Goodbye 2011

So I've never done a year in review post, but was inspired by my 2 best friends and their posts this year.  I don't post on my blog a lot, but it was still so fun to look back on everything I've written this year... almost inspires me to write more in 2012!

January was a busy month as I started back to school and continued with my crazy work schedule.  We celebrated Christmas with my Grandpa and Aunts and I ended the month with a youth group retreat.

February brought a crazy ice storm that had us home-bound for almost an entire week.  It was a wonderful time of resting and recovering from being sick at the end of January.  I also spent a lot of time going to my Grad School classes.

March did not include a lot of blog updates from me, other than finally getting to share the news that I was going to be an Aunt and a reminder of my need for patience in the crazy moments of life.

April included a re-commitment to my weight loss goals, wedding showers, and day retreat (and tree climbing!) with my fun co-workers!

May brought 100,000 miles on my Mazda Tribute.  The loss of a good friend and mentor.  And Erin's lingerie shower.

In June, I headed out to Little Rock on our Mission Trip with the youth group.  We also had Aja's baby shower for Chase.  June is also when I said goodbye to my sweet and spunky puggle Allie.

July was a month full of sweet memories.  I attended several weddings, but was most honored to stand next to Erin as she and Mike were married.  I was able to enjoy a fun week leading up to the wedding with Nicki here.  I also adopted Lily in July.

August was busy and full of change.  I started my new menu organization and moved into a new apartment.  I spent most of the month getting settled in.  The month ended with the birth of my first nephew, Chase.

September brought lots of time enjoying my nephew, my first 5k, and a day at the lake with the 20s group before summer officially ended.

October was all about enjoying Fall after our ridiculously hot summer!  I started the month with a girls' weekend to New Orleans with 2 great friends from work.    The month also included a trip to the state fair with Erin and pumpkin carving which I hadn't done in forever

November was a month full of long days at work, continued involvement with 20s Bible Study, my 2nd 5k and a wonderful Thanksgiving break with my family.

December brought birthday celebrations for myself and friends, a Tacky Sweater Christmas Party with the 20s, and a trip to San Antonio to cheer on the Baylor football team this past week.

2011 was a wonderful year, full of changes, lessons, new friendships, and old friendships growing stronger.  I cannot wait for all that 2012 holds!

Alamo Bowl 2011

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This past week I drove down to San Antonio to see the Baylor Bears play Washington in the Alamo Bowl.  I stayed with Nicki and went to the game with she and Mathis and her parents. 

Nicki's parents were able to get us such amazing seats!!  We were on the 3rd row by the Baylor Endzone and I was able to get some great pictures this close.  Since we got there early, we watched the boys warm up.

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 Suddenly a huge crowd developed because they unloaded....

 THE HEISMAN TROPHY right in front of us!!!  It was crazy being so close to it (which I'm sure may sound a little crazy... but it's been an exciting year for the Bears!)

Mathis showing off our excitement about being so close to the trophy!  

 Oh and there's the Heisman winner himself warming up his arm for the game!  It was a lot of fun seeing RG3 play live in what is possibly (probably?) his last college football game

 Then there was the whole craziness of the game.  I'll just say that by halftime we were not quite as excited as we were when it all got started.  But here is when the Bears turned it around and took the lead back!

 And that is the win!!

And the interviews with RG3 after the game

Alamo Bowl Winners!

Balloons + Fireworks seemed like a crazy combination... but it was time to celebrate Baylor!

A Tacky Christmas

This past Sunday the 20s Group had a Tacky Sweater Christmas Party.  I was part of the group that planned the party and I think it ended up being a lot of fun.  It was a great time of laughter and catching up with everyone... silly games, singing, and a Christmas Message.

But just incase you didn't know.... there is a lot of effort that goes into making things "tacky"

 I started looking for food ideas a few weeks ago and felt like nothing fit the Christmas theme more than Santa and Snowman cookies... so here is just a glimpse of some of the goodies I made for the party.

We found some pretty good sweaters/outfits at Goodwill, but figured we could always "improve" on them... so last week, Katie, Melissa, Amy & I got together to make them even tackier.  Here is Katie adding feathers to the birds on her sweater 

 And Amy sewing jingle bells onto her dress

 Melissa didn't have a sweater to decorate, so she was our consultant...here she is making Amy's bow

And the beginnings of my sweater

Finished Products! (with the Christmas Moose of course!)

Tis the Season for Scarves

So I think I mentioned in my Fall Favorites that I absolutely love scarves.  So I love this fun find from Pinterest (which by the way is rather amazing) with different ideas for tying a scarf

I got a couple of new scarves for my birthday and I can never figure out which way looks best on me.  So I decided that the beauty of living in the digital camera age is I can take pictures of the different ways and compare before deciding how to wear it for the day

This reminds me of Clueless when Cher says she doesn't trust mirrors so she takes polaroids of all her outfits as she gets ready.  I trust mirrors, but with pictures I can compare side by side (I do realize these 2 pictures look exactly the same... it was 2 different ways of tying it though... the 2nd had more and looked cuter around the neck-- see #3 from "how to tie a scarf")

And my fun purple scarf my friend Melissa made

All bundled up for our first truly cold day of the year last week

I love winter accessories!

Webcam Wednesday: Merry Christmas from Laura & Lily

December Fun

So December is here. Such a fun, crazy, busy, exciting month! I kicked off December with great birthday celebrations from my friends. Erin took me out to dinner on my birthday and it was a great time catching up and enjoying dinner!

Friday night I went out to dinner with my friends Katie and Melissa

After dinner we looked at some Christmas lights, then came back to my apartment for a movie
Saturday I headed over to the McCulloughs to help Erin get ready for a surprise party she threw for Mike.

It was a totally awesome 80s party! Complete with Rubix cubes, fun costumes, sunglasses, great music and 80s Scene it!
Then I headed out with Melissa and Katie again for Melissa's birthday!
It was a great weekend filled with sweet friends!

Thanksgiving

I will praise the name of God with a song; I will magnify him with thanksgiving. Psalm 69:30

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise! Psalm 95:2

Know that the LORD, he is God!

It is he who made us, and we are his;

we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving,

and his courts with praise!

Give thanks to him; bless his name!

For the LORD is good;

his steadfast love endures forever,

and his faithfulness to all generations. Psalm 100: 3-5

knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away,our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4: 13-18

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. Philippians 4:6

And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders andthe four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, "Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen." Revelation 7:11-12

And because it's too fun NOT to share... a picture of one of the greatest blessings this year. Can't wait to spend Thanksgiving with him!

Same Old Same Old

Things have been busy and crazy but also the same routine over and over the last couple of months. Sitting down and reflecting a lot lately and I was just thinking back to my first post of the year... about my focus for 2011 and wanting to be more open.

It has definitely been a year of changes, just as I anticipated. Yet so many things are different than how I pictured 10 months ago. It's been a wild ride of pursuing paths that I thought I was called to, only to be lovingly stopped in my tracks by my perfect Father who continued to tell me I had to wait. After a few months of school and searching, I felt Him nudging me to be still. And I very clearly knew He was telling me that He had placed me at my job for a reason, even if I couldn't see what that was.

He spent the next several months affirming that message even in the midst of chaos and change. He gently whispered to me to be patient and trust in His plan. I am so not good at that. But every time I'm glad I did. And now, several months--maybe even a couple years-- after the search began He is revealing His plan for me in His perfect timing. A new opportunity came up at work last week and I will be moving into a new position come January. A position I am so incredibly excited about. And my loving Father smiles knowingly revealing that this moment is why I've been called to stay. Oh the affirmation of so much of my struggles the last 2 years!

The following song has been playing in my head constantly over the last month or so and I thought I'd share it. The 2nd verse speaks to me so much and the impatience in me... it is very convicting and a reminder of my purpose- to continue to seek Him and follow Him even when the path is unclear!

Time in Between by Francesca Battistelli

You were there when your Father said
Let there be light
You obeyed when He whispered
Son, You have to leave tonight
To spend nine months in a mothers womb
Three days in a borrowed tomb

But it’s the time in between
That brings me to my knees
Knowing you came for me
And all that I can't be
I'm amazed, so amazed
And I thank You for the time in between

Don't take much for this crazy world
To rob me of my peace
And the enemy of my soul
Says You’re holding out on me
So I stand here lifting empty hands
For you to fill me up again

But it’s the time in between
That I fall down to my knees
Waiting on what You'll bring
And the things that I can't see
I know my song’s incomplete
Still I'll sing in the time in between

Pumpkin Carving

This past Tuesday we had a fun night of pumpkin carving--I have not carved a pumpkin since I was a child, so it was fun to get back in to it!

I shared a pumpkin with my international friend, Sammy. I was excited for her to get to experience this fun Fall tradition.
Artists hard at work!
Me with our finished pumpkin (you can't really see because of the light, but it was a bat)

NOLA

Some favorites from the trip to New Orleans with my friends Julie and Susie
We ate a lot (we basically ate our way through New Orleans)
Enjoyed some drinks, including the famous Hurricane from Pat O'Briens, which I had had at Nicki's bachelorette party, but since the one in New Orleans is the original we had to try them!
One of the craziest things about New Orleans is that you can get drinks to go. You can go in and order a drink to go and then walk around with it while you shop or site see. So one night after dinner we enjoyed some frozen drinks from Daiquiris
We also really enjoyed spending time looking at all the architecture and the cute shops throughout the Garden district.
And on Sunday we went to tour a couple of the plantation homes. This one is Oak Alley and it was absolutely stunning!

It was great long weekend with some good friends. But it's definitely nice to be home!