Thanksgiving Day!

Bryan and I had a fantastic Thanksgiving day!  We spent the day/night in Newton at our family hunting camp.  It was so great to be with family and eat such great food!  Our niece Brynn (9) killed her first deer on Thanksgiving morning and was baptized with blood (see pics below). (Makes me thing I will wait on any deer killing b/c I think I would be sick if someone did this to me.)  I missed seeing my family but pretty much got to talk to everyone on the phone during the Thanksgiving week.  I am looking forward to going to Georgia in December to see my family.  God has blessed us with great family and friends and we are truly thankful this year for all of our many blessings. 

 (Below are pictures of our nieces Amaya and Brynn and our nephew Cory Jay.)

  

   

Days 22, 23, 24, 25, and 26

Day 22:  I am thankful for comfortable pajamas.  There is nothing better than getting home after a long day of work and putting on a comfortable pair of P.J.s.  In the winter time I especially love  some fuzzy socks to keep my feet warm.  

Day 23:  I am thankful for holiday cooking.  Nothing gets you in the mood for the holidays like some good cooking and baking.  This year I used my grandmother's recipe to make homemade pumpkin pie.  They were so good!  I still have one more pumpkin and plan to make more this weekend!  Tomorrow I will be making homemade cranberry sauce (another great recipe from my grandmother).  Its funny how using family recipes can make you feel close to family even when you are miles apart!

Day 24:  I am thankful for Sunny D.  I cannot begin to tell you how much Bryan and I love Sunny D.  Every morning I take my vitamin with a big glass of Sunny D.

Day 25:  I am thankful for anything pickled!  I know this is strange but for the last week or two I have eaten the heck out of sweet pickles, pickled okra, pickled squash, and green olives.  I know it sounds gross but everyday around 4: 30 you can find me in front of the T.V. having a pickled snack.  Day 26 may explain this habit : )

Day 26:  I am thankful for....

I think this speaks for itself!!

Thank you all for your prayers, I believe God heard them : )

Days 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

WOW....I am really behind, but still have much to be thankful for!

Day 16: Today I am thankful for my husband. Bryan is such a loving and thoughtful husband. God knew exactly what I needed in a partner when he made Bryan for me. We have been married for nearly 2 years and are loving every minute of it!

Day 17: I am thankful for my job. I have the most rewarding job working at Blair E. Batson Children's hospital as a speech-language pathologist. My daily duties include evaluation of speech, language, and swallowing disorders in children birth to 18 and treatment of those identified disorders. My areas of interest are in swallowing disorders and traumatic brain injury. I also work for what I consider to be the best department in the hospital (ENT). My boss is amazing and I work with so many great people who really seem to love their jobs. With current state of the economy, I am feeling especially lucky to have a job in a non-threatened area of work.

Day 18: I am thankful for my education. I have had the privilege of education, continued education, and then some. I am currently working toward my PhD in clinical health sciences with my research interests being in dysphagia (swallowing disorders) and traumatic brain injury. The best part about my current ongoing education....ITS FREE!!! My job pays for it entirely....Major perk : )

Day 19: I am thankful for our home. We have been fortunate enough to find a house perfect for us in Fondren. We have lived in our house for a year now and have grown to love it more and more. The neighborhood is great with events constantly going on, the location is perfect to get to the hospital, and we have finally gotten to add some of our own personal touches lately. Our most recent endeavors include painting our bedroom and hanging curtains, installing track lighting in the kitchen, surround sound in our living room, and replacing our bathroom's toilet. Bryan is so handy it amazes me sometimes!

Day 20: Today I am thankful for answered and unanswered prayers. God know exactly what we need and when we need it! Our job is to stay faithful throughout the process! (No small task!)

Day 21: Today I am SO thankful for date nights!!! Bryan and I are having a home-date. You know the kind where you eat in and watch a movie! It will be perfect tonight! With the weather being SO cold...we are sure to need a fire and some snuggling on the couch!

Days 13, 14, and 15

Day 13: I am so thankful for good friends! Bryan and I have been so fortunate to meet so many great friends here in Jackson. Tonight we went over to our friends', Julie and Mitch Ogles, house for Chapman Ogles 1st birthday. We had so much fun visiting with everyone, eating of course, and watching the kids have so much fun! Chapman is such a ham and really seemed to enjoy his party.

Day 14: I am thankful for weekends at home. There is something very comforting in knowing that you don't have any plans for the weekend. These are the weekends that you accomplish so much around the house, spend quality time with the husband, and actually catch up on lost rest/lounge time from the week before. Bryan and I will likely spend the weekend cleaning, watching movies, studying, and just being lazy together with the dogs.

Day 15: I am thankful for my sister, Missy. It is hard to put into words the bond that exists between sisters. Some of my favorite things about my relationship with my sister are being able to say what I am truly feeling without worrying about judgement, fights that resolve themselves without apologies, always having someone to call when I need something and when I don't, and having a friend who has known me my entire life and probably knows me better than I know myself. I probably do not tell Missy enough how much she means to me and how much she adds to my life, so......Missy, I love you and I thank God that you are my sister!!

Thanksgiving: Days 11 and 12

Day 11: I am thankful for all the Veterans who have served our great country! I believe serving your country is one of the most honorable sacrifices one can make. My brother, John, was an Army Ranger for four years from the time he was 19 to 23. During those years he did 5 tours in Afghanistan and Iraq and participated in hundreds of combat missions. He served our country and he did it proudly with honor and devotion. I have never heard my brother speak about his service in a negative manner. I think John feels like his service was not only to his country but also to God. I am so proud of John for his service and I am especially proud of the man my little brother has grown up to be.

Day 12: Today I am thankful for my NEW camera!!! Bryan and I have been talking about getting a new camera for Christmas because ours broke about a month ago and since then we haven't been able to take any pictures. The only problem with this plan was that we wouldn't have a camera for all of our holiday functions (not to mention the impact the lack of a camera has been having on my blog!). We decided to go ahead and get a camera as an early gift to ourselves. We bought a Nikon D60 and so far we are very pleased! I woke up this morning to Bryan taking pictures of me and the dogs as we sleep...sounds creepy, but actually very sweet! Needless to say, we have both suddenly gotten a strong interest in photography.

Here are a couple of our first pictures of the dogs. We had to take them without the flash to avoid yellow eyes.

GATSBY

IZZY

A little behind--Days 6, 7, 8, 9, & 10

Day 6 -- I am thankful for Girls Night Out! I love having a night away with the girls for great food, fellowship, and friendship.

Day 7 -- I am thankful for weekends! I don't know how I would get through the work week without knowing that two days of freedom await me at the end. My favorite weekend is one spent at home with Bryan and our animals.

Day 8 -- I am thankful for Lifetime. I love to watch Lifetime in my pajamas on a Saturday when Bryan is on call.

Day 9 -- I am thankful for Peace. I am constantly comforted by the Peace that passes all understanding in knowing that God is in complete control of our lives and has a most perfect plan for every aspect of our lives.

Day 10 -- I am thankful for coffee! I am a complete coffee addict! My mind seems to work much better after a good size cup of black coffee, especially the flavored kind!

Day 5

Today I am thankful that presidential elections are held every four years. I have to believe that God is in control of everything including America and its leaders. I would encourage all Christian Americans to begin or continue to set aside daily time to pray for our country and its leaders. "If God is for us, who then can be against us?"

A Month of Thanksgiving

I feel like I have been on a blogging sabbatical. I'm not sure why, but I'm back now.

I got this wonderful idea from a friend of mine to reflect on all the things I am thankful for during the month of November. During this month, I am going to list at least one thing I am thankful for each day. This being said, I have a little catching up to do...

Day 1: I am thank for for SEC football...especially those Georgia Bulldogs!!! (despite the horrible loss to Florida) SEC football is a great reason to eat good food and spend time with friends and family.

Day 2: I am thankful for the freedom to worship as I please! Bryan and I have not settled on a church home here in Jackson yet, however, we have loved visiting all the many houses of God and exercising our freedom to worship in a way that best suits us, our beliefs, and our lives.

Day 3: I am thankful for my new haircut! I had the most delightful hair appointment today filled with good conversation and resulting in a renewed fresh sense of self! Thank you Jennifer!

Day 4: I am thankful for democracy and the freedom to vote! I feel privileged to live in a country where I have the freedom to participate in the election of my government officials. My prayer for today, as people venture out to the polls, is for an honest election free of voter fraud. I pray that Americans would take pride in their right to cast their vote and cast it legally and honestly.