A Divine Confirmation

Well, hello there, all my dear friends!  Is it just me, or is this month flying by?!  I just can't believe that Christmas is only 6 days away! Now, on to the business at hand.

Today was just one of those days. You know the ones. I love my job, but this morning definitely tested that love.  I won't go into the details, but as of an hour ago, apparently the situation has finally been resolved.  Anyhow, so it was one of those days that, had I been working anywhere else, I would have left saying, "I hate my job!!!"  So in the midst of the turbulent day, I kept waiting for the "I hate this job!" feeling to come... but it never did.

Well, a few months ago, before I got my job at Greenberg's and moved to Ankeny (again), I submitted my application to one of the local school districts down home for any type of job I for which I was qualified.  So there I was on my way home from work, reflecting on the day, and my phone rang.  It was the principal at one of the schools wanting to interview me for a one-on-one aid job for an eight year old boy.  I probably royally embarassed myself, but I just laughed and told her "well... I moved to Des Moines about a month ago, so I'm not really interested.  But thanks for calling!"

Many of you know my story and the upheaval my life was in about a month and a half ago.  At that time, I wanted nothing more than to stay at home and get one of those school jobs nearby.  But God had other plans.  Instead of a school job, He directed me to where I am today.  It was in those first moments after I hung up with the principal that I realized what had just happened.  God was giving me a confirmation that I was indeed following His lead.  If the principal had called a month ago, I'd have probably started to seriously doubt my decision to move and work in Des Moines.  But today,  I felt nothing but complete and utter peace!  It was as if God whispered across the heart strings of my soul that His plan is ALWAYS perfect, to never doubt!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, 

and do not lean on your own understanding.

In all your ways acknowledge him,

and he will make straight your paths."

Proverbs 3:5-6

What a fantastic end to a 

not-so-much fantastic day!

I hope you all have a wonderful week eagerly anticipating the celebration of the birth of our Savior on Sunday! 

Till then...

Merry Christmas from the

 Lacy behind the Laughs! :)

Happy Birthday, I Love You!

On Tuesday, I turned 22.  That would be yesterday.  Yesterday, I added another year to my age.  I went from being 21 to being 22.  I must say, I don't really feel all that different... or maybe I do.

I can definitely say that this has been one of the greatest years for birthday celebrations.  As you all know, I've recently moved back to the Ankeny area, and I was expecting this year's birthday to be pretty lamely low-key.  Boy. Was I ever wrong.  The weekend started out with Festival of Carols at Faith on Friday & Saturday evenings, with open dorms also on Friday night.  So. Much. FUN!  I can't even begin... My cousin Daniel, a student at Faith, is in the chorale, so his mom & sister (who is like one of my best friends EVER) came up for Friday's concert.  Way. Too Much. Fun!!!

 Laura, April, Daniel, Me, & Megan...being awesome.

 Me, Alyssa, Laura, & Thomas @ Open Dorms

Saturday after Festival, a handful of us went out to Applebees.  Again, WAY FUN!  My dear friend Sarah came up to see her sister, who also goes to Faith, along with her mom.  Great to see them!

Sunday, I went to church with my sister and all my marvelous Trinity Baptist friends.  Who, by the way, are AMAZING!!!!  Then that evening, I went on out to Ames to hear the chorale sing... again.  Which was also amazing.

On Monday, Laura and I threw a party for me.  A dozen or so of us met over at Faith's dining hall for supper, then we came back to my house and watched Phantom of the Opera.  Also, Laura made my favorite cupcakes and brought candles for both me and my dear friend Ian (who turns 18 on Friday)!  I won't bore you with the details, but I can definitely tell you I had the most amazing day-before-my-birthday party ever.  EVER.  For real.

Last night, for my actual birthday, I went over to Faith for supper. Again. And then my wonderful friend Shelly and I went over to Cafe Diem for some coffee & chat time.  Which was apparently much needed since we talked for about 2 hours solid.  :)

 My cupcakes.... 

 Ian's cupcakes...

 22 & 18 look good on us, don't you think?

The whole gang! Daniel, Caleb, Alyssa, Me, Ian, Thomas, & Laura <3

So thanks to all you wonderful amazing people that made my 22nd birthday one of the best memories of my life.  I love you!

A Thankful Finale

Well... November has finally come to a close.  Here are my last three thankful thoughts for 2011:

Day 28
I'm thankful that I know my body well.  If I didn't, I would have been in even more physical pain than I was.  As I mentioned on day 27, a whole bunch of us got sick.  Well, I firmly believe that the only reason I wasn't puking alongside the others is that I basically didn't eat anything at all for almost three days.  Believe me.  Today I made up for lost ground.  :)


Day 29
I'm thankful for the people in my life who, even if they've only known me a short time, have realized just how much a kind word or a simple touch can mean to me.  These things can change my whole entire day.  For instance, I was getting a little frustrated yesterday at work because the powers that be were telling us to do one thing, but half our team thought it was insanity and should be ignored and the other half (of which I was a part) thought it was insanity but should be done.  Well, whatever.  So I went to lunch.  HA!  Anyhow, when I came back my favorite person (if that's allowed... probably shouldn't mention that too often here in cyberwebs) on team Greenberg's JCM (Jordan Creek Mall) just said a few quiet words with a pat on the back, and it was like the sun started shining again and life was happy.  All that to say, I'm thankful for these kinds of people.  :)


Day 30

For my final "thought," I kinda have three things:
1) I'm thankful for nights like tonight, where impromptu planning leads to great adventures.  After church tonight, Laura, Daniel, Megan, Caleb, & I went to some park on the south side of Des Moines to see some Christmas lights.  It was $10 admission per car, so $2/person, which wasn't really all that worth it, but since some of the proceeds went to the Make a Wish foundation, I guess it was ok.  Oh yes.  And the glasses.  Highly entertaining 3-D type complimentary glasses that apparently made the lights cool.  So. Much. FUN!!!!

2) I'm thankful for finally feeling like my regular self again!  Being sick makes you appreciate "normal" so much more!

3)  I'm thankful that I took on the challenge of "Thankful Thoughts November" because it has given me the chance to recognize just how much I have for which to be thankful!  I could probably post every single day for the rest of my life, but don't worry... I'm not planning to... :)

Thanks for joining me in my November endeavor to be THANKFUL! Now... on to CHRISTMAS!!!!! :D

25, 26, 27

Day 25 (Black Friday)

I'm thankful for my crazy family.  Black Friday is pretty much a holiday at our house, not because of the great deals we get, but because of the great time we have with each other making fun of those who are totally gung-ho about getting the deals.  We have a grand time getting up early (or in the case of this year, going out late the night before) and heading into the madness. This year, we actually went for the midnight deals.  My sister Laura's friend wanted a laptop, Laura & Lindsey wanted cameras, and I... well, I wanted a pair of boots. Yep... that's me.  A pair of boots.  Well, whatever.  We all got what we wanted and were home by like 4AM.  Plenty of time to sleep before heading back to DSM to sell jewelry. :)

Day 26

I'm thankful for friends.  Specifically in this instance, I'm thankful for Shelly & Geoff.  Oh, and Thomas, who kept me company via texting.  Shelly met me after work, and we went to a movie.  WAY FUN!  Then we came back to Ankeny and had dinner with Geoff.  Well... they had dinner.  I had chips and a Sprite.  Apparently something went wrong at the Vance Thanksgiving Extravaganza because like half of us are now sick.  Some throwing up, others (like me, THANK HEAVENS!) not.  Anyhow, that's not where I was going with this.  I'm thankful that I live in Ankeny now, and that I have great friends with which to hang out at a moments notice!

Day 27

I'm thankful for my daddy.  Yes, specifically my daddy.  I'm thankful for my mom, too, but today is my day to brag on my awesome dad.  I woke up this morning feeling pretty lousy, so instead of going to church, I went back to sleep.  When I finally got out of bed around noon, I decided I should probably finish making my room livable.  This involved a trip to Wal-Mart to buy another shelf for DVD & Book storage.  Those of you who know me (especially Pastor Van) know that me + tools (usually)= disaster.  Well, I'm proud to say that I put the shelf together all on my own.  I even had to go to the hardware store to replace a poorly made screw.  So what does this have to do with my dad?  Well, for starters, I had to call him when the aforementioned screw had issues, at which point I had a mini meltdown.  But, my daddy took care of it.  He told me what to do.  And then asked how I was feeling.  In other thankfulnesses about my dad, I'm thankful that for the past 22 years, he's handled all my handy man projects. And I'm thankful that I can just pick up my cellular device and talk to him whenever/wherever I want.

:)

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

So, I realized this morning as I sat down to write three more days worth of "Thankful Thoughts" that I haven't done very well at posting daily.  I've posted for every day, but not daily.  Oh well... it's the thought that counts, right? :)

Day 22

I'm sure you're all sick of hearing it, but I'm thankful for my best friend, Laura.  She may be my sister, but that's what makes our friendship so great!  Specifically, I'm thankful for the fleeting moments we're able to spend together.  I'm thankful that I can shoot her a text and set up a dinner date for minutes later.  I'm thankful that we can run to the store together.  God gave me the best little sister in the whole world, and since beginning this thankful thoughts project, I've realized just how much I take her for granted.  Well, not any more.  I love you, Helen!  (P.S.- Helen... can I get a double serving of that Paulie Allen Puffer? LOL!)

Day 23

I'm thankful for a fantastic new assistant manager.  The assistant manager at Greenberg's Jordan Creek, Chris, is awesome.  Mostly, I'm bragging on him today because once he found out how far I was driving to get home, he let me cut out 1/2 an hour early.  He would have let me go even earlier, but it didn't come up till half an hour before my shift was up.  Thanks for being awesome, Chris!

Day 24- Thanksgiving

I'm thankful that there is a day set aside entirely for giving thanks to our Creator for the many blessings he has given throughout the year.  The Vance family certainly has quite a lot to be thankful for this year, just as we did last year and the year before that and so on.  This afternoon, the family will come together for a mid-day meal.  Around the table will be many people that weren't here last year, or could have easily not been here this year.  Lindsey and her kids will be here for the first time since she moved to California six years ago.  My mom's parents are here for the first time in probably about the same amount of years.  My dad's dad will be here this year; last year he was in a nursing home recovering from his near death experience. My dad's brother's family will all be here.  All of them.  We could have lost half of them in a massive car accident last Easter. But we didn't.  Because God chose to bless us in that way.  There is rumor that my dad's sister and all of her kids (including an amazing daughter-in-law and adorable grandson) will be with us this year.  She hasn't been to a family Thanksgiving or any family event for that matter in probably five to seven years.  Yes, the Vance family certainly has an abundance for which to be thankful.

But, even if none of these people were seated around our table this year, we would still have plenty to be thankful for because no matter what happens here on this earth, Christ still took the punishment for my sins at Calvary.  And He is still the conquering and reigning King.

So in the midst of enjoying family, eating more food than you ought, and watching football or "Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving," take a moment to be thankful for the ONE thing that truly matters most.

Happy Thanksgiving, friends!