Flagstaff & The Grand Canyon

On Thursday Mom, Dad, Jeremy and I headed north for Flagstaff and then on to the Grand Canyon! 

We stopped in Flagstaff for lunch at a neat authentic Mexican/Southwestern restaurant. 

Wow! All I could keep saying was, "WOW!" 

I apologize for picture overload! It's just so amazing!

See the people on that rock ledge? That really shows the size, it's SO vast!

I was so thankful to share this experience with 3 of my favorite people!

I kept thinking about Psalm 8:4 "What is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him?" 

It's so good to feel so small and be reminded of God's power and majesty! And yet, He cares for us!!!

Here you can see the Colorado River pretty good.

 It was such icing on the cake to see about 8 elk crossing the road right in front of us! So beautiful!!!!

It was pretty cold! Lord willing, I'd love to go back one day when it's not so cold and do some hiking. It's a lot to take in!

"For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse." - Romans 1:20

Sedona & Jerome

It was so fun to explore Sedona and Jerome with my parents and aunt & uncle! We first stopped at Cathedral Rock and went for a short walk to take some pictures. So beautiful! 

We also stopped at Bell Rock and the Chapel of the Holy Cross. It's such a different kind of beauty then I've seen before but I enjoyed it! Truly amazing!

We then when to the center of town in Sedona for lunch at 89Agave.

We left Sedona and headed to the little mountain town of Jerome and explored a few shops before driving back to Phoenix. 

It was a great day of exploring!

Mercy Hill Church

While we were in Phoenix we had the privilege to visit with 2 of the elders of a new church (merge/revitalization) called Mercy Hill Church. Our church partners with them through our church planting network called The Pillar Network. 

We were so encouraged to hear of their ministry and how God has provided and given much guidance to these men as they are trusting Christ and desiring to be faithful to minister to their community. Because we visited their location on a Tuesday we got to see their food distribution day for homeless and low income families. They also have a thrift store. I'm so encouraged by how the Lord is using this church! It's exciting to dream about the ministry of Generation Link partnering with this church. 

My heart ached to see the brokenness and the great need for restoration in the Gospel!

Join us in praying for this church and for the advancement of the gospel in this city!

College National Championship in Phoenix

It was a whirlwind how we ended up in Arizona for the National Championship game but I'm so grateful we were able to go! Perks of being married to a visionary! Thanks to having family in Phoenix during this time (who graciously allowed us to crash at their place) and flyer miles with our credit card (which covered our flights) we took the plunge and headed to Phoenix to cheer on our Tigers! 

We flew out of Atlanta on Monday morning and arrived in Phoenix at 1:30. The game started at 6:30 and we needed to buy tickets before the game (long story….we had bought tickets, sold them, and bought tickets again at the game for much less & great seats….impressed by my hubs!). So we grabbed a bite to eat and drove to the stadium and Jeremy worked it and we ended up with great seats! It was so much fun! 

 Even though Clemson lost, we were so proud of them and the season they had! So glad we got to be there!

December Home Life

Here are some other happenings around here in December…..

The Reeves came over one night for dinner and a bonfire:

Kolson's party, card games, chores, neighbor friends, sickness, Jen & Lilly visit:

Family Christmas movies and snuggles with Tiger:

Kids singing at church and our Christmas candlelight service:

Lots of Christmas Prep and hamster hiding (and watching Tiger discover Chewie):

It was a full and fun month! 

New Years at the Lake

We enjoyed time with family at the lake over New Years! We got there on Bryn's Birthday and the next day exchanged gifts with Grandpa & Grammy. 

My sister and her crew came in on the 30th and we had a great time together. And we cheered on our Tigers in the Orange Bowl! 

So thankful for mom and dad and their hospitality! Mom made some great meals! 

A highlight for Jeremy is hunting….

So thankful for this time together!

Happy 9th Birthday Bryn!

Our Bryn turned 9 on December 28th! She wanted to decorate a gingerbread house and decorate her own birthday cupcakes for her birthday. So we did! 

Her dad got her doughnuts for her birthday breakfast!

 We drove to the lake to see my family on her birthday. We stopped on the way there to see the Star Wars movie for her birthday. All of our kids LOVE Star Wars so this was fun to do all together. 

One of my favorite things about Bryn is her expressions! I love all these pictures of her as we sang Happy Birthday! You are dearly loved my daughter!

Isn't she a doll!? How have 9 years already passed since she entered our lives!?

Home for Christmas

We really enjoyed being home for Christmas this year! 

Jeremy and I enjoyed filling stockings, putting toys together, watching a Christmas movie, and being together Christmas Eve.

I love Christmas morning and seeing the excitement and anticipation on the faces of our kids! I was so thankful for Jeremy's leadership in "prepping" the kids before running out to their stockings. He prayed and reminded us all of the meaning of Christmas and to treasure Christ above all!

After stockings we ate breakfast together and read the Christmas story, sang, and put baby Jesus in our nativity set.

And then we gathered in the family room again to exchange gifts we had bought each other. I especially enjoyed watching the kids give their gifts to each other.

One of the biggest surprises for the kids this year was a hamster! They had asked for this for Christmas but we consistently told them we wouldn't be able to get one…..so it was SO fun to surprise them with this after opening all the other gifts. 

Meet Chewie (short for Chewbacca for all you non-Star Wars fans):

They were so excited and loved holding him and watching him! 

After a nice slow day at home we enjoyed eating Christmas dinner in our dining room. I love my family so much and am thankful for a sweet Christmas 2015!