A lovely visit

This last weekend we enjoyed another fantastic trip to Charlottesville for our Thanksgiving celebration. We always have lots of food and relaxation, but this trip also included a visit to a petting farm. Brynne was in her glory. I'm so thankful for sweet family to celebrate with. I also loved (as always) the beautiful scenery.

Wishing you were here...

Have you ever had the experience of missing someone you never met? It might sound odd. But ever since I met Rob and began to fall in love with him, there is someone I miss. That person is his dad. Tomorrow as we celebrate a sweet holiday, we will also be remembering his dad who went to be with Jesus ten years ago. Even though I named this post "wishing you were here", in a sense I don't. He has been enjoying something for ten years that I can only imagine.

I think one of the reasons I look forward to meeting Rob's dad, Andy, is that I have experienced him through his wife and three boys in a very special way. I have heard wonderful stories from my mother-in-law. I have watched JA and Phil interacting with their family and those around them. I have experienced the most incredible love and care from Rob as my husband. I have watched Rob raise our daughter for almost 17 months. I know these actions are not just taught, but learned through experience. I have been thinking lately about the way children imitate their parents. It is so natural. Kids just want to be like the people they spend so much time with. I can tell that Andy was a very special person because of the legacy he has left in his boys.

So, as I think of thankfulness, a great part of my thankfulness this year is for a man I never knew. A man whose life has touched mine in a way he will never know until I meet him in heaven. Ultimately, I thank God for His sovereignty in the circumstances of our lives. He is always weaving together the most beautiful story. I'm so thankful that I have the opportunity to be a part of that story.

Do you have a little Christmas shopping to do?

Well, here are a few ideas for you! I received this box in the mail last weekend and was so excited to pull out each item. I ordered a bunch of these incredibly cute hand towels. I felt like they were such a unique gift for Christmas? Then I also received these adorable cones, an H, and a sweet little book for Brynnie. Where can you find all these treasures???? Right here at etsy. My good friend Sarah Branine recently opened an etsy shop called Cranny. If you have never been on etsy, it is worth your time to stop by. I believe it is all hand-crafted items. Check it out!

Holding On

I don't know about you, but I always feel like I'm holding my breath to see how long the leaves will last. The beauty always puts me in awe and brings me such joy. I often think at this time of year that it is so sweet that God can bring beauty out of death. Truly, the leaves are dying and going to be composted into the ground. And yet, God chose to make this process of dying bring something so beautiful. Sometimes I feel like we get sucked into believing that death is always a bad thing, but when we remember the cross, we realize that God can bring about wonderful blessings through death. Satan thought he had the victory, but really God was bringing about the greatest victory ever known: the eternal victory over death that we can now enjoy as well. Maybe the leaves are just another reminder.

finally...a few pictures

A festive little cart from one of our favorite Olde Towne stops - The Kitchen Koop

Nothing so fun as finding little acorns on the ground and clutching as many as possible

Brynnie loves to kiss - usually cousin Bryce and Daddy and Mommy...

but sometimes her bear, the computer, the door, an article of clothing, the newspaper, dogs and who knows what will be next!

We love Mondays...Rob's day off! This day we enjoyed a walk in Olde Towne.

Nothing like shoe soup...yes she is obsessed with shoes already!

I thought our trick-or-treating would be such a joke, however once this little one figured out everyone was putting little treasures in her bucket, she was all about it. She trudged right down the sidewalk from house to house. It was a blast!

Daddy's little ladybug

Sporting a sweater made by a sweet lady in our church.

We were experimenting here with the new camera - so far, we love it!

Yipee!

Well here is the new member of our family...if you have seen my last few posts you know our last camera recently went to camera heaven. I had to share about God's gift to us in a new camera. Not long after I posted, I had someone very special (you know who you are) who contacted me and said they wanted to get us a new camera. What a blessing! Rob and I had decided to wait on this one a little bit, and instead God plopped exactly what we wanted right in our laps. I am reminded again that God cares about the big things and little things and the things that are simply wants and the things that are needs. He remembers them all and loves to give His children good gifts (sometimes routed through people!). Anyways, we went online and found a special little spot where you can plug in all the things you want in a camera and it gives you the best options out there. This was what we came up with. I hope to be posting lots of wonderful pics very soon (once Rob figures out how to use it and then gives me the low-down).

I am resolved

Hmmmm, sounds like a song or something. Anyhoo, I have resolved to journal in the evenings right before bed to record the blessings of the day. This idea mostly came to me when I was thinking of how best to preserve the sweet memories that are formed each day with our Brynnie. Since it is growing more and more difficult to pull the scrapbook out, I had to come up with a more simple way to keep up. It seems like every day she does something so sweet, or something so funny, or something so naughty, or something so crazy, and I just don't want to forget. I hope that years into the future I can pull out these journals for laughs and maybe cries. I was also thinking that maybe this will be a good reminder on some of the hard days...days when you just feel like you can't say "no" one more time, days when you think you'll go crazy if you have to say "do not whine" one more time, days when you feel like you can never ever ever again finish your "to do" list, that these days are short and fleeting. I want to see my journal and remember to enjoy each moment to the fullest. And not enjoy it unto myself, but unto God who is giving me the opportunity to live life to the fullest. I spoke to a sweet older lady the other day who shared the heartbreak of having lost her daughter at age 4 and she said that she has never gotten over it. It was a striking reminder to cherish every day. I wish I could post a little picture of my sweetie, but as I'm still working on the camera thing...I will just overload the pics later on!

How are you resolved to enjoy and appreciate each day?