Closing out another year

Well to put it simply, I have been very bad about keeping my blog updated. We have been extremely busy these last couple of months, but that's really no excuse.  I have several resolutions for the coming year about being better at these types of things. Johnny and I also have a resolution to get in shape and detoxify ourselves. These are all good ideas but not sure how long it will last. Everyone has goals for the coming year but it all boils down to how busy we allow ourselves to get, which can easily distract us. So many of my friends have been reminding me (via facebook status) about how it's what we do in the here and now that affects our future and the things we 'leave behind'. I pray that God will continue to use us and show us specifically what areas he would like us to focus on. There are so many things we all could do, if we just allow ourselves to open up to the opportunity.

The holidays were a great time for our family. While unable to travel west this year (even though it was our year to be in CA with the in-laws) we have been i-chatting frequently and even got to open presents together on Christmas morning this year. I love technology! The rest of the day was spent with my entire family at my sister's house. What a great time together! God has been working diligently through each of us this year and many unexpected things have happened -- the holidays were no exception.  I am anxious to see what the coming year holds. May God Bless Us, each and every one -- Happy New Year!!!

 

Consuming Thoughts

Here I sit the night before the election, wondering what the future will hold. There are so many things in my life right now that I could let weigh me down with thoughts of what's to come. Life changes daily and it's all about keeping up. God is in control, and I have to remember to let Him guide my steps. There were some great reminders of these truths at church this past weekend. Pastor Jay spoke on Not Worrying and our song leader led us in a great chorus 'through the calm and the storm / in every high and every low / Lord, you never let go of me!'  What a great reminder in times like these. With the month of October having gone by in a blink, it's important to keep our focus where it should be... on Him!

There are tons of activities and events taking place this time of year. We have certainly had some fun together, despite these difficult times. Football games, fall festivals, movie premieres, trunk-or-treat, pumpkin carvings and just hanging out together over the weekends -- Every moment spent together has created new memories for us and our children that we will continue to cherish. I have certainly gotten some good use out of my new camera, and it wouldn't be a post by me if there weren't pictures to include. You know me, the 'Shutter-Bug'.  I am not as good about sharing updates as I thought that I'd be but here is my latest update with a couple of recent pictures. Check out the link to the pictures I took at our church event posted on here as well. Happy Fall Ya'll !!! 

Church Event

Photobucket Album

Busy, September Days

Well, September is almost over and it has gone by too quickly. It has been a very busy time for our family. I have been working every Saturday during this month and averaging around 56 hours a week. Johnny has been slammed at work too. With the market the way it is, the phones are ringing off the hook. Jonathan & Kiersten have been keeping busy at school during the week and spending the weekends having sleepovers at the Wards and at my parents. They are having fun with it. 

Johnny and I have been doing our best to come up with fun stuff to do during the time that our family does have together. Labor Day weekend we all took a day trip to Orlando. I took Kiersten to a free day at a girl's day spa with some of her friends/cousins a couple of weeks ago, and Johnny and Jonathan have been doing some fishing together. We've managed to squeeze in a lot of fun stuff! 

It's officially fall now and beginning to feel a little cooler here, so we took some time and decorated the apartment together this weekend. I've posted a couple of recent pictures below, plus one of my favorites of the kids from last year. Maybe we'll take a little road trip up north soon, for some new pictures? A girl can dream, right? =)

Celebrating the big 3-0

This blog is a few days late, but I wanted to make a little note of my sister and I officially hitting the big 3-0 on Aug 31. We are no longer in our 20 somethings, but it's all about how you feel at the age you're at. I'm okay with being 30 because I don't feel like I've acted like a 20 year old for quite a while. I'm married with kids and that's how I like it! Johnny is now 32 and is giving me quite a hard time about it, telling me how it's all down hill from here.  Either way, I've survived the big day and lived to tell the tale. I plan to make my 30s something to be excited about. Happy Birthday to me (and Lori, and Johnny, and my cousin Justin ... oh and just about every other member of my extended family this month. Ha!)

Thinkin' about my sisters ...

I've had a lot on my mind today and we're still stuck indoors because of the storm. So, I thought I'd taken another shot at blogging. I've been a little reminiscent with the smell of baked goods in the air and thinking about my sister, Lori, having gone through her throat surgery this morning. Obviously, I haven't heard from her but Josh called to tell me everything was looking okay. I'm anxious to see how she's feeling now that she's at home with the children. We are praying for a quick recovery for her. It can't be fun getting your tonsils out as a grown up. 

Anyway, just wanting to post a couple of pictures of my sisters on here and let them know how much I love them. It's wonderful all being near each other again, but we don't seem to get together near often enough. I'll take this initiative to say we have to plan a sisters night out as soon as Lori is feeling well enough and can eat a proper meal. : ) Wendy, Lori -- You girls are and have always been my best of friends. God has truly blessed me with two such wonderful sisters in my life! 

Tropical Storm Fay

Well, here I sit on the second day of staying indoors. My family has watched our favorite shows on demand, played numerous board games and surfed the web more than I thought humanly possible. Now I'm wasting even more time online by creating this blog. It's something I've been meaning to do for a while though, so I thought I'd take advantage of the opportunity. Tonight I'm lying here listening to the storm, while the rest of my family is asleep. It's kind of relaxing between the huge gusts of wind.

We have been doing our best to keep busy but the kids already miss school. They just started back on Monday, so they've only had two days of classes so far. I can't believe my little man is already a second grader and my baby girl is in first grade. They've been so excited about their new teachers and classmates; Kiersten is already talking about her new boyfriend (though she hasn't informed him of this fact yet). LOL  

We recently had Johnny's parents come and stay with us for a couple of days last week, and that was a lot of fun. Of course, the time we have with them goes by too quickly but we made the most of our moments together. We never know how long it will be until our next visit, and that is challenging for all of us. Here's a picture of the whole family out at the beach.

Well, I should wrap it up for now. It's getting late and my blog is kind of jumping all over the place since I wasn't exactly sure where to start.  --  There have been a lot of changes for our family lately, but we are loving it so far!