2011 Reflections

As the few minutes of 2011 tick by I have thought about what a whirl wind this year has been. There has been so much change quite frankly I’m changed out… I just want to get settled and be here for sometime… Now I don’t know if that will happen because Jesus will be Jesus and He is in control… But 2011 has taken us from Clarksville to Miami, from student to graduate, from full-time workers to full-time missionaries and from house owners to apartment renters…

We’ve said goodbye to many friends and our seemingly daily routine and I realized that I truly value family and friends especially our quiet times together. The times where you get to grow and learn from each other. I learned that I can change and still live through it. I’ve also learned that it doesn’t matter how far you are; a friend is a friend and keeping in touch is all that matters.

I have also learned that I have two completely different audiences… one who cares about my natural hair and one who cares about what we are doing here in Miami… two completely different audiences but I am up for the challenge. I started this blog as my new years resolution and people have responded… I aim to take my blog to the next level during 2012. I don’t quite know what that means or what that will look like but I have a few ideas. 2011 has truly been a roller coaster ride, many highs and lows and I am looking forward to getting into the grand adventure that 2012 will bring. Happy New Year! See you all more in the coming year!

 

 

Are You Ready or Not?

I found this because one of my Facebook friends posted and I just had to share it… I think it’s a great reminder to keep Jesus as your number one priority… I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

The artists are Janette and Ezekiel from P4CM

My New Christmas Tradition

So this Christmas I came across this wonderful idea to surprise my husband with a special 12 days of Christmas just for him… I found it on the blog passionate homemaker click here to see her ideas and her blog on her family tradition.

It gave me some great ideas… pretty much she said on each day she gives her husband something according to whatever day they are on… So for the 12 days leading up to Christmas I left my husband little gifts around the house that said things like this

And like this

full of fun things like six black socks, and two panera pastries, each day became a new and exciting thing… Eventually he came to expect that he was gonna get something but it didn’t change my desire to give him the gifts…

As the new year approaches I have decided that my resolution is to become a better more well rounded wife to my husband. I don’t quite know what that will look like but I am going to do my best to fulfill his needs and wants and to really learn what it means to be a Godly wife. It may seem a bit old-fashion but I’m okay with that because I know that whatever I am going to learn from this will benefit my marriage in the long run and thereby becoming a complete win-win situation. Plus if God is for our marriage it’s about time I learn what He has to say about it…

Our day at the beach

So I realized that not every blog had to be long or about anything deep and thought provoking in fact I could do a blog of pictures if i wanted too… So here are pictures from our recent trip to Key Biscayne… It was so much fun and the water was perfect!!

Christmas Reflections

This Christmas I saw less drama filled status updates on Facebook and more thankful, happy, grateful status updates and I came to the conclusion that if everyone lived everyday like it was Christmas they might actually be better off. Now even though I know that Jesus is why I celebrate Christmas some people still relate Christmas to stuff… And in that sense of the season I’m not talking.

Instead I’m talking about the love, family-sharing, making memories, friend-gathering, food, cookie-making, traditions that make us all warm and fuzzy inside. Those moments that are filled with Jesus’ love whether or not you acknowledge Him. I mean if everyone just waits until Christmas to make memories and show love and get together it’s really no wonder why people are the way they are, tired, depressed, lonely, burdened, hard, etc, etc, fill in the blank.

This Christmas was very different from previous years for me and my husband. For starters we’re in a new state and hardly know anyone, we’re missing home and lost a friend suddenly. But we still managed to keep the main thing the main thing and rejoice in our dear Saviors birth!

We definitely had a wake up call and realized that life is short and our days really aren’t promised to us. I know that it really puts the small things into perspective and our “big” things in their place. And as the nine people in our church came together and worshipped Jesus on His birthday His presence washed over me and I knew that in that moment He delighted in us. It didn’t matter that there were just a few of us or that we messed up the very next line of the song, all that mattered was that our hearts were right and pure in his sight.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that Christmas can be filled with all kinds of traditions, and experiences but at the end of the day if you haven’t acknowledged who it is we’re celebrating you haven’t fully comprehended the greatness of His love! And that can leave you unsatisfied and longing for more.