Flight Suits and Fairytales

Abundant Sunday

I can't believe that it's already Sunday again, it feels like this week has just flown by! I'm pleased to report that the annual Airman's Cookie Drive brought in a whopping 14,000 cookies this year...incredible! That's more cookies than has ever been collected, and we were even done sorting them all into cute bags (the elementary school kids decorated them) in just under 2 hours. Almost 12,000 of them will go to the single Airmen on base as a holiday treat, while the other 2,000 will be sent downrange to the guys & girls who will be spending their Christmas in the desert. What a huge success! If you want to get involved and send a little LOVE to the troops, visit this website sponsored by Xerox. I'm sure that they would love to hear some words of encouragement, especially during the holidays.

This weekend was spent relaxing and spending time with some of our good friends. What more can you ask for at Christmastime?? On Friday we attended our first party of the season. The theme was Feliz Navidad and we celebrated by indulging in some of my favorite food...Mexican! Amber even whipped up some of her wonderful sopapilla cheesecake, so yummy! And on Saturday, we went to eat with another couple (sans their kiddo's), and caught the movie "Four Christmas's". WHAT a funny movie!! Loved it! I hope that you all had a great weekend, and that you were all able to spend some quality time with those that mean the most to you.

Here are my Abundant Sunday blessings:

1. That Chris made it home safely from his deployment this year, and that we will get to spend Christmas & the New Year together.

2. My Nana's recipes. I dug them all out for Christmas and found that she had written sweet little comments on the back of each one. It was a sweet reminder of how much she loved my brother and I.

3. That my sis-in-law is a bona-fide counselor now!! Yay for her getting her Master's Degree!

4. Getting to see "Four Christmas's" with friends. Super funny movie, and a very fun way so spend an evening!

5. Apple Streusel from a box...surprisingly delicious :)

6. Another lazy Saturday.

7. Dave Ramsey & his envelopes...I'm sure I'll post more on this later!

PS ~ Thanks to all of you who suggested ways to display my Christmas Cards. I think I'll combine a few of your ideas together and see what I come up with! I'll post pics as soon as I'm done :)

Keep 'em coming...

I can't help but get a big smile on my face each time I see a personalized envelope sitting so merrily in my mailbox! I love every single thing about Christmas cards...the fact that someone (perhaps on the other side of the world) thought about Chris & I and wanted to send us a little holiday cheer, the beautiful pictures that capture the happy memories of our family and friends, the festive colors, and the sweet sayings. I'm looking for a really cute, crafty way to display them...got any suggestions? At the end of the season we make place-mats out of them (I'll post a pic when I complete them!), but I'm wanting to find a way to showcase them before then. If you have any crafty ideas, I'm all ears! AND, keep those cards coming...they make me smile :)

PS ~ Thanks to the Jen's for your suggestions of more songs! Unfortunately, playlist.com has not come to love Mr. Strait as I do, but I did find WHAM...gotta love it :)

Christmas Tunes!!

I finally figured out how to put music on my blog (I told you I was computer illiterate!), and what better to start out with than Christmas music!? One of my favorite Christmas traditions (when I'm in Texas, of course) is going to North Park Mall in Dallas with my mom, looking at all the wonderful decorations, shopping for last minute gifts, and listening to the Christmas music play overhead. I also like to go to the SPCA shop to look at the little puppies that need a good home, but we always ended up w/ a new dog when I did that, so I had to stop! Anyway, back to the music...

My favorite song of the season is "O Holy Night", but not just any version. I LOVE the one that they play in Home Alone where Kevin goes into the church...do you remember that scene? It was actually sung by the Trinity High School Choir (I just love Google!), and it is the most gorgeous arrangement of it that I have ever heard. Unfortunately, I can't find it on the little playlist finder thing, so I chose another good one from Home Alone, "Carol of the Bells". Sounds like I'm a little obsessed with that movie, huh? I'm really not, I just love the sound of a choir singing, and I think that this particular choir just sounds so angelic. Take a listen, and see for yourself!

I also love "Baby, It's Cold Outside"...but only the original version. I know, I know...I'm a little picky with my versions :) And, the Boston Pop Orchestra's rendition of "Sleigh Ride" is awesome too. It just really gets me in the mood for some hot chocolate! We heard it when we were in Hamburg, and I think I started dancing (Chris quickly told me to stop since we were in the middle of a hoard of people, and my dancing isn't too pretty!) And perhaps one of the sweetest Christmas songs is "My Grown Up Christmas List". I actually had it in my head when I woke up this morning, and it's what inspired me to finally conquer this whole Blog Music thing!

I'd love to hear what some of your favorite Christmas songs are, and why they hold a special place in your heart. I'll even add them onto my playlist (that is if I can find them!!)...there can never be too much of the holiday spirit!!

Happy listening :)

Amy

Abundance

...my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. Psalms 23:5-6

Today in church, our pastor asked what we would say if someone asked us to describe our lives now that Christ is living in our hearts. He asked if our answer would be "abundance", and it really got me thinking. He was making the point that once Jesus comes into our lives, the fruits of the spirit (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, etc.) should start flowing out of us in abundance. Because that's what Jesus does, right? He provides us with those things so that we may go out into the world and share those gifts with others. It is easy to praise Him when things are going "right"...not so easy when things seem to be falling apart. But even in those falling apart times we should try to recognize all of the beauty that He is bestowing upon us. And that brings to me to what I was thinking about throughout the entire sermon...my many, many blessings. Sure, there are things that I wish were different, things that I long for and desire that are currently out of my reach. But my life, my heart, is still overflowing with thanksgiving. I know that there is a perfect time for all things, and that in Him, I will find peace when I need it most.

So, I've decided to call my "Thankful Thursday" posts, "Abundant Sunday". If you have no idea what I'm talking about, just browse on down a few posts, and it will all become clear :) I'll start out today with some of the things that are overwhelmingly abundant in my life...

1. My husband...what a joy to know that Gods hand made him just for me!

2. The opportunity to travel. Oh my gosh, I am quite ready to be back in the good 'ole US of A, but what incredible opportunities we have been given to see the world while stationed in England! We may never be in the position to come back, so I am trying to soak up as much of it as I can while we're here!!

3. My wonderfully crazy, ever-growing family. I just love them. They're great about keeping me in the loop, and sending some much needed Texas love over here when I need it most!

4. The gorgeous sunset tonight. It was absolutely breathtaking.

5. The Christmas wreath (pictured above), sent by my mama, that makes our house just a little bit more festive!!

6. My friends....they ROCK!

I hope that your Sunday was relaxing and filled to the brim with good things. I'd love to hear what's "tipping your cup" any time :)

~Amy

Hamburg w/ the Hilburns!!

Last week we traveled to Hamburg, Germany w/ our great friends, the Hilburn's. We left super early in the morning on Tuesday, and were back in England for lunch on Thursday! Talk about a whirlwind trip! We had a great time exploring the beautiful city, and we got a very special treat on Wednesday too...our very own snowstorm! Now, I'm from Texas (as many of you know) where we're lucky to get a few snowflake sprinkles IF we're really lucky. I've never seen so much snow in my life...huge, gorgeous snowflakes just fluttering down from the sky in sheets! It was amazing! The Hilburns two little ones loved it too...Cara even danced and sang in it (but that could have been from all the hot chocolate & few sips of coffee that we gave her from Starbucks to warm up!) We maneuvered our way through the very busy Christmas Markets, admiring all of the wonderful trinkets & yummy food, and made our way over to the Miniature Wonderland to see the train display too. Oh my gosh, this place was so cool! You must click on the link to see for yourself how awesome it was!

Though very quick, our trip was just wonderful. We are so blessed to have friends like the Hilburns to share such great memories with! Enjoy some pics below :)

Yummy treats at the Christmas Market

Hamburg Town Hall

Entrance to the biggest Market

Chris & I playing in the snow!

Thanksgiving Visit

Chris & I just returned from Germany where we spent a lovely Thanksgiving with his Dad & Donna. They got to visit us for a week, and we definitely tried to squeeze as much into those 7 short days as possible. We decided to focus on the Northwestern part of Germany for this visit, and we weren't disappointed. Our first stop was Trier where we shopped at the Christmas Markets and fell in love w/ Gluehwein (hot wine) & schnitzel. Oh my gosh, we were in heaven! The next day we traveled to Cochem to visit the beautiful castle, and walk the quaint, romantic town. We saved the best for last and visited Cologne (Koln) on Thursday. My mom, who traveled to Cologne when she was in high school, has always said that if God were to live on earth, the Cologne Cathedral would be His home. I can't argue with her there! It was unbelievable! We toured the Cathedral for over an hour, looking at the shrine to the three Magi & the gorgeous stained glass windows. We also took a few trips around the stalls of the biggest Christmas Market I have ever seen! Oh, the crepes! I just can't even describe how yummy they were!

On our way back to England, we stopped in Luxembourg to tour the American Cemetery there. What a somber and inspiring place. We read numerous accounts of the brave soldiers who fought & died on that soil so that the reign of tyranny could end. There were over 3,000 graves there, and General Patton's was out in front, leading his Army still.

The entire trip was just wonderful. We are so thankful that our parents have all had the opportunity to come out to visit us this year. Since Chris returned, all four sets of them have made the long trek "across the pond" to spend some time with us. It's hard to be away from our families, especially at the holidays, and we feel so blessed that they were able to make their trips.

We hope that everyone had a happy Thanksgiving!

Chris & Amy

Helga's House...with Helga in the window!

Cochem Castle

The Luxembourg American Cemetery

Cologne Cathedral

Pics & MckMama

I love lazy Saturdays! I love sleeping late, making breakfast burritos with my hubs, and lounging on the couch until I just can't lounge anymore. It is fantastic! We rarely have Saturdays like this, but when we do, I treasure them.

This afternoon, we finally made our way back to reality and cleaned our house for our visitors tomorrow. Chris's dad & step-mom are coming out for a visit, and we're so looking forward to spending Thanksgiving w/ them in Germany. We head out on Monday for a 5 day road-trip through what has proven to be, my most favorite country in Europe!

I also finally got around to taking some pictures of my Christmas decorations! My sweet mama has also sent me another whole box full of festive fun, so I'll definitely post some more when I receive that wonderful little package! I've also posted some pics of my dad's visit...I was having a little problem w/ the pic uploading the other day (I feel your pain, Kate), so they are a little delayed!

On another note, I've found a fantastic blog that I highly encourage you to browse when you get a moment. MckMama is a mother of 4 sweet babies under the age of 3! Yes, you read that right! Her youngest, Stellan, was born just one month ago. This precious little bundle, by the grace of God (and many, many prayers) is a living miracle. He was diagnosed with all kinds of heart problems in the womb. At 24 weeks, the Dr's told his family that all hope was lost, and that he would surely die. They chose to give their son to the Lord, and let Him do what He alone can do. Stellan was born in October a "well and whole full-term baby"! Praise the Lord!! MckMama's site holds all kinds of goodies for her readers...little bits of wisdom from a very busy mom, wonderful words of faithful encouragement, cute pics of her Mck clan, and so much more. Right now, she's having a "Small Fryday Contest" (you'll see what it's all about when you read her blogs) for those bloggers who link to her site. Sure, it would be fun to win some cool stuff, but more than that, I hope that you too can find some joy in what she has to say. Take my word for it, and check her out for yourself!

Blessings,

Amy