Well, we are finally back home for good from all our travels. It was so great to spend some time away and get to see family we don't often get to see, but it is also nice to be in our own home. I've always been somewhat of a homebody. I enjoy traveling but one of the best parts of traveling is coming home. We might not have the biggest or nicest home, but it's ours and we love it.

I realized some things this Christmas season I'd thought I share.
1) Be thankful for any time you have with family. We never know when they (or us) will no longer be around. My friend Chris lost his grandmother a few days before Christmas. It reminds of you of how precious a gift our family is.
2) Be thankful for where God has you right now. God has placed Dan and I in a wonderful church home. We are surrounded by people who love and care for us. We are in a place where God's word is preached unashamedly. Where the music that is sung and played helps lead us to worship. Where we have the best group of middle schoolers. They're not perfect, but who is. Where we are surrounded by co-laborers who long to seek the Lord with their whole heart and encourage us to do the same. I will forever be grateful to the people who have touched our lives.
3) I have learned to appreciate my husband. Dan is a wonderful man. He leads our home in the way I believe God wants him to. He is the most incredible father. It shows every time he's near Katelyn. Her face lights up and mommy becomes invisible. It's all about Daddy( and I LOVE it). Dan's not perfect, which I'm SO thankful for. If he was, then he would have never married me because we all know I am the queen-messer-upper. Though he messes up, he is quick to apologize and try to make things right. He goes out of his way to look for ways to cheer me up when I'm down. Or to make me laugh in the middle of a "discussion." He doesn't take himself too seriously, yet knows there is a time a place for silliness. I am so blessed to have him as my leader, partner, and best friend. I pray I will never lose sight of that.

Anyway, I hope you had as wonderful a Christmas as my family did. I am once again in awe of the gift that was given in the form of a Baby in a manger. Being a parent now, I somewhat understand what God must have felt when He sent Jesus to be our sacrifice. I couldn't have given Katelyn. Thank You, Jesus for loving us so much You would come to earth as a lowly baby to die on the cross so I could live forever.

Amazing love how can it be?
That You my King would die for me.
Amazing love I know it's true.
And it's my joy to honor You.
In all I do, I honor You.

Back in Jax

Well, we made it back home this morning. It's been a whirlwind day of unpacking, repacking, finishing up my Christmas shopping, and going to our Christmas eve service. Let's just say I'm about ready to hit the hay.

I was so proud of myself. I had finished all my shopping last week and couldn't believe it! The, we had Christmas with Dan's side of the family. Each gift I got him, someone else got him too. Needless to say, that was why I was at the mall at 3pm on Christmas eve. The mall actually wasn't as bad as I thought. People were still nice. I didn't get any elbows to the ribs or anything. There were actually some pretty good sales. I guess it pays to wait until the last minute. One thing I must say though, the majority of the shoppers were men. I was actually surprised my husband wasn't one of them. : )

The service tonight was really beautiful. The adult choir combined with the Middle and High School choirs for a couple of numbers. My dad even got to play the handbells on one of the songs. We had the Lord's supper, and ended the night singing Silent Night as everyone lit candles. It was a beautiful ending to a special service.

Well, I finished my wrapping, got my little one to bed, so now all I'm waiting for is the man in the red suit to come down my chimney and leave me my diamond earrings and my 14 day cruise to the Mediterranean (did I spell that right?). Who knows. Maybe this year he'll stop skipping over my house. Anyway, I hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas!

21st century, here I come!

Well, I have finally joined the 21st century. I am now on the blog network. Pretty exciting stuff. I've gotten inspired reading the blogs of friends and even though my life is not that exciting, some one may, one day, want to read about it. So, here it is.

We are in Savannah, GA right now spending some time with my in-laws. I am so blessed to have some of the best in-laws. They are both Godly people who love the Lord and encourage Dan and I to do the same. Katelyn has such a Godly heritage between my parents and Dan's. She is a blessed child. Dan and I pray we can continue to be the example of Christ to her that our parents were (and are) to us.



Dan's brother Sean and his wife Brooke, and their little guy Connor have been with us since Tuesday night. They left this afternoon to head back to Brandon, FL. We all went to Alabama to visit Dan's grandparents and spend some time with them. We had so much fun. Well, all except for the 10 1/2 hour car ride back to Savannah. Long trips with a 16 month old and a 3 month old are not exactly fun. Katelyn actually did okay, but it was rough on poor Connor (and his parents). I'll talk about that in a later entry.



We're planning on heading back to Jacksonville in the morning. We have a Christmas Eve service at church and I have to be there to sing and Dan has to be there to do his pastoral duties. Then, we'll head back to Savannah Christmas afternoon, after we spend some time just us at home, then some with my family. It's shaping up to be a great Christmas.



I hope each of you have a wonderful Christmas with your families. I pray God blesses you with love and laughter. Let's never forget the Christ child that was born to save each of us from our sins. Happy Birthday, Jesus!