Happy Birthday!

 

 

 

Nine years ago on December 28th Kaitlyn Irene entered our lives -- NINE DAYS LATE!
She was ironically due on our One year anniversary.
I honestly cannot say we were 'excited' about our upcoming arrival, it wasn't the way it was 'supposed' to be. There were many things we thought we 'lost' when we found out about the new life that would be joining us, dreams we thought were for the best.

BUT, as soon as we took one look at that beautiful little girl that God so GRACIOUSLY gifted to us, it all became clear. THIS WAS IT! THIS was THE path we were supposed to be on. Forget all that other stuff we thought we were missing out on, this was it! Life's greatest adventure. The opportunity to shape a life for Him.

She has brought us SO much joy over the last nine years that to think of life happening any differently for us would just be emptiness. We are so thankful that God thought us worthy enough to take care of this precious young lady. She continues to grow into a young lady after God's own heart and we could not be prouder!

Let is snow...OK, THAT'S ENOUGH!

 

 

 

Here are some pictures from our snowstorms. Yup, more than one! We got about a foot of snow on Friday night, our anniversary -- which was great, we had the resturant and movie theater to ourselves. Then we got over a foot last night.
Jeff waited until the snow was done before attempting to snowblow the driveway, but by then, the snow was almost over top of the snowblower in the front and OVER the snowblower in the back of the house!

The first picture shows our backyard -- there's a retaining wall back there -- somewhere!
The second picture shows how high the snow comes up to our front porch -- it's level!!
The last picture is where the snow comes to our dining room window -- it is almost level!

Hey, I wanted a white Christmas. I guess it's true, be careful what you wish for!!!

10 Years Already??

 

 

That just doesn't seem possible! But, it is true, 10 years ago today Jeff and I were married.
What do I remember about that day?

I remember being told the District Superintendent who was supposed to perform our ceremony may not be there, his son's house caught on fire the night before. But, very calmly I asked my Grandfather if he would stand-in if necessary, he graciously agreed.

I remember my cousin, Rachelle, being there. It was the first time I had seen her since we were little girls. It was such a special day because she was there.

I remember sitting and getting my hair done in the church nursery and watching Veggie Tales, yes, you read that right!

I remember a special moment with Jeff's mom when she gave me the handmade wedding album, it was very special and very beautiful.

I remember my mom putting on my veil and how excited and overcome with joy she looked.

I remember my sister bursting in to tears because my dad told her he loved her...just before she walked down the aisle as my maid of honor.

I remember Jeff's face when he saw me walk through the doors and the overwhelming love I felt for him at that moment.

I remember my dad's kiss he gave to me before he 'gave me away.'

I remember my dearest friends in the world - Adam, Alison, and Janel singing to us the songs we picked out ('Household of Faith' and 'If you could see what I see'). How true they were then and how true they still are.

I remember Jeff kissing me at the wrong time...we were supposed to light the unity candle...oh well, had to kiss again!

I remember the wedding party holding up cards with numbers on it, representing how well we kissed at our reception.

I remember all the guys in the wedding party with their sunglasses on.

I remember the wonderful slideshow my mom and Jeff's mom put together...lots of funny pictures!

I remember Jeff and I both had lots of hair! Mine is now short, Jeff's is now gone!

I remember my car and what my 'friends' did to it! :) Just kidding, it was great!

I remember wondering what the future held for us, what God's plan for us was.

Over all, I remember just how special the day was and how having our dearest friends and family there made it even more special.

Now, 10 years later, our lives look nothing like that WE had thought and planned, but I wouldn't change any of it for the world. What we have done and been through has only made us stronger, made our love stronger, and made us who we are today. Sure, there were times, even recently that we didn't know what God was up to. But, He has always been faithful to us and never let us walk through those times alone.
We are so excited to see where God will lead us next. These last 10 years have been such a wonderful journey and I can only imagine what the next 10 will be like. What ever comes, it will be much more fun with Jeff by my side!

(check out the blog about Hannah's birthday, I found some old pictures of her I scanned.)

Ice Storm Damage

Here are the pictures I promised...as you can see we had some damage here, downed trees, etc. Luckily our house and fence are still in tact. The only thing we have to show for it is fire wood :)

 

 

 

 

What a difference a week makes!

Well, after over 106 hours, we are finally home and WITH power!!
What an ordeal! Luckily, mom and dad live within driving distance, so we had an unexpected visit with them in NY for almost 5 days! We had a great time together and helped Nana put up her tree.
All in all it was just a bother to pack up and leave, but everyone is safe, no trees fell on the house, and now we are home from a surprise vacation!
I have pictures and will put them up later.

Picture Perfect

 

 

 

 

We used to always go and get professional pictures of the kids taken at Christmas and Easter, but last year, for whatever reason, we decided to take them ourselves. The pictures came out so good last year, we did it again this year...and once again, we got some GREAT pictures!

We hope you enjoy these pictures and we hope you are enjoying this blessed Advent season. May we truly understand and realize that God IS with us!

Why can't we just be honest??

I have been thinking about this topic for a long time. Wondering why we as Christians can't be open and honest with each other about what is going on in our lives. Are we afraid to be vunlerable? Are we afraid someone will see who we REALLY are? Are we afraid someone might criticize us or disagree with us? Do you know what I have to say to that??? WHO CARES! BE HONEST! God has called us to live and worship in 'spirit and in TRUTH.' We ask someone 'how are you?' but, do we REALLY want to know the REAL answer?? Do we have the time to actually listen to the hurt people are going through, do we want to?? We give pat answers to the 'how are you question', but I think we are missing out! I think we are missing out on the chance God put someone in our path to lift us up, or we miss out on lifting someone up. We are here to be here for each other. This is not a 'go it alone' life! There is too much joy and too many blessings in sharing life with each other, yeah, sometimes you have to go through the muck, but think about the beauty on the other side!

So, here it goes. It's time to be honest...

I’ve been really down lately because of my back and actually spent the entire Christmas musical Friday night in the back row, bawling! It was no fun! I’ve just had enough and want to know when my miracle will come. People keep coming up to me and telling me these stories of others who had back issues and then ‘it was a miracle’ they were better….well, where’s mine? Not that I am expecting a miracle, one would be nice, but I’m not expecting one…and it’s not that I don’t believe they happen, they do, I've seen them first hand! I think for some reason God is choosing the long way around for me to teach me something or maybe to teach others something through me…I don’t know why, but for some reason my answer is not ‘no’, just ‘not now.’ That is a hard place to be in. One that really tests your faith! It tests WHO you say you are and WHAT you say you believe in. I do have to admit there have been times I’ve wondered if it is all worth it. Is it worth it to pray to a God that seems not to answer?? The answer to that is a resounding YES!! Even though He may be silent, He is ALWAYS there! He is walking beside me, sometimes carrying me…I may not always see Him or feel Him, but to doubt Him would be the end of ME. You know, I believe God is a God that is big enough to handle our doubt, He knows we’re doubting, we can’t hide that from Him, just be honest and let Him show you Himself, which He will do, in time. So, that is where I am now. Trusting in a God I can’t see or ‘feel’ right now, and knowing that I can have peace and joy even though the situation SUCKS! He is faithful and no matter how hard Satan tries to bring me down, I will come out of this stronger and victorious and will see the blessing in the thorn!!! AMEN!

So, why don't we decide to truly be real with each other? And what better time to do that than Christmas! Declare that GOD is TRULY with us, and that we have the opportunity to be His hands, His feet and His voice to others that are in need and hurting.