Happy 2009!

It's funny how the end of the year seems to get away so quickly, what with everyone busy readying themselves for Thanksgiving, and then right after that the madness of Christmas shopping begins, and then before you know it, the tree is up, lights are lit, presents are wrapped, and there is only one week left of the year. I always look forward to the New Year-mostly because my Birthday happens to land on that day, but also it is a great reminder of the fresh new beginnings that the Lord blesses us with each and every day. We don't have to wait until the new year approaches in order to begin making changes, but it seems to be a motivator. So I guess all I am saying is, take this fresh new beginning, and enter into 2009 with the realization that God blesses us with new beginnings each and every morning, and we need to take advantage of that! Allow Him to make the changes in your life that you know He has been calling you to- have the willingness and readiness to allow Him to work, and allow 2009 to be a great year of the Lord's blessings!

Thanks, Brio!

A few weeks ago, Stace read this while we were hanging out, and I loved it so much, I posted it...and now I am posting it here. So many times we wonder if where we are headed is where the Lord is leading, or if we are just heading there on our own accord. This is a great way to determine that.

God speaks in all sorts of ways. Sometimes He reveals His will to us by an impression. Sometimes He speaks by an inner voice. Sometimes we can hear Him speaking through the voice of a stranger, a friend, the words of a song, a thought from a book, or a verse of Scripture. RUSHED urgings are usually from the Enemy. God's Spirit may "hound" you by softly and repeatedly bringing something to mind, but be suspicious of anything that makes you feel driven or in anyway obsessed. The voice of the Good Shepherd is gentle, familiar sounding, and loving. It leaves you with a verse of spiritual uplift and rejoicing, never fright (John 10:3-5, 14-16, 27-28)

God's voice stills you, leads you, reassures you, enlightens you, encourages you, comforts you, calms you, and convicts you;
Satan's voice always rushes you, pushes you, frightens you, confuses you, discourages you, worries you, obsesses you, and condemns you.

Just some food for thought!

I'm headed on an adventure...

with my roommates! "Where are you going, Kristin? Somewhere very exciting?" We are not going anywhere...however, we are adopting six....that's right six....children for the next three days! Tyler, Emma, Caden, Cheena, Evan. and Carter are coming to stay with us while their parents are gone at a conference. It is going to be hectic, and crazy, but we are so excited! I love these kids so much, and it is always a blessing getting to spend time with them. It is more so a blessing that Casey and Lisa trust us with the lives of their most precious treasures-I am not a parent, but I know that any parent wouldn't just leave their children with just anyone. It was so cute, because last week as Lisa and I were going over the details, she told me that the kids had been packed since a few days earlier....nine days before they were even going to come over! They ask everyday when it is time to come over to Kristin and Ashley's house. Well, today is the day! Stay tuned for updates and pictures!

Queen-sized!

I have owned my queen-sized bed for over two years now, and before that, I slept on a double. So for a number of years, I have had the pleasure of a huge and spacious sleep area just for me. It occurred to me last night, when I was putting my freshly washed and warm-fresh-from-the-dryer bedding back onto my bed, that I have never actually taken advantage of the fact that I do not have to share my bed with ANYONE. Every night, I pull down the sheet and blanket on the right side of the bed without disturbing the left side. The pillows stay in their same position, and the comforter is neatly in place as well. I crawl into my twin sized space, curl up, and go to sleep. It finally dawned on me: Why do I use only half of my bed? Once I am married, I will always have to share the other half with someone else! So, for the very first time, I set up my pillows in the direct middle of the bed, pulled the covers down, plopped in, and sprawled into the most comfortable position in the middle of my mattress, and enjoyed the best night's sleep I have had in as long as I can remember! That is all :)

Lord, you are so good!

The Lord provides in some of the most surprising and unexpected ways. I think it is His signature trademark, so that you know without a doubt that the provision is most definitely from Him. I was JUST telling Martha yesterday that we need to plan a trip to the grocery store soon, because we are beginning to run low in the fridge and cupboards. As we all know, money is tight, and such a trip takes budgeting for. We decided to make a goal to try and go next week, to give us some time to make a few extra tips over the weekend. That works. But our Heavenly Father had a different plan for His daughters. We now fast forward to today's date. Ash and I were on our way to TV stardom this morning (not really, but we were helping out with a local commercial for our landlord's car dealership), which we were more than happy to do, since we are blessed to live in his beautiful home. Also, we have purchased our vehicles at the dealership so our testimonials would be legitimate. Of all the ways that we could be thanked (not that thanks was necessary) for taking an hour out of our day, the salesman running the gig brings out two $50.00 gift cards to where? Stater Brothers! Just like that, a hundred bucks for a grocery store trip was dropped in our laps. I am so thankful that we have a Father who cares so much for even the birds and the fish, that he provides for them; but He cares for us SO much more, His children, and blesses us when we don't even deserve or expect it.

This probably does not merit a blog....

but my DVR did not record what it was supposed to tonight. It was very disappointing to come home from work, get all settled and comfortable, turn on the box in front of me that I have been blessed with, and then NOTHING in the recorded section =( I know this sounds completely ridiculous, and I will probably be able to watch it online before next week's episode, but since we Americans are all about instant gratification, I am complaining. Even though I shouldn't be. Bah to technoolgy.

So here I am....

I am finally taking the time to create a blog for myself! It will probably take some time to get it all set up, but I am pretty excited to have a spot to be able to share what the Lord puts on my heart with everyone around me!