30 days of gratitude: days 23 & 24.

November 23rd

Today was a day of relaxation, family, and more food, all of which I am so grateful for! Aaron and I visited his family, where we played some old school Super Mario Bros. and ate some leftover turkey on sourdough. Then, we met some friends at BJ's to watch the Laker game and did some Black Friday shopping. But today, what I am most grateful for, is the ability to do all these things. God has blessed me with provision beyond what I need, and I am so thankful to Him and Him alone for that.

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November 24th

Today, I am grateful for fun. Just plain and simple f-u-n. We went to Knott's Berry Farm with my sister, uncle, aunt and cousins for my cousin's birthday. It was a blast! I love love looooove rollercoasters, but I've noticed that as I get older, going on Xcelerator or screaming my heart out on Supreme Scream aren't the only things I classify as "fun". I had a blast just talking, laughing and spending time with family. The simple things are the things that mean the most.

30 days of gratitude: days 21 & 22.

November 21st

Today I had the privilege of spending time with my best friend and my maid of honor, my sister. I just love her sweet laughter and overflowing joy! I sure will miss living with her and having her right next door!

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November 22nd

Happy Thanksgiving! Today, I'm simply thankful for my life. I was able to relax all day, cook, and start reading for fun again!

30 days of gratitude: days 15-20 {yeah, I've been slackin'...}

November 15th

Today, I am thankful for the ability to get an education. While at times, I definitely complain about school more than embrace the ability to learn, I really am grateful that I have the ability to choose what path I want my education and career to follow.

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November 16th

Today, I had the privilege of getting my hair cut and colored. I never realized how much of a luxury this was until I did not have the money to do so. While this is by no means a necessity, I so enjoy looking and feeling my best. After a relaxing time at the salon, I was extremely blessed to hang out with Aaron, Kyra and Zach and score some free pizzas from Pieology at the Irvine Spectrum!

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November 17th

Today was so extremely fun! Aaron and I attended a wedding! Eeee I just love everything love and wedding!!! It was so sweet to see Christian and Regan Fambrough get married and to see their love for each other displayed. It also made me EXTREMELY excited for our own upcoming wedding!!!

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November 18th

Today, I am grateful for fellowship. We went to church, like every other Sunday and saw our church family, like every other Sunday. But there was something different today. We went around the room and heard from everybody in our church family what they are thankful for this year. It was so sweet to hear the power of God in so many different lives. Aaron led worship and at the end of service, it was so so wonderful to gather all together and take communion as a body.

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November 19th

Today, I am grateful for friends (I don't know if I've said this one yet, but I'm still thankful for it!). I met two friends from school (yes, I definitely made friends at school, which has NEVER happened my 4 years at CSUF) for appetizers. I had such a great time with Justine and Karalynn. We connect on some way different level and it's just so fun to laugh and joke with these girls!

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November 20th

Today, I am grateful for patience. I know that I sure didn't just grow patience, but I was extremely blessed to drive to LA with Aaron for a work errand (I never thought I would use blessed & LA in the same sentence!) We hit a bunch of traffic, so what should've been a 1.5 hour trip turned into 3! I was so grateful for Aaron's patience and the fun we were able to have despite some monotonous trip.

30 days of gratitude: days 13 & 14.

November 13th

I am grateful for my friend, Whitnee. After my last event with Olive Crest, I made a decision to forgo the adoption dinner I was invited to and stick to my commitment of having dinner at home because Miss Roth was coming over. And I am SO glad I did. Whitnee is one of those friends that I could talk to every few months and it seems like no time has passed. I know she has no hard feelings because life is buuuuuusy! I was so thankful to have time to sit down with her, laugh, talk about life...just like no time has passed at all.

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November 14th

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After my last visit with Olive Crest, I drove to Aaron's house for a Bible study. We're starting a weekly thing where we pray through a Psalm, read 1 chapter (we're in Ephesians right now) and then pray over each other. Little did I expect him to make a full dinner (and not from a package!)...needless to say, I was so surprised! I am grateful for these little random acts of kindness. 

30 days of gratitude: day 12.

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Today, I am thankful for fun! Sometimes, it's nice to just act like a kid, and that is exactly what Aaron and I did today. After having a great time celebrating my step-dad's 2nd birthday (meaning his 2nd anniversary of receiving a stem-cell transplant to save his life from stage 4 mantle cell lymphoma) at McCormick & Schmick's (see below for the delicious bread pudding I had!), Aaron and I spent hours walking around Disneyland, California Adventure and Downtown Disney. We ate ice cream, watched the fireworks and stood on Main Street as (bubble) snow fell all around us. Today was a day I thanked God for how he has blessed me with the time, money and resources to enjoy life.

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The yummy yummy yummy bread pudding with chocolate chips instead of raisins! So so good!

30 days of gratitude: days 9, 10 & 11.

November 9th

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I am thankful for fellowship. Friday night I went to our first women's ministry event for For His Glory Community Church. I had an absolute blast! I was so grateful to hear from other women about what God is doing in and through them. It was so nice to spend time with them. I have been praying for God to help me feel connected to the women at our church since I am the only one unmarried (not for long...) and not a mother. This night definitely helped! We made wreaths as a ministry and since I absolutely love crafting, I was definitely in my element!

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November 10th

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I am thankful for sweet friends who care. Above is the logo I designed for one of my long time dearest friends, Kandis. We scheduled coffee so we could work on her new blog, and I just had a blast with her. I was so excited to spend some time with her and she was so sweet to listen to the BIG things going on in my life. I am so grateful for sweet friends who stick around, even when life sometimes gets crazy! (Psst...check out Kandis' blog...she's an up and coming make-up artist that does an amazing job!)

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November 11th

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 First, I am extremely grateful for those who have served and are serving to protect our freedoms here in America. I know there are so many who have sacrificed and put themselves in harm's way because they believe we as a nation and as a people are worth fighting for. I am also thankful for iPad games, tossing the football around and laughs...especially with the two munchkins above. Aaron and I visited my dad, step-mom and brothers today, and we had an absolutely awesome time. I love my family so much, and I know I already said I was grateful for them, but I definitely am thankful for fun times with my two brothers!

30 days of gratitude: day 8.

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Today, I am thankful for the hope I am given in all things! I can't share why I have such an incredible amount of hope today and for the future, but hopefully I will be able to within the next two weeks! I am hoping for mountains to move, fears to be swept away and new beginnings.

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"Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." 
--Hebrews 11:1

^"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope." --Jeremiah 29:11

"Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer." --Romans 12:12

30 days of gratitude: day 7.

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Today, I am simply thankful for a place to sleep. And not just any place but my place. My comfy, cozy, as hot or cold as I want it, kick all the covers off and cuddle pillows place. I've been thinking about how many do not get to call their place to sleep a "bed" or a place to relax. I think about when I went to Haiti and saw hundreds of people living in Tent City...was that their "place"? Or the kids who slept on dirt floors in the slums of India...did they have a cuddle pillows place? Remembering the people I saw and how grateful they were for a place to sleep (and it didn't have to be "their" place), I am humbled. How often do I go on vacation, stay in a hotel, eat room service in a bed, yet complain that I can't sleep well because it's not "my" bed?

We as a society definitely need a reality check. A place to sleep should be good enough, and if we're fortunate enough to have somewhere to call ours, we should feel blessed.

brokenness.

For the past 3 months, I have been doing an internship at Olive Crest in their Foster & Adoption center. I have been monitoring visits between abused and neglected children and their biological parents. Today, it's gotten to me. I've tried not to get attached, to not feel my heart break when I see a parent mistreat a child, to know that my job has a tiny, tiny, tiny impact on the outcome of these children's lives. But today, I've realized that I'm human. After doing one of my regular visits this morning, the thought of how the biological mother treated Sophia* turns my stomach. The way she strolled in 10 minutes late, not even acknowledging Sophia; how the only words she said to Sophia were dripping with contempt and dislike; when she said the visit "wasn't really that fun today" in front of her daughter...all these things (and more) make me cry out to God for protection for Sophia. My heart breaks for this little girl, for her confusion of who her real mommy is, for the way this woman who is supposed to love her, sacrifice for her, take care of her no matter the cost doesn't...it just infuriates me so incredibly much. After realizing this and crying to Aaron and Sophia's foster mom on the phone, my pain comes down to a simple desire: I just want to help children. I want to make life better for them. I want to fight for them, advocate for them, give them a voice and protect them from abusive and negligent parents. God, show me how to do this. Show me where to go, how to start, where to begin, who to talk to. Break my heart for what breaks yours and please never ever EVER allow my heart to be calloused to the pain of Your precious children.

*Name was changed for protection over a sweet little girl.

30 days of gratitude: day 6.

Today is a day to be grateful. Despite sorrow, stress, worry, anxiety, a less than favorable election outcome, sadness and insanity, today is a day to be grateful. I am grateful for the cool nights we have been blessed with in this hot hot HOT fall. I am grateful for the stars that shine ever so beautifully when the sun goes down at 5:15. But one thing I am most grateful for today is the hope of heaven. It's the only thing that can anchor my worried wandering soul. No matter what happens to our nation, to my family or our careers or health care or children, I will trust in God with all that I am. I will trust God to provide, to oversee, to be sovereign, just like He always has and always will be.

30 days of gratitude: day 5.

Today was ROUGH. Extremely rough. Funny how some days can be filled with absolutely nothing memorable yet can yield some of the highest emotions. 

Yet, in the midst of extreme highs and lows, I was so blessed to attend a prayer meeting at my old church. Seeing the sanctuary filled with hundreds of people crying out for mercy on our nation and favor in this election was so incredible. In the midst of trial and hardship, I am grateful for the simple things.

30 days of gratitude: days 3 & 4.

I was busy busy yesterday {hence no blog post!} Yesterday, I was so grateful to just relax. Relaxation is definitely rare at this point in my life so it's a luxury to just be. Aaron had a cute date set up when I got to his house: working on wedding crafts, dinner at Crab Cooker, walking around Fashion Island and ending the night with a couple of episodes of Law & Order SVU (if you ask Aaron, he'd say I'm obsessed!) I felt so happy yesterday, just being right where I should. And for that, I am grateful.

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Today, I am grateful for the church I attend. I am grateful for a pastor who seeks truth, for a congregation that deeply cares about one another and for a community where the ultimate goal is to reach the lost. Today, I started a new devotion from Sarah Young called Take My Heart, Oh God. I read about Lottie Moon, missionary to China in the late nineteenth century.  In her commentary, Young said the following:

 How important it is for us to not hoard our salvation and sit on it happy as a clam, but to use our salvation, to work it out with fear and trembling, to bring the lost world to Christ.

Going into church with this on my heart, we talked about Orphan Sunday. Orphan Sunday is a day for the church body to come together with one purpose and one voice advocating for care for the orphans, adoption and foster care. We heard from a precious family who has put this commandment into practice. Knowing that God takes us in, as orphans, to clothe us, love us, restore us until we're healed...that is what we are called to as Christians. WE are called to care for the orphans; WE are called to love them; WE are called to aid in the restoring.

Watch this video. It will enlighten you to the plight of the orphan, fatherless and widow. I am grateful that I have been adopted as a child of God.

30 days of gratitude: day 2.

 

Sister sandwich

2011

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Pizza party with my brothers

2011

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Kyra and I---Easter

2011

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On this beautiful day in Southern California (which I am definitely grateful for), I can't help but think about how blessed I am. One reason I am truly grateful is because of these beautiful people above and below...my family. I have a lot of family and I am beyond blessed because of that. I am always loved, always cared for, always clothed. I often forget the privilege of a good family. I am a child advocate, specifically for those abused, and I am often enraged by the lack of care and love these children get. I am an intern at Olive Crest Foster & Adoption Center so I see this first hand. I monitor visits between children who have been removed from their homes and their biological parents. Don't get me wrong, there are definitely parents who are doing all that they can to be better to their children. But I have encountered some crazies alright...and while it makes me upset and angry, it reminds me of who loves me, and how absolutely fortunate I am.

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My step-mom Emily & my dad

Their wedding day

2003

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Me and my mom

Mother's Day

2011

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My mom, step-dad Rick, Aaron & I

The day we got engaged

02.29.12

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30 days of gratitude: day 1.

Today, I am thankful for this man. I am thankful for his devotion to God, family and ministry. I am grateful for his perseverance, love and empathy. I am thankful that he is patient with me, always kind and always seeking the best for me. He makes me laugh and is the most gentle man I've ever known. 

As I reflect back on the time we've spent together, a lot of emotions flood my heart: joy, excitement, striving, pushing, creating, loving...we have already been through so much. While we have both made mistakes and have said and done things we shouldn't, the grace of God is all that remains. To know that God has created this relationship (when I sure didn't ever think that was going to happen!), to remember his care & tenderness when my step-dad battled cancer and when my dad had a stroke and to see his pain when his grandpa died, all I can do is stand (well, sit...) here and see everything God has done in and through Aaron.

And all I'm left with is gratitude.

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Flower fields

Carlsbad, CA

Summer 2012

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Taking care of me when I fell down the stairs

2012

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Snoozin' & treats with Lola

2012

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