Emmanuel.

I'm very emotional lately. What's new right? :) But the Christmas season just makes me want to cry all the time. I don't know what it is. It was our first Christmas with these guys...



...and it was a beautiful celebration of God's goodness. Amazing to think that one year ago my sister found out she was pregnant after all those years of waiting. Also, COULD THEY BE ANY CUTER?! I don't think so. I love them so much. I can't imagine seeing them grow up. I'll start crying again thinking about it. I bought them their first books from Aunt Abby. I hope they love to read as much as I do...even if they don't I will read with them until they can choose to do something different. :)

And Christmas is such a magical, breathtaking day isn't it? I was driving home the other night from shopping on a beautiful cold, clear night and the sky was FILLED with stars. I have always loved the sky...the way it changes...the colors. I think it's amazing. I started to think about how incredible it must have felt for Mary the night Jesus was born. While I will never feel the way she felt, and probably never be able to travel to where she was when he was born, I can't help but think that the sky was probably very similar to the sky we see now. It says the Wise Men followed a star doesn't it? I felt connected with her somehow that night. To think that she looked up at a star-filled sky holding the savior of the world the same way I looked up 2,000 years later. It made me want to cry.



What I have always loved about the Christmas story is that God chose to use such simple things and people to accomplish his purpose. Mary was a normal, Jewish girl who loved and obeyed God. Joseph a carpenter. The first people the angels told were a group of shepherds. It's incredible for me to remember that God doesn't choose to use people who are perfect but who are willing. I love that.

I promise to upload pics soon! Promise promise. Hope your Christmas was filled with family and pies and time to reflect on what this season really means. Emmanuel. God with us. What a story.

Snapshots

Without sounding conceited, I always kind of thought I would make a good photographer. I love pictures. It's just amazing...the way they capture life...time...expressions. I would love more pictures of my grandma when she was young, my mom and dad when they were dating, me as a baby. I entered some photography contests in high school and actually did pretty well...but life happened and I feel like I never have enough money/time to puruse it.

The reason I have always wanted to be more diligent about photography is not just because I love photos...but because I imagine things in 'snapshots'. I am such a dreamer...always have been. I see life as a story, and I often catch myself taking mental pictures of different things.

For instance, at my paw paw's funeral my cousins and I each took some flowers from the arrangments at the graveside. While we were walking away I stopped and just looked at all my cousins walking together...dressed in black but holding bright bursts of colored flowers. What a picture I thought. Mourning and sunshine...together.

Last night I went to the Christmas program of my sweet friends daughter, Bella. She was up onstage...nervous and smiley...and I just wanted to capture that face forever. To remember her little shy smile and the big hat that kept falling over her eyes.

Last week a marine from a local small town was killed in Afghanistan. The town is covered in ribbons - ribbons on every tree and light post. They held a candlelight vigil for him and nearly everyone in town showed up. I wanted to pull over and capture their faces...their tears in the soft light.

A picture is worth a thousand words...isn't that what they say? Well whoever they are, they're right. Maybe one day I'll win Wheel of Fortune and buy a nice camera and travel the country...snapping pictures of old men in their rocking chairs and kids feeding ducks at the park. Until then I guess the snapshots in my mind will have to do...:)

Thanksgiving Love!

I'm sorry I haven't blogged more. I'm feeling negative lately and I don't want to pass that on so I have chosen instead not to write.

HOWEVER, I am in the office (aka: my second home) waiting for a group to show up that is now...45 minutes late...so I thought I would. I've been wanting to write about the first annual Patsy Party! The day after Thanksgiving I had a bunch of my aunts and girl cousins over to my house for dinner. My grandma passed away four years ago this month and I felt we were already starting to lose some of the precious memories of her. We have new babies and cousins-in-law that have never met her. I feel so very honored to have known this lady - to be her heir - so I threw a Patsy Party! :)

I hope we can make it an annual event. I just wanted the girls of the family to get together and fellowship and celebrate her legacy. This year we decided to use the large amounts of costume jewelry she had to make cute things that we could wear. We turned clip-on earrings into pierced, glued broaches to picture frames and made headbands and hairclips with beads and charms. Honestly, the stuff turned out really cute and I adore the fact that I can wear something that she loved in a way that I love!

Cute sister Glory working on some Patsy crafts. Love that hat sis!

My precious cousin Trisha showing off her creation. <3

Creative juices flowing. :)

Here we are with our crafts! Acting crazy of course.

It was so much fun and I'm so happy we did it! I want to honor the heritage she left behind. Seeing those silly broaches and clip on earrings made me miss her so much more. I could almost see them pinned to one of her 'church blouses' and smell her 'Avon' perfume. I hope I never forget those things...

In other news, Thanksgiving was lovely and wonderful. I absolutely adore having the whole fam together.

Here's our cheesy annual pie pic. Sisters!

This was the first Thanksgiving for the nephs! Amazing to think that this time last year we were praying that God would bless our family with some little ones and here they are! Love these miracles.

These boys are sweet reminders that God does things in His time and not ours. Just have to keep reminding myself of that....:)