Happy Birthday Ivy....

I can't believe Ivy is 5 years old today!!! I remember getting the phone call that Ivy was coming into the world and I was so excited to meet her. She has quickly become one of my favorite people. I LOVE talking to her and hearing all the new things she is learning. My favortie thing is to hear her talk about God. This picture below was taken the day after Ivy was born. What a memory! :)

Ivy, I  LOVE you and think you are so special. I am so excited to celebrate with you. I don't think you could be more loved. You have become such a pretty little girl. I hope you continue to grow up loving God and others.

The first week of vacation is almost over! I can't believe how fast the time goes by. I am getting so much done. I LOVE house projects and cleaning (although I haven't started the cleaning yet!) Last night was our bible study Christmas dinner. We had such a good time. We went to LA to an Italian restaurant called Louise's. It was so good. We had exchanged names and did a gift exchange. Laura drew me and I received a sweater, necklace and a wall decal (i will post it later.) I loved everything. It was so fun. We finished dinner around 7:45 and didnt want the night to end so we went to the Grove and walked around. It was another reminder of how blessed I am with the friends the Lord brings into my life. I love these girls and am so thankful for them!

Today was such a good day spending time with new friends and catching up with old ones. I got to spend the morning with my friend Anna. I went to her house for coffee this morning and it was such a sweet time. We've gotten together a couple of other times and have always been in a hurry to get to work or school but not today. It was nice not being rushed and getting to visit for a few hours.. It's been so fun getting to know her better.

After that I went to meet up with some old TMC girls. I went and picked up Steffi and we headed to Hollywood to go eat lunch at TART. We met up with the Sander girls and it was fun hearing about their lives and how their last semesters have been in graduate school. This restaurant is cute and quaint and a definite recommendation for those in the LA area. It has the best outdoor seating for the summer and NON-RAINY days.

Tonight I got to meet up with Kristin for a good work out. We are already sore and it's only been a couple of hours. To top the night off I got to talk to my sister in law tonight. BECCA, I LOVE YOU! Thanks for being a good friend/ Sister and making me laugh so hard! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE CHRISTMAS break!!!! Thank you Lord.

Christmas Vacation...

I LOVE CHRISTMAS vacation. It's only day two but I feel like I've gotten a lot done. The BUMMER is that I am sick. I should of rested all day Saturday because my cold got worse. I got to spend the morning with Ivy. Kelli dropped her off at my house in the morning and we went birthday and Christmas shopping together. We also went out to lunch at her favorite restaurant  PANDA EXPRESS. :) Love that girl.After all of out adventures I took her home where I got to love on Lucy. She is such a snuggler. I love it.

Last night I put on my sweats and headed to Lynn's. We had such a nice relaxing night with the boys. We put them to bed at 7:30 and sat on the couch with our tea and cozies and just talked. I LOVED it! I left so encouraged and it was so good to be with such a treasured friend talking about all the Lord is doing in our lives. LOVE YOU LYNN! I hope I didn't contaminate your household.

Today I woke up and my cold moved to my chest. NICE. My head cold is now a blown out cold. It has turned into such a GREAT day though. I spent a good portion of the morning with the Lord. I'm studying the attributes of God which has been so good for me. I've noticed that the days that are hard for me and the days when I am not in the Word like I should be. You think I would learn a thing or two by that! I also have gotten some much needed crafting done today. What a SWEET DAY of rest.

I also got to talk to my mom who told me my dad fell on ice at home at broke some ribs. He is in a lot of pain so please pray for him if you think of it.

Happy Birthday Jenny...

My Sweet Soul Sista! I hope you have a fabulous day. What a blessing you are in my life. I wish I was with you to celebrate YOU today.  I love your zest for life and thankful spirit to the Lord for what he's given you... which is MUCH! I'm so thankful for the friendships in my life where distance isn't a barrier and when we come together it's like you never left. I'm excited to see how the Lord will continue to use you. I love you Jenny!

Yesterday was our annual Intern Christmsa party. Every year all Admissions comes to my house in their pj's and the staff makes breakfast for the interns. We then have a white elephant gift exchange. It is such a fun time to be together and remember all we have to be thankful for. What a blessing they are all in my life.

A WEEK OF GRATITUDE

1. Getting to see Jenny this week. She was here visiting from Yakima, WA so a bunch of us girls got to meet up with her for dinner. I love the type of friendships where you might not see them for a year but you always pick up right where you left off. That's Jenny.
2. I am blessed beyond meausre with friends out here who are FAMILY to me. Family with the Jackson's is no exception. I LOVE these guys and am blessed to have them in my life.

3. God's GRACE. Something I don't deserve yet NEED EVERYDAY. So thankful for such an undeserved gift. His grace is Sufficient!

4. I am so so so so so so so thankful for the girls in my bible study! I have never been more excited about a bible study group in my life. We get so excited to see one another to talk about the Lord and encourage one another. I enjoy each one of them corporatly and one on one. We see eachother throughout the week and they are such a solid group of girls that I LOVE!!!!! Tonight was a sweet night with Laura. We went to one of our favorite restaurants Granville Cafe.

5. Megan Schenk...yes MEGS YOU are a blessing in my life. So thankful we got to talk on Saturday. I love you and am thankful for your friendship! :) Send me a picture!

6. Psalm 145:17-20 "The LORD is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The LORD is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them. The LORD watches over all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy.

Satuday....

I love Saturdays. Today was a FULL day. Saturday mornings are my favorite time of the week. I love sleeping in (who says 7 AM isn't sleeping in!?!) and the Saturday morning lounge. NOT today! I was at my friend Erica's yesterday and we decided to get up early and hike Towsley Canyon. We were both needing a WORK OUT and we got one. I will be feeling it tommorow. It's a 6 mile hike up a mountain and back down. It was so beautiful!

 

Psalm 104:1-6 "Bless the LORD, O my soul. O LORD my God, you are very great. You are clothed with honor and majesty, wrapped in light as with a garment. You stretch out the heavens like a tent, you set the beams of your chambers on the waters, you make the clouds your chariot, you ride on the wings of the wind, you make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. You set the earth on its foundations, so that it shall never be shaken. You cover it with the deep as with a garment; the waters stood above the mountains."

I got to have lunch with two of my bible study girls (we missed you AMBER). I am so THANKFUL for their frienship. We have so much fun together and I ENJOY them GREATLY!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I got a Saturday afternoon nap! LOVE IT. The night ended with my dear friend Heidi. We went to WOKANO  for dinner. It's this new restaurant in our mall. It is so yummy. Afterwards we went back to her house and went to the hot tub to soothe my sore muscles from my morning hike. It was hilarious....as we got to the community pool it started to pour. I went and got two umbrellas and we left our clothes by the front door, covered our head with the umbrellas and headed to the hot tub. It stopped raining shortly after so we didnt have to hold the umbrella the whole time. It was such a great night with a great friend.

Thankfulness....

This is dedicated to my friends and MOM who have bugged me to start blogging again. :) I am not making any promises but I will attempt to be better. I have a lot of things that I could blog about but haven't made the time. There have been many things that I've been challenged with over the last year and God has been SO KIND to me. Even in the last week, I have been Overwhelmed by the way the Lord cares for me, provides for me and directs my life. I have been reminded that trials are GOOD for they develop me and make me turn to Christ. My friend said it best: Trials produce hope in me that doesn't disappoint (Romans 5). I am so thankful that I have hope. There are so many that don't know the hope of Jesus Christ. What a BLESSING! God calls me to look beyond my temporary circumstance and live in a continual state of thanks. As I experience trials, I need to remember that I have an eternal perspective and my hope is to enjoy an eternity with the Lord. I AM READY LORD!

Psalm 100:5  "For the LORD is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,
and his faithfulness to all generations."

Since it's been a few months I want to list a few things that I am thankful for.

1. Adoption of Lucy. She is so precious. She has a smile that can light up your day, a strong personality letting you know what she wants and she is the best snuggler. I love her.

2. Church. I love my church. John has been BRINGING IT lately. (not that he doesn't always) Maybe the Lord is just working on me and that's why I've been feeling like EVERY message is for me! He's been going over 1 Corinthians Sunday night in church and he did a small series on 1 Corinthians 13 which impacted me greatly!  I've also been enjoying singing with the worship Team Sunday mornings and working in the Visitor Center.Oh, and my Pastor Tom is going through a solid series in Revelation.

3. The Master's College: What a blessing my job is. I'm so thankful that I enjoy going to work and that I get to work with some of my closest friends. This is my Family. I also have the most kind, humble, gracious, and hard working boss!

4. Small Group Girls: I was asked to be in a bible study this summer with three other girls. It has been such a HUGE blessing! I LOVE these girls. I didn't know two of them that well when we first started the study but I can say that they are a few of my closest friends now. We meet once a week to talk about the Lord and encourage one another. This is definetly one of the Lord's biggest blessings in my life this year.

5. Trials: I can't even begin to describe how the Lord has grown me through difficult times. I do NOT love trials. Who does? Yet, in the midst of them I cling to the Lord and am reminded of all of His promises to me. I am also reminded of how prideful and sinful I can be too! EWWW!!! Is it hard?  HECK YES. But if I can perseve and keep my focus on the giver of all things and remember that God does as HE pleases and that which pleases Him is always for His glory and my good then I am trusting God. "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Reedemer." Psalm 19:14

6. Titus 2 Women:  For any believer it is good to have older and wiser people in your life who emulate Christ and follow His teachings. They point you to the truths found in scripture and encourage you with the promises of God. I have a couple of these women in my life. What a blessing they are. They keep me in check and consistently point me to the Lord and show me my sin. This is a HUGE GIFT from GOD.

7. Family: I love my family. I have so many people that I consider family but I am talking about my birth family. What a gift to know that everyone in my immediate family is going to heaven. I adore my neices and nephews, appreciate my brothers and sisters and am thankful for the Rents. I wish there were more occasions when we were ALL together but blessed assurance we will all be together one day!

Happy Birthday Lynn...

Lynn, HAPPY BIRTHDAY a day late. You know you were thought of yesterday and I wish I could have celebrated with you. I am so thankful for your friendship in my life. You are such a blessing to me and I appreicate you. I am so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in your life this next year. Continue to pursue him Sister. He is faithful and I look forward to walking the road with you. I love you so!

I love San Diego. I went from Chicago straight to San Diego and I love both cities. The weather in Chicago was great and there is beauty all around in San Diego. I was just reading Psalm 92 tonight and the verses reminded me to give thanks to the Lord for the beauty of His creation and his steadfast, unchanging, merciful love for me. As beautiful as I think this view is in front of me right now, I know nothing will compare to the beauty I will face when standing before the throne of God in heaven.

Psalm 92:1-4

"It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night.,

to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O Lord, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy."

Legacy Conference...

This week I went to the Legacy conference in Chicago to represent Master's. It was a great event. Pete, Terrence and Hampton were also there for the college. TMC was the main sponsor for the event and we got a lot of face time. Terrence even got stage time to talk about the college (picture below). He did AWESOME.

The conference is geared towards building disciples in an urban context. They had some great preachers who brought the WORD. I was challenged and convicted throughout the week. My favorite speaker was a guy named Paul Washer. I only got to hear him once but he loved the Lord and spoke on the gospel and how we have been justified through Christ. He challenged me on the motivations in my life and if there is anything motivating me more than the gospel that's idolatry. It was so good. Every night they had a different concert and I got to see LaCrae, Shai, Flame and many others. Another highlight was seeing my friend Blair who just got married. On Friday night we hosted a dinner for the college and the four of us all presented. It was a great time and I was so encouraged to see how everyone pitched in this week.

We went to an evangelism event on Saturday afternoon to wrap up the conference and then the guys and I headed to downtown Chicago to hang out. I love the above picture because this was the guys ALL WEEKEND. I have about 4 photos of them on their phones. Terrence was loving "Words with Friends" game. Hampton was texting and Pete was doing all the above. This is on a street corner in Chicago. I had an enjoyable time with these guys. They were good company and I am thankful for thier friendships and treating me like a lady all weekend (and Terrence calling me out when I needed to be called out)! :)

Kutless - Im Still Yours (2009) w/ lyrics

I really like this song. Kelli introduced it to me about two months ago and I've loved it ever since. Was just listening to it tonight and wanted to share it.

My Brother....

My brother makes me laugh....ALOT. I love him too. He did a Dairy Queen run for Becca and I and sent me this picture with the following message, "Dairy Queen run Iowa style." If you know my brother he is definetly the quiet one in the family but he has the most suprising sense of humor.

Kyle is a good husband, leader at church, works hard with integrity and is highly respected. He is also a great dad. I went with Kyle one night to put the kids to bed so I could see their nightly routine. He would pray with them and then we would sing a song together. We put the girls down first and then went and put Mason down. Mason asked for the "I love Mason" song and my brother sang him a song that he had made up for each of the kids. My brother was so embarressed singing it in front of me and we both laughed through the whole thing but it was the sweetest thing.

Of course, I need to mention my sister-in law here because she is really the one who keeps the house moving while Kyle is working. They are both great parents and I enjoy watching the love and fun Becca and Kyle have together....after 15 plus years together. Love you guys and thanks for a great time.

I love my Family....

I really enjoyed my trip home. It was so good to see some friends and family. I got to spend all day with my brother and his family.  I got back to Des Moines last night. When I arrived they had kept the kids up a little later than normal so I could love on them before bedtime. Becca and I sent Kyle to bed and we stayed up late talking and having some good laughs with Kelli on speakerphone.

Today was a great day with church and family. We grilled out, Becca and I got a pedicure while the kids napped and then we played basketball, went on a drive and played in the house. The kids are obessed with Pistol Pete Maravich (this is GREATLY influenced by my brother) so most things we did revolved around basketball and The PISTOL.


It was so great to be with them, play, laugh, and I will be missing them when I go back tommorow!

Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Fullan...

Jesse is married!!! The Fullan family is a family I love and treasure in my life. We started getting close about 12 years ago and we have remained close over the years. Even after moving to California we have kept in contact and have grown closer. The boys have been my little brothers and I've enjoyed watching them grow and see how God is using them. I was so excited for Jesse when he called to tell me he would be getting married. He put his soon to be wife on the phone and I got to talk to her and find out why she would choose to marry Jesse and commit to him. I liked her.

It's been fun getting to spend time with this family the last couple days. I love them and am humbled by their love for me, prayers for me and interest in me. I heart the Fullans and am so glad I got to be a part of your special day.

This morning I got to go spend some time with some of my favorite IOWA friends. I've known Chad and Powers (Chris) for years. Before I moved out to California I spent most of my time with Powers, Chad and Stacey. I've known Powers since junior high and he was one of my best friends in high school. We've kept in contact all these years. I got to know Chad in college. Chad married Stacey who became a close friend and the four of us hung out a lot. Powers got married a few years back and they just had a baby who I got to see for the first time! She is precious. Since my trip home was so quick Stacey offered to make breakfast so we could spend a few hours together. Thanks for being so accomodating. I love you Guys!

Chris and I with his new daughter Taylor! The miracle baby! :)

Me and the Stacey's!

IOWA...

Today was my first day back in Iowa. I got in at 11:00 PM last night and my sweet Sister in law, Becca, came to get me. I just love her. She is a great mom, wife and a good friend to me. When we got back to their house Kyle was anxiously awaiting our arrival acting like he was passed out on the couch. We had a good time talking until 1 AM! I am going to highlight some favorite parts of my day:

1. Waking up to Madison, Mayah and Mason wanting to cuddle with me in bed (even though it was 6:45!).
2. Getting see my new nephew McClain. He is so cute!
3. Mason asking me if he could come to my wedding, me explaining to him I'm not getting married, and then him going upstairs to pray that God would let me get married. He REALLY wants to come to my wedding
4. Mayah making up a song and singing it to me about how much she loves me.
5. Suprising my Grandma for a quick visit.
6. No 100% humidity like yesterday!
7. Getting to have dinner with my mom and dad tonight.

8. Going to the Fullans to hang out before the big wedding.
9.Singing with Aaron while he played the piano.
10. Getting to meet Sean and Jesse's soon to be wives.
11. Getting to lay in my cozy room at my parent's house while I type this.

Tommorow is more fun and friends!

I HEART the Schenks!!!!

Tonight I got to spend time with my old Office Manager (aka a GREAT friend)! Megan was back visiting from Texas and I got to meet up with her, Brady and their new addition Riley. I LOVE this kid. He is seven months old, so tiny and chill. He looks identical to his dad, Brady. He was so tired after 8 hours in the car but he was still fun and amusing.

It was fun seeing Megan as a mom. We worked together for 5 years and she became such a great friend during that time. She moved to Texas a year ago and it has been fun staying in touch with her this year and hearing how God is using her.


I LOVE you Megan and am thankful for your friendship in my life. You are a blessing and forever friend!

This morning Kelli, Ivy, Tiffany and I decided to go to some garage sales looking for some treasures. I have been looking for a black bookcase for all of my books and I haven't found one yet. We drove around for a couple of hours looking for good sales. The three of us decided we would put all of our finds on our blogs.

I didn't find much. My best find was an older hymal. I paid $1 for it. I've been looking on ebay at old hymals as I've been wanting to do some craft projects with old hymns. I love this one as it's antique looking and just what I was looking for. I also got a Cooking Light magazine.

The other two books "What to Expect When You're Expecting" and "What to Expect the First Year" are the ones that you are probably wondering about. :) I bought one of these books for a friend a year ago and it cost me almost $20. I got both books for $1.50 and they look brand new so I thought you never know when it might come in handy!


If anyone finds a nice black bookcase let me know. Still looking!!!

FREEDOM, FAITH, FRIENDS, FOOD and FUN on the Fourth...

Today was a day to celebrate our freedom here in America, reflect on all of those serving our Country and fighting for the freedoms that we tend to take for granted. Going to church on this holiday made me reflect on my freedom in Christ and what a blessing it is to know Him. I've spent a lot of time with the Lord lately and this day was another sweet reminder of how blest I am to have my hope in Him!

Tonight I spent time with some sweet friends (another blessing). Lynn had some friends over for the evening for some good food, fun, fellowship and fireworks. We barbequed and had a great time. The kids loved the fireworks and had lots of sugar to keep them up! The picture above is Tiffany after the kids threw all their confetti on her...such a good sport! :)

I also got to do one of my favorite things....Cuddling with my sweet Tater Tot! Thanks Lynn for a fun evening.

Lucy Ann....

Today is a significant day for the family! Lucy officially gets moved out of foster care today. Lord willing it will only be a matter of time before she is officially adopted. This is a huge answer to prayer and we are so thankful! She is so sweet. She loves to snuggle and has the biggest temper of any 9 month old I've ever seen. If you give her attention she will love on you all day. I love her and am thankful for another neice. Thanks to everyone for praying. God is good and faithful!!!

The Rents are here! They got here last Wednesday and we've had an enjoyable weekend spending time together. Friday night my brother in law made us a yummy tri-tip meal.The man can grill!
 On Saturday morning my dad and I woke up and went into town for some daughter/ dad time. He got his favorite Jamba Juice drink and I got my Starbucks and we sat outside and talked for a couple hours. It was nice to catch up with my Pops! He loves me. Afterwards we met all the girls and headed down to the Americana. They have an AWESOME Farmers Market. I bought some really yummy hummus. We went to In and Out for lunch and then headed back to Kelli's.

Saturday night was Girls Night Out!!! Kelli and I took my mom out for dinner and a movie. It was really fun. The picutre below is of my dad at the Americana. He left us girls and told us when we were done to meet him in the Welcome area. We found him out cold in their lounge area. That is SOOOO my dad! I dont know if he thought the glasses were hiding his closed eyes or not but it didnt work too well.

Reunited....

I love these two!!! Jenny is here visitng from Washington and we finally got to spend some time together tonight. Tricia and Jenny have been such a big part of my life here in California. They have been FAITHFUL, TRUE, and LOYAL friends over the last 8 years. We have had so many memories, road trips, laughter, tears and joys together. It was so good just to be together and talk about how different our lives are. I wish we could do it every week! :)

They encourage me, speak truth to me, pray for me, and bring joy to my life. What a blessing to have such faithful friends. I love you girls and am so thankful for your friendship in my life. I am excited to see what the Lord is doing in your lives and you encourage me with the way you love your husbands and children. God is Good Sistas and I love you more than you know!!!

Happy Birthday Kyle!

Today is my brothers birthday! Kyle, I am so thankful for you.  You have turned into such a GREAT GUY. I love the way that you love Becca and your kids. You are a great husband and dad and you live your life to honor the Lord. I wish I could be there to celebrate with you. I look forward to seeing you and spending time with you soon. I love you!