2012...Year in Review

If you've been a visitor of this blog very long, you know I'm a fan of recaps.  I've done a YIR since beginning this blog and, if nothing else, it's fun for me to take a walk down memory lane.  Here's hoping you find some enJOYment too...

January - Our first day of the year began a frantic search for sauerkraut!  I was surprised with a lovely trip to Birmingham for work.  Noah had an epic birthday-palooza.  We purchased our first camper.  And Tim and I discovered impromptu date nights.  We visited a new church, which little did we know at the time, would become our new home.

February - The creation of "Tech Free Family Time" was invented, thanks to two tweens in the house.  My new year's resolution to read the Bible daily spilled over onto Noah and family devotion time.  I kicked Tim out of the bed, but not how you might think.  Kale became my favorite veggie.  We spent our Leap Day doing acts of kindness and surprised the kids with a picnic supper.

March - My first taste of guest posting.  Noah's love of baseball returned.  We tested out the camper in our culdesac.  The kids enjoyed their first church sleepover w/a weekend retreat.  In preparation for our upcoming spring break trip, I developed Camp Rules.  Our first experience of a Lifegroup.

April - The camping trip was everything we'd hoped for and more.  We said good-bye to our dear family cat, Tux.  Selecting our scholarship winner for Austin's Legacy was a goosebump moment.  Noah and I took in our annual Indian Breakfast.  Baseball Season in full swing.

May - Honored to be offered another guest post.  Noah broke his finger playing ball at church.  We didn't think it was broke and basically told him to suck it up.  Needless to say he still hasn't let us live that down! Tim and I were simply blessed with a simple day together.  We were held by loving prayers of friends, family and our Lifegroup to see us through the difficult month of what would've been Austin's graduation...  And it was an unexpected blessing to attend.  We ended the month by sharing our testimony to our new church family.

June - Noah's big game.  Tina's foot surgery.  Which led to a month of accidents...  We planted more tomatoes than ever and loved every juicy bite.  Fishing trips and homemade ice cream.

July - Austin's heavenly birthday was celebrated with a tree of hope.  Staycations.  Noah discovers Andy Griffith.  Tina's mission trip with Ky Changers.  Tim continued the accident curse with a scare in the midst of VBS.  We juggled and still joyfully served at VBS, with downtime at the hospital. 

August - First day of school.  I attempted couponing again...and failed.  Tim had back surgery.  We quickly remembered how much he does not like to Be Still.   

September - I treated Tim to his annual fried chicken birthday dinner.  Tim continued to learn to be still...I learned to be silent.  The beginning of fall festivals and our first pulled pork nachos!

October - Yellow mums...pumpkins (pies, lattes, candles, cookies, carving, painting, oh my word!)...caramel apples...autumn leaves...crisp mornings...bonfires...hayrides...scary movies...candy corn...soups, stews and chili...coffee on the deck, under a blanket...apple cider...Halloween parties...perfect hot tub weather...sweatshirts and hoodies...God's breathtaking landscape in the fall...Plan B Fall Break Fun.

November - a month of Thanksgiving.  Upward Basketball.  Operation Shoebox.  Noah's first deer - and he got 2 for 1!   A new Thanksgiving tradition - delivering meals to those without.  Another blessed RAK in memory of Austin...all month long.  Our first real Christmas tree.

December - Tina's baptism.  Joy Dare.  Maybe Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.  Lifegroup party.  Lots of lovely Family Time.  Lord of the Rings marathon.  A month of #23s...hugs from Heaven.  This Christmas.

The highlight of 2012 for me though wasn't from one moment or event, it was from a single choice.  Choosing to try "one more church" changed our lives.  God has blessed us beyond measure through our new family at EHBC and I'm hopeful for what 2013 has in store. 

What was your favorite moment or memory of 2012?

Faithful Friday: Selflessness

My husband is a doer. 

He most certainly is not a sitter.  Doing so drives him crazy.  About the only time he willing does nothing is when he takes a nap.

You might recall this little tidbit of information from my posts this past summer, when dear hubby had to endure weeks of nothing but sitting due to back surgery.  That was certainly a learning experience - for us both.

So it was not much of a surprise to me when our hot water heater ceased working last weekend that he rolled up his sleeves and attempted to fix it himself.  It happened on a Sunday.  The Sunday before Christmas, which was scheduled to be a rather busy day.

Noah was showering and, as he always does, took nearly an hour.  Halfway through it, he began to holler, "there's no hot water!"  I assumed it was due to the length of his shower, not any household snafu.  As I began washing my hair in the sink a short while later though, I realized he wasn't exaggerating.  A quick and brisk rinse later, I was consulting Tim. 

By this point the kids were late for Sunday school and growing restless, so he ran them over, coming back to do a quick check.  A few peeks, tweaks and fingers crossed, we slipped into the pew just 10 minutes late to worship.  Tim hoped it was fixed. 

Knowing we were leaving directly from there to my Grandma's house, I whispered a silent prayer that we'd return to hot water.  To our dismay, late that evening, we did not. 

Tim awoke at sunrise the next morning, a Monday, but Christmas Eve nonetheless.  He needed to start early so that he could visit whatever store happened to remain open for the holidays in our little town.  It wasn't quite the way I'd planned for us to celebrate or him to spend his sole vacation day.

Several hours and a few trips later, Tim hit his easy chair just in time for dinner.  Grateful for such a selfless and loving husband, we ate our meal while watching a holiday movie, and ended the evening at church for a candlelight service.

There were no homemade donuts for breakfast.  No lazy PJ day full of board games and Christmas shows.  No baking cookies for Santa.  My kitchen was still a mess though, only tools and contents from the closet which holds the water heater replaced mixing bowls and a dusting of powder sugar.

It wasn't the Christmas Eve I had envisioned but it was still very much a gift.  I counted my blessings.  My husband was making sure on his only "free" day off that his family would have hot water all week.  He knew he'd return to work on Wednesday and didn't want us waiting until this weekend when he'd have time again to fix it. 

I realized the sacrifices Tim makes for us every day - without hesitation - and tears filled my eyes, watching my tired hubby settle in for a long winter's nap.  His selflessness is a quality I both admire and strive to have a percentage of.  It's one of the many reasons I love him so.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

- Philippians 2:4 ESV