Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was pretty low key at our house this year. It was the four of us...we invited some people from work, but they were unable to make it. We decided to go see a movie in the morning, August Rush, which was really good. Not a comedy, very serious, but the music was amazing! Definitely want the sound track when it comes out.

We came home and began making dinner. We deep fried our turkey which was absolutely out of this world! We did the typical sides...mash potatoes, green bean casserole (our favorite), cornbread stuffing and rolls. As we were getting ready to dish up, the sun was setting and it caught my attention. The sky was lit up with pinks, blues, purples. I ran and grabbed my camera and headed outside.

We have a lot to be thankful for this year...
God's plan for us is starting to take place (not like it hasn't before, but we are really seeing it unfold, which is awesome!)
Our health
Our family both near and far -
my sister and her family came home safely from Europe after 4 months away
Mr. A's sister and husband are having a baby in June
We re-connected with Mr. A's dad who will hopefully be moving out here in the spring
My mom has remained cancer free after her bone marrow transplant ( 2 years ago this Thanksgiving)
New friends
Nature - God is always showing me how faithful He is with nature. The sunrise, the sunset, the autumn colors, the breeze, the flowers.

One of my favorite passages of scripture is found in Matthew 6:25-34. I tend to be a worry-wart. I can worry about things when there is nothing to worry about. God has really helped me overcome a lot of this, but it is still something I deal with when problems come and I don't know how to handle it. This passage has helped me tremendously to know that if God cares about the birds, flowers, how much more does He care about me, who was created in His image.

Matthew 6:25-34
"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Autumn is AWE-SOME

One of the things I have loved living in the south is the change of seasons. In California we really didn't have seasons unless you count the Santa Ana's in the fall and May gray/June gloom in the spring/summer. Out here you can feel the change in the wind, the colors on the trees... it seems to happen overnight.



This fall has been completely awe-mazing (yes, I spelled it that way on purpose). Everywhere you looked the colors on the trees were just popping like fireworks. I was completely in awe. In the morning as I drove to work, the colors on the trees as the morning light hit took my breath away. It was just so beautiful.

This wasn't suppose to happen. We are in a severe drought and with the lack of water, the trees were suppose to go from green to brown. However, the colors came and stayed for at least a week if not longer. The colors are gone now and the trees are dropping there leaves, but I will always remember this fall.

Happy Holidays...

I about hurt myself laughing so hard!

Check this out:
http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9566343548

Wednesday posts?

I just noticed that every post I have done so far have been done on Wednesdays. I don't know why I do that, but it is amusing!

The Nelson's

On Sunday at church we had our first missionary come and visit. This family is a local NC family who is heading out to language school in December and from there to Venezuela for 2 years. As a church we are supporting them financially, but we are also supporting them physically and emotionally. They are basically an extension of Adventure Life's family.

Chris and Angela are amazing! They are so down to earth and have such a passion for the people of Venezuela. They have the most adorable boys - Ian, Isaiah and Imanuel. Art & I were able to just hang out and talk with them for awhile which was great! They were youth leaders for awhile before deciding to become missionaries so it was fun to share stories about youth ministry.

If you have a chance, go check out their website: www.nelson5missions.com.

Thanksgiving is next week - did you know that?

I came to a realization yesterday...Thanksgiving is next Thursday! Next Thursday....8 days from today. Where has the year gone! We don't even have a turkey yet.

Thanksgiving is pretty small for us now. It's usually just the 4 of us at home hanging out. We might go catch a movie while the turkey is cooking, but other than that it is just us. My uncle and aunt who live 3 hours away have invited us down again this year, but it is just too much. My husband & I both have to work on Friday and traffic is just a nightmare to get down there and back for the day. While I appreciate the invite, we will just do "our" thing.

Introduction

This is my first time posting using a blog spot! I love reading people's blog spots and had fun for the last few months following my sister and her husband on their trip through Europe on their blog spot. I helped set up our church's blog spot, so I thought I would give it a try for our family to help keep family member's in other areas up to date with what's happening.

Why adventurous? Well our family seems to have an adventurous life style. No we aren't jumping off cliffs (like my sister) or hiking some great mountain. We are "adventurous" in the fact that we left our "home" and everything/everyone we knew in California three years ago and moved to North Carolina. Why...because God called us. To do what, we didn't know. We had no jobs, no friends, no family (with the exception of an uncle and aunt who lives 3 hours away) but we obeyed and moved. That first Christmas in NC our Christmas letter was all about our "adventures" driving cross country, buying our first home, getting settled, culture shock, and just our day to day adventures as we started this new time in our lives.

Here we are 3 years later with jobs, house (that we are trying to sell) and we have finally found out what we were called to do. We are helping plant a church in the Garner/Clayton area of NC (which is why we are selling our house - to move closer to the church area). The church's name is Adventure Life Church. No we didn't help pick it out, but it does seem to fit us very well. It is a small congregation (6 families so far), but I can't tell you how excited we are. We are tired - I had no idea how much work goes in to starting a church, but happy! Yes, there are frustrating times, but all in all, I am excited to see where this "adventure" is leading us.

For friends and family, I am going to post pictures occasionally, but this will be a place that you can come and check in on us and see what is going on with our lives. I haven't been great about writing letters or emailing so I figure this might be the next best thing.

Thanks for taking this "adventure" with us!