A Merry Chistmas!

I had a very Merry Christmas in 2014. :)  I hung out with my parents on Christmas Eve and then went to our church Christmas candlelight service in the evening. 

 

 

 

On Christmas day, my whole family had our picture taken in the morning.  It was hard to get everyone together; but...finally we made it happen.  It's okay that Abigail and Hudson aren't looking...:) They are little yet.

 

On the way home, we saw the most beautiful sunset! 

 

I'm going to post more pictures tomorrow of my great Christmas Day!  :)  I have so much to catch up on!  Until later...



Last Days in CA

California weather is so different from the East Coast weather!  Right before I left to come home for Christmas, it was just finally beginning to be fall.  All of the leaves on my tree out front fell one night...now it is officially winter!

 

 

 

My friend Kim is graduating in December here, so she came and stayed the night at my place.  It was really nice to spend one last day with her.

 

It was ALSO very nice to make a huge plate of bacon for us to each-for no reason. 

 

My last sunday at my church, I had such a nice time with two of my piano students.  I will certainly miss teaching them these next few weeks. 

Well, I am back in Pennsylvania safe and sound.  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas.  Mine was very nice.  I took way too many pictures, so I will be sure to post them on here a bit later. 

Until then!  Hope you all have a nice week until the New Year begins!

 



Church Christmas Program

My church had their Christmas children's program last week on Sunday.  This program was one that I worked on with the kids, taught them songs and helped with speaking parts, so I was sooo excited and nervous at the same time! 

We have been working on the play now since about the middle of October. 

 

The Saturday morning before the play, I baked about 6 dozen peanut butter blossoms, my favorite cookie to make!

 

 

 

Last Sunday, we had two practices in the afternoon which went really well...then the play started at 5pm. 

 

We did the play "Peanut Butter Christmas" and the kids did so so well!  I was so proud of them all. 

 

Afterwards, we had our cookie buffet and hot chocolate while I played Christmas songs on the piano.  It was such a nice time and I am already making plans for an Easter Program. :) 

Yesterday evening my church had their candlelight service.  It was also such a beautiful time.  I enjoyed it immensely. 

I will post more pictures later from this past weekend at church.  Also, I am going home for Christmas very soon, so I'm sure I will be posting a lot of familyish Christmasy pictures as well :)

Until later!



My Struggle...

I never used to be this way, but sometime between my sophomore and junior year of college, I began having the desire to be independent. 

Being dependent on someone or something makes you vulnerable to that person or thing. I do not enjoy being vulnerable to anybody. I began searching for who I really was and I found myself becoming quite independent...Just what I wanted.

I began realizing something about myself. I do not enjoy the unknown, the unseen or the uncertain. If I were to take one of those personality tests that liken you to an animal, I would be a beaver; the one who follows instructions and rules. If it is all written out for me, I am completely happy. Like I mentioned, when I started desiring to be more independent and not relying on others for my own personal happiness, I found a problem.

Lately, I have given some thought to this matter. I once heard a Pastor preach a sermon, and in it (speaking of trusting in God) he said "When you come to the end of your rope, reach for the hem of His garment." 

I thought that was great, memorized it, wrote it down...and then it popped into my mind a few weeks ago and I couldn't stop thinking of it. I realized that while it may be great for some people, that concept would never work for me.  I have a desire to be independent, I enjoy challenging myself, and I hate feeling vulnerable. If I were to wait until I came to the end of my rope, who knows how long I would hold out before turning my faith and trust over to God?!

In Proverbs 3:5, I am commanded to trust in the LORD, and not to my own understanding.

In Jeremiah 17:5, the Bible says that the man who trusts in himself is cursed.

In the area of trust, it is better that I simply let go of the proverbial "rope", than to wait until I feel like I have come to the end of it. Knowing myself, I would never come to the end. 

This is an area of life I have realized that I need to work on. Even though I CAN take care of myself, and I can pay my bills by myself and things like that, I must never ever get to the point where I feel like I can make it completely "on my own" without God.
My struggle? It isn't wrong to be responsible and be independent or to live alone without help. But it becomes wrong for ME when I hold onto that proverbial rope and rely on my own strength rather than reaching for the hem of God's garment, knowing that I can't make it on my own. 

Just something I have pondered lately...

Black Friday Flea Markets

 

So, I am back in California now!  It was a lovely break, and I had a nice relaxing time.  It has been like a breath of fresh air and now I am fully prepared to finish the semester strong!  It was great!  Because now that I am back, teaching is fun and work is fun...it's amazing what a short, week long break can do for you.  Anyway, these are just a few more pictures from my break. 

we went "black Friday" shopping...at a flea market!  It was great, and of course, there were some terrific deals!  :) 

 

 

 

 

Afterwards, we went to a park where we thought it would be fun to explore. We found the strangest little camper I have ever seen. 

 

So I had a lot of fun, but I am back now, and ready to finish this semester in just a few weeks!  :)

Until later!