Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you are all enjoying a wonderful time with family and friends this Thanksgiving and get to spend some time giving thanks to our gracious Lord and Savior for all He has done for us in the past year. Dan and I are extremely grateful for His provision for us in the past year and look forward to what the year ahead holds. We're also looking forward to meeting this little guy (and giving thanks for him!) this Thanksgiving as we gather with family! :)

Our new nephew :)

Happy Thanksgiving, friends! God bless!

Soli Deo Gloria!
Meghan

Where were you?

Last Friday was definitely a special day. In addition to celebrating our military veterans on Veteran's Day and honoring them for the sacrifices they have made, we also experienced the date with the most repetitions of a single digit possible (11/11/11). And, if you were quick, you also saw the time match the date, when it was 11:11:11 on 11/11/11.

Make a wish! ;)

On Commuting...

So recently, I started some new work with my employer after a gap in contracts. It's good and stretching me to learn new things. I like the team I'm working with and meeting new clients. But there's one thing that has been a major adjustment...

The Commute.

After a year of working from home, I'm now back on the road. No big deal for the most part. The only catch is that the office my team is based at is an hour from my home. And I live in the DC area. Needless to say it's been a bit of a transition for us. God has given me much strength and I've been able to get out early in the morning and avoid the worst of the morning rush hour. But in this town, there's no avoiding the afternoon/evening rush hour.

In fact, last night (11/10/11), it took me almost two and a half hours to get home. That's over two hours to go only 33 miles from the office to home. Ridiculous! I was able to talk to my husband for much of the drive which always helps but it was still frustrating to sit in a combination of rain-induced delays (people here seem to forget how to drive if it rains) and the Veterans' Day extended weekend holiday traffic.

One of the nice things of being in the car though is the chance to listen to CDs. I've listened to radio dramas and sermons and now I have several books on CD on reserve at the library. :) The radio is nice but the dramas, sermons, and books are a little more intellectually stimulating for me and make the commute at least a little more interesting instead of hearing the same songs play on the radio all the time.

So what do you like to do in the car when you have to drive? How do you pass the time?

Happy Driving!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

One Year

Our anniversary was in September so you might be thinking why am I writing about it two months later? Well we had decided to postpone getting our photos taken so that we could have some more fall colors in them. :) My goal is to have photos taken each year around our anniversary to commemorate the year and add them to an anniversary photo book that was given us at our wedding shower. The goal is to add a photo every anniversary to watch ourselves grow old together :)

So on October 30th, the day after we got snow in October, we packed up the car with extra clothes and props and went with our friend, Sarah, to Glen Echo Park in Maryland. If you are in the DC area and ever need a reasonable, fun photographer, Sarah is your gal! :) You can check out her website at http://www.wix.com/adamssarah/photosbysarahbeth or her blog at http://theworldsarahknows.blogspot.com/. She was a joy to work with and was super fast getting the photos edited and back to us! We spent about two hours wandering around Glen Echo getting some awesome shots that I can't wait to print and frame for our home! :)

Here's a sampling! Enjoy!!

Eskimo Kisses!

Don't mind if I do!

HB, this one's for you! Thanks for teaching me!

The frame was Sarah's awesome idea!

Yay fall colors!

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Like I said, she does amazing work :) I can't wait to decorate our home with some of these! So much love and fun!

Have a wonderful day!
Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Book Review: Just in case...

"Just In Case You Ever Wonder" by Max Lucado (illustrated by Toni Goffe) is such a sweet children's book! I can't wait to read it to my own children. It's a great way to introduce and remind children why they are special (God created them) and that they are loved immensely by God and their parents no matter what.

Lucado's simple language and measured rhythm makes for a great bedtime or anytime read for children. The illustrations are beautiful and engaging as well. Part of me wished it was a little longer but I also know that it has to be short enough to keep a child's attention and it definitely met that criteria. I think it's great for elementary age children but definitely a concept that could use some reinforcing throughout childhood. Since the author has daughters (and the book was written for and dedicated to them), the illustrator used a female child in all the illustrations which, to me, would limit it's visual appeal but the book definitely still has a message that sons need to hear as well as daughters.

Overall, a wonderful children's book that I can't wait to read to my own children one day. Simple, precious and a wonderful message...just in case you were wondering ;)

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Soli Deo Gloria,
Meghan

Disclaimer of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze.com program. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with FTC regulations. If you would like to receive books for free in exchange for honest reviews, visit BookSneeze.com.