He is my God, and I will praise Him!

"I will exalt You, O LORD, for You lifted me out of the depths...

Sing to the LORD, you saints of his;

praise His holy name.

For His anger lasts only a moment,

but His favor lasts a lifetime;

weeping my remain for a night,

but rejoicing comes in the morning."

"Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help.

You turned my wailing into dancing;

You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,

that my heart may sing to You and not be silent.

O LORD my God, I will give You thanks forever."

Psalm 30:1, 4-5, 10-12

Happy Thanksgiving

In keeping with my love of randomness I have compiled a short, random, list of 10 things that I am thankful for. What is one random thing you're thankful for?

1. Warm fuzzy blankets to keep me warm
2. My 'Apple' sticker that makes my memory packet look so much cuter
3. Cameras that capture priceless memories--even if I do forget to use mine
4. Babies...most importantly the one that is almost ready to meet his adoring Aunt
5. The faithfulness of God
6. Music--especially the happy stuff that just makes you want to dance
7. Blue pottery mugs filled with tea and given to me by my amazing friends (pictured above)
8. Hair sticks
9. Brothers who have challenged me physically, spiritually and emotionally--for the better
10. That I have an Anchor that will hold no matter how wildly the winds may blow

"Praise be to you, O LORD...from everlasting to everlasting.

Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power

and the glory and the majesty and the splendor,

for everything in heaven and earth is yours....You are the ruler of all things.

In Your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.

Now, our God, we give you thanks, and praise Your glorious name."

1 Chronicles 29:10-13

I'm Back:)

Have you ever had a trip that is so busy and full, yet so fun and refreshing all at the same time? I just got back from one:)

My family and I just made a trip down to Branson, MO to see the Wissmann's show and spend time with them, as well as to have a little vacation. And I was able to stay a week longer then the family did...and was it ever fun!

Branson, MO is full of theaters. Billboards line the streets convincing you that this is "The Best Show in Branson" or "Branson's Best Dinner Show"...etc. The traffic is pretty much constant and the roads are pretty curvy--which, depending on the driver, can be pretty fun:) Some people like the constant business and activity and it can be fun, but as I have said before..."I love Branson because of the people that are in Branson."

I am hoping to get a post together to give you a taste of that week...but I didn't really get many pictures taken(actually I didn't take any pictures at all) ...so I'll try to get creative and see what I can come up with:)

Abby

Happy Birthday, Abby!!

What a blessing God gave me when He gave me YOU as a sister:) I just love that about having brothers...I get some amazing sister-in-laws out of the deal!!

I appreciate your cheerful countenance, it has brightened my day many a time!

It is so much fun to watch you be a mommy to your cute little girls--and soon to be little guy! Their cheerful, obedient attitudes are just a reflection of their diligent mother:)

May God bless you with His joy these upcoming months! And may you draw ever closer to Him each day! I love you!!!

"For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect."

Psalm 18:31-32

Yelena

Happy 1st Birthday, Yelena!

Can you believe it? My lil' sweet pea is already a year old!!

You just have to admit that she is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E! Of course, I'm biased...but I don't care:)

And in case you haven't heard, this little darling is soon to become an older sister!! In about a month--give or take a few weeks--you will be seeing pictures my little man:) I can't wait to show him off *smile*!

Yelena, as you grow up it is my prayer that you will learn to love the One who created you...and to love Him with all you heart, mind and strength! And that you will have no other goal then to please Him, and bring glory to His name!

I love you, my little snicklefritz:)

"If you are pleased with me, teach me Your ways

so that I may know you and continue to find favor with you."

Exodus 33:13a

My newest thrill...

I'm always game for an adventure! I love to try new things...especially when they have the ability to go fast *smile*

And yes, you guessed it--my newest adventure was with a dirt bike.

I have driven a dirt bike before...but it was a much smaller one, and something didn't quite work right with it, so it couldn't go very fast. This one could!

My previous record with a dirt bike (and that is in singular form) was not very good...I totally wiped it out--along with my ego--in our garage, and all that it left me for bragging power was a big bruise on my leg that no one would ever see, and a broken wooden cabinet. (and for those of you wondering; yes, the bike was fine.)

Now if you are curious, as to why in the world I was driving a dirt bike in the garage, and how I managed to end up on the ground...well, that is for me to remember and you not to find out:)

But just for the record, I did get back on that bike, and had a great time--I even got some air coming up one of our little hills. :)

So when a dirt bike was mentioned in a conversation with a friend I jumped at the opportunity to clear my bad record! I shouldn't have been so eager...

The said friend brought the dirt bike over to my house to ride in our pasture. The little hill was to slippery/muddy to ride up so I had to content myself with circles...actually let me rephrase that, I should have contented myself with circles...

If you notice the impressive scrape on my arm(the picture doesn't do it justice) that is the result when one is not content with a semi-large pasture. And when an unexperienced rider tries to maneuver a small space and ends up driving through a tree--and making it about half-way. My thumb was unmovable for about a week, another bruise was made, and my eye looked like I tried to do something funky with purple eyeshadow...the scrape, sadly, disappeared quickly...but at least I had a little something to show for my bravery:)

I did get back on the bike, covered in dirt and scratches, and rode it around in circles a couple more times. So I was 2 for 2...and I didn't know if I ever wanted to get back on one of those crazy bikes. But I couldn't leave myself with a record like that. So a couple weeks later I found myself successfully driving that bike around in a large field. And trust me, its FUN!

And now if you're wondering why a girl would even want to ride a dirt bike. And why she would want to have an impressive scar to prove it. And why she wouldn't be content with a small pasture and little circles...I will blame it on this small, significant fact;

I have 7 brothers!

And I wouldn't trade that for the world!!

Ever!