Horton family Christmas 2008
·
Sweet Todd returned from Africa right in time for Christmas :) and I spent the week with him and his family in Wilmington.
Big Sister came in from Texas for some time over Christmas.
which meant lots of wedding over break... two weddings to plan in less than three months.
And we got to be Brides together...
Getting a picture with the Christmas tree really just isn't the same anymore. We did have one, really. The angel is there to prove it.
Horton kids, while we all have the same last name :)
Happy Birthday Dana and Jesus, celebrating with the cousins, Becca and Abby
Me and my cousin Hannah got some quality time playing some sort of video game?
and Todd spent a little time in Mt. O :) so glad to have him back!!
The break was great, enjoying family and friends, but most of all knowing Christ's gift to each of us by coming as a little baby to live among us, to die for our redemption, and to give us access to our great God. Truly something to celebrate!
So much to be thankful for...
·
new engagements- this is me representing the excitement for my own engagement AND my sisters too!! cant wait to see her pretty ring.
new baby-- the first Gardner great-grandchild- Anna Lauren
and many more we already love. It is such a rich time when we all are together. How Blessed we are :) I am grateful for my family. God has graciously called each to himself in his grace. Praise the Lord.
Highlights from the week
·
Sunday began with baptisms at my church- what an encouragement. I loved hearing testimonies of faith from people from all ages, children to adults, claiming Christ as their own! Pretty sweet. Monday, we got to host Paula Rinehart, an author and counselor, for a student forum at NCSU. She wrote the book, Sex and the Soul of a Woman. I'm convinced every girl should read it-- where ever you are in life- it applies! It was great having her speak. Tuesday, IT SNOWED! (and yes, a 5 min flurry is worth talking about) and I got to talk to Todd while it was happening! I also got to hang out with my sweet d-group girls and talk about the Word, which was an encouragement to me! Wednesday, I got to have dinner with my precious girls from Bible Study, who I never get to see anymore and are all Seniors in college now! It was such a great time catching up with them and eating Turkey cupcakes! :) Thursday ended with another event at Gateway for some of our pregnant girls. We had a group from one of the campuses present info on maternal health. I really like the times we get to connect with our girls on a more casual basis- like sitting around the living room. (Come see us at Gateway and you'll understand) One of the fun parts of the night was that we all got to see an ultrasound. Pretty crazy to see that little life inside. And the best part of the week... the weekend starts on FRIDAY! Who knows what I'll do? Maybe... hang out with the parents, plan a wedding, go to a dance concert, see an old friend, call Africa, shop... yep that sounds like a good week.
Welcome Back to the other side....
·
I'm not exactly sure when the Horton family crossed over... but it happened-- we are officially crazy....
I mentioned the whole family was together... well, all but one ;)
In honor of dying leaves...
·
It's fall. The leaves are changing. They are beautiful, and we see God's beauty. We can see his creativity, his majesty, and his glory. They are doing just what they were created to do! But have we really stopped to think about that... What are they doing? They are dying. They are fulfilling their purpose through death. Without their dying, the glory wouldn't be as great.
Sobering thought really. The same is true of my life. Maybe its not necessarily physical death, but dying to myself is necessary. This should not be just once a season, but a daily dying. Through that God gets the glory. Death is no longer bleak, but victory!
1 Corinthians 15:53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Happy Fall!
a pic for you :)
·
See the story on Twitterpated Times toddlovesleah.blogspot.com
Day of worship
·
After a hard week, I really needed to focus myself, and that was yesterday for me. Praise Him for that and for his faithfulness to restore. I ended my day at the Anno Domini concert, which was perfect. An hour and a half of praise to Jesus, mingled with Scripture, prayer, and testimony. It was good. Some thoughts to rest in....
- I the Lord, do not change. Malachi 3:6
- I have a Great High Priest, whose name is love. Hebrews
- My sin is thrown as far as the east is from the west. Ps. 103
- Where can I go from his presence? Ps. 139
- My name is graven on his hand. Isaiah 49:16
- My life is hidden with Christ on high. Colossians
i like bloggin
·
Why blog anyway? well this blog was initially started when Tim and Kate began their journey across the ocean to live and serve in Africa for two years. It was the best option for keeping up with life. that was good for a while, but yes it died off. they are still there, but now that we've mastered Skype, I can just call/chat and that's slightly more efficient. But now there are more people i love across the ocean now-- sooo i will try to keep you up to date on my life....and 3 people commented on the last post- so someone is reading. i might as well give them all something to read. also, i like reading other people's stories. you can actually get pretty stalkerish-- you know they people who are friends with your friend that you kinda know, but want to really know. whoops. its ok though they put it out there, right?
So, i have a new appreciation for the weekend. In college, the weekends were good- no class, but really you just kinda get to do your own thing-- which you still do during the week. Being in the working world-- weekends are a whole new treat. doing the things you wanted to do all week in one day.... cleaning, laundry, reading, resting. it's good. it's also good when you work so much in a week that you don't have to work friday and you get to have two days to do all the things you wanted to do plus some extras... shopping, scrapbooking, writing letters, and WOLFPACK football!!! that was fun... for a little while. despite the really overwhelmingness of collegeness everywhere and people everywhere (you forget when you sit in an office all day) it was fun to be back in the craziness. there was even a refreshing sprinkle in the evening as we cheered for the pack.... that sprinkle then became a consistent rain which was still fun for a little while, and then just not at all. once my jeans were soaked to me and i could not focus even on what was happening on the field, we peaced. Sadly enough, the pack couldnt pull that one out in the rain either. But one success of the night: from the student section up top 14/15 one of the engineering school's best was able to construct a well crafted paperairplane that made a smoothe landing on the 10 yard line. pretty impressive. (alltel will never put paper in the student section again. that is for sure! )
back in business....
·
lets see what i got:
1. im getting married. planning is coming together :) wedding date, location, dress, and bridesmaids dresses are so far are ordered/ confirmed !!!
(details of that happening- toddlovesleah.blogspot.com)
2. Gateway, my job, is getting busy!! students are back in town and we are busy trying to keep up. the job takes all of you-- heart and soul. thats why i love it, but it requires a lot.
3. i moved... nextdoor to my last residency. which is fun, kinda weird. but love my new roomie and just having one.
4. fiance is in africa, til december. miss him
best friend is in east asia, for a year. miss her
5. i went to africa :) that was sooo great! seeing my senegalese familyand hanging out with Tim and Kate
6. i am no longer a student-- weirddd! the last time i was on campus was for my JOB! but i dont really look like i shouldn't be on campus as a student, so i felt weird. I was hosting a table in the brickyard. I had my crate of materials-- rolling through campus. that was awkward. i was a young professional, but really i just looked like a nerdy student who had chosen the wrong style bookbag. ha.
well really there has been a lot i guess. i'll try to be more up-to-date from now on :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
