+

hey people,

finally i'm posting.

where do i start?
i want to write about so much. i've had a great couple of months and i've learned a few really cool things lately, too.

but i won't drown you with detailed descriptions because that would take about fifteen pages. :)

so i'll try to condense...

okay...first of all...homecoming was a blast! i enjoyed it very much. thanks for asking me, jordan.



next
um...
how was everyone's thanksgiving? (i'm getting to Christmas and new years:)
mine was good. for once i didn't completely gorge myself. (except on the dessert. lol.)
however, we did have two deaths in our family over thanksgiving. two of my great uncles died (on different sides of the family).
actually one of their funerals was in iowa and our family drove up there for it. God taught me a lot on this trip. i started reading "no compromise" by melody green, which is an awesome book. and i also read the book of ecclesiastes on the way up there. it was so crazy that i flipped to that book. God really spoke to me about valuing life and about living it to the fullest. then when we went to my uncle bud's funeral, i had so many things running through my head. of course, sadness...especially for all of my cousins (my uncle's grandchildren). they each got up and shared their favorite memories of their grandpa.
this was so hard for them...even the youngest ones were crying. but i could see how much they loved him and how much he invested into their lives and helped them enjoy it. that brought me back to what i had just read in ecclesiastes. it was crazy.

as sad as my family in iowa was, they were just as happy as they were sad...they knew that uncle bud is in Heaven and they laughed looking back at all of the good times they had with him. i learned so much by just watching them. i also got to find out how many cool cousins i have. seriously i have some great ones. lol.
well...after the funeral, we got to visit my great grandpa bougher. this was an extremely emotional experience because he is very old and we don't get to come to iowa very often...so we knew that that would probably be the last time that we get to see him until we get to Heaven. it was so hard. as we walked into the nursing home, there were elderly people everywhere. and i really love old people. especially old men. they are sooo cute...like teddy bears. i just want to go hug all of them and listen to their stories and soak up all of the wisdom i can from them.

anyway...we went to the room that my grandpa was in. he was at a little kitchen table in front of a glass door across from another elderly woman. he was just sitting there in front of the window. the most handsome old man i've ever seen! seriously. that's all i could think about. how sweet he is.

my grandpa has alzheimer's disease. so he doesn't always recognize people. but he did remember my dad- "danny boy". i know that was really special to my dad...that grandpa knew him. so we all got to talk to grandpa a little and take pictures with him. when i first hugged him, he told me "you're a sweet kid." then when i went to hug him goodbye he said the same thing. that was really cool for me. i don't know why he said that to me, but i will never forget it. i love you, grandpa bougher.
this made me think even harder about living life to the fullest and doing all you can to invest in people and live your entire life for Jesus. grandpa is so blessed. he had an incredible wife who loved her Savior very much. and grandpa has awesome kids. (especially me meemaw. :)
and he's been blessed with so many years of life...all with Jesus.
i want to be blessed like that. with a family that is living for Jesus. with a sweetness in my spirit like his. i want to live my entire lifetime for Jesus...and cling to Him through everything!

so yeah...
God showed me a lot on that trip. i'm so glad we got to go up there.

here's something else i wanted to write about...
my uncle josh and aunt shannon just moved to baton rouge recently and they have three awesome kids- vaughn (6), monet (4), and monroe (4). (the girls are twins). they are so polite and so sweet.
anyway...the other day i was talking to monroe about getting ready for Christmas. i asked her if she was excited. she said "yeah...it's God's birthday." and then she said, "i miss God. i want to go meet Him. i want to fly." WOW! that was like so cool to hear a four year old longing to see God. when i was that age i was afraid to think about going to Heaven...just because it was a crazy concept (it still is). anyway...how cool is that. she is already homesick for God. i just thought that was really cool. :)

well...now i'll ask how everyone's Christmas and new years went. i had a great holiday. i went to at least four Christmas parties with jordan and his family. lol. they were all really fun. i love hanging out with them.

and most of you were probably there when we went ice skating...i dumped fred!! lol. ;D

AND gabby rehmeyer is here from swaziland with her family...and so are charles and kristen young and patrick conti. (gabby came ice skating, too.) and we had a party for the missionaries the other night at children's cup..and i got to hang out with her there. and the rehmeyer's also came to hang out with us on new year's eve. that was so cool. i really love hanging out with her. i'm so excited that they're here!! :)





so...
i would go back and give more highlights of 2006 but...yeah...you would kill me- and so would i. lol. but seriously it was an amazing year. i feel like i grew closer to God than ever before. and i'm ready for 2007. it's God's year. i'm clinging to Him all the way. He is all that i want in life and i trust Him with everything. i ask Him to make this the best year yet.

i hope you guys had great holidays and that your year is awesome!
(and by the way...one of my new years resolutions is maintain my blog on a more frequent basis. lol. hold me to it-PLEASE! :)

i love you guys. y'all are all awesome. keep seeking God.
:)
-tori