Praise Reports

*** Updated with pictures, as promised :) ***

I'm still here, still breathing...things are just super busy and I haven't had much time to even think about blogging. I do have a number of things to be thankful for, so I thought I would share some things for which I am praising the Lord!

SA Weekend
Last weekend, Mike and I headed down to San Antonio to spend some time with my family. He had already met my parents when they had visited Dallas, but this was a fun opportunity to spend some more time with them and for me to show him where I grew up. He also got the pleasure of meeting some extended family, which is always fun and interesting. They were relatively well-behaved, and I am happy to report that Mike survived the weirdness and still seems to want to stick around :)

Saturday we had dinner with my dad's side of the family because my grandparents were celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. We met at a German restaurant in New Braunfels (don't ask- my family is Polish, but they like German food...it's all kind of the same haha), ate some yummy weiner schnitzel, and got to hear fun stories of how my grandparents met.

60 Years Together!

Me and Mike :)

Mom and Dad

Sunday we went to church with my parents and then headed down to the Riverwalk...because that's what all good San Antonians do when guests visit the Alamo city! We visited the Alamo, took a riverboat ride, and were just able to enjoy the beautiful weather as we walked the river.

At the Alamo

Along the Riverwalk

Me and Mike look cute...my dad, well...he makes me laugh!

It was a great weekend, and I am thankful for the time to spend with Mike and my parents. I promise to post pictures as soon as I have some time to download them :)


Baby Lilley Has Arrived!
Sweet Baby Lilley graced us with her presence Thursday morning!! Miss Evangeline (Evie) Claire is perfect and absolutely beautiful! Both mom and baby are doing well and dad couldn't be more proud. I am so excited for Jon and Sami and am thankful to be celebrating with them. And I ADORE her little mohawk :)

6 Months
Mike and I celebrated 6 months this weekend! I can hardly believe it's been 6 months already, and I am so grateful for the time I have had with him. To celebrate, he took me to White Rock Lake where we enjoyed a picnic he prepared of some of my favorite things- chicken salad, fruit, Dublin Dr Pepper, and dark chocolate peanut M&Ms! We watched the sunset, enjoyed the candlelight of the citronella candle (he was so prepared!), and reminisced our first date. We headed over to Lucky's Diner to enjoy some apple pie a la mode, then topped the evening off with a couple episodes of The Office. It was the perfect evening, and I am so thankful for our time together. I praise God for Mike and the blessing he is in my life- I am so lucky to be with such an amazing guy!

Wait...It's October?!?!

So when did that happen? I can't believe it's already October! I have to say that I am LOVING the beautiful weather. When I walk outside at 5:30 in the morning, the crisp air will really wake you up! But my favorite thing is the beautiful sunshine during the day- with mild temperatures and a slight breeze...it's been difficult to be stuck in my little windowless corner at work. But I am grateful for the nicer running weather (I think Sasha is too!) and the time I do get to spend outside.

Things are really busy at work right now, so I am operating on minimal sleep and additional coffee...ever feel like you are constantly crossing things off your to-do list and yet somehow it keeps growing? How does that happen? I am really having to focus and take things one minute at a time. Even writing this blog post is not technically on the to-do list and is therefore putting me farther behind. But I needed a break for just a minute where I wasn't thinking about conference calls, quarterly reports, claim research, annual meetings, etc.

I am very grateful for my job. Part of the exercise of writing this blog post is to remind myself of this. Don't get me wrong- I would much rather be busy than twiddling my thumbs at work. But in the midst of dealing with difficult clients and running on empty, it's way too easy for me to forget the blessings that the Lord has provided and to lose focus on the eternal plan that God has in all of it. While my job is difficult sometimes and I don't always enjoy the day-to-day tasks it involves, the reality is that God placed me in this job for a reason, and I don't want to waste the time He has me here. I don't want to become so busy with the work tasks that I forget the relationships and kingdom work that are on His heart- both in the office and outside of it. So that has been my prayer the last couple of weeks. Part of that begins with a change in my attitude toward my job. I confess that I have slipped into "discontent" mode (which is too quickly followed by "complaining" mode), and it's not honoring to the Lord. So I would appreciate prayer as I learn to focus on how the Lord can be honored in my role at work and how I can find joy in the midst of all circumstances.

Despite the fact I am constantly before the throne confessing my weakness before the Lord, He still finds ways to encourage and lift me up. Whether it be with the beautiful weather, a fun afternoon with Mike, an encouraging night with my sweet Bible study girls, or yummy pumpkin muffins from a sweet friend...I know I can lean on Him and He is going to carry me through. And in the process He's going to work a little on my heart, restore my spirit, and draw me closer to Him...