CLICK HERE FOR FREE BLOG LAYOUTS, LINK BUTTONS AND MORE! »

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

L - Little Things (Christmas Post Coming Soon)

I was trying to think of something for L so I asked Josh and he said it should be "Little Things". I liked that idea. I don't often stop to be thankful for all the small things each day. I decided to just make a list of some of my favorite "little things" that I am thankful for.

-a morning drink at Starbucks
-a good hair day
-Josh watching Addison so I can go to the gym
-a sweet text or email
-talking to Jackie Beth or my mom
-hearing songs I like on the radio
-clean laundry
-Addie's cute little noises
-being able to sit and relax all by myself
-hot tea with milk and sugar
-no traffic
-getting all my paperwork completed at work


There are lots of others but that's what I thought of first. Remember to be thankful for little things - especially when life is busy.

I promise I will post about Addie's first Christmas as soon as I upload pictures!

Friday, December 25, 2009

K- Kisses (and Photos)





This will be short and sweet but I am thankful for kisses. I am thankful for all of the sweet kisses I get to give my baby and the kisses she will eventually give me (slober and all). I am thankful for the kisses I exchange with Josh - sweet kisses, sexy kisses, playful kisses, etc. I am thankful for kisses.

The pictures were taken by Seasons of Change Photography. Paul Sudbury and Angela (Sudbury) Fleming started a photography business and asked to take our picture for their portfolio. Their prices are great and they do an AWESOME job. If you are in the metroplex area look them up. The email is seasonsofchangetx@gmail.com and they have a website on shutterfly.

The first pics go along with my kissing post...these next ones are just ones that I like! The rest are on facebook!





Saturday, December 19, 2009

J-Josh (Anniversary)

6 years ago tonight I was at my rehearsal dinner getting ready to marry the man of my dreams.

Sometimes it seems funny to me that Josh and I have only been married 6 years and have been together for 8 years. When I think about all the things - good and bad that we have experienced together in that time - I am amazed at how much we have grown in that time. My love for this man has grown and changed so much already as we have walked together through some dark trials, I've seen him grow as a youth minister, I've watched him fall in love with our daughter, we've moved away from family and friends, and so many other things. I feel like we continually get to know new things about each other and I love that.

I started to write a list of random facts about Josh and things that I love about him, but we have to leave to drive to Texas tomorrow, I don't want to embarrass Josh and it would be hard to keep the list short. So, I will simply tell you that there are hundreds of things that I love about Josh and countless ways that I have been blessed by him. I am so thankful to have him in my life as my friend and partner.

Here is a quote from a letter he wrote me before we got engaged and that we used in our wedding - "I love you. I'm in love with you. It's like I always loved you, it just took me awhile to find you."

6 years down - A LOT more to go.

One of my favorite pictures...

Thursday, December 17, 2009

I - Ice cream


As silly as it may be, I am thankful for Blue Bell ice cream. We don't have it in Colorado except from a Russell Stover candy store (super expensive) and I eat as much as I can every time we go home.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

H - Helping People (Blind Side)

I had a hard time coming up with something for H. Then I watched The Blind Side this weekend. One of my first reactions to the movie was that it was hard for me to see. I hear stories like that (and a lot worse) at work every day but at work I try hard to not get emotionally attached. Watching the movie I was able to "feel" it and be emotional.

I want to be like Leigh Ann Tuohy. I want to be the kind of person that would take a stranger in and help them, not to get anything out of it, but because it's the right thing to do and it's what God asked us to do. I love the feeling I get when I am able to help a child in foster care succeed. I am passionate about the work that I do. It isn't just a pay check but it's something I love.

I strongly believe that God did not call us to be comfortable or safe. He called us to do His work and frequently His work is neither of those two things. I want to be a woman who will step out of her comfort zone and love on people that the world ignores.

I am thankful that God has given me the desire to help others. I pray that I am able to instill that in my children as well.

On a side note, my agency I work for has a chance to bring in Michaell Oher. I hope that we are able to - it would be amazing!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

G - Grandparents

Addison is blessed to have three sets of wonderful grandparents and a Great-Grandmother who love her very much.

Everyone was able to come see her after she was born and we constantly get requests for updates, pictures etc. Josh and I think it is so fun to see our parents go completely nuts over this little girl. I have no doubt that she will be spoiled so my job changes to keeping her from getting too spoiled or bratty.

I have great memories of my grandparents growing up, but my family wasn't particularly close to them. I am so thankful that Addie will have grandparents who want to be involved in her life, will support her, love her and be there for her.



Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Shoe Dazzle

Has anyone heard of this? A friend at work told me about it. Shoe Dazzle is a membership website that has you fill out a questionnaire about your fashion style. Each month they email you shoes that fit your preferences and for $39.95 you get to pick any pair of shoes each month. It's also free shipping. I have a few friends who have done this and love it. Not sure if I will or not right now, but wanted to share the info. I know that I love shoes and most girls do too!

Anyway, check it out www.shoedazzle.com

Monday, December 7, 2009

Thankful for friends - F

First, I really wanted to scan in some pictures to put on here but haven't had the time. Maybe I'll get it done soon...Otherwise, just imagine cool pictures of all of my friends.

I have the greatest friends ever! Other people think they have the best friends, but they are wrong.

When I think about my friends who have blessed me one of the things that I am most thankful for is that I have friends from various times in my life, places and with different things in common.

Kristen and Jeremy are two of my friend that I grew up with that I still am able to see. Kristen lives in Denver and I try to see her and her family whenever I can. We always make an effort to hang out when Jeremy comes in town. They share my love for Africa since they grew up living in Africa as a missionary family

David, Elliott, Danny, Jessica, Stacey, Ben, Eric, and Cal are some of the friends from Austin that I grew up with. I don't keep up with some of them as much as I would like to but I have wonderful memories of things we have done together.

Steve, Casey and Kasey were some of my very best friends at ACU. They played such an important part in my life.

Mel, Ashley, Jeff, Linds, Emily, Amy, Tucker, Kyle, Beth, Clint and Andy are a few of the people I was lucky enough to be friends with at ACU. One of the neat things about my friendship with Mel is that we are still a big part of each others lives since we live near each other and are kind of all alone up here. It has been a blessing to have a college friend so close.

Lacy, Andy, Mary, Jeff, Brad and Alli are friends that I have gotten to know through jobs. We definitely formed trauma bonds because of the work we do. Lacy has since moved back to Texas. I get together with Alli once a month and it is one of the highlights of my month. I try to get together for lunch with Brad, Jeff and Mary when we can find a time too.

Sheila, Lynn, Connie, Linda, and Joan are among some of the women I have gotten to know and love in Denver. They have laughed with me, prayed with me, brought us meals and so many other things. At times I think some of us are more family than friends.

And then there is Jackie Beth. I would easily call her my best friend. In some ways we are like the same person - we "get" each other in a way that has to be from God. In other ways we are pretty different. I love that we have been able to stay friends being far apart and not getting to hang out very often. She is the friend that I can say anything to, even if it is over voice mail. One of my other favorite things is that we are able to our dorky, goofy selves when we are together.

I am so thankful for all of my friends - ones that I don't keep up with, ones that I do and friends that I know God will put in my life in the future.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

E- Employment

One of the things that I have been most thankful for over the last 4 months is my job. I work for a foster care/adoption agency in the foster care department. Our agency is small and my foster care has 4 of us and our supervisor. I love my team - we are able to support each other and we enjoy being together. We are able to laugh and vent about situations we see that really aren't funny but it's the only way to handle it.

When I was on bedrest my supervisor let me work from home so I could still get stuff done, be productive and get a pay check. They have also been totally flexible with me since I've been back at work and love it when Addie gets to come with me.

Jobs are scarce right now. I am lucky not only to have a job but to have a job that I love. People asked me if I was going back to work after Addison was born and why I was going back to work. Even if I didn't have to work financially I would want to at least part time. I worked hard in college for four years to learn to be a social worker. It's something I am good at and I am passionate about. I get to help families and children during tough times in their lives. I get to support foster parents who are also passionate about serving children. This isn't just a paycheck for me but it's something that I want to do. It's hard sometimes hearing and seeing the things that I deal with on a daily basis but it has also taught me a lot. It has taught me a great deal of patience and empathy. God reminds me regularly that my clients and their families, no matter how many mistakes they make, are created in His image and He loves them.

So, I am thankful to work at Adoption Alliance. I am thankful to work with people I consider friends. I am thankful that hopefully in some small way I get to make a difference in the lives of children in foster care. I am thankful that I have a job to help provide for my family.


www.adoptall.org

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

D- Denver

Josh and I moved to Denver for his job as the youth minister at University Church of Christ in May of 2004. We had been married for almost 6 months. This was the first time that Josh had lived outside of Texas - he lived in the metroplex growing up and went to Abilene for college. I had lived in multiple places and states but it had been awhile. It was weird, but at first I missed home and Texas more than Josh did. I missed bluebonnets, Blue Bell ice cream, hot weather, friends, family etc.

Now that we have been here 5 1/2 years we love it. There have been a few times that we considered moving because job situations were less than desirable. But each time we considered it, if the new job had worked out we would have been really sad to leave Colorado. I love the mountains and being so close to so many great places to go for a weekend or a longer vacation. I love the cool stuff that this city has. I am thankful for our friends here, some of which are more like family at this point. Our church has come a long way in their motivation and outreach and the people here have wonderful hearts. It was a culture shock at first being out of the "bible belt". The churches as well as just the city is very different.

I think living here, at least 8 hours from our closest family members, has been good for Josh and I. I think we have become more independent and rely on each other more. It has been a blessing that we had to "grow up" as a married couple quickly. I am also thankful for all the new experiences we have had living in Denver. Josh gets to go skiing more, we camp regularly (which I grew up loving to do. We have to deal with blizzards and snow. We have been able to spend time in some of the most beautiful mountains I have ever seen by ourselves and with friends. The city itself is beautiful with tons of huge parks and miles of trails. The downtown is great and there are so many neat things to do.

Whether we stay here just a few more years or we retire here, I will always be thankful for Denver as our first real home together.

Our first home (a town home, really not this big)


Hiking in Evergreen


Estes Park


Rockies Game


Anniversary Date Downtown


First Snowman

href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8cWNv4AcI8rNr16Wj21I2MrB-sGeV6BISIF_9mzcUus48O017JOEjngDQZRANEpEmcPU74bKOnK1pmfrWCea36man-DGA-3qsh1knNV4IUYWvw_SYn8K4qmYaAzPyKyky_wZuG38rMUtS/s1600/rafting.jpg">
Whitewater Rafting with Youth Group


Bear Lake