……and they lived happily ever after

I am so incredibly humbled tonight.....I didn't grow up in the most religious of homes. I was exposed to church and camps and Jesus through friends who had homes that were filled with the Holy Spirit. Until recently (meaning the last few years) I have known Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savor, but I can honestly say that I have never really known the meaning until now.......

This is a vulnerable, sacred place that I have until now, never really opened. I have never felt the presence of the Lord as much as I have tonight and something inside of me compelled me to share.

I have prayed many prayers, asking the Lord to heal this, take this away, make this better.....Of course I always thank him for the life he has given me and the many blessings that he has placed in my life, but I realized that I was not giving myself to him as wholly and as completely as I should be. I have not been as trusting or as vulnerable as he has been calling me to be.......

We are teaching our children about our God everyday, and his unfailing love for us. About his sacrifices and his pain so that we could live a free everlasting life. One full of Joy and Happiness beyond comprehension. I know that the Lord is guiding me in this task because I am still such a newborn when it comes to my Faith. I am so OK with this, and know that our God does not judge us by time but by what is truly in out hearts.

I am a blog stalker......there I said it...... sometimes I think I may have a problem and should seek professional help! It's that bad! There are a few that I read that are just for fun, but there are also a few that I cant stop reading because I feel that the Lord led me to them for a reason. You see I am one of those silly hopeless ones that believe in "Love at first sight" and that "everything happens for a reason".

So he brought me to a blog, that has turned out to be one of the reasons that I stand in my faith where I do today. The writer of the blog not only inspired me to dig deeper inside my heart and to let go of all my fears, but she taught me that the Lord loves me no matter what I feel or think. She is not a perfect Christian, she has fears and doubts and she feels afraid and lonely at times just like me. She too struggles at times with the right words to say and what to do. The difference between her and I is that she trusts in him completely to guide her and to speak to her and through her......something I am still learning to do. If you are ever in for a good read please check out her blog http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/ and also her book...... I Will Carry You by: Angie Smith.

I have never been so inspired or touched, I mean down to the soul touched. She is phenomenal in every sense of the word and I consider myself extremely blessed to have been given the opportunity know even a sliver of her journey. One that is so incredibly sacred and covered in the Lords Love.

My daughter said something to me tonight after we sat in bed and prayed like we do every night, and it shook me. She is such a smart little one, and I cannot believe that the Lord chose me to be her mommy. I will continue to teach her and her brother of our God, our mighty God and pray that he leads me, guides me, gives me the right words to say, to teach......that he speaks to me and through me and that he leads me through the darkness straight to the light........

So I'm sitting here, reading all these old posts loving them and wondering why it is so hard for me to keep up with them. Hmmmmm, I'm sure the fact that I have two very busy children and a husband, to keep up with, not to mention family, friends and everything in between. What I do know is that I truly enjoy looking back on the saved memories that I have some how managed to freeze in time! I really need to make an effort to blog more, even if it's just for me.....starting tomorrow {wink}!

Just a quick post/pic of my Riley.....hamming it up! She is now officially in her "big girl panties", and loves to wear them all around the house, with nothing else on. This morning my feet were cold so I slipped on some of these really fuzzy, warm socks that my mother-in-law gave me. As soon as I slipped them on Riley was saying that she needed some fuzzy socks too. They ended up being knee-highs on her, and made for a great photo opp! Enjoy!

This is it! The night we have been talking about for 30+ days!! Riley is so excited that tonight, Santa comes!! He packs up his sleigh, and gets ready to make his journey all the way to our house! Scout {our Elf on the shelf} has officially made his last appearance....thank goodness {it became a challenge to figure out where to put him next} OK so I'm not gonna lie there were even a few mornings where I was like yikes....quick----distract her so I can move him to a new spot!! ;) It was super cute watching her tiny eyes scale the room each morning looking for him! I highly recommend him to everyone with children....The Elf on the Shelf amazon.com!

SO we headed to Gramma & Papa's house for a Christmas Eve feast! It was fantastic!! Turkey & ham, corn, and green beans, sweeeeeet potatoes, and creamy homemade mashed potatoes, Yankee style bread dressing {we are from the North} rolls, pie, cheesecake, cookies coffee and more! I always over eat, but hey that's what the holidays are all about right? I always feel like in the month of December I gain the "freshman 15" you all know what I'm talkin' about!! But it is sooo worth it!

We had great company and conversations, the kids love to spend time with their grandparents, and had a blast opening gifts!! We made some really great memories and I am so blessed and thankful for my wonderful family! Love you guys!

I had a very awesome high school experience, and I had a lot of really great friends. Our senior year was the start of something that then, we had no idea would last this long nor become this special. It is the one time every year that we all get a chance to meet, eat, and catch up with one another and our oh~ so~crazy~lives! It has now been 11 years!! {Thanks Candace for all of your dedication & hard work all these years} She has hosted since the first one and always makes it so special for us!

This year was especially special because those of us who have a family now, were encouraged to bring them along! It was truly amazing to see everyone in Mommy mode! I have know some of these ladies for almost 20 years!! I hope that the tradition continues for many years to come, and I can't wait to see every one's families continue to grow!!