Taylor-Made Family

I'm out of school for the next 4 days and am just getting ready to head up to my parents' for Thanksgiving. One of the many things I'm thankful for at this time of year is family and friends. I hope everyone has a a very "thankful" thanksgiving, and may you enjoy this special time with those you love! As for me, I'm looking forward to spending time baking with my mom over the next few days.... I just bought everything for a pumpkin, pecan and cherry pies, and also sweet potato casserole.... YUM!! Tomorrow it'll just be my parents, Nate and Andrea and me for Thanksgiving dinner. Holly and Dan will be coming in Friday, and Brandon is coming in Saturday. We'll have a big family dinner Saturday afternoon when everyone is here! Friday we're going to go downtown Indy for the lighting of the Christmas "tree" (i.e. Monument... see pic below!)... that's always alot of fun!! Anyway, I just wanted to take a moment to express my thankfulne...

I think it's crazy but true how much we (girls especially) base our definition of beauty on what we see in magazines, tv, etc... why do we do that?? I confess it's sometimes easy for me to fall into that trap of comparing myself... what if I lost 15 pounds or wore this makeup or got my hair cut in this way... and on and on?? This will never lead to a right attitude!! How do we keep a right perspective then?? Two thoughts come to my mind: 1) Stop the comparing, and replace it with an accurate (God-centered) view of ourselves. Beauty is good. God created us, and said it was "good". He wants us to take care of ourselves. It's important to me to exercise, eat healthy ...I want to continue those habits (or get better at them in some cases :). I even want to try to look my best...when I know Brandon is coming to see me, I've found I just naturally want to look nice....I can't help it! I think God is honored by those attitudes, but he hates when we compare ours...

It's been waaay too long since I've written on here... where does time go?!? I couldn't believe my eyes when I looked out my classroom window last week to see little snow flurries floating through the air!!..... none of them stuck, but it still reminded me that winter is just around the corner. One of the reasons I haven't written much on here is that this past month has been FULL to the brim ... there's been alot going on both in my personal life (and the lives of family and friends) and at school. There is much to be thankful for amidst the activities and busyness ..... God is gracious and loving in His provision, I know that full well! yes... God is good, and I want to share some of the ways he's been good in my life personally. 10 Things I'm Thankful for from October: 1) My mom went in for knee replacement surgery on Mon, Oct. 9. The surgery went well, and though I'm sure she was in alot of pain and feeling quite out of it for awhile, her thankful, q...

A devotional I received from a friend: J.o.e. = “Joy over eternity”…Eternity spent with a loving God is not only a reality once we leave this world, but it is a reality now as well. “…the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Nehemiah 8 A morning devotion...from one sister to another... Luke 7:36-50 36 Now one of the Pharisees was requesting Him (Jesus) to dine with him, and He entered the Pharisee's house and reclined at the table. 37 And there was a woman in the city who was a sinner (immoral woman); and when she learned that He was reclining at the table in the Pharisee's house, she brought an alabaster vial of perfume, 38 and standing behind Him at His feet, weeping, she began to wet His feet with her tears, and kept wiping them with the hair of her head, and kissing His feet and anointing them with the perfume. This story is so beautiful... Many of us, gals, probably appreciate the sweet smell of perfume and how it causes to feel as though we are like a beautiful flower... So...

Two tributes to 9/11 and those whose lives were lost on that day: http://www.september-11th.us/Tribute-1.html http://www.september-11th.us/September-11th-Tribute.html God bless!

Brandon and his family invited me to join them earlier this month for a wonderful time at their family cottage on Mary Lake in Ontario. (also, on the grounds of Muskoka Baptist Conference ( http://mbc.gospelcom.net/ ). I had a great time, and I'm so thankful they invited me. What a peaceful serene place! Here are some photos I love of the sunsets over the lake, some other pictures taken while out on the lake, and a picture of Brandon and I:

This comes from a book by Jonathan Edwards: "Love to God disposes men to see his hand in everything ; to own him as the governor of the world, and the director of providence; and to acknowledge his disposal in everything that takes place. And the fact, that the hand of God is a great deal more concerned in all that happens to us than the treatment of men is, should lead us, in a great measure, not to think of things as from men, but to have respect to them chiefly as from God—as ordered by his love and wisdom ...." (Jonathan Edwards, Charity and Its Fruits, pp. 79-80)

Recent family pic - California June 2006 La Jolla, CA June, 2006

In June, my family and I had the privelege of spending 9 days in California for a wonderful time of vacation and visiting relatives. It was the first vacation that we'd taken as a whole family since we've all "grown-up". California is beautiful with the rugged mountains, the beaches, the sunsets, and even the deserts I think of as God's creative handiwork. I was born and raised in S. Cal so I suppose it will always hold a special place in my heart... what can I say? This pic was taken in La Jolla (suburb of San Diego), and there is actually a seal hanging-out on the ledge of one of the rocks! The best part of our trip was being reunited with our grandpa, uncle, aunt and cousins on my dad's side. They graciously welcomed us into their already-busy home when we first arrived, and we had so much fun. During the fi rst Saturday there, we also took some time to remember my grandma, visiting her grave with grandpa. She passed away in February of 2002, and is now wit...