ringing in the new year

i hope everyone had a wonderful christmas!  ours was filled with lots of love and laughter and tons of time spent with our families.  as always, it ended too soon and i'm sad to have to put away my christmas decorations already.

as the new year approaches, i'm reflecting on this past year and all of the opportunities and experiences it gave me.  2012 was my favorite year because i married my best friend; the past 7 months have been the most wonderful and the most difficult and trying times of my life.  they weren't kidding when they said the first year is hard.  even when you've been together for 8 years already, getting married and moving in with someone is not an easy adjustment.  i won't pretend that our marriage is perfect, or that we are always pleasant with each other and never fight...those closest to us would know i was lying anyway.  but, i wouldn't change it for the world.  i'm so happy to have found my perfect man, the one God created just for me.  and i'm excited to find out what 2013 has in store for us!

weekend plans

this weekend is going to be slam full of goodness!  tonight, a trip to atlanta with my girls until saturday.  although, i am going to miss my husband.  this will be the first time since we got married that i've been away from him overnight.  i have to admit, i'm a little sad to think about not getting to cuddle him for 2 days (yeah, i know...someone call the wambulance), BUT...i definitely know that i'm going to have a blast!

sunday, church with my family, where i'll get to hear my daddy and sissy sing together for the first time in a long time!  i love it when they sing.  it makes my heart happy.

then, an afternoon with my dad's extended family!  white elephant gift exchange, babies galore, yummy food, and lots of laughs to be had and love to share!

finally, monday and tuesday will be spent with my family and tyler's.  i think that's why this is my favorite time of year.  thanksgiving and christmas are the best holidays because it's filled with family time, and i just can't get enough!

so, obviously, i won't be blogging for the rest of the week.  i'm unplugging so that i can enjoy my vacation and Christmas with my family and friends.

 

[notice the lack of christmas presents up there under my tree. as of last night, there are now 7 wrapped gifts. yay us! this picture was actually taken before i was even finished decorating it. :)]

7 DAYS

i am not believing that it's only 7 days until christmas right now!  ahhh!  must.wrap.presents!!!  i also have to go to the grocery store.  and i have to pack.  and i have a million other things i need to do.  but, i so want to just slow down and enjoy this time.  i really want to soak up every single minute with my family during the holidays.  after all, isn't that what it's about?  it's not about the presents and the pretty lights.  it's about Jesus.  a time to remember and be grateful to Him for coming to this world that is so full of sin, so that we can spend eternity in such an amazing place as Heaven.  love.  family.  laughter.  peace.  joy.  i love this time of year.  and i hate that i've gotten so caught up in the hustle and bustle that it has become.  from now on, i'm going to do better.

i'm going to remember the "reason for the season".

xoxo,
bee

bestie

today is a special day.  it's my bestie's birthday.  charley (no, that's not short for charlotte) is one of the most selfless people i know.  she is always doing things for other people, never asking for anything in return.  she's loving, generous, caring, funny, smart, and beautiful.  she's got such a big heart.  she has been there for me through some of the darkest times of my life...she's always encouraged me and always prays for me.  when i don't believe in myself, she does.  if any person deserves to have all of their birthday wishes come true, it's this girl!  happy birthday charley!!!  i love you!

no words

"i don't even have the words.  i just keep crying.  so heartbroken."

this is all i could say about what happened in connecticut this past friday.  i feel like the victims deserve more than that, but i just can't find words that could possibly express how much i am hurting for the families of those children who were taken away too soon, and the teachers who sacrificed themselves trying to protect children that weren't biologically "their own".  as i read the names of each person who was killed, i wept...not only for them, but for their families, their friends, their coworkers, and even their pets.  i said a little prayer for the ones they left behind...a prayer for comfort and peace that can only come from our Heavenly Father.

it just does not suffice to simply say "thank you" to the ones who literally threw themselves into harms' way in order to keep those innocent babies out of it, such as victoria soto, without giving a second thought as to what might happen to them, only concerned about protecting the children that God and their parents had entrusted to them.  i hope that we, as a nation, never forget the sweet souls who were lost because of this terrible act of violence and evil. 

they say history repeats itself.  and it seems true.  this kind of thing just becomes more and more common.  i may get verbally stoned for saying this, but truly, the answer is not banning guns.  if you make owning a gun illegal, only criminals will have one.  and then who's going to be able to protect the innocent ones?  i hope that now, more people are aware of how deeply the mental illness of one person can affect so many, and that something can be done to prevent this from happening again.

i apologize if i've rambled a little.  it's hard to really wrap my mind around all of this, and i've struggled getting my thoughts straight.  i just felt like i needed to somehow pay my respects.

RIP...
charlotte bacon, 2-22-06
daniel barden, 9-25-05
rachel davino, 7-17-83
olivia engel, 7-18-06
josephine gay, 12-11-05
ana marquez-greene, 4-4-06
dylan hockley, 3-8-06
dawn hochsprung, 6-25-65
madeleine f. hsu, 7-10-06
catherine v. hubbard, 6-8-06
chase kowalski, 10-31-05
jesse lewis, 6-30-06
james mattioli, 3-22-06
grace mcdonnell, 11-4-05
anne marie murphy, 7-25-60
emilie parker, 5-12-06
jack pinto, 5-6-06
noah pozner, 11-20-06
caroline previdi, 9-7-06
jessica rekos, 5-10-06
avielle richman, 10-17-06
lauren rousseau, 6-?-82
mary sherlach, 2-11-56
victoria soto, 11-4-85
benjamin wheeler, 9-12-06
allison n. wyatt, 7-3-06

christmas list

all i want for christmas is...

this gorgeous camera bag:

infinity scarves. any of them, really:

1//2//3

 

boot socks/cuffs. such as these:

1//2

 

while we're at it, i'd like these also:

 or maybe these:

 

i could keep going...

 1//2//3//4//5//6//7

ok, for real, i'll stop now.  there's just so much pretty to be found!

 

 

 

however, on a more serious note...i do know that christmas is not about the presents and pretty lights and trees.  it's about the birth of Jesus Christ.  it's a time to celebrate all the He has done and continues to do for us, even when we don't deserve it...especially when we don't deserve it.

 

luke 1:28-38

the angel went to her and said, "greetings, you who are highly favored! the Lord is with you."  mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  but the angel said to her, "do not be afraid, mary, you have found favor with God.  you will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  he will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. the Lord God will give him the throne of his father david, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."  "how will this be," mary asked the angel, "since i am a virgin?"  the angel answered, "the Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.  so the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.  even elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month.  for nothing is impossible with God."  "i am the Lord's servant," mary answered. "may it be to me as you have said." then the angel left her.

 

how terrifying that must have been for mary, but she was faithful and obedient.  praise God for her faithfulness.  i find myself wondering what it must have been like to have given birth to the Savior...to have kissed the face of God and held Jesus in my arms as a tiny baby.  what a privilege that must have been!

indecisive

wordpress or blogger?  i just can't decide.  i feel like i have more control over the look of my blog here, but is it just because i haven't figured wordpress out yet?  i don't know.  it seems like if i want to be able to customize the look of my wordpress blog, i have to pay the premium fee (and i'm not even sure that i can do it then), but i just don't want to do that.  so, i'm leaning towards blogger.

but i hate to lose all of my posts on wordpress.  i wish i could transfer them or something.  anybody got any suggestions on how i might do that?  :)  no?  hm.  well, i'll just keep thinking.  and for now, i'll just post on both of them.  because that's what normal people do, right?  post on two different blogs?  amiright?

oh, christmas tree

well, like i said we would, we got our decorations up and got our tree this weekend!  score!  as i predicted, hubs was ecstatic about the christmas music.  and just as happy about putting up the decorations and getting our tree.

see for yourself...

 

doesn't he look excited?

no...no, not at all.

but, this is where he is truly happy...

 

ah, momo's pizza.  thank you for being so good.  you make my husband happy after a morning filled with things that don't please him.  :)
[disclaimer: my hubs is not a scrouge.  he loves christmas, and what it stands for.  he just doesn't get into the pre-christmas spirit like i do...putting up all the lights and decorations and the tree.  he would just be perfectly fine with our tiny little potted fake pre-lit tree.]

i'm not completely finished with everything yet.  it's been an insanely busy week for us and last night, since we didn't have anything we had to do, we decided to have an impromptu date night.  outback and pitch perfect?  please and thank you.  love the dollar theater.  hoping to finish decorating tonight and put away all those boxes!  we shall see.