shale, screen your worry from what you won't ever find.

thanksgiving has come and gone and with it the long weekend. debo and i had a relaxing time with friends and each other. i think it was all much needed. God has been so good to us here in indiana, in more ways then we could have ever imagined.

the weekend before thanksgiving, hodson hall teamed up with it's sister dorm evan's hall in it's newly annual "Evening of Elegance." basically it's an excuse to get dressed up and eat in the banquet hall, with pretty decorations, and some live entertainment. here are some snap shots from that event...

debo and i.

the boys and i were striking our band pose.

hodson & evan's staff.

our beloved hodson staff.

and yes that is me randomly dressed up in a pinapple that looks like a kiwi costume. debo had this stupid thing for res-life advertising.

good times. good times.

so, with the end of thanksgiving starts the christmas season. i look forward to festive activities ahead with our family, friends, and of course our hodson boys. it's hard not to love this time of year. here are some pictures from past holidays.

me & some of my cousins.

our staff last year re-enacting the nativity.

i also, look forward to cuddling w/ this cutie. my chance.

*sigh* lots of love.

thankful.

happy thanksgiving all!

as i write i am currently watching the macy's day parade on tv. gearing up for the following Best in Show - Dog Show, and then of course Miracle on 34th street. it has always been tradition in my fam to watch thru all these things while preparing the thanksgiving meal.

this year debo and i are not spending the holiday w/ any fam. debo has to be on duty for thanksgiving, so instead of traveling to PA we are here in indiana. it's a strange thing, and i def. miss the fam today. however, i don't miss traveling 6 hrs for a short break.

so, instead debo and i are hosting our own thanksgiving. we are having another RD couple over for dinner. and on the menu is of course turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, homemade bread, and stuffing. we have to keep it small since it's only four of us. it's funny because when i read that list it seems like quite a bit, but thanksgiving w/ my fam in pittsburgh is like a meal for 20 or more people, and we have so many different kinds of dishes it's crazy. things like fennel, beef, sweet potatoes, coleslaw, etc. so much! ha.

also, funny random thought, but in my family i was never in charge of making the turkey. my aunt always did that, and since being married i have roasted 5 turkeys for various things. turkey is actually the easiest thing to make since once you season it, it cooks itself. this year i'm going to season w/ butter and herbs, as well as some chopped onions and apples. yummy!

God has been so good. i am so blessed with a loving husband. a home. a job. friends and family that are so wonderful. i am so thankful.

"Be still and know that I am God.
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!" ~ Psalm 46:10

and thank you Jesus for delivering us from this world. amen.

i wish you all the best thanksgivings! <3

and renew a right spirit within me.

"For what we need to know, of course is not just that God exists, not just that beyond the steely brightness of the stars there is a cosmic intelligence of some kind that keeps the whole show going, but that there is a God right here in the thick of our day-by-day lives who may not be writing messages about himself in the stars but in one way or another is trying to get messages through our blindness as we move around down here knee-deep in the fragrant muck and misery and marvel of the world. It is not objective proof of God's existence that we want but the experience of God's presence. That is the miracle we are really after, and that is also, I think the miracle that we really get." ~ Frederick Buechner

it's interesting how satan can feed someone lies for so long that one begins to believe there could be no hope. the Lord continues to amaze me. when my broken heart, full of doubt and hopelessness consumes my thoughts, He vanquishes all evil and renews my soul. i realize that my fear and my doubt come merely out of not trusting in His power. i am FREE.

<3

*sigh* oh friday evening how i love thee. it's so nice to be done with a busy week. now i'm going to spend the evening with my hub-hub. dinner, a movie, and unwinding.

we need this so bad. we have hardly had two minutes alone together at all. the plus and minus of living w/ college students 24/7.

have a lovely weekend where you are!