Oh Yeah...

6 weeks ago today, the latest addition to our family arrived. My niece, Olive Elizabeth Haas, entered the world, ever so gracefully. Her mom, my sister and closest friend, did amazing. If you know Casey, you know how together she has always been. Well, it really showed during labor. She was so calm, so relaxed and so focused. I was amazed by the whole thing. Especially because she didn't have an epidural. Olive and Casey are doing great.

Dear God, Thank you for bringing Olive into the world safely. Amen.

I did it!

I have been saying for about a year and a half that I really want to get my nose pierced. Well, today I finally did it. (You have to look closely in the picture, it's on my right side). It didn't even really hurt at all. The best part of this whole thing is what pushed me to finally do it. In our family at Christmas, after we open our presents, my parents give us each a gift that is special, something with a lot of meaning. This year, when it was my turn and I opened a box, there was $40.00 and a business card from Chrome Lotus Tattoo shop. My parents tried to get me a gift certificate but they had run out. So they gave me cash instead so I could go get my nose pierced. They are awesome. But more than that, what they really gave me what their unconditional love and support. It meant so much to me that they thought enough about what I have been wanting and got it for me. So today, after lunch, we just decided to go get it done. I was super nervous but I did it!

Thanks mom and dad for loving me for who I am. You are pretty much the best.

The Best Vacation Ever

So I just got back from the best vacation ever! Cody and I went to New York City for 4 days and had such a blast. It was amazing. We left New York on the 30th so we got out of dodge before the New Year's Eve frenzy. Both of us loved the city. Our favorite part was going to Central Park. It was so beautiful and we spent a lot of time there walking around, taking lots of pictures. I had no idea that Central Park was over 800 acres. It was awesome. I especially loved spending so much time with Cody, with no agenda, no itinerary, just doing what we wanted to do. It really was a vacation. We packed a lot into 4 days but it didn't seem like we were soooooooo busy or rushed. Kind of hard to explain.

On Sunday we took the subway over to Brooklyn Tabernacle and went to church. We arrived right on time and there were almost no seats left. We finally found a place to sit up in the balcony, just a few rows from the top. The service was awesome, and you could really feel the Spirit of God all around you. We were surrounded by people of all languages. That was probably the neatest thing, to be worshiping with so many different cultures, with one common passion. It was great. The pastor, Jim Cymbala, spoke about Receiving First.......let me elaborate. He gave the example of how fathers take such great joy in watching their kids open up their presents....much more fullfilling that opening your own presents. Then he went on to say that God wants us to receive so much from Him first; His love, His forgiveness; His grace; His comfort....everything. Once we have received what God wants to give us, then we are ready to start giving ourselves. But first......our first step...is to receive. I loved being reminded of that. Sometimes I think I forget to stop and let God fill me up or recharge me. And then I wonder why I get burnt out so quickly....anyways. It was a great experience and I am so thankful that we had the chance to go.


Dear God, Thank you for providing a way for us to go on a vacation to New York. It was perfect. Amen.