Thanksgiving

Psalm 95:2

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!

1 Chronicles 16:34

Oh give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His steadfast love endures forever!

There are so many things in life that I am thankful for. I could never even begin to mention all the things God has greatly blessed me with. I love Thanksgiving because I am reminded of how truly blessed I am. I am thankful for these things everyday but especially on this day of Thanksgiving...

I Am Thankful For...

Life and Salvation - assurance that I will spend eternity in heaven 

Mercy and Grace - forgiveness that I am so underserving of

Will - my very best friend and the love of my life, we have a fantastic relationship and a great marriage

Emma - a love I never knew could exist that grows stronger each and everyday

Annie - I know she's just a dog but she is a huge part of my life and brings me such happiness

Food - I never have to worry where my next meal is coming from

Shelter - I have a warm bed to sleep in every night

Transportation - I can get myself safely and efficiently from here to there 

Income - Will and I are both blessed with jobs that provide for our family 

Health - my family faces each day without health complications

Freedom - I can live each day freely in our great country, freedom sacrificially given 

Parents - I am so blessed with the most wonderful mom and dad that show me continuous love

Siblings - my two brothers and my sister I love with all my heart and love the relationships we have

Grandparents -  always been, always will be a huge part of my life, whether here on earth or in heaven

Great Aunt and Uncle - these two people are such a significant part of my life and I'm crazy about them

Friendship - I have amazing friendships that until a few years ago I never knew could exist

Family - I am greatly blessed with numerous family members that I love dearly
Church Family - Boone Trail Baptist Church has welcomed us with loving arms and we are so glad to call BTBC our church home
Tennessee - so incredibly thankful to be back in this beautiful state, to be back home

While life is filled with many ups and downs, we have so many things to give thanksgiving for, not just today but with every breath we take. 

1 Thessalonians 5:18 

In everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

~Happy Thanksgiving~

Cruise Time!

On Friday, Will and I are leaving to go on a trip that we have wanted to go on for years. We are celebrating our 5th anniversary with a cruise to the Bahamas and Key West, Florida. I am SO excited because aside from our honeymoon, we have never done anything like this. But this will also be the first time we have left Emma and my heart is breaking. I know that we are going to have a blast and we without a doubt need the time together but oh my goodness I am going to miss her!

So (with tears as we leave I'm sure), we are leaving Friday morning and driving to Port Canaveral, FL, unless we decide to stop before then. 

Our ship takes off Saturday at 4:00pm. We are both a little apprehensive simply because we are first time cruisers but I'm sure that will fade quickly. 

Sunday morning at 9:00am we arrive in Freeport, Bahamas and will be there til 5:00pm. Our plan is to simply explore the city and maybe hang out on the beach! 

Monday, we arrive in Nassau, Bahamas at 7:00am and will be til 3:00pm. I am really hoping to be able to see the Atlantis hotel and then whatever else seems interesting :)

Tuesday, we will dock in Key West, FL at 12:00pm. I am probably looking most forward to seeing Key West. I have wanted to go here for quite some time and really have no agenda other then seeing what the city has to offer! 

And then Wednesday we spend a day at sea traveling back to Port Canaveral. A fun day of relaxing on the ship! 

We dock Thursday morning and then a long drive back to our precious baby!!

Coca~Cola

My brother just showed me the neatest thing he found online. You may have seen it but we hadn't and thought it was really cool. Coca Cola Freestyle has these new vending machines that have 100+ drink options that you create. It's blended up right there fresh when you make your choice. They are then using the most popular creations and making them actual drink flavors! Pretty neat...the only downfall is these vending machines are only located in certain places. For all my Texas friends...you have lots of choices!
Some of the options...

Cherry Vanilla Coke, Orange Coke, Raspberry Coke


Strawberry Sprite, Peach Sprite, Grape Sprite, Cherry Sprite, Vanilla Sprite, Orange Sprite,    Raspberry Sprite

There are a ton more flavors, these are just a few! Next time I am near one of these I will definitely be creating myself a drink flavor!!

~Two~

Two years old....I remember when Emma was born, and I would sit holding her, staring into her precious innocent face for hours. It was one of my favorite things to do. I remember wondering what she would be like when she grew up, how she would talk, what her personality would be like...I remember thinking of the word two and how far away that seemed from her as a newborn baby. And here we are...she's 2.

I had a difficult time when Emma turned one. I am so sentimental and emotional! But there was just something about 2 that is so much harder!! It's like the baby in her is just gone. And in saying this, I love everyday I spend with her and I love the little girl has grown to be so it's not that I'm not completely enjoying the stage we are in now, it has just flown by way too fast. I had a semi breakdown the night before her birthday. Will and I laid in bed and just reminisced on her life. And while my tears flowed, I realized how thankful and blessed we are to have a beautiful, happy, smart, healthy little girl. She is the most wonderful thing that ever happened to me and I am crazy in love with her.

I look at her now and I can still feel how I felt the moment they placed her in my arms after a scary and long two days of getting her into this world. It almost takes my breath away. There are no words to describe meeting the child for the first time that has grown inside of you for nine months. Instant unconditional indescribable love. I hope as she continues to grow, I will never forget this moment.

And as I'm sitting her now writing this post, she comes up to me, puts both hands on my cheeks and gives me the biggest kiss! It doesn't get much better than that! Happy Birthday my sweet Emma!

Halloween!

Halloween! Halloween! Trick or Treat!! 

This is the song from Emma's Dora Halloween movie. She loved this movie and I'm so glad we got it for her because all October she's been watching it and learning all about trick or treating. So when it came time for Halloween, she was all ready and excited to put on her costume and head out! And not that I'm partial or anything, but I think she was the cutest little ducky I've seen!!

When I was little, I remembering getting in and out of the car, making our Halloween rounds to all our friends and family so we could show off our costumes. And of course, the tradition lived on this year! It was so nice to be back home so everyone could see Emma all dressed up. We had such a great evening, even though after it all was over, Mommy was exhausted!