Thankfulness

"Thankfulness takes the sting out of adversity. That is why I have instructed you to give thanks for EVERYTHING. There is an element of mystery in this transaction:

You give me thanks (regardless of your feelings)

I give you joy (regardless of your circumstances)."

I think I am more thankful this Thanksgiving than ever before in my life. I am thankful for a break...a few days to catch my breath, relax, hug people I don't get to see very often, lounge around with my family, eat ice cream with my sister, laugh at my brother, have some of the people I love most in the world in my kitchen at the same time... but even more than that I am thankful for the hardness of this fall...the adversity, the adjustment, the stretching, the exhaustion and in the midst of it all, the total unwavering faithfulness of the Lord to me. He has truly given me joy independent of my circumstances. I have never experienced a peace like this...a peace of knowing you are right where you need to be. This thanksgiving I want to be mindful of all my blessings...the ones I so easily take for granted...but even more than that, I want to remember to give thanks for the hard things and the things I am more prone to complain about or question than to be grateful for. I think it's in those things we find the mystery of God hidden the most.

Happy Thanksgiving!

We have much to be thankful for!

May we all, give thanks in ALL things....

An extra hour!!!

So...this morning is daylight savings time! Probably one of everyone's very favorite days of the whole year! It feels like you're cheating the system or something...you get an extra hour. Just for free. Where does it really come from? I don't know but I love it. I feel like I need to take advantage of it but where to start?? I think about that list of "to do's" I have...all those things that aren't urgent but you want to do and you write them down so if you ever just have some time laying around, you can do one or two of them...(or maybe this is just me!) But i DO have a list like that (I LOVE LISTS!!)...and I find myself this morning wondering what I want to cross off! I started thinking...if I had a free extra hour everyday, what would I do with it? What would you do with it??

Here's a few of my thoughts.

With a FREE, EXTRA HOUR everyday....i would....

- Meet a friend for coffee...pumpkin spice latte anyone!??! and Christmas cups at Starbucks! Oh its the most wonderful time of the year!

- Read a new book: a few on my list...finishing "Chasing the Dragon", Jane Austen ANYTHING, Cutting for Stone, The Glass Castle, Shelter Me, The Normal Christian Life, Irresistible Revolution

- Read the past 2 Real Simple Magazines that are still sitting next to my coffee maker!

- Write a letter. I love writing letters to people. Who doesn't love getting letters!?!

- Take a long, hot bath. With bubbles. And a book.

- Simply linger...slow down...notice more

- Wander around Border's--that place can suck you in!

- Go get my hair cut (anyone who knows me knows this is my very favorite guilty pleasure!)

- Go get my car washed- inside and out (my second favorite guilty pleasure)

- Watch my DVR-ed shows! (top 5: Greys, Parenthood, Modern Family, Top Chef, and Oprah!)

- Bake some banana bread or pumpkin muffins ('tis the season!)

- Call an out of town friend or 2

- Go on a long run

- Go on a long drive...windows down, heat blasting

- Listen to a good podcast: a few of my favs...Donald Miller, 2 Rivers church, John Piper

- Update my blog! ha!

- Drink coffee --flavored with my new fav. coffeemate flavor: Sugar and Spice! You totally need to check it out!!-- in the kitchen with my mom while watching the TODAY show!

Looks like for this year, the last 2 win out! I feel good about that. But if only I had an extra hour everyday...if only...!

What's been goin on...

Sorry to all my loyal bloggees...i have fallen behind!! I wanted to take a minute and just catch you up on "What's been goin on" lately...so here are a few of the highlights!!!

It's certainly been a FULL fall! Abundant, rich, and full of life and laughter! Complete with...

-A first annual "Harvest Party" at the Neely's (one of my favorite families in the world!) that consisted of good friends, hot dogs, candy corn mix, smores, a back yard fire, and great friends. (Picture below) I hope this tradition continues!

- Bill Haslam winning the governor's race. I know no more upstanding man and no more respectable family than the Haslam's. I have known them for the past 8 years (since little Leigh was the first girl I met--and hugged!--at the Webb School! ha!) and I would consider them my second family. There is no one I would trust more to lead my state. I am thankful for GOOD people who are willing to serve us in public office!

-And a whole lot of small life giving things: meals with dear friends, going back to leadership for the first time since I've gone off staff, going back to club for the first time as well, my small group, football saturdays, new soup recipes!, celebrating birthdays, Halloween, and a few hours of studying mixed in there! =) I am grateful. So so very grateful.

And finally...introducing my new friends! These are the girls that get me through long days, exhausting tests, overwhelming study guides, and hours and hours of studying. I came into school hoping to find a friend or 2 like me, I feel so lucky to have found a whole group of them who I seriously LOVE spending time with. They're awesome! Here we are right before thanksgiving...we had a potluck dinner of all our favorite fall foods complete with soup, cornbread, and delicious pumpkin desserts! Then we carved pumpkins!

These are 2 of my very favs: Jamie and Jen. We were scoopin out the guts like crrazy. Thats totally the best part!

And here's the whole group! From left to right: Kelsey, me, Jamie, Jen, Stephanie, Chelsey, Talley (Amanda completes our circle of 8 but was out of town. I'll have to do a personal head shot of her sometime!)

Thanks for reading... Here's to the fall!