What a week!

Well...Christmas in Georgia didn't go exactly as planned. We were planning on having a very relaxing week in Sandersville, GA with Hank's family. We had a really nice Christmas day and I got to learn about some of the "Garner" traditions. I also got two great gifts from my husband...a new Ipod nano and tickets to see "Wicked" on Broadway. We are going to NY the 3rd weekend of January for a few days.
The day after Christmas, Hank's uncle, George, took a really bad turn in the hospital and ended up passing away that evening. It was a very emotional day for Hank's mom and sister. It was really good that Hank was their to support his aunt and be there with her. The next day they begin planning the memorial service and Hank was asked to officiate the ceremony. We ended up staying in Atlanta for the rest of the week with family, except for a quick trip to Athens to see Matt and Kristen. I got to ring the bell on the campus of UGA. Go Dawgs!
On the way back from Athens something happened to my car and although it wasn't a big deal we spent a few hours in the dealership waiting to get it fixed.
Saturday was the Memorial Service and I really believe God used Hank for that service. He did a great job giving people the truth about death and yet was very comforting to his aunt and her family. We were only able to stay for a few minutes at the house after the service because we had to get back to Fort Myers.
So....after all that we had a 11 hour drive and I have a cold. We got in around 3:30 this morning and Hank got up at 5:15 to head to work. We are definetly looking forward to the next two days off to recover from our "vacation" to GA.
God taught me a lot this week about patience, family, and commitment. I know we didn't get to have the Christmas break we thought we would but it was a divine appointment that Hank was in Georgia this week to be with his family. Marriage is teaching me a lot and I can't wait to see what all God has in store for us this year! Happy New Year everyone!

My first Christmas...

I can't believe Christmas is in 7 days. I am not at all ready, but at least I will be shipping my gifts to Texas tomorrow morning. This will be my first Christmas away from my family, for 30 years I have spent Christmas in Texas at my mom and dad's house. On Christmas Eve we have tamales and Queso and open all the presents under my grandmother's tree. My cousins were all there and we played for hours until it was time to go home and wait for Santa. On Christmas morning my sister and I sit in pj's and let my dad play Santa as he hands out all our gifts. We are assured of a 3 things every year..new pajamas, a calendar, and a new DVD.

I will miss everyone in Texas this year as I celebrate Christmas with my husband and his family in Georgia this year. It is definitely a year for change and even though I will miss my old traditions I look forward to starting new ones with Hank and with his family. It's exciting to be a part of a new family and learn traditions they have. I am also looking forward to being with Hank this Christmas. We have never spent Christmas together, so this will be my first Christmas with him as well. I guess this Christmas is all about firsts. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Parties

I really do love Christmas, but this year I feel like I can't even start celebrating Christmas until Monday, Dec. 17. On that day our incredible Christmas Pageant will be over and I will be through with all the Christmas parties I have this week, two of which are at my house. My first Christmas party was today with the All Staff lunch and it went really well. Lots of fun and some cheesey gifts made everything great.
Tomorrow night Hank and I are hosting his staff (and significant others) at our house. This sounded like a great idea this summer but now I am wondering why I wanted 20 people at our house in the middle of the busiest time of year. I am excited to have everyone over, its just a little stressful.
Wednesday night I will be at our Pastor's house for the Ministerial staff Christmas Party. I really enjoy getting to see all the wives at this party since I don't see them very often and don't get to spend time with them often. We have dinner and then we play games which is usually a boys vs girls kind of thing. Hopefully the girls will dominate this year!!!
Finally, I have a party at my house on Thursday for lunch with my staff. I really enjoy the ladies I work with and so I am looking forward to cooking them a nice meal and spending some time away from the office with them.
So...I hopefully will get to go Christmas shopping next week and get everything for everyone and get it shipped to Texas before Christmas is actually over.

Merry Christmas!

Bad at Blogging

OK, so I just looked at my blog for the first time in 5 months and realized I am a terrible blogger. I am setting a goal for myself to post at least once a week finishing out this year and all of next year.
I am really excited because my sister-in-law Katie, and her boyfriend are coming to see Hank and I tomorrow and are staying through Sunday. Katie is a blast and I absolutely love being around her. Hank and I stayed up too late last night trying to get the guest room painted, which is a project we have had since we got married 2 months ago. It is a really pretty olive green and I can't wait to see it finished.
My precious Bekah is on her way to Chicago to attend her grandpa's funeral. She is tough as nails but losing a grandparent isn't easy. If you can remember to say a prayer for her to get through this and for her to be able to make up a final.
Hank and I will celebrate 2 months of being married tomorrow. I love being married to him and sharing my life with someone. Happy monniversary Babe!

"I ate my craft!"

I love my job. I actually believe working with children is one of the most rewarding things someone can do. I have been told that I should be writing down all the funny things kids say to me. So... last Sunday I was sitting at the desk after church and one of our staff guys daughters came up to me. She has an infectious smile and she is a hugger. She hugs me every week and I really look forward to it. Bethany walked up to me and said, "Miss Dawn, I ate my craft!" Now that is not something I hear every week, and really I laughed so hard I though I was going to fall on the floor. She was beaming telling me about the sheep she made is Sunday School made of marshmallows and raisins and toothpicks. When craft time was over the sheep looked so good she ate it. So far, that has been the quote of the week. I hope I never lose the reason I do this job. It's not for the money, or for the praise from people, I do it so I can see children have fun and love coming to church. I do it for kids like Bethany who make my week!

First Time for Everything

I never thought I would have a blog, or that anyone would want to read it. I love reading other people's blogs. Mark, Doc, Gerald, and Hank's friend Trey have blogs that I look forward to reading. They have great stories, and deep insight, or just funny stuff. So, I started thinking maybe, just maybe, I could do this too. So, here I go, into blogging world.
I just got back from Texas and spending time with my family. I really love my family, they are so unique and fun. My parents live on Lake Travis just outside of Austin, TX. They have a great townhouse on the water and a boat, that I literally crave. I can't wait to get on it, and I look forward to it for weeks when I know I am going home. My sister and her husband, and Hank and I spent hours on the boat on Friday. It was amazing. The water was perfect, and it was just what I needed to rest and recover from an amazing Vacation Bible School. Hank got to meet his future brother-in-law which was a lot of fun. My sister and I couldn't have picked more different men to spend our lives with.
We flew back from Texas on Saturday and had two very different flights. The first flight we were upgraded to first class. Now, Hank loves first class. He is a little obsessed with it, but I can see why. It is addicting, and when you get thrown back in steerage you long for your big seat and Diet Coke. The second flight was NOT first class. I sat in the middle. On my left was my fiancee and on my right was a man who hadn't showered in a few days. Ohh.... to be in first class!