Early Nights and Early Mornings

Good Morning Everyone!

So anyone who knew me when I was younger can attest to the fact that I was not a morning person. I stayed up late and I loved to sleep in. I am not sure when all this changed but I no longer stay up late and I love to be up early! Not if I have to set an alarm but one of the benefits of going to sleep early is that you naturally wake up early too! Recently (and honestly this has not been the norm and I don't think it will stay the norm, hoping not anyway!) I have been falling asleep at 830pm sharp. Hahaha I think it's because I have been sick and worn down for the past 3 weeks. Yesterday Ian and I were joking that when I am older I will be needing to go to bed around noon if already at 25 I fall asleep at 830. Anyway... it doesn't matter what I am doing. Watching something or reading or just hanging out ... I fall asleep and cannot keep my eyes open. It's a little bit comical in my mind but I think I will get back in to a regular sleeping habit once I am fully better.

The nice thing about it is that I then wake up around 630am and cozy up in bed for about half an hour and then am up at 7 to start my day with some quality time with God. It's so refreshing. When I am doing my devotions I like to feel like I am all by my self or I guess I should say I like to feel like it's just me and God in the room, and so it's nice to be up before Ian and to not feel rushed to get on with the day. It's more difficult on the day's I work but I don't work today so I will just drink it in and enjoy.

My small group is going through the book "A Heart Like His" by Beth Moore right now and so I was reading about David this morning. David and Goliath more specifically and there was one passage that stuck out to me so I will share it with you although you've more than likely read it a few times.

1 Samuel 17: 45-47

David replied to the Philistine, "You come to me with sword, spear, and javelin, but I dome to you in the name of the Lord of Heaven's Armies-- the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. Today the Lord will conquer you, and I will kill you and cut off your head. And then I will give the dead bodies of your men to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! And everyone assembled here will know that the Lord rescues his people, but not with sword and spear. This is the Lord's battle, and he will give you to us!"

So.. it's a pretty gruesome passage but what stood out to me is David's complete confidence in God. He is a living God, he is with us, and he protects us. I just really liked being reminded of that.

To close I wish I had some pictures to show you all. Pictures are always so much fun on blogs... Ian and I are just really bad at taking pictures. We take our camera everywhere and then come back and realize we didn't use it. So, sorry for all the text. I appreciate everyone who puts up pictures! I love seeing little Esme and Gray and bits of what everyone is up to! When I have pictures of anything that's going on here I will post some. For now you get a glimpse as to what is going on in my mind and life!

Lots of love!

PS...

Happy New Year!

I hope and pray that it's a good one for all of you who read this blog and for those who don't :) I have high hopes for the year! I hope you do too :)

With love.

Snowshoeing!

Yesterday Ian and I went snowshoeing for the first time with our new snowshoes! We were headed to a lake that was recommended to us but alas, we found the road closed:

It turned out to be fine because the road was closed right at the beginning of a trail we have hiked a couple times during the summer (Ian more than myself). AND it was probably a good thing because after looking at the hiking trail and surrounding area map we discovered we were WAY off on our directions and it would have taken us all day just to get to where we were originally headed! ha!

It was a good day :) Enjoy! Love from the both of us!

Thankful for Jesus.

My dear friend Michelle lost her youngest brother-in-law to cancer today. He was 21 and had a wife who is now a widow, parents who now don't have their youngest son, and two brothers who also no longer have their youngest brother. Life can be so heartbreaking at times.... As upsetting as the reality of this is, Tim had battled cancer since he was a young boy and now is home with our Lord and thankfully out of pain. I am writing simply to ask for prayer for the Harriman family as they learn to live in the wake of Tim's death. I am sure they can use all the prayer that anyone lifts up. Even those who never knew him.

Thanks. All my love.

One Fine Day

These are just some pictures from a walk my friend Terri and I took yesterday! It was a beautiful fall day!

It is oveeeerrr...

So I just wanted to post a little update. I had my interview this morning at 10 and am not done.. well I was done a while ago but have been trying to clean up the house a bit as there are dishes everywhere and it's feeling overwhelming. But the interview went as well as I think it could have. My hands weren't visibly shaking which is good! I should hear later today or tomorrow what the results are!

With love.

ps. Thank you everyone who was praying for me and for all the luck that was past my way! I really appreciate it!

Interview AHHH!

So I am on here just to let all you who read my blog know that I have my interview for Assistant Store Manager (with Starbucks) on Wednesday.... THIS Wednesday. (I only applied yesterday so I am finding it hard to wrap my mind around the fact that I only have one more day to feel like I am prepared for this. yikes!) I don't know exactly what time on Wednesday because when I tried to call back I got an answering machine but sometime for sure!

So.. Just hoping for a little prayer. Thanks so much!

With love.

ps. My name is finally Michelle Oenema at work and everytime I see it on a till or schedule I get a goofy grin on my face that makes my colleagues make fun of me :) I will keep on grinning :)