Catchup Up & Starting Anew

This New Year's Eve I'm catching up on days gone by and starting a new blog in order to do so.  My previous blog (www.betheglory.blogspot.com) ran out of space... too many pictures?!.  Who me?!.  So here is a look at the past few weeks:
Jana Enters Double Digits
 Sweet Sophia on a daddy daughter date...







 Lunch date at school...


Roller Skating party with friends...






 Christmas with IDC Family
We celebrated the graduation of Imago Dei Church ASPIRE interns out at a Brazilian steakhouse... so grateful for those in the program and look forward to seeing how God continues to use them in the days ahead!
 IDC Elder Trip to D.C.
 Via train...




Love this city!
 Love this man!
 Blessed by these ladies...
 Best crabcakes around...




 North Carolina Christmas tree...


Enjoyed the opportunity to visit the IJM office and staff.  Incredibly blessed by and grateful for their work to "seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause" (Isaiah 1:17).











 Of course, had to end at one of our favorite places on the Hill.... Tortilla Coast... memories...







Homeward bound...
 James, a teenager?!.
 Well, first... a band concert



So cute... so proud...
 Simultaneous basketball practice with my little guy, Joshua... same building as band concert.


 We let James skip school to celebrate his turning 13 years old...
Breakfast at a favorite spot: Briggs
Blessed to have grandparents in town for a few days down from Kentucky...
 Followed by go kart racing... and then The Hobbit....






 Favorite gift: metal detector!
 After birthday presents, we exchanged Christmas gifts with grandparents...


Christmas Morning (one day early for us)

 Since we had all day at home on Christmas Eve, we decided to surprise our kids with celebrating one day early (before hitting the road to Virginia on Christmas day)...

 So much fun....





 New workout clothes... so James, Angela and I worked out... :)
 James even brought his new punching bag up to join in...
 Then it was time to play with new baseball equipment Joshua received...



 Fun times... a restful day before celebrating with our IDC family with Scripture and Carols later that evening.  
Christmas in Virginia
Mom had a birthday cake awaiting the birthday boy...
 We celebrate birthdays for a full week in our house :)



We woke up to snow the next day (albeit slushy)!
 Lots of laughs with cousins...




 Happy Anniversary to our anniversary twins (though 4 years apart)!  May God bless you two as you grow in Him and each other.  Grateful for you both!











 Homeward Bound
 Another Christmas has come and gone.  What a wonderful one it was!  We are grateful for time with family, yet grateful most of all for "the gift of God": Jesus, God's own Son...

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.
(Galatians 4:4-7 ESV)

Merry Christmas and God's richest blessings to you in the New Year!

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