Something new to my favorite things list is traveling... up until a couple of years ago I didn't know I liked this but I love going new places. Recently I took Brooklyn on a surprise 16th birthday trip to New York City. I loved it. We have gone to a couple of different places over the last couple of years and I love it! I can't wait to go on many more trips in the years to come.

My heart is pretty heavy tonight with the news of people I have known for many years are mourning the loss of their son, that was murdered today in their home by an intruder. I can't imagine the pain of this family tonight. So I tie this into my favorite things by saying, this...God is faithful to hold us no matter what our circumstances. I am thankful that nothing, nothing catches God by surprise. and that is a favorite thing! 

I love Christmas. I love the lights, the trees, the surprises. Watching my kids open presents. Seeing my breath when I walk outside. I love having a big tree in my living room. Fires in the fireplace that are cozy and inviting. I love having friends and family over at my house, laughing, eating, playing games and all the rest that comes with it. I love reading the Christmas story with my kids every Christmas Eve. I could tell you all the things that I don't like about Christmas but this is about favorite things. 

I love classic movies. Gone with the Wind. White Christmas. Miracle on 34th. Sound of Music, and many others. I am sucker for romantic comedy movies. Ask people they will tell you I don't like any good movies- I don't like stupid funny movies. I love Notting Hill, Letters from Juliet, Leap Year, Beaches, Sweet Home Alabama. I am sucker for a good Disney movie- I love Tangled, Finding Nemo, Mary Poppins, Lion King, Beauty and the Beast, Well you get the idea...

I love holding babies. I love rocking them to sleep. Giving them baths and putting Baby Magic lotion on them to give them that fresh baby smell. I am very content holding a little one in my arms. I miss holding mine and look for every opportunity to hold those around me. 

I love being a friend. ( and I hope I am good one) I enjoy sharing life's ups and downs with my friends. I love being part of their special days ( when they have babies, when they get a new job, etc...) I wish I had more time so that I could spend more time with them. 

I love writing. I love writing my blog, I love writing letters. And one day, I hope that I will write a book. it doesn't even need to be published, I just want to accomplish that. 

When you focus on the good, it changes how you think and you f eel. Favorite things can make a bad day turn good. 

I know some of you will find this very hard to believe but one of my favorite things is photos! I love taking photos, I love having photos taken, I love scrapbooking the photos. I love it all. This has been an obsessions for a long time. I love the fact that we have digital cameras. This makes this that much more fun. No need to wait and take the pictures to 1 hour and hope for good pictures. And yes I remember those days- too well. Of all the things we have lost in our years of marriage it is the pictures I weep over. Our computer crashed a few years back and with it when all of our pictures. still makes me sad to think about. I love capturing moments with my kids. I love taking the pictures of their growth and their changing faces. 

We are fast approaching Christmas...13 days to be exact! I was thinking about things today that are my favorite things. First of all, my favorite thing is spending time with Jason! He is truly my best friend. I have no idea what I would do without him. He makes me laugh, he shares my tears, my triumphs, my sorrows. He loves me and he loves our kids! Second is spending time together as a family. I love my kids. all of them equally. I enjoy our times around the table, riding in the car, vacationing and all the normal times. Watching them grow and learn is amazing. They have brought so much joy to my life that I didn't know could even exist. And I am grateful!

Christmas makes me reflect on my favorite things and how they fit into my life. Obviously, my family is my favorite thing. The next thing I find myself thinking about is Worship. I love to worship with a community of people who love God and love to share his love with others. There is very few feelings that match being in the presence of God, vulnerable, open, honest, and broken. In those moments when you know that the God of the Universe sees you and is talking to your heart, nothing compares to that. There is a freedom in worship, because you know God sees, and he hears and he loves! 

My favorite things are going to be continue through Christmas...

It's Christmas time... the time of the year where we are suppose to slow down, enjoy our families, and celebrate the best gift we have ever been given. Jesus was born to give us the best gift ever- grace, mercy, love, hope, eternal life and the list goes on and on.... Sometimes I think we don't realize the magnitude of this gift. This gift wakes us up every morning and breathes life into us. It allows us to make choices and allows us to give the gift away. I have been thinking a lot about that. Pastor Tom started a new sermon series this morning about The Gift. And I was struck, am I giving the perfect gift at Christmas? Do my kids know really why we celebrate or has the Christmas story just become another story they have heard a million times. Do I give the gift away to those around me? Does my life represent one of the Perfect Gift, or the hussle and bussle of finding the right gift to make everyone happy on Christmas? Am I shallow? I was convicted. How many people do I come into contact with everyday that need The Gift? and yet because of my list and busyness I miss the opportunity.  Who have I come into contact with that needed me to be Christ to them, and I missed it? Are you giving away the Gift? This week I hope to do a better job of pay attention to the important, the needs of those around me and less about their wants! 

Wow! so much has happened since I blogged.  This week on Dec. 5 my little toe headed little baby turned 16! It seems not that long ago my sweet baby made her appearance 6 weeks early. Now she is a  beautiful intelligent young lady. I couldn't be prouder. For her birthday I surprised her with a trip to New York City, to watch Wicked on Broadway. We had an amazing time together. I enjoyed being with her, just her and I for those 3 days we were together.  I know I will hold those days with her close to my heart forever. The memories we made were priceless. 

Christmas is right around the corner and it seems every year I vow to be more prepared and not save the shopping for last minute but again, I am not ready. I have a few ideas but nothing nailed down. You see the thing is, my kids are spoiled. They don't need a thing. It is times like today I wish that Christmas was less about the gifts and more about the Gift. I know i play my part in the fact that we stress out about what gift we will get who and who will have their feelings hurt if we don't buy them something, or if we spend enough. Is that really what Christmas is about? Is it just about what people want or what they think? Sadly, I think that is what fills our minds and heart this time of year. I have been trying to focus less on this and more on the meaning. You know spending time with our families, anticipating the birth of Christ, and celebrating that he came in the most humble of circumstances for me. He knew when he came his life would be short, and would end in the most gruesome death. Yet he came!  For me, for you, for all of those people who are in our lives that hurt us, love us and hate us. He came! The gift of the Season, is that Christ came for you- full of mercy and grace. 

Okay, that sounded a little bit like preaching...I will stop. I am preaching at myself. I want to be more thankful, more focused on the Season! That is the desire of my heart this season. 

Today, my to do list was long. I did accomplish a few things but mostly the list is left undone waiting for tomorrow. The things I did accomplish were important and needed to be done.  I am amazed at how much is left undone each day. I mean really, it seems no matter how much we do there is always something left to do be done. I think it is simply life. We will always have something to do. 

It is November and it is almost Thanksgiving, I can't believe it. Tonight I was thinking about all the things I was thankful for, both big and small. My heart was overwhelmed with all of my blessings.  Why I was born here in this place for this time, is beyond me, when there are millions of people with no food, running water or a place to sleep tonight. There are people that no matter how hard they work tomorrow will not be able to make enough to support themselves and their family. And I have more than enough...more than enough...abundance.  Are you thankful? do we live in gratitude? or do we take advantage of the abundance? I am guilty. I forget how blessed I really am, I am lose sight of the gratitude and replace it with greed. 

Grace sustains us and I am thankful, but I am reminded again of how much I have to be thankful for. I am reminded again of how much I need to keep an eternal perspective not an earthly one. I am reminded again of my own ugly attitude of being ungrateful. 

Focusing tonight on the important things...and remembering my blessings!

It has been so long since I have blogged. I just can't seem to find the few minutes I need to post. Sometimes I start the blog only to realize that I hate what I am saying, and will close it down- its funny because before I do a warning box pops up and ask are you sure you want to navigate away from this page, changes will not be made? I wish our days were that easy, you know where we could navigate away from the day and the changes would not be made. Instead, we live each day out with all the changes that come with it. I love fall, and I love the cool evenings. However, I am not ready for winter, so if it could stay away another 5 or 6 weeks that would be awesome.  My thoughts are jumbled at best, my emotions all over and my heart full of prayer requests and petitions. I find myself praying and praying for more and more wisdom. Parenting, pastoring, be an wife, daughter, sister and all the rest seems to need a lot of wisdom- and frankly I don't have it all the time. 

Today, i am working from the cafe at church in front of the fire place- and yes there is a fire in the fireplace. I am reminded that I am blessed no matter what is going on around me, I have much to be thankful. I am also reminded that I am in a huge battle for my family. I must stay faithful to prayer, and to storming the throne for the protection and guidance for them. 

This week has been crazy and it is only Thursday. Sometimes I find that my head is spinning by this time of the week and all i want to do is take a big long nap! But life marches on and the tasks that come with it still need to be done. I was thinking about today about my topic for this weekend. I am speaking at Women's retreat and speaking on Esther for such a time as this. My own heart has been challenged as I have been preparing. I am humbled by the love of the King he has for me. I am humbled that he uses us for his purpose for this time and this place. As Keith Loy, pastor of Celebrate Church in North Dakota,  The local church is the hope of the world. are you spreading hope, God's love, grace and forgiveness? Or are you judging people and their motives. Its true people will hurt you, their actions, their words, and the lack there of. But we are called to extend grace and love. I am working through my own emotions and trying to tell myself that the more negative we feed ourselves the more negative we feel. It is a whole lot easier said than done. But I am working on it. God put me here for such a time as this. Knowing what my circumstances would be. He equipped me, called me and holds me! 

Had a wonderful evening with my family. We carved pumpkins. And wow I was so impressed! They all did a great job. Jenny and Eric came over as well and we made an evening of it. I love evenings like this. We just had fun. It took longer than we thought but it didn't matter. It was all about making the pumpkin our own. My kids all helped each other and enjoyed the evening. My heart overflows with joy this evening. God knew I needed confirmation with my kids. I pray that they remember this evening for years to come. I will be posting pictures soon!