Archive for December, 2009

{Arrival}

We made it to Bozeman! After many phone calls, we finally got our tickets re-booked after the blizzard/ice storm. We flew in on Tuesday and SURPRISED our family and will be here until Saturday. We’ve had a fun time re-connecting with our dear friends…and the time with family is so fun. Mindy (Matt’s sister) and Ryan have a little boy who is just 5 months older than Lucy, so it’s been entertaining watching them interact. They live up in the mountains and it’s so beautiful with all the snow. Here is where we are staying…although there isn’t quite as much snow this year! We’ll be back in the Midwest on Saturday, and then we fly back to our RV in California on January 11. Weeeeee! I’ll be ready to get back to the sunshine! I’ve uploaded some of the photos to this set already, and will be adding more soon.

(P.S. I couldn’t resist doing just one more DPP photo…I’m thinking about doing another photo project in 2010, so stay tuned!)

This morning as I was scanning through my Facebook updates, I gasped out loud when I came to Laura’s:

Most everything is burned/melted or water-damaged.
Only home my kids have ever known.
SO hard but thanking God we were NOT there!

Laura is the mama of 5 sweet babes, and wife to Jeromy. She is a photographer friend of mine and a beautiful, giving soul. I am so heartbroken for their family and can’t even begin to fathom that feeling of loss. They have lived in their home for 5 1/2 years…and to find that it burned down on Christmas day is devastating.

Please say a prayer for their family as they sort through all the pieces of this tragedy. If you are able to give a financial gift, you can do that via her blog here. Even just a few dollars will uplift this sweet family.

Photo credit: Taylor Christian Jones

{Tradition}

Mom’s famous caramel rolls for breakfast…a Christmas morning tradition. Hope your Christmas was joy-filled! More photos from our celebration here.

This is officially the last day of the December Photo Challenge. It has been so much fun and it’s forced me to be more present in my daily life, taking note of the details. I liked it so much that I think I will continue it…in some form. Not every day, but whenever I have something to share with you! Love love love you all…Merry Christmas!

{Worship}

Snow is lightly falling outside…creating a blanket of white as far as the eye can see. It’s beautiful. I am with my family, in a warm house, with lots of food…and lots of love. I am blessed. And thankful.

This morning, we awoke at 3:45am in Omaha and headed to the airport with the expectation that we would be in Bozeman tonight to surprise Matt’s family for Christmas. But God had other plans. Our connecting flight in Minneapolis was canceled and we had to make a quick decision between possibly being stranded in Minneapolis or driving back to Des Moines to spend Christmas with my family. We chose to come back…to guarantee we would be with family. It appears that our flights actually went out…but we had no way of knowing that at the time. Needless to say, today has been a very long day. But God is good, and He is always in control. We trust that there was a reason why we couldn’t be there this Christmas.

We enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Eve service at church tonight…my heart was full, thinking of the love Jesus showed us by coming to earth. Tomorrow we celebrate and remember that amazing gift. Merry Christmas Eve my friends!

{Held}

Today the girls stayed with Nana while Matt and I did some last minute shopping and errands around town…it was the first time she has taken care of them alone together and she did great! Lucy slept in the Ergo…it’s so fun to see my mom wearing her

{Delivery}

“Transport of the mails, transport of the human voice, transport of flickering pictures-in this century as in others our highest accomplishments still have the single aim of bringing men together.” -Antoine de Saint Exupéry

You should have heard me squeel when my mom walked in the door with the mail today! Our package had arrived from Texas with all of your wonderful cards and letters. Thank you so much to those of you who took the time to make my day brighter. Can’t wait to get more! Here is our address for those of you that missed it.

{Friendship}

A doorbell rings.
Hugs exchanged.
Christmas gifts opened.
Playtime in full swing.
Mascara and nail polish applied (without the mamas knowing).
Books read.
Laughter flowing.
Life shared.

Today is the day!! I know you’ve all been refreshing your screen over and over So, here are the results…chosen randomly by random.org:

One Love Creations Winner:
Commenter 189 – Jes from serenitysgivaways.blogspot.com

Indigo Inspired:
Commenter 18 – Emily from embers.typepad.com

Once again…one of these winners is someone I know in real life (Em)!! So weird. Congratulations ladies…enjoy your new clothes!!

For everyone else…click on over to to their stores and take advantage of the 18% discount (valid until 12/24). You won’t regret it!! Enter the code WSLW to receive the discount. They will refund you on Paypal for the discount difference after you pay. Thanks again everyone for showing them so much love!

One Love Creations
Indigo Inspired

{Spirited}

Bella has such a fiery & beautiful spirit…I am constantly in awe of her. She is so grown up now, but is trying to find that balance between independence and needing her mommy and daddy desperately. Every day she teaches me something new…oh how I love her so.

{Sweetness}

We spent the day with Nana and Papa…exploring and enjoying Des Moines. While meandering around the Winter Farmer’s Market this morning, we came across one of our favorite vendors, Blue Gate Farm. They had their yummy jams for sale…including such exotic flavors as Shallot Lemon Basil, Cinnamon Pear Butter, and Cinnamon Purple Basil! The Ginger Peach above is one of our faves. After the market, we grabbed a cup of coffee with Rebecca, Mauro, and Bianca and I shot a few family photos for them. After that, we went to the Science Center and saw Under the Sea at the IMAX, then to Gong Fu to pick up my favorite tea, and out for Thai food after that. It was a full, beautiful day.