Over the hill and through the woods to Grandma's house we go!

My grandparents with Ali's boys and the girls. Brennan was being a real stinker and didn't want to smile for any pics that day!

Aunt Rosie, lookin' good even at 91! Hope it's in the genes!

Just a little pic of me and Jon for all you Roanokers who have forgotten what we look like! At one of my new favorite restaurants, On the Border.

Allison and I decided to go down and see our grandparents in Indiana since I wasn't able to make it to the family reunion this year (it was the same week that we moved into our house) and my grandma had given me a real guilt trip for not bringing the twins down to see everyone! They don't care about seeing me anymore, it's all about the twins! Just kidding! Grandma did show her love for me by cooking all my favorites, like mashed potatoes and fried cucumbers. Ali and I decided not to count our WW points while we were there and then we realized that it was trips to Grandma's house that have forced us into seeking WW in the first place. Irony!


I'm so glad that we went though, since I think it made Grandpa and Grandma's week and also reminded me that we have an awesome heritage that we need to show respect for and love while they are here with us on earth. Their legacy is something that I will be forever grateful for and do not want to take for granted. I hope through our trip that they were encouraged and feel loved and respected.


The kids about made us crazy, but Grandma kept reminding us that they will grow out of it...and too soon too!

Time With God

Today is a special day. It's just me alone with God! Jon-who is an awesome husband always pushing me towards closeness with God-wants to give me one day each month where I can leave the girls with him and go off for the day, spending it in prayer, reflection, Bible-reading, and anything else God wants from me (usually includes lots of singing!). I thought I would use my blog to journal some things that I feel God is showing me today.
I started off at the Caledonia Lakeside Park, where I sat on a park bench in front of a lake and was reminded of the beauty of God's creation. While there, I felt led to read from Ecclesiastes. The whole book is a bit cynical with King Solomon talking about how everything is meaningless. But, at the end, he finally says that we need to fear God and stand in awe of God, so that our lives are not meaningless. It was humbling to me to think that a man who had everything (riches, wisdom, fame) understood that life was not about things but about God. I have very little and I sometimes get caught up in the here and now and not the eternal. Jon read to me from a book last night where the author said, "We should fill our lives with the eternal and try to squeeze in the material". I know I very often am consumed with the material and totally forget the eternal. I asked the Lord to help me in this, to change my heart and thanked Him for giving us a spirit of discipline in order to actually change the things that need changed. When I left the house this morning, I asked God to encourage me during this day alone with Him and He reminded me that life is about Him and if I spend time with Him then I will then in turn be encouraged. It's like He was telling me that it starts with Him, not the other way around! But God is good and I AM feeling encouraged!