Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him."

- Colossians 3:15-17

We had a great Thanksgiving! We spent the holiday with my parents at their home in Bradenton. We made a delicious Thanksgiving dinner. This year, we smoked a turkey breast with bacon over applewood. I have to say, it is by far the best tasting turkey I've ever had! Ben and my parents will also back up that statement. :) We also roasted a chicken, since my dad is not the biggest fan of turkey. We also made homemade mash potatos, marshmallowed sweet potatos, green bean casserole (w/ Cream of Chicken soup instead of Cream of Mushroom, yum!), the best stuffing ever (it was cooked in the smoked turkey), crossiants, and gravy. For dessert, we had pumpkin pie and apple pie. It was quite the feast!

Since Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on what you're thankful for, I'll do that quickly. I am thankful for the wonderful, loving, and supportive parents that our Father in Heaven has blessed me with. Not only do they make me feel blessed to be their daughter, but they give the same love and support to my husband, treating Ben like he were their own son. I'm so thankful for the relationship we have with them. I am also VERY thankful to have my wonderful husband! Ben & I have been together for nearly 3 years now, and even though things haven't also been easy, he has enriched my life immensely. I love you hus-Ben! ;)

I hope the rest of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and are looking forward to the holiday season as much as I am!

Back to Try Again

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." - Psalms 139:14

Hello again! We have decided to give having a family blog another try. Getting use to updating on a regular basis was hard to do, though we were determined to eventually get the hang of it. However, a year ago we had an uncalled for reaction to a blog post. It had nothing to do with what was posted, but rather the family member in question that reacted was just looking for an excuse to point out the fact that they don't approve of me or my marriage to Ben. This reaction also included an expressed desire to cause me physical harm. In that moment, if everything I was going to say in this blog was going to be twisted to make me seem like an awful person, I wasn't going to continue.

A year has passed since then, and I have come to accept that I am never going to make these people happy. And I don't want to. When I first got engaged and married to Ben, I really did want to have a good relationship with my in-laws. Unless I completely changed everything that makes me who I am, it was never going to happen. (Ben- if she does then she wouldn't be the one I fell in love with and married). However, I don't care. I am me. My husband, my parents, my family, and my friends all love me for who I am. I've never had to change for them. It may sound cliche, but being yourself is all you should have to do to impress someone.

Much has happened in a year. Some good, some bad. Way too much to include in one post. We'll be making an effort to set aside the time to update on what's being on in our lives this past year, and what is going on in the present, and coming up in the future.

Take care for now.