What a year it's already been and will continue to be! David and I have so much to look forward to this year. We're so excited about the new little bundle of joy we'll be welcoming into our lives in just 5 short weeks. I look forward to meeting this little guy who's been kicking around and has recently started making his presence known with sharp jabs! He's already changed our lives so much and I know it will continue to change more and more after he's here.
The past couple of months have been so busy. We enjoyed Thanksgiving in Nashville with my Dad and Karen. My Aunt Karen was there and I always enjoy seeing her. We missed Cheryl this year. She always adds so much to the group, but I'm hoping to make a trip to VA to see both of them a few weeks after Xander's born. There were many people in Nashville and it was nice to catch up with everyone and enjoy the time there.
We also went to Johnson City to see David's family. We were only there for one night, but it was great to see everyone. We returned to Johnson City the week before Christmas for a joint celebration of Karen's 50th birthday, a baby shower for David and I, and to celebrate Christmas with the fam. It was a wonderful weekend!
There were so many parties, engagements and activities in the month of December that I don't even remember everything that happened! Erin and Nathan moved into their new house and we helped them out one weekend. Nathan's birthday celebration fell on his actual birthday this year and was fun to celebrate. David's office had a Christmas party that turned out to be pretty exciting! They had a game that all the employees participated in and kept everyone extremely occupied. My office had a potluck lunch together which was nice. I always enjoy getting together with my department in a social environment - they're so much fun! We also had a Christmas party with our small group from church. It was so nice to fellowship and exchange gifts with such great friends.
And of course we had Christmas with our families. I think my favorite part was actually being at home with David on Christmas Eve, baking goodies, watching Christmas movies together and getting ready for the next day. Then we were able to spend all morning and most of the afternoon together at home, just the two of us. He made french toast for me and I made sausage balls for him. We "opened" our stockings together, watched more Christmas movies and enjoyed each other's company. It was so great! I will value that time we had together, just the two of us, knowing that next year will be completely different!
I also enjoy spending time with our families over the Christmas holidays. We've really enjoyed the traditions that we've made as a couple with our families. We celebrate with each family separately and then everyone gets together to celebrate jointly. I really love this! We also got to visit Gran, celebrate with the Howell's and go to church on Sunday with everyone. It was great!
For New Year's Eve David and I decided we needed to do something that we may not have a chance to do again for awhile after the baby's born, so we bought tickets to the Avett Brothers concert and had a wonderful time! We had a relaxed supper at Jason's Deli and then walked over to the Belk Theatre. It was something else that I'll value for a long time to come. I'm excited about having a baby, but I do realize that it will change our lives forever! The good thing is that we've had so much time, four years now, to spend just the two of us. I wouldn't change that for anything.
So, as the new year is just getting started I like to reflect back on what happened last year, but even more exciting to me is the prospect of what is yet to come. God has blessed us so much and I am so thankful to Him for all the good things in my life. And even through the bad times, He was the one who saw me through. My prayer is that this year will be one that reflects His love and commitment and that everyone who sees me and my family will see the Lord.
