Rich & I had a fantastic date night last night- all thanks to my darling husband. It was his idea to go to dinner & a movie, and I happily agreed! We saw "This is 40"- funny yet completely inappropriate. You pretty much know what you're getting with those actors, so we weren't expecting Oscar worthy performances. Afterwards, we went to a Chinese restaurant for dinner. Rich & I really enjoyed it- Rich even said it was the "best orange chicken he's had since going to China". I guess that's saying something!
Since 2012 is drawing to a close, we talked about our favorite moments from this year. I thought we'd share them here- so, in no particular order...
Top 10 Blessings from 2012
1. Getting pregnant- This is obviously a huge one for us. We really felt like the timing was right for us to start our family, but we fully put it in God's hands. We weren't sure how long it would take us to pregnant, or what pregnancy would be like on my body. But we have been so blessed this year and have seen God's faithfulness again and again through this pregnancy. We cannot wait to meet this little lady!
2. Ali & Hakim- In April, we become a Safe Family and had two little boys placed with us for approximately 3 months. They were 9 & 10 year old brothers from Chicago, and they were quite the adventure for us! All of the memories we made with the boys are ones we still cherish. We talk about them quite a bit, even though they went back home in July! It was incredible to see the way our friends & family stepped up to support us and love on these two little boys. Definitely a HUGE part of our year.
3. Rich's acceptance into Graduate School- We felt strongly that this past summer was when the Lord wanted Rich to begin his graduate work. Rich did a lot of research on different programs, and decided on a 3-summer program at the University of Illinois. It is a very well respected program, so we again had to trust that the Lord would grant him favor and place him wherever He wanted Rich. And we were thrilled to receive his acceptance letter! Rich completed his first of three summers, and while it was quite an adjustment being apart for so long, we know that it is well worth it.
4. Rich's opportunity with ISYM- Even while we felt like the timing was right for Rich to begin graduate school, we weren't exactly sure how we would swing the whole "paying for Grad school" part. We talked about student loans, or possibly going the 5 year option to make it more affordable. But Rich found out about an opportunity through the Illinois Summer Youth Music Camp (ISYM) that would provide him with a full tuition waiver! Rich applied right away, and was hired on as the youngest counselor they have ever had! Rich was essentially a camp counselor for kids coming to U of I for music camp. He made a lot of wonderful friends and had a great time- plus, he had his school PAID FOR! Such an answer to prayer and yet another demonstration of God's provision in our lives.
5. Celebrating 2 years of marriage- In October, we celebrated 2 years of marriage. It was a rather unromantic celebration, as our anniversary falls during the peak of Rich's busy marching band season! But we have learned so much about each other in these last two years, and are more in love than ever! We cannot wait to expand our family together and see what the Lord has in store in the years to come. I am so blessed to be married to such a wonderful man!
6. Becoming apprentices for our small group- We continue to attend Harvest Bible Chapel in Crystal Lake and are loving it! It's a much smaller campus than the Elgin campus we first attended, and we have made some wonderful friends through our small group. A few months ago, we felt like the Lord was urging us to pursue a position of leadership. We spent a while praying about it, and decided to accept the opportunity to become the "apprentice couple" to our small group leaders, Jason & Kathy. The hope will be to eventually grow our group to the point where it is large enough to split. At that point, Rich & I would lead one group, and Jason & Kathy would continue with the other group. It's been awesome so far, and we're excited to see what the Lord will do through our group in the next year!
7. Stiles Family Vacation to Hawaii- In August, shortly after Rich got home from Grad school for the summer, we were able to take a week long vacation with the Stiles family (Mom, Dad, Dan & Kayla) to Kauai, Hawaii! Rich and I were thrilled to be back to the place we had honeymooned, and it was fun to spend time as a family. We rented a gorgeous home on a golf course, complete with a huge chef's kitchen, media room and private pool! We definitely lived the sweet life for a week, and had a blast relaxing and spending time together.
8. Celebrating 1 year in our house- Also in August, we celebrated 1 year of living in Woodstock. We love our little house, and have had a blast doing little projects to improve it. While we would love to be a little bit closer to our family, we could definitely be comfortable in this house for many years to come! We have found some of our favorite restaurants in the area, and have enjoyed getting to know our neighbors. There are still days that we don't feel old enough/mature enough to own a house, but we are so thankful for the blessing that home ownership has been!
9. Having jobs that we love- Rich began his 3rd year at Richmond-Burton Community High School, and I celebrated my 1 year anniversary with the Pioneer Center for Human Services. While there are certainly long and stressful days for both of us, we are so thankful to have full-time jobs in our area of study. We are making an impact on others each and every day, and are confident that the Lord is at work through our employment.
10. Meeting with a financial planner & setting goals for our future- After finding out we were pregnant, Rich & I thought it would be wise to meet with a professional financial planner to map out a plan for our future. It was something we had never done, so we were a little nervous. However, the man that we met with is a WONDERFUL, Christian man and we got along right away. We have set some pretty high goals for ourselves, but feel so encouraged by the plan we've made. We are so thankful that for such a young couple, the Lord has really blessed us financially. We are excited to continue to work towards our goals in 2013!
What about you??? Any highlights from 2012? New years resolutions for 2013? I love lists, so this is definitely a fun thing for me. We are so excited for the New Year, with the obvious highlight of becoming PARENTS! We are open to whatever it is the Lord has in store, and are willingly along for the ride!
.JPG)
.JPG)