Happy New Year!

Two nights ago my husband and I were talking and he said, "If God would have told me all that we would have gone through this year, I would not have believed Him!" This year was a year of many challenges but also a year of amazing blessings.

Last year at this time I was planning a wedding, living in Arizona and just about to celebrate my 21st birthday! I was working at a restaurant looking for a "real job" and Wade was so excited about his new job and the opportunity that was there for him.

It was a crazy year because ALL of my closest friends got married. This year I was a Bride, a Bridesmaid, and a Matron of honor twice! When does that happen? Especially when all your friends are young like you? Well, one of my girlfriends was getting married 2 weeks before me so we had a whirlwind of showers one after the other!

On March 17 Wade and I got married in Long Beach, CA. It was the best day, I thought perfect weddings were fairy tales. Well, not any more, because we had one! It was amazing!

We honeymooned in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico for a week at an all inclusive resort. Our first vacation together, it was amazing and so much fun! (Little did we know ALL that we had accomplished that trip :))

When we got home we were hit with a lot of change! The day we got home we moved into our new apartment, Wade got laid off from his job and a few weeks later we found out we were pregnant!

Wowie! We had not planned on having children for at least 5 years, and struggled with the whole "our plans" vs. "God's plan" thing. This was the biggest lesson we learned this year. Even though we might think we have it all "planned out", God has other plans, better plans, perfect plans.

I soon started a new job and was thrown into severe nausea every day (Yes people, EVERY DAY... throwing up, for 6 months!) and started a new job. Wade found various work and we began to settle into our home. I soon became VERY blue about not being near family. Oh my gosh I am pregnant, what? Oh my gosh I don't live anywhere near my mom, or my sister, how am I going to survive pregnancy much less a baby without them?! We also knew that we needed a lower cost of living and God started leading us to move out to Indiana. It was CRAZY to everyone we knew. We were leaving Scottsdale for Chesterton? No one really understood, and we didn't really either! But we knew we wanted to be by family and NWI was the cheapest place we could do that!

So, we moved to Chesterton, lived with my sister and her family for awhile until we found the perfect little place... about 4 houses down from them! As hard as it all has been (my hubby is still trying to find a "real" job out here), it has all seemed to cultivate to one event, everything this year has led up to this one day... the day Capri was born.

I have to be honest, I cried when I found out I was pregnant. I screamed "I'm sorry" to my husband because I felt like I did something wrong, somehow I messed up and I threw both our dreams out the window. What I didn't realize is that God wanted to bless us with a joy that can't be described, an unconditional love never known and our own little family!
You know what also happened? We were united once again with family (who are also our closest friends), and we have made amazing new friends, got connected into an amazing church and have truly grown up (in an awesome way, not a depressing "my life is over" kind of way).

I feel like I got to experience two of the most amazing creations all in one year... marriage and a baby! I have LOVED being married to this man, and seeing how we go through everything together, and watching him do WHATEVER it takes to take care of me, provide for us and love me every day. Watching him become a father, and love our daughter is the greatest gift. I love that he loves her as much as I do!
Then came the baby... the perfect little angel. I miss her even when she has been asleep for an hour! She has only been here less then three weeks, and already I can't imagine my life without her. I THOUGHT this year would be filled with job advancement in Arizona, entertaining friends in our new home, and enjoying alone time with my new hubby.... man, my plans were SO lame compared to all God had in store for us!

So, looking to 2008, its really hard to even say what I think it will look like, because 2007 taught me that I HAVE NO IDEA! What are my goals? I plan on overcoming personal fears of failure to pursue my business with 100% commitment and create some financial peace for my family. I plan on getting to know Jesus so closely that 2008 is a year I look back on in the future for when my spiritual life changed. It will be like takin' me and Jesus to the next level, me and Jesus 2.0 baby. And I plan on being present in every moment of my families life, enjoying every moment of it so I can be the best wife and mother I can be.

I pray that you all get to know Jesus a little more this year, and experience the fullness of the love, joy and peace He has to offer you.

Happy New Year!