What Easter Means to Me...

I am forgiven! I am saved by the Blood of Christ!

"Death has been swallowed up in victory. 

Where, O death, is your victory?

Where, O death is your sting?

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ"!

1 Corinthians 15:54-57

"He is not here; he has risen, just as he said."

Matthew 28:6

Jesus has paid by debt and all to Him I owe.  I am a sinner, I was born a sinner, and I will always have a sin nature however; Jesus Christ has saved me from my sin nature and has taken my place on the cross.  I am the one who is worthy of death on the cross but Jesus loved me so much that He took my place.  He died to save you and me!  In John 3:16 we see, "For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."  God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to save us and to take the wrath of our sin.  I will be eternally thankful for Jesus and the price He paid for my life!  Knowing Jesus has changed my life and because of Him I am forgiven and changed! 

Christ the Lord has Risen!

He lives forever!

As we approach Easter here are a few songs that I have been listening to and reflecting on...


Up From the Grave
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3pejQV0oew


Christ is Risen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IExdrZGQVeI


Christ the Lord is Risen
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzy7jFNUc3w


Jesus Paid It All
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38EVco7eba0

A Thankful Heart

Every Thanksgiving I write a post about the things that I am thankful for from that year and while my list could go on and on, I normally pick 20-30 things.  This year like every other year has been one of many blessings!  Considering I have taken a hiatus from the blog world I think it is best that I first welcome my new sweet, adorable, cuddly, snuggle, beautiful niece to the world!  Catherine was born in August and brings so much joy and delight into Aunt Ah's life.  Honestly being Aunt Ah is one of the BEST callings that I have in life.  I could spend all day with my two sweet girls or talking about them.  I pray that Caroline and Catherine will come to know the Lord at an early age and that my life will be an example of how to be a Godly woman day in and day out.  I pray that these two little girls will find joy and delight in God and His Word and that they will serve Him all the days of their lives.  I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with these two bundles of joy and think they do a great job starting my list of things I am thankful for! 

Those pictures sure do add a lot of cuteness to this post! :)  Now for the rest of my list....(warning the first 7 are long.  If you want the quick and condensed version just look for the bold print!)

I am thankful for..

1.  My Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  I am thankful for his grace, mercy, strength, wisdom, love, and provision that He so abundantly bestows on us each and every day.  Without Christ I am nothing and able to do nothing,  Christ gives me the strength and power to accomplish all good works through Him.

2. My husband, Matt.  He is a joy to be married to and is a wonderful head of our household. He encourages me each and every day to be the best that I can be.  He makes me breakfast and lunch, he makes me laugh and smile, he loves me for who I am.  He is a hard worker, completing school and work, all while still making time for me and family!

3. My parents!  I honestly believe that my sister and I were blessed with the BEST parents two girls could ask for.  They taught us what it meant to believe in Christ, they helped shape us into the women that we are today,  they provided (and still do) for us, they care for us, they love us, they spend time with us, they encourage us, they are our biggest cheerleaders!

4. My sister, brother-in-law.  They are some of Matt and I's greatest friends and I am so thankful that they now live 10 minutes away vs. 45 minutes.  They are a blast to be around and also help encourage us.  They love us unconditionally and they share their girls and dog with us!  My sister and I truly are each others best friends and have fun chatting over coffee or playtime with the girls.  My brother-in-law and I enjoy bonding over sports and daily life.  While Matt and Em like to work on renovation projects, and S and him like to play golf and talk about the latest gadgets and technology. Of course I love my sweet little nephdog Jack!

5. My in-laws (parents and brother and sister).  I am thankful for Matt's family and the encouragement that they are to us.  They too walk alongside us in life and care for us.  Even though we do not live in the same town I am thankful for the time that we do get to spend together and cherish the moments that pass too quickly!   I am thankful for a mother-in-law who steps in to clean and prepare frozen meals for us when I am overwhelmed with two jobs! We are excited that soon another little niece will be joining our family! :)

6. My extended family.  I love all of my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins dearly!  I cherish that time that we get to spend with them. It seems that as we get older the time gets less and less but I want it to be more and more.  I often reflect on the good memories and get sad that the times together aren't as frequent with all our busy schedules. I think that is one reason I LOVE the holiday season is because I know that it includes a lot of family time!  I do cherish my relationships with my grandparents and enjoy my weekly/biweekly calls to catch up on life.  I could sit and talk with my grandparents for HOURS!

7. My new job.  THE LORD PROVIDES!  This summer I was on the search for a new job as I had lost my old job due to low enrollment at the school.  After many interviews God has provided the PERFECT job and I am so happy with my new school, class, and students!  I am so happy to be teaching and caring for my new school.  I pray that I am a witness to all there. (Stay tuned for future blog post about the new job and the hunt for a job)

8.  A new-to-us car!

9. Friends, both new and old

10. Sunshine 

11. Fall leaves

12. Books

13. Coffee to start my days with

14. Football and Basketball 

15. Decorating the house and entertaining people

16. God's guidance

17. The Bible

18. Families that still call on me to babysit 

19. A day at the beach in July when I didn't think I would get to go this summer

20. A day on the lake

21. Continued tradition of going to UNC games with my dad

22. Mega-bed! (A pallet out of blankets and pillows that Matt and I make for at home movie nights)

23. Laughter

24. Prayer

25. Encouragement

26. The overwhelming generosity of others!

27. A church that boldly proclaims the gospel

28. A warm home!

29. Mom's homecooking
 
Of course there are many other things that I am thankful for and this list is by no means all that I am thankful for or in any specific order.  I just like to jot things down each year.  Many years the things are the same and some years new things are added. However each year one thing remains, I am truly thankful that the Lord has given me each and every blessing listed or not listed!

"Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Fathers

Matt and I are BLESSED beyond measures when it comes to our dads.  They are both Godly, loving, caring, kind, compassionate, giving, encouraging, supportive and SO many other adjectives could be used to describe these two men.  We count our blessings and thank the Lord for them each day!  Both of our dads have helped to shape who we both are as individuals and who we are as a couple.  I am so thankful for their leadership in our families and for their guidance that they give us, our moms, and siblings.  We both look up to our dads and hold them in high regard!  We wouldn't be who we are today without them! 

Last weekend we enjoyed getting to celebrate our dads and my granddads!  We first headed to Matt's parents for a day of fun in the sun, the boys played golf while the girls hung out at the pool, and then we headed to the Angus Barn for the most delicious meat you have ever tasted! (A little shout out to my MIL for her retirement and service to BSF for 22 years!  We are so proud of you and know that the Lord used you to touch many lives during that time.)  We always enjoy being with the Stone family and look forward to several other Stone Family Fun Days that we have on the calendar this summer!

Sunday we hosted (because my parents had lost power during the storm) a cookout at our house for my dad, grandads, and sisters FIL.  We had a great time sitting on the porch chatting, watching trees be taken off of peoples houses, YUMMY cookout food, and HOMEMADE ice cream!  It was fun to just sit around and chat and relive old memories as well as creating new ones.  We too look forward to more Hodges hang outs this summer and of course the arrival of our new niece or nephew in 8 weeks!!

Here is what I posted on Facebook in honor of our dads: I am so blessed by the Godly men in my life, first off my Dad, he was my first love, my encourager, supporter, and comfort, he taught me how to be a Godly person, how to care for others and so much more and what to look for in my husband! I am so grateful for our yearly UNC trips and all the other memories we have and those that are to come. Next, my FIL, Jerry, he raised Matt to be a loving, kind, compassionate man, he has welcomed me as his daughter and we are also thankful for how handy he is. I am also blessed by my grandpa, Jr. And great uncle Bunny who have shown me so much love and support over the years, I love riding in the truck and sitting on the porch with you guys watching the days go by! I also look forward to the day in Heaven when I will meet my other grandpa! Love you all sooo much!

Thanks dads for all you do for us! You are so special to us!

Food Lion...Your Neighborhood Store...TRULY!

We don't live too far from a Food Lion and we may actually live too close to it because we are there at least 2-3 times a week but sometimes definitely more!  We love it because we know the people who work there and they know us and most of the time you run into your neighbors while shopping.  Most of the time we shop in the afternoon/early evening however we found out the other night at 9:30 it may be more fun to shop at that time.  The store is basically empty and the employees are having a good time.

We laughed as the lady two in front of us took the lady in front of us ice cream.  The check out guy had to sprint to the parking lot to find the ice cream.  As soon as he returned the manager who was helping to bag groceries dropped a gallon of milk and it was like slow motion watching the bag slowly fill up and then spread across the floor to make a mess.  I am sure these stories don't leave you laughing but for us in Food Lion at 9:30 we enjoyed a good laugh.

We got in the car after leaving and I told Matt this truly is a neighborhood store and that even though there are several other grocery stores close by this is the one I love!  It is a small community in our some-what big city.

Friday Letters

Dear Warm Weather,

Where are you?  The calendar says it is May but it feels more like October.  Please say that the sunshine and warm temperatures will be here after yet another week of rain and cold in the forecast for next week.  I miss you dearly!

Dear Seminary Semester,

I am glad to see you come to an end so that I can have my husband back for a while to enjoy summer with!  I am so glad that he enjoys classes and is learning a lot though.

Dear Dad and Mom,

Thanks for going shopping with me today!  I had a blast as always.

Dear Stone Family,

I am looking forward to celebrating Jerry's Birthday and Rachel's Mothers Day tomorrow!

Dear Gift Cards,

I have held on to you long enough and you are now burning holes in my pockets.  I do not forsee some of you living on past tomorrow since all the cute spring/summer clothes are out in stores now!

Dear class,

You made me proud this week with how well you did at the Renaissance Faire.  Your hard work paid off and your presentations were great!  Even though some days I seem as if I am going to pull my hair out I truly am going to miss you all next year.  I will miss learning about Lacrosse, watching endless games of football and kickball on the playground, playing on the playground with you all, how you try to get me off topic to delay Grammar or Math, how you wait anxiously in your seats with anticipation each day to see how many math problems I will give you, how you challenge me to see if I can beat you all in math pages and spelling assignments, how you have helped me to become a stronger teacher and disciplinarian,  how you have random facts of the day, how you have grown in the Lord this year, how you like to have a good time in the class, how the room smells of good scented lotions.  Thanks for making my 4th year of teaching a success!

Dear Summer Vacation,

When you get here you have my permission to go REAL SLOW!

Dear New Niece or Nephew,

 I am very anxious to meet you and am praying for a safe a healthy delivery in August for you and your mom!  Now I get to spoil you and Caroline. WOOHOO!

Dear Caroline,

Thanks for starting to say my name, it is music to my ears to hear you say "A"! You are such a joy!

Snowy Palm Sunday

We woke up to this on Palm Sunday.  Beautiful Signs of Spring!

 We came out of church to this.  A wet and beautiful snow storm!

By middle of the afternoon we had this.  A snow covered street and yard!

 We had a wonderful Palm Sunday starting with worship at church to begin this week of Easter.  Followed by lunch at our house with my parents and a snowy adventure and stop at Starbucks with them before going our separate ways.  We enjoyed food, fellowship, and lots of laughs!  Including some fun in the car doing fishtales and 360's.

 

 

 After our afternoon with my parents we had our great friends Andy, Jennifer, Lydia, Eva, and Aliza over to go sledding and hang out with us!  We have been talking about going sledding together for the past two winters and have never gotten to do it, so we knew that today we would make it happen.  At church we talked about what our afternoons held and decided to get together after lunch and some rest.  When they came over to our house we stayed outside sledding, building snowmen, throwing snowballs, and having many laughs and good memories for 2 hours before coming inside for hot chocolate and brownies.

Eva and I made "SnowGranny" while the others tackled the large hill up the road.

 This girl stayed in the snow the whole time we were outside and would welcome everyone with a snowball!

 Look at all that snow!

 

 The girls and I before sledding

 My sledding partner and I

 Just hanging out in the snow...

 Matt and I coming down the hill...

We made it down the hill!

 Andy and Jennifer did some sledding too!

 Aliza did some snowboarding and was very good at it.

We had  a blast all day yesterday and are so thankful for family and friends that our like family to spend our snow days together! :)

The snow was a great reminder on Palm Sunday of how God washes our sins white as snow when we accept Him as our personal Lord and Savior!

Weekend Sleepovers

Last weekend Matt had class on campus so he was out of town for a couple days.  I packed up and headed over for some quality time with my parents! Little did I know that Caroline would be joining us as well!  Her mommy got sick and daddy had to work over the weekend so she came to spend time with her Papa, Mimi, and Auntie Allison!  What a treat! :)  Our weekend was full of playing grocery store, finding birds, playing ball (which instantly gets laughs out of the little cutie!), watching basketball, feeding babydolls and bears, playing puzzles, reading good books, great snuggles, playing outside, going to a talent show at Papa's work, and LOTS of yummy food!  I am so thankful for the weekend that I got to spend with my Dad, Mom, and Sweet Niece.

 Here is Caroline with my favorite bear from when I was a child.  This bear went with me EVERYWHERE and now Caroline is becoming quite fond of it.

 Is this the button that turns the TV on and off Auntie Allison?

 Ready for bed but one quick picture before leaving the Talent Show. 

 

 The Husband is home! We enjoyed some snuggles on the couch and catching up on the DVR shows.

Thanks Dad and Mom for a fun weekend and spoiling your girls!

Not so warm Spring Break

Well this week has been Spring Break but no one would believe that it was Spring Break with these Winter-like temperatures we have had the past couple of days.  The break started off with nice warm weather especially since we headed down to Charleston for the first couple of days.  Now that we are back home I don't believe it has been warmer than 46 degrees.  This has kept me inside except for running some errands or going over to check out Mom and Dad's home renovations. 

While I wish that there were warmer temperatures this week I can't complain I have gotten a lot done and have enjoyed myself at home.  I have totally enjoyed being a "stay-at-home wife"!  The laundry has been done, folded, and put away.  Dishes are washed and sitting in the cabinets ready for another meal.  Breakfast, lunch, and dinners made with love.  Crafts are finally being finished instead of sitting on the shelf waiting for me to complete them.  Books are being read.  Time is being spent with my husband among his busy schedules with midterms and papers.  ACC Basketball Tournament is being watched while sipping on a Chick-fi-la Sweet Tea! (My school knows what they are doing when giving this Basketball loving girl a break over tournament weekend!)   Today I have on my Hokie Gear and tomorrow I will have on Tarheel Gear :)

One thing I can never believe when we get to Spring Break is how quickly the end of the school year is approaching.  Only 10 weeks til SUMMER!!! WooHoo!  Spring Break is preparing me and getting me excited for Summer Vacation and the endless possibilities that Summer Days can hold!

The remainder of break will be full of time with family, my husband, Bible Study, books, and Basketball!  GO HOKIES AND TARHEELS! :)

Spring Break Charleston Style

We just got back from a WONDERFUL, FUN, RELAXING weekend in Charleston, SC with my Dad's side of the family.  It was so nice to all be together and spend time with one another while enjoying the beautiful town of Charleston and Folly Beach!  It had been a while since we had all been on vacation together so needless to say I was as giddy as a school girl as we geared up for this trip.  The trip did not disappoint and it was a great time of fellowship, food, touring, laughter, and most importantly FAMILY.  

Mom and I waiting on the family to head to Fort Sumter.  She is such a stylin' lady and was invited to Charleston Fashion Week!

 Daddy's Girl! Chatting about Game Day while waiting on the family.  Go HEELS!

 Mom were you all alone on Saturday? :(  But such a cute picture.

 My hubby and I riding the ferry to Fort Sumter.

 Posing at the fountain.

 Happy Birthday Suzanne!

 Charleston from Fort Sumter

 Us touring Fort Sumter. Such a cool place.

 Olivia and I shooting at the enemies

 Bridge

 Waving at my husband from the level below

 Best Friends!

 Beautiful Cousin Leslie stealing the camera to take selfies.

 Grace and I

 Waiting on Dinner at the Crab Shack.  Celebrating Suzanne's birthday by her having to sing everything to the waitress and everyone else all night. PRICELESS.

 Playing Blocks with Sweet Caroline

 Mimi and Papa with their precious granddaughter!

 Auntie Al and Uncle Studly with Caroline

 Mimi and Caroline

 Sisters.  So sad to see my sister leave a day early. :(

 Mom and her girls down at the market

 Cobblestone streets

 Dad and Mom walking along the Battery.

 There was a cruise ship leaving from Charleston on Sunday and we stopped to watch it take off while discussing pros/cons of Cruises and if we would like to go on one or not.

 Just out for our Sunday Stroll

 Watching the Cruise Ship

 Our neighborhood

 Dad and Mom at the Fountain

 Stopping for a Moon Pie and Soda after walking many miles around town.  YUMMY!

 An eager husband and a sleepy wife

 The Bed and Breakfast in the neighborhood

 Mom and Dad before leaving to head home :(

The Hodges Household or the weekend.

Sunday night we were able to stay and visit with Leslie since she is at school in Charleston.  We enjoyed seeing her home, eating yummy food and just visiting with her.  Leslie may be called a cousin but she has always been like another sister to Emily and I.  Thanks for taking a break from school and spending some extra time with us.

I was so shocked that I did not shop more while in Charleston but I did have a great time touring the city and just looking at the beautiful buildings and houses.  I did however buy some DELICIOUS fudge and may be sending Leslie back to get me some more before Easter.

We have grown very fond of Folly Beach and were glad to eat at Locklear's on the pier last night for dinner. We did some gooood eating while on vacation!

Folly Beach and Charleston we will come back soon!  There were many more wonderful family members and pictures taken that I will have to steal from my cousins when they post.  Thanks Uncle Emory for planning a fun vacation and thanks to Dad and Mom for taking us!  Matt and I were commenting while down there that we have been together for 3 years and have been to Charleston once every year! :)  We sure do love it down there!