So, I'm headed to my parents for Christmas! I'm very excited to see them and spend some great quality time with them. You see, I simply don't get to see them often enough. I'm taking all of next week off work so I'll get to stay for New Year's too!
Okay, I have to admit. There is another reason I'm excited too. You see there is this guy that's coming. And he's going to be meeting my parents. And he's staying the entire week too!
So simply put, I'm going to be a very happy girl!
Just in case you can't scroll down and see a picture of the guy I'm talking about, I'll post another picture. I'm sure it will make him very happy (insert evil laugh here).
He's not angry...the sun is in his eyes (just wanted to clarify). I think the picture looks a bit GQ. :)
I'm sorry I haven't posted in awhile. I've been busy. I joined the YMCA the end of October and have enjoyed working out on the elliptical. I've also started going to a fitness class on Monday and Friday nights. It's called Zumba! It's so much fun! I'm not very good at it, but it sure makes me smile while working out. I've posted a video below in case some of you aren't familiar with it. Anyone want to join me? I need a friend to go with me.
I had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my family. This past year has been so full. It was a year ago this week that I left camp. When I reflect on all that God has done this past year, I'm overwhelmed with thanks.
Here's a bit of a recap:
God directed me to leave the camp ministry....difficult, but part of His plan.
God gave me a wonderful three months of rest and time with my family.
God provided me with a job before I even started looking.
God led me to buy my first house....all by myself.....I was scared out of my mind. It has truly become a home.
God led me to a wonderful church family where He is allowing me to serve Him.
Last, but certainly not least, God brought a wonderful man into my life.....see previous post if you missed it. :)
This past year has been such a growing time for me. He has truly blessed me and I'm thankful for all He has done. I can't wait to see what this next year holds.
Here are few pictures of our family celebration this year.
Donna, Me, & Mom
Mom, Me & Dad
Scott, Autumn, Jamie & Ethan - time to load up on the yummy dinner
Ethan and Me - I love the look on his face. He's such a ham.
Donna & Uncle Smiley (just gave him that nickname this week)
We also celebrated Christmas with Scott and his family since we won't get to see them. Below are the gifts I gave the kids. I love them, but I'm sure their parents might not like the idea of them playing with their food. What can I say....I'm a great aunt. :)
I would like to introduce all my faithful readers to someone very, very special.
This is Jeff.
Oh, you want more details? I suppose...If I must. Jeff and I met on eHarmony and have been dating online and over the phone for almost three months now. We met face-to-face this weekend and made it official.
I feel very blessed that God has put this man into my life. You can pray for him. He gets to meet the parents over New Year's. :) I have no doubt he'll pass with flying colors.
A Mighty Fortress is one of my favorite hymns. A friends posted this arrangement on her Facebook and I thought I'd share it with you. Read the words below as you listen. In fact, sing along. What an amazing God we have!!!
This weekend was spent with some of the most wonderful friends on the face of this planet. These are the friends that you may only get together with once a year, but it feels like you were never apart. These are the friends that know your most embarrassing moments and love you anyway. These are the friends that know your struggles and prayed with you through every one. These are the friends that make you laugh till you snort. (I may or may not have done this.) These are the friends that you miss the rest of the year and wish you lived closer.
We were missing two from our little college group...Bekah (in Japan) and Becky (had family obligations). We missed you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We met in Galena, IL this year. It's a beautiful, quaint town. We did some shopping, some eating, some pool time and lots and lots of laughing. I'm very blessed.
Me, Roxi and Mary Ann
Modeling some hats.......really, we're just goofs
Isn't that hat adorable on her?
Wrestling masks....I'm pretty intimidating, huh?
I think Mary Ann looks pretty scary
Roxi always has a smile on her face
We just can't seem to follow the rules. This is U.S. Grant's home. Wish we could have taken the tour.
We were on the phone with Bekah, so wouldn't totally miss out on our weekend.
Here's a view of this beautiful little town
This is the not-so-pleasant part of our trip. Someone banged up Roxi's car in the hotel parking lot. They did leave a note and hopefully take care of the damage.
Weekend Vacation Part 2
Galena is only an hour away from my brother and his family and my aunt & uncle. I couldn't be that close and not go see them, so I headed over there on Saturday afternoon and came back home on Sunday. It was wonderful to hug my niece and nephew again and see how big they are getting. It seems like only yesterday I was holding those little bundles in my arms. I had a great visit with all of them. My sister-in-law, Jamie, reads my blog, so this is my shout out to her. Love you, Jamie!!!! (Scott too! And Donna and Rog.....can't leave out anybody.)
Here's our goofy shot. It's much better than the good one....it shows our personalities.
Ethan's Birthday is Nov. 14, and I gave him is gift early. This was his reaction...I think he liked it! :)
It was a great weekend packed full of wonderful people. I'm very blessed with a wonderful family and fabulous friends.
I've been keeping busy with house guests recently. I've had some normal two-legged kind, but also some of the four-legged variety.
Drew and Mandy's daughter had surgery last week on Monday, so I kept their dog, Jersey, for a few days. She's such a sweet dog. She was a bit scared of my laminate floors though, so I had to try to accommodate her a bit.
T
This week, I have the Betz's dog, Lucy. They are on vacation and going to the camp conference. You may remember from way back in older posts that she was actually my dog at one time...for a week. Yep, that's right. I'm thankful that the Betz Family adopted her and I still get to see her and watch her from time to time. She's such a sweetie too.
Wednesday was my first Birthday away from my camp family and Mason Church friends. I had a bit of a breakdown the week before. You see, my camp family and church friends always made my Birthday so special since I was far from my family. Thinking of celebrating without them just made me miss them even more. Besides that, I simply love my Birthday!
It turned out to be wonderful. Tara, my co-worker, made me a cake, gave me a funny card and a gift. The guys at the office bought me a cake, gave me a funny card and flowers. My parents sent me beautiful orange roses and had them delivered to the office. Bekah sent me a scarf from Japan. I received many wonderful cards in that mail and some great phone calls too. To to top it all off, three friends from Mason City met me in Des Moines to have a Birthday dinner.
It was a great celebration. God knew I needed every one of those bits of encouragement. He knew that I love my Birthday and made it special even though I'm in a new place and making new friendships. I'm very blessed. And I'm very thankful that God even cares about Birthdays.
I'm so thankful that Stacey, Mary and Keri made the trip down to celebrate.
This was our yummy dessert. We went to Hu Hot for dinner.
The most important thing in my life is my personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He is my All in All.
Lots of changes in my life lately and I'm excited to see what God has around the next bend.
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