Where do I even begin?! Many days I could have sat right here with my creamy, steamy coffee keeping me company as I typed away at the joys and frustrations and ups and downs of the past few weeks. Months really. At times it felt like one long stress headache from one day to the next as my strive to respond and not react was a revolving door of being kept in check. Glimpses of God's working was clearly evident however, as long-awaited answers were starting to piece together in one corner of the puzzle. And even more recently, more pieces are fitting together. Outer workings with life circumstances and my own heart workings as He reveals even more of Himself to me. There always seems to be tearful testing in the waiting. And a whole lot of growing too. Some of those times of uncertainty that I dealt with pale in comparison to what so many dear friends are facing this very day...but in my little world, for those lengthy sporadic moments these past weeks, tears fell because I just didn't want to make
another phone call to insurance, or scour the details of an EOB, or hear of yet another friend suffering, or study one more minute to pass a Praxis, or.....you get the idea. But God in all His Sovereignty and perfect timing remained, and still remains, steadfastly faithful as He loves and convicts and guides His daughter. As He does with all His precious, beloved children!
We've had a steady stream of activity as we quickly transition into the holiday hoopla, with one of the main events being our mini-man turning 6!!!! How is our baby boy this old already?! Time. Slow. Down! Mason continues to be our ball of endless energetic energy, owns a laugh that is quite contagious, enjoys playing ball of any kind, loves Jesus, has inherited the artistic gene from his father, and brings so much joy to this family! He couldn't wait for his birthday to arrive and I think these pictures will explain enough just how excited he really was once the celebrations began. :)
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| Mason with Nanny & Pappy! |
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| our little minion :) |
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| just a little excited |
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| Yep....loved it! |
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| He was even thrilled with his new bedding!! Star Wars of course... |
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| Ready for a Star Wars birthday party!!! |
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| Star Wars cake!! |
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| Mason Roger is 6!!!!! Happy Birthday bud! |
Times to get away and 'retreat' for this gal are very few and far between so when an opportunity arose to go to the Women of Faith conference in Sacramento, I took it. I'm sure nearly all moms and wives can relate to the nagging guilty feeling that creeps in when packing to head off for a much-needed girls weekend away. Those weekends which are filled to the brim with moments of gut-wrenching laughter and hours of worshipping our Savior alongside thousands of others. But getting away is necessary. Stepping away from the routine and swirling activity of life makes me a better wife and mom. Within the first few minutes outside of Winnemucca, the laughter erupted and we were headed for a memorable weekend. Within the first few minutes of sitting in the arena, Nicole Johnson, in all her hilarity, affirmed that necessity of getting away as "we need to put on our own oxygen masks first". My eyes still sting from the God-given tears and my stomach still hurts from the joy of boundless laughter. It's hard to encompass all that was learned and heard and taught and seen and shared and how each of us were challenged from the Truth spoken by those women from that stage, but it was good. So good. No, it was more like amazing. And it was definitely refreshingly necessary.
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| Sacramento, here we come! Love these awesome ladies right here!! |
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| Roomies!! :) |
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| What happens in an elevator..... |
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| 'Lynda....where are you Lynda?!' |
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| Oh Tami.... |
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| Off to Old Town Sac! |
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| Gotta have Taffy! :) |
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| Beautiful mother/daughter duo!! |
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| Old town Sacramento with this beauty!! |
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| We had pretty awesome seats :) |
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| Back seat riders! :) |
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The one and only Jen Hatmaker!!! She was simply
amazing...what a true and authentic woman of Faith! |
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| Building 429 concert!! "Take this world and give me Jesus. This is not where I belong." |
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| the "Porch Pals"...one final time! What a legacy these ladies are leaving! |
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| Women of Faith 2015 |
Our annual Anderson Thankful Tree is up and leaves are filling out the branches and even piling up at the bottom into a lovely leaf pile. A tradition we all look forward to all year long! I can't help but take note of some specific ones. :)
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Carson's personal thankful tree. I had a
tear when I noticed he was thankful for his
doctors. Only this tender-hearted boy.... |
And because I'm sure I won't be back before or even right after Thanksgiving, seeing as how an entire month has passed since my last update,
HAPPY THANKSGIVING from this Faith Family of Five to your beautiful family!!! :)
"Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations." Psalm 100:4-5
