Thank You Carrie Johnson!

So, anyone who knows me well knows that I LOVE pictures. I always have. I love capturing memories. Our apartment is full of pictures, in fact it probably looks like we are very conceited because there are pictures of Tyler and I all over! At least we have pictures of other loved ones around too! Anyways, I have been scheming about our Christmas cards for this year the past couple months and I of course HAD to have our pictures done for them!;) I have been wanting to set up a photo shoot with the talented Carrie Johnson for awhile now, and a session for our Christmas cards seemed like the perfect time. I love how our pics turned out...Carrie did an awesome job. I would recommend her to anyone. She made us feel comfortable and really took an interest in what we wanted. I just had to share a few of my favorite shots!

Thanksgiving 2010

I can't believe Thanksgiving has already come and gone. How did that happen? This year has just flown by! We had a wonderful day today celebrating with the Ellis side of the family and Christina's dad Phil. Us girls divided up the cooking responsibilities and our meal turned out delish! I lived on the edge and even had seconds of stuffing and green bean casserole...shhh...don't tell my hips. ;) I made homemade sausage and roasted garlic stuffing and once again reminded that homemade is always better. After Thanksgiving dinner, the Ellis boys played their annual football game out in the front yard. It was fun to peek out the windows and watch them play. Meanwhile, the Ellis ladies (and Bob) hung out inside and talked while precious Leila Kate napped on Grammy. Later in the evening, we all watched Toy Story 3 (Well, let's face it...I fell asleep). :) It was an awesome day.

Earlier this week, Christina's mom Aida passed away suddenly from stomach cancer. It was nice to be with Phil and Christina and hear stories about their wife and mother. I can't believe how strong they are during this time; I know it's not their own strength, but the strength from our loving heavenly father. The strength he always gives to the grieving amazes me. What really blessed me was seeing Phil's face light up when he talked about his wife of almost 26 years. The glow radiating from his face confirmed his love for the woman he walked through life with for a quarter of a century. I know how much I love Tyler after being with him for just 3 years. I can't imagine being married to someone for so long and then losing them. I know all of our days and the days of our loved ones are numbered, but how often do we really stop and think of this? We get so wrapped up in the craziness of life that I know I personally forget how fleeting our lives really are. We really do need to cherish every day God gives to us and our loved ones. Thanksgiving 2010 was another wonderful day God blessed me with, as well as my loved ones. I cherished it.



P.S.....While writing this post, I realized I took ZERO pictures on Thanksgiving. What?! Where did I put my head yesterday?

Sad News....

Yesterday, Aida Beardsley went to be with Jesus. Thank you all for your prayers. Please continue to pray for my amazing sister in-law Christina and her family.


You can follow Christina's blog updates here: http://prayersforaida.wordpress.com/.

Please Pray for Aida

Hi friends and family. Just yesterday we received some very disheartening news. Many of you have read my blogs about my lovely sister in-law Christina. Christina has been an amazing blessing to me ever since I first met her and became a part of the Ellis family. I love her very much. She really is a sister to me. Yesterday, Christina and her family found out that Christina's mom Aida has stage 4 stomach cancer. We are all devastated by this news. Aida is such a sweet lady and needs all of our prayers right now. Also, please pray for her husband Phil as well as for Scott and Christina and the rest of their extended family. Scott and Christina are about to welcome a new baby to the family in just a little over a month so they have a lot on their shoulders right now; pray for peace and rest in the midst of this situation. My heart is just breaking for them. Below I am including a link for to a blog Christina started to keep everyone updated on her mom. Take a look if you have a moment. I know many of you reading this blog love me and care about the things I care about. I care so much for Christina and for her family and I thank you in advance for your prayers for Aida and her family.

Christina's blog: http://prayersforaida.wordpress.com/

Pumpkin carving and Trunk N Treat

Tyler and I had the opportunity to decorate our trunk and hand out candy at the Grove's Trunk N Treat this year. We had a blast even though it was a bit chaotic! About 12,000 people attended! We were passing out candy the entire 3 hours we were there...I seriously thought I was going to have carpel tunnel after that night! Last year was the first time I had been to a Trunk N Treat and I knew I wanted to enter our trunk this year. Some of the people who enter their trunks go all out! Seriously, they must spend hundreds of dollars!


Tyler and I were proud of our pumpkins this year! We had a lot of fun carving them together. I love this family tradition we have started. We were excited to display our pumpkins in our trunk! I found my carving idea on Sunset Magazine's website and Tyler found his on another pumpkin carving website. :) At first I worried that his idea might be too scary for the little ones, but everyone loved his pumpkin! :)

Thankfulness

The last several months I have been overwhelmed by all I am blessed with on a daily basis. I know this might sound a little cheesy, but it's true. For some reason, God has really been challenging me to look around me and recognize my blessings. When I start to feel down about something, God has been giving me a swift kick in the behind to change my perspective. Everyday I wake up and am blessed by so many things. I serve an amazing God, am loved by an incredible man, have a wonderful family and friends, and all of my needs are provided for. Living in a state of Thankfulness has really changed how I live everyday and how I view the world around me.

As Thanksgiving quickly approaches, I have noticed that several of my Facebook friends are doing a "30 Days of Thankfulness" status update everyday. Now don't get me wrong, I think this is an awesome idea. However, it has most definitely got me thinking about how often we stop and count our blessings. Is it something we only recognize this time of year? Do we live in a constant state of thankfulness or do we let the little inconveniences and nuisances of life get us down? I know the answer to this question is obvious...of course we do not always stop and count our blessings. Um hello, all of us are moving at the speed of light to accomplish everyday tasks and fulfill our responsibilities. We daily encounter stresses and sorrows....and let's face it...life sometimes is just not fair. However, Ephesians 5:20 challenges us to give thanks always and for everything to God. It is so easy to get wrapped up in all of the "garbage" life throws at us...trust me, I myself am guilty of it....it's toxic. I am striving to live a life of thankfulness as best I can. It's only through Christ's grace that this is possible. He paid the ultimate price for me and above everything else, I am most thankful for that. I challenge you to live a life of thankfulness too...see what it can do for you.