Embrace the "little things" in LIFE :)

"fresh potted flowers"
"Owl"
Dinner with family and friends
My ROOMIES
"my Old coffee Urn, that is no more(due to MArgo)

No title.. just a Simple Thought!

I'm realizing that I do not have a way with words! :) Maybe that is why I avoid my blog! Hopefully more to Come!

Caesers WAY!! haha( according to my roomies..)

Bangs kinda gone bad... oh well; they will grow.. i'll rock them while I have them.

Thankful Praises and Shout-outs :)

I wanted to write a note full of praises and shout-outs of things and those that I am thankful for.

• God- thank you for choosing me,thank you Jesus for your grace that covers me, and your holy spirit that is in me. Thank you for Who You are, and what you continually do in my life. (All for your Glory- in one way or another) Thank you for the understanding and realization that each of the people, stories or things have eternal significance in my life that shows your GLORY. The family you gave me, the places I have lived, the friends I have; you KNEW God( you have made all of these things integrate and go together all for your glory and perfect design of your will). There is a much bigger picture, and I thank you for that.

(Side Note: the rest of comments are in no certain order :)I just feel very compelled to write even in some detail the thankfulness in my heart, and how blessed I feel to have experienced each of these.)

• Family-Thank you for establishing my foundation in Christ, and being supportive in my heart for the Lord. Thank you for all of the encouraging words,prayers and love. Thank you for the laughs and joy you bring. Thank you for the financial support at times, as we know I am a broke college student. You are all are truly a blessing, I am so thankful to have you as my earthly family. Dad-thank you for your affirming words.(all of your letters over the years, have meant so much to me,I could always depend on getting mail from you. From church camps,to weekly letters when off to Ywam, all of them filled with such wisdom, and scripture encouragements) Mom-thank you for all of the sacrifices you have made for me and your heart for me. I know there have been so many times, that I probably took advantage of that, and I am so sorry. I truly appreciate everything that you have ever done for me. (All of the blessings and simple stuff like clothes, and basic needs, but then also being able to send me to a private christian school, supporting me through YWAM, and all of my mission trips. Also,you have the gift of writing too. All of the notes i received in my lunches as a child, little affirming notes of I Love You's, and have a great day, and knowing that you were praying for me)Thank you both so much for being such amazing parents, I truly am blessed. Holly-what a great big Sissy. You have always been there for me, thank you so much for all that you have done for me(I remember getting so sad, when you had to leave to go back to school work or etc. hiding your plane tickets, lol. thank you for also letting me be apart of your childrens life, being able to serve you and Tad by watching the boys for their first year,what a blessing that I was able to be a part of their beginning, I will always have such a huge bond with the boys. Holly you have turned out to be one amazing woman- independent worker(OVER-achiever;) perfectionist, but you go beyond doing the average job, and always offer your best,wonderful mommy- to the 2 cutest 4 year olds ever(I am bias of course) I am so proud of you for all that you have done,I pray that all of your accomplishments, and family foundation would be of Christ and nothing else. Sarah-(my sweet little sister)-Sunny Sarah, you are the Coolest. One of our favorite quotes "Different is Beautiful"- you demonstrate that perfectly. Your unique spirit and outlook on life is contageous. You have so many gifts and talents. Thank you for all of your sweet homemade gifts and encouragements throughout the years. Thank you for being not only my sister, but my best friend. You have such a beautiful heart Sarah, press into Christ, for He is all that You will ever need. He will help you find that perfect balance in life here on earth.I LOVE you all so much, thank you so much for being my family.

• Friends- Old and New, thanks for being there during the happy times and the sad times. Thank you for being apart of who I am today.I am so blessed to have such an amazing community. To my childhood friends- thank you for being a joy. To Katie B.- our sonic hedgehog days, and the imagination we shared from playing house,to running outside. But the thing I remember the most is that we were both dreamers, always dreaming of the future and what was to come. Thank you for being a part of sharing dreams with me. (It is funny how we are both now in Social Work field) David and Jena in Rosebud- bike rides,mismatched socks,learning to drive your dad's truck, prom, "CHARLIE" (haha , jena); thank you for being apart of my life. Kristy- little miss adventurer,your heart for helping others is amazing. You are truly inspiring. Maggie-my silly friend, all of the laughs that you brought. Brittney- your dependability, and all the fun that we had in our first apartment(I know, that you have experienced a lot of hurt in your past, but know that you can always depend on God) Laura & Sondra my "soul sisters" who journeyed with me thru YWAM. Encouraging Elisa, so full of wisdom and the love of Christ for his people. Alisha, your boldness in Him is beautiful and truly a gift, also your sarcasm and sweet playful spirit. I am so blessed to be able to know you both and live in community and accountability with you.

• The VILLAGE- Thank you for being such a solid community and church home. Thank you Lord for all of the new friends I have made through home group, and the greeting team, and now women's bible study. Thank you for the future opportunities to be able to serve with other believers and be a part of a church that is truly focused on the GLORY and GOSPEL of CHRIST.

• DENTON- you will get your post SOON.. lol

Thanks for listening to some of my praises and shout-outs! I have so many other people and experiences to be thankful for. But I just wanted to write out a few, and say how truly blessed I am, and also, that all of these people and places are "eternally significant" in my story, and all part of what God wants in my life to bring Him more glory.

Christmas Celebration

So i have had this blog account for 2 weeks or so, trying to figure out what i should write my first post about. In my mind, it needs to be an eye catcher, it needs to make sense, i need to have clarity of thoughts in my way of writing, and just not have random ramblings(as we all know I am prone too). I have this high expectation for this blog, I keep putting it off, waiting for this enlightening moment of thoughts that will come to me and i can just write them out.

It kind of made me think. Do i ever do that with my relationship with Christ? Do i try to go to Him with the idea that I have it all together. Is he not the one that says Come as You are... We don't always have to have it all together. His Mercies are new every day, and He continues to cover us with his beautiful grace. Thank you Jesus for that~ thank you for accepting and pouring your love on me everyday, even though I constantly mess up.

Also, this idea of CELEBRATION comes to my mind. Not only Celebrate Jesus' Birth and that our savior is coming back for us Soon; but the idea of simply enjoying those around you who you love. Truly enjoying each other, turning the cell phones off, and experience laughs and love. This is what my christmas has already looked like:

Left Amarillo, with the Kutin Klan, we had planned to drive straight thru- Amarillo to Los Angeles, California; but Mr. Winter had another plan, we ended up getting stuck in a town outside of Flagstaff, Arizona called Williams. It was the cutest coziest Christmas town. We ate at the local diner, and then we were able to ride the Polar Express(no joke, YES the Polar Express) I will post pics soon. What a fun Christmas memory. We finally made it to California where my family and I were greeted by the 2 cutest 4 year olds. What joy they bring..

Christmas was great; except for the fact that I was stuck in bed sick sleeping for most of the day... It's okay though, my body received the rest it needed.

Cheers to the next couple of weeks of CELEBRATING with the family. Lord, surround me with your presence~ help me to have a servants heart, offering your grace and love to those around me, and filled with YOUR JOY.