no. 30

no. 30

today, and every day, i am thankful for My Mike (:

i am thankful for my very best friend to go through life with

i am thankful that he is goofy

i am thankful for this adventure that we are on

i am thankful that his heart is for the Lord

i am thankful for 2+ years of incredible marriage

i am thankful that we enjoy doing some of the same things, and different things too

i am thankful that he will dance with me

i am thankful that he eats anything i cook without complaining

i am thankful that he snuggles me at night and that i get to wake up beside him every morning

i am thankful that he will be active with me

i am thankful that he loves to travel

i am thankful that he enjoys being outside

i am thankful that he is a hard-worker

i am thankful that he provides for our family

i am thankful that he lets me be me [with my funkiness in all it's glory]

i am thankful that he is a braves fan - seriously

i am thankful that he makes me want to be a better person

[disclaimer: this list could go on for.ever]

the best is yet to be

no. 29

no. 29

i'm thankful that i get to share with you the very first before and after pictures from Tyler Street!





no. 28

no. 28


i am thankful for my parents and for mike's parents. i know that i am blessed to have in-laws who love me like mine do [and who have put up with me living with them for months (: ] i'm thankful for the example of love the they've all showed me and i'm thankful that i get to call them my friends.

no. 25, 26, 27

no. 25 

I'm thankful that we got our very first real live Christmas tree up at Tyler Street! Our neighbors love that we have a tree yet we have no furniture in the place ... (:
[oh, please excuse the horrible quality of this picture]


no. 26

I'm thankful that the first thing Mikey did on Saturday was install our mailbox! (: We have a super cute one on the house, but the mailman quit delivering mail to it "because he was having to leave his vehicle" - never mind that he leaves his vehicle to put one of our neighbors mail in her box that's on her fence. Ugh. Over much frustration and deliberation, we gave in and bought a box to go by the road. All I know is, I better have one FULL mailbox on Monday. 

no. 27

today i'm thankful that the Lord is stirring in my heart once again and opening my eyes to areas in my life that need Him more. mike & i have been reading Kisses From Katie [a gift from kayla] and at only a few pages in, we can feel the Spirit moving. i hope that this feeling never fades and that through His moving in our lives we are able and always willing to be used by Him. 

no. 23 & 24

no. 23

today i'm thankful that we got our very first real live Christmas tree! our sweet friends Matt, Amanda, David & Baby E [see day no. 14] met us at the lake house for the night on Tuesday, then we headed up to the mountains on a Christmas tree hunt! because Mike & I have lived in an "h-apartment" since we got married we haven't really had space for a big tree...but with Tyler St. almost ready for us to move into - we hunted, scrounged, hiked around, and found the perfect tree (: 

no. 24

today i'm thankful for a day to hang out with family and friends while feasting on delicious food (: and...that mike got up and ran the turkey trot [our first 8K] this morning! 

happy thanksgiving, everyone 

no. 22

no. 22

this is my *thanksgiving countdown* from last year

i'm thankful that Thanksgiving is only two days away!

this year it means running an 8K before the family / food festivities start [can you tell that i'm trying to justify the copious amounts of food i'll be eating?]

I thought I'd leave you with my favorie pie recipes from last year. If you're needing something to take to your family get-together, either of these will "wow" everyone! [and they're delicous too!]

Southern Living's Sweet Potato Pie

Cranberry & Wild Blueberry Pie

no. 21

no. 21

i won't even lie. i'm thankful that it's a short [like, really short] work week for me! tomorrow is my last day this week (: mike & i are taking a day of vacation - heading to lake to meet sweet friends, then venturing to the mountains to scrounge up a Christmas tree. and i.can't.wait. my heart is happy! 

no. 19 & 20

no. 19

[side note: Happy Birthday Mere (: ] 

today i'm thankful for everyone who came to work at our house! mike & kayla, dad, reggie, jimmy, andy & cayden gave yet another saturday to help us get things done at tyler street. people, we're getting so.so.so close! 

[siding is almost done] 

[the nook door is cut in] 

[the bathroom is grout is sealed and the ceiling is polyurethaned]

[the kitchen walls are polyurethaned]

[kitchen cabinets are at the house & installation has begun!] 

no. 20 

i'm thankful for our penguins! 

these are the 5 yr old girlies we had in church today! we love working with them & have been so blessed by the opportunity to serve with them (: 

no. 18

no. 18

today i'm extremely thankful for melbert, carolyn, & kayla. these 3 ladies are 3 of my very best friends. i'm thankful that melissa's been such a huge part of my life since middle school, carolyn since high school, and kayla since college. i mean it when i say that i love you ladies and that from the bottom of my heart i'm thankful for you! (: 

no. 17

no. 17
thursdays have become one of the sweetest days of the week for me because we have community group. tonight i am thankful for these sweet friends that God has placed in our lives right now to come along side us and go through life together. we've only been together since September, but i love each and every person in this group dearly. we've enjoyed food, fellowship and good, deep conversation about living our lives for Christ and what that looks like. i'm thankful for the challenges and growth that i've had personally from being with these believers and i can't wait to see what's in store for our group! 

no. 16

no. 16

today i'm thankful for food to fill my belly
food is one of my passions. i studied it in college and would spend every waking moment baking or cooking in the kitchen if i could. i love slaving over pouring into whatever it is that i'm making - and then feeding it to others.

i've been reminded that there are so many less fortunate than us when it comes to food [among a million other things]. we've become unaware and de-synthesized to the fact that not everyone in the world has a McDonalds or Chick-Fil-A off the next exit on the highway to stop at whenever they please [don't get me wrong, i love having food readily accessible just as much as you do...] thanks to my friend kayla's blog, i've been keeping up with 3 girls who are doing mission work taking care of hungry / malnourished children. The program they started is called Serving His Children and they operate a full Malnutrition Rehabilitation Program that not only serves Masese, but a large number of surrounding villages. I may have cried reading about what they're doing. It really, really struck a chord with me. Maybe one day I'll get to use my love of food to feed the hungry [around here or around the world...].

be thankful for the food that you eat [most of you, more than] 3 times a day!


i'll leave you with what we're having for dinner (:

no. 15

no. 15

i'm thankful that it's fall! i love love love it when the seasons change. [i also would give my right arm to have the weather stay like it was today...perfect!] 

it makes my heart happy when the sweltering heat starts to give way to crisp, cool air and the leaves lose their bright green shades to bursts of orange, red, and yellow. this season brings about thanksgiving - one of my absolute favorite holidays. annnnd it also means that winter is-a-comin' and bringing with it Christmas, lots of birthdays, and a new year! 

no. 14

no. 14

happy birthday matt!

today was super easy to pick something that both mike & i are thankful for.

this is our dear friend matt tingle. he's been one of mike's long time best friends and i have had the privilege of calling matt, amanda, baby d [and soon baby e] my friends for several years now. we are thankful to be going through life with you guys & we really love y'all!

no. 13

no. 13

i'm thankful for a weekend with the girls!

it started with a very much needed dinner at papas & beer friday night - followed by a sleepover with one of my very bests, kayla. 

saturday we slept in [at least i did] and ate a healthy breakfast. then, i met up with mel and mel (: for antiquing and crafts...2 of my favorite things in the world to do! 

melissa, carolyn, jenna, melanie, kayla, ashleigh, and mills i love you and i'm oh so thankful for you! 

no.12

no.12

while i may not have enjoyed it at the time, i am thankful for the 4 years that i spent at Clemson and not only for the education i received while i was there, but for the person those 4 years taught me to be

Where the Blue Ridge yawns its greatness,

Where the Tigers play,

Here the sons of dear old Clemson

Reign supreme alway.

Dear old Clemson we will triumph,

And with all our might,

That the Tiger's roar may echo

O'er the mountain height.

We will dream of greater conquests

For our past is grand.

And her sons have fought and conquered

Every foreign land.

Where the mountains smile in grandeur

O'er the hill and dale,

Here the Tiger lair is nestling

Swept by storm and gale.

We are brothers strong in manhood,

For we work and strive.

And our Alma Mater reigneth

Ever in our lives.

no.11

no. 11

i am thankful for my freedom today and everyday

thank you men and women [and your families] who are serving and fighting for my freedom

no. 10

no. 10 

this is my new running shoe. sure, it's a material thing, but man - i am thankful for these bad puppies! i hiked most of the trail in them and knew that i wanted to keep running in them once we got home. after i trained for and ran the 1/2 marathon almost a year ago, i injured my right Achilles tendon, so i knew i needed something that would help protect me once was able to start running again & this is it!

no.9

no. 9

i am so thankful that our plumber and floor man came out to the house yesterday! we not only have freshly sanded 100 year old oak floors that are patiently waiting to soak up that new stain, we have a fully functional bathroom [now, fully functional and fully done are 2 different things..but it will be painted, stained and decorated next weekend!] 

no. 8

no. 8

i'm thankful that i get to live my life in the shadow of the Cross

the beauty of the cross is that there's One who has redeemed my soul.
the beauty of the cross is that i'm finally free and letting go.
the beauty of the cross is that Your grace has found me just as i am.

no. 7

no. 7

today i'm thankful for these sweet friends! 

this was our Bible study group last year - we laughed together [a lot] and even cried together. i'm thankful for the year that the Lord gave us together - to be challenged by each other and to grow together (:

no. 6

no. 6

today i'm thankful that haley & kendall opened up their new home in charleston to me and carson this weekend for a "mini vacation" 

no. 5

no. 5



Today I am SO thankful that 7 men and 1 boy gave up their Saturday to serve me and Mike by putting siding on our house...when we weren't even in town. The biggest Thank You goes out to my dad, Andy, Cayden, Tom Rucker, Lenny Ponder, Jimmy Gault, Lynn King & dads friend Reggie.

no. 4

i woke up with a very thankful heart today, so it's been tough for me to pick just one thing to share with you

no. 4

i'm thankful that we got to go on the adventure of a life time
randomly memories flood my mind of specific instances on the trail and always make me smile

[i could talk about this adventure for days. maybe one day i will]

if you wanna be free, be free.

no. 3

no. 3

i'm thankful for Grace Church

i'm thankful for a group of believers boldly professing the name of Christ in greenville, this city that i love

i'm thankful for their ministry to me and mike and that they're letting us be apart of what the Lord is doing through them