So.... it's mid June, and I'm just now sitting down to write my 5 Thankful Things for May. Oops! I don't know why, but for some reason I get a little lazy with my blog during the summers. It's not that I'm busier or spend more time outside, I just don't seem to be as inspired during the summer. Weird, huh? Anyhow...
1. I'm thankful that my bestest friend in the whole wide world is home for the next three months. I get to see and hear her {pretty much} every single day until mid August, when she returns to school. I love having her home! We have the same brain, mostly, and we crack up over the same things. We're just very in sync, and it's fun to have her around again!
2. I'm thankful for my wonderful, amazing, godly mother. I love that this country has a day set aside just for moms (and one for dad's to, since today is Father's Day)! Once again, I got her flowers for Mother's Day. This year's flower(ing plant) of choice was roses. Two lovely rose bushes, which are still miraculously alive! The lilies I bought the last few years for Mother's Day are also still alive and THRIVING! We have TONS of them now because apparently they multiply!
3. I'm thankful for the time we got to spend with Uncle Tim & Grandma. I won't say it was easy; someone was missing the whole time, and that was hard. I'm thankful for the time we got to spend with them, however, and I'm glad they were able to come.
4. I'm thankful for the "Big Wedding!" Daniel & Megan were married in May, and their wedding was a beautiful, God-honoring ceremony. I'm thankful for these two and their desire to serve God both together and individually. I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to be a part of their weekend by playing the piano, also.
5. And speaking of which, I'm thankful for the opportunity I had to play piano for two graduations at the end of the month as well. I'm thankful that I had a reason to dig out the books and find some great songs. I'm thankful that I was able to use the same music for all three events, too!
Sunday, June 15, 2014
Monday, May 26, 2014
Remember: A Memorial Day Poem
I wrote this poem in honor of Memorial Day two years ago. I decided to share it once again just because.
When you wake up in the morning,
and you start your morning coffee,
Remember.
When you leave your house,
and you drive down the street,
Remember.
When you go to church on Sunday,
and you sing your songs to God,
Remember.
When colors are presented,
and you salute the flag,
Remember.
When your children go to school,
and they learn about our past,
Remember.
When your family sleeps at night
safe from terror and tragedy,
Remember.
Remember those who went
with no concern for themselves.
Remember those who fought
and volunteered to go.
Remember those who missed
their families during war.
Remember those who loved
their country more than life.
Remember those who gave
the ultimate sacrifice.
Never take your freedom for granted. When you spend time with your family and friends celebrating memorial day, take time to remember that while most gave some, some gave all.
Happy Memorial Day
When you wake up in the morning,
and you start your morning coffee,
Remember.
When you leave your house,
and you drive down the street,
Remember.
When you go to church on Sunday,
and you sing your songs to God,
Remember.
When colors are presented,
and you salute the flag,
Remember.
When your children go to school,
and they learn about our past,
Remember.
When your family sleeps at night
safe from terror and tragedy,
Remember.
Remember those who went
with no concern for themselves.
Remember those who fought
and volunteered to go.
Remember those who missed
their families during war.
Remember those who loved
their country more than life.
Remember those who gave
the ultimate sacrifice.
Never take your freedom for granted. When you spend time with your family and friends celebrating memorial day, take time to remember that while most gave some, some gave all.
Happy Memorial Day
Saturday, May 24, 2014
Right Now I'm...
Listening: "Pompeii" by Bastille. I love the line "If you close your eyes, does it almost feel like nothing's changed at all?" Sometimes, if I close my eyes, I almost feel like I'm still in high school, and I have no idea what I want to do with my life.
Watching: Gilmore Girls... again. Can't have too much of that Lorelai Gilmore's humor!
Reading: "Kidnapped/True Courage" by Dee Henderson. Apparently, this book was re-titled at some point? The copy I have is called "True Courage." Great book!
Eating: too much! It started with last weekend's wedding... followed by a graduation... and a lasagna potluck... and a work potluck... and yeah. Feeling Super-sized for sure!
Wishing: That I could afford a nice camera. I'd love to follow through on my passion for pictures someday...
Needing: Well, I this morning, I was needing a pair of shorts to wear for the bank's Ice Cream Social in a few weeks, but I got lucky and found the perfect pair whilst in Iowa City today!
Rejoicing: Summer is here! I'm so excited that we won't have to see snow (most likely) until late October... Late November if we're lucky!
Indulging: Mt. Dew. I know, I know. It'll kill me someday. I usually don't drink tons of soda, but for some reason (probably the lack of sleep mixed with too much excitement lately), I've been drinking a lot of it this week.
Loathing: The humidity. I just hate that there's no way to avoid it during Iowa summers.
Saying: Bum-mer! It's the new catch phrase! All the cool kids are saying it! I'm not sure why, "bummer" is a pretty common word, but I've been saying it a lot lately, and I've noticed quite a few other people starting to say it, too. Does that make me a trend-setter?
Meditating: On Wednesday, Pastor started a series on my favorite Bible character: Joseph (and the colorful coat... not Jesus' dad). I love this account because no matter what happens, Joseph trusts in God's plan. Sometimes it's really hard to deal with the things going on in our lives, but Joseph's account reminds me that God is always doing something amazing in my life, whether I can see it now or not!
Picturing:
Last weekend's wedding. It was a beautiful day, wonderful ceremony, and fabulous reception! The entire weekend was just wonderful! Congratulations, Daniel & Megan!
Watching: Gilmore Girls... again. Can't have too much of that Lorelai Gilmore's humor!
Reading: "Kidnapped/True Courage" by Dee Henderson. Apparently, this book was re-titled at some point? The copy I have is called "True Courage." Great book!
Eating: too much! It started with last weekend's wedding... followed by a graduation... and a lasagna potluck... and a work potluck... and yeah. Feeling Super-sized for sure!
Wishing: That I could afford a nice camera. I'd love to follow through on my passion for pictures someday...
Needing: Well, I this morning, I was needing a pair of shorts to wear for the bank's Ice Cream Social in a few weeks, but I got lucky and found the perfect pair whilst in Iowa City today!
Rejoicing: Summer is here! I'm so excited that we won't have to see snow (most likely) until late October... Late November if we're lucky!
Indulging: Mt. Dew. I know, I know. It'll kill me someday. I usually don't drink tons of soda, but for some reason (probably the lack of sleep mixed with too much excitement lately), I've been drinking a lot of it this week.
Loathing: The humidity. I just hate that there's no way to avoid it during Iowa summers.
Saying: Bum-mer! It's the new catch phrase! All the cool kids are saying it! I'm not sure why, "bummer" is a pretty common word, but I've been saying it a lot lately, and I've noticed quite a few other people starting to say it, too. Does that make me a trend-setter?
Meditating: On Wednesday, Pastor started a series on my favorite Bible character: Joseph (and the colorful coat... not Jesus' dad). I love this account because no matter what happens, Joseph trusts in God's plan. Sometimes it's really hard to deal with the things going on in our lives, but Joseph's account reminds me that God is always doing something amazing in my life, whether I can see it now or not!
Picturing:
Last weekend's wedding. It was a beautiful day, wonderful ceremony, and fabulous reception! The entire weekend was just wonderful! Congratulations, Daniel & Megan!
Sunday, May 4, 2014
5 Thankful Things: April
1. I'm thankful that I was cleared during my post-op check-up to return to normal activity. I'm also thankful that, three weeks later, I was prescribed some really good meds to clear up an infection that was causing some serious discomfort. I'm feeling much better now!
2. I'm thankful for the time spent with family during April. We had the girls (Beth & Alexxa) several weekends. We also had some cousins and Grandpa Vance over for an Easter dinner, along with Lindsey's family.
3. I'm thankful that, with April, came some much warmer temperatures. I've been able to wear sandals to work pretty much every day!
4. I'm thankful for pinterest! I know, that sounds ridiculous, but it sure made it easy for me to come up with Easter materials for Children's Church! We spent the whole month talking about the crucifixion and resurrection. The kids really enjoyed it, and I think they learned a lot!
5. I'm thankful for the fun shopping trips I had during April. I went with the church ladies on a thrift store shopping spree one Saturday afternoon, which was great! I got two really awesome records that totally made my day! Another Saturday, I took my mom & her co-worker to Des Moines for a teacher thing at the Science Center, so I spent the day shopping at some of my favorite stores and got some super great bargains! I also took a mini shopping trip to Burlington the other day and got a bargain sweater!
2. I'm thankful for the time spent with family during April. We had the girls (Beth & Alexxa) several weekends. We also had some cousins and Grandpa Vance over for an Easter dinner, along with Lindsey's family.
3. I'm thankful that, with April, came some much warmer temperatures. I've been able to wear sandals to work pretty much every day!
4. I'm thankful for pinterest! I know, that sounds ridiculous, but it sure made it easy for me to come up with Easter materials for Children's Church! We spent the whole month talking about the crucifixion and resurrection. The kids really enjoyed it, and I think they learned a lot!
5. I'm thankful for the fun shopping trips I had during April. I went with the church ladies on a thrift store shopping spree one Saturday afternoon, which was great! I got two really awesome records that totally made my day! Another Saturday, I took my mom & her co-worker to Des Moines for a teacher thing at the Science Center, so I spent the day shopping at some of my favorite stores and got some super great bargains! I also took a mini shopping trip to Burlington the other day and got a bargain sweater!
Monday, April 21, 2014
Right Now I'm...
Listening: I recently discovered and fell in love with a song by Sara Bareilles called "I Choose You."
Watching: Just about to finish up Revenge and then I'll probably move on to Gilmore Girls again. Because it's time for some laughs!
Reading: "Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot" by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard- I'm very much enthralled with this book which, for anyone who knows me, shouldn't come as a surprise.
Eating: jellybeans. My best cousin Steve left in my car a "Package full of sunshine" for me as a surprise, which contained a lovely bright yellow package of Starburst jellybeans!
Wishing: For things that may or may not be in my near future... as usual.
Needing: Sunshine. I can't get enough! Literally... my extremely low Vitamin D levels clearly evidence this.
Rejoicing: "He is not here, for He is risen, as He said!" The never-ending promise of hope the Easter story provides!
Indulging: Mostly the jellybeans. But also good coffee. I bought a nice (on sale so it was cheap) one-cup coffee maker, so I've been drinking my definition of good coffee lately!
Loathing: The fact that spring rains ALWAYS mean spring.... worms. Just looking at that word literally gets my gag reflex going. Totally. Disgusting.
Saying: For the first time perhaps ever, I can't actually think of anything to put here.... That NEVER happens. I guess that means it's time for Helen to come home so we can start having some funnies around here again!
Meditating: This kind of goes along with my rejoicing. We are memorizing Matthew 28:6 "He is not here, for He is risen, as He said." in children's church this month. I love excitement of the first two thirds, but it's the last three words that have really captured my attention this week. "...as He said." He was keeping a promise by coming back to life. He was being true to His word. He says nothing idly or in vain! What a marvelous thing!
Picturing:
Grandma dyed eggs with the girls Saturday morning, and then Saturday afternoon, they shelled them and made deviled eggs. Alexxa got a real kick out of peeling the shells off...
Watching: Just about to finish up Revenge and then I'll probably move on to Gilmore Girls again. Because it's time for some laughs!
Reading: "Killing Kennedy: The End of Camelot" by Bill O'Reilly & Martin Dugard- I'm very much enthralled with this book which, for anyone who knows me, shouldn't come as a surprise.
Eating: jellybeans. My best cousin Steve left in my car a "Package full of sunshine" for me as a surprise, which contained a lovely bright yellow package of Starburst jellybeans!
Wishing: For things that may or may not be in my near future... as usual.
Needing: Sunshine. I can't get enough! Literally... my extremely low Vitamin D levels clearly evidence this.
Rejoicing: "He is not here, for He is risen, as He said!" The never-ending promise of hope the Easter story provides!
Indulging: Mostly the jellybeans. But also good coffee. I bought a nice (on sale so it was cheap) one-cup coffee maker, so I've been drinking my definition of good coffee lately!
Loathing: The fact that spring rains ALWAYS mean spring.... worms. Just looking at that word literally gets my gag reflex going. Totally. Disgusting.
Saying: For the first time perhaps ever, I can't actually think of anything to put here.... That NEVER happens. I guess that means it's time for Helen to come home so we can start having some funnies around here again!
Meditating: This kind of goes along with my rejoicing. We are memorizing Matthew 28:6 "He is not here, for He is risen, as He said." in children's church this month. I love excitement of the first two thirds, but it's the last three words that have really captured my attention this week. "...as He said." He was keeping a promise by coming back to life. He was being true to His word. He says nothing idly or in vain! What a marvelous thing!
Picturing:
Grandma dyed eggs with the girls Saturday morning, and then Saturday afternoon, they shelled them and made deviled eggs. Alexxa got a real kick out of peeling the shells off...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)