Weekend in Chicago

First of all, I can't believe how long it has been since I last posted something on my blog! Life has been very busy with school, new friends, house-searching, volunteer work, and a weekend in Chicago. Yes, I have much to update you all on from the last month or so.

School is going well, and I am especially enjoying my Shakespeare and Adolescent Literature courses. Many hours of reading and writing, but it's okay... as long as I graduate by Fall 2010 :-). Ryan and I have been having so much fun getting more involved with our life-group at church, a group of young married couples like us. When we first started spending more time with these people outside of church, Ryan and I joked that we were going to be poor and fat (because of how much we all go out to eat), but at least we would have friends! Our schedules have also become busier with our search for a house. Originally, we were planning on looking for a house to rent, but the real estate market in the St. Petersburg area is much better for buyers, so we are now officially hunting for our first home. We'll see what God has in mind for us! Last thing on my update list before I move on to my Chicago trip is my new position volunteering at a local adult literacy center. I will be a tutor for adults who never had the chance to learn how to read well, use grammar properly, etc. I am so thrilled that God has given me this chance to bless others with the abilities he has given me!

Now for the funnest part of this post: my wonderful weekend in Chicago. On Friday, the 19th of February, I left for Chicago to celebrate my sister, Jordan's birthday with her. My parents were also able to come, and the four of us stayed in a lovely hotel downtown, just a block or two away from Michigan Avenue. It was such an incredible trip! I spent Friday eating a delicious breakfast at a Swedish restaurant, touring Jordan's college campus, settling into our luxurious hotel room, and enjoying a dinner of Chicago-style deep-dish pizza with the family. Saturday--Jordan's actual birthday-- we spent time shopping on State Street and Michigan Avenue and eating more divine foods at the Grand Luxe Cafe and Harry Caray. Sunday went way too fast, but we were able to have a day of family fun again, walking around the city and buying Jordan a few birthday presents. Seeing my family again was an unbelievable blessing, and it reminded me, as always, of how much I love and miss them. I can't wait for the next family reunion! Happy 19th birthday, my sweet little sister!

Back to School

I am now half-way through my second week of school at University of South Florida, and things are going well. The first week was pretty stressful, as I spent the first couple of days trying to get all of the classes I needed. But thankfully, I was able to register for everything required for me to graduate by the fall. I can't wait! I must admit, as I hear many of my friends talk about their upcoming graduation in May, I feel a little sad and discouraged that I still have two semesters (and possible some summer classes) before I finish my degree. But then I remember the reason I decided to transfer, and it's worth it. I get to see the cute face of my loving husband every day!

My course load is pretty full, and I am definitely going to be reading a lot this semester, but I am looking forward to getting back into my Major and building my writing skills. I am blessed to have a respected university close to my home, and I really like how much smaller the campus is compared to that of Colorado State University. I know that God has brought me here for a purpose, and I trust that He will continue to bless me as I follow where He wants me to go.

Our First Christmas

This year marked the first Christmas (and New Year) that Ryan and I shared as a married couple. We were so blessed with an incredible and full holiday season. Ryan was able to get leave from work to travel with me and our little dog to Colorado.

Even though we knew we would be gone over Christmas, Ryan and I still decided to buy and decorate a real tree for our first home together. We loved picking out the perfect tree for the apartment, stringing the lights around it, and carefully placing ornaments and paper snowflakes over the branches. We also opened our presents to one another and filled our stockings before we left for Colorado. I felt so content sharing Christmas traditions with my wonderful husband for the first time.

While we were in Colorado, not only were we able to spend time with my family as we stayed in my parent's house, but we were also able to see his family members over the course of our visit. My parents-in-law and one sister-in-law traveled to Colorado this year as well and stayed with Ryan's sweet grandma, who happens to live within 10 minutes of my childhood home. It was such fun seeing everyone over Christmas. Being with family always makes the holidays special to me, and this year, I was lucky enough to spend Christmas with both of my families! My younger sister's boyfriend (ironically, also named Ryan) accompanied her to Colorado for a few days as well. I really enjoyed getting to meet the boy that my sister is so crazy about and of course having quality time with her too. We all had fun celebrating the joyous time together.

Ryan and I returned to Florida just in time to celebrate the coming of 2010 together. My adorable cousin, Colleen, invited us to a private party at a restaurant near Tampa. It was great to have special plans for New Year's Eve and to spend the evening with two people I love. We got to dress up and welcome the new year in style :-).

I hope you all had an equally magnificent Christmas season! Enjoy the pictures of our holiday fun!

Decorating our tree!

My cute, tall husband putting up the star

With my lovely mama at "home"

I love my daddy :-)

Enjoying beautiful Colorado. We loved having a white Christmas!

Rusty and me with Jenna, my sweet sister-in-law

Yay for sisters and their Ryans :-)

With Colleen at the New Years party

Having a blast!

Oh Holy Night

With Christmas drawing nearer, I cannot help but get the same feeling of anticipation and joy that I felt as a child, anxious to awake to stockings on the mantle and presents under the tree. Now, however, I feel most excited for other aspects of the lovely Christmas season. I can't wait to see the faces of my sweet family members, to sip hot cocoa or yummy lattes with the snow outside, to watch Christmas movies, bake cookies, and of course to celebrate God's wonderful gift of His son.

For the last several years, the Christmas Eve service at my "home" church has been one of the things I have come to love most about the holiday. I love gathering with my family and friends to remember why Christmas is so truly important. I love hearing the miraculous Christmas story over and over again. I love singing "Silent Night" by candlelight in a full sanctuary. But one of the most blessed parts of the Christmas Eve service to me is hearing the gorgeous melody and words of "Oh Holy Night." Someone sings this song at my church almost every Christmas, and it always brings tears to my eyes. I love the passion behind this song and how it reminds me that nothing is more divine than the night that Jesus came into this world. When I hear the lyrics echoing in my ears--"Fall on your knees. Oh hear the angel voices. Oh night divine! Oh night when Christ was born!-- I get chills thinking of the unfathomable gift I have in Jesus.

As the days to Christmas become less and as I enjoy the merriment and charm of this joyful season, I think about my favorite Christmas carol, "Oh Holy Night," and I am so thankful that I have the most wonderful reason to celebrate at this time of year. "Christ is the Lord! Oh praise His name forever. His power and glory evermore proclaim! His power and glory evermore proclaim!"

Thankful for Thanksgiving

This Thursday was the first Thanksgiving that Ryan and I were able to celebrate together, and coincidentally it was also our first real holiday as husband and wife! Although we didn't host a large gathering or dinner, we had fun making pies, jell-o salad, and flaky rolls together. We were blessed enough to receive a dinner invitation from another Coast Guard couple. It was nice to have a traditional turkey-stuffing-mashed potato dinner with two other people who are also far away from their families. We enjoyed a delicious meal at their home and had fun talking and playing games. God is so good to give us a day to remember just how blessed we are.

God is also particularly good for giving me a husband who not only tolerates my perfectionism, but also is there to help calm me down when I lose perspective. Even though I didn't have the huge responsibility of making an entire meal for guests, I was still nervous to make pies for this occasion. I have made Thanksgiving pies in the past, but my mom has always been there in the kitchen, giving me tips about how to pinch the edges of the crust so they look pretty in the plate or how to tell exactly when each pie is done. When I experienced problems with the first pie, I started to freak out of course and started crying about how terrible I was at baking... blah, blah blah. My very patient and loving husband simply gave me a tight hug, told me everything would work out, and went to the grocery store to get more ingredients to replace the ones I had messed up before. With his help, I calmed down, enjoyed the pie-making process, and we were able to make two very delicious and nice-looking desserts.

I hope all of you had a fantastic Thanksgiving and that you were able to reflect on all that God has done in each of your lives. He truly is so good. How often I forget it with all of the superficial distractions around me. That is why I am very thankful for Thanksgiving... a day to remind me of how much He deserves my praise.

Some pictures from Colorado!

As promised, here are some pictures from my visit to Colorado over Halloween. Though it was snowing heavily the day that I arrived, most of the snow had melted within the next two days and the sun was shining enough for me to take a scenic walk with my sweet mom and dad. Enjoy the view of the lovely mountains, even though it's not quite as pretty in pictures as it was in person.

Look at those mountains! I miss them!

Snow!!!

With Violet, my parents' little doggie :-)

Adorable parents

Happy to be "home"

With my cute daddy

Beautiful mama

I could not have enjoyed my trip more! It was just what I needed seeing my two wonderful parents and breathing the fresh Colorado air. Now Ryan and I just can't wait to go back together for Christmas!

"Pray Hard and Plan Big"

The pastor's sermon at church today was one of the most convicting and inspiring messages I have heard in a while. It's funny how I can often glance at the title of a message and think, "This probably won't really apply to me." I should know by now that God usually teaches me the most when I least expect to learn.

This morning, our pastor spoke about the passage from 2 Kings 4:1-7. These verses tell the story of a widow whose sons were to be taken as slaves in order to pay her family debt. In her desperation and fear, the woman cried out the God and went to Elisha to receive advice for her situation. After telling the prophet that she had nothing in her home but a bit of oil, Elisha told the widow, "Go around and ask all of your neighbors for empty jars. Don't ask for just a few."

When the woman and her sons had gathered jars from the surrounding homes, God miraculously blessed them by allowing the small amount of oil to overflow, filling every one of the jars until there were none left to fill. At this very moment, the oil stopped flowing.

I loved hearing this story this morning because it revealed to me how I too need to pray hard and plan big in my own life. As the pastor said, I need to take my problems and desires to God, recognize the resources that he has given to me (even if it seems like my little bit of "oil" won't be enough), and then trust that God will provide blessings. So many times, I don't shoot for the dreams that God has placed in my heart, or I don't stretch myself into the areas that he calls me toward because I worry about failing. But I have to ask myself, what would I do for God if I knew I couldn't fail? Because failure isn't trying and coming short of my own expectations. Failure is when I never try to meet God's expectations and plans for my life.

Hearing the story of the widow also showed me that God's blessing to her directly correlated to the number of jars she gathered. He would have allowed the oil to fill even more jars if she and her sons had retrieved more to begin with. I need to learn from the message of this story and Elisha's advice to the woman: "Don't ask for just a few." I want to make big plans with the absolute faith and trust that God will provide for me and bless me while I am in his perfect will.