I know the 30th isn't til tomorrow, but since I have been behind this whole month, I'm going to do this one a day early.
I am MOST thankful for my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I was raised in a Christian home. I went to church every Sunday, but most of the time refused to go to "kids church" and wanted to go to "big church". Much like churches now, they can get very "clique-y". That's how our church was. I never felt welcomed by my peers. I actually felt like they were looking at me like "what are you doing here"...which is odd...because I was there all the time and I was pretty young when I recall this happening...like elementary school?! Anyway, this kind of continued on and I always felt like I was judged by the "church kids". I never understood this. Even in high school I was constantly questioned and judged by people (literally, to my face). Strange thing is...I didn't do anything to deserve being treated like that.
Therefore, since I was young, I've made it my priority to treat others with respect and not judge them for things they did (or didn't) do.
I want to be like Jesus. I want to love like Jesus. I want to forgive like Jesus. I want to have child-like faith. Believe it or not, we're ALL sinners. Not one of us is better than the other. God's grace is incredible and I don't deserve it. I don't deserve to be forgiven for the time after time that I messed up and still continue to mess up. Fortunately, I am forgiven. Fortunately, I am protected. Fortunately, I am healed. Fortunately, He loves me anyway. Fortunately, He loves you anyway.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Serious catch up!
13 - I am thankful for basketball season. Although it's the busiest "season" of the year for us, I really enjoy the games. I've always wanted to be a coach's wife and it's everything it's cracked up to be. Thankfully, we have always had a good team and I don't have to deal with the losses all the time :) Ryan only has a handful of losses and he's in his 4th year!
14 - I can't express how thankful I am to be able to stay home with Josiah. No matter how much I tell Ryan I am thankful for him and I appreciate that he works for us, it's never enough in my eyes (and I'm sure not in his either;)). Granted I have two "jobs", I am able to stay home all day and don't have to leave my precious little man. Hats off to those mommy's that go back to work, you are true heroes!
15 - CAMPUS LIFE! These kids are awesome! One of the first things Ryan and I discovered about each other was that we both wanted to be involved in junior high ministry. I know, we're insane. Who on earth wants to try to reach youth at this age? WE DO! I can't imagine it any other way. No matter what position we have or where we are in life, we both know that we want to be involved in junior high ministry all our lives!
16 - My amazing husband Ryan James. The 16th was our 5 year "anniversary" of dating. (Guess where we spent it? Playing laser tag with junior high kids!) I'm impatient, he's incredibly patient and understanding. I'm a little OCD, he's laid back. I'm an amazing basketball player, he's just okay. I'm sure you've heard the quote "If he can't handle me at my worst, he doesn't deserve me at my best" (it's always been said that Marilyn Monroe said this, but she's quoted for a lot of things she didn't say...so idk who said it!) But it's pretty true in our situation. Ryan and I found each other in a rough part of our lives. Living lives we are not particularly proud of, but wouldn't change. It's always been clear to me that God brought him into my life at that time to rescue me...and possibly for me to rescue him. It took a lot of time, a lot of sadness and a lot of struggles...but God's timing was and always has been perfect. I can't imagine ANYONE better suited for me than this man. I really couldn't be happier.
17 - On the 17th I went to Notre Dame Stadium for a game for only the third time in my life. I've been to a game out at Stanford and one in the big house. So I am incredibly thankful for my friend Matt Hammons for scoring me and my dad tickets on the 9th row in the end zone. It's a game I will NEVER forget! (Along with the others)
18 - Although I rarely get to see them, I'm SO thankful for my girl friends. I have 5 girl friends that I talk to on a regular basis and the one that lives the closest is an hour and a half away and 2 of them live about 9 and a half and 10 hours away. It's not easy maintaining long distance friendships. It's hard to know what's going on in our daily lives when we don't get that face-to-face (unless we're FaceTiming...) all the time like we're used to. But I would do anything for these girls.
19 - My sweet sweet baby Josiah. Seriously this kid is amazing. I expected to be a sleep deprived, stressed out mama for the next 5-6 years. Not the case (I realize I don't have child #2 yet, so don't punch me!) . This kid sleeps like a CHAMP, he's incredibly sweet, and is all around an amazing kid. He's creepin up on 15 months old and he listens, does what he's told (for the most part), is incredibly easy-going and loves us so much. He does cry, whine and get a little crazy sometimes...but he's a kid:)
20 - This goes along with how thankful I am for Josiah as a little person, but I think it deserves a thankful of it's own...I'm so thankful for his health. This is something so many of us take for granted. We expect to have full term babies that we get to take home within a couple days. Yes, most of the time that's true. Josiah was that way, and I'm so thankful for that. I don't take that for granted and I pray for those who have had difficult pregnancies, births and sick babies.
21 - My mama. Ohhh my amazing mama. My mom has been through so much in her life it's unreal. Let's just say she drove me and 3 of my friends to Florida one year (3 girls in the back seat of her Volkswagon Beatle) and told us stories of things that have happened to her the WHOLE way. We were on the edge of our seats dreading to stop with the rest of our caravan to get food or go to the bathroom. Let's just say some of the stories included con-men, hitting guys in the head with glass Pepsi bottles, and a stalker writing crazy things on patio doors. Not only those kinds of crazy stories you only see in movies, but she's been through countless surgeries (from going to have her gall bladder removed only to find out she was born without one....to open heart surgery). My mom has been through EVERYTHING! Is she a bump on a log that gets down on herself when things like this happen? Yea right. She doesn't get herself down, she stays positive enough to keep the rest of us positive! She continues to serve others and keeps pushing. She is absolutely hilarious and there's no telling what words (or non-words) will come out of her mouth. The older I get, the more I start talking like her. Or maybe it's now that I also have a mommy brain.....either way! She's a hoot and so so so much fun to be around. She is out of this world selfless. She would do anything for anyone. I love my mama. I wouldn't trade her for the world.
22- My family. I have quite a large family (especially compared to Ryan's side!). We are crazy, loud, and a ton of fun! I really wish we could all get together for more than just the holiday's, because I miss them very much!
23 - Black Friday!!! This is a new tradition my mom and I started only a few years ago and it's awesome. We hardly ever have anything we're after, we just do it because it's fun. We refuse to go out any earlier than 10:00 (that's the absolute EARLIEST I will shop) on Thanksgiving night. (Sidenote: I hate that it's crept up to Thanksgiving day and I will never give up my Thanksgiving with my family in order to buy some material item that is meaningless). Regardless, we usually go between 10:00 and midnight and get home as late as 8 or 9:00 am. This is the first year that we did it in Fort Wayne. My mom drove up on Thanksgiving night to go shopping with me since I couldn't make it down to Indy until Saturday. What a rockstar. (Don't forget the fact that we only slept 3 1/2 hours when we got home, then she drove all the way home, shopped some more then went to the Pacers game and didn't get home til almost midnight!) It's so much fun and I love the crazies. I have never seen anyone get trampled, get mean or be in a bad mood. In fact, the Starbucks people were hilarious this year! We drove through there to get a little pick-me-up before enduring the mall. Granted, they work at a coffee shop and said they were on their 5th shot of expresso....it was pretty funny! It's a great way to kick off the holidays!
24 - Thankful for the Christmas season, which isn't allowed to start until after Thanksgiving. I leave stores if they have Christmas music on before Thanksgiving and I REFUSE to buy any Christmas items before Black Friday. Once Black Friday hits I'm one of the biggest fans of Christmas you'll meet! One of my favorite things is how warm and fuzzy everyone is! Yes it's a very hard time for a lot of people, but the generosity of others really makes it so uplifting! The way people act towards others around Christmas is how we need to act all year long. Jesus wasn't born in the winter, but for whatever reason we celebrate in December, I'm glad. It's a great way to finish off the year and have a fresh perspective for the new year. If only people would keep that holiday spirit year round!
25 - I am thankful for the kiddo's I watch. Roenin and Declin (and their wonderful family!) I love that Josiah has a buddy he can play with and learn from. He also has learned to be gentle with babies! When I was working, I missed being in the day care a lot...so this has been perfect for us! I get to hang out with littles all day, plus I get to stay home.
26 - Our home! When we got engaged, one of the first things Ryan said before he left to go back home that weekend was that he was ready to start looking for a house. That totally freaked me out. So many people that buy houses before they're ready end up losing them. I didn't want to get ourselves into debt from the get-go. Luckily, my husband rocks. After a long extensive search of looking at homes here (and saving only the select few for me to look at when I came), he found our house. It's been more than perfect for us. It's just the right size (although I could use a little bit more storage and possibly an actual pantry?), but I love it's little cozy-ness. It hasn't been a money guzzler like I thought it would be. The money we have put into it has been more for our convenience than have-to's. Like almost all new windows, having a/c installed (yea, no a/c when we moved in), renovating the bathroom, and putting insulation in the attic (because there was hardly any). Thankfully, the government gave us $8,000 to buy our house, so none of that was out of pocket! I'm so thankful I had a home to bring Josiah home to and learn to run around in the yard!
27 - My car! With as much traveling as we do (My car isn't even 3 years old yet and it has 61,000 miles on it), I'm thankful we have a vehicle that gets us there and back with no trouble. I'm also thankful for Ryan's "new" car, because now I don't have to look at cars every second of my spare time and because he really enjoys driving it. Plus I don't have to worry about him breaking down or the car blowing up:)
28 - This is gonna sound crazy to anyone who lives outside of Indiana, but I am thankful I live here. As much as our weather is insane, I'm glad we have seasons. It also makes me appreciate the beach that much more:)
29 - I'm thankful for Ryan's friends, who are also my friends. As much as I miss my girl friends, I couldn't ask for better friends to have around all the time than the ones that I do. They are all great guys that will listen and pray for me at the drop of a hat. They will even listen to me vent about things that they don't care about and don't want to hear and won't complain (at least to my face...haha). I'm so glad my husband has such a great group of guys around him!
14 - I can't express how thankful I am to be able to stay home with Josiah. No matter how much I tell Ryan I am thankful for him and I appreciate that he works for us, it's never enough in my eyes (and I'm sure not in his either;)). Granted I have two "jobs", I am able to stay home all day and don't have to leave my precious little man. Hats off to those mommy's that go back to work, you are true heroes!
15 - CAMPUS LIFE! These kids are awesome! One of the first things Ryan and I discovered about each other was that we both wanted to be involved in junior high ministry. I know, we're insane. Who on earth wants to try to reach youth at this age? WE DO! I can't imagine it any other way. No matter what position we have or where we are in life, we both know that we want to be involved in junior high ministry all our lives!
16 - My amazing husband Ryan James. The 16th was our 5 year "anniversary" of dating. (Guess where we spent it? Playing laser tag with junior high kids!) I'm impatient, he's incredibly patient and understanding. I'm a little OCD, he's laid back. I'm an amazing basketball player, he's just okay. I'm sure you've heard the quote "If he can't handle me at my worst, he doesn't deserve me at my best" (it's always been said that Marilyn Monroe said this, but she's quoted for a lot of things she didn't say...so idk who said it!) But it's pretty true in our situation. Ryan and I found each other in a rough part of our lives. Living lives we are not particularly proud of, but wouldn't change. It's always been clear to me that God brought him into my life at that time to rescue me...and possibly for me to rescue him. It took a lot of time, a lot of sadness and a lot of struggles...but God's timing was and always has been perfect. I can't imagine ANYONE better suited for me than this man. I really couldn't be happier.
17 - On the 17th I went to Notre Dame Stadium for a game for only the third time in my life. I've been to a game out at Stanford and one in the big house. So I am incredibly thankful for my friend Matt Hammons for scoring me and my dad tickets on the 9th row in the end zone. It's a game I will NEVER forget! (Along with the others)
18 - Although I rarely get to see them, I'm SO thankful for my girl friends. I have 5 girl friends that I talk to on a regular basis and the one that lives the closest is an hour and a half away and 2 of them live about 9 and a half and 10 hours away. It's not easy maintaining long distance friendships. It's hard to know what's going on in our daily lives when we don't get that face-to-face (unless we're FaceTiming...) all the time like we're used to. But I would do anything for these girls.
19 - My sweet sweet baby Josiah. Seriously this kid is amazing. I expected to be a sleep deprived, stressed out mama for the next 5-6 years. Not the case (I realize I don't have child #2 yet, so don't punch me!) . This kid sleeps like a CHAMP, he's incredibly sweet, and is all around an amazing kid. He's creepin up on 15 months old and he listens, does what he's told (for the most part), is incredibly easy-going and loves us so much. He does cry, whine and get a little crazy sometimes...but he's a kid:)
20 - This goes along with how thankful I am for Josiah as a little person, but I think it deserves a thankful of it's own...I'm so thankful for his health. This is something so many of us take for granted. We expect to have full term babies that we get to take home within a couple days. Yes, most of the time that's true. Josiah was that way, and I'm so thankful for that. I don't take that for granted and I pray for those who have had difficult pregnancies, births and sick babies.
21 - My mama. Ohhh my amazing mama. My mom has been through so much in her life it's unreal. Let's just say she drove me and 3 of my friends to Florida one year (3 girls in the back seat of her Volkswagon Beatle) and told us stories of things that have happened to her the WHOLE way. We were on the edge of our seats dreading to stop with the rest of our caravan to get food or go to the bathroom. Let's just say some of the stories included con-men, hitting guys in the head with glass Pepsi bottles, and a stalker writing crazy things on patio doors. Not only those kinds of crazy stories you only see in movies, but she's been through countless surgeries (from going to have her gall bladder removed only to find out she was born without one....to open heart surgery). My mom has been through EVERYTHING! Is she a bump on a log that gets down on herself when things like this happen? Yea right. She doesn't get herself down, she stays positive enough to keep the rest of us positive! She continues to serve others and keeps pushing. She is absolutely hilarious and there's no telling what words (or non-words) will come out of her mouth. The older I get, the more I start talking like her. Or maybe it's now that I also have a mommy brain.....either way! She's a hoot and so so so much fun to be around. She is out of this world selfless. She would do anything for anyone. I love my mama. I wouldn't trade her for the world.
22- My family. I have quite a large family (especially compared to Ryan's side!). We are crazy, loud, and a ton of fun! I really wish we could all get together for more than just the holiday's, because I miss them very much!
23 - Black Friday!!! This is a new tradition my mom and I started only a few years ago and it's awesome. We hardly ever have anything we're after, we just do it because it's fun. We refuse to go out any earlier than 10:00 (that's the absolute EARLIEST I will shop) on Thanksgiving night. (Sidenote: I hate that it's crept up to Thanksgiving day and I will never give up my Thanksgiving with my family in order to buy some material item that is meaningless). Regardless, we usually go between 10:00 and midnight and get home as late as 8 or 9:00 am. This is the first year that we did it in Fort Wayne. My mom drove up on Thanksgiving night to go shopping with me since I couldn't make it down to Indy until Saturday. What a rockstar. (Don't forget the fact that we only slept 3 1/2 hours when we got home, then she drove all the way home, shopped some more then went to the Pacers game and didn't get home til almost midnight!) It's so much fun and I love the crazies. I have never seen anyone get trampled, get mean or be in a bad mood. In fact, the Starbucks people were hilarious this year! We drove through there to get a little pick-me-up before enduring the mall. Granted, they work at a coffee shop and said they were on their 5th shot of expresso....it was pretty funny! It's a great way to kick off the holidays!
24 - Thankful for the Christmas season, which isn't allowed to start until after Thanksgiving. I leave stores if they have Christmas music on before Thanksgiving and I REFUSE to buy any Christmas items before Black Friday. Once Black Friday hits I'm one of the biggest fans of Christmas you'll meet! One of my favorite things is how warm and fuzzy everyone is! Yes it's a very hard time for a lot of people, but the generosity of others really makes it so uplifting! The way people act towards others around Christmas is how we need to act all year long. Jesus wasn't born in the winter, but for whatever reason we celebrate in December, I'm glad. It's a great way to finish off the year and have a fresh perspective for the new year. If only people would keep that holiday spirit year round!
25 - I am thankful for the kiddo's I watch. Roenin and Declin (and their wonderful family!) I love that Josiah has a buddy he can play with and learn from. He also has learned to be gentle with babies! When I was working, I missed being in the day care a lot...so this has been perfect for us! I get to hang out with littles all day, plus I get to stay home.
26 - Our home! When we got engaged, one of the first things Ryan said before he left to go back home that weekend was that he was ready to start looking for a house. That totally freaked me out. So many people that buy houses before they're ready end up losing them. I didn't want to get ourselves into debt from the get-go. Luckily, my husband rocks. After a long extensive search of looking at homes here (and saving only the select few for me to look at when I came), he found our house. It's been more than perfect for us. It's just the right size (although I could use a little bit more storage and possibly an actual pantry?), but I love it's little cozy-ness. It hasn't been a money guzzler like I thought it would be. The money we have put into it has been more for our convenience than have-to's. Like almost all new windows, having a/c installed (yea, no a/c when we moved in), renovating the bathroom, and putting insulation in the attic (because there was hardly any). Thankfully, the government gave us $8,000 to buy our house, so none of that was out of pocket! I'm so thankful I had a home to bring Josiah home to and learn to run around in the yard!
27 - My car! With as much traveling as we do (My car isn't even 3 years old yet and it has 61,000 miles on it), I'm thankful we have a vehicle that gets us there and back with no trouble. I'm also thankful for Ryan's "new" car, because now I don't have to look at cars every second of my spare time and because he really enjoys driving it. Plus I don't have to worry about him breaking down or the car blowing up:)
28 - This is gonna sound crazy to anyone who lives outside of Indiana, but I am thankful I live here. As much as our weather is insane, I'm glad we have seasons. It also makes me appreciate the beach that much more:)
29 - I'm thankful for Ryan's friends, who are also my friends. As much as I miss my girl friends, I couldn't ask for better friends to have around all the time than the ones that I do. They are all great guys that will listen and pray for me at the drop of a hat. They will even listen to me vent about things that they don't care about and don't want to hear and won't complain (at least to my face...haha). I'm so glad my husband has such a great group of guys around him!
Monday, November 12, 2012
Days 9,10,11,12
Turns out I don't want to spend my weekend on the computer! So let me catch up on my thankfulness!
Day 9 - I am thankful for Fridays. Basketball season is now in full swing, which means I rarely see my husband. He either has practice after work and doesn't get home until at least 7:30 (depending on when parents decide to pick up their kids) or he has practice at 5:45 in the morning (usually because we have something, like Campus Life, that night). These are such long days for both of us...but on Friday's we get to relax. Our plans almost every Friday night during basketball season are to do NOTHING. Literally nothing. Well, except this Friday. Oh well.
Day 10 - Don't tell Directv this, but I was actually thankful to not have a TV on Saturday. By the time they come to fix it, our Directv will have been out for a WEEK. Which means no cartoons for the kids, no Dan Patrick show for me, and no football all weekend. It's been kinda nice to have the quiet, but I did miss my house full of people. Saturday, it was great to be able to go to the park as a family and spend some time together. I love that we've been having a few nice days (especially on the weekends) this fall to be able to take Josiah to the park. Since he wasn't walking this summer, he didn't get to fully enjoy all the climbing and running around. Unfortunately, it was 70 degrees yesterday and now it's snowing. This is Indiana.
Day 11 - I am SO VERY thankful for our Veterans and those who are still serving today. Thanks to all of you who keep us safe and free. Especially to all the families who have to be separated, my heart goes out to you. I have a hard time just waiting until 7:30 at night to see my husband, I can't imagine what it's like to have to wait months. Every single picture of families being reunited just make my heart melt.
Day 12 - I am thankful for all of those who donate their time and money to Youth for Christ. Tonight is our fundraising banquet. In this economy it is so difficult to ask people for money to support you. Ryan has to raise his salary for YFC and that's not an easy thing to do. Thank you to all of you who give to support this wonderful ministry and to all other ministries that you might give. Even if you aren't able to contribute financially, your prayers and time volunteering are just as beneficial to touching these kids' lives.
Day 9 - I am thankful for Fridays. Basketball season is now in full swing, which means I rarely see my husband. He either has practice after work and doesn't get home until at least 7:30 (depending on when parents decide to pick up their kids) or he has practice at 5:45 in the morning (usually because we have something, like Campus Life, that night). These are such long days for both of us...but on Friday's we get to relax. Our plans almost every Friday night during basketball season are to do NOTHING. Literally nothing. Well, except this Friday. Oh well.
Day 10 - Don't tell Directv this, but I was actually thankful to not have a TV on Saturday. By the time they come to fix it, our Directv will have been out for a WEEK. Which means no cartoons for the kids, no Dan Patrick show for me, and no football all weekend. It's been kinda nice to have the quiet, but I did miss my house full of people. Saturday, it was great to be able to go to the park as a family and spend some time together. I love that we've been having a few nice days (especially on the weekends) this fall to be able to take Josiah to the park. Since he wasn't walking this summer, he didn't get to fully enjoy all the climbing and running around. Unfortunately, it was 70 degrees yesterday and now it's snowing. This is Indiana.
Day 11 - I am SO VERY thankful for our Veterans and those who are still serving today. Thanks to all of you who keep us safe and free. Especially to all the families who have to be separated, my heart goes out to you. I have a hard time just waiting until 7:30 at night to see my husband, I can't imagine what it's like to have to wait months. Every single picture of families being reunited just make my heart melt.
Day 12 - I am thankful for all of those who donate their time and money to Youth for Christ. Tonight is our fundraising banquet. In this economy it is so difficult to ask people for money to support you. Ryan has to raise his salary for YFC and that's not an easy thing to do. Thank you to all of you who give to support this wonderful ministry and to all other ministries that you might give. Even if you aren't able to contribute financially, your prayers and time volunteering are just as beneficial to touching these kids' lives.
Thursday, November 8, 2012
Hugs & Kisses
I am so thankful to be able to hug on, kiss and play with Josiah every day. I love being able to see his smile, hear his laugh, and listen to that pitter patter of footsteps running through the kitchen.
I have a heavy heart because of this though. One of my best friends has not been able to do this with her daughter since August. Due to circumstances that I will not discuss publicly to respect Rebeca's personal life, her daughter has been in Mexico for the past 3 months.
Rebeca is now more than ready to bring her home. To give her a hug, to hear the hilarious things she says, and to soak in all the little moments we take for granted with our kids every day.
I have started a fundraiser through lia sophia (great jewelry!). I will be giving 100% of my commission to Rebeca to bring Kassandra home. Please understand that the only thing that I gain from this is reuniting my friend with her daughter.
If you want more information, please ask. I would love to have all orders in by this weekend in order to get her here by Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter where you live, you can order as much or as little as you want and it will all come straight to your door within a couple days.
I have a heavy heart because of this though. One of my best friends has not been able to do this with her daughter since August. Due to circumstances that I will not discuss publicly to respect Rebeca's personal life, her daughter has been in Mexico for the past 3 months.
Rebeca is now more than ready to bring her home. To give her a hug, to hear the hilarious things she says, and to soak in all the little moments we take for granted with our kids every day.
I have started a fundraiser through lia sophia (great jewelry!). I will be giving 100% of my commission to Rebeca to bring Kassandra home. Please understand that the only thing that I gain from this is reuniting my friend with her daughter.
If you want more information, please ask. I would love to have all orders in by this weekend in order to get her here by Thanksgiving. It doesn't matter where you live, you can order as much or as little as you want and it will all come straight to your door within a couple days.
I am thankful for Facebook. Yes, it can be dangerous, mean, annoying, and down right disgusting....but I am thankful or it. When Facebook is used for good, it can be great!
I find that some of my prayer time comes from going through my Facebook feed. Never be afraid to ask for prayers because they are being prayed! Even if you aren't asking for prayers, a lot of statuses people post are just screaming "I need Jesus" and they don't even know it. Those get the most prayers.
So please people...use Facebook for good. Post positive statuses, give people compliments, offer honest advice when people ask for it (not when they're not asking for it). It shouldn't be used to belittle people, post trashy pictures, gloat, or to complain.
I find that some of my prayer time comes from going through my Facebook feed. Never be afraid to ask for prayers because they are being prayed! Even if you aren't asking for prayers, a lot of statuses people post are just screaming "I need Jesus" and they don't even know it. Those get the most prayers.
So please people...use Facebook for good. Post positive statuses, give people compliments, offer honest advice when people ask for it (not when they're not asking for it). It shouldn't be used to belittle people, post trashy pictures, gloat, or to complain.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Day 6
Like everyone else in America, I'm so thankful for my right to vote. I went and exercised it yesterday. First time I've ever voted! I hate politics and watching the news. Everything is so depressing. People are so back-stabbing and rude. My source of news is always GREAT news, it's right next to my bed in my B-i-b-l-e. Jesus is King. God is in control.
Jesus for President.
Jesus for President.
Day 5
I am so thankful that Josiah loves his sleep. Daylight savings time is always a hard time for mama's getting their kiddos back on a schedule, especially in the fall when they are waking up an hour earlier. Josiah has been sleeping like CRAZY lately. Must be a growth spurt or something. He's 14 months old and still takes 2 long naps a day. He takes about a 1.5-2 hour nap in the morning then around 4:00 he falls back asleep and I have to wake him up around 7:30 so that he won't sleep all night and wake up with the roosters.
He loves his sleep like his mama:)
He loves his sleep like his mama:)
Monday, November 5, 2012
Day 4
The word thankful is such an understatement when it comes to this day of thankfulness. Yesterday I was overwhelmed with how thankful I am for my dad. My whole drive back after the Colts game, I just couldn't stop thinking about him.
I miss my dad so much. This weekend he took me to Pacers opening night and the Colts game. Going to sporting events is something I have done with my dad (and mom, too) since I was born. I can't walk into a Pacers game with my dad and not be taken back to when I was so little I couldn't see over the people in front of me ....when they were sitting down. I would be jumping up and down standing like a good girl on my seat screaming for our team. Screaming "boom baby" at the top of my lungs. Crying the morning they imploded Market Square Arena, where my dad and I had planned to move in there some day and make it our big giant house. As an 18 year old crying at Reggie's last regular season game and his final playoff game. All these times where I'm sure I embarrassed the crap out of my dad, but he never once told me to sit down...or refuse to take me. I was always there with my supportive dad right next to me.
Going to sporting events is our thing. I am so thankful that my dad has always taken me with him. Whether it be taking me to every Indians game, so many Reds games, a Reds playoff game, Pacers games, Pacers playoff games, every single Colts game and Colts playoff game, driving me to South Bend to see Notre Dame, or taking me to 2 Super Bowls.... none of these games would have been the same without my dad. He explained the game to me. Tells me the history. Shows me every single baseball card ever made and it's significance. We talk about life, crazy fans around us, and how running up the middle never works.
Going to these games is how we love to spend time together, but it's still such a small part in why I'm so thankful for him. He has absolutely spoiled me rotten with how much he's given me. My first car, my college education, my graduation present of yet another new car and my dream wedding. As much monetary value as those things have, the sentimental value and the things he taught me along that path are so much more valuable to me. Him and my mom are the most generous people I know. They would give the shirt off their back to anyone who needed it. They are incredibly selfless and have taught me so much about the meaning of being a servant and giving.
My dad has also taught me about loyalty, passion, loving unconditionally, grace, acceptance, and more about parenting than I ever knew he was teaching me. He has taught me the importance of laughing, mostly from being the one who makes me laugh so hard. His laugh is contagious and is loud enough for me to hear all the way in Fort Wayne. He's such an amazing role model, teacher, father and grandfather.
So many people tell me I'm just like my dad. What a wonderful compliment.
I love you Dad!
Thankful Day 3
November 3 - I am thankful for sports. **Disclaimer: this is getting much deeper than sports**There's just something about sports that brings people together. Every single Sunday, my living room is filled with laughs, yells, smells, food and football. I don't know how often I would see these guys if it weren't for this weekly tradition. I also love the feeling of being at a game knowing that you're in an arena/stadium filled with strangers and you have at least one thing in common with every single one.
We watch the show Parenthood. It's one of my favorite shows of all time, it actually competes with Friends in my mind of favorite shows. That's saying something. We didn't start watching it until Season 3 and we just bought season 2 last week and were watching it on Friday. One of the dad's on there was talking with his son's grandma (him and the mom were not married at this point) and she was saying that they were on their way to church. He said he never went to church because every single Sunday his family went together to a baseball game. She asked if he was saying that that was his "church"? He said yes, that's my church.
While I will never ever ever say that baseball is "my church" or that it compares to Jesus, I see where he's coming from. Baseball (sports) and Jesus are apples and oranges, you can't compare them. My comparison comes from the angle that they are both fruits.
One of my favorite things about church is a great time in worship. Most of the time I don't sing, because I love to hear others singing their hearts out in worship. That's so comforting to me. That was my absolute favorite thing about going to Cru at Ball State, the worship. Everyone coming together and focusing on what's important, singing praises to God. Everything goes away, differences between people start to fade away and everyone is in the same frame of mind. It's why going to church is so important. Fellowship. Being with fellow believers. Surrounding yourself with love and loving, supportive people.
That happens at sporting events (again, not to the same extent or on the same level), but it does. You find yourself standing on your feet screaming, clapping, raising your hands and to the point where you just want to jump up and down because you're so excited about what's happening. You find yourself high-fiving and hugging strangers. You're supporting your team. You have their back. It brings people together.
That's why the games were played this weekend. I don't necessarily agree with the games being played. (For those who don't know what I'm talking about...I'm talking about sporting events being played in NYC while so many people don't even have homes because they're under water). But the reason they played them is because sporting events bring people together. Your city starts rallying together and coming together.
I hear so so so so so SO many women complain about their husbands/boyfriends/dads watching sports all the time. I seriously couldn't imagine NOT watching them together. That's one thing I love about my marriage with Ryan and what I have seen in my parents marriage. Watching sports is something you can do together for the rest of your lives. You'll never get bored with it or with each other. It's not going to end (tell that to the hockey fans...) and you can travel all over the country sharing that passion together. I love the tradition my parents started with their friends. They each get to pick a different college stadium each year and they go travel to watch college football. What an AMAZING tradition. I want to do that some day with our group of friends.
Between our love of ministry and sports, I can say with confidence that Ryan and I will not be that married couple that runs out of things to do together or can't find anything they both enjoy doing together.
I hear so so so so so SO many women complain about their husbands/boyfriends/dads watching sports all the time. I seriously couldn't imagine NOT watching them together. That's one thing I love about my marriage with Ryan and what I have seen in my parents marriage. Watching sports is something you can do together for the rest of your lives. You'll never get bored with it or with each other. It's not going to end (tell that to the hockey fans...) and you can travel all over the country sharing that passion together. I love the tradition my parents started with their friends. They each get to pick a different college stadium each year and they go travel to watch college football. What an AMAZING tradition. I want to do that some day with our group of friends.
Between our love of ministry and sports, I can say with confidence that Ryan and I will not be that married couple that runs out of things to do together or can't find anything they both enjoy doing together.
This also leads into my next day of thankfulness...
You could read all that...or just listen to Justin Timberlake sing Why he loves sports
Friday, November 2, 2012
November
Well it's time for Thankful November! I love this month. I love seeing everyone post what they're thankful for, rather than complaining all the time.
I'm a day late (and a dollar short) due to a serious mother-of-all headeaches headache yesterday. I laid down at 3:20 pm and basically didn't get up until 7:00 this morning. Which leads to my first day of thankfulness:
Day 1- I am so incredibly thankful for my mother in law! She is here every single Thursday to watch Josiah while we're at Campus Life. She's here every other Tuesday so that Ryan and I can go to a small group for married couples. Any other time we need her for date nights or whatever, she's there. Last night was no different. We had Campus Life last night but I was in no place to be getting out of bed. She came almost an hour earlier than she normally would and took care of Josiah so that I could rest until Ryan got home at 9:00.
Day 2 - I am thankful for my health! Although I have headache issues, and terribly annoying psoriasis that drives me crazy, I am thankful that I can get up and take care of my family every day. Every time I start my prayers at the beginning of my workout, my first prayer is always thanking God for my ability to work out. I had my headache throughout the day today (although I was able to function at about 55% instead of about 10% like last night), but I didn't want to miss another opportunity to get some exercise. I'll tell ya what, my headache is almost completely gone after my work out. Crazy how that "works out" :)
I'm a day late (and a dollar short) due to a serious mother-of-all headeaches headache yesterday. I laid down at 3:20 pm and basically didn't get up until 7:00 this morning. Which leads to my first day of thankfulness:
Day 1- I am so incredibly thankful for my mother in law! She is here every single Thursday to watch Josiah while we're at Campus Life. She's here every other Tuesday so that Ryan and I can go to a small group for married couples. Any other time we need her for date nights or whatever, she's there. Last night was no different. We had Campus Life last night but I was in no place to be getting out of bed. She came almost an hour earlier than she normally would and took care of Josiah so that I could rest until Ryan got home at 9:00.
Day 2 - I am thankful for my health! Although I have headache issues, and terribly annoying psoriasis that drives me crazy, I am thankful that I can get up and take care of my family every day. Every time I start my prayers at the beginning of my workout, my first prayer is always thanking God for my ability to work out. I had my headache throughout the day today (although I was able to function at about 55% instead of about 10% like last night), but I didn't want to miss another opportunity to get some exercise. I'll tell ya what, my headache is almost completely gone after my work out. Crazy how that "works out" :)
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