Christmas!

I didn't do a very good job finishing the 25 things I was thankful for and didn't even get close to mentioning everything that was on my head and heart when it came to the thankfulness I felt over Thanksgiving. BUT I do think I did an alright job making sure the people in my life know how thankful I am for them, so I feel okay about that :)

Now it is Christmas morning! (Well, it was when I started this) Drew and I just opened a few gifts from each other and now I am sitting here writing while he makes crepes and bacon! I told him I wanted to start some of our own traditions this year and that is what he wanted to do :) My husband making me crepes and bacon on Christmas morning sounds like a great tradition to me!

We wanted to share the many ways we were blessed over this past year and the things we are so thankful for. As we reflect that Jesus is the best gift we have ever been given we become even more aware of the amazing gifts that God gives us each day.

So here is our top 10 of 2010 (I stole that idea from my friend, Laura's Christmas card :)

1. We got to travel to Guatemala twice!

Once in March with family, and again in October with an amazing team of friends! We climbed a volcano, did VBS and construction at Kairos , spent time with local friends and got to visit Astrid, the sweet girl we sponsor through Compassion!

2. We traveled with Drew's family

to visit his grandparents in Oregon and I got to see where he spent the first year of his life :)

3. Drew got promoted

to a Builder at Oakwood Homes and at his Christmas party his boss told me he is their, "Superstar Builder" :)

4. We both turned 25 this year!

We were surrounded by amazing friends and family who made us feel so celebrated!

(celebrating with friends:)

(at Drew's kickball birthday bash!)

5. I started working with our Family Pastor

at Church, helping her with the k-5 program!

(after our Pumpkin Bash:)

6.We got to welcome 2 very special very sweet babies into our lives!

Julia Lorah Marie McGraw, The Beautiful!

Ryan Everett Graves, The Magnificent!

7. We celebrated 2 years of marriage!

8. I took a road trip to Chicago

with one of my best friends to celebrate her graduation from grad school!

I couldn't get this one to rotate??

We stopped in Iowa and got to see some special people too!

9. We celebrated Thanksgiving/my birthday with Family!

10. We celebrated Christmas with Family & Friends!

Early Christmas with Drew's Mom, brother and his wife

Christmas Eve at the Graves

Christmas Dinner at the Pearce's

Christmas extended! Breakfast and a movie in pj's on the 26th with Kristen and Chad

Catching Up

I have done a terrible job at my 25 days of thankfulness!

Today is day 16 and I have done 3!

So, here is me catching up on 13 things I am thankful for

#4. Stars. I think stars are one of God's coolest creations and I love being surprised by the wonder of them. I grew up in a place where it was easy to see them, living in Denver makes it harder, so when I am somewhere less populated sometimes they catch me off guard and I have to stare at them.

#5. My car. It's safe and takes me all the places I need to go... and want to go :)

#6. My job at Red Rocks Church. Who else gets to buy 40 cans of spray cheese, wear pantyhose with tennis balls in them on their head and dress up as obscure Bible characters? I get to work, play and learn from people I love.

#7. A wall in my bedroom being painted, "surfer".

#8. My garage=no ice on my car in the morning!

#9. Music. Sara Groves topping my most listened to tab right now.

#10. My apartment being a million times warmer than the sweet place we lived last winter!

#11. Sunshine, lots and lots of sunshine, even when it's snowing.

#12. Compassion International for giving me the gift of being a part of sweet Astrid and Jumanne's lives all the way in Guatemala and Tanzania.

#13. Skype. Getting to see and talk to my niece and nephew almost anytime I want is the best!

#14. Pumpkin bread, pie, whoopies, muffins... The food of this season is the best, it almost takes the sting away from the devastating fact that winter is coming.

#15. Photographs and that my big sister rocks at documenting everything her gorgeous kids do!

#16. Time. I have been trying to slow down lately, turn off the ringer on my phone, shut off the TV, say 'no', turn the radio down in the car and just be. I have had time to read by Bible everyday, organize my closet, cook yummy things, lay in bed and think, meet a friend last minute, write, drive under the speed limit, go to bed earlier, dream and more...it is so wonderful.

Day 3 & 4

Okay, so I missed yesterday and I almost missed today!

I just got home from an event to raise money for the Adoption Exchange. It is a wonderful organization. So, in theme of the beauty of adoption, tonight I am thankful for him...

Jacob Anthony Jorge Julianelle, my sweet nephew.

This sweet boy turns 4 on Monday. I flew to Guatemala to meet him for his first birthday, so it's kinda our 3 year anniversary of being best buddies :) I can't imagine life with out him!

Day 3&4- I am thankful for adoption and the amazing gift that Jacob is to our family.

Thankful day 2

It's only day two and I am already cutting it close blogging so late in the day! Today I am thankful for where we live. In a small scale and a larger one. I am thankful for our apartment that is warm and safe. I am thankful that we are close enough to church and friends that have become like family. I am thankful for the state we live in, the beautiful reminders of God's creation and BIGNESS that I can see out my window. The sunsets that light up the mountains in awesome ways.

On an even bigger scale, I am thankful that we live in a country where we have freedom. We can worship God wherever and whenever we want, we can vote for our government and laws. We also live in a place where we have clean water, plenty of food to eat and locks on our doors.

There is a lot about life in this country that we mess up, don't get me wrong, but there is a lot we have to be thankful for as well.

Day 2- I am thankful for my home, my city, my state and my country.

25 days of Thankfulness

November 1st.

There are 25 days until Thanksgiving, and my birthday. Every 7 years they collide. Last time this happened I was 17 and annoyed that I had to share my birthday with this holiday. This time, I think it's pretty cool.

For the next 25 days I will blog about something I am thankful for, a new thing each day.

1. Right now I am extremely thankful for this team of people:

I believe that God put this team of near strangers together for such an amazing week, and I am so thankful that I got to be a part of it. Each person, gifted in their own way got to use one of their specific gifts this week. I saw it as each day unfolded, I watched tears, laughter, silence, discovery...

Roark, 11.

Started off as an observer, like any little boy would during his first days in a foreign place...

He didn't stand back for long, he played like a big brother with Pablo, the little boy his family sponsors through Compassion International

He made friends with the boys at the school, language barrier wasn't an issue

His big brother heart came out again with sweet Javier who lived next to the school

If you ask me and Drew, that little boy, left Guatemala a young man...with a changed heart and lot of new friends

Jared and Amber

Jared owns his own remodeling business, and even though laying tile in Guatemala was vastly different from laying it at home, I'm not sure what we would have done with out his skills and tile wisdom :)

His tattoo's were also a hit, one boy actually started buying the gum with little tattoos in them and put as many as he could on his arm, just like Jared

Amber is a hair stylist and generously shared her gift with some teachers, students and neighbors of the school. As Amber was cutting hair and Jared was mixing cement just a few feet away he told her that he never thought they would get to do their jobs in the same place at the same time :)

Jared and Amber are hard workers and have such beautiful hearts. They were a huge blessing to me and Drew as friends and teammates on this trip. We loved getting to watch them use their gifts and fall in love with a new place and new people.

This post is getting long... so I will only share one more

Laura

brought along, Roark, her oldest of 4. She left the littlest 3 at home, but her huge mom heart was with us...

I watched her see Mom's who had nothing but gave of themselves everything, with eyes full of respect and a knowing. She wanted to encourage them and even though they spoke different languages, she did. I watched as these women were seen by her, not just looked at or photographed, she saw them, they felt seen.

This mom lived in a house the size of my bedroom. She has 7 children. Laura is looking at their homework :)

Laura meeting Pablo's Mom (the family her family supports through Compassion International) Our translators hadn't arrived yet...this is them seeing each other with no words.

5 of the 7 beautiful kids who lived next to the school. Laura would have taken them all home, plus their sweet mom if she could have

Laura was the only mom on our trip. God knew how He would touch her heart differently than the rest of us, and He also knew only she could see, do and feel certain things, people, situations that we couldn't.

He not only used the beauty that she is as a mom to the 4 kids she has here, He used a 5th piece of her story as well. Laura and her husband Josh have a baby girl in heaven. Her name is Pearl and she would have been 5 in June.

This is Laura and Beatriz. Mayra is translating because earlier this week using the little spanish Laura know's and the little english that Beatriz does, they each shared that they had a baby in heaven.

Now that Mayra was there to translate the conversation got to move past their shared heartache to sharing hope. Laura told her that she was brave, that she was praying for her...

She told her she didn't have to be afraid, and that she was a beautiful Mom

Beatriz melted into Laura's knowing embrace, there in the middle of construction, kids playing and staff coming and going they held onto each other

Minutes later they exchanged contact information and said goodbye.

I hugged Laura and she said, " We are all the same."

These are just a few reasons I loved this team. These are only a couple stories that I could tell. There were 5 other people on this team who I could write about as well, I am just so proud of our team and thankful that God truly gave me eyes to see as He used each of them in His way. Our trip didn't go exactly as planned, but it went exactly how it was supposed to.

Day 1- I am thankful for Drew, Jared, Amber, Audrey, Carolyn, Laura, Roark, Dan and the amazing week we shared in Guatemala