It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

I love the month of December- the whole month is magical to me. I love the anticipation of being with family, of having a long break from work...love the foods, classic movies, piney cinnamon smells and Christmas music. And I am suprised at how different this season feels to me than it ever has. I literally do not care one iota about anything other than being with those we cherish. I say that not to pride myself--but to reflect on the realization and ponder what has changed in me this year. Certain things have been experienced that have apparently changed my mental framework. We are certainly still exchanging gifts and will enjoy it- but distance and loss have helped me focus on what matters and encouraged me to treasure eternal gifts rather than material ones.

In other news, my family was in town this weekend to celebrate birthdays and run another 5K-

Last week my UIL group competed, 2 out of 3 placed!

Thoughts

I have been thinking about the way I live out my life...

I go through the motions every day of waking up, going to work, coming home, running, cooking, catching up with people....

It's all normal to me and I often overlook the fact that I am in the middle of the path that God Himself has put me on. The little things I do, and the more important ones as well, are all part of a plan with a purpose.

As I reflect on that truth, I see more clearly just how much I appreciate the life God has given me. I have married the sweetest husband and we have so much fun together. I love coming home to him. I love that I dreamed in nursing school of being a school nurse and now I have that dream job. I am blessed with a wonderful family and get to see them often. I have a handful of trustworthy friends. We exercise freedom in our lifestyle to travel and have adventures.

Seasons will come and go, and I cannot complain in this place of life. More importantly, I cannot ignore or grow accustomed to the normalcy of where I am at. I know that I may not always see tangible blessings the way I do now and pray that I do not idolize my life, but I am grateful for visible fullfillments of hopes right now.

I have more dreams and desires. I rest knowing that my life is in God's good hand and whatever happens is part of a perfect plan.

'Loving my life' cannot be the goal though. Reaching a place where I am satisfied purely because of all of my physical blessings is like building my house on the sand. It is not eternal. I recognize God's goodness to me now, and know it may not always be so obvious. His word reminds me that God disciplines His children, I will go through trials...

All this to say- God is always working, always in charge and I pray to never forget I am His vessel, on His path- and sometimes He will bless us with even more than we dreamed of~

Thanksgiving 2009

What a wonderful week off I had! Last weekend my mom and sister came to town- a nice treat since we didn't get to do Thanksgiving with my family. We shopped, ate and saw New Moon. I spent the rest of my week relaxing and preparing for Turkey Day. This year we celebrated with the Ferguson's in Dallas- Dillon and I made chex mix, sausage balls and a pumpkin pie. I only got a couple of pictures but a good time was had- the weather was sunny so while the food cooked, everyone congregated out front and played washer pit (I hadnt heard of this until I married Dillon, its a fun game!). Here are a few snapshots of the week:

And here is the recipe I use for Sausage Balls, one of my favorite greasy treats

*3 cups Bisquick

*1 lb. Jimmy Dean sausage

*1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese grated

Mix it all together, shape into small balls and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes~

Marriage Questionaire

I was tagged to this by my elementary best friend Aimee Claire- thought it would be good blogging material~

1. Where did you meet your spouse for the first time? At a college outreach event- Dillon knew my older sister.
2. What is your spouse's full name? Dillon Ehren Ferguson (cool spelling huh)
3. Do you have any house pets: Polly and Penny!
4. Do you own a house or rent: Rent- but we did own a home for 2 years and the monthly payment was cheaper than our current rental
5. Do you live in the country or city: City
6. What is one of your favorite activities together: Taking walks
7. Do you have a favorite vacation spot: Anywhere! We like to travel
8. When did you first kiss? Before he left for Spain
9. What church do you attend? Grace Presbyterian
10. Where were you married? Westminster, Lubbock TX- a special place since that is where we met.
11. What town is your current address at? Dallas
12. Do you work or stay at home: School Nurse
13. Where did you go on your honeymoon: Dominican Republic
14.What was the funniest gift you gave when dating? I gave him a hermit crab for his birthday one year and he was really annoyed
15. Who asked who out? He did- the first week we met
16. How old are each of you? 24
17.Where do you each work or go to school? Dillon is going to seminary, I work for Carrolton ISD
18. Did you go to the same school? Yep Texas Tech
19. Are you from the same home town? No- only 1 1/2 hrs apart though
20. Who is smarter? Dillon overall- although we got about the same SAT score
21. Who is more sensitive? Me.Dillon is truly one of the most stable people I know.
22.Where do you eat out most as a couple? In Dumas it was always Chica Blanca's Mexican, here in Dallas we are always trying some place new.
24.Who has the craziest exes? Neither
25. Who has the worse temper? Hmm. We both have short tempers when we are stressed- probably me.
26. Who does the cooking? Always me unless we are grilling
27. Who is more social? Dillon- loves people!
28. Who is the neat-freak? Both- Dillon is more obsessive about it but I have to have things organized too or I start to feel overwhelmed
29. Who is more stubborn? Me
30. Who hogs the bed? Dillon
31. Who wakes up earlier? Most days me, on Wednesdays he does
32. Where was your first date? Barn Dance
33.Who had more boyfriends/girlfriends? Probably about even, not many for either of us
34. Do you get flowers often? About once or twice a year
35. How do you spend the holidays? With family!
36. How long did it take to get serious? We were friends for about 7 months before dating.
37. Who eats more? Dillon usually
38. Who does the laundry? Always me
39. Who’s better with the computer? Dillon

I tag Emily and Jessica!

Thankful

I am very joyful today! God's promises in his word are coming to life before me. His ways are higher and better, and when I embrace the road He has put me on, it becomes a perfect path. When difficulties come, His faithfulness becomes the only thing that remains and I see that I am OK with that. He has revealed the following verse to me this week- first in our Sunday message, then again in an email from a co-worker, and then this morning the verse/flashcard fell out of a book I was reading. It is appropriate for this week~

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
-Phil. 4:6

Coming up are lots of things to be joyful for-

*Family coming in town this weekend
*Dillons last weekend class
*New Moon!
*Thanksgiving break (a whole WEEK)

And looking back at the past few weeks here are things I am thankful for-

*Being calm in the stressful work situation (a student had a seizure yesterday)
*Family Worship/my encouraging husband
*The perfect housing opportunity (details to come...)
*Family, friends, church and the ways God has orchestrated timing to enjoy all of them.


Sidenote and picture: One of our families favorite traditions has been Thanksgiving in the Texas Hill Country- my grandparents used to live on a small farm in Marble Falls, on Black Friday we would go in to Fredricksburg for eating/shopping, and that night we would always stop in Johnson City for their courthouse lighting and fair- SO many good memories over the years. This year we will all be doing seperate things- obviously we miss Katie, she is celebrating in Jordan with friends. Dillon and I will be staying in Dallas, and the rest of my family is going to Ruidoso. I think we are all at peace about the situation, knowing that we will all be together in a month but I will miss this great tradition!




This is one of our favorite stores in Fr-burg.





Carriage ride around Johnson City (Dillon hates this picture but I think he is still cute!)






On the "farm" at Gran and Grandaddy's (2006

Family!

Last weekend was my Pawpaw's 80th Birthday celebration in Midland. Nearly everyone from my mom's side of the family came in town- good times were had visiting and catching up, scrapbooking for Pawpaw's album, and enjoying good food and company. Enjoy a peek at the festivities~

Do you have a favorite or cherished memory that you go to in your mind on stressful days? When I'm overwhelmed I tend to just dream of being at home on the couch with a blanket and fresh batch of chocolate chip cookies....actually that always is my hearts desire but that is besides the point! Today I came across a photo that triggered something in my soul- a place that holds special meaning because of a family vacation there many years ago...about 16 to be exact, and so today I am dreaming of the Smoky Mountains.

Our family took really awesome trips growing up-we still do in fact. A family vacation would not be complete unless at least 20 hours were spent driving to our destination, with at least 1 disaster for memories sake.

I remember driving through Tennesee for the first time and my parents tricked us into thinking we were about to pass Dolly Partons car and we all were screaming with excitement. We saw lots of bears on that trip. We camped right by a flowing river and I remember catching tadpoles and later riding down on innertubes. We had fun at Dollyworld and Pigeon Forge where we found one of my favorite Christmas ornaments that is still hung on our tree every year. One day it rained and flooded our tent and I remember my mom cried. We gathered around the fire at night to hear my dad tell his classic ghost story about when he was a little boy growing up and his friend disappeared. We hiked up to a waterfall and I fell and cut open my knee and still have the scar today. Remembering these moments leads me to be so thankful for the family I am blessed with, the moments we have shared together over the years, and reminds me that these are the things in life that matter- being with people, enjoying God beauty, making memories.

Family Photos

I love that even after 3 1/2 years of marriage I am truly JUST as excited to go on a date with Dillon as I was when we were dating. Part of the reason for this is that I see him less this semester than ever before, but I'm not complaining because he is knocking out alot of hours this semester of school. Here we tried out Picasso's Pizza this weekend- not too bad!







Here are some random things I am looking forward to:

*Completing all of the 7th grade hearing and vision screenings

*Thanksgiving Break to see family

*Seeing my sister Katie over Christmas break!!!

*Cookies tonight

*Our church's Trunk or Treat next weekend

*Watching my nieces (plural!) and nephew next week by myself (really am excited- just for an hour)

*Completing my Spanish class in 4 weeks

And now .... I present to you a recent beauty photo of our babies in their Tech colors:

Race for the Cure

This weekend the Ferguson family participtated in the 5k Susan G Komen walk in Dallas. About 40,000 people came to support. We walked in memory of Cindy and missed her presence so much!

Weekend Wrap-up

I'm back after a little break in posting...sometimes it seems like nothing in my life changes or is worth writing about, but I'm actually really enjoying this phase of life right now. Dillon and I are approaching our 1 year mark of living in Dallas, and just like other moves I've experienced, it's right about this time that the place starts to feel like home. 'Dallas' itself still just feels like a fun big city and sometimes it's weird that we have all of these amazing entertainment options available, but as far as our normal routine, jobs, friends, church, etc...it all feels good and right.

Sidenote: I made these noodles for dinner TWICE this week because they were SO good and easy

Here are some weekend highlights:

Friday night with friends at Ra (Sushi restraunt)







Saturday a women's luncheon at church, (no pictures) but a nice time to meet some new people.


Saturday evening at the State Fair -after hearing horror stories of how we would probably have to spend at least $100 at the fair, I am proud that, including parking, food, entertainment we only spent $28...this is because we had free parking, free tickets, and only did the free things at the fair since we arent really big into the rides anyway. The money was spent on the bus, and food.






















Here is what our Sundays almost always look like: Church, lunch out, grocery store, home and change into comfy clothes, I call home and catch up with family, Dillon studies, I make cookies, eat way too many, and then we usually just relax together that evening. This Sunday has been no exception and I love it. What does your Sunday look like?

Quick Update

Fall is off with a bang! I've lost my camera charger so I havent taken any pictures in a while (if a week and a half counts as a while), but really not much has happened other than normal life things...such as (said with a Miss Teen flair):

*Surviving the flu bug that has overtaken my school

*Co-teaching the UIL Oratory team, which is taking me back to my own Junior High Speech and Drama days

*On week 5 of my K5 training... skipped today and am feeling guilty about it

*Enjoying the new church and Sunday school class that Dillon just started teaching

Life

I just got off the phone with my family and my ear is HOT! I have been seeing all the brain cancer warnings against cell phone use...2 hours can't be good.

This was a busy week for Dillon and I. Just usual things; long hours at work, night classes for Dillon, a new evening Spanish class for me, both trying to train for the 5K etc etc...

Here are some highlights from this weekends festivities: my nephew Maddox's 5th B-day party at Pump it Up, and niece Stile's 2 year birthday.

Here are the boys eating cake and watching the Tech vs TU game















Here is the giraffe bed we got in Midland for baby Sloan

Blessings in Friends

(For a long time it seemed we did not have any friends here in Dallas. I am very thankful therefore, to be reminded of the friends we do have now- old and new.) Dillons best friend Jason was in town on Thursday and Friday night. When the two of them get together Dillon becomes giddy and even more out of control. Thursday they had a total guy day-Wings, Beer, then the pool hall for some football. Friday they golfed, and that night we all attempted to escape the rain and make it out to the Texas Stadium for some baseball, but unfortunately we were not successful. After racing through the parking lot towards the stadium as it started to rain, we decided to race back through it to the car when we concluded the game was surely cancelled. We were drenched but safe! We ended up meeting our friends Max and Laura for dinner at a delicious Mexican diner. Saturday I made biscuits and then the boys said goodbye. It was still raining outside so I took advantage of the timing and decorated for Fall. It was so cozy inside with the sky dark, and a Pumpkin candle burning. That night we met up with some Dumas friends who were in the area. John was in the youth group, and we got to know his family well during our 2 years there. They were supportive of us from the first time we met, and I imagine (and pray!) we will be lifelong friends. Sunday morning we met up with 2 Lubbock friends that now go to the church we just started going to, then savored the lazy afternoon. We enjoyed finally catching up with the Geyers that evening over conversation, pizza and frozen yogurt. So Penny has never sat in this chair until last night. She apparently loves Mrs. Emily- cute picture!

Hello September!

I survived! It's so nice to have the first 2 weeks of school behind me, knowing a little bit more of what the year will look like...which both calms me and scares me...



I have seen some interesting things so far. I feel like a doctor sometimes because our clinic is always full, and I'm the one to find out what is wrong and treat it...I love the freedom though. It's my clinic and we do things MY way-hehe- as long as I stay inside policy of course =)



Last weekend we went to our usual, good ole Midland. We actually did alot- baseball game, ate out, grilled with all my relatives, dog park...good times! Here are the Mathis sisters in their first musical debut: I give you 'Heart and Soul' Sisters

Here is a picture of a picture; my parents new painting. Since we have lived in this house (almost 15 years now), the area above the fireplace has remained void, for various reasons, mainly the inabilty to find the perfect fit. This summer when my family went to Italy this picture was found while my older sister was walking through the streets of Pasatano one morning, and eventually everyone fell in love with it. I got to see it for the first time this weekend, and love it too. Its a painting of Pasatano, Italy

Something God has been showing me: He is GOOD to me. Easy for me to say, because yes, I am blessed in many ways. But that is not the kind of goodness He has been revealing. He is good because He gives me hope, offers wisdom, and wakes me up in the mornings to meet with Him. I have been directed by His words and found rest in them. I am reminded of the lyrics to this song "The more I seek you The more I find You. The more I find You the more I love You..."

Books and Tramps

I got to "quench a thirst" of mine this summer with all of my free time. I read about 10 books--I LOVE to curl up anywhere with a good book, wether it be laying out in the sun, inside with a blanket or in bed...just not in cars (I get nauseas!). Here are my top picks:




This book made me laugh, made me hungry and kept me interested the whole time...she has quite the story- but be prepared for some language ha!







Divine is a christion inspirational book. Now- let it be known that I don't mind cheesy christian novels, but even if I did mind, I would still like this book. Unlike some of Kingsbury's work, this one is heavy, and purposeful. I read it and felt encouraged to be a light in this dark world.



This last one, Marley and Me, I haven't even finished reading but its so good that it made my top favorite list. The whole book is true, and the stories couldnt have been better if they had been made up. Every night since I started reading it, I have read exerpts to Dillon as we sit in bed because the content is hilarious, and we can so relate to having a naughty embarassing dog!


In honor of Marley, here are some pictures of our devil dogs over the years

Here is Polly back when we were in college, I had prepared dinner for Dillon and I one night, when were just dating, and came in to find her drooling over the chicken...can't blame the poor deprived thing!















This bath was after Polly had a hayday racing through the mud at a friends backyard- notice the brown water!















So...I don't have any pictures proving the ways in which Penny is a menace, but let it be known that Polly is an angel compared to Penny's uncontrollable hyper-freakiness. When we walk Penny, she will choke herself as she plunges ahead, sniffing anxiously all around. If she sees a moving creature of any kind (squirrel, dog, cat, frog, even a leaf) she will scream...if company comes over, more delighted screams. Still working on potty training (most days are good days). But we love her. Here are some favorites:




























And here is a shot of sweet Sunny, the lab that I grew up with.

















Dogs are work. They cost money. They are often too spoiled by their owners. Having said that- they can bring excitement to dull moments, make people feel special when they walk in the door, and are good experience for learning responsibility. With Polly and Penny, they have brought us more laughter than heartache, and more fun than frustration (though its close sometimes hehe) and therefore, we find them to be worthwhile in our lives. Everyone must weigh it for themselves~