One More Year

I'm another year older, perhaps another year wiser (the jury is still out on that). Over the past few days, I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this year's birthday. The usual build up of anticipation about a day completely and 100% devoted to me was not what it once was, but rather the the feeling of "just another day". I wasn't sure what to make of these feelings - I'm usually the type to celebrate birthday eve's and birthday boxing days - yes I believe in dragging out your birthday and milking it for all its worth! 


As I went about my day, I was overwhelmed with the birthday greeting messages and the gentle reminders of the people in my life who truly care for me - messages I clearly needed to be reminded of today. Among all the thoughtful greetings, I was given a challenge by the lovely Rachael - to do 27 awesome things that I love and that bring me joy - one for every year of life. Well, I must admit that I failed miserably. 27 things is a lot of things to do in a day when you don't really have a lot planned - Sorry Rach! Here is what I did come up with though:

1. Enjoyed a lovely breakfast with my work girls, Jessica & Jill at The Don.
2. Enjoyed a late morning coffee with a friend.
3. Indulged in my first venti, extra hot, half sweet, white peppermint mocha - using my free Starbucks birthday drink coupon as an added bonus.
4. I read too many birthday wishes to count. Thank you!
5. Crossword puzzles.
6. Enjoyed a good day of TV: Sarah's House, Criminal Minds, Pregnant in Heels, Modern Family & Gilmore Girls (Wednesdays make for awesome TV nights).
7. Went for an afternoon walk with the dog - albeit too short though.
8. Worked
9. Fielded a gazillion - yes that is the exact number - of phone calls at work because of a promo we are currently running. 
10. Came home to my favorite pizza from Santa Lucia - Feta & Tomato
11. Took a much too short cat nap
12. Enjoyed a visit from my Grandma as she stopped by to drop off a card and gift for me.
13. Carved a pumpkin.
14. Was delighted over an unexpected message from a friend who I have missed terribly.

So, as you can see, I came nowhere close to reaching my goal of 27, but I think these 14 things make for a pretty great day to ring in a new year of life!

I'm anxious and excited to see how this upcoming year unfolds and what it holds for me. I hope that this year continues to teach me about obedience and about true joy in the Lord, no matter where He leads me and the adventures he will continue to take me on. It is my desire that God would continue to transform me into the woman he created me to be 27 years ago and that my life would bring honor and glory to His name.

So here's to a new year! 

Cheers!

The Fam Jam

After about 16 years in the making, our family finally had family pictures taken (other than at a wedding). To say that an update was in order would be an understatement to say the least. We booked our photo session with Leanne Olfert on what ended up being the coldest day of fall yet. Thankfully we turned out to be an efficient group and weren't out in the cold for too long! Here is a little sneak peak:

Dominika & Kevin

The mom and dad

Can you say Christmas card?????

Derek & Courtney

Girls!

Boys!

Fire Side Goodness

Nothing beats sitting around a fire on crisp fall evenings and celebrating birthdays. Here's hoping there are a few more evenings like this to be had before the snow falls.

The Birthday Girl

 

Thankfulness

I have had a weekend full of family festivities, everything from birthday parties to extended family gatherings - all reminding me of how thankful I am for the life I have and the people who fill it. There is no denying that I have so much to be thankful for. Today, this is what I am giving thanks for.

• Family. I love my family and all tgheir quirky, unique, loving and beautiful characters. I probably have the best sisters in the world. Seriously.
• New Beginnings. Since coming home this summer, my life has turned out to be very different from when I left - some hard things, but I am blown away by the joy of newness and uncertainty.
• Friends. My life is full of interesting characters all over the world that I am blessed to call friends.
• Work. I am lucky to have a job that I LOVE going to. Waking up each morning, knowing that I get to go to work and be with amazing co-workers and clients truly brings me joy.
• TREK. I continue to ponder all the things I learned this last year on TREK and reminisce about the things I got to experience and the adventures I had.
• Church. I am a part of a stellar church community - a truly lovely bunch of people.
• Fall. We have been blessed with amazing October weather, which has grown my love for autumn exponentially.
• God. I am thankful for a God who provides, a God who loves me unconditionally and who pursues me relentlessly. 
• Health. Yes I have had my share of frustrations and it is true I have a love/hate relationship with my head, but in the big picture, I have so little to complain about.
• Passions. I am lucky to be able to pursue so many passions in my life, everything from work goals, to being able to play volleyball, to using my gifts for Kingdom work. My heart is indeed nourished and challenged.

"Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.   

Worship the LORD with gladness;    

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God.    

It is he who made us, and we are his; 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

                                Enter his gates with thanksgiving 

and his courts with praise;    

give thanks to him and praise his name.  

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

his faithfulness continues through all generations."

~Psalm 100

Another one crossed off the list

I finally finished another project this weekend - one that took me a little longer to complete than I had thought it might. Not because there was any difficulty, but just due to time (or lack thereof).

I have been looking for a night stand for beside my bed all summer, but nothing really caught my eye or my extremely minimal budget. Then, a couple of weeks ago, driving home from work one Friday afternoon, I decided to pop into a few garage sales. The first one I hit up, I found this nightstand for the low, low price of $4. It needed a little sprucing up and there was only 1 (I was hoping to find a set), but for the price, I couldn't resist. 

 After a good sanding, a few coats of Behr's Pure White paint and some new hardware, I ended up with this and I am loving it. 

The lighting in my room is not great unfortunately.

It was so good to get rid of the wooden crate that sat beside my bed for so long. I feel much more grown up now :) Here is the cost breakdown:

Nightstand = $4 (garage sale)

Behr paint = $0 (already owned)

Hardware = $1 (from the Habitat for Humanity Refit Store)

Grand Total: $5

Now that's a price I can live with!