Where will you go in 2010?

I read this verse today and thought it was very appropriate for the New Year.  It is one you probably have seen before, but it always gives me comfort when I read it.  As you reflect upon 2009 and think about what is ahead in 2010, remember that God is ultimately in charge.  He knows what's in store for you, even if it's completely different than anything you could have imagined.  We just have to trust that wherever he is leading us is in the right direction instead of wondering why he is taking us on a different route.

" For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." ~Jeremiah 29:11-13

That's all for now.  I hope you all have a great night.  Chris and I will be ringing in the new year at home.  He went to the Butler game and I had to work... and i'll be heading back to the pharmacy in the morning.  Exciting night for us!  One of my technicians at work referred to us as an old married couple earlier today.  But that's alright, i'm okay with that.  :)

Bring It On, 2010

Merry Christmas (a few days late) and Happy New Year (a day early)!

 

We had a pretty low key Christmas this year.  We spent Christmas Eve at home and headed to Cissna on Christmas morning to stay with Chris' family for a few days. It was nice to see his family but it was the first year ever that I didn't see my parents for Christmas.  That made me a bit sentimental (I know, me, sentimental?) but I got through it!  I will say, though, that the hardest part for me was on Christmas Eve and morning.  For some reason I was very emotional.  This may sound crazy to some of you, but in the short time that I was pregnant I had already imagined myself being six months pregnant at Christmas time, and as we sat at our church service all I could do was fight back tears as I saw a number of babies being held by their mothers.  There are also two very adorable babies in our family that we were around on Christmas day.  While I have adjusted to being around them and enjoy seeing them, I struggle to carry on a conversation with others at the same time without crying.  It was also hard because I expected myself to be happy. I mean, after all, it was Christmas--the birth of our Savior--but I just couldn't find complete happiness while struggling with sadness at the same time.  I had to continually remind myself to be patient and to trust that God is there for me.  I pray for others to be patient with me as well, especially Chris.  I'm not sure what I would do without him, because he was and is amazing.  Just when I think he's going to give up on me or tell me to suck it up, he becomes my shoulder to cry on... over and over again.  I love you babe!  

I did have a favorite gift this year for Christmas (with a close second being monkey slippers from my mom and sister... two different pairs:).  My mother-in-law bought us a Hallmark ornament that says "Sleep in Heavenly Peace" with the year 2009.  I will treasure it every year as we place it on our tree (although it's not going to get packed away just yet--I might have to keep it out for awhile).

Anyway, I hope you all have a safe and happy new year.  As another year comes around, I am reminding myself to be thankful for all that I have and to try and not want what others have.  Contentment is key!  I am currently reading a book called Hannah's Hope and it's amazing!  It really has helped me see things from a different perspective and to be content with what I have.  Here is a link in case you are interested (I couldn't find it at the library or bookstore, I had to oder it online, but it was worth every penny): http://www.hannahshopebook.com/.  I might have to elaborate more later when i'm finished reading.

  HaPpY NeW YeaR!!!

Dashing Through the Holidays

Where to begin?  It seems like a lot has been going on since my last post.  I don't know about you, but i'm having a hard time getting things done before Christmas.  I have yet to send out Christmas cards and I still have a few gifts to buy and lots of wrapping to do!  Ahh!  My weekends have been very busy lately and I can't seem to find the time to get things done.  I'm actually glad that I work this coming weekend because that means I have a day off during the week so I can get things accomplished!  Hooray for Thursday!

Anyway, here are a few snapshots of what i've been up to.  Last weekend I helped my sister with a sleepover at her studio.  The kids had a blast and ended up falling asleep around 2am.  Unfortunately my sister and I got maybe 2 hours of sleep the entire night because one of the girls was sleep talking/crying on and off for about 3 hours and another girl had a headache and wanted to go home around 5am.  Plus, sleeping on the spring floor is not as comfortable as you would think.  We finally decided to sleep on the pit around 6am and slept until the kids left at 8.  

Here they are... full of smiles and energy!

After I attempted to take a nap at home on Sunday morning Chris and I made Christmas cookies for a cookie exchange with my small group on Sunday night.  I also made Rice Krispy Treat Ornaments from a Pampered Chef cookbook.  They were harder to make than I expected, but Chris was a great help since I was functioning on little sleep!

 

 After another busy week of work, we had two Christmas parties to attend.  On Saturday night my pharmacy manager had us over to her house for our annual Christmas pitch-in and gift exchange.  This photo is of Caitlin and myself.  She is one of our technicians and one of my good friends. 

Yes, I chopped my hair!

On Sunday night we had a Christmas party with the Young Life committee and leaders.  I actually haven't been doing much with Young Life this semester just because of everything that has happened and also because of my work schedule, but Chris is still involved and it was great to see everyone.  They are all like a family to us!

Chris is second from right in back and i'm last on the right in front

Lastly, we celebrated my niece's birthday on Saturday.  She turned the big 2!!  She LOVES her "Papa" and hardly leaves his sight when he is around.

Happy Birthday, Addie!

We got her a peek-a-boo doll that talks and moves... I thought it was the cutest thing ever!  She seemed to really like it and her parents were thankful that it had an off button to keep it from talking all the time :)

 

I'm very thankful that i've been able to spend time with some of my family and friends over the past few weeks.  I hope you are all having a good week and are finding time to get everything done during this busy season!!