Near to the heart of God...

There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God. A place where sin cannot molest, near to the heart of God.

There is a place of comfort sweet, near to the heart of God. A place where we our Savior meet, near to the heart of God.

From the hymn, "Near to the Heart of God"

Gratitude Journal #25

What I'm thankful for:
*sunshine
*good sleep
*an unexpected visit yesterday from 2 of Mike's former HBR (dorm) guys
*my caring husband...and that he just called me just to see how my day was going
*black beans...and the fact that I remembered to soak them overnight...(now, to decide which Mexican dish to make with them...)
*"Staff Breakfast" yesterday morning - the opportunity to interact with the wonderful people in this community, and for the reminders of why we are here
*God's work in our lives
*family
*colors
*photos and the beauty they capture
*email

What I want:
*To do some cooking/baking
*wisdom for some decisions we need to make about some car repairs
*to know how to spend my time wisely...how to prioritize things
*to finally make a decision about which wedding photos to order
*to pray more
*to read more

I love words

I love words. Their intricate meanings. How using the right words to describe something paints a picture in someone's mind. I can't paint or draw to save my life, but I love how black text on a white page can paint a picture in my mind just the same.

I recently came across this poem about slang terms of 2010. I am not sharing this with you because of any viewpoints it may or may not support, but only for the language. I thought the author summed up events of 2010 in a rhythmic, rhyming poem that is quite catchy.

Enjoy!

Gratitude Journal #24

A nearby village in the evening - decorated for Christmas and covered in snow!

Our Christmas tree (which is especially exciting since it is the first tree we have had as a couple - so thankful for our first "married" Christmas!)...and please note the giant stocking behind the two normal sized ones...my husband was quick to (jokingly) claim that one, which I gave him much grief about!

What I'm thankful for:
*rest
*a bit more energy
*the relaxed pace of break, and time with Mike
*the time with friends, playing games, eating, etc. over break
*the freedom to go to church and both sing and hear Truth
*my family, for who each one is as an individual
*that our friend Amy was able to come visit over break - yay for catching up in person!
*that we've had more snow than normal so far this winter - I love the white stuff! We've enjoyed a bit of cross country skiing over break. (In the photo below I was imitating the picture on the tiny green sign behind me. I'm not sure whether the image was doing gymnastics on skis or what, since it wasn't a very realistic-looking skier:)
*Our friends, the S. family, are back after being away last semester while P. (the wife) was battling cancer. PTL for healing!


What I want:
*for my energy level to continue increasing
*to love God more
*to be a blessing and encouragement to the people around me
*to better live out the characteristics of love described in 1 Cor. 13 - especially in my relationship with Mike

happy twenty eleven!

So, it literally took me all of 2010 (read: two thousand ten) to realize that the socially accepted way to say the year was twenty ten. I guess that makes sense, since it's a syllable less to say, and therefore less of a mouthful. You know, I probably should have caught on to that months ago - with the Olympics, for example. (Not that I watched much of those.) So that's my goal - to begin saying the year properly: twenty eleven. So, I wish you all a Happy New Year - may twenty eleven be filled with many blessings for you!

I'm not usually big into "resolutions," so to speak, but I do like to use the new year as a chance to reflect back on the past year and all that I learned and the blessings I have to be thankful for. I also like to look at the year ahead - to set some goals, seek God's direction, etc. Life is more of a step by step journey, but I do like to take this opportunity to take a step back and look at the big picture of my life. I'll admit that I haven't take time to do that. We've been enjoying the routine-less-ness of break (school starts again next Tuesday - the 11th), spending time with friends, and celebrating our first anniversary! (Getting married was probably the biggest change of 2010.:) I hope to write a post soon reflecting back over 2010 (twenty ten:), but for now, I'll close by wishing you a happy new year - from our house to yours!

The view out my window

I'm sitting here, as I do many mornings, sipping coffee, reading and responding to emails, beginning the day with computer-related tasks. Which this morning includes some online Christmas shopping and translating a dental bill. (And by translate, I mean roughly, with the help of my favorite online German-English dictionary: "Leo" as I commonly refer to it:) You have to love how precise and technical German medical bills are. I'm still not sure what "dental pulp" or a "dental dam" is, but I'm thankful to know what exactly we paid for. :)

Now...back to why I am writing this post... (Kind of like the TV announcement, "Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming." :)



I am so thankful for the view out of the window in our guest room/office. I can see out over our small but beautiful town. I can see the surrounding hills which are dusted with snow this morning. I have marveled recently at the variety of what I have seen, looking out this same window, these past few weeks. Sometimes the taller hills are snow covered while the shorter ones are still green. Sometimes the sky has been streaked with pink. Sometimes there is blue sky and sunshine. Other times, like this morning, the sky is a layer of solid white and grayish clouds.

Pictures don't do it justice. I wish you all could be here to see the beauty I see out this window everyday.

The view out of our living room window:

A view on a recent morning's snowy walk:

Gratitude Journal #23

What I'm thankful for:
*Birthday packages and reminders of what wonderful family and friends I am blessed to have
*A wonderful weekend spent visiting a college friend and catching up on life
*A delicious Thanksgiving dinner shared with friends
*Laughter
*Healing
*That we currently have a winter wonderland - we've had snow on the ground for the past week (which isn't common here!)
*Sunshine and the way it reflects off the snow
*Music
*Reminders that life is short - seize the day!
*A warm, comfortable home
*Grace, Truth, and healing
*My wonderful husband, for many reasons, one of them being that he takes care of car stuff - most recently, putting on the winter tires

What I want:
*To go for a walk in this crisp, beautiful winter weather! (which I will do as soon as I post this) Done! It was great!
*To live each moment to the fullest (and this doesn't mean busyness)- to not take any day or any one for granted
*To seek God first, always, and above all else
*To "absorb" Christ
*To spend more time reading and journaling
*To love and encourage those around me
*And to be honest, I want the bright yellow mail truck to bring my birthday box from my parents...it's somewhere between them and me and has been for a little while (maybe the "Zoll"/Customs guys are having fun going through it? :) It came today! YAY! (I'm waiting til Mike comes home to open it - it's more fun to open packages with someone!)