So it's almost Christmas again!  And boy has my mind totally flipped from last year Christmas!  I am no where near ready to have a baby and am SO thankful that I don't have one right now!  They are most definately a blessing and I LOVE holding and playing wither Avery!  She is the most wonderful thing ever (I probably would say that about my nephews too, Dylan and Lukas, but they live in Florida so I don't see them).  I think back to the very first time I thought I was pregnant and was so excited, right after Aron and I were married.  This would mean that I would have an 18 month old running around, ha!  Wow, wouldn't my life be different? :)  I will most definately feel and be blessed when it is time for us to have kids, I just pray that God will change my heart again first, so it won't be a total shock! LOL

This year I'm so excited for Christmas!  As a family we are not exchanging gifts which totally takes the pressure off finding something good for under $20 that you know they'll want... never easy for my family!  We are just getting together for a games and dinner on Christmas. Avery of course is only 7 months so she'll be spoiled with lots of presents :)  The only bummer is that this year, Dave and Jess won't be joining us, so our Family will only have 8 adults and Avery.  I was so looking forward to having the three to see together, oh well, someday again. 

We did not make the second bedroom into a studio because we are praying that the Lord will provide us with the funds to purchase a house next year.  With the housing market way down, we should be able to get a pretty decent house for not a lot of money.  I don't need to have a house, and in fact we waffle back and forth on this because 'do we really want to have to shovel the driveway in the winter? or mow the lawn in the summer? or replace the roof when it needs it? or...' you get the point!  But it would be nice to have more space, have a lower monthly payment then rent (our rent just increased a massive amount this november!) :( and the number one reason I would love to have a house!... I really would like a photo studio!  That is the number one hindrance to my lack of photography business... I don't have a place to do indoor pictures!  I will travel of course, but not many people want that.

My goal for 2009... to become a full time photographer!  I want to have enough business that I don't have to work anywhere else!  If I choose to, it will be just that, my choice.  But I don't want to HAVE to!

Please pray for me this Christmas season, that I will continue to remember the reason that we celebrate, Jesus' birth!  And of course, if Christ wouldn't have been born, he couldn't have died to save me!  But also please pray that I'm not toiling away at something that God doesn't want for me.  Sometimes I feel that this is my dream and not His, but then He always has a way of 'telling me' (at least I think He is) that I'm doing the right thing.  I'm done with my rambling now and off to work on the books, dishes and play some Sims on my day off!

PS. Aron didn't take the job at Meijer.  He still works at GFS and at the Post Office!  But things have gotten way better around there and it's somewhat enjoyable again!

We celebrated Christmas yesterday with my family at my parents' house. It was a lot of fun and I can't imagine how it's going to be next year! This year there were 10 adults! Just in my immediate family and that's crazy to think of. This year there was only one nephew, Dylan. Next year there's going to be two more little ones around! Aron and I prepared the turkey and it looked really good... it just smelled DISGUSTING! We had a rotten turkey :( So we obviously didn't eat it. But we had lots of other yummy food. Veggies and dip, Veggie pizza, meatballs, turkey (lunch meat) sandwhiches, cheesy potatos, mozzerella sticks, fried broccoli and cheese and fried mushrooms.. it was good! So I guess it wasn't so bad that we didn't have a turkey, but it really bummed Aron. He was soo excited to prepare it! I was just reminded again how blessed I am and how God is amazing! I have the greatest family!

I do have to say that I didn't realize how hard it was going to be this Christmas though. I was extremely jealous when I found out my second sister, Jess, was pregnant for fear that she and Apryl would grow closer together and baby bond and leave me in the cold, like when we were little. But then Apryl and I talked and I realized that I'm not going to lose her sistership or friendship and if anything I will just get to be a double Aunt who can give the babies back and when it comes time to Aron and I having kids, I'll be spoiled cause I don't have to share it. So I got over the jealousy quickly, until yesterday! I felt so left out of the babyness. Sharing about how they feel, when their doc appts are, how they want to decorate... ugh. I'm still excited for them, just a little bit bummed again for me. Oh well, I know that if/when it's God's will, we'll have a baby... :/ Just had to add that little rant on!

Merry Christmas!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  So I just thought I would share a few of the thanks that I have :)
~God, who always has control and never leaves even when I stray and always provides for us no matter the circumstances
~Christ, who yes is God, but died for me so that I could live
~Aron, my husband, whom I love with everything that I have to love with
~My mother, Cindy, who has been through so much and I'm so thankful that God did not take her home yet
~My father, Don, who has been there for my mother and my family
~My sister,Apryl, her upcoming baby and my brother-in-law, Jim, and the friendship that we share
~My other sister, Jessica, her soon to be husband, Dave, my nephew Dylan and upcoming baby, and the relationship that we are building now that they live around GR (Still praying that they'll find God)
~My brother, Jaxson, that his faith has grown so much and that our relationship has also grown in that time
~My brother, Rydder, that he has a steady job and is a little more responsible (still praying that he'll find God)
~My friends, whom I'm blessed to have so many that it would be nearly impossible to list every single one.  Just know that each of you have touched my life in so many ways!
~My kitty, Zoey, that she is still around and loves me and is active and keeps me company when I need it