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| I love this picture...Grace's face is lit up with that childlike Christmas joy that is so precious! |
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Christmas Day 2010
Saturday, December 25, 2010
It's Christmas!
Merry Christmas to my wonderful readers!
I hope you all had a wonderful day filled with joy in remembering the Savior's birth! "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." It truly amazes me to think that He laid aside His glory and became a human being. That He had flesh and blood. That He learned to walk and talk. That He lost his teeth, scraped His knees, and learned the trade of a carpenter. That He was like you and me. But yet, at the same time, He wasn't, because He was God. What a miracle, and truly, truly a reason to celebrate!!!
All is well, all is well.
Angels and men rejoice!
For tonight, darkness fell
Into the dawn of Love's light.
Sing A-le, sing Alleluia!
All is well, all is well.
Let there be peace on earth.
Christ is come; go and tell
That He is in the manger.
Sing A-le, sing Alleluia!
All is well, all is well.
Lift up your voice and sing.
Born is now Emmanuel,
Born is our Lord and Savior.
Sing Alleluia! sing Alleluia!
All is well.
I hope you all had a wonderful day filled with joy in remembering the Savior's birth! "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." It truly amazes me to think that He laid aside His glory and became a human being. That He had flesh and blood. That He learned to walk and talk. That He lost his teeth, scraped His knees, and learned the trade of a carpenter. That He was like you and me. But yet, at the same time, He wasn't, because He was God. What a miracle, and truly, truly a reason to celebrate!!!
All is well, all is well.
Angels and men rejoice!
For tonight, darkness fell
Into the dawn of Love's light.
Sing A-le, sing Alleluia!
All is well, all is well.
Let there be peace on earth.
Christ is come; go and tell
That He is in the manger.
Sing A-le, sing Alleluia!
All is well, all is well.
Lift up your voice and sing.
Born is now Emmanuel,
Born is our Lord and Savior.
Sing Alleluia! sing Alleluia!
All is well.
Monday, December 20, 2010
Forgotten Videos
I posted a while back about my trip to see our good friends, the Clarke family. I put up pictures in that particular post, but neglected to add the videos that summed up the fun that we had that weekend. So anyhow, here they are! They're kinda random :P
This first one is of Jordan doing who-knows-what.
This one makes me laugh. Catherine is such a character! The ending
is really funny; she starts singing "Crazier" by Taylor Swift,
and then stops abruptly to make faces :D
I like this one for some reason...when our heads are together
it looks like a jigsaw puzzle :P
This one's a bit longer, but Natalie is SO funny!
And the end makes me smile; Catherine is such a cutie!
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Of Clouds and Rain...and Snow
Ian describing how rain and snow are made (in his own, very unique way)...
He told us this at dinner last night, and he reluctantly shared it
with me this afternoon :D
(pardon my tongue-twistedness at the beginning :P)
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Snowed In
Well, the snow held off a week longer than the cousins from down south had hoped. It's probably a good thing, though, because on if the snow had been added to the already crazy roads from the Thanksgiving rush, it would have taken them 2 days to get home :P
The fluffy white stuff started coming down on Sunday, and I honestly don't think it's stopped for more than an hour since! It's been coming down pretty steady every day. The lake-effect snow warning was only until last night, but even today we're still getting hit. From our best estimation, there's a little over 2 feet out there. O, and we were listening to the radio today and the weatherman reported that there's a major storm (cause what we're in the middle of right now isn't a major storm???) coming in on Sunday and Monday that could drop about 2 more feet...2 + 2 =4, right? Yup, just checkin' : ) Oh I just love living close to Lake Erie ;P
Now of course, like most anything else, the snow has its pros and cons. The pros include the fact that It.Is.Gorgeous! It's the kind of snow that covers everything from rooftops to pine trees, weighing down the branches of the trees, which makes for a beautiful sight. Typically I enjoy sledding with the little kiddos outside, but with this much snow all at once, it's actually too deep to go sledding at this point; you just sink! It's quite humorous watching Ian try to walk through it- it's up to his waist :D
Another pro of the snow is SNOW DAYS! Every Monday I've got to head up to one of the hospitals in Cleveland for clinicals. This past Monday I woke up at 5:20, like any other Monday morning, but then had to rush around to try and get out the door early because of the surprising amount of snow on the ground. Getting out the driveway was a challenge (our driveway is pretty long) but even worse were the unplowed roads. I got all the way to the highway (which should really only take me about 7 or 8 minutes) in about 25 minutes. That's when the fun started *note my sarcasm*! Because of accidents, we were all going about 15mph in the 65 zones...talk about frustrating! By the time I got into to the nearest exit after getting on the highway, I'd decided that it was time to head home...there was no way that I would be able to get to class anywhere near the set time. So, I went home, and was quite happy to find out that school was cancelled anyways! When I got home the kids were begging me to go out in the snow with them, so we decided to walk over to the neighbors to see if they wanted to go sledding with us. We just kinda assumed that because every other school was out, their Christian school would be too...but after trudging 20 minutes through the snow to get to their house, we discovered that the weren't home :( But we sledded on their hill anyways before going home. Ian was so funny; when we were on our way home, he stopped and sat down in a snow pile, looked up with a grin on his face and said "Why don't we just stop and make camp here for the night!"
The two biggest problems with the snow, especially this much snow at once, is the treacherous roads (we were pretty much stuck inside Monday and Tuesday) and having to clean it off my car.
I've learned that those ice scrapers with the brushes on them don't cut it...brooms work much better :P I've also learned that wearing boots that come above your knees don't help a whole lot when the snow is that deep!
All in all, the snow is pretty great, and I hope that I don't sound like I'm complaining about it. Despite the challenges that it presents, it's really pretty and I enjoy lazy days inside because of it :D
The fluffy white stuff started coming down on Sunday, and I honestly don't think it's stopped for more than an hour since! It's been coming down pretty steady every day. The lake-effect snow warning was only until last night, but even today we're still getting hit. From our best estimation, there's a little over 2 feet out there. O, and we were listening to the radio today and the weatherman reported that there's a major storm (cause what we're in the middle of right now isn't a major storm???) coming in on Sunday and Monday that could drop about 2 more feet...2 + 2 =4, right? Yup, just checkin' : ) Oh I just love living close to Lake Erie ;P
Now of course, like most anything else, the snow has its pros and cons. The pros include the fact that It.Is.Gorgeous! It's the kind of snow that covers everything from rooftops to pine trees, weighing down the branches of the trees, which makes for a beautiful sight. Typically I enjoy sledding with the little kiddos outside, but with this much snow all at once, it's actually too deep to go sledding at this point; you just sink! It's quite humorous watching Ian try to walk through it- it's up to his waist :D
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| PINE TREES! |
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| The back of our house... |
Another pro of the snow is SNOW DAYS! Every Monday I've got to head up to one of the hospitals in Cleveland for clinicals. This past Monday I woke up at 5:20, like any other Monday morning, but then had to rush around to try and get out the door early because of the surprising amount of snow on the ground. Getting out the driveway was a challenge (our driveway is pretty long) but even worse were the unplowed roads. I got all the way to the highway (which should really only take me about 7 or 8 minutes) in about 25 minutes. That's when the fun started *note my sarcasm*! Because of accidents, we were all going about 15mph in the 65 zones...talk about frustrating! By the time I got into to the nearest exit after getting on the highway, I'd decided that it was time to head home...there was no way that I would be able to get to class anywhere near the set time. So, I went home, and was quite happy to find out that school was cancelled anyways! When I got home the kids were begging me to go out in the snow with them, so we decided to walk over to the neighbors to see if they wanted to go sledding with us. We just kinda assumed that because every other school was out, their Christian school would be too...but after trudging 20 minutes through the snow to get to their house, we discovered that the weren't home :( But we sledded on their hill anyways before going home. Ian was so funny; when we were on our way home, he stopped and sat down in a snow pile, looked up with a grin on his face and said "Why don't we just stop and make camp here for the night!"
The two biggest problems with the snow, especially this much snow at once, is the treacherous roads (we were pretty much stuck inside Monday and Tuesday) and having to clean it off my car.
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| this is what my car looked like this morning... |
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| ....even after I cleaned it off yesterday :\ |
All in all, the snow is pretty great, and I hope that I don't sound like I'm complaining about it. Despite the challenges that it presents, it's really pretty and I enjoy lazy days inside because of it :D
Sunday, December 5, 2010
'Tis The Season...
I love the season of Christmas. Not the crazy rush in the grocery store or Target leading up to Christmas, or the commercialization of the holiday that makes us think we need the newest gadgets. What I love about the season is what I'm experiencing right now. I'm sitting in front of a cozy, crackling fire watching the blizzard that's going on outside. On the mantle hangs six stockings, and the newly decorated Christmas tree sits in the corner, adorned with memories of childhood Christmas crafts past (Ian's strategy for decorating the tree; "I put the breakable things on the bottom so that when we knock them off, they don't have so far to fall!). The flickering candles makes up for our lack of a real Christmas tree by giving off a wonderful pine smell. The speakers are piping out one of my favorite Christmas CDs. There's just something about the togetherness of the holiday that is special. The traditions of families and friends coming together to celebrate the holiday.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is our Ladies' Christmas Tea at church. The event is looked forward to by all, from the little girls all the way to the grandmas of the church.
One of my favorite Christmas traditions is our Ladies' Christmas Tea at church. The event is looked forward to by all, from the little girls all the way to the grandmas of the church.
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| Lizzie!!! |
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| Yummy finger food :) |
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| Joy Shupe and Grace |
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| I took Lizzie's picture... |
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| ...and then she took mine :) |
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| Some of the young girls :) |
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| This pretty much sums up my relationship with Hope and Joy... whenever I give them a hug or they give me one, tickling ensues <3 |
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| Hehe...not really sure what this was about :P |
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| the girls at my table; Lizzie, me, Lizzie, and Jessie |
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| ELISE!!! |
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| She's such a cutie!!! |
And in other news, when we got home from church today I set up my tripod and we took our Christmas picture. We usually take it on the hearth in our family room, but I wanted to expand my family's- Christmas-picture-taking-horizons, so I moved it outside :D It was chilly (ok, FREEZING!) so I set up the camera, took 2 continuous sets of 10 pictures each, and then we all high-tailed it back inside to a warm fire. For as quick as it was, I'm pretty happy with the turnout.
And since this rather non-specific post, the last Christmas related item of the evening is a really neat project that we're doing with our church this year. This evening after the service, we gathered around the tables in the kitchen and packed up 500 Christmas kits to distribute to the neighborhoods around the church. The kits contained a tract with the Christmas story, an invitation to our church's Christmas Eve service, and a New Testament. We're distributing them next Saturday and it's neat to think that there could be 500 homes that have Bibles in them that may not have had them before. The Gospel transforms lives, and our prayer is that these Bibles will be a blessing in these homes, and will bring people to a saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Blessing #15- Forgiveness
"So when the devil throws your sins in your face and declares that you deserve death and hell, tell him this...'I admit that I deserve death and hell. What of it? For I know One who suffered and made satisfaction in my behalf. His name is Jesus Christ, Son of God. Where He is, there I shall be also!'"
The above quote is one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, Luther (and Martin Luther himself actually said those words). Whenever I hear that line I get goosebumps because of the wonderful truths that are stated there. Luther's statement is one of the most amazing things that we as Christians can hear. We are forgiven!!!! Our sins are in the past. The guilt and shame of them has been laid upon Christ and they have died along with him. When we sin, we can seek forgiveness, and God, in His amazing love, will grant forgiveness as He says in His word "For I will be merciful towards their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more" (Hebrews 8:12).
What is so unfortunate, however, is that we as Christians often forget that we are forgiven. I know that I fall into this thinking all too often. I feel the guilt and shame for my sins long after they have been forgiven, and this is exactly what Satan wants of us. He wants us to be weighted down with our sins, for then we will be at our weakest and he can attack us with doubt and fear. On my part, I believe, this shows my lack of faith. When God says He has forgiven my sins, HE HAS FORGIVEN THEM! When I still look back and wonder if He really forgave me, still wallow in my guilt, still feel the bondage of sin weighing me down, I'm not fully trusting in Him to do as He has said He will do. I'm not trusting in His power, in the power of the Cross, in Christ's interceding to the Father in my behalf. That's when I need to get on my knees and pray, as the man who brought his son to be healed by Jesus did, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
When we understand what true forgiveness means to us as believers, we can counter Satan's attack with the words "The Son has set me free, so I am free indeed!" O what a glorious thought this is; that we are forgiven and set free!
And yes, I realize that this was supposed to be 14 days of thanksgiving, not 15, but I figure that it wouldn't hurt to throw another one in :D
The above quote is one of my favorite lines from one of my favorite movies, Luther (and Martin Luther himself actually said those words). Whenever I hear that line I get goosebumps because of the wonderful truths that are stated there. Luther's statement is one of the most amazing things that we as Christians can hear. We are forgiven!!!! Our sins are in the past. The guilt and shame of them has been laid upon Christ and they have died along with him. When we sin, we can seek forgiveness, and God, in His amazing love, will grant forgiveness as He says in His word "For I will be merciful towards their iniquities and I will remember their sins no more" (Hebrews 8:12).
What is so unfortunate, however, is that we as Christians often forget that we are forgiven. I know that I fall into this thinking all too often. I feel the guilt and shame for my sins long after they have been forgiven, and this is exactly what Satan wants of us. He wants us to be weighted down with our sins, for then we will be at our weakest and he can attack us with doubt and fear. On my part, I believe, this shows my lack of faith. When God says He has forgiven my sins, HE HAS FORGIVEN THEM! When I still look back and wonder if He really forgave me, still wallow in my guilt, still feel the bondage of sin weighing me down, I'm not fully trusting in Him to do as He has said He will do. I'm not trusting in His power, in the power of the Cross, in Christ's interceding to the Father in my behalf. That's when I need to get on my knees and pray, as the man who brought his son to be healed by Jesus did, "Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!"
When we understand what true forgiveness means to us as believers, we can counter Satan's attack with the words "The Son has set me free, so I am free indeed!" O what a glorious thought this is; that we are forgiven and set free!
And yes, I realize that this was supposed to be 14 days of thanksgiving, not 15, but I figure that it wouldn't hurt to throw another one in :D
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Blessing #14- Best Friends
Last Monday, Rachel came in town and we had a girl party at Angela and Peter's (we kicked Peter out :P). I didn't realize how much I needed that time with my friends. School this semester is crazy (it's gonna get better though, especially after next semester- I just have to keep telling myself that!) and I honestly don't think I realized just how little time I was spending with my friends until I got to see them again.
Anyways, Chloe, Ruby, Rachel, Angela and I had a wonderful time! The only thing that could have made our evening better is if Ashlee *sniffs* would have been there. We made cookies, ate too many, fel t sick, didn't feel like having dinner, ran to the library for a movie, got back and realized that we were all hungry, ordered pizza, went back out to pick up the pizza, and then crashed on the couch (yes, all 5 of us on one couch :D) to watch a movie. What.A.Blast.
***All photos taken by Rachel Clarke or someone's random arm stretched out in front of our faces for self-portraits :D
Anyways, Chloe, Ruby, Rachel, Angela and I had a wonderful time! The only thing that could have made our evening better is if Ashlee *sniffs* would have been there. We made cookies, ate too many, fel t sick, didn't feel like having dinner, ran to the library for a movie, got back and realized that we were all hungry, ordered pizza, went back out to pick up the pizza, and then crashed on the couch (yes, all 5 of us on one couch :D) to watch a movie. What.A.Blast.
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| Angela and Joyce, the little girl she nannies. |
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| Angela looks emo in the background :P |
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| This is what was happening in the back of my car. I'm glad they got pictures cause I wasn't paying attention to them. |
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| They loved my stethoscope... |
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| Angela "O my gosh, it actually works!!!! |
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| <3 I'd been missing her <3 |
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