2014 State of the Union

Once again, we look back at the year to see how God has worked in this union that we call our family. As we reminisce on 2014, we discover that our blessings are more than we can count.  God is faithful, every moment of every day!!!  We will try to highlight a few of the blessings and trials  as we recap our year.

Blessings:

1. The ability to spend time with family on mini-vacations throughout the year.  We traveled to Fredricksburg/Kerrville, Dallas, Houston, Port Aransas, and Broken Bow (Oklahoma) both to visit family and to vacation with family.

   

   Port Aransas, Texas

   
   

   

   Broken Bow, Oklahoma

2. In September, we began hosting a small group Bible study at our house (which our friend, Wes, so graciously leads).  This has been a tremendous blessing!  We have enjoyed having our home filled with the love and laughter of friends and fellowship every week.  I pray that God would give us more opportunities to open our home.
3. Good neighbors!  Yes, I am talking about YOU!  This year, we have really started to get to know our neighbors who live on our street and around the corner.  They have all been blessings to us in more ways than one.  Whether it is lending us something we need or having us over for playdates or just being the friendly face I need on a rough day; I have really appreciated having great neighbors.  Thank you!
4. Jonathan celebrated five years at his company!  The corporation treated both of us to a fancy dinner banquet to honor his service. We feel especially blessed that he loves his job and his co-workers.

Trials that God so faithfully brought us through:

"...we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope."
~Romans 5:3-4~

1. Termites!  We discovered termites on our property within a couple of years of moving into our home.  They did considerable damage to our fence and playscape; but thankfully, no damage to our house.  A nest of termites was found within inches of our house, but God protected us from structural damage to our new home.
2. The rebellious stage of toddlerhood has begun...We are learning daily how to graciously discipline our sweet little Roman.  We are thankful for moms and ladies in our church who mentor us in this area.
   

We know that blessings are not a guarantee in this life. We also know that trials are inevitable. When difficult times do come, they are always for a purpose (James 1:12).  Thank you, sweet Jesus, for blessing us with another amazing year!