Thankful

Landon and I are NOT traveling for Thanksgiving this year! We are staying home, just like we did last year. I am SUPER EXCITED about waking up late tomorrow, staying in my pajamas, and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. We'll miss seeing our families, but things feel like they have been wild lately...and I'm ready for a couple days of rest....(and maybe a little shopping?). I'm thankful for a lot this Thanksgiving, and I just wanted to share my thoughts.

Bethany's Thankful List

1. I'm most thankful for the love I feel from the Father. I'm really thankful for how much He's shown me about Himself the last couple of years and how good and sovereign He really is. I'm thankful that I can trust Him - I didn't say it was easy to trust Him - but I think I almost finally believe I really can trust Him.

2. I'm thankful for Landon. I'm thankful for a husband who has done a job the last two years that has not been his favorite but has been necessary. I'm thankful for a man who is willing to do whatever it takes for our family.

3. I'm thankful for my parents and Krista. I've never felt such unconditional love from human beings as I do from them. I know they are for me...always.

4. I'm thankful for Landon's family. I'm thankful they love us and have continued to love us even through sorting out some tough stuff with them the last couple of years.

5. I'm thankful for our friends. Friends who we have leaned on harder than I could have thought possible in the last few years. Friends who didn't shy away when we needed them or when things looked ugly. True friends who stick around even when things get tough and sometimes uncomfortable.

6. I'm thankful for my job. Who knew RB&Co. would be such an awesome place? I had no idea. I'm thankful for my boss and co-workers. I'm thankful for being able to openly prayer together for each other at work.

7. Lastly, I'm thankful for a lot of exciting stuff that seems to be on the cusp of happening right now in our lives. Just reminds me how faithful God is....and that He has a plan.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! Whether it will be a quiet day for you tomorrow or a day filled with lots of family (which is always a huge blessing - if we were home or at Granny's....we'd probably be surrounded by 20-30 people!), I hope you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

Gobble, Gobble! One more thing - I just realized that this turkey I put on here in the picture says, "Eat Cheese". What in the world does that mean? I'm leaving it because I think it's a great picture...but very, very strange...

The Weekend Update

We've had a busy weekend (shock). Landon's parents came this past week, and we did a ton of stuff with them (feels like). We started out Friday evening by having a Thanksgiving meal together at our house - we had roast, chicken and dumplings, dressing, baby lima beans, rolls, and carrot cake and pecan pie. I'm trying to think if there was anything else on my plate...but I don't think there was. Then, on Saturday, we drove around for a while, ate at Taco Mac for lunch (so we could watch the gator game), and then we went to see A Christmas Carol - at the IMAX 3D theater. It was super! I'll tell you this though. Landon and I have got to get some of our own 3D glasses.

This is what our 3D glasses looked like at the theater (maybe a little nicer than this). They are so uncomfortable! No matter how I tried to flip them up or slant them this way or that, they were just uncomfortable. Landon was right that we have got to research how to get our own pairs of those things! After the movie we came home and ate leftovers. We church'd on Sunday morning - and the service was great! Pastor Johnny shared with us that he has just been diagnosed with prostate cancer. We are praying hard for him - it's in the early stages so they feel like it is very treatable. I can remember them watching his count for that even during the mentoring year, so I know it's been a possibility on the horizon for them for quite a while now. Landon's parents left after church and lunch at Cracker Barrel (where else would we have eaten?) on Sunday. We had a really good visit with them. After a quick Sunday afternoon and church Sunday night, we are back to another week....but GUESS WHAT? It's a short one!!!! I am off on Thursday and Friday....AND WE'RE NOT GOING OUT OF TOWN!!! I am NEVER, did you hear me, NEVER off when we are just staying in town. I am always off for us to go out of town. Because we're going to be home for the wedding and stuff around Christmas, I was thinking I would not decorate at all. Landon convince me I should decorate some...we just wouldn't put up a tree. I think I am finally ready to do some SHOPPING. My favorite part about Christmas though is wrapping the gifts. I would love to sit and wrap and wrap and wrap the gifts - but, only if I have cute ribbon and wrapping supplies! So...I just have to make it through Monday...Tuesday...and Wednesday....AND THEN OFF FOR THURSDAY AND FRIDAY! I cannot wait to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and go through the sale papers Thursday morning!

He Will Not Leave It Undreedemed

Landon and I have a lot going on right now. Not in a bad way...just in a perhaps changes are coming kind of way. It feels cautiously exciting, but it also reminds me of how good the Father is - how perfect His will is. Yesterday, in the few minutes I have in the car alone between dropping off my carpool and getting to my house, I turned on two of my very favorite songs right now. They are both off of the new Selah CD...

You know what's funny? As much as I love music, I did not know that much about Selah. I know some of their songs from the radio or from people singing them in church, but that's about it. A girl on one of the blogs I read put a song up from Selah's new album called Unredeemed. I listened to the song and couldn't believe how much it felt like the story of my life the past couple of years. As soon as the album came out a couple months ago, I bought it off itunes. I love it! My two favorites are Unredeemed and You Deliver Me. I want to tell you the words to the songs, and then I want to share with you why they mean so much to me.

Unredeemed
The cruelest world
The coldest heart
The deepest wound
The endless dark
The lonely ache
The burning tears
The bitter nights
The wasted years

Life breaks and falls apart
But we know these are
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

For every choice that led to shame
And all the love that never came
For every vow that someone broke
And every lie that gave up hope
We live in the shadow of the fall
But the cross says these are all
Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But when anything that's shattered is laid before the Lord
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

Places where grace is soon to be so amazing
It may be unfulfilled
It may be unrestored
But you never know the miracle the Father has in store
Just watch and see
It will not be
Just watch and see
It will not be unredeemed

This song is just ridiculous to me. I've mentioned this before, but I'm such a brat to the Father. No matter what happens, and no matter how faithful He's been to me in the past, I still wonder if He will show up almost every time - and I still doubt that He can take situations and fix them. I wonder if He's really that powerful. I feel so loved by Him when I listen to this song - He knows my heart, He knows the way that I take, He didn't forget about me! This song is whispering, "Trust me, trust me, Bethany." Several things have happened in my life and in Landon's and my life together that has been a major shake down. I am amazed, completely in awe, that it's actually true. He really doesn't leave it unredeemed - anything. He really is a healer of all wounds. It's true that you never know the miracle the Father has in store...it's okay for me to doubt it...just watch and see, He says, just watch and see what I'm going to do for you. Do you think He's excited as He's saying just watch and see? He knows what's coming - He knows what good things are ahead....it feels like when I know something good is going to happen, but it's a surprise and I just want to jump up and down and tell the person...that's what it makes me think of. My Father is up there....just shaking His head, sorry I'm hurting right then, but with tears of love for me saying, "Hang in, just watch and see. Just trust me. I don't leave anything unredeemed for my child." He is so good.

Okay, the second one I love (but maybe not quite as much as the first) is:

You Deliver Me
Deep as the ocean, Bright as rain
This powerful emotion lifts me up above the planes
It's taken me to places I never thought I'd go
Showing me a grace I never thought I'd know

When I feel like I can't go on
You deliver me
When the road is winding and way too long
You deliver me
You deliver me

I feel like a sinner, my sins have been washed clean
I'm absolutely given, this heart has never seen
I must be forgiven sometimes asking why
I was chosen to be given you in this life

When I feel like I can't go on
You deliver me
When the road is winding and way too long
You deliver me
You deliver me

When there's a distance
Between what I am and who I want to be
You deliver me

When I feel like I can't go on
You deliver me
When the road is winding and way too long
You deliver me You deliver me
When I feel like I can't go on You deliver me
When the road is winding and way too long
You deliver me
You deliver me

My favorite part of this one is the chorus. I mean, how many times do I feel like I can't go on? Let me tell you. A lot. Does the road ever feel like it's winding and way too long? Yes. A lot. Does it ever feel like we'll never get a church - yeah, that feels like a long, winding road. And then, You deliver me. I don't have to deliver myself - and thank goodness, because I can't. I don't have to figure it out. I don't have to be that smart.

I know this has been a serious post today, and usually mine are sillier. I guess with everything that's been going on here, I just feel really grateful. Grateful for what God has done in my life - for the stuff He's shown me about Himself. Ya'll, I can trust Him. He didn't leave me unredeemed. And, He delivers me - He is for me. And, I can trust Him. Thank you, Jesus.

Dogs in Stores

So, yesterday for work, I had to head to this luggage repair shop close to our office to have them gold stamp some leather notebooks for me. Every year when we have our New Principal's meeting, I take the notebooks to be stamped. Malissa used to take them - so this is my second year of doing this job - but we have always taken them to the same place. Apparently, this place is practically the only place in Atlanta that will still put this gold lettering on the folders. It just happens to be down the street from our new office now. I dropped the notebooks off (only 2 of them this year) early last week. On my receipt that I took with me that day, they told me I could pick the notebooks up last Thursday. Because of my carpool/riding/driving situation, I did not pick them up until yesterday. I get there to pick them up about 1pm, and the lady says, "Oh, guess what, he just started working on those. It's going to be 15 minutes." Okay, first of all, what? If he had not done them already, he just happened to know I was coming and had coincidentally just started working them? Interesting. But, no problem. I'm happy to sit for a few minutes and wait for the notebooks to be stamped. I read a magazine, almost fall asleep in the sun, text some people, etc. Meanwhile, the dogs are on the floor. I have only been in one other store (which was a car wash) where the owners had their dogs in the store with them (except for perhaps a pet shop, of course). This place totally cracks me up. The two dogs are sweet as can be and very old and just lay around and sleep. Since this is a luggage repair shop, it's funny that behind the counter, the dogs have old suitcases as their beds. But, most times I've been there, they choose to sleep out in the "store" part of the building, making grunting noises, and just other dog noises in general. I decided since Malissa and I have talked about this store numerous times and the dogs there, I would send her pictures of the dogs on my phone. Here they are:

Don't you think this is funny? It totally cracks me up. I finally did get my notebooks and left. I hope the dogs are still there next year when I return for my annual notebook stamping.

Where Have I Been?

I know it's been a really long time since I've written. We've had a ton of stuff going on - hopefully some stuff I can share sometime soon, but with all this church stuff - we just have to be careful about sharing things. Anyway, suffice it to say, for random reasons, it's been a super busy couple of weeks. I already can't wait for the weekend, and the week just started! And, I still don't really have anything to tell you. I just found that my absence in the blogging world was becoming unacceptable to me. I do have one issue to address after my long hiatus.

Toilet Seat Covers.

So, who uses these things? I always use a toilet seat cover if it is offered in the restroom. I have to be extremely careful trying to discuss this because I am really bad about giving way too much information - when it is like no one's business and I should feel embarrassed sharing it. So...I'll try to monitor myself during this post. The other night, we get into a discussion with Eric and Kelli about toilet seat covers. I learn from this discussion that I have been putting the cover on backwards. I am very confused by these helpful little covers. Everyone else tells me that the flap part is supposed to go in the front. WHAT???? I thought the flap goes in the back??? I was totally unaware that I have been using toilet seat covers the wrong way my entire life (Which reminds me of when I first learned to use a computer mouse as a child, I learned to use it upside down - so up was really down, right was really left, etc. - weird, huh?). So, a few days ago, I tried to do it the so called "right" way. My friends, it did not work. I do not think these people I trust are correct. Can you provide any wisdom? I will try to think of something more entertaining and relevant than toilet seat covers to bring to the table in my next post. I am alive, and I do intend to continue in the blogging world. :)

Quick Update

Ya'll, yikes, it's been a long time since I've updated! Things have seemed so busy....or maybe I just haven't had anything to talk about. I'm not sure which it is...but I just haven't updated. The weekend was good. Landon was off on Saturday, so we had a good day together...and how about that game?? Yeah! Go Gators! If anything exciting happens this week....I'll let you know! Or, I'll try to think of something completely useless to talk about :)