Alive. Barely.

Ok ok that may be a bit dramatic. But seriously, we are busy little bees over here. We've had company after company and the day after our company ends next week, I'm off to Jamaica for work. Then the day I get home, I literally don't even leave the airport. Derek will meet me there and we'll give getting to Utah on standby our best shot.

My mother deserves a little shout out here. We would not be able to fly anywhere if it weren't for her working so hard for JetBlue. Thank you Mom!

Just a few short days after we get home from Utah we are off................... to THAILAND!!! I'm just a teeny bit excited. Whatever.

Between work, school, hurricane clean up, the primary program, teaching new Christmas songs, company staying with us, finding jobs, figuring out insurance, the holidays, being sick, and whatever else life has decided to throw at us, I'm officially pooped. I keep thinking, "I just need to get through this week and then things'll slow down a bit". Yeah right.

Remind me why adulthood seemed so appealing as a kid? Woof.

As crazy as life has been, we really have had some fun experiences lately.

The Thanksgiving Day parade.

Thanksgiving dinner at Derek's cousin's beautiful home in NJ. We loved our time with their family. Those kids are so entertaining and fun.



Hurricane Sandy clean up. My special sister in the back. Closed eyes pictures are so funny to me.

I'm really starting to believe that life only gets crazier. I have always been convinced that life will slow down a bit "once school is over", "once I'm married", once once once. Well I think I'm a little smarter than that now. I hope.

I keep pushing off my last gratitude post until I feel I have time to get out a good, deep, thoughtful, whopper of a post. But remember how I said I'm getting smarter? Well I think I am smart enough to know that isn't going to happen anytime soon. So you get what you get and you don't throw a fit.

Not that I expected anyone to throw one.

As much as those gratitude posts wore me out, I really enjoyed being forced to sit down and really think of what I was grateful for. Holy cow! I am so blessed. With some trials we've been going through the last while, it has been harder to recognize blessings as easily. I have felt blessed all along, but man alive it's much easier to get frustrated with life when trials seem to drag on.

I've had some time to think, and I think that I would like to make my final gratitude about experience. I know I said I wouldn't do something deep, and here I go. I promise I won't go too crazy.

Experience is what makes us who we are. Experience builds character. It defines our values, our beliefs, and relationships. It creates opinions. It makes for competition. It pushes us to do better the next time around. Sometimes experience hurts, sometimes it's quite enjoyable, but it is ALWAYS defining us. Something I have learned and continue to learn is that I can choose how I let my experiences define me by the way I choose to deal with them. If I don't think about them as much, I may not learn as much from them.

I am going to stop myself now before I ramble your little ears off. But do you get the gist?

Oh hey, it's Derek's birthday!!!!! We have celebrated little bits here and there over the past few days. I sure love that guy. He's 24. Old fart yeah? Can't believe it. I love you so much sweetie.

**I know, so unlike me to not do a big long mushy post on his birthday. I'm sure Derek isn't too sad. Haha.

Oh and did I mention my grandparents are staying with us right now? We're so lucky!

Oh yeah... Jk. I'm seriously stopping this time. Thanks for reading my ramblings. :)

XO and welcome to December! I still don't get how we're already in december. Somebody has got to be messing with time.