Merry Christmas blog world!

The Christmas season is here....finally! I wait all year for this month. I wait for the lights, the suprises, the gifts, the parties, the fellowship, the incredible Christmas songs, the family.....I just absolutely love it!

This year it has been easier for me to focus on the true reason for the season than it has in the past. I don't know if it's because I'm getting older or if it's just where my heart is this season, but for whatever reason I'm thankful for the change.

I fear that Jesus and his birth get lost in the chaos of this season, and the message that the world needs to hear the most never gets delivered. Unfortunately it happens year round, but focusing on His birth and a holiday dedicated specifically to it, is such a gigantic opportunity. We have a fantastic opportunity to give an explanation of our actions, our lives, and the Savior that we choose to worship and why. I pray that Matt and I do a good job of that this year. After all....souls are at stake!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!

Matt, Ali, and Bear

Baby it's cold outside.....

Today it is absolutely frigid....well, it is for Oklahoma. My parents lived in Alaska for years, if it felt like 6 below there it would just be a pretty spring day! :)

The weekend was incredibly busy, but fun. Friends birthday parties, sister in law's graduation party, and a church Christmas party. If you need a good laugh get a bunch of adults together to play dirty santa that range in age from 23ish to old enough to be the crypt keeper's grandma, and you have the recipe for an entertaining evening!

Last night as Matt and I were getting ready to go to bed, I had this terrible nagging feeling that I'd had all day that wouldn't go away. It just sat on my chest like a huge, heavy weight. It's so strange to me how my mind and heart work. I've prayed for the Lord to make my heart more like his since I have been in junior high, and as he continues to mold and change me, the burdern I carry gets heavier and heavier...... somedays I rejoice in it, and days like yesterday I don't, which I'm not proud to admit. I just wanted to sit it down and take a break from it. I wanted to stop thinking about Ana, and Clara, and the children of Kebebtsehay. I just wanted to enjoy a day with my family and a Christmas party with my church without constantly wondering what Christmas will look like for them this year, and how many hundred opportunities I've missed throughout this season to advocate and love on them from afar. I felt like a fraud. I was sitting here warm, happy, and loved, and have the nerve to be frustrated with a burdern that I have prayed for..... Seems just as horrible today as I type it, as it did when I was feeling it yesterday.

Have you ever been close to tears for hours at a time? That's how I felt yesterday. Like it was almost more than I could bare to carry. When I finally laid down last night, I was thankful. I was thankful that this day of me being selfish and sinful was over, and prayed that tomorrow I would again be thankful that the Lord was molding my heart to look more like his, and giving me an oppurtunity to serve Him through them.

Good news...today I'm thankful.

yucky weather

The hubby has a basketball game tonight, and I would very much like to be the happy wife sitting in the stands, but that's probably not going to happen.

There's this little issue of my driving....my friends and family would say that I tend to be dangerous enough with no precipitation of any kind on the road, and with the addition of snow and ice, well it's a definite no go.

I can just see it all now....Matt would call a time out or come give me a lecture about my irresponsible decision making skills during half time! So I guess I'll just go home and snuggle up on the couch with Bear, and watch a movie.

Just in case the hubby reads this, I have a tiny suggestion of what I want for Christmas for you my dear.....
Pretty stinkin' cute huh??? Juuuuuust in case you are wondering where to find it....I have so kindly provided the website for you right here. Love you! :)

TOMS

So have you heard of TOMS? If not let me just tell you that they are some of the cutest and most comfy shoes ever. Cute and comfortable...can it get any better??


Yes, it can! For every pair of shoes that you buy from TOMS they give a pair to someone who needs them, and right now they are working to meet needs in Ethiopia. Not just a part of the profit, or a percentage.....but ONE for ONE. For every pair you buy, they send one.


My hubby suprised with a cute pair, and they are on my Christmas wish list from my Father-in-law..... :) I love wearing them, and it's a great way to spread the word about TOMS because lots of people ask what kind of shoes they are.

I've been trying for days to get the video to upload, and I finally got it!

Happy shopping :)

It's Nice to Meet you....

As we begin to get more involved with RLC and the sponsoring of an orphanage in Ethiopia we thought it might be beneficial to start a blog to help us get to know the others that we will be serving alongside to get to know them, and to help them get to know us. I'll be writing more about that later, but for now our first post.

I thought a good way to tell you about us was to give you a ton of useless and more than likely uninteresting facts. :) Here we go....

1. Matt is a high school science teacher. To most it sounds terrible....but if you need to know how clouds are formed, he's your man. He can talk about DNA for an inhumanly possible length of time, and enjoy every stinkin' second!

2. I am a visual services counselor. I work with visually impaired and diabetic individuals. I truly love my job, and am so thankful for the opportunity.

3. We have been married for 2 1/2 years, and they have been the most incredible experience. Lots of hard work....but more than worth it. Our marriage has been richly blessed.


4. We have a goldendoodle puppy named Bear. He is 5 months old, and weighs in at around a measely 50 pounds. :) He's is hilarious, goofy, and I imagine if he could talk he would sound a lot like Eeyore. :) He makes crazy noises when he yawns, sleeps with all four feet sticking straight up in the air, and is the best snuggler! Seriously, couldn't ask for a better dog.


5. Matt is a Sunday School teacher for high school age boys, and I am involved in the children's ministry at our church. We are both pretty passionate about our posititions, and work hard to honor the Lord in our service.

6. We are actively involved with Compassion International. We sponsor a little girl named Ana from Bolivia, whom I will someday hug for longer than she would probably like. We truly believe in the cause, and advocate and volunteer with them.

7. I was an only child, and Matt was 1 of 4. Yeah, talk about culture shock. I totally hit the jackpot with his siblings and their wives. Now, I simply will not think about life without them, so they better get used to me. :) This is me with 2 of my sisters in law, and also 2 of my very best friends!


8. Matt is seriously athletic, and I am seriously not......at all. He loves me anyway, but is earnestly praying that any biological children we have will inherit his skills in this area.

9. Matt is calm, rational, and always wants to think things through....me, not so much. We work well together. :)

10. We have a heart for children's international missions that just won't quit. Where the Lord is leading we have NO idea, but we're excited to find out!

11. Matt is incredibly passionate about God's intentions for men's roles in marriage, church, and the Christian life in general. He's good stuff, told you I hit the jackpot.

12. My family is too good to be true. I was raised by people that are some of the best I've ever met, and I get the pleasure of calling them my own!

13. Sitting in church snuggled up to my hubby, listening to my brother in law lead worship, singing Victory in Jesus is pretty much one of my favorite places to be. Hard to beat.

14. I graduated from Oklahoma State University with a degree in Human Development, and a minor in religion. I am a Cowboy through and through.

15. Matt is a high school girls basketball coach. It's challenging, stressful, and he loves it. I know it's basketball season, when he yells at me from the shower and asks me to look up what so and so's field goal percentage from the free throw line was during a certain game. The girls are fun, and such a blessing to us both.

16. We are both currently working on our Master's degrees. I will finish in May, with a master's in counseling, and he will finish this summer with a master's in school administration. I don't think I have to tell you how excited we are about finishing.....

17. We are excited about having a family someday.....the jury is still out on just how we are going to build it.

18. Africa. Africa. Africa. yeah.....lots of that.

19. I am the queen of organization. And somebody that may be reading this might think...oh no, I'm the queen, but let me just tell you, you've met your match. I love lists, labels, and office supplies. I admit it. A new pad of lined sticky notes can brighten my day.

20. We are super excited about having a blog. Meeting new friends, keeping up with old, and everything in between. :)