Autumn in Minnesota

Now that I've been visiting Minnesota once a month, I've had the opportunity to see Minnesota during a variety of seasons! In October I was able to see the leaves in all their glory, and this month I saw the ending of Fall. Jason treated me well with walks in the park and taught me how to play bocce. We had a night out seeing the Dallas Stars vs. Minnesota Wild and a night at the theater enjoying "The Importance of being Earnest." Jason always had a surprise around the corner for me and this trip proved to be much of the same. I think I've officially fallen in love with Minnesota! Another walk in the park.

Ice Hockey - a sport I'm beginning to love watching!

Cheese Curds - never heard of them, but enjoyed my first taste!

Even though Dallas lost, I had a great night and proudly wore my Minnesota Wild sweatshirt Jason got me.

Tough Week, but God Always Offers Peace

This week has been extremely difficult for me. For various reasons I have had a wide range of emotions, and tonight they all just seemed to merge together and form a not so pleasant time for me. I never thought I was much of an 'emotional' person - usually I bottle everything up and show no emotion, but for some reason, in recent months, it just all seems to come out in journal writing, tears, and sighs. So tonight I needed to dive into my bible and find some encouraging words, and this is what I found:

Experiencing God's Peace
The peace Jesus promised...was not absence of conflict - the early believers faced conflict from all sides. Instead, it meant a deep inner peace made possible by the presence of the Holy Spirit in each believer's life. The Holy Spirit's peace allows us to find, deep within, a peace from God as we face the storms and stresses of life. This isn't peace as the world gives or as we might want it to be. It isn't a promise of life without problems. Instead, it is peace in spite of the problems, the stresses, the crises.

The apostle Paul wrote: "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. They you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:6-7)

Paul explained that as we face the storms and stresses, we can turn our worries into prayers and present our needs to God. And you know what will happen? You'll experience God's peace. Your heart and mind will be blanketed with it - guarded against unwanted intruders. Your stomach will stop churning. You'll be able to sleep. You'll be able to face the day without tears. You'll be able to focus on what needs to be done. You'll be able tot deal with your kids without yelling at them. You'll be able to get through the crisis intact.

How can that be? The conflict is still there; we still have a long way to go to get out of this crisis The peace comes not from feeling good about our situation. It comes from knowing the one truth that matters most: God is in control. That alone is the foundation of our peace. No matter what happens, we can trust our God to be at work for us.

We can make it. The journey may be long head of us, the light at the end of the tunnel not yet visible. But God is here with us. Place your hand in his and walk forward with him, unafraid, unhurried, and at peace.
-Linda K. Taylor


This is a video I found of a song that I have grown to love. The words are perfect, and although the girl in the video is singing at a funeral, her voice is beautiful and truly conveys what the song means. Please listen if you have a chance.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDHrIXcW_rI

Finally...pictures

I guess it's time to finally post a little something about my man! :) Almost four months ago I met Jason, while finishing up my Masters in Switzerland. It's been a whirlwind ever since! He is an amazing man, has a heart for God, and has quite an intriguing occupation! www.thirstmissions.org He has been a blessing in my life, and I have realized that God does answer prayers at just the perfect time. We have been able to see each other quite often - another blessing - but have unfortunately only taken a few pictures together!

So yes, I do have a boyfriend ladies and gentleman, and these are the first two, of many pictures, yet to come! Year 30 has definitely been the best yet!

This is a picture from my friend Leah's wedding. We met in Tulsa for the big event, and unfortunately, I cut off his head. The guy is 6'4" - not used to being around such tall people when trying to take pictures!
This picture is from two weeks ago, when I went to visit him in Minnesota. I took a few days off and enjoyed all the beautiful colors of fall. I posted some more pictures earlier on my blog - scroll down to see those.
God is good - Jason is a blessing - and I look forward to seeing what this chapter in life holds!

Pumpkin Patch 09

The weekend was finally here! It was time for the Pumpkin Patch and a Reunion. On Friday I drove up to Erin's house and headed up to Tyler with her and Greyson early Saturday morning. We met up with Heather and Brooklyn (3 yrs old-soon to be 4), Jen and Audrey (3 yrs old) and Abby (9 mo.), and then Erin and Greyson (4 yrs. old). I get thrown in as "Aunt Addie" and I loved every moment of it!

The weather was cool and humid - a perfect Fall day in East Texas! Take a look at the pictures and the memories we made on Saturday! I wonder how many new additions will be added by next year?!

Baby Emma

Finally...pictures of Baby Emma! Due to illness, I was unable to meet Baby Emma Suggs the day she was born, but I made it to the hospital as soon as I could! She is precious, and at home now enjoying life in the Suggs household!

Aunt Carol, Jody and Emma

Four Generations

Aunt Margaret and Baby Emma

He survived!

Almost two weeks ago my boyfriend flew back to Texas. It was the weekend to meet "THE FAMILY." As most of you know, my family, well, has spunk - we'll just call it that! I don't know if it was more of me being anxious about this "step" to take, or more scared about what would come out of the mouths of my family, but all in all, it was a wonderful weekend! Things were a bit chaotic migratingfrom house to house, but as usual, God blessed each and every day. The family, especially Grandma, loved him! Looks like he gained the Nauman/Winkles approval...The real test is meeting Aunt KK and Alan! Now that should be interesting! :)

100 Posts and still going...

This is the most amazing time of year!

As most of you know, Fall is my absolute favorite season and unfortunately, I live in a part of the world in which the true colors of Autumn are rarely seen. Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit my boyfriend in Minnesota, and I do believe the leaves started changing colors just for me!

The high for the four days I was there was around 46 degrees - rainy, overcast, and perfect! We went to this state park and spent a few hours exploring the trails and trying to capture some of the beauty!

I had my fair share of football (Go Packers!) and baseball, Buffalo Wild Wings and cold weather. It was hard to leave Minnesota on Tuesday, not just because I was leaving my boyfriend, but I also couldn't get enough of those leaves! :) Year 30 has offered me more blessings than I could have ever imagined - God is good and I look forward to seeing what he has instore for the future. Can it really get any better?!