Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Strive...to Write & Send

I have never been able to keep a New Year's resolution. I haven't been able to give up soda, run a half marathon, learned how to knit etc.! I am not able to remember what I've resoluted (is that a word??) but this year, I can do it! I saw this and I'm going to try my hardest!

I'm going to strive to write 52 letters this year. One a week for a whole year! I don't really know who I'm going to send letters to...52 to one person? or 52 letters to 52 different people..too bad I can't think of 52 people or maybe 52 letters to myself to read somewhere down the road! But either way, I'm going to try. Let's see if I can do it!

Habakkuk 2:2- Write down the revelation and make it plain on tablets so that a herald may run with it.
Pinned Image

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Strive...to be like Linus

I don't know when, why or how I first fell in love with the Peanut's gang, but they are my favorite! I have ornaments, a cut out of Charlie Brown that is Ethan sized (he carries it around sometimes talking to it...very funny), books, movies, their puny Christmas tree and more! Every year I get all my Peanut's Christmas decorations out and watch the movie! I think I could honestly watch it hundreds of times a day!


But, this year was the first year I got to share my Peanut's love! Ethan and Haley were in Salem this weekend, so Alex and I went up to hang out. The two of them are finally old enough to sit still, read a book and watch a movie. So, Alex read them my Charlie Brown Christmas book with the little sound buttons (Ethan really liked the, "Good Grief!" button...he pushed it a lot)! And after they read it we watched the movie! They were too precious watching, it melted my heart a little!

Fast forward to the next day....I asked Haley and Ethan what Christmas was all about hoping they would bring up Charlie Brown. But, Haley said, "Jesus" (like a good preacher's kid) and Ethan agreed.

I don't think I was disappointed they didn't tell me about Lucy and Schroeder or Linus and his blanket, but it would have been great if they did! But, at 3 1/2 and 2 1/2 years old, they know the true meaning of Christmas.

I don't want this post to be one of the "Jesus is the Reason for the season" posts. But, I do want to think about why we celebrate this holiday and if two toddlers can know and reciprocate the reason. Why do so many grown adults forget that this season is not about the best dinner parties, the most wanted gifts or the best holiday trends?! This season is about celebrating the birth of our Christ who lived a very hard and persecuted life, so that he could die for the forgiveness of our sins. Yes, gifts are great and I will rarely turn one away, but the best gift was the gift our Father has given us. Strive to seek the true meaning of this season and to be like Linus!

"....And that's what Christmas is all about Charlie Brown."
Listening Intently

How cute are they?! 

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Strive...to vent

I absolutely, positively, no doubt about it, HATED 7th grade. It was the worst year of my life....ever! I was going through that awkward phase of life that everyone goes through...hopefully I'm not the only one who experienced the awkward weird phase. It was bad, I promise. If you had to endure it with me, I'm very sorry. Becky likes to remind me that I wore a button necklace and men's neck ties. Conveniently I can't find any pictures as evidence.

To supplement my awkwardness my mom was convinced I should still be playing the piano and going to lessons even though I never wanted to play, let alone practice. But, every Wednesday my mom dropped me off at the church for my five o'clock piano lesson.

I now think that, had I put more effort into the piano I could now be at Julliard. But, I didn't and I don't think that my 5 minute cram session of practice before my lesson convinced my teacher either.  What I did take out of my piano lessons were priceless.Yes, I learned that Good Boys DFine Always (Get it?! :)) but, I also learned the importance of having someone to talk to.

My piano teacher was also a counselor. Even though I thought I could trick her into believing that I practiced 30 minutes a day every day, I'm pretty sure she knew better. But after I horribly pounded  wonderfully performed my lesson, she let me talk and talk and talk. She let me tell her everything that was going on in my life, what was bothering me and all my 12 year old problems. She listened and did not judge me or tell me what to do or that what I was experiencing was normal and to get over it. She just listened.

She taught me not only how to read music, but the importance of someone to vent to. Which leads me to the Strive moment of the week. Do you have someone to vent to? Someone you know, love and trust? Someone who won't take what you're saying personally or be offended? Someone to vent to can make your life so much better. You don't have to walk around carrying all the stresses of life by yourself. A five minute phone call to your venter can really make a difference.

Happy Venting!

Ecclesiasties 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor; If they fall down, they can help each other up. But pity those who fall and have no one to help them up! Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm. But how can one keep warm alone? Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.  

P.S. Make sure to thank your venter for letting you vent to them...and make sure to return the favor....it feels good to listen some times too!

Friday, November 18, 2011

Strive to...Brighten

I am almost a real hygienist! In May I will graduate with my bachelor's degree and will be official. I like being a hygienist, I like helping people find their prettier, healthier smile. It's fun for me to work so closely with people. But along with the good, there is bad. As soon as someone  sits in my chair, it's like I have a flashing sign on my head that lights up, "Tell me your life story!" My mom has the same sign that flashes when she stands in line at Wal-Mart...I don't really know which is more inconvenient...she want to peacefully buy her banana's and I want to finish my job in an hour....     

SIU is the only four year dental hygiene program in the state, so it is really competitive to get in, but more than that it has to compete and set itself above and beyond the 13 other dental hygiene programs in the sate. Senior year we take a course called Multicultural Dental Hygiene and no other hygiene program offers an equivalent.

We go out into the community and work in different traditional offices, nursing homes, schools and we work with public health. The public health aspect is the sad part. We work hand-in-hand with Head Start and Early Head Start. These programs work with the poorest of the poor in the community. We get to go on home visits to work with parents and their little one's. It is eye opening and heart breaking to see what goes on beyond closed doors. The stories we are told are heart wrenching. Think of every bad things a mother and her children can endure and these families have...times ten!

This time of year is a hard time for a lot of people. The holidays have a tendency to bring family together to celebrate, eat and spend a lot of fun, quality time together, which is wonderful. However, for some families there are few fond memories of the Holiday season and there is one story that is weighing on my heart.

I don't want to burden you with the long, sad and unfortunate lifestyle that this family leads, but Alex and I have made the decision to try to brighten their holiday season. They cannot afford a turkey for Thanksgiving and on top of that, the food pantry, meals on wheels and a lot of the churches in their community are not serving Thanksgiving dinner due to the lack of funding. After realizing that we will be going to three different Thanksgiving dinners where there will be food to spare, Alex and I will be taking this family a little basket of goodies and a gift card to go buy themselves a Thanksgiving dinner. 

We're not going to be breaking the bank or going all out to provide them a White House worthy Thanksgiving, but we are going to try to brighten their spirits at this very hard time of year. This leads me to the Strive moment of the week. Strive to brighten someone else's holiday season. You don't have to do a lot or even buy a turkey. But, you can make a donation to your local food pantry or bake a pie and take it to the homeless shelter. The options are endless!

 Happy Brightening!

Psalm 146:7He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets prisoners free. 


Thursday, November 10, 2011

Busy Beavers and Crazy Cats

Contrary to my lack of posting, we are indeed alive and kicking! It has been a crazy week or two around here. My sister, Becky, had her little girl Nora and I am absolutely smitten! She is the cutest little bundle of joy and I love her more than one would think....don't worry Ethan, I still love you too (and Tyler, Paige, Josiah, Addie, Eli, Lily,Will, etc...etc...I have a lot of little people to love)! 

Other than Nora's arrival, Alex has been doing awesome at work, I am still in school and we went to a bonfire and hay ride with our Sunday school class! We didn't know anyone in Pinckneyville when we moved here and the church we have been going to has really opened their arms and hearts and welcomed us! Not that I want to stay here past May, but they have really made our time here more enjoyable! 

FINALLY! The strike at SIU is over! It was the most stressful week of my life. All but one of my teachers were on strike, so I didn't have any classes. I felt very out of sorts and like my routine was ripped to pieces. I got to picket with my teachers and help support them and I was on t.v! I'm famous now, if you didn't know... But, the board of trustee's, chancellor and teacher's union have all come to an agreement and classes may now resume. Not all of SIU's students were impacted, but since my program (dental hygiene) is so specific and there were virtually no teachers, we were greatly affected. You can see the news segment I was featured in...or seen in the background  here

I will post a new Strive post soon....it gets pretty hectic striving for so much though! 
Nora! She has grown more than a pound since I took this just 2 weeks ago!! For more pictures you can check Becky's blog here or in my sidebar

Saturday, October 29, 2011

H-A-double L-O-W-double E -N, spells Halloween!

If you attended the Salem Public school system, that song will bring some fond memories of music class and Hawthorn School in general. In the spirit of Halloween, Alex and I decided to carve pumpkins. He was a little reluctant to "lose" his Sunday afternoon of being a couch potato and watch the Rams lose, but I told him that this is our 6th year to carve pumpkins and we can't miss out! So, we carved away! These are by far the absolute worst pumpkins we have ever carved...EVER! But, we had fun and did a little photo shoot! Enjoy and  have a happy and safe time Trick-or-Treating!

My original design....It didn't really work as well as I would have liked




Alex posing :) he made the Batman sign...a little lopsided 









We are by no means future world champions at carving pumpkins, but we know how to have a good Sunday afternoon!  What did you carve this year?

Monday, October 24, 2011

Strive...to celebrate

October is quite celebratory! We have been here, there and almost everywhere this month! Mainly, our time has consisted of celebrating birthdays and soon to be babies.
In October we wish happy birthday's to:
Kacey- Oct 5
Annie- Oct 11
Alyssa- Oct 14
Eli- Oct 20
Amanda- Oct 21
Jared- Oct 26
Alex- Oct 27
New Baby Girl Collier- Expected arrival date: Oct 26-28th

(If I left you out, it is not because I don't love you or want you not to have the happiest birthday of the year, it's just that my brain is spinning from all the birthday-ing!)

With birthday's come celebrating! I come from a family that knows how to celebrate and I fortunately married into a family who loves to celebrate, so I'm happy!

However, birthday's aren't the only reason to celebrate. As this whirlwind of a year is finally starting to slow down, I have been thinking about what I have been celebrating. I married the man of my dreams, I get to finish my college education, I get to look forward to adding two more niece(s)/nephew(s) to my clan!

To me, all of those are big things. But, I'm trying to slow down everyday and celebrate the little things. Today I celebrated the amazing sunshine, the golden trees, the fact that I left my water in my car all day and it wasn't boiling when I got back in and I celebrated that I saw the cop before he saw me (haha mom, just kidding, I was following a grandma so we were slowly and very safely chugging along).

I hope that my strive moment for the week is contagious, in that we will all strive to celebrate the little things God has blessed us with. If we cannot celebrate the little things, how can we possibly celebrate the big things....and still give God the glory?

Psalm 150:6- Let everything that has breath praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!

Celebrating with Alyssa at our 50th anniversary SIU Con. Ed

Eli's 2nd Birthday Party!
(more Birthday pictures to post later)

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Strive...to be a faux-tographer

I really enjoy photography. In high school I took a digital photography class to whet my appetite. But being an incredibly knowledgeable 18 year old, I knew everything and no teacher could teach me-especially since it was the first semester the class was offered and the 800 year old art teacher was learning along with us-I didn't take it quite as seriously as I now wish I had. Anywho, we had assignments and looking back, they were pretty cool assignments-drive around in the country and take pictures of fields and trees. I'm trying to remember all of the settings and information I "learned" and am now re-learning.

Last year for Christmas my parents got me a Sony DSLR Alpha 230 and I really like using it. It goes virtually everywhere I go (I now purchase purses that can easily carry it and all my junk..it's true devotion).

This past weekend I subjected my family to my new hobby and I think 30% of the 300 pictures I took turned out really great! The idea started as a Collier pre-baby girl photo shoot and ended up with everyone, which I'm very grateful for. It doesn't hurt that my subjects were gorgeous and so was the weather.Take a peek for yourself and enjoy!

The Blair, Collier and Williams Families

David & Terri/Mom & Dad/ Grandma & Pop

Jim & Shannon

Tyler, Paige, Josiah & Bella(the dog)

Collier Family

Kissing Baby Sister

Ethan

Alex & Abby (That would be me (Becky did the honors))
So this weeks strive moment is to try to learn more about photography and to get better and better! :) 

Romans 15:4 - For whatever was written in the past was written for our instruction, that through endurance and the the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Falling in love with fall!

I have always loved fall....always! It always brings the best of everything. My birthday, crisp air, crunchy leaves, apples, pumpkins, runny noses, sweatshirts, scarves...I could go on and on and on...and on, but I'll just leave it at, I LOVE FALL! Finally SIU has given us a fall break! I had a lovely time off and we got to spend it with family.We played, had a baby sprinkle for Kendra (Due November), Becky (Due October 28) and Libby and Baby Katie (born August 10, 2011) and we had a photo shoot by yours truly, pictures will be posted soon. With that said, I have pictures galore to show you!
Alex and I started my Fall Break out with a Stunning Sunset


Alex and I got to babysit our nephew, Eli! He had a great time playing!
Most of the boys

Reading to Ethan and Eli after bath


The sprinklee's at the baby sprinkle.

Kacey holding Katie
My lovely sister and myself after the sprinkle



Baby Katie hanging out with her awesome "aunt's" Abby and Terri





Finley and Josiah playing "wedding."

Haley riding her "bi-sa-sickle" 




Sunday, October 2, 2011

Strive...to be content

This thought has been resonating in me for a very long time. I have so much. As for the global economy and rest of the world I am rich! I have clean drinking water, pizza delivery, ice cream (that I can eat without the fear of bugs), a great little apartment and the list could literally go on, and on, and on. I am truly blessed. However, I find myself discontent frequently.

Alex just got a new car and phone and sometimes I get a little envious. However, I just got a new car, but his is new new with the new car smell and I have only had my phone for 6 months, but his is newer...the box is still out. Every time I open a magazine I see a dress that I must have, but yet I have dresses in my closet that still have tags.

I don't have a cute story or anecdote about my contentment, I just know that I need to be happy with what I have, when I have it. God has blessed me far beyond what I deserve and for me to not be grateful and thankful for what I have is very sad and almost embarrassing. The strive moment of the week...and forever is to be content with what God has blessed me with.


Hebrews 13:6 - Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."











































Saturday, September 17, 2011

Strive...to travel

I love to travel. I love to get in the car (train, plane, boat) and go...although getting in the car to go to class has lost it's appeal... I love to see new places, meet new people and learn about other cultures and societies. Growing up, it was important to my parents that I saw a foreign land and was "cultured." Many thanks go out the Girl Scouts of USA for allowing me many opportunities. I was fortunate to go backpacking in the Washington Cascades, rock climbing in Costa Rica and build some habitat houses in central Mexico. I loved every second and wish I could go back and do it again and again...

On the other hand, Alex has traveled very very little. Our honeymoon was his first experience on an air plane and out of the country. He has only been to a hand full of states and never further west of Missouri and east of Indiana. 

This leads me to our Strive moment of the week: We are striving to travel more. Before we were married, living in our "money is no object" bubble, we made a list of all the countries, cities and states we wanted to visit and experience. Our list is as follows:
1. Paris, France
2. Italy
3.South Africa
4. Carlsbad, California and So Cal
5. New Orleans
6. New York City
7. everywhere else.....

There is a lot of World and only two of us, but our hope is to see as much as possible and live life as adventurously as possible. Hopefully we can get ta goin'! But for now, Mt. Zion is our soonest destination...for my Birthday and the "BIG Move!" 
Psalm 121:8 - The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

Hanging out on the "back porch" aka cliff in Costa Rick

Honeymoon adventure. We went zip lining! 
Happy Honeymoon!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Alex's Graduation Get Together

Alex graduated from SIU-Edwardsville with his Bachelor's of Science in Accounting, the day after we got home from our honeymoon, so he did not get to walk across the stage or have an official graduation partay! So, being the best wife he has ever had (and the only wife...) I thought we should have a celebration!! 
We called up the family and they headed over to Pinckneyville for some good ole' fashion fun and food!
Guest of Honor playing some washers

Greg 

The Spread! We had Italian Beef, Green Beans, Chips and Dip and veggies! All of which were quite fantastic, if I do say so myself.

Cupcakes from The Cup (formerly known as the Cupcakery) From Paul and Jenny


Even though he was the Guest of Honor, she was the star of the show!
Oh, and I made Ice Cream! It was great :)




Sunday, September 4, 2011

Strive...to be creative

Last year, I discovered Hobby Lobby. I know it has been there forever, because Grandma would take us when we were little to get things for her crafts. So, I re-discovered it. I made several failed attempts at crafting. Hair bows and fabric flowers are not my calling. I did make a nice little wreath, but I didn't necessarily break new ground...
It's just yarn wrapped around a wreath mold with a ribbon and hair bow flower....earth scattering-ly creative right?
Dr. Seuss told me(...and thousands of other small children), "Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!" 
Well I'm thinking everywhere I can think to think and my thinking just leads me to Pinterest. I want so badly to be creative. I want to come up with an original craft, thought, theory or invention. Anything that I can claim as my creativity. If you have never ventured onto pinterest.com  you definitely need to, it is my inspiration for...


These are just blank canvases that I circle punched scrapbook paper (some glittery and some matte) and then just glued the random dots on.

And my Mom was my inspiration for....


Paint chip bunting- I am absolutely in love with bunting right now. So, she sent me an article that used big paint chips to make some quick, cheap (free) and easy bunting!. 

So my Strive moment for this week (and beyond) is to be more creative. I am going to strive to come up with my own craft or idea for a craft and attempt to execute it! Wish me luck! 

Exodus 35:31-33 -  He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts-to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic craftsmanship.