New York!

So it has taken me a while to get back into this blogging thing.  Busy September and October, then I got a little sick and then I moved.  Made for some crazy happenings... and lack of blogging.  So thought I would do a little catch up...

NEW YORK!

Upon arrival found a whole slew of these cupcakes for a belated birthday celebration.  My sister remembered my fav and cookied up a few dozen of these guys!

They were YUM!

One of my favorite things the whole trip was getting to see Mary Poppins on Broadway.  It was so amazing!  I felt like a little kid the whole time... just smiled through the entire performance.

And yep... I busted out some colored tights!

Steph attempting to walk up the wall... inspiration from the play!

One afternoon we ate our way through Chinatown. Dim-sun and all!

Green tea shaved ice with mango and green jelly!

Some really off the wall ice creams... (sadly I can't remember what they were called!

Then one night we had sushi... holy cow it was amazing!!!

I had some fun with the color accent on my little camera.  I hadn't noticed before... but my sister's hand is a little creepy!

Got to go see the 911 Memorial.  Really moving and amazing!

This fish dish was awesome!

A flower in Central Park!

And we took a night boat tour to see the lights of New York... it was really great!

A little fun with time lapse...

All in all it was a really fun trip!  Thanks Steph and Jerry for your hospitality...

2011 in Review

2011 has been another interesting and hard year.
One of the side effects of Lymes Disease for me as been a loss in memory.  It has been so hard for me to just recall things like I used to.  I would blame it on getting old, but I don't think I am quite that old yet. (I don't want this to sounds too dramatic, I don't have amnesia.)
But pictures have become a big part of jogging my memory.  (I knew they would come in handy somehow!)
So here is some of 2011... in picture review!

Amazing snow and ice in February!

2nd trip to Haiti... watching our kids love and serve the Haitian kiddos was priceless!

Warrior Dash... fun times with a fun team!

Being able to witness the birth of my nephew Harper!

Painting...

painting...

and more painting!

Mavs win the championship... superstition and all!

Finding out I have lymes disease along with other things that bring on... 

lots of pills to take!

Resting in Florida with friends.

Ziplining in Costa Rica!

New York with the fam!

And lots of sweet babies born and adopted. Friends getting married.  There were trips to visit friends and reunions to attend. Tragedies and sicknesses that plagued our staff family. Lots of verses exchanged over texts to remind us who to put our trust in. Forgiveness granted in friendships that were torn. Healing from the year before of so much loss. 

2011 was an interesting year.  Hard to really process all that came and went.  2012 is on its way... hopeful to grow deeper in loving God above all things, serving others, and sharing His truth without fear.

Great Team

Great teams are made up of a lot of things...
-gifted people
-passionate people
-a balance of personalities
-people who carry their weight and aren't afraid to help you carry yours
-people you can laugh with
-share your heart with
-and cry with!
Oh and did I mention... play with!
I work with one of the greatest teams on the planet!

Want vs Need

Most of the time in life we run after what we want, what we desire.  And a lot of the time this gets us into trouble or distracts us from what is important.  We talk about not just wanting things but getting what we really need.  And sometimes, we don't even really know what we need.
And then I started thinking about my relationship with the Lord.  I need Him.  And I have to go to Him A LOT to get what I need.  I was created for Him and therefore need what He has.  But... do I want Him?  Do I desire Him?
In relationships, we don't just want someone to come to us because they need things.  We want them to want us, to desire to be with us.  And why wouldn't that also be true with the Lord?  Wouldn't it bring Him joy for us to come to Him because we desire Him?  Because we want to be with Him, not just need something from Him?
This is not fully baked yet... but it sure has me thinking!!!

Nativity Scene

Today I had the joy of hanging out with the 2ndSaturday.org crowd to build a nativity scene out of material taken from former drug houses in Dallas. Such a great idea.  Taking something that formerly housed death and destruction and creating the picture of the "house" that first held the Savior of the world.  

Here are some pics of the finished product...

Thanks gang for letting me be a part!
And if you are looking for a way to turn chaos into hope.... check this out...
it's a conspiracy!!!