Coffee & Candy: The Sweetest Combo

We threw our not-so-annual Christmas party on the 21st. There was a "coffee & candy" theme. It was simple and easy to host. We had a great time seeing friends who live nearby and far away (Jennifer: you get the award for traveling the most miles!). :)

I've had so much fun over the past week spending some major relaxation time with the fam. I'm spoiled having my sister in town to entertain me every moment of the day. Below are pictures from the party. Christmas day pics TBP (to be posted).

P.S. - All of these pictures were taken by a four-year-old. That will explain the unusually low camera angles, but overall - not too shabby.

Ocean-Size Love

We had such a wonderful time on our cruise. We were spoiled and very overfed.

Below is a slideshow of some of the pictures we took. Please excuse the randomness (and some of the not-so-pretty shots). We decided to do "before" and "after" pictures on formal night. Very frightening. So, that's my Christmas present to all of you. Enjoy! :)

**I removed this slideshow, because the file was too large and taking a very long time to load my page

A Precious Reminder Of The Meaning Of Christmas

Celebrating 1,460 Days Of Matrimony

As of this Thursday, Josh and I will have been married 1,460 days. That's just a very precise way of saying "four years." Because we chose to get married just 12 days before Christmas, we promised to try not to just glaze over celebrating such an important day in our lives. Although with his birthday in October, mine in November and then Christmas - a lot of gift giving takes place. So, we decided if at all possible, we'd go on a trip each year. So far, we've been fortunate enough to do so. I know that once kids come along, it might be more of a challenge. . .but for now we're living it up.

This year we're exploring the seas on a cruise to Mexico. I've been on one cruise and Josh has never been, so we're VERY excited. I'm going to cherish every moment of the next six days with my sweet groom. Because of our opposite work schedules right now, time with each other is something that's very valuable. We leave early tomorrow morning to carefully drive to Galveston. I'm praying the roads aren't icy. I'll be sure to post pictures when we get back! Thank you God for giving me a husband like Josh!

Below is a recap of our past anniversary celebrations.

December 13, 2003: Honeymooned in St. Lucia









December 13, 2004: Cancun, Mexico










December 13, 2005: Two-night stay at the Galleria Westin










December 13, 2006: Riviera Maya, Mexico (combined celebrating Katie & James' destination wedding)









December 13, 2007: Cruise baby Cruise!: Pictures to come!

Changing With The Wind

I type with such a heavy heart.

I had every intention of blogging each night this week. And if I had, there would have been a completely different tone of emotion each time. Last night I was praising God for answered prayers. Small triumphs in my own life. Selfish desires coming to fruition. I wanted to shout from the mountaintops, "How great is this God we serve?!!!"

But a mere 24 hours later, I've learned that the wife and mother of a dear person I work with has been told her life is likely to end far sooner than anyone imagined. She has a very agressive form of breast cancer. She is the mother of four young children. I hear of people with cancer all the time. I'm touched by the work of the Susan G. Komen Foundation. I love observing, and sometimes even supporting, all of the "pink" campaigns throughout the world. But when it comes to your front doorsteps, cancer is far too real.

Even when I have my moments of tenderness, they are fleeting. I haphazardously continue with my little, unimportant life. What if this cancer was happening to me, or to my mom or sister? What would I do? Would I fall apart? I most certainly would. And for that, I'm ashamed. It's so easy to brush another person's sorrow off. Telling them they'll be in my "prayers" and offering to bring a meal over. But I don't really know what kind of valley they're traveling through. My life hasn't yet been touched by cancer, or any true tragedy for that matter. I feel blessed, but I also feel an enormous amount of guilt. It's frightening to think how many people I will know and love who have yet to even be diagnosed. I'm scared. And I wonder how real my faith will look then.

So far this morning, I've prayed without ceasing for this family. I want God so badly to work a miracle in this woman's life. I want for the doctors to be dumbfounded the next time they see her. And, I want her children to have their mother for many, many more years. But, how often does God's will not line up with mine? I've prayed for miracles before, and the answer has not been what I'd hoped for. I find myself at a loss for words and advice and I'm surely not equipped to comfort someone who's in this situation.

I thank God for the Spirit - and for His intercession, because there's no other being with wisdom enough to know what to do or say.