New Year's Eve

At the start of every year our pastor warns us that we will all face trials in the coming year. For some it's financial. For others it is a loss. Maybe the loss of a job or a loved one.

Every year during that sermon I pray it won't hit us. I think of it like a storm. More specifically, like a tornado. It can hit one home and completely miss the one next door. Not that I wish the bad stuff on my neighbors or strangers... I just pray selfishly that the spiraling mass of chaos will skip us.

Compared to some, we still got off easy this year. But I have to admit, looking back, this was a tough one. I found we had to be strong for a lot of people and in the very end, it meant being strong for ourselves.

Some of the low lights of the year that we stood witness to included watching our neighbor struggle with breast cancer and our hearts breaking for our dear friends who lost their infant child.

On our own, we struggled at work. Brian continues to grow in his abilities but the company is changing and that means hard work and long hours. Add school to that mix and its stressful and exhausting. I personally struggled with my own ability at work as we, too, went through some changes that lead to chaos and confusion.

And just recently, Brian and I held tight to one another as we saw a dream of ours slip through our fingers.

These loses and trials were hard. And so I force myself to count my blessings:
- we have a great roof over our head
- our families are blessed with love for one another... and children who make us laugh
- we have jobs and we are fortunate enough to enjoy them
- our animals give us great pleasure of loads of affection
- although money can be tight we are never left wanting

I think this year when our pastor warns us of what is to come I will still be praying that our house will be skipped. But one thing I guess you could say I've learned is that we will prevail. Our faith is strong and our love for each other is like a rock. In that, we are truly blessed.

So to you and yours and to us, I wish everyone a Safe, Healthy, and Blessed new year. I hope 2008 is a good one.

'Tis the Season to be Busy!

Saturday morning was a busy but fun one! B and I headed out early and started making the rounds to see people we hadn't seen in awhile. First we visited with friends who had twins in September.

This cutie is Ava. She had the most adorble blue eyes and loves her Daddy!

And this sweet one admiring B is Paige. Definitely the quieter of the two...

I think she was noting how red and orange shouldn't be worn together. Smart girl!

And then last, but certainly not least, we visited with my sister and her family. Morgan shows us here how "beautiful" she looks when she is wearing a dress.

This is what the Christmas season is all about - seeing our friends and family and just enjoying the joy that comes into our hearts as we think about God giving his son for us.