Had some car issues....ghetto crusiers timing belt apparently decided that it would be a great time to break...like a week before i am supposed to be taking her home to PA....some I'm definitely sportin' a mini-van while my precious automobile is just sitting in a parking lot refusing to start...she has done that A LOT lately. So I had to have her towed twice, yeppp twice, and then praise Jesus got her to a doctor in time to be ready to make the big trip home. She did soooo welllll!! Sooo basically I learned that my car sucks...BUT the Lord is my provider ALWAYS!!! Oh and I learned that if I ever become a mom, I could totally rock a mini-van! If I can rock one now as a single chica, there's nothin' stoppin me when I actually have car seats with kiddos in them....
Also the week before Christmas I helped out with the Hoss Foundation. (Jeff Hostetler is an ex-NFL Superbowl Champion who has this foundation.) The Foundation delivers Christmas to families that are in need during the holidays. It was awesome!!! It started on a Saturday where we shopped for the families at Walmart til 1:00 am!! How fun!! Then we had a wrapping party that Sunday and then delivered the presents during the entire week before Christmas. We had a community event where some WVU football players came and threw footballs and signed them for the families! (Was soooo much fun!!) We also went to the Ronald McDonald House to deliver presents to some families...what a joy it was to bring not only toys and clothes to these families but we ultimately were delivering the love of Christ to them!! We were able to spread hope and love to people who desperately needed it. It was such a blessing to me to have the opportunity to do this. I can't wait till next year to do it again!!!!!
Christmas was so great this year...seeing family, spending time with my nieces and nephews, getting to know my family more and more, being able to enjoy being at home, seeing the Lord in each moment of the holidays, it was just grrrreat!!! Here are some of the highlights of my time at home:
*stayed at 3 places in 6 days!
*was around children 24/7 for 6 days!
*saw Alvin and the Chipmunks 2 times!! (cute movie)
*received several bruises from my nephews treating me like a human trampoline! (I actually kinda hurt a lil')
*sitting down to dinner, had my 7 yr old nephew (out of the blue) asked me this: "Aunt Amanda, when are you getting married?" My reply through laughter: "Well, Josh, Aunt Amanda wishes she knew the answer to that question!!" Then I said: "Josh, why are you so worried about that?" Josh replys: "Well, cuz I want another uncle." Soooo basically a child in my life is now asking questions that I have been asking the Lord for some time now....pretty funny!! I fear though that when I am 40, alll of my family members will be asking! Oh good times, good times!
*had my 5 yr old niece ask me this upon my arrival to her house: "Aunt Amanda, do you have all of your teeth?" Hmmm...do you think someone in my family has been making WV jokes??? I may have peed my pants when she asked me that!! It was pretty funny!
*was able to be with my nieces on Christmas morning! Yeppp, woke me up at 6:15am...I think.
Flarp and Nakedness...now that's a great Christmas morning!!
*My step sister-in-law started a new tradition with her 2 daughters. (my 2 nieces...oh check out my Christmas pics by the way....cute!!!) She wrote them a letter and read it to them. The letter just gave a run-down of their year together and it talked about all the things that she was thankful for about each of her daughters. Of course I cried! It was awesome to be part of that!!! Made me miss my mommmmzzz! It was a sweet moment!
*made a bunch of cookies and desserts with my step sister-in-law.
*went to my step dad's house on Christmas....was a good time.
*I stole my other niece and nephew, Tanner & Kaitlyn (Need to get pics of them on my page) for the day. Took them to lunch, then movie, and then shopping for them to pic out a present. Then spent the evening with them, played guitar hero and drew pics with my niece. Was such a blast!! Decided to start that tradition with them...stealing them for a day and just spending time with them!! What a joy!!
*ambushed my brother with a marshmallow gun! Yeppp, definitely shoots marshmallows hard enough that they stick on what they land on....it was awesome!!!
*met my dad for breakfast and he just blessed me with a huge answer to prayer!!! Again, I cried!! My dad may be rough around the edges and he may have made some mistakes with us kids growing up, but he really does love us! Let's just say I am blessed to have him as my dad!!*my car made it to PA and back with no problems!! YaY!!!!
*now I am back in WV being refreshed!!!
This holiday season I have been constanly reminded that the Lord cares about the lil' things in our lives. There were sooo many things that made this trip home special to me and I am sooo thankful for that!! It truly was a celebration of who Jesus is in my life! Yeah, it's fun to see the kids face's light up when they see the gifts under the tree, and it's fun to have the meal with all the fixin's, but Jesus really IS the reason for the season! (Ha! Any excuse to use that phrase and I am on it!! Makes me laugh) BUT it is soooo stinkin' true!! Praise the Lord that He gave us His Son so that we can have this life here on earth and so that we can have the promise of eternity with Him when we lay down our lives and ask Him into our hearts!
I hope that you have enjoyed your time with family and friends over the past few days but more importantly I pray that you will experince the true meaning of Christmas...the birth of our Savior Jesus. I pray that He will become real to you more and more each day.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!
*made a bunch of cookies and desserts with my step sister-in-law.
*went to my step dad's house on Christmas....was a good time.
*I stole my other niece and nephew, Tanner & Kaitlyn (Need to get pics of them on my page) for the day. Took them to lunch, then movie, and then shopping for them to pic out a present. Then spent the evening with them, played guitar hero and drew pics with my niece. Was such a blast!! Decided to start that tradition with them...stealing them for a day and just spending time with them!! What a joy!!
*ambushed my brother with a marshmallow gun! Yeppp, definitely shoots marshmallows hard enough that they stick on what they land on....it was awesome!!!
*met my dad for breakfast and he just blessed me with a huge answer to prayer!!! Again, I cried!! My dad may be rough around the edges and he may have made some mistakes with us kids growing up, but he really does love us! Let's just say I am blessed to have him as my dad!!*my car made it to PA and back with no problems!! YaY!!!!
*now I am back in WV being refreshed!!!
This holiday season I have been constanly reminded that the Lord cares about the lil' things in our lives. There were sooo many things that made this trip home special to me and I am sooo thankful for that!! It truly was a celebration of who Jesus is in my life! Yeah, it's fun to see the kids face's light up when they see the gifts under the tree, and it's fun to have the meal with all the fixin's, but Jesus really IS the reason for the season! (Ha! Any excuse to use that phrase and I am on it!! Makes me laugh) BUT it is soooo stinkin' true!! Praise the Lord that He gave us His Son so that we can have this life here on earth and so that we can have the promise of eternity with Him when we lay down our lives and ask Him into our hearts!
I hope that you have enjoyed your time with family and friends over the past few days but more importantly I pray that you will experince the true meaning of Christmas...the birth of our Savior Jesus. I pray that He will become real to you more and more each day.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!