We are Blessed!

Well, this is our very first time to "blog." I feel so very up-to-date!

The last few weeks and months have been filled with blessing after blessing. True, some of the blessings didn't quite seem like that in the beginning, but God makes all things beautiful in His time. The last couple of years have been hard on us. We've had so many trials, but we have overcome each because Greater is He who is in us!

Since we really just can't go back a year, I'll start with this week's fun....

We have a new addition to the family! A 6-week old orange & white striped kitten named Marmalade. I'm still marveling that Miles let Mabry have a cat!! She chose the name Marmalade herself (I think from a Paddington Bear book) and chooses to think the kitten is a girl. It's not. As much as I dislike cats, this little thing is cute. It thinks I'm it's mom and follows me everywhere. It lives in the garage now, and eventually will live outside once big enough.

The addition of the cat is not the only thing I've marveled over the last few days! I had guests and I did not break out in hives! There was not even a hint of hyperventilation.
Thursday morning the wMu ladies came over and then that night I hosted a Premier jewelry party to support Leslie in her new career. My having people over without a nervous breakdown is a miracle. Seriously, it really is! I prayed that I might have more of a spirit of hospitality so that we could share our blessings with others in our home. Well, it worked. I have grown so hospitable we've even invited our new friends (yet another answered prayer that deserves its very on entry) over Saturday to eat with us. I have also planned a neighborhood party at my house!! You just have to love seeing your prayers answered! God never does anything half-way and always, ALWAYS provides in such an amazing way. He has provided and continues to provide above and beyond what I could ever imagine. Miles and I are truly blessed.

Speaking of Miles, Miles is back! He's back to the Miles that just comes home with stuff he thinks I like! What a sweetheart. In the last month, we've gone from using TV trays as side tables to having real tables in the living room!!! Oh, and he bought rugs too. He even gave me a gift card to Kirklands for my birthday. Our house went from the grandma-chic dorm room to a showcase all in one day! Should I thank the government for that economic stimulus check? Really, it's all very exciting. He even mentioned a new stove top tonight. OHHH, how wonderful would it be to cook on a stove where all the eyes worked!

You may have noticed there's nothing in here about the major melt-downs Mabry has, the lack of sleep we have due to the crazy sleeping habits of our children, the terrible-tasting dinners, the lack of a terrible-tasting dinner that causes the search for a quick fix, or anything else like that. There's a reason for that. Our focus is not on the blah, but on the WOW. We choose to see life through our blessings. When it all comes down to it, no matter what we face, no matter what happens, we are blessed. That is Joy. That is the power of God in our lives.
May we never cease to Praise God through whom all blessings flow. May we never cease to glorify Christ Jesus!