A few glimpses into daily life

This weekend we had a lot of holiday activities. Here's some pictures from events lately. It has been a bit of an aggravating night so I'd like to spread some beauty around.
 David watching the live nativity at a local church (orange and gray jacket in front of pole)









 Look what we found! A giant post office safe. It's in a church hall. Yes, I know I'm a nerd. Yes, I'm proud of it.









 Matt and the boys at our Christmas tree lighting


 Our town's tree this year before being lit. It's a little.... Charlie Brown-ish this year






 That's a bit better.

 We have a festival of trees to benefit our historical society. People/companies decorate trees (with ornaments, gift cards, presents, etc) and then they raffle them off. I always lose. Someday I will win. Here are some trees (and a really creepy elf in the first one.. lol)


 Books! I was half intrigued and half upset that they ruined the books. lol Cool star though

 The church where I performed my Christmas concert on Sunday








Santa- not the best conductor. I like the enthusiasm though.


Our concert was videotaped and broadcast. If you'd like to hear it, here is the link. Sounds of Christmas Concert I don't play too much in this concert, but the music is nice.  Start at about 22 minutes. PS. Santa's violin was a prop. There was great concern. Check out what the audience sounds like at 1:59: ish 

Blessings

Based on my overwhelming response from the last post (none), I decided not to go with my original idea.  Instead I'll just check in occasionally.






Although I always try to be mindful of my blessings, I think Advent is a good time for me to slow down to prepare my heart for Christmas and to acknowledge the blessings that I have on a daily basis.
      Here are some special moments over the past few days:
1. Starting Unwrapping the Greatest Gift by Ann Voskamp with my family. The family time is as wonderful as the message and the activities.

2. The sweet and simplistic prayers of my sons. Why do we make praying so complicated sometime?

3. Today was a student's birthday. This is a student who is especially close to me. She has been singing for me for 4 years in 2 different groups, plus the musicals. I have also had her brother as a student so I have known her family for a long time. This is her last year with me.  I decided to get her a small birthday gift. So, I asked Matt to buy some candy that he has made at work. We picked out a candy cane, pecan turtles and some fudge. When I gave it to her, she was surprised that I had gotten her a gift, which was expected. When I told her that it was candy that Matt had personally made (She has met my family at concerts and has run into them a few times outside of school), she got a little teary and thanked me and told me that we made her feel "really special."  I guess that was my intention, but I didn't think it would mean THAT much to her.

4.  On my drive home tonight- rushing, as usual- I needed to stop at the post office to get something postmarked. The community is on the coast. As I rode up to the top of a hill (right by the governor's house), I was greeted by a beautiful view. The ocean was slightly choppy looking and the color of the sky was fading to the colors of dusk. What really drew my attention was the clouds, which looked like they were illuminated from below.

5.  I came home to a giant pile of mail! I will share my week of mail at the end of the week. I've been getting some great stuff. I probably won't share any of my picture cards since I won't usually put a picture up without asking permission (except my father-in-law that one time..)

Timmy's Christmas gift to me

     Timmy decided to make my Christmas gift this year and I love it. What do you think?

    Can you see the little envelope on the snail shell? He's so cute.
    For all of my friends, I hope that you had a wonderful day and know that you are deeply loved. If any of my friends have not heard the good news of the gospel and would like to hear about Jesus, please feel free to reach out. Merry Christmas!

Car Accident

     You know what is NOT rejuvenating? Getting in a car accident on the way to work. Today on the way to work, my car was hit at full speed by a young girl. She was coming off a side street and her brakes apparently didn't work. She slammed into the back passenger seat. The car spun around and landed in a snowbank. I whacked my head and shoulder against the window but I'm alright. The doctor said that the next few days will be really sore but I'll be okay.  Reasons I'm grateful:

-I'm grateful that I have a God who loves me and protects me. I don't think it's realistic that a Christian will go through life unscathed by anything, but I know that God is with me all the time and that's a HUGE burden lifted off of my shoulders. (If you've ever had questions about faith in Jesus and you've wanted to ask anyone, feel free to message me. I'll be glad to share.)
- I'm grateful that I have enough money to have a car, car insurance, health insurance and to possibly rent a car.
- I'm grateful that I am healthy enough that I didn't break anything.
-I'm grateful that I saw her coming and was able to brace for impact a bit.
-I'm grateful that I have friends and family who called or wrote to check in on me.
-I'm grateful that the girl who hit me was not hurt.
-I'm grateful that my kids weren't in the car.
-I'm grateful that I know my car is just a possession so I'm not horribly upset.
-I'm grateful that I have a husband and kids who prayed for me when it happened.
-I'm grateful that I was able to rest a bit today.

      I hope you all take a moment tonight to just count your blessings. You never know when something like this will happen and what the outcome will be. Be grateful and aware of the conveniences you have and mercy you have been shown. Be kind to others and show forgiveness. All of these things are extremely rejuvenating to both you and the people you associate yourself with.

Thanks for reading :)