Happy New Year!!!

I can't believe 2008 has come and gone!!!! It's amazing how quickly time flies and how much you can change over a year! 2008 was a year of blessings and change for me-I am thankful for both of them! Here are some pictures of some of my special memories of 2008! I am looking forward to 2009 and very expectant of what The Lord is going to do in and through me! Hope you and your family have a very happy New Year!!

Puerto Rico Vacation-February 2008

Joined an amazing Small Group-January 2008

Came to the West Campus-February 2008

Sugar and SPICE....

So I must confess that I love to shop! The story goes that ever since I was a little girl I would want to stay in the stores for hours. Even at the age of 4 years old I was picking out clothes for my older sister to take to college with her....well it has never stopped from there! There is a store in Waco, Texas that I am going to stop by today on my way back to Houston called Spice. Whenever I visit my family in China Spring Spice is top on my list of things to do and see! I am super excited about going there today and seeing what I can find!! 

Christmas reflections...

As I sit down to blog this evening I can not even believe that the month of December has almost come and gone. Friends, let me tell you that it has been one jam packed month. And let me tell you-it was full of fun and exciting things! A month filled with family, friends, parties, shows, and of course the most important celebration, the birth of our Savior Jesus Christ! This Christmas I was able to see the Christmas story through a different pair of eyes, the eyes of a preschooler. Going through the Christmas story with them for four weeks gave me a different perspective on the story that I have learned about since I was a little girl. To walk the road to the manger each week with Mary, the Shepherds, and the Wisemen was a unique and special experience. I can assure you with all of the "Christmas craziness" it was a sweet and constant reminder of why we celebrate the greatest time of year! I am so thankful for the birth of our Savior and why we celebrate the season-Jesus truly is the best gift we were ever given.

The person I have found myself reflecting most on in the story is Mary the mother of Jesus. She submitted to God's plan even though it was not her own. I'm sure as she thought out her life with Joesph that was not in her plans. She submited to God even though it was not her "ideal plan." She said yes. One little word that is sometimes so hard for me to say when His ways don't look like mine. I have been praying this season that I will say yes the first time God's plan doesn't look like mine and walk in obedience-trusting and believing that his ways are far better than mine. Because lets face it.....deep down I know that is the truth.

"Thank you Jesus for your plan and how it is perfect for my life. I pray that I will submit to it with a joyful spirit no matter how different it is from my ideal plan for I know that your ways are higher than mine."

I hope that you and your families had a very Merry Christmas this year!

The Nutcracker.....

Last night I went with some friends to see the Nutcracker put on by the Houston Ballet. The ballet put on a fabulous production that was so magical. I had no idea that there was so much history behind this production. The premier performance of the Nutcracker was on December 18th 1892 in St. Petersburg, Russia. It is amazing to think that it is still around today, especially since the papers and even Tchaikovsky himself thought the first performance was not a success. Since then the Nutcracker has been seen all over the world for over 116 years! It has become a Christmas tradition to many families!

Last night brought back memories of being a little girl in ballet class. The picture above is from my favorite dance of the night-or maybe it was because the costumes where my favorite! The ballerinas spinning and their dresses twirling was magical for me! Mostly because that was my favorite part of my ballerina costumes-the skirt-it had to twirl! Oh my goodness, I would stand in the middle of my living room for hours upon hours just spinning and spinning until I couldn't spin anymore! If you haven't seen the Nutcracker I would highly suggest it! Why not start it as a family tradition-especially if you yourself have a "little ballerina" at home!

Kids Crazy Christmas Show Pictures!

Just wanted to remind y'all that if you haven't seen the Kids Crazy Christmas show yet you are still in luck! There are plenty of shows for you to see this weekend! This past weekend was so much fun to be apart of-I hope you can join us before it is over!! It was so neat to stand at the door and listen to the kids reactions as they walked through the door and saw the set for the first time-it was priceless! Here are some pictures from this past weekend with my co-workers and friends!

If you haven't been yet here are the times and dates for this weekend. December 19th-23rd: 5:30 & 6:30 in the JUMP Theater. There are four shows on Saturday at 10:00, 11:00, 5:30, & 6:30! Also, make sure you join us for the Character Breakfast on Saturday morning!!!! Hope to see you this weekend!

My Little Shepherds....

When we started planning The Stars of Bethlehem we wanted the kids that come each week to feel like they where apart of the story. Our goal was to them to feel as though they where walking the streets of Bethlehem each week searching for the true star-Baby Jesus! We have done this several ways but my favorite one so far has been cutting out squares of fabric so they can be little Shepherds in the story. I must admit as I was cutting out over 400 squares my heart was not in the right place. However, on Sunday when I saw the excitement on the little ones faces as they walked through the doors it was priceless! They where so excited to be Shepherds in the story! The simple head dresses made them feel so special and it added a new element to GIGL that day! When you are thinking of creative ways to tell your kids Bible Stories try to think out of the box! Think of ideas that will make them feel apart of the story-like they are there with the characters! Here are some pictures of some my "little Shepherds".

This Christmas in GIGL will be one that I will cherish for the rest of my life! I will think back on these past few weeks with precious memories of these kids learning about the true star of Bethlehem! It has been so neat to ask them what we talked about the week before and they remember with excitement and joy! I love that I am getting the opportunity to instill in these kids the love of Christ at such a young age. I know that some of them will look back many years from now and remember the time in GIGL that they walked the streets of Bethlehem to find Baby Jesus!

Dad's new website!

For those of you who don't know my Dad is living his dream in St. Andrews, Scotland. If you are a golfer this is the place you dream of going to have the opportunity to trace the footsteps of some of the most famous golfers in the world! I have been to there many times throughout my life and you can just feel how special this place is!

My Dad owns a place there named The Dunvegan Hotel. It sits a nine iron from the golf course-how do I know this? Well, one day a man hit a golf ball from my Dad's front step and it landed smack dab in the middle of the 18th hole! My favorite thing to do while I'm there is watch the golfers from America come and live the dream of playing the Old Course. Most of them have waited their whole lives to play this course and they are finally getting to-it is so neat to watch and see! If you have a chance check it out! I am so proud of how successful he has become in the "world of golf". I always joke around that he is famous because people from all over the United States come through the doors of the Dunvegan wanting to meet him! If you are ever in St. Andrews you should definitly stop by and say "Hi!" I promise that you will find the best food and atmosphere in St. Andrews, Scotland!

For some time now I have been telling my Dad that he needs to update his website! Well, he finally decided to do it and it looks great! You can check out his new and improved website here!

Christmas Questionnaire.....

I LOVE Christmas time and am head first and loving the Christmas season-it's hands down my favorite time of the year! In honor of that I decided to conduct a little Christmas survey!

1. Fresh Tree or Fake Tree
Real and the bigger the better! I LOVE the smell of a freshly cut Christmas Tree!

2. Favorite Ornament
She's an angel that I have had ever since I was a little girl. I thought she was the most beautiful ornament in the whole world growing up-she always has and will have a special place on the tree.

3. Favorite Christmas Song
I adore Christmas music so this is a hard one-it changes every day-right now it would have to be Travis Cottrell's Ring the Bells....and of course All is Well by Point of Grace!

4. Favorite Tradition
Going to the candle lit Christmas Eve service at church then coming home to eat some "heavy snacks" while the family plays games.

5. Favorite Gift Ever Received
My first microphone as a kid. I remember begging my Mom and Dad for it and anticipating Christmas morning to see if it was under the tree. I was around 5 years old and didn't stop singing until the thing burned out!

6. Favorite Christmas Meal
Turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, hot rolls, and any kind of dessert!

7. Favorite Christmas Cookie
My families secret sugar cookie recipe with homemade icing....this is a recipe that will continue to be passed down from generation to generation!

8. Favorite Place To Be
Wherever my sweet family is!


9. Favorite Christmas Movie
White Christmas & Elf (One is old and the other more recent!)

Simple Things....

I am a such a sucker for the simple things in life. I must confess though that sometimes I get caught up in whatever season of life I am that I can quickly forget about these things. So many times I find myself taking the simple things for granted and lately they have forced me to stop and slow down! I like to be a busy bee and the word "no" is not exactly in my vocabulary. However, I am working on it and slowly become less of a "pleaser" to those around me and realizing that they will still love me. Even when I can't do it all....because let's get real-I can't do it all. This I have to tell myself daily....alright, maybe even 3 or 4.....well, you get the picture! Since I am such a sucker for them I don't want to take the simple things for granted at all! I want to soak them in, enjoy them, treasure them, and turn them into precious moments that will bring a smile to my face 10 years down the road. I want to encourage you this Holiday season to slow down and enjoy the simple things in your life! Here are just a few of mine....I would love to know some of yours!

• Laughing so much it causes my stomach to hurt
• A tight hug and hearing "I love you Miss GIGL" from a preschooler
• Surprises
• Dinner at my favorite restaurant
• Going through old pictures that bring back sweet memories
• Girl nights with popcorn, pajamas, and movies

My list could go on and on......Here's to you enjoying the simple things in life....

Kids Crazy Christmas Show!!

Kids Crazy Christmas show starts this weekend and you will not want to miss it! This is a puppet show that Team Kid puts on every Christmas at Second Baptist Church Houston. This however is not your normal puppet show! It is a major production that EVERY member of your family will LOVE-it is such a neat way to learn all about the Christmas story-plus it is free! You will experience singing, dancing, puppets, and fun music during the show! After the show be sure to stop by the cookie corner for your Christmas cookie! This is sure to be an fun and memorable event for the entire family! Here are the dates and times for the West Campus, all performances will be held in the JUMP theater!

• December 12th: 5:30 & 6:30
• Decemeber 13th: 10:00, 11:00, 5:30, & 6:30
• December 19th: 5:30 & 6:30
• December 20th: 10:00 & 11:00, 5:30 & 6:30
• December 21st: 5:30 & 6:30
• December 22nd: 5:30 & 6:30
• December 23rd: 5:30 & 6:30

We hope to see you there during this Christmas season!!!

Monday Nights with the Girls and the book of Ruth!

Every Monday night I attend a small group with a group of girls at a friends house. Can I just tell you how much I love Monday nights? The reason we come together is to study a book of the Bible and challenge each other to grow more in love with Jesus Christ. We have almost been meeting for a year now and it is has been so neat to see how The Lord has knit us together in such a special way! We are all so different and bring so many unique/great things to the group.

We have studied several different things by this time, but our last and current studies have been on Matthew and Ruth. It has been so great to dig into these books verse by verse! Of course Matthew is FULL of lots of challenging things but oh my goodness, Ruth has challenged me in a whole new way! She was a woman who showed humility, faithfulness, obedience, and so many other Godly characteristics! Two weeks ago we were studying chapter two and the verse that spoke the most to me was, Ruth 2:12 "The Lord recompense you for what you have done, and a full reward be given you by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge." I love that Ruth found refuge under the wings of her Heavenly Father during this time in her life. I was reading a sermon by John Piper on that verse and he said that "the implication of verse 12 is that God will reward Ruth because she has sought refuge under His wings." I am always so quick to run to my friends or family instead of seeking refuge under His wings-the only person who can give me the comfort and wisdom that I need. I am striving more and more on a daily basis to be more of a Ruth.

I am so thankful for Monday nights and the friends that I have made through this group. It is a group that I am so thankful for and will shoot it to me straight! They are such a blessing in my life-here's to many more years of growing in God's word together!

The stars of Bethlehem!

This weekend we started a new theme in GIGL to kick off the Christmas season! We thought that it would be fun to take the preschoolers on a journey through Bethlehem to find out who the true start of Christmas is! Along the way we will be meeting several different people to help us find out who that is! I wish you could have seen the kids faces when they walked into the room and saw that it was transformed into the city of Bethlehem! That is what we were trying to achieve on each campus, to give the preschoolers an experience they would never forget. It was so fun to see their precious faces as they listened to Mary and how God used an ordinary girl to do an amazing thing! That's what I so badly desire for those little ones to know that God has huge plans for their lives-just like He did for Mary-He is using them like that now, and will continue to do so in the future! These are the characters that will help us out along the rest of our journey:

• Shepherds
• Wisemen
• Baby Jesus-the true star! This weekend we will have a live nativity scene in GIGL!

The battery in my camera died so I will post pictures of the set once I get it charged up!