Thanks Ladies and Gents...

I'd also like to honor some pretty charitable and Godly people (they'll probably be totally embarrassed by this, but I believe that some people need some recognition):

Mrs. Laura Kellow

Isn't she so cute? I think that she is one of the sweetest most Godly women I have ever met. This woman woke up at 5am to take me to the hospital, it had snowed and the roads hadn't been cleared at all. That is love my friends. She also welcomed our Growth Group into her home every Wednesday. We had wonderful talks about Jesus accompanied by tasty desserts. She is constantly encouraging others and striving to serve in the way that she feels the Lord leading. Her husband is a pretty awesome encouraging and Godly man as well. They are just one of the best couples that a person could ask to have in their life.

Miss Laura Barry....Soon to be Mrs. Laura Benninger

She and her fiance, Mr. Wes Benninger, are amazing people. They both have amazing hearts for the Lord. Let me tell you if you are ever in need of prayer, this is the woman you want praying for you. She is 100% passionate for the Lord. And my goodness is she ever an encourager. She has one of the most tender and compassionate spirits that I have ever  had the pleasure of experiencing. 

Miss Chelsea Grace.

She is one of my closest friends. I love her whole heartedly. I am so proud of her. She has such a pure heart and wants to serve the Lord with everything that she does. She is an education major and I would happily let her teach my children. She like me would like to adopt each child that we come into contact with. Our hearts are so united, that's how we often do not have to speak, we just know.

Sometimes Giving Back is best!!!

So today I've been thinking about what I want for Christmas. I love giving and getting gifts. I know it sounds so selfish to say that I love getting gifts, but it would be a lie if I said I didn't.

The thing I truly hate though is making a "Christmas List." It is the worst ever. So instead of gifts this year I would rather have people help others. Here are some examples of what I'd love to see....

This necklace supports the National Domestic Violence Hotline! 

And it's an awesome gift! Make sure to check out the rest of Sueanne's gorgeous jewelry!

TOMS!

TOMS!! Who doesn't love a good pair of shoes? Here's what would be awesome....

Buy a pair of TOMS, therefore providing a pair of shoes to a child without any, and then give the newly purchased TOMS to a shelter or someone you know that needs a pair of shoes.

The Maas Family

This family is truly living out the scripture that says to care for the orphans. They have adopted several children, most of these children have special needs and are in the process of adopting another child. I tell my parents all the time that I pray that God will bless me with a husband who will seek this type of family with me. Oh what a blessing they have been. I know I will be sending them a card with some cash for adoption assistance in it. They are awesome people.

Sweet M's

100% of Maggie's proceeds go to a family in the process of adopting! What a sweet heart! 

World Vision

As an alternative why not give a gift in honor of someone, or ask that people donate in your honor. At World Vision you can chose to give a goat, a cow, mosquito net or even a TB test. So these gifts are incredibly practical for many people around the world. How awesome to know that instead of a gift gathering dust, it would be providing life or health for someone in this world!!

Loving....

I told you I'd share a few things I'm loving....

Joy the Baker's AWESOME Gluten-Free Granola

Seriously I love everything on her site, I want to move in with her so she can feed me.

My favorite ring-via The Knot

I swear that it is just like the ring that my Great-Grandmother had. 

I am trying to apply to Graduate School right now. So I'm checking out the available housing in each area. Some of these places, even with my lack of funds I could buy a house pretty easily. That's insane.

Live Radical, that's what I'm trying to do. Read the book, it will change your life.

Freezer Cooking it's what all the cool kids are doing now. 

Mom and I are going to try it, and we're going to do it Gluten Free. Yeah we're that cool. 

Since I have no pictures so far, here are some pictures that I love from my personal album...

That's right those are shark house-slippers. 

A "screaming tea pot." One of the best gifts ever!

The Sister (4yrs) and I (6yrs) in Galveston,TX. 

So I hope you have a blessed day. I will be spending Monday with a dear friend and I will be spoiling her 3 week old son. I'm going to try not to cry tomorrow, but of course no promises about that one.

Christmas' Past

Thanksgiving is still going on here in Tennessee. Do you know what that means? It means that Christmas cannot begin in my home. :(

If you know me at all, you know I LOVE Christmas and everything about it. So I leave you with some Christmas pictures from the past:

Our last picture of the Grandkids with MamaToo and Granddaddy.

First Christmas with my baby sister. I'm the cute one that looks sad.

My first cheesecake. It was SO good!!

The best gift I gave my parents, a blanket that says "The Stewarts"

This was taken on a date night my senior year. It was such a fun night. 

I come from a family of crazies.... and we're cool

That's right. I'll say it. My family is crazy. I love them, but sometimes I can't believe that I came from them. However, other times I totally see it. We truly have a wonderful time together. I love them, they make me crazy, but I wouldn't trade them for the world.

I hope that today, you have had a wonderful and blessed holiday with your family. If you didn't get to be with your family, I hope you got to spend wonderful time with dear friends. 

So here are some pictures of the things that have been HUGE blessings this year:

My cousin, Carolyn's wedding. So fun and such a great distraction from all the terrible things happening.

While many did lose their homes in early May, my family was blessed to not have any damage from the flood. This picture was taken just off the entrance to the road we live on.

One of my bestest friends, Chelsea Grace, was able to spend some time with me a few times this year. It was much needed time for both of us!!

This boy just warms my heart. He has taught me so much about loving others and loving God. He is one of the strongest Christians, and greatest prayer warriors that I know.

My awesome parents. They are some of my closest friends, and have been my consistent supporters through everything.

Some that I don't have pictures for :

Vanessa Thomas, a consistent encouragement through this whole endometriosis thing.

My church families. That's right families, I have been blessed to be a part of several church families. Southland Christian Church in Lexington, Grace Baptist Church in Springfield, First Baptist in Hendersonville, and Central Baptist in Owasso.

Even though there have been hard times this year, I know that I am loved and blessed by an amazing God. He has given me many reasons to smile and to be thankful this year.

My blessed memories...

Today it is grey and rainy. Normally I love this type of weather, but I have many things to do today. Like go see a dear friend and her precious 2 week old baby, who I am truly addicted to.

But as I was planning my day, I remembered that I am helping to get ready for our first family Thanksgiving without MamaToo. So I just wanted to cry. I miss her terribly. In the past few years she had become one of my closest friends. She was just awesome.

From the time I was very young we shared our birthdays together.

We have also spent many days and nights cooking and making wonderful treats.

It often led to a little insanity.

She hates my school's cheer...So we got her a hoodie with it on it. Isn't she cute!

She also always took such a great interest in all of our hobbies and things we liked. 

I really hope when I'm a grandmother that I am as interested and as active as she was.

It made me think how blessed I am to have had a relationship with her and my other 3 Grandparents (who are all coming tonight).

Here's my favorite picture with my Granddaddy (MamaToo's husband), we were feeding the cows. 

So as you prepare for Thanksgiving, remember the people in your family, and how blessed you are to have them. Even though you don't always, or ever, get a long, they are a blessing. They are a blessing that many people in this world do not have. 

God Bless. Happy Thanksgiving!!

We all need a fresh start...and a little break

So I have been gone for a very long time. There has been a lot to happen over the past few months. I do not want you to feel that I am cold hearted or that I don't care about all that has happened, but the easiest way for me to catch everyone up is to quickly write out a list for you, so here goes:

Late Spring/Summer:

1. I went to a new Doctor in early April. She's awesome! Super compassionate and all around the kind of person you want being in charge of your care!!
2. Memorial Day weekend we found out my MamaToo (My Mom's Mom) had pancreatic cancer. :( They gave her less than 3 months to live.
3. We tried 3 types of medicine before the middle of June. Nothing helped.
4. In June we decided that I would have another surgery on July13th, to see what was going on inside.
5. I went to Falls Creek, an amazing church camp in Oklahoma, with my church out there. I was incredibly blessed to be able to go with them!
6. My sister and I had to leave Falls Creek early so we could be with our family, as my Grandmother was not doing well.
7. We frantically prepared for my cousin's wedding on June 26th, as we took turns caring for my Grandmother.
8. My boyfriend Ben came to visit the week of Carolyn's wedding, and was there for our anniversary.
9. July 5th, MamaToo went home to be with our Lord! She now stands before our Father praising His name!
10. Dad and I came home to get ready for my surgery and one of my bestest friends, Chelsea came to visit. She was able to stay with us for a week,and it was so fun to get to share some down time together before and after surgery.
11. July 13th, Surgery Day. We found out even though I was on Birth Control and other things to control my hormones, I had in less than 6 months grown from no endometriosis to stage III/IV. THAT'S HUGE!! And I had a lot of cysts and adhesions -> another source of pain!! My awesome Dr. removed all that she could see.
12. 1 week later I started Lupron shots to kill all the Endo. that we could not see. (It kind a grows like weeds do, big on top and lots of little veiny things in the tissue.)
13. Mid August, Ben and I broke up. I loved him and he loved me. But we agreed that we just were not what each of us needed right now.
14. School started and life has been crazy!
15. I got my 2nd Lupron shot, and had been hurting for a few weeks. Unfortunately it seems that my shots are no longer working with my body. In January we will go back to figuring something out to help.

So the big news now. I'm applying for Graduate School. I'm applying to : The University of Oklahoma-Tulsa, The University of Georgia, Washburn University, The University of Tennessee, and The University of Washington-Seattle. I'm pretty excited about it.

So to fill you in on where this blog is going, as it hasn't been anything more than venting previously, I am going to be sharing what I learn as I look into going Gluten Free, Crafts, and sharing some things from other fellow Bloggers that I love! I hope you enjoy and I'm excited to share my life with you!!