thankful...

We are nearing the end of November already and as November is known for Thanksgiving and being thankful and having gratitude, I figure it'd be good to post something about that topic.  :)
On Facebook, I'm sure your feed has been similar to mine, full of people posting each day something they are thankful for.  I love that, even if only for a month, people are more aware of the things that they are thankful for, for the blessings in their life whether big or small. 

Here is a list of things, in no particular order, that today I am thankful for:

I am thankful for Jesus, that as we begin to celebrate His birth it is a reminder of His love and sacrifice for us.  I'm am thankful that He gave His life for me, and because of it my life will never be the same!

I am thankful for life!!  I just celebrated my birthday, and I am thankful for the years of living I have had.  Yep, there's been a lot of tough times, but I've done a lot of living, experienced and been to a lot of places, and my life has been full of amazing people people.

I am thankful for my husband of just over 2 years.  Three years ago we were just dating and I had no clue as to how much my life would change in such a short amount of time.  I am thankful that God brought Joe into my life in His perfect timing, and I couldn't imagine doing life without him...good times and bad.

I am thankful for my daughters.  Isabella, who keeps me on my toes and wears me out, but brings such joy and amazement to my life.  And Zoe, who moves around inside of me, pushing into anything she can...knowing that there is new life inside of me and that she too will bring a joy that only she can bring into the world. 

I am thankful for family.  My amazing parents, my extended family, my husband's family, my church family and those that have become family throughout the years.  Thankful for the love, support, encouragement, and memories we have. 

I am thankful for God's provision.  I don't always understand it.  And it definitely doesn't always come on my time frame.  And it typically doesn't look the way I think it should.  But God is always faithful and always takes care of me.

I am thankful to live a blessed life...I have a nice place to call home, a comfy bed, food in my refrigerator and cabinets, a car to drive, I could go on.  I may not have the nicest of things or the fanciest of toys, but I'm not lacking the things that make life worth living.  I am surrounded by amazing people, live in a country full of opportunity, and most importantly have a God who loves me.

I am thankful that I have had the opportunity to live in multiple states and countries...and that I get to live outside of the country again in the near future!! 

I am thankful for the call of God on my families life.  I am excited that through that call my children will have the opportunity to experience the world, even at a young age. 

I am thankful for coffee.  And tea.  Life just wouldn't be as good without them.

I am thankful my camera, and the memories it let's me capture.

I am thankful for my amazing doctor and the hospital where I will be giving birth to my daughter.

I am thankful for air conditioning, especially living in the desert of Arizona, where it is still 80's out in November (seriously, it's ridiculous...I would really appreciate it if it would cool down outside.)

I am thankful that I am due in January and not July...I really don't know how I'd handle the heat then!

I am thankful for heat when it does get cold in the winter.

Today, I am thankful.  And blessed.  And my prayer is that I will keep a thankful heart year round, not just one month out of the year.

Psalm 100 ~

Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all you lands!

Serve the Lord with gladness! Come before His presence with singing!

Know (perceive, recognize, and understand with approval) that the Lord is God! It is He Who has made us, not we ourselves [and we are His]! We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and a thank offering and into His courts with praise! Be thankful and say so to Him, bless and affectionately praise His name!

For the Lord is good; His mercy and loving-kindness are everlasting, His faithfulness and truth endure to all generations.

T fam update: God is faithful.

Parts of me want to say that I'm utterly failing at my attempt to blog.  Three months since my last blog isn't horrible, and at least I have thought about my blog.  :)  I do want to get better.  I will try.

Update on the T fam:

Isabella is 17 months and running!!  She is full of spunk and joy.  She runs, climbs, and jabbers away.  Her smile is contagious.  She loves Sesame Street, Monsters Inc and Pocoyo.  She loves slides, banana's, and Mr Monkey.  She signs please, finished, and more.  She can say mommy, daddy, thank you, puppy, "mama" for gramma, "papa" for grandpa, "nana" for banana, amongst her growing vocabulary list.

I am 30 weeks pregnant with Zoe Anne.  She loves to move around and has the hiccups at least once a day.  I'm feeling huge and ready to hold my baby girl in my arms. 

Joe lost his job almost 3 months ago due to financial issues with the company.  He's been working diligently to secure a new job, and has had interviews and such.  God keeps reminding us that He is our provider and that His timing is perfect.  There have definitely been some cool God moments, watching Him provide for us just what we need, at just the right time.  I have wondered how we are going to make it, and I am constantly reminded and challenged to trust God's faithfulness everyday.

Along with job searching, being pregnant, being involved with church events, and just everyday life, the T fam has begun the process for what will take us on a new adventure.  We are really excited that God has opened this door for us and is leading us to be able to do something as a family that is in our hearts to do: missions.  We have recently been approved as Missionary Associates to go to Tallinn, Estonia, to be part of a church planting team.  It is a huge step of faith for us, but we are excited about the adventure that awaits.  We are excited about the other missionaries that are on the team...amazing people that I am so honored to get to work with.  Excited about their children, who will become good friends to my little girls.  There's a lot that needs to happen for us to get there, and I'm sure I'll be writing more about that in the future.  But God is faithful.

Each day I'm reminded of God's faithfulness.  I am challenged to trust in His faithfulness.  Forever grateful for His faithfulness.  In a world of chaos, constant change, ups and downs, there is always one constant: God is faithful!

a lesson from a 14 month old...

My 14 month old has finally begun her journey towards walking.  Some days she takes 4 or 5 steps and the next day she won't take a single step.  Until Tuesday.  Tuesday she was a determined little girl.  She would take 3 steps, fall, get back up, and repeat.  All day long!  It was so much fun to watch (and a little sad seeing my little girl growing up way to fast!).  I happened to catch her on video, and the clip I got really inspired me.  She would take some steps, fall, get up, take some more steps, fall, get up, take some more steps, fall, rest.  That's where I stopped the clip, and within a few moments, she was up again trying to wander the apartment.

Life happens.  We stumble, fall, bad things happen.  But we need to keep getting back up.  We need to keep going.  I need to keep going.  But I also need to rest.  Rest is good.  Rest is needed to keep going.

I hope my little girl inspires you like she inspires me.  :)

a fresh start.

I have blogged in the past.  And then I attempted to try blogging again about 2 years ago.  Let's just say, it was an epic fail.  My husband decided to start a blog, which then got me thinking, I should start blogging again too.  So here I am.

To update you on the current happenings in the life of Mrs. T, here are the highlights of life now:

• I just celebrated my 2 wedding anniversary with my amazing husband!!  There are days that it feels like we have been married for 5+ years, and then other days that it seems like it was just yesterday.  The adventures we've been on, the trials we've faced, the storms we've weathered, the celebrations we've shared...there's been a lot, but I'm excited about what's in store for us.
• My pretty little princess is 13 months and continues to melt her momma's heart.  She's a people person, just like her momma.  She loves to chat, and is discovering new tricks everyday!  She brings so much joy to everyone she's around, her smile is super contagious.  I love being her momma!!  And I am blessed that I get to be with her every day and that God has provided for us in such a way that she doesn't have to be in daycare!
  
• I'm 13 weeks pregnant with "baby number two."  I'm gonna be honest, I don't like being pregnant.  I don't like the morning sickness that shows up whenever it wants.  I don't like being constantly tired.  I don't feel like myself.  But, despite that, I'm excited for this little life that will be joining our family.  The curiosity of not knowing if it's going to be a boy or a girl is seriously making me nervous.  I really have no idea, and I really don't have any preference, but this curiosity is getting the best of me.  Oh well, another 5 weeks or so won't kill me.

As I was thinking about restarting my blog, the word "adventure" kept coming to mind.  Thus, the title of the blog, as well as the name in the link.  I love the word adventure.  So, I went and looked up the word, and here's what it means:

1  a : an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks  

    b : the encountering of risks adventure>

2: an exciting or remarkable experience adventure in exotic dining>

3: an enterprise involving financial risk

I want my life, every season it has, to be an adventure.  I don't want to live life on the safe side, I don't want to live life with regrets, and even in the quieter seasons of life, I don't want to get bogged down, but I want to look for the adventure that lies in those moments.  I believe that God has created us for adventure.  Having faith is an adventure, and I want my life to be full of faith.  I want to step out into the unknown, I want to be obedient to God, even if it's scary, and I want to experience I full life in Him.

And this blog, well, I just hope I keep up with it to share the adventures that we experience.