TOMS

As an early Christmas present, one of my friends (Heather) gave me a pair of Toms shoes!  They were a few sizes too small.  So, I took them back and got the right size the other day.  I'm a little late on getting a pair of these shoes.  They've been around for awhile now.  But, I'm still excited about them!  "What makes these shoes 'exciting'," you might ask.  Well, several things.  First, they're really comfortable and pretty cute.  Second, they come with a cool, Toms bag/flag and a Toms sticker.  It's the little things.  You know?  And, third, every time you buy a pair, a child in need of shoes gets a pair of nifty, little Toms.  Good idea, right?  

Chocolate canvas.  Thank you very much.

Happy! (I know.  I'm a dork.)

My 2011

I know it's a little late.  But, I still wanted to look back on 2011.  So, here are a few of my favorite memories from the past year.

Jen and I enjoying the snow.  We started the year off right with a snow  day.
It actually snowed on Jan. 10, 2011!

I continued my 1st year of teaching at Arlington High School.
(It was technically an interim.  But, it still counts to me!)

In February, the Green Bay Packers won the Super Bowl!!!
Go Pack!  Go!

I actually had a valentine on Valentine's Day and
made homemade red-velvet cupcakes!  Ha!

In April, my cousin Matt got married.
 It was a great day, and I got to spend time with family.

At the end of April, my time at AHS ended with 2 dozen roses,
balloons, cards,  a sweet poster, and lots of memories.

Sweet poster from my students!

 

S.O.S. celebrated its 25th anniversary!  It was so great to see sweet friends.

I had a great summer spending time with friends, babysitting, and crafting.
(Emily and I hung out at the spinkler park with some kiddos.)

Fourth of July with family, friends, and fireworks!

At the end of July, my awesome friends and family
threw a surprise going-away party for me!

August thru October, I taught these two, pretty girls in East Asia!

I came home in November and had a fun Thanksgiving with family.
This is my Dad, cousin Mike, and his son Shade. (Left to Right)

In December, I cheered on some friends who ran the St. Jude Half Marathon.
Michael, Kyle, and Tracy did an awesome job! (Left to Right)

I celebrated Christmas with friends and family!
Santa even came to my house! :)

A Perfect Christmas

Every year around Christmas time, I find myself trying to make everything "perfect".  And, I don't think I'm the only one.  We all worry about putting up perfect decorations, buying the perfect presents, making the perfect cookies, and blah, blah blah, blah blah.  And, for what?  It never turns out perfect.  Never.

But, we spend so much time every year trying to make Christmas perfect.  I went out into the madness on Christmas Eve Eve this week.  (Which should tell you something about me, too.)  And, it was crazy!  The mall was SO crowded, people everywhere.  I took my life in my hands just going Target!  And, yes, I stopped long enough to take pictures.  It made me stop and think.

CRAZY!!!

So many people...

And, more CRAZY!!!

Christmas is not about presents, food, decorations, Santa Claus, what your kids asked Santa for, all these sappy movies that turn into love stories, or any of that stuff.  Christmas is about a baby.  A baby that was born in the worst possible circumstances into a messed up world.  Christmas is about a baby that had to spend his first night laying in the place where barn animals eat.  Christmas is about a baby that some set out to worship, and some set out to kill.

That's what Christmas is about.  This baby with ten perfect fingers and ten perfect toes was Christmas.  This baby, with what I'm sure was a perfectly, cute nose, was Christmas.  And, He is still Christmas today.  It is because of a this perfect baby that we celebrate.  Merry Christmas!!

Battle

I've come to the realization recently that I've kinda had an attitude problem of sorts, since I've been home from East Asia.  Well, I guess that's what you could call it.  And, I just want to take a moment to apologize for that.  I'm sorry if I've come across the wrong way when I've talked to anyone in person or on the phone about my journey around the world.  It was never my intention to give the impression that I'm not incredibly thankful and grateful for the opportunity I've been given.  Also, it was never my intention to come across as being unhappy, angry, resentful, or any other negative adjective I can't think of right now.

But, I do want say a few things in regard to this problem I've been having lately.  I could sum it up in two words - the Enemy.  While I was gone and since I've been home, I've battled with him alot.  The Enemy had me convinced that nothing I did in East Asia was even worth talking about once I came home.  I realized recently that I've only shown pictures from my time away to one other person.  He has played so many mind games with me lately that it's ridiculous.  It was even worse while I was gone.  On a daily basis, I was beat down by this voice that said I was wasting my time.  The Enemy tried to convince me that everything I was doing was pointless.  He tried to tell me I was worthless and nothing I did was important.

So, here's a reminder to anyone reading this.  There is a battle going on.  It is not one of flesh and blood. But, it is very real.  The Enemy seeks to kill, steal, and destroy.  And, he is doing a darn good job of it.  His voice can be very convincing.  But, remember this.  He is a liar and a thief.  And, in the end, he will not win.  One day soon, he will get what's coming to him. 

Lean In

Last Thursday, I went to my first concert of the Christmas season.  It just so happened to be a Kari Jobe concert.  And, it just so happens that several of the songs she sings got me through many difficult moments in East Asia.  The words are so powerful and speak so much truth into my life.  On Thursday night, she came out on stage in a cute red dress and sang beautifully, as usual.  In the middle of the concert, she took a moment to talk about her own life and some difficult things she's experienced recently.  And, as she sat there and shared some very raw emotions, she said some things that spoke straight to me.  She said that sometimes our Father allows us to walk through things.  Things that don't make sense.  Things that are difficult.  And, often times, we don't know why.  Many times there are no answers, no explanations.  Her advice?  Well, in these times, she said there is only one thing we can do.  When there is no answer to our question of why, we have only one place to turn.  We need to lean into Him.  Press harder into Him.  We may never know why certain things happen or why He allows us to walk through difficult seasons.  We just need to lean into Him.  

Fruit Salad

This time of year always gets me thinking about food, of course!  The other day, I was thinking about fruit salad.  I don't know about other people's families, but I remember eating fruit salad on Thanksgiving every year.  When I was a little girl, making fruit salad was always my job.  Don't be too impressed.  Fruit salad is just cut up apples, oranges, and grapes mixed with Cool Whip.  So, there wasn't any cooking involved in making this dish.  It's just easy and good!

Most years, I made fruit salad with my Granny (my Dad's mom).  We would sit at a table and cut up the fruit together.  Some years, my Granny and my Memaw (my Mom's mom) made fruit salad with me.  And, on several occasions, I'm pretty sure I remember my Aunt 'Cil helping too.  She was my great aunt on my mom's side of the family.  Her full name was Lucille.  But, if you know anything about great aunts from Mississippi, you know it's not disrespectful to shorten their names.  That's just what she went by.

So, this year as we celebrate Thanksgiving, I'll be thinking about fruit salad.  For many years after those three wonderful women passed away, I kept making fruit salad.  But, I don't think I will this year.  Because really, it's not the fruit I miss.  It's them.  And, while it is hard not having them here with me and my family around this time of year, I am very thankful for the years I did have to spend with them.  And, I am very thankful for the memories I made with them and the impact they had on my life.  Happy Thanksgiving!!!

It's a butt-kicker!

This typically isn't one of those blogs where you can find yummy recipes, cool crafts, or suggested reading.  But, recently, I read a book called, Kisses from Katie.  And, it was for sure a butt-kicker.  It REALLY made me think about my life and how I've been living it.  If you're not familiar with this book or Katie Davis' story, let me give you a little background information.

The book you should read.  :)

Katie Davis is a twenty-two year old, single, white girl from Nashville, Tennessee.  She lives in Uganda, Africa, where she is in the process of adopting thirteen little girls.  She is also the founder and director of a non-profit organization called, Amazima.  This organization feeds and sends hundreds of children to school, carrying the financial burden for their parents or guardians.  She has also started a beading group for Ugandan women to earn an income through making magazine bead necklaces.  In addition, Katie has helped countless numbers of people by bringing them into her home, providing them with food, giving them medical attention, and offering a bath and clean clothes to wear.  Katie only attended college for one semester.  She doesn't have a degree or any type of educational or medical certification.  Yet, she is making a difference in the lives of so many.

This book just made me think.  Alot.  Why can't I do that?  Why couldn't my life look that?  No, I don't want TO BE Katie.  But, I want to live like she is.  I want to know when I go to bed each night that I did everything I could do to serve the poor, widows, and orphans.  Why don't more people live like this?  Why is her story such a rare thing in our society today?  I think I already know the answers.  But, it doesn't make me feel any better.  Anyway, you should read this book.  You won't regret it.