I know, this is MUCH later than Thanksgiving, but Krisan did this on her blog around that time and I thought it was a great idea...it just took me a while to make it happen.

So, here's my list...the ABCs of things I'm thankful for this time of year.

Accountability group – I have been meeting with these two weekly (or as close to that as we can!) for the past year and I’m so thankful for their presence in my life! They encourage me, call me out, pray for me, offer advice and support, etc. LOVE them.

Baked goods – I have a newfound love for cake decorating as of this year, but I’m thankful for sweets and baked goods of all kinds, especially if I get to make them too - that's half the fun!

Cousins – I have lots of good ones… there’s not enough space to mention them all, but since I just got home from Thanksgiving with the Tidwell side, they are in the picture to the left. These boys are like the brothers I never had, FO SHO.

Debt-free – Not having school debt or credit card debt of any kind, my only form of debt has been a car payment to my parents which I paid off this month – just one year after buying my dear Trina (Trashy Trina, as I like to call her). It is a GOOD feeling.

ECBs - Now some of you may not know this phrase, but it does in fact stand for Extra Care Bucks at CVS. I am so thankful for the money that I am able to save through coupons and stores like CVS, Walgreens, and Publix (hello, BOGOs!). Seriously, CVS and Walgreens pay ME to take things out of their store. That is the way to do it!

Family – Wow, this has been a tough year for our family, but I have really seen my immediate (and extended) family come together in way I’ve never seen before. It’s been good to have that in the midst of some really trying times.

Guitar lessons – I’ve been wanting to take lessons for a while, so I decided to finally do it! Ben is a GREAT teacher, so that helps.

Home - My roommates have been SUCH a blessing in my life. Plus, it is a GREAT thing to come home after a long day and feel comfortable and literally "at home".

Instruments - I'm thankful for all the instruments and vocals that go into making music. Music is definitely one of my love languages =). It is one of the best ways for me to relate to the Lord, and one of my favorite ways to spend my time...just listening. And concerts...don't even get me started. My favorites lately, that I cannot stop listening to: Phil Wickham's new album, Imogen Heap's new album, Andrew Peterson's Behold the Lamb album (hello, it's Christmas time!), Mutemath's new album, Owl City, Shane and Shane's new album, and MUCH more.

Java - I'm thankful for yummy coffee. I love that it can enhance my morning when I have the time to sit and enjoy a cup with my Bible at the kitchen table. I also love going on coffee dates with friends and finding good little hole in the wall coffee shops when I am in new places. Oh to one day create my dream coffee shop/bakery...

Kitchens - My kitchen is one of my stress relievers. Just put me to work on baking or cooking something and I'll be in a MUCH better mood.

Laughter - Makes every day better. Especially when I'm able to laugh with people that have just as obnoxious of a laugh as I have.

Maxi girls - My college roommates STILL play a huge part in my life. I miss them being a part of every day activities, but we make it a point to see each other at LEAST once a year for a Maxi-style reunion.

Nick. Um, yeah.

Orlando - Never thought I'd say that, but I am. I'm thankful for what this city has meant for this stage of my life.

Pastor Uth - Seriously, there are so many Sundays where I just sit there after church and say to those around me - MAN, I just love Pastor David! I have such respect for his love for the Lord and the leadership and teaching that he offers our church.

Quality time with people I love!

Restaurant.com. Seriously, this website has saved me tons of money and I feel like it is a little unknown treasure. Plus, it encourages me to visit new restaurants, which is my favorite! Go check it out, now!

Shopping at H&M...in ORLANDO! That's right, we have one now. Pumped.

Thursday Thunder – our Thursday night Bible study/House Church/small group/”Group” has been God-ordained from day one, which has been cool to see.

Unexpected friendships - I think my most favorite stories of friendships that blossom out of the most unexpected places is my friendship with Courtney Clark Cleveland. We met at Back Booth at an Over the Rhine concert (it's fun to say she's my "bar friend") about 2 or 3 years ago and have maintained seeing each other as often as possible. I reallllly love this girl - and her husband, Michael! They have both been such a blessing in my life, and I'm thankful for our random chats and hang outs. Clearly, we don't have a lot of good pictures together... sorry for the crap quality of this one.

Visiting new (and old) places - I love TRAVEL! In the past year, I have visited California (at least three times - SoCal and SanFran), Savannah, Seattle (two or three times), Texas (go figure), Chicago, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Peru, Panama and Spokane (including a foray into Idaho).

Wycliffe - Wow, I have been blessed with an AWESOME job. I couldn't ask for a better place to have been placed in post-college. My job puts into practice what I learned in college, but also teaches me new things and causes me to grow professionally quite a bit. I have had two bosses since beginning my time with Wycliffe and both have been great. I'm spoiled, for sure. Not only do I get to do what I want, it is for a cause that I believe DEEPLY in. Praise HIM!

Xercise - Though I usually can’t stop thinking about how much I hate running while I actually am doing it, we have a love/hate relationships and I seriously can’t get enough of running, working out, riding my bike (I’m ready to do another triathlon!). My first half-marathon was on December 5, 2009 and I completed the whole thing without stopping. So thankful for Cara to run w/ me! I'm just really thankful that I can be active and want to make the most of that as long as I am able.



Youth Ministry at FBCO - I jumped into teaching 9th grade girls' Sunday School at First Baptist over 2 years ago, and now they are now 11th graders! CRAZY! It has been such a joy to be involved with this ministry. I deeply believe in what they are doing in the lives of teens. Below is a video we created last week for a Sunday School competition. They crack me up...



Zenni Optical - where else can you get prescription glasses for under $20?? It allows me to act on my desire to use my glasses as a fashion accessory, not just a functional and necessary item, because it's so cheap!

When telling us about his journey from South Africa to America to serving with Wycliffe in Panama, Keith Forster repeatedly said, “This is the God we serve.” How else do you explain an airline providing Keith a ticket when there was no money to buy one as he was trying to get to Columbia for his first summer assignment with Wycliffe? Or what about a whole jungle village of Kuna people in Panama kicking the Forsters out one day to welcoming them with open arms and promising to provide housing for their family the next? And there would be no other explanation for the son of a Kuna village chief deciding to anger his family to assist Keith in the translation of Scripture and pastor a Kuna church.

Hearing Keith and Wilma Forster’s story last week in Panama has confirmed in me the truth that we serve a God who specializes in the impossible. I’m reminded of a plaque I saw hanging in the home of Ralph and Marilynn Toliver, missionaries in Peru: The will of God will never lead you where the grace of God cannot keep you. Wilma and Keith would be the first to tell you that God called them both very specifically to the ministry of Bible translation. And though there were days when it seemed that God had called them to something impossible, by his grace, he always provided just what they needed to continue.

I heard story after story the past two weeks, both in Panama and Peru, which give true validity to the statement, “This is the God we serve.” And by leaning on that truth, Keith, Wilma, and countless others, have had the opportunity to affect lives for eternity by being a part of translating Scripture into the heart languages of minority people groups all across the world.

This truly is, the God we serve.

One week down in Peru. Now I'm in Panama and have 5 more days here before hitting American soil again. I'm tired, but it's good.

Peru was gorgeous. We have NOTHING like the Andes in the US - at least in my opinion. Seriously - we drove over a 16,000 foot pass. 16,000 FEET! There isn't even anything that high in the continental US, I don't believe. Gorgeous.

On Thursday, we drove out of Huanuco to see some of the more remote villages. I have NEVER been on roads this bad. It was CRAZY and I might have a bump or two on my head from the times I hit it on the side or top of the truck. . Here is a taste of our trip to the Quechua villages (check out that road!):




















Over all, Peru was a GREAT trip. Then, I headed straight to Panama yesterday. Got in last night, and this morning I was able to hang out with one of my all time fav MDB teachers - Uncle Dave (Carter)!! In Panama! How fun. He was a great tour guide, too.














In just a few hours, we will head out to pick up the NEXT Moody Radio team joining us. Tomorrow, we are hitting the ground running for round two of these trips with Moody Radio folks. Hoping this trip is as successful as the last! I'm confident it will be.

I am thankful to work with some really great and talented people, and ultimately for an organization that continues to blow my mind. I had a few teary moments in Peru, I'll be honest. It's hard not to when you hear the stories that I am blessed to hear. Hoping for the same in Panama and that God continues to teach me more about his heart for the nations.

Life's been full lately. Sometimes too full...overwhelmingly full. BUT, it's been full of great too. Lots of new things happening that are good. Great. Exciting. Maybe updates will come later. For now, I'm content to sit on some of it.

For now, I'm really trying to learn balance. Balancing work, personal life, friends, ministry, family, etc. The fact that my blog has been very neglected is proof that I'm not always getting that. I have a few people that care for me deeply enough to see that I continue to work on this... I'm thankful for that.

I have been going non-stop on one project at work, and today was my last day in the office to work on it all and now hope for the best, as I'm headed off to Peru on Sunday. And straight from Peru to Panama City...the next two weeks are going to be busy, but I'm hoping that the work ahead of time has paid off. I keep thinking I forgot something really important at the office or that I left some ball in the air that's about to drop in my absence. I'm praying against that for sure!

If you think of it - be praying for our trips...you can read more about the Panama trip on Scott's blog...and then on October 8, please pray for our family too. Big day for us.

Ok - seriously exhausted. Night.

Figured it's about time to post a quick update on here about the past (almost) month of my life. Pictures to the left are of the various activities mentioned in this post.

First off - an announcement. I have a new job. For the past year and 10 months, I have been happily working for Wycliffe Foundation as their Marketing Communications Coordinator. In that time, I have worked closely with Wycliffe USA's (the Foundation's parent company and the US headquarters for Wycliffe Bible Translators) marketing department on a number of projects since we are all housed in the same building. A few months ago, a Marketing Strategist position with Wycliffe USA opened up, and though at first I didn't even consider it, I eventually applied and was hired. I prayed a LOT about this decision, sought Godly counsel, and ultimately decided that it is the best step for me right now. My official start date is August 24, though my last day at the Foundation was THIS PAST FRIDAY (wow!) since this coming week is my family's annual beach vacation. It is definitely a bittersweet time. I can't really imagine not chatting with Dustin over my cubicle wall ALL DAY or having Katie call me sketchy every time she walks by my desk. I'll miss coffee breaks with Virginia and laughing hysterically with Mariah, Deb, Donna or any of the aforementioned people. I will definitely miss working for Scott, but am excited about working for Kristie as well. Yep, bittersweet is definitely the best description.

Other than that (and partially BECAUSE of that), the past month has been full. So, instead of details about a few things, I'll give a top-line overview by category. In the past month, I have...

Seen the following movies: Harry Potter (oh.my.gosh....I LOVE these movies...and the books are just that much better. Yes, it was worth the 2 hrs we waited in line for the free screening), Away We Go (LOVE Jim), Julie and Julie (who wants to move to Paris and attend Le Cordon Bleu with me??)

Hung out with the following people that I don't get to see often: Deena, Emily and Ben in Florida; Brittany and Kamal in Philly; old Camp Gilead buds (including Tara - twice!); Andy, Matty P, and Kyle in Cali

Attended two weddings (John and Jennifer, Andrew and Tiffany) and officially catered the cake (and cupcakes) for my very first wedding. It was a blast! Hire me for your next party, event or wedding!

Attended only one concert sadly...Rascal Flatts with Darius Rucker

Traveled to: San Diego, Orange County CA, Seattle, Philadelphia

Created the idea and name for my new baking/catering company.

I have been getting back into my more frequent reading habits (which I am excited about, so in the past 3-4 months, I have read the following books: the Twilight series, Coming Attractions, The Shack, To Live is Christ, Nights in Rodanthe, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, and am currently in The Irresistible Revolution, and about to start My Sister's Keeper. Also, presently going through Stepping Up with the ladies at work once a week and receiving a royal butt kicking from that study.

I may often complain of things going far to fast and being way to busy, but ultimately I am learning so much through this phase of my life, even with the tough times and stressors that come. I wouldn't have it any other way.