Home Again

December 29, 2011 by · 2 Comments

Sorry for the less-than-exciting blog posts lately.

We’re home from Minnesota as of about five hours ago…and tired. (Can someone please tell me why sitting for hours in a car makes a person so exhausted?!)

Anyway, we had a good time, and there are a few pictures I want to share with you…later. (aka: When I’m thinking more clearly.)

It’s weird that

Chr istmas

is over. The season crept up, and suddenly…it was gone. I’m hoping Tobin will let me keep the tree up for ano

ther week or so.

:)

Tomorrow…which will definitely make a blog post in the near future… is my day off.

Tobin gave me a day off for Christmas.

Technically, I’m not taking the whole day off, but there’s going to be a morning run, some alone time to think and write, time to spend some Christmas money withOUT a little person along, a much-needed coffee and chit-chat session with a sweet friend, and an also-much-needed Girls’ Night Out.

I’m really looking forward to a day to catch my breath…and I know I’ ll miss my girl.

I always do when I’m not with her, but this is good.

Taking a break actually makes me a better mommy, and I’m not going to apologize for that.

:)

Hope this has been a good week for you all.

Lots of love.

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, just life

That Picture I Post When I Can’t Think of Anything Else

December 28, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

No, seriously, it seems like every Scrabble game is good times…and it’ s been a good vi

sit with family in M

innesota.

A little bit sad to leave

tomorrow.

Sig

Filed Under: just life

Maelie’s 1st Haircut

December 27, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Yes, friends…it was another milestone today for our girl.

This milestone made mommy’s heart a little sad, but it’s ok…she’s too cute for me to be that sad about it. :)

Here we are with Aunt Bethany, who did the hair cutting.

(She is actually Tobin’s sister, but she looks like she could be my sister. True.)

Here’s a pic from the front…

… and from the back.

Yep, the curls are gone…but we’re sure they’ll be back!

Definitely a d

ay to remember.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: being mommy, just life, Maelie

Love From Minnesota

December 26, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Tobin and I came “home” to our first home today.

..well, our first one together.

We spent our first three years of marriage in a suburb of Minneapolis, and it was a great place to start out. After Indonesia, we kinda thought we’d come home to here…but God had other plans.

It wasn’t easy to leave this place…and we thought we’d return to visit more often than we have. We spent Thanksgiving 2010 here…and that was the last time we’ve been to Minnesota until

today.

That seems like a long time to go between visits.

But what’s funny is that though home is now C’ville…which we LOVE, Minnesota still feels so familiar.

I guess it’s good that a place that isn’t home anymore still feels like a place we can come home to.

We’ll be busy the next couple days

with family…including LOTS of Mae’ s cou

sins, so forgive me now if my posts are short or just pictures. :)

Sending a little love from Minnesota…it’s good to be b ack for

a few days.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: just life, remembering

Christmas Blessings

December 23, 2011 by · 1 Comment

Maybe yesterday’s heart spillage was healing for me.

I went to bed and woke up feeling like I actually slept…which is something I haven’t felt for weeks.

And?

It was a good day.

Like, a really good one.

There were smiles and laughter.

The laughter began early when we discovered that our gymnast-of-a-daughter was turning somersaults in her crib. I kid you not. We’ve seen her do it once before but thought it was a fluke…apparently not. Seriously?!?!

There were reflections on the season

and moments of rejoicing. Mostly due to the fact that I took some time to truly think about what I wrote about Mary yesterday. I decided she’s definitely one of my heroes.

There was a 3-mile run spent singing along to my favorite Christmas songs. (Sorry if you were driving by and happened to hear me…it is very hard to sound good when you’re out of breath and wearing earbuds. But I SANG. And it was really good.) And to make you laugh…I know all the words to You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch. I blame Newsong for putting it on their Christmas CD.

😉

Maybe the biggest blessing of the day was being able to encourage a friend. You know how when you are hurting and feel like you are the one needing the encouragement? This opportunity fell into my lap…and it made my heart happy.

Sometimes my favorite thing in the world is making someone else’s day a little brighter.

I’ve talked about JOY over and over…knowing full well that it’s often a choice.

But at the same time, making that choice to find JOY in my days has become almost habit. I think that’s a good thing.

I’m really looking forward to celebrating the next few days with family and friends.

I hope you are feeling blessed this season.

If you’re not, take some time and count those blessings…you’ ll be surprised how much JOY is in a day.

:)

Love to you…and thanks for praying.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, just life, what I'm learning, where I am

Little Blessings (Pt. 16)

December 21, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

If I’m being honest, I don’ t wan

t to count my blessings today.

I also think that on days like today, the best thing I can do is count them.

So here we go…

:) My daughter’s cuddles.

:) A precious reminder of the very first Christmas tonight.

(Great job, ILS students!)

:) Starbucks coffee with peppermint.

:) Jeans on clearance.

:) A “talk” earlier this week on Skype with our beloved pembantu in Indonesia. The language barrier and internet connection made it challenging, but just having the chance for her to “meet” Maelie…was precious. Mae even blew her a kiss goodbye. I hope for more moments like that.

:) Opportunities to show love

to others.

:) Running in snowflakes.

:) The chance to trust when I can’t see.

:) My Father, Who loves me and holds me each

and every moment.

:) The most precious gift of all, a tiny baby, sent so many years ago.

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, Indonesia, just life

The Best 3-Mile Run EVER

December 20, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Today, I went running.

3 miles.

In the snow.

But not just any snow…the biggest, fluffiest, most amazing snowflakes were falling from the sky.

(And totally hitting me in the face, but that’s ok. :))

This?

Was priceless…though the picture doesn’ t do i

t justice AT ALL.

Sometimes it’s the little things that bring JOY.

:)

Sig

Filed Under: adventures, just life, running

The Post Where I Actually Talk…

December 19, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

Sorry for the  lack of words the past few days.

Though by the end of this, you may wish that I had kept w ith

my current trend of posting photos…

Anyway, it’s been busy.

I’ve been tired.

Christmas is practically here, and I feel like it completely sneaked (snuck?) up on me.

(I hate that word…I honestly don’t know which is corrrect, and I’m too lazy to go to dictionary.com to look it up. ;))

Yesterday we invited some neighbors over for our 1st Annual Neighborhood Christmas Party.

Translation: a chance to say hi to and chat with those people we live near but hardly ever see in the w

inter. :) It was fun…a mix of different ages, some people we know well, some people we don’t know at all…and it worked. It was really good. (And really sugar-filled.) :) And I was sad when everyone went home.

Tobin is home for two weeks (thank you, Judson U) and that’s nice. M ae

and I had a playdate this morning, he met us for lunch at the mall, then we each had to get some things done before going home.

Once Mae went down for her nap, I went for a nice, 3-mile run (really, it was nice ’cause it was 45 out) then it was home to make dinner.

I was impressed that I ran the whole thing after not running for two weeks… though I was definitely huffing and puffing by the end!

I really love my Christmas tree…and, well, Christmas in general. I mean, I know the reason for Christmas…and that’s what the season is to us. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t get excited to put up the tree every year. Then, decorate it.

White lights…always white lights. Then ornaments, the number depending on the year and the mood we’re in that day. 😉 The ones that are special to us, a few extra, and then all the UNbreakable ones within Maelie-reach.

And then, I really, really love to just sit and look at the tree.

I’ll sit and look at it every night until Tobin makes me take it down… probably early January.

The one thing about Christmas I don’t enjoy is wrapping gifts. I put it off every year…I’m sure I will be wrapping them on Christmas Eve, just like always. My hubby is a very gifted (HAHA!!!) present-wrapper…too bad he can’t wrap his own gifts! I suppose that would ruin the surprise, huh?

I should wrap this up before midnight. (Did I SERIOUSLY just write that

? I’m rockin’ the puns tonight!)

I better end this before I can’t stop. 😉

‘Nite, friends.

Sig

Filed Under: just life, random

Holiday Cheer…

December 18, 2011 by · Leave a Comment

… and some cookies to go with it!

(I can’t believe I didn’t get a picture of the neighbors…you know, the ones who ate

the cookies! Rats.)

Sig

Filed Under: blessings, friends, just life

Always Trying to Help

December 17, 2011 by · Leave a Comment


Sig

Filed Under: just life, Maelie, music
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