Our Life in the Yellow Brick House

So February is almost over and my gratefulness journal is going pretty well. I actually started on Feb. 1 and have only missed two days so far. Not because I had nothing to be grateful for on those days but because I just didn't make the time to sit down and write. One thing that made the journal on Sunday was Miss Savannah's birthday party. It was such a blessing to be able to celebrate her first year on this earth. Savannah was born very premature and weighed less than 2 lbs. when she made her grand entrance. I work with her dad and everyone at the Foundation was praying for their precious family. They also organized donations and a collection of things that would help them in the hospital. This is one reason why I love the Foundation. We always come together to help our coworkers when they're in need.  Kyle and I play volleyball with Ryan, and we wanted to do something to help. I'm sure our contribution was modest in comparison to all others did, but for us, it ...

The week of Valentine's Day was a short one for me because I took a few vacation days, so Kyle and I celebrated early. Wouldn't you know, it snowed on the day we planned to celebrate! It was a beautiful snow with big, fluffy flakes and as I sat at my desk sipping some hot cocoa, I got a call from the front desk. I had a delivery and was so surprised to see that Kyle had sent me flowers! We'd decided not to do anything for Valentine's Day, but what girl doesn't like getting flowers? After work we went out to eat, which was the perfect way to end the wonderful day. When actual Valentine's Day rolled around, I drove to Hennessey to babysit Asher. Mom and Dad were in Vegas/San Francisco that week, so I offered to come down for the day so Josh and Stacy didn't have to take any more time off work. I decided to be ambitious and take a Valentine's Day project for us. I chose spaghetti art, which is very out of character for me. Messes stress me out. (M...

Well I’m back after a bit of a break and there is just so much to share. We’ll start with Kyle’s 28th birthday, which we celebrated on Feb. 9. It’s so hard for me to believe that we’re approaching the end of our 20’s. Where does the time go?! Kyle’s birthday was on a Saturday this year, which usually means he would be working, but he was able to take some time off. Although it was nice for him, I really felt like it was a present for me. I forget how good it feels to spend two consecutive days off work with your husband around! I might just be able to get used to that. We weren’t alone, though, and we wouldn’t have had it any other way. Greg, Stacie and Henry wanted to come down and celebrate with us, so they stayed the whole weekend and we had so much fun. They came Friday night and we got to watch Henry walk all over the house! It’s so hard to believe that the last time we saw them he couldn’t do that. He’s already so steady and speedy, too. After he went to bed, Greg and Kyle...

Ever since Christmas, I’ve been thinking about death more than I usually do. I hope that doesn’t sound morbid, it’s just a concept that my 26-year-old self still has trouble grasping. I know the mechanics of it, and I strongly believe that for Christians it’s a joyous occasion, but it’s still a little hard to fathom when I sit down and think about it. I was 12 years old when Grandma Taylor died. There have been so many times I’ve wished I would have known her better. I have and will always have great memories of her. We were over at their house all the time, especially in the summer. I can remember going over to swim and drooling over the freshly baked oatmeal cookies cooling on the counter. They were big, thin and gooey – just as every cookie should be if you ask me. I remember staying over at Grandma and Grandpa’s and eating popcorn for breakfast by the pool. I remember playing with the ceramic bears in her bay window, each bearing one of our names. I can still hear her laugh and ...