Day 342

Thankful for the reminder that God is Stronger...then anything.  Stronger then our fears of not being enough, stronger then our fears of being too much!

Day#341

Thankful for opposites... chaos and order...perfection and imperfection.  Thankful our creator is creative and we therefor are creative creations...imperfect and perfect all at the same time. 

Day#340

Thankful that Luke and I went and cut down a Christmas tree together.  It is a big fat tree!  :)

Day#339

Thankful for laughter!  Our family loves to laugh and we do it often!  Today was our annual lunch and shopping trip.  Thankful for my parents who continue the tradition!!!

Day#338

Went to visit some old friends at Bridgestone.  Wow I miss working with them.  People definitely make the job.  I was blessed to be surrounded by some amazing people!!!

Day#333

Thankful for the newer family tradition of the fall hiking spree.  Today was the last one which is always sad. 

Day#332

Jo and Mo made the commitment before God to honor and cherish one another ALL the days of their life.  It was a beautiful ceremony, dessert reception, and after party.  I am grateful for their friendship and pray their love grows more and more with each passing day. 

Day#331

Woke up after another night of only 3 hours of sleep for our traditional black Friday shopping.  My brother always laughs because I never get anything on sale.  This year...wiper blades, wedding card & birthday wrapping paper!!!!  Thankful for our time together!

Day#330

Morning walk with Lisa and Joanna!! Thankful for ladies willing to get up early and brave the cold. 
Thankful that we were able to have Lunch at Luke's family and dinner at mine and we didn't have to miss out.  Thankful mike was able to join us for both

Day#329

Thankful that our life group was all back to meeting together after being separate for a month

Day#328

Tonight we celebrated Great Aunt Juanita she was 101.5 years young!  She was a fun loving woman and I loved our Thanksgivings together.  I heard some great stories about my grandma and Juanita that I hadn't heard before. 

Day#327

Luke took me to my first cavs game and bought me a new cavs shirt.  He is a pretty thoughtful guy...and I am pretty thankful!!!

Day#326

What a blessing...today I got to baptize one of the girls in our group! Always exciting when someone wants to share their faith instead of just doing a religion. 
My niece absolutely loved seeing Luke on stage at Voltage.  Grateful to be involved in her life!!!

Day#325

Today my brother and I were supposed to go to the OSU football game...but after seeing about 15 cars in accidents and almost getting in one ourselves we decided to just do a little shopping and watch the game at the Lizard.  What a fun day to catch up and talk to my brother...yep love him!

Dsy#324

Thankful to celebrate with my church the release of their 3rd cd.  What a great night of high energy worship!  To God be all the Glory!!!

Day#323

Tonight was ladies night! Thankful for the girls who make it a priority to invest in one another and share their lives together.  Thankful for the conversation with one of the girls!!

Day#322

Spent the day in Pittsburgh for a few meetings that were all cancelled.  Thankful for the time in the car to pray and reflect on where God is Guiding me!

Day#321

I hosted Barnes and Noble night and only Theresa showed up.  Thankful for her heart to invest and connect to others in the group

Day #319

Thankful that Luke and I can talk things through and be honest with one another without fear.

Day #318

Thankful for the life group leader retreat this weekend.  Thankful to be poured I b to and refreshed!  Leading a group is a heavy weight. I look forward to the day when our group is reignited!!!

Day #317

Got to celebrate a girl in our group's Birthday!  Thankful for community and the ability to love and shower others!

Day #316

So thankful that Erin and I were able to get together.  It is hard to believe we have been meeting since 2011.  She has a job and will soon graduate.  Praying that God guides her and protects her!

Day #314

Thankful for the sacrifice of so many who are willing to lay down their life and be away from family so I can be safe!

Day #313

4 Months ago, Kristina (my cousin) and I were getting pedicures right before Ethan was born.  Today we went back with the little guy.  I am thankful that we can be so vulnerable together and fill the room with laughter and fun!  I love our story!

Day #312

Today was lunch and time with the Moine’s.  Luke’s sister was in town this weekend, with their new little addition Malachi.  He is super cute.    It is great to spend time with his grandparents and family.  Thankful that they made me feel part of the family!!!

Day #311

Today was Donut day with the Jensen’s!  What a special treat.  There were about 40+ Jensen’s packed into the house for lunch and the treat of the day their secret donut recipe.  I took some medicine and ate one, it was very delicious.  Thankful for family traditions and the time that I got to spend with his family!

Day #310

Thankful for the times where God shows me people’s giftedness.  I watch several volunteers who have a love and special touch required to work with VIP kids at our church.  I am thankful for their hearts to serve and love on ALL of God’s children!

Day #309

He restores my soul.  How can we not find Joy in the fact that God restores us…everyday and without question.  He makes me lay down in green pastures.  He leads by still waters…AND He RESTORES my soul!

Day #308

Refreshing to hear friends question what the world says.  I received a text asking…and searching for answers…and what does the Bible really say. 

Day #307

Some days are harder than others.  Today was hard to hear that a friend is hurting and overwhelmed as her Mom is in the hospital and she has a disease that the Doctor’s do not know how to treat!  Thankful Lord that ultimately bring us Peace…but that we have friends we can walk along side of during these difficult times.

Day #306

Thankful to have dinner with my parents and B.  Brianna spent the night and she is always full of spunk.  Specially when she got out of Bed with me at 5:30am, wide-eyed and ready to go!!  But she thankfully got back into bed and laid there for a bit before waking Grandma up.  

Day #305

Thankful that Crystal asked me to babysit at Medina East.  Brings peace to my soul to take care of the little ones in the nursery.  Not only did I get to spend time with 4 awesome wee little ones…I also got to spend time with Hannah…she wasn’t so little in the rocking chair…thanks for the laugh! 

Day #304

Thankful for Ben who opens his house up to us, and always provides a delicious steak dinner and some good Euchre.  Was able to celebrate a lovely lady today as she prepares to bring her first child into the world.  Also, I was able to celebrate a friend’s son’s birthday.  Always good to just see her, just knowing she is there brings peace.

Day #303

Thankful that our Family likes to play a long…and is willing to get dressed up like Bee’s…For Brianna, for Halloween, for a good laugh, all for a picture to capture the moment. 

Day #302

What a battle today…a battle to break free from our selfish ways.  There is a difference in being sacrificial and being sacrificial with a good heart.  Sometimes we need to just sit in a car and pray that God would change our hearts.  Not an easy day…But thankful for the lesson that there is a difference. 

Day #301

Thankful that I have friends that spur me on and motivate me to continue working out and making time for it!  Heidi you ROCK!!! 

Day #300

Thankful for meetings that are back to back that make the day go by super quick

Day #299

Thankful for the dance party on the volleyball court.  Yes, it was great to call a time out and plan our team dance moves!!!  Belt buckle it is Mindy!

Day #298

Thankful that I was able to help Luke with his leaves, and thankful to share a meal with my parents at their house.  Been far too long since eating and watching a football game together!

Day #297

Thankful for days were we say No to everything that comes along.  Well we try to for the most part.  Prioritizing each other above all the other craziness is sometimes hard.  But it paid off in a wonderful day at Mapleside and evening cooking Bison steak!

Day #296

Thankful for the lesson of being able to share the truth in how I am feeling.  I understand that everything I feel is not truth and I need to take my thoughts and feelings captive in obedience to Christ…but that doesn’t mean I can’t share them and allow someone to help carry that burden.

Day #295

Joy…in the pain…physical pain.  There will be a day where I will be in perfect health…longing for that day! 

Day #294

Thankful for my friend’s upcoming marriage.  Was blessed to attend her beautiful bridal shower.  It was a delightful evening filled with ladies from all walks of her life, celebrating her and her upcoming marriage!

Day #293

Thankful for hard days where God asks me to make a choice, a hard choice.  Am I going to see my value in Him or am I going to derive it from what others think or do?  It isn’t easy!

Day #292

There is joy in the rain…well at least there are memories.  We have played more games this year in the rain than any other year.  But I also feel we have laughed the most and for that I am thankful! 

Day #291

Sometimes the things that bring us the most joy in life are the hard.  Letting go of certain things that I enjoy doing is hard but I realize that it makes room for someone else to step-up and into who God created them to be. 

Day #290

Thankful that we were able to walk together not only in the morning as a little exercise but that we were able to walk through the book of Ephesians…and walk through some tough stuff as a group of women who truly care about one another!

Day #289

Joy filled weekend.  Tonight was a night of bonding.  As women in our life group we had a small get away retreat.  It was a time of learning to not only trust the heart of God but trust the heart of the other women in our group.  Knowing that God loves is deep, long, wide, and high…it covers all of us!

Day #286

Joy in the trials.  I watched as my friend was suffering today in pain, but waiting to go to the doctor instead of going to the emergency room.  I see that God sustains us even through our kidney stones! 

Day #285

There is Joy in this journey, even a journey that resulted in a speeding ticket on our trip home.  Even though it was a busy day of grocery shopping and trying to get ready for the week ahead.  I had some time to reflect and catch up with a friend. 

Day #284

Thankful to experience church with a family.  It was refreshing to stand with Luke and his immediate family and watch them worship God together!

Day #283

Thankful for a wonderful lunch date with Lily and Joel (Luke’s sister and BIL).  It was great to get to know them and spend time together. 

Day #282

Thankful for long car rides at night.  Allow us time to reflect and dream.

Day #281

Thankful that God is growing me more and more every day.  Today I learned how important it is to share how I am feeling.  It is not something that I need to internalize but something I need to share…if I want to share the journey.

Day #280

We Celebrated a wonderful woman tonight at Life Group.  She has such a heart for people and encouraging them.  So it was a joy to shower her with cards and fun healthy food!

Day #278

Tonight we played Jen and Jen's team in volleyball.  We always have a great time playing against them...but man do we struggle to make it to a 6pm game.  Only 1 of our teammates was there at 6pm...struggling stragglers! 
Thankful for our time together as a team! 

Day #277

Thankful that we were able to explore a new park together as family.  I love that we can be silly and always find ways to make each other laugh!

Day #276

Thankful for a busy day filled with lots of walking and talking!  Loved that we spent the evening helping out Joanna as she prepares for her wedding in November!  We had a great time laughing, crafting, and sharing.  175 wedding favors of Coffee/tea/hot chocolate mugs are done!

Day #275

Thankful for God's support while Babysitting 9 kids by myself.  Thankful that the 2 hours went by pretty quick and the kids were well behaved.  I even got a great picture from my girl Abby!

Day #273

I love being able to go for a walk and be outside before our Life Group.  It is refreshing to talk with the women before group and really work through our struggles together, usually we are struggling with the same thing, or have at one point.  Love these fall days!!!

Day #272

Thankful for a great group of women and the start of our connect group.  Where ladies can freely come and study God's word and discuss our hang ups and walk through life together!  Stronger!!!

Day #271

My headaches have been back, mostly because I haven't been sleeping, and just in general stress...so it makes me even more thankful for evenings like this...Thankful for a wonderful dinner prepared by Jen, zucchini lasagna, and the great hospitality of the Nichols household.  Playing with the kids was fun, I just love watching kids share what makes them laugh, and smile!

Day #270

Loved going to Rittman Grace Brethern, it has been a long time since I have gone to another church.  Excited to see what God has in store for the Camino de Santiago in summer of next year for their church and ours!  Thankful to celebrate my Grandma's birthday today.  She is filled with love it is nice to be able to shower her with love.  Finding Joy in those things is easy...Finding Joy in the fact that today and next weekend when Luke and I were supposed to spend some quality time together things have  come up that make it not possible...is hard...I trying to find Joy in our busy lives!

Day #269

Spent the morning cleaning the house…and getting it ready for the walk through.  I am so glad that in a few days I won't have to think about it anymore.  Afterwards I got to spend some time loving on the little ones.  I spent the mornng babysitting for FMSC.  I was with 11 little one's under the age of 2. Oh how it refreshes my soul!



Day #268

I love serving with my Life Group…what a great bunch of people.  We did the late night shift for Feed My Starving Children.   Feed my starving children is a great organization that brings food, mana packs to over 70 countries.  It is a great competitive night to see how many meals we can pack.

Day #267

Had Lunch with a great lady.  There is a benefit to working in Brecksville…It is always good after a couple months to touch base on where each of us in regards to life in general and God.  I miss seeing her every week but God places us each exactly where He wants us...And I think they are going to do amazing things where they land!

Day #266

Thankful for the great weather.  Hannah and I haven't been able to play tennis for quiet some time because of rain, and busy schedules.  It was refreshing to play tennis and get some exercise.

Day #265

Today was a rough day, feeling very overwhelmed with all the packing that still needs to be done.  Finished meeting with Leigh Ann about our up coming bible study around 9pm and still had a ton to get done.  Luke stopped by with some cherry ice cream…thankful for the uplift in a long day!

Day #264

Thankful for a relaxing evening outside by the fire with my guy and Bob & Starla.  It was great just to share stories and life together.

Day#263

First Fall Hiking Spree of the Year.  Thankful  for the beautiful weather.  Thankful that I am pushed to talk and walk through instead of  just work through on my own the battles I fight.  Thankful for Pastor Ryan who shared the importance of the Gospel message...I am a  needy and dependent person- apart from the Gospel I am NOTHING!

Day#262

Thankful for a day to get organized and put things away.  The move is almost done…and for that I'm thankful…Can't wait to be settled for a little while.

Day#261

I love that our life group is willing to go the extra mile for one another.  One of members grandmother passed away and most of the group set aside their plans and drove and hour  to be with him and his family…presence is a powerful thing.  I am thankful for community that is focused on loving God and loving others!

Day#260

WOW…Jim, Mike, Greg, & Luke helped me move  a majority of my stuff to storage.  I was going to hire movers but Greg suggested I higher them, and donate the money towards their mission trip.  I think that is an excellent idea!  Thankful that he thought of that...now I think we might have a great fundraiser in the works!

Day#259

Wednesday's always seem to be rough days… The battles I face on these days always seem a  little harder. I'm thankful for friends who are always ready at the drop of a hat to pray for me and support me.  Investing in one another is key to loving others well...and that they do!

Day#258

Thankful for the journey that began many many years ago of just mixing and matching things together for dinner.  Made a really good dinner…it was a little suspect at first…Hannah said if it doesn't turn out we can just order pizza.  And turn out it did...everyone got seconds.  Squash casserole was a hit!

Day #257

Thankful for time to catch up with my brother. We played golf at GoodPark…in the rain.  Thankful that we can be so honest with one another, and spur each other on, whether it is golf or in life!

Day#256

Thankful for the two men in our group who  agreed to step up and lead group for the next  couple weeks. We will be reading through Joel for the 4 weeks.  We are trying to shift our focus on to the group.  We want them to grow in leadership and this is  a great opportunity.  Thankful for the journey we get to take with them

Day#255

Thankful for family that likes to play games.   Had dinner with Brad, Mindy, Brianna, Luke, Michael, Kristina, and Baby Ethan!  We played a competitive game of catch phrase.  Rematch is in store!  Team KLM will be beating BKM  :-)

Day#253

I am thankful that I am learning to guard my time…that I need to be more intentional with my time.  I am learning that I need time to rest and relax.  It is not easy to make a transition from a very busy “GO” lifestyle to a more relaxed life style but I know that it is important to making steps towards the best that God has for me!

Day#252

Thankful for the freedom that is found in love.  God’s love for us is given to us freely without hesitation. God’s love for us is independent of our actions…good or bad…and for that I am forever thankful!

Day#251

Luke had asked some life group peeps to help me pack, because I have been very overwhelmed trying to pack up my house to move out by September 30th.  I am so thankful for Jim, Mike, Bethany, and Luke for all their help. They really knocked out a lot of stuff on Tuesday in just 2 hours.  Thankful that God provides and we have community to bear each other’s burdens!  Thankful for Luke who took the initiative to ask for help!!

Day#250

Laughter among family.  Today we celebrated Sheryl’s birthday.  What a fun time laughing and being together.  Thankful that we can celebrate another year of her life well lived.

Day#249

Went to Cincinnati for the day.  What a fun, clean city.  I love being by the riverfront.  Always wanted to live by a large river/lake.  Greg, Mike, Dwayne, Luke, and I took a day trip to attend the Reds/Mets game and to see The Great American BallPark.  On my bucket list is to go to all the major league ballparks… and we have been trying to knock some of them out this year.  Thankful for Greg, who was our excellent driver…that I could lay in the back and read my book, that in and of itself is a  great gift…time to read!

Day #248

I used to think my days were super busy and Jammed packed…and now I never knew that I could fit more in, or how I would give certain things up…But I am so thankful for this evening after running around that I didn’t turn on the OSU football game (right there I think that mig ht be blasphemy, LOL). Thankful because it allowed for some great uninterrupted conversation with Luke.

Day #247

I haven’t babysat at the Church on Friday’s in a while with summer and busy schedules.  I truly love these little kids.  I am so thankful to sit in the grass and just chat with “Abby” about what is going on in her life.  Even at the tender age of 9 kids just want to know that someone cares.  “Ricky” was so excited to see me and hang out even when I Had to discipline him he was sad to see me go …but excited when I told him I would be back next week.  Thankful for the opportunity to spend time with them.

Day #254

Thankful that I was able to babysit at CR 2 weeks in a row.  The kids make me smile with  their desire to be kids and have fun.

Day #239

Sometimes we need to experience rough times in order to appreciate the good times...We need to experience no sleep in order to be thankful for a night of rest...we need to know what pure exhaustion is in order to be thankful for a time to be still.   I am thankful for these rough times because I know it will make me that much more thankful to God when I have a good day, get sleep, and am not physical and emotionally spent...looking forward to that day!!!

Day #238

There are a lot of sandpaper people out there.  Some God asks us to love and through it we are changed.  Others Satan brings into our lives and out armor is challenged.  Either way we are called to love God's people.  I am thankful for the constant reminder that we all are in need of love!

Day#246

Thankful that I get to work  out out and mow my grass!  Yep…haven’t mowed my back yard in over a month…it is about due!  Thankful that I was able to say “NO” to things so that I would have the time to do the necessary things in life. 

Day #245

Thankful for the guys in our group who stepped up.  We had a cook-out and Luke was gone but they manned up and pretty much led everything….prayer, cooking, fire, etc.  It is exciting to see them step into the natural role that God has for them!

Day #244

Went to my last Indians game for the year, which is sad…especially since they lost.  BUT I just love Joanna’s enthusiasm and excitement for people.  I am thankful for who God has made her because it reminds me to share in others joys and sorrows!

Day #243

Thankful for my friend and JEJIT (just enough just in time)  I texted my friend today for a little prayer…was meeting a lot of Luke’s family, and I was nervous (you get that way when you care about someone)…So I asked that my friend would pray that I would be myself and that I would be confident in who God made me…her reply was just what I needed at just the right time.  “You are altogether beautiful, my love; there is no flaw in you…this is how the lord sees you, Luke, me, and countless others…you are God’s masterpiece…own it! 

Day #242

I was able to spend some time listening to a girl in our groups heartbeat and what God has summoned her to and gave her a passion for…I love when people are excited about where God is taking them…even when it is outside their comfort zone! 
Thankful for being spoiled, flowers, fantastic shrimp & filet, walk, smore’s, and chapter 2! 

Day #241

Clambake day!  I mean enough said…but this year there was a lot more help from my Dad’s friends which made the day soooo much more enjoyable for everyone.  Thankful for the traditions we have…Brad and I picking up corn at Luther’s farm, shucking the corn, putting up the net, and tables and chairs, setting up the tv for the OSU game.  It is always good to spend the day with my brother

Day #240

I know it is not that exciting to say that I spent the evening putting away clothes and cleaning out my closets to some degree so I could put stuff in storage and donate stuff.  But I am thankful that I had company and we could have necessary conversations.  At the end of the day we were able to read chapter 1 of our book, Real Marriage…pretty excited to be doing this together!

Day #237

Thankful for a little girl named B.  We used to spend every other Friday together and how I miss that with my new job!!!!!  But she was so excited to see me tonight at volleyball because she learned that I was moving back home for a little awhile and would see her Monday, Thursday and Friday’s!!  Just to see her face light up again!!!

Day #236

I am thankful for community.  That we can stand together and do hard things together all in the name of Christ.  It is not easy but we need to take risk to accept the best that God has for us.

Day #235

Loved being able to share Mexico City with those who have a heartbeat for the people that went on the trip, the Mexicans, and missions in general.  As a group we were able to share some of the difficult aspects of the trip, where we saw God working on a daily basis, and some of our favorite moments from the trip.  It is always great to see that no one had the same experience!

Day #234

Thankful for Joanna helping to prepare for a fun evening at the orchestra.  Out conversations always make me chuckle!  Our life group and my family had a fun picnic and listened to a great show!  I am grateful for the way God works in the hearts of people and pursues them down dark paths and the depths that He is willing to go, to bring someone back to HIM.

Day #233

What a fun evening!  We celebrated Missy Flanagan and Bob Girton as they united into one!  A great night to get dressed up and celebrate with the couple.  Thankful for getting lost on the way home…thankful for the unexpected adventure!