Thankfulness End

With all the chaos that happens over the holiday weekend, my Thankfulness countdown has been neglected. So rather than try and catch up I think I will just end it now since tomorrow is that last day of the month anyway. We really did have a pretty nice holiday weekend. I spent the majority of Wednesday night and Thursday in the kitchen. But as I have stated in past posts, I love to cook. I am blessed to have a husband who is willing to help out with the cooking too. This was the fits holiday meal that I have had to fix on my own. It really was not too bad!
Friday was my birthday. TJ made me a birthday cake from scratch. What a great husband! Neither one of us are real big shoppers so there was no black Friday shopping for us! That evening we headed to the Christmas Train. TJ posted about it in the previous post. It has become a tradition for TJ and me. We love to go and spend that time together. It just gets the Christmas season going for us. It was so much fun to share it with our nieces and nephews this year.
Saturday was all about the Christmas decorations. TJ and I love real trees so we got up and went on a hunt for the perfect tree. I think that we did a pretty good job! We got it home and then put up the outside lights. Personally I think that it turned out pretty well. Since moving into the new house, I realized that we don't have nearly enough decorations to fill up the bigger house! Oh well. We can add to it as we go. I will post pics of the house later.
Sunday was church. We LOVE our new church and are so excited to be attending there. For lunch, TJ's family came over again. We had a simple lunch of sub sandwiches but my nieces and I made brownies. It is so fun to have them help in the kitchen. I know I loved helping my family growing up. I hope Kiah and Ryann have the same memories when they are grown! After they left, TJ and I just relaxed for a little while. It was the first time all weekend that we really just got to sit and breathe. That only lasted for so long though. We headed to our friends house for a chili dinner. Wow can Alison cook! It was so good. There is nothing better than good food, good friends and great conversation. We got to play with our two favorite girls for a while too. Love those kids! They got me an amazing picture for the wall. It is the Serenity Prayer. That is a prayer that Alison and I both hold close as it has gotten us through so many tough times the past few years. So blessed to have such good friends!
So that was our Thanksgiving holiday. I hope everyone else had a great one too! Now we have about 2 weeks before the Christmas chaos begins! Bring it on!

Thankfulness Day 26

Today I am very thankful for the Christmas Train. You might be wondering "What is the Christmas Train?" It is a really cool place where Gina and I have been the last 3 years. We took my mom and Alvin and my sisters and the nieces and nephews. We had a blast. You get to ride a real steam train and as you ride you get to hear the story of how God created the world and the life and death of Jesus Christ. It is located on an old western movie set. You also get to do some shopping and have some hot chocolate or coffee and listen to some live music. It is good a good family time. Can't wait to go back next year.

Thankfulness Day 25

This is TJ and I am very thankful to have my family here for Thanksgiving. My mom and Alvin flew in to town on Thanksgiving evening and we had a wonderful dinner that was prepared by my wonderful wife. She is such a good cook and worked very hard at making sure the meal was perfect. We had some Turkey, stuffing, corn, salad, rolls, etc. It was an awesome meal. Couldn't ask for anything better.

Thankfulness Day 24

Yesterday I wrote about sunshine and loving it. Today is the total opposite! It is rainy and overcast. This is my least favorite type of day! But what I am thankful for today is a good book. I love to read. I read just about anything I can get my hands on. My favorites are the classics and poetry. Both are things that never fail to transport me to a different world. I also love a good thriller. Something about putting my self in the characters shoes and trying to figure out who done it before the character does. Children's books also hold a special place in my heart. I have quite a collection. My love of books and reading came pretty natural. Mom and Dad always read to us when we were young. We had a HUGE collection of books. Dad built us a special bookshelf just to hold all the childrens books. I think that Mom still has them all. Every night each of us got to choose a book to have read to us before we went to bed. Once we were old enough to read, we took turns reading chapter books with our parents. I would much rather read a book than watch tv or a movie. I think my imagination is much better than that of screen writers. on dreary days like this, I love to curl up in my favorite chair in front of the fire place with a book. That is the only way that I can be still! TJ and I plan to encourage the love of books in our kids as well. Much better than planting them in front of a tv for hours! Studies show that children who read have much higher test scores and IQ than those who watch tv. Who wouldn't want that for their kids?

Thankfulness Day 23

On this bright and sunny day, I am thankful for the sunshine! I am such a sunshine girl. Bright warm sunshine just calls for being outside soaking it all up. It brings out the amazing colors that is in God's creation. My daddy used to sing "You are My Sunshine" to me all the time. I don't really think that started my love of sunshine but it sure helps. I love the fact that the sun helps things to grow. Without it photosynthesis cannot happen therefore no oxygen. (Yeah I am a science junky). This time of year is really tough for me because it starts getting dark so early. There is not enough time to walk Capone or go for a jog outside. It gets dark almost as soon as I get home from work. What fun is that?! My favorite thing to do is to have a nice sunny day with a slight breeze, Josh Groban cd playing in the background, a good thriller in my hand and a nice cold glass of lemonade in my hand, laying out in the hammock. Picture perfect day for me. Sunshine warms my soul and makes me happy.

Thankfulness Day 22

Hmm this is getting tougher. And I am sorry for the lack of pics but I usually blog at work and have forgotten to bring my camera. As the holidays approach, I am most thankful for my family. I know I already did family but that was my immediate family. I am so blessed to have great relationships with all my aunts uncles and cousins. I was lucky enough to grow up close4 2to0 all of my family so that we could have Sunday dinners at my Granny's house or Grandma's and get to see everyone. I have first cousins ranging in age from 25 down to 3. We are a rowdy group when we all get together! Too top that off, often times my mom's aunts and uncles and their families are thrown in there too. Growing up there was never really a distinction between whether they were my uncles or great uncles or whatever. Like I said, I am so blessed to have so many people to love. It was never lonely growing up! We all still keep in touch even though we are growing up. I am lucky enough to say that my cousin, Kenna is one of my best friends. There is a small age gap between us and when we were younger she was like a cute little sister but she has grown into an amazing young lady. So blessed to call everyone family. I love ya'll!

Thankfulness Days 20-21

Day 20
Today I was going through all of my recipes looking for things to make for Thanksgiving Dinner and making my shopping lists. Looking at all of those old family recipes brought back a lot of memories. I am so thankful for the fact that I have the most amazing grandmothers, great grandmothers and mom in the world. So many women my age do not know how to really cook. Taking something out of a box or bag and warming it up does not mean that you are cooking! Some of my favorite memories of my family holidays revolve around being with the women of my family in the kitchen. I started helping when I was so small that I had to sit on the counter in order to be tall enough to reach. And for me, who has always been really tall, that is saying a lot! I cherish the memories of hanging out in the kitchen and learning to cook. My Grandma is straight full blood Italian. I absolutely love knowing how to make and feed my husband authentic Italian food. He has become a bit of a snob when it comes to Italian food. He will take a bite and then say, This isn't as good as you or your grandma's. His palette has grown quite a bit because at first he wanted to put ranch on lasagna! YUCK! My granny is a different kind of a cook. She is definitely Southern. She is a ranchers wife and cooks like it! The best thing that I learned from her in the kitchen is the importance of your ingredients. Granny has always had this HUGE garden where she harvests most of her veggies. There is nothing better than going out to the garden and picking the veggies that you are going to be eating for dinner that night! Home grown veggies that you know are clean and organically grown are the best. TJ and I have a garden as well but it is not nearly as large as Granny's!
Both of my grandmothers equate food with love. The first thing that they ask to you as you walk through their doors is if you are hungry. Holidays are full of such good food. This is the first year that I am doing Thanksgiving at my house. TJ's family is coming over. I know that there is no way that my food will turn out half as good as the spread at my grandmothers' houses but hopefully it will be good! I am a pretty good cook so we will see!


Day 21
As TJ and I came home from church, I was thinking about the fact that Sunday is supposed to be the day of rest. With our busy lives, this is not always our reality as it should be. There are often times that is the only day that we can really get things done. We always go to church, but we often mow the grass or clean or do any number of other things. This week we did not do that. It was great! We took advantage of the day of rest and didn't really do anything other than cook dinner. I read a book, TJ watched football and we were just together. Anyone who really knows me, knows that I do not sit still and do nothing well so this is usually really tough for me. I hate to be idle. But spending this quiet day with just TJ and Capone was awesome. I felt refreshed and recharged as well as feeling like we were doing what God had intended for Sundays. We decided to really try and make that a priority in our weekly lives. I am thankful for quiet days of reflection to spend with my family and with my God!

Thankfulness Day 19

I am thankful for my dad's financial lessons. My dad is a banker and has been since I was in the 1st grade. I am really thankful for his lessons and guidance in financial matters since I was young. My brothers and I were really young when we started getting an allowance. Really young. It wasn't much money but Dad wanted to be able to teach us early on how to manage money and how money is a necessity but mis using it was a sin. Anyway, from the very start of our allowance, we knew that we had to tithe 10% and put 10% into our savings account. Not 10% for a later date for a big thing. It had to go into a savings account that drew interest. Now for a little kid to get $10 and automatically lose $2 didn't seem fair at the time. Now I am glad that he taught us this because it has become a habit. We also keep our checkbook balanced. This was really difficult when we were first married because TJ had never done this and didn't know how! So when we got out joint account for the first time, we really struggled. I had my first checking account when I turned 13 and Dad would make sure that I balanced it every time I spent anything out of it. Another lesson was that we could not get a forward on our allowance. If we ran out of money or did not have enough for whatever it was that we were wanting than we had to wait. This is an important lesson about borrowing money and living above your means. Don't do it. TJ and I have 1 credit card and it has a very low balance and is used only for emergencies. If we do not have the physical money to go on a trip or to buy expensive gifts or whatever than we don't do it. My parents pay for almost everything in cash and flat out. Mom just got a brand new car and paid cash. This is only the 3rd brand new car that my mom has ever had. Dad's motorcycle is the same thing. Totally paid for. TJ and I are not there yet. We were barely married for a year when both of our cars that were totally paid off died! We bought two nice used cars with really low miles so that they would last a long time. We now have one of them paid off and are working hard to pay the final one off. That extra money would be really nice! Our house is great. We got a good deal on it but also did not even come close to the top of our budget. There is no need to live above our means.
I think that the one lesson that I took from my dad the most though was giving. My family has always been relatively well off. We never struggled and were always provided with what we needed and most of the time wanted. There is a difference in a need and a want but that is for a later post. But Dad always taught us about giving. This time of year reminds me to do that even more. Growing up each of us kids always selected a child off of the angel tree. Mom and Dad would then take us shopping and allow us to choose things that we thought that the kids would like. They always reminded us that these were kids less fortunate and that this might be the only gifts that they got in an entire year! We also would go through our closets and toys at least once a year and get rid of the stuff that we did not wear or that we did not play with. We would then load it all up and take it to either a shelter or to the Salvation Army. TJ and I have carried both of these actions into our marriage. Every year we have taken either one or two children from the angel tree and bought them gifts. And we go through our stuff at least twice a year if not more than that. It really is a joy to give.
All these are lessons that TJ and I hope to pass on to our kids one day. Money should never be the most important thing in someones life.

Thankfulness Day 18

Today I am thankful for all of the amazing Christian couples we have to look up to. When TJ and I were getting married we had all sorts of alarming statistics thrown at us. Divorce rates, infidelity rates, etc. For a young couple just beginning their lives together that is very scary. Especially for TJ and I because we had only known each other for a little over a year. We did not have a long courtship and then a long engagement. We met got engaged and were married within a year and a couple months. I would not have done it any different because I knew that God had destined TJ and I to be together. He is truly my other half.
Anyway back to thankfulness. With all of the negativity that we faced early on, we knew that we were going to need to find mature couples that we could look up to and look to for guidance. My parents have been a huge support. Not only because they are my parents but because they have been married for over 30 years. They act just as much in love now as when they were first married if not more so. My parents are like TJ and myself. They met in October and were married the following August. No long dating or engagement. I got to see first hand what a christian marriage ought to look like. God was always first in our home. We were always in church. All of us in a pew with our nice church clothes on. We prayed often in the house, not just at dinner times. And one thing that TJ and I try to emulate is date night. Even when we did not have the money for Mom and Dad to go out for a date, they sent us to the grandparents so that they could have a nice meal and just be together without the 3 of us underfoot. This happened a minimum of once a month. Mom and Dad knew it was important to be a couple not just mom and dad.
Both sets of my grandparents are also great examples. One set was married for over 50 years before my grandfather passed away. The other set did not make it that long because my grandfather passed away. but both sets were very much in love until the day that they were forced to be a part. My moms parents never in the length of their marriage spent a night apart. That is dedication!
We have also been blessed to meet many other older couples through the years that we have learned a lot from. The advice we have been given, the prayers, and sometimes the smacks upside the head have really helped TJ and I to form a strong bond. When you take 2 people as different as me and TJ you really need to learn how to mesh. But through it all we are stronger and very much in love. Thank you guys for being such great examples not just to me and TJ but to others out there who watch you. You are truly an inspiration and we hope that one day we can mentor other young couples as you did us. We love each and every one of you! TJ and my goal is to be the old couple sitting in the front pew sharing a hymnal just like you!

Thankfulness Day 17

I read a poem this week about a florist and that her special this time of year was a bouquet of rose thorns. A customer was really confused by this and asked what the deal was with the thorns. What the florist said is awesome. She told the customer that she had been through many many trials in her life. She said that she really struggled with her relationship with God during those times and one day came to a realization. That she often thanked and praised God for the roses or the good times in her life. She never praised or thanked God in the times of thorns, or the bad times. She told the customer that every since then she displayed an arrangement of not roses but of thorns at Thanksgiving. This was a reminder that she needed to praise God not just for the good times but for the thorns as well. The customer was going through a rough time herself and left the shop with a huge arrangement of thorns for her dining table.
All this to say, I am thankful for my thorns. TJ and I have had some real trying times but we realize that even in those times we are not alone. God has CHOSEN us to go through these times. I think that is an honor of sorts. I have read plenty of blogs written by people that are going through the same things that we are. Some of them sound so bitter and broken. But my God knew that TJ and I were strong. That we could carry this burden and bring light and attention to God through our struggle. God chose us to bear this cross and to bring honor to Him in all that we do. That includes times of thorns. We still have our moments where we feel down and just wish that His timing was our timing but we try to bring glory to Him daily in our walks. I thank God that we have been through these tough times. TJ and I are closer than many other couples that we know. We have been through much heart break and many good times. All together far from family and friends. He has brought many new people into our lives to help us, pray with and for us, to rejoice with, to be our family. We have grown so much as people this past few years. We know what we are on this earth to do and we have realized what our dreams are. We have identified what needs are verses wants. We definitely have a new appreciation for the blessings that we do have. We are blessed beyond what we really deserve. I am truly blessed to go through the hardships that we have gone through. I am honored that God chose me to go through these and I am so blessed that He chose TJ to be my partner in this journey.
My challenge is to be thankful for our thorns not just this time of year but every day. We need to live our lives that way every day. And to be a light to those that might not see any other light. Thank you Lord for my thorns. Let me bless You with them every day. I know that too often I am resentful for the fact that we struggle. You know what is in my heart. And I know that You have a plan. You are my Heavenly Father. You love me even when I am unlovable. You love me when I throw tantrums because I do not get my way. You love me even more when I am self centered and complain about my place in life. Help me to remember every day that I am blessed. Help me to help others less fortunate. Help me to use my thorns as a way to bring others to know Your everlasting love. And Lord, I thank you for TJ. What an amazing person to be on this journey with. I cannot imagine not having him to walk this path with. His faith, humor, and loyalty have carried me when I do not have any strength left. Thank You for loving me and for sending Your Son as my Savior.

Thankfulness Day 16

Today is all about technology. I am so thankful for my handy laptop and my cell phone. When you live a ways from your family and some of your best friends, it is great to be able to pick up either one and to connect with each other. I think that both are over used sometimes but handy none the less. As much as I love to immediately hear from friends and family, it is also nice to receive a nice written letter in the mail.I got well versed in letter writing when many of my friends were and are serving over seas. Often that is the only communication that we may have with them for a while. I do not think that I am as tied to my devices as many people that I know (no names here!) but I do appreciate them. The one device that I love above all though, is my digital camera. It took me a while to get on this kick though. I have a minor in photography. So I was so snobby when digitals first came out. The images were not as clear as film and I loved going into the darkroom and developing my own pictures. I still love the thought of doing that. but for handiness my digital is nice. I can see the picture as soon as I take it so that I know if I have a good shot or not. I carry a camera with me most of the time. I know that is sort of hard to believe since I don't always post pictures on here but it is the truth! I promise! I love the ease of sharing photos and the simplicity of editing my photos. What used to take hours in the dark room can be done in minutes on my camera or computer. How awesome is that?

Thankfulness Day 15

Health. This is something that TJ and I take for granted every day. So that is what I am thankful for today. Neither one of us ever really gets sick or hurt or anything like that. Because of the adoption and foster care stuff, we have to have annual physicals. We are both totally healthy. Low blood pressure, cholesterol, our weight is both in the normal range, neither one of us wear glasses for anything other than reading and no dental issues. How amazing is that? We do both have seasonal allergies but it is nothing that a little over the counter meds can't take care of if it gets too bad. I can even add Capone into the healthy category. The only time he has to go to the vet is for his yearly shots. We are one healthy family! I credit alot of that to how active we are. We do not really eat or exercise to lose weight, it is just something that we enjoy. We love to eat and cook with natural ingredients and neither one of us is really into sweets or junk food. Our down fall in the healthy eating area is ice cream! Even Capone likes that. When we eat it, he gets a small scoop in his bowl too. Other than that we are pretty healthy eaters. as far as exercise goes, we don't really have a plan. We both enjoy the outdoors so we hike and play softball and walk around the neighborhood. We stay busy and that is one key thing to being healthy. Just keep moving. But all in all I am very grateful that we are all healthy. It is such a blessing.

Thankfulness Day 14

Today, I am thankful for hard work. TJ and I cleaned out the garage. And I mean clean! We are not pack rats by any means but we still had a ton of stuff in the garage. Most of it things that we have taken out of the house like old light fixtures and curtain rods and things. So we have a big old pile just getting ready to go to the Salvation Army. Not only did we clean the garage but we went through our closets and have about 6 bags full of old clothes and coats and things that are also ready for donation. I had made a big old pot of chili that simmered all day so when we were done with all of our hard work, we sat down with a bowl of spicy chili and the Amazing Race! There is nothing like the feeling you get after you put in a full day of working hard. We were tired and dirty but totally satisfied with all that we had gotten done.

Thankfulness Day 13

Today I am thankful for summer! TJ and I went to the Hog game tonight and we froze! We love football and going to games but sitting there freezing your buns off is not fun! I love the warm summer temps and feeling the sun on my face. If it never got below 60 degrees I would be one happy camper! I love it hot. All in all though we had a blast and even better, the Hogs kicked butt!

Thankfulness Day 12

Mi casa es su casa. I love this phrase and TJ and I try and live by this every day. We LOVE to entertain and have people over. I had that kind of house growing up. Our house was the gathering place for all of our friends. Probably because Mom always fed them! Today I am thankful for our house. We found it and got an amazing deal. we had a smaller 1300 sq foot house but when this house came up it was too good to pass up. It is MUCH bigger than the other one and is set up for entertaining. We have a formal dining room and breakfast room so plenty of space to feed tons of people. A nice large backyard and covered patio to grill on and play games. A huge living room that fits many. The house is pretty new. Only about 6 years old so it is in great shape. The down fall was that the whole thing was painted mustard yellow on the inside! No joke. Plus it had gold light fixtures in every single room. Yuck! We are slowly changing all of that. Lots of paint and shopping for light fixtures! But it has hard woods throughout so didn't have to worry about carpet! That was a huge plus.

We feel truly blessed to have found such a nice house at such a great price in our target area. We know that God led us to this house and we want to honor Him with it. We often open our home to people from the church as well as having housed some great foster kids. We want our house to be a place of love, laughter, and fellowship. Thank you Father for blessing us with this house and may we in turn bless You and spread Your love with the things that happen in this house! I love our little house!

Thankfulness Day 11

This is a little unoriginal considering the day but... I am very thankful for our men and women that serve in the arm forces. I was just starting my freshman year of college when 9-11 happened. This means that many of my friends and classmates headed straight overseas. My younger brothers friends turned 18 and signed up. Coming from a small town, most of the graduates either went to college or joined the military of some form. Some of my best friends have seen and done things that I don't even want to think about. My younger brothers best friend is literally scarred for life. He was the sole survivor of an ambush and car bombing. He had 3rd degree burns over 75% of his body. Many of them of PTSD and will never really be the young carefree guys that I knew and loved. But not one of them regrets the decision to join or to fight for our country. It makes me sad to hear all of the people that protest soldiers funerals. That is so disrespectful. I can promise you that those soldiers believed in what they were doing. anyone my age or younger that is in the military knew exactly what they were signing up for when they put their name on the line. Not one of them can say that they didn't know they would be shipped out. They put their lives on the line every day so that we have freedoms that we do, which includes a VOLUNTARY military. No one is forced into service. To all those that are out there today fighting, thank you. For all those that have fought before, thank you. For all those families that are waiting for loved ones to return from service, thank you. You guys make a difference and we pray for you often. As my best friends husband is preparing to go off again, our prayers are with you. Know that we appreciate all that you sacrifice. To Cody H, JD, Mark, Colton, Scott, and all of the others, you are in our prayers and we love you guys and pray for your safety!

Thankfulness Day 10

Today I am thankful for my college education. I was speaking with my cousin who is still in college and was missing those times. I am so blessed in that I did not have to work or take out loans while I was in school. Between my scholarships and the money that my parents had put back for my education since I was a baby, I was totally covered. I really got to concentrate on school and just enjoying my time there. My mom and dad owned an apartment complex so I got to live there rent free with my older brother. We often fussed about having to live together but cannot imagine having to share a house with anyone other than him! I had already lived with him for many years before. Plus we were good friends and study partners. As I have stated in other posts, Chris is genius level smart so it was great to have him there to help with some of the tougher classes. True to form, I somewhat followed in my brothers footsteps in college. Both of us went into science fields. Chris has several advanced degrees in fields that I cannot even list. I got my degree in Kinesiology. Thus lots of science and math classes. Not my best subjects! Chris helped me out there and in turn I helped him with his Spanish classes. By far my best class! Anyway, my time was spent studying, hanging out with the BCM (Baptist Collegiate ministry) crowd, FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes), and playing volleyball. Such great times. It wasn't until my senior year of college that I even met my future husband, TJ. We were introduced by one of my FCA friends. It was a great way to transition into adulthood. No worries other than grades and what we were going to do that night. 2 weeks after TJ and I graduated, we were married! I don't use my degree now as far as the kinesiology part of it but I learned a lot about responsibility, attention to detail, and advanced math which I use in my career now.

Day 9

I am so very thankful for my wonderful puppy. Well he is not really a puppy. He is a grown dog that seems to think that he is small. I wouldn't say that he is a big dog, but he definitely isn't small. I love him so much because no matter what he is always right there by our side and just wanting to be loved on. He has so many toys and they are always all over the floor. You can pick them up 20 times a day and in a matter of minutes he has the back out and all over the floor. He thinks that they don't belong it the basket. We love him very much and don't know what we would do without him. He is such a bright spot in our lives.

thankfulness Days 6-8

I promise that one of these days I will get some more photos to put on here!

Day 6
I am thankful for family time. TJ and I make Saturday mornings family time. We often head into town to go do our grocery shopping and just run our errands. It is not anything huge or planned or anything but it is time to just be together. I think that is sometimes the best times. We get to take time out and just be together doing something mundane. Sam's Club is always on our list of places to go. We try to time it right so that we can grab lunch there. You can't beat $5 lunch that feeds us both!

Day 7
Today I am thankful for our church home. We have recently moved our church membership. There was nothing wrong with our old church, we just felt that God was leading us to a different place. Boy am I glad that he did. We LOVE this new church. The pastor and his family are amazing! They are huge supporters of fostering and adoption! We were so excited to learn that they had fostered and adopted 2 of their children and are working on the 3! They have been a huge support through the recent roller coaster ride that we have been on. Encouraging and understanding and a shoulder to lean on. What a blessing. We are also totally excited about the children's and youth ministries. For the size church, it is huge! They average over 100 kids for Awanas and 60 youth every single Wednesday night! God is really moving in this church and we feel blessed to be a part of it. We are excited to see what god has in store for us at this new church!

Day 8
Jobs. In these hard times, I am so thankful that TJ and I both have secure jobs. I know that is not exciting or profound of anything but it is the truth. I am so thankful that we really don't have to fear for our jobs. Especially TJ's job. For several years, we have been preparing for when we have children. This means that our house and our one car payment are all based off of TJ's income. Mine right now is pretty much just a bonus. So TJ's job security is huge! I love that he works so hard to provide not just for us but for the future that we want so badly. It is awesome to know that TJ has a job that can support us and that will enable me to be a stay at home mom when that time comes around! We are truly blessed!

Thanksgiving Days 4 and 5---Oops

Sorry, I really meant to post everyday and then I was so busy yesterday that I didn't remember until I was already in bed. So I will double up today.

Day 4
Today I am thankful for my friends. God has truly blessed me in this area. Erin Dee has been my best friend since Jr. High. We have been through so much together and I love her like a sister. We are so completely different now that we are grown but one sign of a true friendship is that doesn't really matter. I know that I can still call her and that no matter what, she will be there.When I am down or sad or whatever, she always calls and cheers me up. I love that girl and her adorable baby boy! Alison and I have been friends even longer. Our dads started working together when we were in 1st grade! That is a long time ago! Anyway, we were great friends all through school but lost contact when we went away for college. But God saw to bring us back together when we relocated to a totally different state! Who knew that could even happen? We are hours from my home town and I ran into her in Hobby Lobby of all places! But what a blessing that was. She and her husband have been our biggest support through the whole pregnancy, miscarriage, adoption thing. They brought their two little girls home almost 2 years ago now. TJ and I are in love with those little girls! Alison has rejoiced when we rejoiced and cried when we cried. They are definitely a blessing to us! Since moving, I have also had the opportunity to make 2 new great friends. Cher is someone that I love to hang out with. She is funny and just a blast to be around. She and her husband have been through some pretty rough times too and I am in awe of her attitude. Erin H and her husband Ryan. Wow who knew that we could form that close of a friendship that quickly. They are such a blessing to TJ and I. Once again, a huge support when we needed them. Such an amazing Godly couple who we are so blessed to be able to call friends. Our times together are such fun. We have gone sledding, blue berry picking, and the worst was moving them several hours away. We miss them like crazy but the distance has not hurt our friendship at all. We still talk all the time and I thank God for them every day.


Day 5
First these days are not really in any order. It is sort of whatever comes to mind at the time. I really can't rank most of these things. Anyway, back to what I am thankful for today...
My family. I have the most amazing family. I wish that I had remembered my camera cord so that I could post some pictures on these posts. I will try to remember to later. My family... Lets start with my mom. She is the most amazing christian woman. The total Proverbs 31 woman. She is everything that I aspire to be. My childhood was filled with picnics on the kitchen floor when it was raining, dancing to the Beach Boys. belting out Elvis songs at the top of our lungs, and sitting in the rocking chair reading stories and when we were to big to sit in her lap (she is barely 5 feet tall!) sitting next to her on the couch. Then there are the things that I look back on now as an adult that I took for granted as a kid. My mom was a stay at home mom. She was always there when we needed her. She still is. Mom was always the first mom to help out at our school parties and go on class field trips. She is really creative and talented so that kids always liked whatever snack she brought. She is also an AMAZING cook. She cooked dinner every night and had it on the table ready for when Dad got home from work. And I am not talking hamburger Helper dinner. No she cooked from scratch. When we were in high school, we had open campus for lunch. My friends always wanted to come to my house for lunch because often times, Mom would whip us up something good to eat! Much better than fast food or cafeteria food!
Dad. My dad is also a great man. I know that I took his hard work for granted when we were younger. He worked in the oil field when I was really small. He did not graduate from college until I was in kindergarten. He got a job as a loan officer shortly after that. and to see him now as a bank president is amazing! In just a short few years he has worked so hard to get to where he is now. I am so proud of him! I am more like my dad personality wise than my mom though I think. I am fiercely independent. I think that drives my dad crazy sometimes. He still sees me as his little princess. Dad is also an amazing christian man. There are few times that I remember not praying before a meal or that we were not in church. My dad has those amazingly stretchy arms that could thump you on the back of the head if you were misbehaving even if you were at the opposite end of the pew! My dad is larger than life. He is about 6'5 and somewhat of a scary man. He is really quiet and has ice blue eyes. Most of my dates growing up were scared of him and he loved it!
My brothers... Chris and Russell. There is so much to say about them. I was blessed with those 2 also. Just don't tell them that! My older brother has a huge heart. He puts on this tough front but he really is a cream puff on the inside. Especially when it comes to kids. His intelligence is astounding. Growing up, my goal was to be just like him. I pushed myself to be just like him in school. I took the same classes he did and tried to make him proud of me. I was totally the annoying little sister. I followed him every where. I hung out with him and his friends. But he never complained. Granted we are really close in age. There is about 17 months between us. He was truly my best friend. I admired the close relationship that He had with our Heavenly Father at such a young age. Chris is caring and loyal and an all around amazing man. Russell...what can I say about my baby brother? He is the stereo typical youngest child. Spoiled not only by my parents but by me and Chris as well. As you can see in the last sentence in me calling him a baby. He is not a baby. He is not even 2 years younger than I am! But he was definitely treated as such. Russ has this amazing love for life. He goes through life with a twinkle in his eye. That twinkle has gotten him into so much trouble! You can always tell when he is up to something by that twinkle. Russ lives life to the fullest. Sometimes not really thinking of the consequences. His the broken bones and stitches are proof of that! He is always up for anything. The one thing that I admire most about my younger brother is his loyalty. He has had the same group of best friends since he was in kindergarten. They have added some to the group and lost a few along the way but the core group has always been the same. These boys have been through so much together. Fighting in the war over seas, tragic loss of a close friend, and tons more. These boys are more like brothers than friends. I grew up with those boys and so they are like my brothers as well. Russell is also an athlete. I have never seen anyone like him. He literally can play anything even if he has never played it before. Russ is also very helpful and caring for those he loves. He would do anything that he can to help.
So that's it today. My family is the best and I love them warts and all!

Thanksgiving Day 3

Day 3

This is TJ here and I have many things that I am thankful for. I am so thankful to have the wonderful wife that I have. She is such and amazing person. I can't imagine being with anybody else. We have a lot of fun together no matter what we are doing. We have been through some good times and some not so good times, but no matter what we always stick together. I appreciate her being there for me anytime that I need her. She is an amazing christian woman that loves to worship God and you can't ask for anything better than a good christian wife. Love you so much baby. You are awesome!!

Thanksgiving Day 2

Today what I am thankful for is my unbelievably sweet, handsome, Godly husband. TJ is my best friend and I cannot imagine trekking through life without him by my side. He has been my rock through some tough times these past couple years. He makes me laugh. He does these silly little dances to make me smile. I had a horrible sinus headache last night and when he came home from work he had a card and Tootsie Rolls (my favorite Halloween candy) for me. He is constantly striving to be a Godly man and leader in our home. He spends a great deal of time in God's word and in prayer. He has a wonderful friend named Ryan that he turns to when he needs Godly advice. TJ is not only my husband but also my best friend. We do everything together. I can't imagine it any other way. I am often the only fan at TJ's softball games. We love to go hiking and camping. We go to sporting events and all the fun guy stuff, but he has also escorted me to a fair amount of craft fairs and junk shops. We work on the house together. We paint and switch out light fixtures. We dream of the boys ranch that we one day want to open. We have cried together, laughed together, and grown together. I thank God that He chose TJ as my husband and brought us together by chance. Who knew that a country boy like TJ and a country club girl like me would ever get married and start a life together? We are so different in so many ways but the love that is between us has over come so much. As long as we have God as the center of our relationship and don't take our eyes off of the path that He has directed us to, than nothing will separate us. It doesn't hurt any that he is handsome!!! I love you honey!

30 Days of Thanksgiving

Since Thanksgiving is less than a month away, TJ and I decided to do 30 days of the things that we are most thankful for. We will see if we manage to do a post a day! So here it goes...

Today is Day 1 of our 30 days. I (Gina) am most thankful for my relationship with Jesus Christ. At church yesterday, we had the Lord's Supper. Bro. Jack's message pertained to the meaning of the supper and how to prepare for it. Wow, how many times have I not been in the right place to fully observe the Lord's Supper? Anyway, I am so thankful that I am the daughter of a loving Father. He loves and cares for us even when we are selfish and needing children. He loves us when we turn our backs on Him because we think that we know better. He loves us when we vent our anger and frustration on Him. He loves us when it is hard and no one else wants to be around us. We sing that song "Amazing Love" all the time. I catch myself singing it as I clean or drive down the road. But how have we managed to lose the meaning in that song? Those words are so meaningful and don't deserve to just be sang or spoken lightly. With everything that TJ and I have been through, I often feel like a whiny kid when I pray and forget how truly blessed I really am. I am so thankful that my Heavenly Father, loved me enough to sacrifice His only Son on a cross for my sins. He did this so that when I do act like a whiny brat, my sins are forgiven! My goal is to remember His sacrifice and thank Him every day for the ability to have such a close relationship with Him.