so long 2012

Where did 2012 go?  How is it already almost over?!  Is it possible that the earth has begun to revolve at a quicker rate?

Last New Year's Eve, Byron and I smooched at the stroke of midnight and welcomed 2012 in Milledgeville.  The beginning of the year was filled with wedding planning, my first teaching job, and running my first races.  On May 19th, we tied the knot at the church I grew up in and flew to Aruba for some honeymoonin'.  Byron and I moved into our first apartment in Macon for the summer and we wakeboarded most-every weekend.  By the the of July I was offered a teaching position and gratefully moved back in with my parents while Byron stayed in Macon until late September.  After months of prayer and job applications Byron was offered a new job and, alas, we were able to move back in together in a city that stuck our fancy.  Running a half marathon on Thanksgiving Day meant I had successfully conquered my 2012 New Year's Resolution without dying in the process!

This year has been wonderful, crazy, unexpected, and filled with countless blessings.  I look forward to 2013 -- I already have a few resolutions in mind -- but look forward to the last 10 hours of 2012.

Blessings in 2013 -- Happy New Year's Eve, Y'all!

a very merry Christmas

I'm feeling overwhelmed with joy after this Christmas season.  Byron and I have had a crazy few days running from house to house with our pups and presents and food, but spending time with our families and friends has been an incredible blessing.  

My cousins Katie & Lindsey

Our Christmas celebrations began with my extended family on Sunday with a Christmas lunch and some time around the Christmas tree at my Grandparents' house.  With already-full bellies we arrived to Byron's parents' for dinner and tree decorating.  All of Byron's brothers were in town this Christmas -- it was wonderful!!

Byron's parents & brothers

Decorating the tree

On Monday, my brothers and Mom joined Byron and me at Grace for the Christmas Eve service.  The sermon was Christ centered [reading Luke 2] and the music was powerful.  I loved more than anything, that it was mostly a worship service -- what else should it be on Christmas Eve?!  After church, Byron and I headed to his parents' for dinner, presents, and A Christmas Story. 

Christmas Eve

Byron's gifts!

We had our first Christmas morning as a married couple bright and early.  In fact, we had to wake the puppies up with their stockings -- Mook immediately began chewing on his candy cane bones, but Bridget just sniffed at them and went right back to sleep!  Byron and I had a wonderful time opening our presents to each other, sitting in our own living room, in front of our tree, wearing Christmas PJs.  Before heading to my parents', we were able to cuddle up on the couch to drink a cup of coffee, and watch some of The Grinch.  

wakeboard vest on & attaching his new bindings!

At my parents' we ate breakfast, unwrapped gifts, watch a non-Christmas movie, and ate dinner before going back to Byron's parents' for a little more time with his family before heading home to finish The Grinch and read the Christmas Story together.

We had an incredible first Christmas as Mr. & Mrs. with our families and look forward to many, many more! 

Christmas Gifts

How crazy is it that today is Christmas Eve!?  Where did December go?  Having had such a fast-paced month, it's nice to take a few moments to sit in front of our Christmas tree to relax.

Although there is a blanket of presents with bows under our tree, let's not forget the reason for this holiday.  The best gift we've ever/will ever receive has already been given to us. And it wasn't wrapped in pretty paper, but in cloths and placed in a manger.  And that precious baby wasn't sent to live a glamorous life.  He came to die for us so that we might have eternal life.  Whoa.  Talk about an undeserving gift!

So even though Christmas morning is exciting and we all love giving and getting those sweet gifts, remember that they're only things, and that you've already been given the greatest Christmas gift.

Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; 

he is the Messiah, the Lord.  

This will be a sign to you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.

Luke 2:11-12

Merry Christmas!

crazy & unexpected

Life is crazy.  It'd be a misleading statement if I added "right now" to the end of that sentence [Is right now not the only time life is crazy?! Whattt?].  I'll be honest -- "and unexpected" is a more-appropriate ending.

Life is crazy and unexpected.

Can anyone honestly disagree with that? [no, you can't.]

We plan for things to go a certain way, and they never turn out as we thought they would.  Our schedules are jam-packed with times to be places and see people, and somehow those don't always work out either.  The items on our to-do lists we that write and re-write, sit impatiently waiting to be marked off.

And then there's the things we don't plan for at all.  The things that come out of the blue without us having any awareness that they might happen.  Things like your my transmission deciding it needs to be replaced unexpectedly.  And events like the elementary school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut on Friday.  We don't plan for those things.  In fact, we hope and pray that they never happen.

But, unfortunately, they do happen.  Because we live in a fallen world and because God has blessed us with the gift of free will.  And the combination of the two can be devastating.  So we get sad, angry, and upset when bad things happen.

Satan has a tight grasp on our world: influencing the flimsy in faith to act against the One who loves them; manipulating our minds to believe things lies that aren't true; festering insecurities in our hearts; whispering in our ears that Sunday mornings are for sleeping in and that getting on Facebook is more important than spending time in God's Word.

So what do we do in these times when Satan is attacking us from every angle?  There are a lot of options.  Here are the two I find most beneficial:

1. Cling.  [to God and to what is good]

Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.  

I cling to your right hand, for it upholds me.  

Psalm 63: 7-8  

Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.  

Romans 12:9

2. Pray.  [always and about everything]

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer.  

Romans 12:12  

Don't worry about anything, but pray about everything.  

With thankful hearts, offer up your prayers and requests to God.  

Philippians 4:6

Although we may not ever understand why things happen the way they do, we can always rely on the Holy Spirit to comfort us with unmatchable peace.  When all we want to do is cry our eyes out, Jesus waits with open arms to comfort us.  Our God is great, and although the world we live in does not always reflect His glory, His love for us is  unsurpassable and He waits for us to run to His embrace.

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

my sweet Christmas pup. 

and Mook -- such a stud.

Although I'm sad to see the beautiful colors of fall piled on the ground, leaving their trees bare as the cold weather sweeps in, I am incredibly excited for the Christmas season.  Last weekend we made a trip up to the Kinsey Family Farm to pick out our Christmas tree, where we enjoyed the beautiful scenery and some hot boiled peanuts -- gotta love Christmas in the south!  

Each Thanksgiving my Grandmama gives us Christmas ornaments.  Since we haven't gotten the ornaments from our parents yet, these are the first 'memory' ornaments on our tree this year.  I couldn't be more pleased with our stockings -- I love them.   They're huge, so I'm going to need a lot of coal to fill Byron's!  

I know, I know, Christmas isn't all about gifts and Santa and decorations and all the things commercials and stores advertise it to be.  I know.  [There will be a post on this later]  Now that that's been clarified, let me say, I really enjoy giving Christmas gifts!  I have completed about half of my shopping and as of last night, we have presents under the tree!

The first wrapped present [for Byron]

Byron and I are ecstatic to celebrate our first Christmas together with our pups and our families.  We tried to do a family picture in front of the tree, but all we got was a compilation of photos capturing . . . this bliss we call life.

Happy December!!