Festival of Lights 2012

Okay... I said I wouldn't post until after Christmas. BUT I didn't know my wonderful Man who loves me, was going to take me to see the Peoria lights last night. So I think that gives me an excuse. *grins* I absolutely love going to see all the Christmas light but Justin didn't really want to go... although afterwards he said he enjoyed it. Yay!

So here are all the pictures I took while driving through the park. Sorry if they are blurry or off center. It's hard to make the camera focus while moving.

In honor of my brothers service to the US of A...

This is what you see right before you leave the park. I laughed when I saw this whale. Poor thing looks in pain... at least to me he does. I half expected to see Pinocchio inside him.

That's all for now! Just thought I would share these pictures real quickly. 

Until next time!

Decorating for Christmas

Christmas is almost upon us, can you believe it? Why does it always feel as though this time of the year goes by so quickly? Maybe it's because we are always so rushed to make sure the gifts are picked out, or the decorations done, or the cooking finished. Well, this year I did our shopping early which has made a huge difference in how I see this Christmas. The Lord has blessed me with so much and yet my heart didn't go into this Christmas season full of joy. I have lots to learn about being patient for God's timing and learning to just sit back and enjoy life while I wait... patiently. So now that my heart is in the right place I can enjoy the celebration this year and be thankful for what I have. 

One of my friends posted a picture of this idea on Facebook and I decided that our kitchen could use a little Christmasy decorating. I love how the ribbons make our cabinets look like presents.  

A couple weeks ago my wonderful husband took us Christmas tree shopping. We found the perfect one too! Here we are posing before taking it home. 

This picture not only shows how strong my Man is but it also shows his amazing skills at balancing. What a hunk!

That night we put the lights on together. Sorry the picture quality is so bad! I'm not sure what was going on with our camera at this point. 

Such cuteness! I think it is safe to say that Pippin is the best dog I have ever had! And I've grown up with dogs my whole life. He such a sweetie and not to mention adorable. His favorite spot to sleep was under the Christmas tree once we put it up. But I have since stuck our presents under there and he wasn't too happy. 

I love how I can be goofy and ridiculous and yet this amazing man still loves me. Such a wonderful and comforting feeling.

Hanging our "just married" ornament we got last Christmas. I cannot believe it's already our second Christmas together!

The tree after it's all done being decorated. It has lasted from the day after Thanksgiving until now without losing all of it's needles! I'm pretty happy about that.

Tonight we are going to Choir Practice for our Church's annual Candle Light Service. Justin and I both love to sing in the choir! It's something that we can both do since we haven't been blessed with children yet.

Next time I post on here it will be after Christmas so I want to wish everyone a...

Merry Christmas!!!!

and

Happy New Year!!!!

"Give Thanks Unto the Lord!"

Thanksgiving has never really been my favorite holiday but I do look forward to it none-the-less. Not because of the food... I know, how non-american of me... But because of coming together as a family and sharing why we are thankful for everything the Lord has blessed us with. This year was especially exciting because it is the second Thanksgiving with my beloved husband and the first time in 7 years that both my two older brothers were able to join my family on this holiday!

That morning we woke up bright and early to have breakfast with my favorite family-in-love. We had fresh baked cinnamon rolls, bacon (YUM!), sausage, and eggs. It was such a lovely way to spend our Thanksgiving morning and I am glad we made time before they headed up to Chicago for their celebration.  To have such close and wonderful friends turn into family through marriage is a joy most girls don't get. But I have most certainly been blessed to be invited into their lives so happily!

Our family portrait of Thanksgiving 2012!

After saying our goodbyes to the family, we headed to our other wonderful family to celebrate. Here is the table, all set for dinner except for the huge container of puppychow I made right in the middle. My Mom got a picture of us all sitting there with our plates piled high but unfortunately I don't have that picture. So this will have to do... 

Before dinner I helped my parents take the annual pictures of all my siblings. If you've ever been to my parents house you have probably seen the wall in their bedroom which is covered with 8x10's of all us kids and our new families. While I was taking some of them, they took some of me as well.

Group shot of all my wonderful sisters.

And of course, Mr. Handsome had to get his picture taken as well. These past few days my Handsome man hasn't been feeling too good. He had to stay home from work because of being so sick. It was really hard for me to see him in pain and not be able to help him with it. But I was also happy that we had two days in the middle of the week to just relax with each other. That doesn't happen very often which made me thankful for it.

My amazing mother took some pictures of Justin and I together. I think they are both really good but maybe I'm just bias...

After dinner while the guys were playing a round of dominos some of my sisters and I got hold of Garrison's iPad and this is what happened. I still laugh every time I see this picture!!

And my dear Pip. *laughing* This picture makes him look like a collie. Those of you who have seen him before know his face isn't but 2 inches long so this photo is pretty funny as well.

 The whole family together at last! I will say, 7 years without having the holidays together is a loong time but it made us that much more thankful for on this day. I love my whole family SO much and I am so blessed to be a part of each and every one of their lives. I couldn't have asked the Lord for a more loving, caring, and supportive family.



My sweet-handsome-love and I together.



Well that ends our Thanksgiving 2012 post. I hope you enjoyed!

Until next time!
~Melinda

Our 1st Anniversary

On October 15, 2012 Justin and I celebrated our first year of marriage. To think that I can say I've been married for a year is just amazing. In the midst of it all, time seemed to go at a regular speed but now looking back I feel as though it flew by without warning. We have had such a wonderful year learning and growing together experiencing new things and falling more and more in love as each day goes by. I couldn't live without this man of my dreams and I pray that I never have to.

A couple months before our anniversary I was looking online for some romantic getaways. After some searching I found the perfect spot! Only one problem though, it was going to be over $600 bucks to go for a couple nights. Although I knew we didn't have much of a chance I still entered us in a drawing just for fun. When it was 3 weeks away from the 15th I got an email saying that Sybaris (the place I wanted to go) was going to give us a 40% discount as a gift. I about fell out of the chair and then ran to tell Justin! He said if the discount was true then he'd love to go! It was such a wonderful couple of days I cannot even begin to say. The fact that we could wake up whenever we wanted and spend the whole day together was priceless. With Justin's job I hardly get to see him during the day, so this was such a treat for us both.

The is the view you get as you walk through the front door of our room. We get our own private pool included in the package plus a hot tube, sauna, and massage chair. 

Here is another view of the room, still standing in the doorway and looking to the right. 

The lovely bathroom where we were spoiled with two sinks!

Ahhhh the pool. *happy sigh* It was about 16 feet long and 3-4 feet deep. Although I will say it felt a lot deeper than that cause I could tread water without touching the bottom. And it was all our own! 

On our anniversary I gave Justin a picture frame with our vows printed inside. 

For breakfast Justin took me to IHOP which as always, was delicious.

He also bought us both some Starbucks! Normally we don't get it because we call it "fivebucks" but this day was special. 

For dinner Justin took me to Aurelio's for some pizza. I had never been there so I wasn't expecting much but in the end I was very pleasantly surprised because it was fabulous pizza. 

We knew what we wanted but I figured while we waited I would look at the menu. Justin caught me... 

Yummy! Definitely going there again whenever we're up that way. 

On our last day there Justin promised he would buy me some Dunkin' Doughnuts for breakfast. I haven't had those sugar infested things in forever. Man, were they good! But it was totally a sugar overload on my body. *laughs* Well worth it though, in my opinion. :) 

That ends our anniversary trip. I had such a lovely time and would love to go back. The memories surrounding that trip will always be with us though. *happiness*

Until next time!
~Melinda

Developing a Healthy Prayer Life

A friend of mine shared this with me and I think it is worth reading and taking to heart. Enjoy! 

Then Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain.” So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, “Go up now, look toward the sea.” So he went up and looked, and said, “There is nothing.” And seven times he said, “Go again. Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, “There is a cloud, as small as a man’s hand, rising out of the sea!” So he said, “Go up, say to Ahab, ‘Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you." Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. Then the hand of the Lord came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel. -1 Kings 18:41-46

The previous scene on Mt. Carmel was one of remarkable power-God answered Elijah's prayer by fire and all the priests of Baal were killed. After such success, Elijah does not wait for applause of fame. His ear is more spiritually attuned. He listens for another sound- "a sound of abundance of rain." He is alone, head between his knees, bowing in expectant prayer before God. He prays with his ears open, listening to the expected rain, and with his eyes watching for it.

To "wait on" or "wait upon" the Lord are common biblical phrases, occurring twenty-one times in the Old Testament. The root of the Hebrew word translated "wait on" means "to wait expectantly." It is the same Hebrew word used to describe a servant's attitude toward his master, always watching, expecting motions or looks to direct his service (Ps. 123:2).

Examine your own prayer life. Are you praying expectantly? Is your faith focused upward, looking for the "clouds" that contain God's answer? Or do the sights and sounds of people absorb your focus and concentration? After pouring out his soul and pleading for rain, Elijah instructs his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." Elijah's praying is expectant, for he was resting in God's promise (1 Kings 17). Lack of expectation can be a serious fault in our prayers; we pray but do not go to a vantage point from which we can "look toward the sea" for the fulfillment of God's promises.

If we are truly waiting  for God, we will also be waiting upon Him. For example, this morning when you read your Bible, was your mind's eye upon the Master? Were you asking, "Is there spiritual food here for me?" Did you read the Scriptures expectantly, asking, "What divine instruction is there here for me?" When attending church, do you ask, "What truth will the Lord apply to my heart?" Do you remember the Canaanite woman who continued looking to the Lord, expectantly waiting upon the words and actions of Christ (Matt. 15:21-28)? This is what Scripture calls us to.

Expectant prayer conquers discouragement. There are times when we pray and do not see an answer: there is not a single cloud in the sky, not the trace of an answer. At such times, we can conclude that our prayer is in vain; God will not answer it at all. Expectant prayer, however, looks beyond the cloudless skies. It views God, looking for His clouds and listening for His approaching footsteps. Expectant prayer goes again to pray and to look-seven times or more, if necessary.

Waiting upon the Lord is the opposite of a fatalistic and self-excusing spirit. This deadly attitude complains, "I can do nothing; what will be, will be." Rather, waiting upon God is active, intense, careful, personal, expectant waiting. Psalm 27:14 tells us to "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD." The capitalized name of the Lord indicates Jehovah (Yahweh), the faithful, unchanging, covenant-keeping God, the eternal "I am that I am." This is the hope that enables us to wait expectantly, going to look again and again for the Lord's answer. Unexpectant prayer does not even look for God's answer. Wavering prayer may only look two or three times, being quickly discouraged by a cloudless sky. Such prayers lack the expectant attitude of believers who look "seven times." Those praying expectantly pray and pray, looking again and again.

Waiting upon God is an exercise of faith, hope, and love, especially in times of adversities, trails, and setbacks. Having faith in God means not looking to self, not having faith in self, but instead looking expectantly to God. We must look to Him, not to ourselves. We may not be able to see the solution to our problems; circumstances may be dark and confusing, but we continue to wait upon the Lord, for He is our King (Ps. 20:9). Wait upon God with anticipation and expectation. Look forward to His help and care.

God often exercises and strengthens our faith, hope, and love immeasurably through active waiting. The seventh time Elijah's servant looked, he said, "There ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand." This sign is all that expectant faith needs; by faith Elijah sees the rain already and instructs Ahab to go down, that "the rain stop thee not." Unexpectant prayer has Thomas's attitude: "Elijah, I will not believe it until the drops fall. A cloud is not rain. I must first see it and then I will believe." But Elijah sees fulfillment in the little cloud on the horizon.

And then, Elijah runs. He runs before the king's chariot all the way to Jezreel, full of expectancy in God. God instructs us to pray expectantly, waiting on Him.

What a wonderful privilege it is during setbacks and trials to walk and run by the grace with hope, waiting on the Almighty! Then we experience an inward calm in unsettling circumstances, light in darkness, and sing praise to God while bound in the dungeon. This is only possible through Jesus Christ who merited the grace of holy waiting through His sufferings. He applies His own Word: "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD" (Ps. 27:14).

~From the book "Developing a Healthy Prayer Life"  by James and Joel Beeke

Pumpkin Festival

Last weekend was the Morton Pumpkin Festival. Now Justin's not really a "festival" type of person- the huge crowds, loud noises, and rides are not his cup of tea. But I enjoy them! So my loving husband took me to the festival just so I could have some fun riding the rides. Isn't he so sweet? 

He says the only reason he will go to fairs and festivals is for the food. *laughs* Well I say, who goes to a fair and doesn't get some funnel cake? So that's exactly what we got. :)

1001 Nachts is one of my favorite rides! It gives you such a thrill as if you're dropping while they swing you round and round. I love that sensation!  

The Pharoah's Fury, now this ride is like your on a huge swing with a giant pushing you. What's not to like? 

You cannot tell very well in this picture, but if you look on the back row to the right I'm the crazy girl with her hands in the air. :D 

The lines for the famous pumpkin ice cream were waaay too long. So Justin and I cheated and he bought us some from Culvers. 

Such a cutie, right?... lol

*Happy sigh* I love him so stinkin' much.

Well that's all for now! Until next time!
~Melinda