12/25/2014 | To say Merry Christmas to you

Someone racked up on Ninja Turtle action figures…...

Grandparent's tree.

Sibling/cousin love<3

Today I woke up excited. Not the,"Oh my gosh it's Christmas and we get to open presents!"excited,but more of a,"Wow,it's Christmas. I get to spend the whole day with my family,eating and being happy." Christmas has changed for me since I have grown up,but not in a bad way. The first two years that I was in the work field,it didn't feel like Christmas at all. It was just here and gone,and I never got to taste it. This year I made up my mind that I was going to enjoy the season,no matter how busy my schedule. I have been one of those annoying *listens to Christmas music in August* people. I put my tree up November first,and I had all of my family's gifts bought and wrapped early. So Christmas came,and I found that my favorite thing about it was simple. PEACE. The peace that comes from remembering the reason for the season. The peace that comes from being with your family. The peace that settles around you like a fuzzy blanket and warms your heart. I was happy just being at home. I was perfectly content to watch my siblings open their gifts and watch their faces. It was amazing to just think about how blessed I am. God has been so good,and today was saturated in His goodness and amazing love. My heart is merry and full,and although I am prepared for that after Christmas sadness,I am ready to charge into this new year,and all the new adventures that are to come. Merry Christmas friends. I hope your day was merry and bright.

*I also may have eaten four cinnamon rolls in one day,but it's Christmas and they were too good to be true.

12/20/2014 | December

(This may be cheating a tad. I am not quite sure that the last pictures are from December)

December has come and (almost) gone so quickly. It's like I blinked,and poof! It was gone! Christmas is this week,and I think I am finally brimming with the spirit of it all. Life has been conflicting schedules,Christmas shopping,gift wrapping,church activities,and working like mad. These last few days of Christmas,I am trying to savor it all. Keeping my schedule as free as I can,so that I can just be at home. My favorite things about the season is to relax with a hot coffee,read a book or watch a Christmas movie,and listen to my man,Bing Crosby. It is also a good time for me to reflect on my life. I stand in awe of God's goodness to me. I have been blessed much much more than I can understand. I have a loving family,some of the best friends a girl could have,a wonderful man who respects and understands me,and the peace in my heart that I am being taken care of by a King. My life is not perfect,and I know it never will be. There are always the good days and bad. There are the times when I don't understand what's happening,and times I may get depressed. Through it all,I have the peace inside that everything will be alright. My life is held in the hands of the Master. There has never been a time that I have had to be in want of anything. And for that,my heart is overflowing with gratitude and love.

I wish you all a peaceful Christmas.

12/16/2014 | Charlie Brown Vibes

My favorite holiday is now here! I know that I am waaaaay late in sharing my Christmas decorations,especially since I had my little white tree up on November 1st. It may be the best season,but it is also the busiest. I am normally one of those in between people when it comes to being ready for the holiday. I don't wait until the very last minute,but I don't start six months ahead of time either. This year,I actually had all my presents ready and wrapped three weeks before Christmas. *Fist pump! That isn't really early,I know. But it was still sooner than most people I know. *cough 

I want to try to be a more intentional blogger,instead of this hit or miss pattern I keep. Blogging has not really been my focus lately,but there are so many exciting changes and things that I want to document. It's a struggle sometimes for inspiration,or to feel like anything I say matters. It's just one of those things.
Anyhow,thank you all for following along here,and for all your sweet,encouraging comments. God bless your hearts!

~Emily