Goodbye, 2013!

It's been a pretty rough year, on the surface.
My Dad was diagnosed with multiple myeloma.
We had to move suddenly.
My husband lost his job in September.

But then...

Gabe didn't stay unemployed very long.
We moved into a lovely neighborhood, and even succeeded in moving our cat.
Dad has been on the receiving end of SO MANY MIRACLES.

Tonight, we are all going to write down our prayers and hopes for 2014 and lock them up in a box.
Next New Year's Eve, we are going to open our box and see what wonders God has worked in our lives!
I'm also (finally) going to start a "beautiful moments" jar, where everytime something beautiful happens to Gabe, Ella, or me, we will write it down on a strip of paper and put it in the jar. Then, next New Year's Eve we can look back on all the beautiful moments!

I have so many things I want to accomplish this year.
I want to be a better Christian.
A better wife.
A better Mom.
I want to start taking pictures professionally.

2014, here we come!

Homesick

I'm homesick more than normal today.
Maybe it's because the gray sky reminds me of home.
Maybe it's because I miss Riley Grace.
I want to go to the cemetery.
I want to have a good cry.
I want to leave her purple flowers and sit on the cold grass with my living daughter and talk to her big sister.
Because...
if I can't have her back,
if I can't have her as an 8 year old,
if I can't see her dance or hear her fight with her little sister
I guess that would be the next best thing.
I hate this.
That is all.

Praise God.

My Dad's bone marrow transplant went well. I praise Him for that.

My marriage is strong. I praise Him for that.

We have food on our table and clothes on our backs. I praise Him for that.

My living child is healthy and happy. I praise Him for that.

It's almost Christmas and my sanity is doing fairly well. I praise Him for that.

(On a side note, I promise to write a fun post about Christmas cooking, crafts and the like when life slows down a tad)