. So we sweat a little bit throughout dinner. But it really was such a fun trip and I'm glad we were able to spend that time together.
After we got back, we found out about our friend passing away, which was so hard (I wrote another post about it here). We attended his memorial service the following week and I was blown away at how many lives he touched. There were over 800 people at his service. Josh was able to put together a really nice video that they showed at the service. It was a hard day, but it was good to see the faces of all the people that he loved him, and that loved him and his family in return.
The next weekend, we celebrated our niece's 4th birthday! I still can't believe she is 4! Time really does fly by. Josh's brother's family went camping for her birthday at a nearby campground, so we drove up on her birthday and had dinner and s'mores with them. The next day, we went back and had a family BBQ party for her birthday. It was a great time with family and friends.
The next day, we got to witness quite a few people get baptized at church. I love seeing how God moves in people's lives and draws them closer to Himself. It was a very powerful and emotional morning. Later that evening, we had a church meeting to find out updates about what's going on and what's coming up in the future. Josh and I are so excited for what God's doing in our church. It's such a huge contrast to how we were feeling early last year, but I'm so thankful for God's leading and for the leadership He has provided to our church.
Later that week, we had a fun BBQ with some friends and family. I love when we happen to have a day that isn't super busy that we can do something spur of the moment. It doesn't happen very often, so it's nice when it does.
The following day, we spent some time with friends watching a football game and eating baked potatoes, chili, and lots of other yummy foods. I am not a big football fan at all, but I love the fellowship and food that comes along with watching games.
The next day, I tried out an idea I wanted to do the week before, but it just didn't work out. I sent a text to a bunch of different ladies to invite them to join me at a Starbucks to hang out and talk. Four ladies were able to join me and it was a really great night. I'd love to do this more often, to just throw the idea out there, and whoever comes is meant to be there.
And we finished out the month of September by attending a going away party for the youth pastors at our church. Both of them had served in the ministry for over 15 years. They hired me almost 10 years ago to be a youth assistant, and I learned a lot during my time in that ministry. While it is sad to see them go, we are excited for what God is going to do in their lives, as well as in the lives of our youth kids and leaders.
Other highlights for the month:
My BCBs and I read a book called The Luckiest Girl Alive. It was definitely a crazy read and it has some gruesome parts, but a lot of it really made me think about just how powerful of an influence we have on other people's lives, as well as how easily we can be influenced by others.
We had other fun nights with friends and coffee dates. Josh was able to pick some cabernet grapes with some buddies that they are going to use to make wine! I'm definitely excited to try it.
Things God has been teaching me:
God has definitely been tugging on my heart to move in some different directions. Some of which I definitely would not have had on the horizon even three months ago. It's been amazing and also a little scary, but I'm really excited to see how He's going to use me in some different situations.
And that's a wrap! It's hard to believe this year is already 3/4 of the way over!
Monday, September 14, 2015
Life is Precious
This past week has been a mix of fun and tough.
Josh and I went on a trip to our favorite place (Disneyland) last week. The night before we left, I had this horrible dream that we got in a car accident on our way down there. It made me feel a little shaky, so I spent some time praying after I woke up. Crazy thing was, on our way down there, we drove through the scene of an accident just minutes after it happened. We stopped to get gas at one point and I debated about stopping at a Starbucks as well, but decided to go ahead and stop. If we wouldn't have stopped, we could have been involved in that accident.
As we were driving through, very slowly to avoid the glass and other debris in the road, I started crying looking at the wreckage around us. One of the cars was so smashed in, I didn't even know if the driver would still be alive. There was a big pickup halfway up the center divide with a trailer attached. We saw at least six vehicles that were involved in the accident. I started praying out loud as we drove through that Jesus would protect the people involved and get them the help they needed. We found out later that thankfully no one was killed but that a few people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The day after we got home from our trip, we found out that a friend of ours was killed in a car accident. Neither one of us wanted to believe it at first. It came as a complete shock and completely rocked both of us.
Today, that friend would have turned 25. We joined a lot of his loved ones in a park this afternoon to let off balloons in honor of his birthday.
I've been reminded this week about how short life is. And how precious it is. I let petty stuff get in the way of things too often. I get upset about little things that don't matter. I have moments where I feel entitled about things or expect that things should go my way. I often overlook the feelings of those around me because I'm too wrapped up in my own world.
So today, in this moment, I'm striving for a heart change. I want to be more mindful of those around me than of myself. I want to focus my energy more on the people around me that need it more than I do. I want to honor and cherish the people I have in my life, because I don't know how much time I will have with them.
Life is precious. Let's live each day like we really believe that.
Josh and I went on a trip to our favorite place (Disneyland) last week. The night before we left, I had this horrible dream that we got in a car accident on our way down there. It made me feel a little shaky, so I spent some time praying after I woke up. Crazy thing was, on our way down there, we drove through the scene of an accident just minutes after it happened. We stopped to get gas at one point and I debated about stopping at a Starbucks as well, but decided to go ahead and stop. If we wouldn't have stopped, we could have been involved in that accident.
As we were driving through, very slowly to avoid the glass and other debris in the road, I started crying looking at the wreckage around us. One of the cars was so smashed in, I didn't even know if the driver would still be alive. There was a big pickup halfway up the center divide with a trailer attached. We saw at least six vehicles that were involved in the accident. I started praying out loud as we drove through that Jesus would protect the people involved and get them the help they needed. We found out later that thankfully no one was killed but that a few people were taken to the hospital with minor injuries.
The day after we got home from our trip, we found out that a friend of ours was killed in a car accident. Neither one of us wanted to believe it at first. It came as a complete shock and completely rocked both of us.
Today, that friend would have turned 25. We joined a lot of his loved ones in a park this afternoon to let off balloons in honor of his birthday.
Photo cred to my husband
I've been reminded this week about how short life is. And how precious it is. I let petty stuff get in the way of things too often. I get upset about little things that don't matter. I have moments where I feel entitled about things or expect that things should go my way. I often overlook the feelings of those around me because I'm too wrapped up in my own world.
So today, in this moment, I'm striving for a heart change. I want to be more mindful of those around me than of myself. I want to focus my energy more on the people around me that need it more than I do. I want to honor and cherish the people I have in my life, because I don't know how much time I will have with them.
Life is precious. Let's live each day like we really believe that.
We miss you, friend
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
Twenty Fifteen Part 1
It's crazy to think that we are already over a month and a half into 2015!
Here's a little recap of what January looked like:
We started 2015 with a little New Year's Eve get together at our house. We played a fun game and watched the countdown on the TV. It was a good night.
The next week, I started seeing a myofascial release therapist for my neck. I've been going since and it has been so amazing. I feel so much more movement and I'm in a lot less pain every day. It's a slow process but it's one that I really believe is going to pay off in the long run.
We went on a fun sushi date night with Josh's brother and his family. We both got gift cards from Josh's parents for Christmas, so we decided to go together. It was delicious and a lot of fun!
The next day, I headed out of town with some good friends for wine tasting. One of my wine pals also has a January birthday, so we wanted to go to this specific winery to celebrate both of our birthdays. We were able to get a free tour of the facility and they gave us lunch along with our tasting. It was a really great experience. We also checked out a local building that housed a ton of organic eateries and little shops. I had an amazing salad and tried a raw oyster for the first time. It was a really great day.
My dear friend went into labor that weekend and I got to meet her little man! Oh my goodness, am I in love! He is so precious. I'm so excited to be an Auntie again!
Later that week, one of my dear friends that went wine tasting with me had me over for a wine night. She bought a bottle of wine from the winery for us to share (though we did not finish off that bottle in one evening), and some yummy meats and crackers. She also made me these delicious brownies! It was the best night. We always have such good conversations when we are together, and this night definitely did not disappoint.
The next day, we attended the memorial service for Josh's great grandma. While it was a very sad day, it was really nice to be able to see so many of Josh's family members there. His brother and his family were able to come up for the service, so we got to spend a lot of time with them that weekend. We went out to lunch with everyone after and Josh was able to show the video he made in honor of his great grandma. That evening, we went over to see our new baby love and had dinner with our friends. We played a game and laughed so much. It was such a fun night.
The next day, we had lunch with his family and celebrated Christmas with his brother's family. We went out bowling later that afternoon with our oldest niece, which was a lot of fun. That evening, I went out with two of my sisters-in-law and we had such a fun night. It really was so good to have quality family time with everyone.
Later that week, I went out dress shopping with my friend K.M. for our Vegas trip! We had a really fun day together. That evening, we went to a hockey game with Josh's family (my first!). His brother bought us all tickets for Christmas. It was really fun, but also very stressful! I was seriously nervous about people getting hurt the whole time. We have a friend that works at the arena and he got Josh and I on the kiss cam!
The next day, one of our friends got baptized at church and we went to a little luncheon at her in-law's house to celebrate.
Later that week, I turned 30! My dear Bible study friends surprised me with a yummy cake and my favorite cookies! We also played a game that evening and laughed so hard. It was the best first day of being 30.
That weekend, I went out with some of my dearest friends to a wine bar that I'd been wanting to try for awhile. They had a huge selection of wine and had the yummiest food. Paninis are their speciality, and they also have amazing meat and cheese trays. I didn't hear anyone complain at our table about their food. Everything was delicious! And it was such a good night of being out with my girlfriends. I seriously enjoyed it so much. It was incredibly relaxing and so perfect.
January was also full of other fun evenings spent with friends and family. The Bachelor and Pretty Little Liars came back on, as well as most of my other shows, so that was exciting. I also sang for worship a couple of times. It was a busy month, but a good one.
Here's a little recap of what January looked like:
We started 2015 with a little New Year's Eve get together at our house. We played a fun game and watched the countdown on the TV. It was a good night.
We have a picture just like this in almost the same spot in my house from two years ago. We were even wearing the same colors!
The next week, I started seeing a myofascial release therapist for my neck. I've been going since and it has been so amazing. I feel so much more movement and I'm in a lot less pain every day. It's a slow process but it's one that I really believe is going to pay off in the long run.
We went on a fun sushi date night with Josh's brother and his family. We both got gift cards from Josh's parents for Christmas, so we decided to go together. It was delicious and a lot of fun!
The next day, I headed out of town with some good friends for wine tasting. One of my wine pals also has a January birthday, so we wanted to go to this specific winery to celebrate both of our birthdays. We were able to get a free tour of the facility and they gave us lunch along with our tasting. It was a really great experience. We also checked out a local building that housed a ton of organic eateries and little shops. I had an amazing salad and tried a raw oyster for the first time. It was a really great day.
The whole group of wonderful ladies!
Birthday girl picture
My dear friend went into labor that weekend and I got to meet her little man! Oh my goodness, am I in love! He is so precious. I'm so excited to be an Auntie again!
Later that week, one of my dear friends that went wine tasting with me had me over for a wine night. She bought a bottle of wine from the winery for us to share (though we did not finish off that bottle in one evening), and some yummy meats and crackers. She also made me these delicious brownies! It was the best night. We always have such good conversations when we are together, and this night definitely did not disappoint.
The next day, we attended the memorial service for Josh's great grandma. While it was a very sad day, it was really nice to be able to see so many of Josh's family members there. His brother and his family were able to come up for the service, so we got to spend a lot of time with them that weekend. We went out to lunch with everyone after and Josh was able to show the video he made in honor of his great grandma. That evening, we went over to see our new baby love and had dinner with our friends. We played a game and laughed so much. It was such a fun night.
My sister-in-law and I with our nephew
Uncle Josh and our nephew
Uncle Josh and our new "nephew"
The next day, we had lunch with his family and celebrated Christmas with his brother's family. We went out bowling later that afternoon with our oldest niece, which was a lot of fun. That evening, I went out with two of my sisters-in-law and we had such a fun night. It really was so good to have quality family time with everyone.
My oldest niece in the middle
This boy and his smiles
With my sisters-in-law
Later that week, I went out dress shopping with my friend K.M. for our Vegas trip! We had a really fun day together. That evening, we went to a hockey game with Josh's family (my first!). His brother bought us all tickets for Christmas. It was really fun, but also very stressful! I was seriously nervous about people getting hurt the whole time. We have a friend that works at the arena and he got Josh and I on the kiss cam!
Part of our group
The next day, one of our friends got baptized at church and we went to a little luncheon at her in-law's house to celebrate.
Later that week, I turned 30! My dear Bible study friends surprised me with a yummy cake and my favorite cookies! We also played a game that evening and laughed so hard. It was the best first day of being 30.
That weekend, I went out with some of my dearest friends to a wine bar that I'd been wanting to try for awhile. They had a huge selection of wine and had the yummiest food. Paninis are their speciality, and they also have amazing meat and cheese trays. I didn't hear anyone complain at our table about their food. Everything was delicious! And it was such a good night of being out with my girlfriends. I seriously enjoyed it so much. It was incredibly relaxing and so perfect.
January was also full of other fun evenings spent with friends and family. The Bachelor and Pretty Little Liars came back on, as well as most of my other shows, so that was exciting. I also sang for worship a couple of times. It was a busy month, but a good one.
Thursday, December 18, 2014
A Recap
I was just sitting here looking at the posts I wrote this time last year in recap of 2013.
It's crazy to me that I picked the word beautiful to describe last year, because I've felt like this year has been so beautiful as well.
But I think the word I would pick to truly describe 2014 is progress. Many situations that were going last year on in my life and in the lives of those I love carried into this year...and some are still going on. But I've seen progress. I've seen God working. I've seen some of the good come out of them...and I'm just waiting to see the rest of the progression.
I also had a couple of hopes and dreams for 2014 that I wanted to review and think on.
The first one was to be more intentional in my relationships. I think I've done this fairly well with some people, but not so well with others. This is definitely something I still need to work on, but I see the progress.
The second was to read and journal more. I don't even know if I really even spent any time journaling this year. But I do think I've gotten better at reading. I have my BCB's to thank for reading in general, and I've been a bit more consistent in my Bible reading because of the YouVersion app.
I also said that I thought our lives were going to change a lot this year. While I feel like our lives are kind of similar to last year, I do see that some things have changed. Some of Josh's ministry aspirations have changed, our church situation has changed (hallelujah!!), and I definitely feel like we have changed and grown a lot personally and in our marriage. So while our day-to-day lives make look almost the same as they did last year, I know we are not the same people we were this time last year.
So now, let's do a little recap on this year.
We started off 2014 in Disneyland! We went with my sister and her husband. It was so fun to be in my happy place again with my sister, as it had been quite a few years since the two of us were there together! I went wine tasting with some ladies to celebrate a friend's birthday. I also went to a baby shower for a friend, and went away for the night with some of my girlfriends to celebrate my birthday. I also had a couple of other fun celebrations for my birthday to end out the month of January.
February started off with my first crab feed. I went to Disney on Ice, helped surprise my brother-in-law for his birthday, and celebrated a friend's 40th birthday. And of course, we went to Disneyland to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary.
In March, we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday and had a pizza night with my worship team. We took a trip to Colorado to see our friends there and I got to celebrate Emily's birthday with her. We were asked to take pictures for our friends' wedding. I helped organize a birthday dinner for my sweet friend L.B. and I did two Scentsy parties. I saw Divergent with some good friends and we had a potential pastor visit our church. I finished out the month celebrating my friend M.D.'s 30th birthday. And my BCBs and I formed our book club.
April brought my sister's birthday and a fun day of celebrating her life. I also hung out with an old friend and we had a great Easter service at church. We spent the rest of Easter Sunday with family and friends. The following weekend, we went to our friend's family's cabin with our marrieds group. And then my friend E.K. and my goddaughter arrived to stay in this area for awhile.
In May, I was able to get together with E.K. once a week. It was so good for my heart. We saw Spiderman and X-Men, and I spent a fun evening with some beautiful young women while Josh was at a short men's retreat. We celebrated my dad's birthday and Mother's Day. I went to a bridal shower for the now married Y.H. My oldest niece turned seven (!!) and my BCBs and I started reading Harry Potter together. I went to a fun wine night and we went to L.B.'s daughter's second birthday party. We celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday, and went to the grad party of our former pastor's son. Our friends from CO came out that weekend to attend his graduation, so we spent a lot of time with them while they were here. May was also a little scary because my grandma had to have brain surgery.
June brought E.K.'s baby shower and celebrating Father's Day. I also went on a fun girls day out and the last of my hubby's childhood friends (dot35) got married. We also spent the end of June and part of July on a fun trip to Portland and Seattle.
The beginning of July brought our first nephew!! I went to a bridal shower for a dear friend and we watched some fireworks with our friends. We celebrated L.B.'s oldest daughter's birthday and had a birthday dinner for Josh's grandparents. E.K. gave birth to my second nephew and I got to go meet him shortly after they arrived home from the hospital. I also went wine tasting to celebrate a friend's birthday and had some really fun hang outs with various friends. My BCBs and I finished Harry Potter and read The Giver. And we found out our friends K.W. and S.W. were expecting a baby...and that they were moving back here!
In August, we found out that baby W. is a boy!! We went to a taco night fundraiser for our local police squad and I went wine tasting with L.B. and her parents. We saw our friends' band play and spent Josh's dad's birthday at a baseball game with his family. I had a nice visit with my mom and my grandma, and we celebrated K.W.'s birthday. We went to a house warming party for our friends V.M. and K.M., and our Sunday night service ended at church. We saw Guardians of the Galaxy twice, and I had some other fun hang out and wine nights with friends. My BCBs and I finished the Delirium series, read Paper Towns and We Were Liars.
We started September off with a fun day at the beach with friends. I got to celebrate my bestie's birthday and had two fun craft nights with some friends. We celebrated a couple of friends' birthdays and I had a fun night out with my friend M.D. I had a fun girls night and we celebrated my niece's 3rd birthday twice! We also went to a co-ed baby shower, and my BCBs and I read a funny book called Beauty Queens. We also went to see Josh's great grandma to say our goodbyes, and got to see Josh's oldest brother and his family...and meet our nephew!!
In October, we went on a fun getaway with some friends. I did a Scentsy party for a friend and we went to a corn maze with our marrieds group. My mom, sister and I had a fun girls spa day, and I hosted a fall BUNCO night at my house. We went on a fun sushi date night with my sister and her hubby, and to a fun Halloween party that our friend throws every year. We also got a new senior pastor finally!! I had some fun hang outs with friends, and my BCBs and I read an amazing book called The Invention of Wings.
November started off with a small memorial service for Josh's great grandma. I went to S.W.'s baby shower, and went wine tasting with some friends. I went on my annual trip to the pottery painting place with my friend S.S., and I watched my hubby receive an award for his hard work. We had FriendsGiving with some amazing friends, and checked out a local distillery. We went wine tasting with my sister and her husband, and I went to a Christmas craft night. I saw Mockingjay three times, and threw a surprise party for Josh for his 30th birthday. We celebrated Thanksgiving a day early with my family, and then headed out of town for the weekend to spend some time at the beach. My sister-in-law and her family did a special birthday dinner for Josh while we were staying with them. I also read Orphan Train with my BCBs and our youngest niece turned 3!!
And so far this month, we went to our local Christmas parade, and have gone to a couple of Christmas parties. We got all of our shopping and wrapping done early, and really enjoyed decorating the house. I've been listening to Christmas music since November 1st, and we have watched about half of our favorite Christmas movies. We had a fun dinner with family, and I got to see our niece in her Christmas program at her preschool. We have a lot of fun stuff planned in the next couple of weeks to celebrate Christmas with our family and friends. I am looking forward to some time off work, and some time spent surrounded by the people I love.
I am planning to come back and post about some hopes and dreams for 2015 (it's so weird to type that number). Until then, have a wonderful few days before Christmas and soak up all that wonderful time with loved ones. And most importantly, remember Who this season is all about.
It's crazy to me that I picked the word beautiful to describe last year, because I've felt like this year has been so beautiful as well.
But I think the word I would pick to truly describe 2014 is progress. Many situations that were going last year on in my life and in the lives of those I love carried into this year...and some are still going on. But I've seen progress. I've seen God working. I've seen some of the good come out of them...and I'm just waiting to see the rest of the progression.
I also had a couple of hopes and dreams for 2014 that I wanted to review and think on.
The first one was to be more intentional in my relationships. I think I've done this fairly well with some people, but not so well with others. This is definitely something I still need to work on, but I see the progress.
The second was to read and journal more. I don't even know if I really even spent any time journaling this year. But I do think I've gotten better at reading. I have my BCB's to thank for reading in general, and I've been a bit more consistent in my Bible reading because of the YouVersion app.
I also said that I thought our lives were going to change a lot this year. While I feel like our lives are kind of similar to last year, I do see that some things have changed. Some of Josh's ministry aspirations have changed, our church situation has changed (hallelujah!!), and I definitely feel like we have changed and grown a lot personally and in our marriage. So while our day-to-day lives make look almost the same as they did last year, I know we are not the same people we were this time last year.
So now, let's do a little recap on this year.
We started off 2014 in Disneyland! We went with my sister and her husband. It was so fun to be in my happy place again with my sister, as it had been quite a few years since the two of us were there together! I went wine tasting with some ladies to celebrate a friend's birthday. I also went to a baby shower for a friend, and went away for the night with some of my girlfriends to celebrate my birthday. I also had a couple of other fun celebrations for my birthday to end out the month of January.
February started off with my first crab feed. I went to Disney on Ice, helped surprise my brother-in-law for his birthday, and celebrated a friend's 40th birthday. And of course, we went to Disneyland to celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary.
In March, we celebrated my mother-in-law's birthday and had a pizza night with my worship team. We took a trip to Colorado to see our friends there and I got to celebrate Emily's birthday with her. We were asked to take pictures for our friends' wedding. I helped organize a birthday dinner for my sweet friend L.B. and I did two Scentsy parties. I saw Divergent with some good friends and we had a potential pastor visit our church. I finished out the month celebrating my friend M.D.'s 30th birthday. And my BCBs and I formed our book club.
April brought my sister's birthday and a fun day of celebrating her life. I also hung out with an old friend and we had a great Easter service at church. We spent the rest of Easter Sunday with family and friends. The following weekend, we went to our friend's family's cabin with our marrieds group. And then my friend E.K. and my goddaughter arrived to stay in this area for awhile.
In May, I was able to get together with E.K. once a week. It was so good for my heart. We saw Spiderman and X-Men, and I spent a fun evening with some beautiful young women while Josh was at a short men's retreat. We celebrated my dad's birthday and Mother's Day. I went to a bridal shower for the now married Y.H. My oldest niece turned seven (!!) and my BCBs and I started reading Harry Potter together. I went to a fun wine night and we went to L.B.'s daughter's second birthday party. We celebrated my sister-in-law's birthday, and went to the grad party of our former pastor's son. Our friends from CO came out that weekend to attend his graduation, so we spent a lot of time with them while they were here. May was also a little scary because my grandma had to have brain surgery.
June brought E.K.'s baby shower and celebrating Father's Day. I also went on a fun girls day out and the last of my hubby's childhood friends (dot35) got married. We also spent the end of June and part of July on a fun trip to Portland and Seattle.
The beginning of July brought our first nephew!! I went to a bridal shower for a dear friend and we watched some fireworks with our friends. We celebrated L.B.'s oldest daughter's birthday and had a birthday dinner for Josh's grandparents. E.K. gave birth to my second nephew and I got to go meet him shortly after they arrived home from the hospital. I also went wine tasting to celebrate a friend's birthday and had some really fun hang outs with various friends. My BCBs and I finished Harry Potter and read The Giver. And we found out our friends K.W. and S.W. were expecting a baby...and that they were moving back here!
In August, we found out that baby W. is a boy!! We went to a taco night fundraiser for our local police squad and I went wine tasting with L.B. and her parents. We saw our friends' band play and spent Josh's dad's birthday at a baseball game with his family. I had a nice visit with my mom and my grandma, and we celebrated K.W.'s birthday. We went to a house warming party for our friends V.M. and K.M., and our Sunday night service ended at church. We saw Guardians of the Galaxy twice, and I had some other fun hang out and wine nights with friends. My BCBs and I finished the Delirium series, read Paper Towns and We Were Liars.
We started September off with a fun day at the beach with friends. I got to celebrate my bestie's birthday and had two fun craft nights with some friends. We celebrated a couple of friends' birthdays and I had a fun night out with my friend M.D. I had a fun girls night and we celebrated my niece's 3rd birthday twice! We also went to a co-ed baby shower, and my BCBs and I read a funny book called Beauty Queens. We also went to see Josh's great grandma to say our goodbyes, and got to see Josh's oldest brother and his family...and meet our nephew!!
In October, we went on a fun getaway with some friends. I did a Scentsy party for a friend and we went to a corn maze with our marrieds group. My mom, sister and I had a fun girls spa day, and I hosted a fall BUNCO night at my house. We went on a fun sushi date night with my sister and her hubby, and to a fun Halloween party that our friend throws every year. We also got a new senior pastor finally!! I had some fun hang outs with friends, and my BCBs and I read an amazing book called The Invention of Wings.
November started off with a small memorial service for Josh's great grandma. I went to S.W.'s baby shower, and went wine tasting with some friends. I went on my annual trip to the pottery painting place with my friend S.S., and I watched my hubby receive an award for his hard work. We had FriendsGiving with some amazing friends, and checked out a local distillery. We went wine tasting with my sister and her husband, and I went to a Christmas craft night. I saw Mockingjay three times, and threw a surprise party for Josh for his 30th birthday. We celebrated Thanksgiving a day early with my family, and then headed out of town for the weekend to spend some time at the beach. My sister-in-law and her family did a special birthday dinner for Josh while we were staying with them. I also read Orphan Train with my BCBs and our youngest niece turned 3!!
And so far this month, we went to our local Christmas parade, and have gone to a couple of Christmas parties. We got all of our shopping and wrapping done early, and really enjoyed decorating the house. I've been listening to Christmas music since November 1st, and we have watched about half of our favorite Christmas movies. We had a fun dinner with family, and I got to see our niece in her Christmas program at her preschool. We have a lot of fun stuff planned in the next couple of weeks to celebrate Christmas with our family and friends. I am looking forward to some time off work, and some time spent surrounded by the people I love.
I am planning to come back and post about some hopes and dreams for 2015 (it's so weird to type that number). Until then, have a wonderful few days before Christmas and soak up all that wonderful time with loved ones. And most importantly, remember Who this season is all about.
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