Christmas Music Rule Broken!

As I was driving into work this morning I heard an advertisement on the radio for the production of The Nutcracker. I immediately got into the Christmas spirit! I was trying really hard to hold off until after Halloween to start playing my Christmas music, but after hearing the music from The Nutcracker being played this morning I gave in to my temptation. I am now at work playing Bing Crosby's White Christmas. I just love Christmas time!! I really hope that when Rick and I are in Chicago at Christmas it snows! I want a white Christmas this year! Last year we had a rainy Christmas in Seattle. No fun!

I think since I broke my Christmas music rule (the one I made to not listen to Christmas music until after Halloween), I will break my Christmas movie rule too!! Tonight I just might have to watch White Christmas or Home Alone. I LOVE Christmas time...."It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year"!!

Dreams

Last night I had a dream that Rick bought me a red Ford Mustang convertible for Christmas. In this dream I drove the car up into the mountains at great speed. Rick kept telling me to slow down, but for some reason I loved going fast while driving my new car. At one point in my dream I remember looking down at the speedometer and it said I was going 120 MPH! Luckily this was just a dream b/c going that fast in the mountains could be deadly!

So here is the funny part; I was getting ready for work this morning and I begin to tell Rick about the dream I had last night. He told me that we switched dreams last night. I questioned him about what he meant by that, and he told me that he had a dream that we gave birth to a baby girl! How crazy is that?!! I dream about cars and he dreams about babies! I think we did have each other's dreams last night!! Anyway...I thought that was pretty funny! It would be really nice if both of our dreams came true! :)

TAGGED

I was blog tagged by Judith to write 7 unknown facts about myself that most readers don't know about me. I don't have many blogger friends to tag and Judith already tagged Sharon so....I will tag Bethany, Heather, Angel, and Rick (I know that's only four, but I will try and make more friends in the blogging world so I have 7)!

1. I am rooting for the Colorado Rockies to win the World Series
2. Summer is my absolute favorite time of year! (the hotter the temperature the better!)
3. I have been in three car accidents since living in Seattle over the last year (none of them where my fault!)
4. My favorite drink from Starbucks is a Grande Non-Fat Vanilla Latte
5. I love monkeys and I have always wanted one as a pet (not a stuffed animal a real live monkey!)
6. I always wanted to be on the Mickey Mouse Club and I used to play like I was on the show with my friends in the neighborhood. M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!
7. I drove a year before I have my drivers license. My boyfriend Dan used to let me drive his Chevy when I was a freshman in high school. I am thankful that I was never pulled over!!

Lincoln Brewster Concert

Church was amazing this morning!! Rick and I went to hear Lincoln Brewster play at a church that is about 20 minutes from our home. I am still covered in goose bumps from this concert. As Lincoln was singing many of the worship songs he has written I imagined being in heaven gathered around Jesus worshipping and praising him!! What a glorious feeling! All of my worries, doubts, frustrations, and trials didn't seem to even matter as I stood in that sanctuary this morning just worshipping God! I thought...wow, if I could just be disciplined again and have this much worship in the morning before I start my day what a difference that would make in my life!!! I am challenging myself at this very moment to commit to starting each morning in worship!

If you want to check out Lincoln Brewster's music you can go to http://www.lincolnbrewster.com/.

Colorado Rockies!

I have to admit I am really excited that the Colorado Rockies are going to the World Series!! Ever since I lived in Denver 4 years ago a piece of my heart stayed in that great city! My favorite teams will always be the Chicago Cubs and the the Chicago Bears, but my second favorite teams are the Colorado Rockies, and the Denver Bronchos! It's good to have a back up team when your favorite baseball team hasn't won a World Series title since 1908!!

I really hope that the Rockies can pull of a World Series title! I remember when the Rockies first became a team back in 1993. I was actually dating a guy who had moved to Chicago from Denver and he was so excited that Denver was about to get a major league baseball team. After 14 years of playing in the MLB they are going to the World Series. Way to make history Colorado!!

GO ROCKIES!!!!

SO GOOD!

God is so good!! Today, I feel HIS presence in a special way, and I am so thankful that I have Jesus guiding my life! "Thank you Lord for your unconditional love! I'm so glad that I am your daughter!"

Operation Iraq Outreach

It's been awhile since I have blogged b/c I have been so busy planning our annual Operation Iraq Outreach for this year. Each year Northwest University helps pack boxes that are filled with things like chapstick, lotion, toothbrushes, candy, chips (non-perishable items), books, bibles, magazines, letters from kids, and college students and the list goes on. Most of the items we send are donated from Costco, Wal-mart, grocery stores, etc...- it is amazing how many items get donated each year. From November 1st until December 1st we pack boxes and then we send them to the Chaplains that are over in Iraq to hand out to the soldiers on Christmas day. It is a lot of work putting this outreach together, but so rewarding! The picture above was taken at our Outreach chapel last year. The students packed over 5,000 boxes that were sent to Iraq for Christmas!

The war has been going on so long that I think at times we forget that there are still soldiers who are risking and giving their lives for our country. These soldiers are husbands, wives, dads, moms, brothers, sisters, uncles, aunts, and friends. We need to be praying for their protection, and most of all for their salvation!! Please pray that the boxes we send this year will touch the hearts of all of those men and women who have to be away from their families this Christmas season.

Rejoice Always!

This has been a hard week for me in many ways, but through the tough situations I have been going through I have chosen to rejoice! It is amazing that when we make an effort (and I stress the word effort) to rejoice and praise God despite our our difficult circumstances, HE fills our hearts with unexplainable joy and peace!! I have felt the love and compassion of Jesus like never before this week! I challenge all of you that no matter what doubt or fear floods your heart, to just trust and rejoice in the Lord! I remember growing up in church singing this song;

Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice....Rejoice! (and then we would repeat it like 10 or 15 times over!). That song has been in my heart this week! I will rejoice in the Lord ALWAYS! Today I read Psalms 5 in my morning devotions. Verses 11-12 really spoke to me.

But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalms 5:11-12