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.