Happy New Year!

Wow, eight years ago today is the day I met this handsome devil! I was just 17 and he 20. Went to a house party with my best friend who was interested in the guy hosting the party. We showed up about 20 minutes after midnight because my mom wouldn't let us leave the house until after midnight. The world was going to end that year ya know! We had a great time. Met lots of friends and this curly, moppy haired boy asked me for my email address. I now...he's so smooth! Who would have thought 4 years later we would be married?

It's always funny to me to look back at new year's past and see how God has blessed us with so many unexpected changes.

Two years ago we spent New Years in Key West FL watching a conch shell drop from a bar called Sloppy Joe's. We were packed like sardines in the middle of Duval Street having a blast none the less. This was the year I got Erik a new job for Christmas. He was about to start a few days after we got back from our trip. It was an exciting, yet agonizing feeling. His job, as most of you know was to start in radio advertising sales, and this, like most other sales jobs they say is very difficult. They just kept saying "if you can get through the first year, you can get through anything." So we buckled up and got ready for a bumpy ride. There were many ups and downs in that year but Erik made it through. He says it's the hardest thing he has ever done but loves the challenge of it all.

Last New Years we spent in Africa. What an amazing adventure that was. Having no money to get us there (sales doesn't pay very well the first year ya know) we just trusted in God to provide and he truly did. We spent New Years night in our guest house with our team and with the Johnson family ( a missionary family there in Choma). We did a worship service just for us, talked a ton and worshiped some more. It was a totally different experience for me to spend that time just totally trusting in God and the things we would do in the year to come. We counted down to midnight, I kissed my wonderful husband, and thought...."Holy cow, we're in Africa on New Years. If this is how we're spending our New Years, what does God have planned for this coming year?"

Well, that year has now come and past. A new house and a baby on the way in just 2 weeks! We spent most of the night with family but got home just in time to count down to midnight. Just my husband and I in our new home snuggled in with our little bun in the oven, anticipating another year of great change and many many firsts. Happy New Year to everyone and may God bless you and your family in 2008.