Christmas Plans

It's almost Christmas and I still don't feel it. :/ Don't know what's wrong with me but I guess my nickname as the Grinch is still true. Gotta do some last minute shopping after work today!
SO excited for tomorrow though! 2 of my very best friends, Emily and Elissa have a tradition of having breakfast during Christmas and we will be seeing eachother tomorrow. This is the 3 of us at Broad Street last year...

Then W(who I will tell you about later) and I will be spending the day with my parents for our "Christmas". My sweet Grandma is in town so it will be so fun for us all to be together. Then that evening, we will leave to drive to Dallas to spend Christmas with his family. Very exciting!
I wonder what everyone else is doing for Christmas?

walmart

i recently found out that you can check out at the register in the yard and garden center at walmart. this is exciting because it's so much quieter and less chaotic than the regular register. today i went to walmart with the boys and thankfully only had to get a few things like coat hangers and some food for dinner and a few snacks. walmart with the kids is okay but definately not my favorite thing to do. so we go to the "secret" register and there was a LONG line but i decided to wait in it rather than go back into the LOUD CHAOTIC CRAZINESS of the regular part of the store. we finally get to the register and put our things on the counter and the lady tried to weigh the bananas and grapes but the scale wouldn't work. SERIOUSLY?! needless to say we went home without any fruit. i called steven and he said "i'll stop and get grapes and bananas on my way home from work". so sweet! thanks steven :)

hook night

last night we had our annual christmas hook night. we call it hook night because it's a great night to bring your friends and get them hooked. lots of fun and they hear about Jesus. we had lots of great videos, a tacky christmas sweater contest, bowling, elves, performance by some awesome students, eggnog and fruitcake eating and great prizes. lots of fun had by all.

Kristi

p.s. the moving post was from me also :)

moving

i used to get really excited about moving but this time not so much. normally it's a new place, new adventure, something we've been looking forward to. this time it's because the townhouse we've been renting is going into foreclosure so to avoid all the possible mess we found another rental. the new one is really nice but the whole process is so YUCK! i think the main dislike is that i feel bad for the boys. i'm so busy trying to get things done and i know it's not "normal" for them. so we are just ready to be settled in the new place and just enjoy life as usual. once we get all moved i'll post pics.

So this week I've learned a lot of things...about myself, my family, my dear friends, and my God. I've experienced every emotion possible but the one that has lasted is the overwhelming feeling of being covered with unconditional love and grace. I am a daughter of God, nothing can ever ever change that and just because I mess up, doesn't mean that He will love me any less or that I am no longer His. Just like I'll never not be a daughter of my earthly parents. It is everlasting and unconditional and that is such a big thing to grasp. We can't do anything to lose that relationship...ever. Wow. That doesn't mean that I want to purposely sin, it just means that when (not if) I mess up, I don't have to run and hide, I can go before my Father and confess my sins and expose my heart and He will wrap me in His loving arms and welcome me back. I can't wait to meet Him and bow at His feet and thank Him for who he is and what He is.

Until the whole world hears...

What a great weekend!! I just paused and read that over and over b/c it's so true and it makes me so happy that I really did have a great weekend! It wasn't literally perfect of course but it was truly great!!
Friday night was my bosses Christmas party. Wow, what a home. I can't even begin to decribe it but just to give a glimpse, one of 7 bedrooms had the full 7 pc bedroom set of Mussolini. Yeah. But the most wonderful thing about Friday night was that it SNOWED!!!! I didn't think I would get so excited but it was so fun!! Saturday morning when I woke up, I had the most beautiful sight out my bedroom window. Everything was covered in snow :)
Saturday morning, I got to rejoin the family tradition of going to the Madison Christmas Parade. Again, I didn't think I would be so excited but I couldn't stop smiling and laughing the whole time! We all bundled up and had coffee and hot cocoa. It was so great to hear "Merry Christmas"



Then, Saturday night I got to go see Casting Crowns in concert...



Wow, what a powerful worship experience. It was so encouraging to be in a colliseum full of people who love Jesus. He told the story of the song "Until the whole world hears" and it was so moving. What if we all lived our lives to fulfill our true purpose? To be the light for this dark dark world...until the WHOLE world hears. That's what I want my life to be. Nothing less.

Now, it's back to work on this beautiful, rainy Monday. But what an even greater reminder for me to keep shining bright.

when kimmie was little she was so excited when my mom bought scrubbing bubbles but when these little guys didn't really come out she was really disappointed!! i saw a commercial last night that made me remember this. haha
it would be really awesome if those little guys really would come out and scrub your bathroom but it just isn't reality.
this might be a far stretch but.......
this day that we are living is reality! there's nothing make believe about it. what are you going to do with this day? i hope we all live it for the Lord and let people know the reality of eternity!

-kristi <3

Donuts

First, thank you so much for all the bday love. It was serisouly one of the best days ever. I let myself be free and have SO much fun! My cheeks and belly hurt from laughing so much!! :)

So, why a post on donuts? I was on a little weekend getaway this past weekend and everytime I saw a Donut sign, I would point it out. My friend said "Donuts must be really special to you". I thought it was such a strange statement...donuts, special?? But then I thought, wow, they really are. When we were little my daddy worked SO hard (still does) and that meant working a LOT of hours, sometimes even in the night and I don't really remember a LOT about him being home. Don't get me wrong, I always knew that he was working FOR us!! But, the most special times, usually once a week, were when he took my sister and I to get donuts. First it was a place we nick mamed "the honey nut donut shop" b/c the sign looked like cheerios and then when Krispy Kreme opened, we went there. It was soo much fun watching the donuts being made. We'd each get to pick 2 donuts (I usually got sprinkles) and we'd sit and talk and eat our treats. I remember feeling so proud to be out with my daddy. Sometimes we'd eat too many donuts and I'd spin around on the little stool and feel sooo sick but I didn't even care. Now of course, I can't eat donuts b/c of eating vegan but we do have a weekly lunch date and that is just as special to me. I wonder if all of us have something like that, that brings us back to sweet memories...

Happy Birthday to Kimmie (Kimberly)

I am so proud of my sister! She has definitely been on a tough journey these past few years! Most have no idea what behind the scenes was like for her. From two major surgeries to try to correct a brain malformation, unimaginable headaches, career change, closing a book which normally has unending chapters, career change and many things in between. Kimberly is a strong woman! The most awesome thing of it all is that our God gives her this strength. She claims His promises and has committed her life to Him! My sister is an amazing example of someone who learns from mistakes, grows from circumstances, and stays faithful even through the toughest of times. I am so proud of her!

Kimmie,

You turn 26 years old in just a few hours! I pray many blessings on you this year! I've always been so protective of you and i always will be. You are my baby sister and i love you so very much! I pray these next chapters in your life will be full of happiness, health, healing and love! xoxo

Youngest first?

i thought kristi should go first cuz she's older but then it would be an empty blog forever and ever. sooo...

i obviously haven't blogged in a while and as a lot of people know and a lot of people don't know, i've recently gone through a major storm and life change. i've decided to be honest and open this time when i'm writing instead of sugar coating and making everything seem perfect. however, i'm not going to go into detail and slander the man that i vowed to spend my life with. the Lord knows what our story is and i will be naturally judged regardless of whether or not i share it, so i have chosen for several reasons not to share it. i am healing and full of joy because i know that the Lord has great things in store for me, His daughter. God has never been more real to me than right now. it is unforunate that it took something like this to cause me to seek Him like never before, to cling to Him as my only hope, to lay all of my burdens and anxiety at His feet..but i am here now and have never felt more secure in my faith. i want to live only for His purpose. I was reading this morning in my devotion, "I am beside you. A very human Jesus, who understands all your weaknesses, and sees too your struggles and conquests." He knows every emotion i have felt, when i wanted to just give up, but i had to name my fears, my anxietys, my questions before i began to heal. i wanted so bad just to hold it all in..i thought it would just go away. it tore me up physically, i developed a bleeding stomach ulcer and started having panic attacks but i still couldn't give it up. but once i finally got on my knees (literally) before God and named everything that i was scared of and the things that were making me sick with worry, i saw changes immediately begin to happen. i knew He was there all along, i felt His presence but it wasn't until i asked for and accepted His power that i was completely washed in His love. beautful, amazing love and grace.

i'm now excited about my next season. i have a new job. the main thing my company does is lease aircraft. it's different but really interesting. i've met a lot of really good people and i've learned a lot in a short time. so, we'll see....

i turn 26 tomorrow. i'm looking forward to a new year. christmas is so soon but i refuse to look at it negatively, i will be surrounded by the people i love and that love me. i won't feel sorry for myself, or even begin to go down that road. i'm not the reason for christmas, Jesus is and that's what i'll celebrate.

i hope i blog a lot. i hope someone reads it.

kristi's turn.