I LOVE Christmas cards!

Not only do I love this time of year, I absolutely LOVE sending and receiving Christmas cards. I saw this link on my friend Kristin's blog and just spent 30 minutes looking at so many fun Christmas cards. Some of you received this in the mail but for those of you who didn't, here is what the 2009 version of my Christmas card looked like!

Merry Christmas sweet friends!

little decisions...

I am borrowing this from my friend Jill's blog.

"Twenty years from now, it won’t matter if your shirt was ironed or your house was spotless. But what will matter are the little decisions you made every day to invest in the people around you, to give without regret, and to love until it hurts."

I have been thinking a lot lately about the people in my world and how I am truly blessed by each and everyone of them.

Let's face it, I'm an extrovert. I am energized by people. I am challenged by people. I need pepole in my life. When I moved to Wichita in January 0f 2005 a friend of mine called me a starving extrovert. At the time, I don't think there was a more accurate description. I needed that time of "starvation" to really appreciate the friendships that would come. Now almost 5 years later, I can confidently say that this once starving extrovert is no longer starving. There are people in my life who know me, who really know me and are okay with that. There are people in my life who I see everyday who don't know me and are okay with that. There are students in my classroom who know me for a short time and then move on, graduate and who will change the world, or at least the little corner of the world that they will influence. There are people in my life that make me laugh so hard I cry, that let me cry, that ask the hard questions, that listen to me babble for hours about nothing really important, that challenge me to be a better person just by being around them. The people in my life remind me that it's okay to be me, that I am free to be me. Sure there are people who I wish lived HERE but those friendships that have survived the miles hold a special place in my heart. I need people HERE, I need people NEAR, I need people FAR. Really I just need people.

I am thankful that it doesn't matter if my shirt was ironed because if I am completely honest, if something needs ironed then it ends up in the back of my closest. I do love a clean house and having people over to enjoy my clean house but some of the best conversations I've had with people in my little house have taken place when the house on Indianapolis wasn't spotless.

This post is random yes, but for those of you who know me, aren't a bit surprised. I needed time and an avenue to process. Life is crazy busy and I am a victim of God's grace.

I needed to be reminded that the little decisions I make every day matter. The people in my life matter. and for that I am grateful.

mantel metamorphosis

When I bought my house the mantel looked like this. . . blah

I did some painting and usually my mantel looks like this. . .

But now that Christmas season is quickly approaching,

my mantel looks like this.

Defying Gravity

Wicked came to Wichita...

"Let the little girl go! And that poor little dog... Dodo!"

We went to see it...

"Just follow that one road the whole time!...

I hope THEY don't get lost, I'm so bad at giving directions..."

Then ate cheesecake...

"so you lied to them?" "only verbaly."

Because I knew you....

I have been changed for good.

I love fall. . .

As I was driving home from work one day last week I did something I haven't done in a VERY long time. I pulled my car over, went to my trunk and got my camera. (thankfully my camera was still in my trunk...)

So with my camera in hand, there I was standing there in the middle of the street, enjoying the beautiful fall afternoon and looking at this. . .

I decided that it was time to explore my quiet little neighborhood on foot with camera in hand. So I parked Mable on Indianpolis and went on my first photo safari of the season!

blessings = people

My cousin Justin created this website. (http://counted-blessings.com/) It is a visual list of the blessings in his life. I am encouraged by people like Justin. He would be one of those people who = a blessing. He is creative, clever, hilarious and takes incredible pictures, among countless other things. He created the website, included a blog, asked for people to "post a word or two of something good in your life that you are thankful for right now."

Sometimes I forget that I need to stop and remember what I'm thankful for RIGHT NOW. I don't need to choose my words carefully or worry about how somethings sounds, because there is something raw and vulnerable when you just start talking, or in this case typing.

I am inspired by his project, I was inspired to write.

Something good in my life RIGHT NOW: the people in it.

blessings = people

the people in my world bless me with their laughter, their time, their words, their hugs, their energy, their love, their insight, their lives.

wonderful wedding weekend

Meet Stephen.

He is one of my favorite people, it's an honor to have the title of the "sister" he never had but probably always needed.

Meet Stephen & Whitney.

They are getting married this weekend. This wedding has been a LONG time coming. I first heard about Whitney when Stephen and I were on a missions trip with First in Guatemala the summer of 2005. (that trip was monumental in Stephen & I's friendship.) I'm sure I had met Whit prior to returning from Guatemala but that is the first time that I remembering thinking that this girl was someone special in Stephen's world. Fast forward a few years, and the Lord in his perfect plan brought these two back together again.

Their story makes me smile.

Their relationship gives me hope.

Their relationship reminds me of the sovereignty of God.

I "borrowed" this picture from their wedding blog.

It was taken while Stephen was proposing to Whitney in Boston.