Looking back on this year...

Jason and I went out to brave the after-Christmas shopping chaos a few days ago, which turned out to be pretty unfruitful, except for a great lunch at Moe's (we've shared the nachos three times this week already!), a few rolls of wrapping paper, and I finally bought myself a pair of dressy boots which I've been looking at for a while (happy early birthday to me!).

But, while we were out we got to talking about all that we are thankful to the Lord for this year and I spent a little time reflecting on where we've been and what we've learned this year.

1. Jason got his National Board Certification!!! After months of work and months of waiting we finally found out just before Thanksgiving that he passed his National Boards. Not only is it a huge acheivement, but also includes a pay raise, which is a huge blessing as we are prepare for whatever the Lord has for our future.


2. We got out of debt (except for our house)!!!!! Another major praise - the Lord enabled us in these last two years to pay off everything and are so thankful. We're on our way to step 4 of the Dave Ramsey plan and can't wait to be able to give like no one else some day!


3. We refinanced our house to 15-years! We were so thankful the Lord opened up the door for this - with the extra pay from Jason's certification it covers the difference and now we're that much closer to being TRULY debt free (including the house).


4. Sweet friends We're so grateful for the sweet friends and deepened relationships through this past year. I am so blessed to be part of a small group of six girls that encourage each other, pray for each other, and just share life together. I love ya'll! And Jason's been enjoying his bible study group through Providence - we are so blessed to be surrounded by people who love Jesus and love us.


5. Special times with family We had a lot of opportunities to be with family this year but the highlight for us was having our nieces and nephew come for a week this past June - so many fun memories and sweet times we will cherish forever!


6. Endurance through some challenges It's been a difficult year in some aspects but just like Lord always does, He uses the challenges to show us things about ourselves we wouldn't have seen, to show us our incredible need for Him at ALL times and to grow us in ways we couldn't grow with out a little fire under us. And to remember that everything is a season - this too shall pass and we can have hope that one day ALL of this world will truly pass away and we'll be who we were always meant to be - complete in Christ, our true selves, free from sin, lacking nothing, and forever in the presence of God.


7. Insanity! Jason just recently finished the Insanity workout program and I can attest to the fact that it truly is INSANE! But I'm so proud of him - in fact as I'm writing this he's downstairs doing one of the DVDs again, now just for fun!

There are so many other things probably worth mentioning, but that would take too long to write and too long for you to read. But you know, yesterday we hosted a funeral at Providence for a local fireman who tragically died in a car accident last week, and it was a good reminder that this life is a vapor - it could be gone tomorrow. Ecclesiastes 7:2 says, "It is better to go to a house of mourning than to go to a house of feasting, for death is the destiny of every man; the living should take this to heart." While that sounds a little morbid, it's so true - it was good to take that to heart and be reminded of what we've been given - first in Christ and then in all the other things He's added to us here on earth. So I challenge everyone to take this to heart as we look back on where the Lord has taken us this year - we are a blessed people!