**Happy New Year**

For me this past year (2008) has been filled with a variety of things that have happened to me...both good & not so good. However, the good outdo the not so good.
I thank God for the many blessings he has given to me this past year! He has been helping & working in my life so much this year. I know this may be a repeat from past posts, but this year I have really been learning what it is to wait for God's timing. I've also been learning that God's timing is better than my timing. It's amazing to me how God has been so faithful to me even in the times when I should have been doing more on my part to be faithful to him.
I want to thank my family & friends who have really been there for me this past year when I needed someone to talk to or when I needed some support through various circumstances (you know who you are). Even though you may not think so, you've really been a blessing to me this past year!
I know that God has many things planned for this next year. I'm trusting in him to help make this coming year a good year! I hope each of you have a Wonderful New Year....2009!

**More Pics from Indiana**

The two bottom pictures are of the snow & ice we had in Indiana one day. We didn't get a whole lot, but the roads were kinda slick. The top two pictures are of my grandpa Brookens plowing the snow out of his driveway & the arch in St. Louis on our way home. Sorry these pictures are not really in order.

**Christmas in Indiana**

Ben & Brooke

The boys & Leanne playing video games


Leeza

Cody

Uncle Nathan being crazy

Playing games together

Pappaw & Brooke

Mammaw & Brooke

Amanda reading

This Christmas all of my dad's side of the family decided to get together for the holidays. Everyone was there except for my cousin Lacy & her two daughters. We had a real good time with family. We didn't do a whole lot, just mainly played games & spend time together. Yup, it even got a little crazy (see the sixth picture)... probably because all 23 or so of us were stuck indoors for the majority of the time. LOL! We had a nice time as a family. Just thought I'd share a few pictures of our time in Indiana. I wanted more pictures, but I thought we took more than we did. A BIG THANKS to Aunt Lisa & Aunt Mindy for putting up with all of us in their homes!

**Christmas Programs**

The Sunday before Christmas the children & youth at our church had their Christmas programs. Here are some pictures from the two different programs. instead of dressing up in costumes & such, the children did like silhouettes which I thought was really neat. Sorry, I wasn't able to upload the pics from the youth program because they were too dark.

Zoey

I just had to post this picture of Brooke's dog. She was watching us open our gifts. By the way, she's part Chihuahua & part Yorkie.

Misc.

Not only did we have a Christmas open house yesterday, but last night we also had our family Christmas & opened gifts. We are leaving late tonight to spend the week with family at my grandparents' because my grandma isn't doing too well. Anyways, I got quite a few nice gifts this year. I decided a while back that I want to decorate my kitchen in the fat chefs with black & red colors. My grandma found me some real neat fat chef things for Christmas. :) I feel like with the exception of some plates & utensils I basically have all my kitchen already set up. :)
Well I hope all of you out there have a wonderful Christmas. I probably won't be back on here until I return from Indy.

~Christmas Open House~

Yesterday we had a parsonage Christmas open house. We had cookies, wassail, punch & other goodies. People were invited to come & go as they pleased. It was a fun time of fellowship with one another. Here are some pics of the day. By the way, my mom made the flower arrangement on the cookie table. Hope you all enjoy!

bRrR

We're finally feeling the effects of winter. It took awhile, but it is officially cold outside. :) Sunday it was in the upper 60's & then on Sunday afternoon the temperature started dropping. Monday we woke up to sleet & snow. There wasn't much snow & ice, but enough that the roads are slick & school has been cancelled for two days now. I have to admit, it's been kinda nice not having class to go to in the mornings. :) I've actually been able to sleep in later & also get some extra household chores finished. :)

~Church Christmas Dinner~

Tonight was our church Christmas dinner. It was really nice & our friend Joyce did a wonderful job planning & decorating for it! I thought it was really neat how the ceiling was draped. Thanks Joyce for making the evening really nice! Here are some pictures.

Most everyone either sang a song or told their favorite Christmas memory.

Don't you just think that this is the neatest idea ever?

See how beautiful & festive the evening turned out to be?

Recent Happenings~

I finally started school a week ago! I'm only taking Anatomy & Physiology right now. However, that is perfectly fine with me since it requires quite alot of memorization, etc. :) So far it actually hasn't been too bad of a class. I'm really thankful to have a great teacher who makes most everything understandable.
One HUGE answer to prayer...I found out the other day that my whole school bill has been taken care of! Now I just have to keep up my grades. :)
Mom has been getting cookies & stuff made for our Christmas open house that we are having in a few weeks. I'm kinda sick of seeing cookies & she has only made a few batches. :)
We're supposed to get some nasty weather here tonight. I'm really dreading snow & ice! However, the weatherman says its supposed to be 60 something on Saturday. We'll see.

My "Thankful" List

This Thanksgiving I've been thinking of all the many blessings God has given me! I have been especially blessed this past year! I thank God for how he has been working in my life! I thank God for my family the ones near & far. I love each & every one of you! As time goes by I'm realizing how dear family is & how I shouldn't take each moment or memory for granted, because you never know when it may be your last.
I also want to thank God for all the many dear friends & the people who have had a huge impact on my life. How would my life be without each of you?
I thank God for helping this past year with the various situations I have gone through.
Another thing I am particularly thankful for this year is that I am finally going to be starting nursing school...on Monday in fact! It seems like it has been a long journey & at times I wondered if I would be able to even get into a nursing program at all. I'm so thankful for the opportunity that I have been given!
Last, but definitely not least, I want to thank God for the wonderful guy he has brought into my life! I'm really thankful that God brought Jonathan into my life 10 years ago. It has been so incredible to see how God has been working in both of our lives & to see how he has brought us together!
Jonathan, I'm so happy that God chose you! I couldn't have chosen anyone better. Thank you for being in my life! I'm so glad that I get to spend many more years with you! I love you!
I believe that if each of us this Thanksgiving would really stop and think of all that God has done for us, we really would not be able to list them all on paper. I don't know about you, but I can truly say that I am a blessed person!
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Don't forget to count your blessings!

Christmas decor

A week or so ago my grandparents (mom's side) & my brother came for a visit. We don't usually put the Christmas tree & decorations up until Thanksgiving day or the day after, but since they were here, we decided to put them up early. :) Because we have a larger house this year, we were able to put up mom & dad's big tree & my little tree. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

~Jobs~

Lately I've been wondering what ever happened to good job ethics. I'm not saying that nobody has good job ethics anymore, but seems like there are very few who really do. It seems like some people anymore just go to work to receive pay & don't even bother even really doing their jobs. Man, as Americans we should be thankful for the job opportunities we have! Especially as Christians we should set an example to others. We should be willing to go above & beyond what is asked of us if needed, at least that is what I believe. I thank God & my parents for teaching me to be on time & teaching me that when I am given a task I should do it for someone else as I would want it done for myself. I admit there have been a few times when I haven't been on time for work because of certain issues. Another thing, like why are there so many squabbles on the job now days. I know from experience that it isn't always the greatest thing to wake up everyday real early & head off to work, but remember how privileged you are to have your job. Put a smile on your face even when you don't feel like it. I know, easier said than done, but I think at the end of the day, you'll feel better. Not only will you feel better, but others around you will notice your smile & it will just make everyone else's day go so much better. Try it sometime and see what happens. :)
I know this is kind of an unusual post for me, but this has been going through my mind lately & I just had to let it out. :) As for myself, I hope and pray that I can set an example for others as a good employee or coworker. Each day no matter what I'm going through or how I may be feeling, I want to be able to brighten someone else's life. Besides as Christians aren't these some things we are supposed to be doing anyways?

~Silver Dollar City~

Me, Brooke & Ben

The Big Christmas Tree

Snowflake lights in trees & other lights

Carries Candles Shop....my favorite candle shop

Snowflake lights in trees

Yesterday my brother flew in from Florida & since this will most likely be the last time that we'll all be together for at least awhile, we decided to take a day and go to Branson, MO. It was nice going back and visiting the shops where I used to go when I was little. My favorite shop is the candle shop! I love the smells of that place. :) I also love the little "country" chapel they have there. It's so adorable!

We also got mom into riding one of the big, really fast roller coasters. :) It freaked her out quite abit! One of the people there said that the roller coaster went from 0 to 80 in just a few seconds or so. I love faster roller coasters, but I'll have to be honest, it kinda freaked me out a little too. :)

This week was the second week for the Christmas season, so we got to see all the Christmas lights, decorations & the Christmas parade right there in Silver Dollar City.

Here are a few pictures from last night. Sorry they are kind of blurry. I forgot my camera, so I only had my phone camera with me to take pictures. Enjoy!

Revival

This past week we had revival here at the church. Bro. Rowan Faye came & spoke. We had some good services! The theme was about like church growth & developing a healthy church....plus some other subjects, but those two were kinda the main topics. Hopefully next time his wife will be able to come with him! :)

Other than that I'm still keeping busy at work...which by the way I still really enjoy my job! Plus I'm still trying to get everything settled so I can begin school the first of December. I tell you what, I'll be so glad when I don't have to deal with schools anymore....at least for a few years. :)
This week a friend of ours & of our church past away. She was 94! I had the privilege a few weeks ago to be able to spend a few days with her & I got to see, hear & get to know this Godly lady a little bit. Because of her age & other circumstances, I couldn't really get to know this dear lady real well, but I could sense that she was a precious lady. I would have loved to have known her a few years ago. I would have loved to sit with her & hear her stories or see the kind of lady that she really was. Through all of this I kinda got to thinking about my life. Like how will people remember me when I leave this world. I really want to do my best to follow God in everything that I do.

Misc. Happenings

Wow, I just realized that it has been awhile since I posted on my blog. :) Since my last entry, I've finally started work & so far I'm loving it...well most of it. :) For some reason it took me awhile to find a job here, but I'm glad that God knew & he provided this job for me! Basically, I'm a companion for various people (not just elderly) & several other things. Sometimes it can get a little boring, but for the most part I enjoy being able to help my clients. Plus it'll be a real help when I start school, because I'll be able to do some studying while I work!

I've also been trying to get all my paperwork, etc. finished before the school deadline! I'm still trying to figure out why they don't let us know ahead of time what needs to be done, so we have more time. Oh well, I'm trusting that God will help me get everything finished in time! :)

On another note, I think the weather is having difficulties trying to figure out if it is still summer or if autumn is here yet. LOL One day we'll have real cool weather & then the next it's quite warm. ;) I've just been hanging on to & cherishing these last few warm days.

~Changing Seasons~

I have noticed more and more each day now that the summer is slipping away from us. I see that the leaves are slowly changing their colors & the weather is even beginning to get cooler. Fall is just around the corner.
I love the colors of the trees & the smell of the crisp burning leaves nearby. Even though I will miss the warm days of the summer season, fall is one of my favorite times of the year!
These are the days when I think back to when I was little and I remember all the many memories. I remember the hayrides & hot chocolate or cider. I also remember the bonfires in the evenings.
Although I am definitely not looking forward to the bitter cold days, I am excited about the changes taking place outside my door. Some may wonder why I am excited about these changes, well this will be my first full fall & winter season (with cold & snow....Brr) since....well I can't even remember when the last time was.

School

I received a letter yesterday from the nursing school where I will be attending & I have FINALLY been excepted into the March 2009 program! Praise God! I am extremely excited!! It seems that things are finally coming together! Thank you so much for your prayers! I have to finish the class I am currently working on & then I have one more class to finish before the program begins, but I'm so excited that I know that I will be starting soon!

~A Big Thanks~

I just want to say a big thanks to everyone who made my birthday a special day! Thanks also to my wonderful fiance for the flowers & to my mom who made the delicious pumpkin cheesecake! Thanks everyone!

Please help me pray for the people in Haiti & also for the missionaries! I'm sure most of you have heard some of what has been going on there lately & maybe you have even seen a few pictures. Having lived in Haiti, my heart goes out to the people there. Not only were most of the people trying to survive before these storms, but now they have more to deal with. For the past year or so food have been going up even higher & most of the people haven't been able to afford much food. Now they are dealing with flooding from the recent hurricanes. People who did not have much to begin with are now left with nothing. Please help me pray that God will help them during this difficult time & that people will surrender their lives to Christ.

I'm sure that the missionaries would appreciate our prayers also as they are ministering. Help me pray that God will encourage them & give them the strength that they need. Also pray that God will help them as they help the Haitian people.

Let's also not forget the other countries who have & will be affected by these storms.

My thoughts & prayers go out to those in Haiti, the U.S. & other places who have been devastated by the recent hurricanes!

Church Cookout

Our church had a cookout yesterday so that everyone would have a chance to see the parsonage since it has been redone inside. We had quite a good gathering of people & we had a good time getting to know them better & just being able to fellowship together. We were really thankful for the good weather too! It was supposed to rain, but it didn't at our house. :)

Thanks to everyone who came & helped make this gathering special!