One.Thousand.Gifts

--Grandma's cookies

--Small reminders of where my roots began

--holding hands
--Guitar lessons
--patient teachers willing to increase their love of music
--sunshine
--cartoons in the van
--gravel roads
--quick chats with a good friend
--evening dances in the pool
--family time
--empty laundry basket and full closet
--watering flowers with my son
--watching his facination with how everything works
--his love of hugs
--ice cream
--the littlest one making the big ones belly laugh
--hanging pictures



One.Thousand.Gifts

God's subtle reminders to listen

One.Thousand.Gifts

Live In Handyman

God's Sprinkler System (and Air conditioner)

Inspired

So I was recently inspired by a very dear friend from HS.....and as my usual....it didn't last long! After a conversation with my best friend in the world, after a lot of prayer and many church services I think maybe its time to listen. I seriously need to re-evaluate my life, my existence and what makes me happy. In short....I need to be more content with where I am and just be happy because the alternative is, well it is not fun. Someone recently pointed out that God had me just where HE wanted me at this particular time in my life and although I may not (and probably will not ever) understand why He is doing what it is that He is doing and I need to shut up and listen! By and funny turn of events that I believe was totally a "god thing" for lack of a better way to describe it, we have moved (yes again) into a beautiful home. We are still renting and for those of you that are keeping count, in 14 years of marriage this will make our 12th move. I'd like to think that one of these days we will in fact actually purchase a home which would mean another move but for now I'm happy in this "old farm house". We live on land and though it isn't ours per say its beautiful to look at. It has the feel of being out in the middle of no where yet we are only a couple minutes from town and whatever we would need. There is a pool out here too which is so nice, a little intimidating at first but I think we have already gotten used to it.

Ok so back to my inspiration......a few months back my very dear friend started posting these exquisite photos and all the titles said one.thousand.gifts. So it intrigued me to say the least. I found out that it is a book she was reading about (in a small nutshell) being happy where you are. Sort of a "bloom where you are planted" type thing. (haha thanks pastor Spencer...that was what you told us in church this week).

So between reading about the book http://onethousandgifts.com/the-book , seeing the beautiful photos Chanda has been taking and getting a deeper glimpse into her heart, attending church and listening and trying to practice what I've been learning each week and several conversations with Ty, I've decided I need to read this book and not just the website about it AND I need to be more thankful with what I have and less impatient because I don't have what I want yet.

So to begin my one.thousand.gifts and what I am thankful for today....

A man that I can call my best friend...and mean it...that walks, not in front of or behind, but right beside me through the good and the bad, the wonderful and the scary. He never waivers in his love for me or his love for his God and the need to serve Him. And for all of that I am truly thankful.

Just pictures....3+ months worth!

Ok well these pictures brings us through July anyway. Everything is in reverse order because I wasn't smart enough to upload them backwards and too lazy to flip them all around....so you'll have to go back in time....sorta.....anyway here ya go. If you are on Facebook some of these will be familar. And once again I will promise that I will try to get better at updates.



playing at Chuck E. Cheese



Anniversary canoe trip

front porch swing of our cabin in Eureka Springs

Meara got a new playhouse

reading the paper with daddy

1st Haircut, 19 months

Emma with sparklers at July 4th party

Austyn and a sparkler

Meara and Daddy watching the 'snakes'

Dagan sparkler

Meara's cupcake

Dagan's ??? cupcake

Austyn's cupcake??

Emma's cupcake??

Beautiful flowers

dagan climbing wall

Austyn gets a little higher on the climbing wall

Emma wins the prize!

My new (but very messy) scrapbook station

Two pretty girls

crafty projects

Easter picture

Miss Taylor on the big screen

Dagan took all he could take

3 cute cowboys

the cell phone lit up has now replaced the lighter

Watching the concert

Just waiting

Emma, do you know where we are??? We got tickets for Taylor Swift!!!

Meara in her "waggy"

Playing with Uncle Scott at Grandma's

The layout I made to display at Grandma's funeral

Austyn won 2nd place in an art contest at school

Well I really don't have a good excuse for not posting since Christmas so I won't even try. All I can say is worlds of changes. So.....lets see......I finished out the year at the High School, packed up way too many books but had a great time there. Kinda bummed we don't get to use the new school that we heard being constructed on a daily basis but we are on to other things now. The last month of school or so Ty was "commuting" back and forth between Arkansas and Kansas so he could go ahead and start working at the Chiropractic office in Gravette. The first part of July we all moved to Gravette into a 4 bedroom duplex in the middle of a neighborhood FULL of kids. The neighbors and kids have been great. We love sitting out in the front yard in the evening, when its not too terribly hot. School starts next week for the kids and I'm really looking forward to some one-on-one time with my baby girl. We've taken a few short trips this summer, but mostly stayed pretty close to home. For our anniversary this year, the middle of July, Aunty Carol and Gram generously offered to keep all 4 kiddos so we could have some time together. Anyway, we took a weekend trip to Eureka Springs and went canoeing one day and basically just hung out together for a week and enjoyed the quiet. We spent a week in Texas visiting grandparents and a weekend in Kansas for Ty's school reunion. Funny it seems like we were gone ALL the time but when I write it down it doesn't seem like a lot. All in all its been a great, although very hot, summer. We are enjoying Arkansas a lot and already feel at home here. I guess that's it for now. I have a bunch of pictures and I'll try to get them off my phone and on to the computer so I can get them on here.....stay tuned, more to come.

pictures to go with last post...

As promised here's the latest photos.....

This is Meara in her Christmas dress just being cute little Meara!


Kings and Angel from nativity play at church program last week.

photo shoot for Christmas card photo

nope...

nope...

no....

almost there......

decorating the tree, it was Emma's turn to put the angel on top!

Dagan and Ty braved the freezing cold to decorate the outside of the house.

We did family photos last weekend so hopefully we will have some of those up here soon to show everyone. Fingers crossed we got some good ones. We had so much fun doing them I can't imagine they aren't great.

We are now all done with Christmas programs, piano playing, singing and picture taking at least until all the Christmases and birthday we have coming up.....

Watch this space for more of our crazy lives!!!