Birthdays

December is a month of birthdays in our circle of friends and acquaintances. My birthday was the 4th, my husband's the 5th, Dustin's the 1st, Rebeccah's the 13th, Shelby's the 19th, and most importantly Jesus' on the 25th! There are five or six others that I don't even have the time to mention, but you get the picture. It seems like everyday we have something or someone new to celebrate. For some of us, like Nicholas and Noriah, we celebrate new milestones as they turn 2. For others like Aunt Steiny we celebrate a full life as she turns 70 on the 29th. I was thinking about this today and one particular verse came to my mind...

"The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. 'The LORD is my portion,' says my soul, 'therefore I will hope in Him.'" Lamentations 3:22-24 ESV

Especially in December I can find myself getting so caught up in what I am doing, what I want to do, what I still have to do, and the next thing to celebrate that I lose track of the things that really matter. I should be celebrating the Christ of Christmas everyday because His love and His mercies are new EVERY morning. They are perfect and without end. It's no wonder that we are commanded to, "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thess. 5:16-18 ESV)

So admist this season of rejoicing and celebrating don't forget to enjoy the gifts of God's unfailing love which is new every morning and to rejoice always for this is the will of God.

Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas!

Anniversary Celebrations

Yesterday, Jimmy and I celebrated our fourth wedding anniversary. We had made some last minute change of plans since we weren’t able to take the big trip we had planned. Jimmy was so cute when he decided that he wanted everything to be a surprise. It was kind of a challenge because I do most of the driving in our relationship and when we got into the van last night, I still had no clue where we were going. That’s a scary thought when you are driving around in St. Louis traffic.


All the unknown and jitters made for an extra exciting evening. I think this was the first time I have not known any of the details since our very first date! It was cool. When Jimmy had finally directed me to our destination, we were at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Chesterfield. I knew as soon as we got there that he had picked this restaurant especially for me. Jimmy doesn’t even like spaghetti! (He does like alfredo sauce though so I knew he would be in good shape.) It was nice to know that he had truly put me first the whole night.

Yeah, marriage is hard work, but it can be oh so rewarding. Without the work we can never fully appreciate the good moments. They are precious and priceless!

Thank you, Jimmy, for making our fourth anniversary truly special and for all the little things you do to show me you love me each and every day. I am glad that God brought us together. You are amazing!

“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.” Genesis 2:24

Designed with a Plan

Today we are throwing a baby shower for a girl at work. We are going to lunch at TGI Friday's and then she will open gifts while we all "ooh and aah" over the many things that she got. I actually really love baby showers and I know that we are going to have a lot of fun! The best part of all this is that I know the baby we are celebrating is extra special to this family because she is their miracle baby. This woman and her husband have given up on getting pregnant. They had been trying and trying for years and finally they just quit. Now a few years later, one day they just find out they are pregnant. They were so excited to have been blessed with this miracle. It was so much fun to watch this gal walk out of work holding baby clothes when she was only six weeks pregnant. It is amazing how a new life can change so much in so little time. It's also amazing just how much God cares about that little life. Jeremiah says, " The word of the LORD came to me, saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.'" (1:4-5) I can't even fathom how amazing it is that before God even created us in our mother's womb He had a plan for our lives. Isn't it great to know that you DO have a purpose? You were designed with a plan in mind! Your life has a mission. It isn't just meaningless. God put you on this earth for a reason!

"This is what the LORD says— he who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen." Isaiah 44:2