Thanksgiving Eve 2016

      There is a lemon pie baking in the oven, pie crust for two pecan pies chilling in the fridge and a ham just waiting to go into the oven. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I love it. The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year. This year we will be having dinner at Luke's sister Abbi's house. I was told to bring a side and got carried away. Luke's favorite is pecan pie and my favorite is lemon so what is a girl to do. Plus last night I was sadly bemoaning the fact that we rarely have ham for Thanksgiving. Luke then logically suggested the idea that we take one as a part of of our contribution. He is so smart! And then I'm also taking a a hot orange and cranberry spiced punch which my mom starting making years back and I've been making ever since.

    Now the pies are out of the oven and a big pot of curry is bubbling on the stove simmering its delicious flavors together for supper. So now I am on to other delightful, afternoon off, sort of activities.
    I am so very blessed in this life and therefore I have much to be thankful for. I am thankful for this guy. He is gentle and kind, wise and forgiving. He pushes me to be my best and has helped me grow in my faith and understanding of who God is. I remember a Thanksgiving about 6 years ago when we were just at the beginning of our story. My brother Jordan and I were still in school and were planning on heading south for Thanksgiving. I remember secretly wishing that it would snow really bad and we would be stuck in town, thus getting to spend the holiday with Luke and his family. It didn't happen, but it was a nice thought. And I've spent every Thanksgiving with him since. He is my favorite!

     I'm also incredibly thankful for the little guy who is getting bigger every day. He makes me smile with his sturdy  kicks and wiggles. I remember the days of longing for a baby, any baby to call my own. And now that longing is replaced with an intense love for this little guy specifically. He has a name already and he is his own little person and we haven't even met him yet. About 3 1/2 more months!

   

     My list continues on... I am thankful for this house and its beautiful blue roof. I am thankful for my job at Heartland Christian Academy and what a crazy blessing and joy it has been to be there. I am thankful for my family and many friends. People who are incredibly important to me and constantly remind me how good God is. And I am thankful for the snow that is ushering in the holiday season in the proper Minnesotan way. 

Happy Thanksgiving Eve!

"Gratitude can transform common days into Thanksgivings, turn routine jobs into joy, and change ordinary opportunities into blessings." ~William Arthur Ward

5 Years and Forever

This weekend, My Love and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary. It is crazy to think about. I know that in the grand scheme of life 5 years is just a moment, and yet it is a milestone non the less. 

     I have been so wonderfully blessed to call Luke mine. He is a strong man of God whose faith is unshakable. He pushes me to be better and has helped me to grow in my own faith. He is a gentleman and treats me better than I deserve. God certainly knows what He's doing, because He couldn't have picked a better person to put in my life. So My Love, here's to 5 years and Forever. I love you.

"A flower cannot blossom without sunshine, and a man cannot live without love." ~Max Muller

Thanksgiving

      I'm sitting here on a cozy Friday morning thinking back to the many Thanksgivings that I have had. When I was 12 my family was involved with a ministry that reached out to the kids on the street. So that year we spent Thanksgiving at the Church with friends and a whole bunch of people that my parents had met through this ministry.
     Then there was the Thanksgiving I spent in Namibia Africa. This was my first Thanksgiving spent away from home and it was a wonderful time. We were a mix of British, Irish, Canadian and American's celebrating together.
      Then last year, was the first Holiday spent with the love of my life. We got to fly down to North Carolina and spend it with Luke's sister and her family. Looking back over these Thanksgivings, and the countless ones spent with Grandparents and family. I have much to be thankful for.
       Last night, as I was helping in the kitchen to get the feast ready, I was surrounded by feelings of wonder as we bustled around and gentle strains of music and conversation floated about. Life is good. I have been blessed. Memories are sweet and new adventures are waiting in the wings. Have a wonderful day.

"Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving."
~W.T Purkiser

“Memory is the diary we all carry about with us.”
~Oscar Wilde