Wow 2011 flew by! I tend to feel this way every New Year's Day but the past year was great, of course it had it held both happy and difficult days all around I feel it was pretty great! Here are just a few highlights of 2011...
- We went to San Antonio and had a blast
- I visited El Paso for work and learned there are mountains there.
- Ryan took me on the best Valentine's Date in the world.
- I had alot of girl's weekends with my besties!
- I went to my first ladies retreat with my amazing friends.
- Our Woodlands friends have become a huge part of our lives- love them!
- Ryan celebrated his golden birthday!
- My Nana turned 70 and is as fabulous as ever!
- I turned 27!
- Ryan went to the Dominican Republic for his first ever out of the country mission trip
- We celebrated alot of weddings and pregnancies with the people we love most!
- We spent a week at the River House, just the two of us and it was so great to get away and just relax after a really busy summer!
- I had even more girl weekends with my besties!
- My sister found out she was pregnant!! It's a girl!
- My SIL and BIL had TWINS! They are so cute and sweet, just like their older sister.
- We found out we were having a baby!!
- One of my besties, Raven got ENGAGED to a really great guy!
- We found out we are having a girl!
- We celebrated 7 years together and 3 years being married downtown and Ryan surprised me with a trip to New Orleans that he planned :-)
- We went to New Orleans- it was wonderful!! My next post will include pictures and details.
- We rang in the new year with my sis and bro-in-law celebrating our last NYE without babies!
What were the highlights of your 2011?
I love NY Resolutions, I am a planner and goal setter so anytime I can list things out it makes me happy... here are a few that are on my list.
- Finish the pregnancy healthy- I want to do everything I can to welcome this sweet baby with no complications!
- Not gain TOO much weight with the pregnancy, I am doing great so far at 17 weeks I actually haven't gained any weight but I know that will change soon.
- Work hard to loose the baby weight and some extra by next NYE!
- Get the nursery ready
- Make it to Raven's wedding! I will be 37 weeks pregnant... it's in Fort Worth... the Dr said it will be ok as long as I don't have pre-term labor but I won't get the for sure go ahead until the week before so i am going to be nervous until then! I can't miss her big moment!!
- Welcome my neice into the world, can't wait to meet sweet baby Ava!
- Save more money!! This is always a goal of ours, we have recently become one step closer in being debt free which was a big thing to celebrate! We still have student loans but only one more item we intend to close out before the baby comes and I am super ready for that!
- Take a few cooking classes, we love to learn new things and really want to take a few classes before June.
- At least finish the 5K walking if I am unable to run it at 6 months pregnant that Ryan and I are planning to participate in.
What are your goals for 2012?
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
So Thankful...
The past few months have been life-changing to say the least! Ryan and I were not expecting the pregnancy but we could not be happier that our sweet baby girl is coming soon! We know that we are so very blessed that this chapter of our life happened so unexpectantly when we know so many others struggle with getting pregnant and carrying their babies full term. I honestly always worried I wouldn't be able to have children so the fact that it has been the biggest surprise of my life has been, well, surprising! In the beginning I really struggled with the changes we would need to make in our life- the sacrifices in giving up the right to be selfish, go on trips when we wanted etc. but when I heard that heartbeat for the first time I realized the things I would be giving up were just not important at all compared to holding our daughter for the first time and spending the rest of our lives raising our family.
I have also been so overwhelmed and blessed with the outpouring of love and excitement from both of our families and all of our friends. It is no secret that a few years ago I was deeply hurt by a very close friend that is no longer apart of my life. If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that it has been a process for me because I have never experienced anything like this before and honestly would be shocked if it ever happened again. The Lord has been faithful through it all and has placed such amazing people around me; although no one can fill the place that this person has in my heart I strongly believe that the ones closest to me now are exactly who should be there.
What has also been really amazing through all of this is that I have met and become close with multiple girls who have gone through similar experiences after I did and I was able to listen and share in their pain- this is something I would have never been able to do had I not gone through this difficult time. I have been avoiding bringing this up because I feel so at peace with everything and have for quite some time but writing is an outlet for me and there is just something about putting it all on paper, or on the computer screen that allows so much reflection and I just love that!
All of that being said, I am so SO thankful for my friends, I am not sure that I deserve having such close friendships with the most amazing people on earth but I am so glad you are all here! I am also thankful for a husband that understands how important my friends are to me- just last weekend he gladly gave our house up for the day so that a few of my besties could come spend the night and hang-out on our couch all day. I know some people walk through life never meeting even one close friend and I have been surrounded with so many from different chapters in my life that I have been able to pick-up along the way and plan to keep with me forever :-)
Faith Bible Church has also played a HUGE role in the healing process for me. I still miss Fort Worth most days, I miss being across the street from two of my besties, all of the fun things to do and just that entire chapter of our life but I know without a doubt that God has brought us home for a reason and serving at FBC has been amazing. Being apart of the student ministry and seeing Ryan in action has strengthened our marriage more than I thought possible. The staff is so gracious and everyone is a few steps ahead of us- Ryan's boss and his wife have been such amazing examples to us in particular and are two people we aspire to be in so many ways. I have written about our small group before but those friendships are so different than the rest because we have an entire group of people going through the same chapter of life that we are and they have shared in our joys in pains over the last year and I am sure they will always be apart of our life.
Ryan and I are so lucky to have such great families who are supportive and share in our joy which I know is such a rare occurence these days. We have exciting days ahead that I know will hold all sorts of different emotions but we want you to know how thankful we are that you are apart of our life and this chapter we are embarking on! We are now accepting names to be submitted for our little girl so if you have any PLEASE send them my way! I hope that you and your family will have a very Merry Christmas!!
I have also been so overwhelmed and blessed with the outpouring of love and excitement from both of our families and all of our friends. It is no secret that a few years ago I was deeply hurt by a very close friend that is no longer apart of my life. If you are a regular reader of my blog you know that it has been a process for me because I have never experienced anything like this before and honestly would be shocked if it ever happened again. The Lord has been faithful through it all and has placed such amazing people around me; although no one can fill the place that this person has in my heart I strongly believe that the ones closest to me now are exactly who should be there.
What has also been really amazing through all of this is that I have met and become close with multiple girls who have gone through similar experiences after I did and I was able to listen and share in their pain- this is something I would have never been able to do had I not gone through this difficult time. I have been avoiding bringing this up because I feel so at peace with everything and have for quite some time but writing is an outlet for me and there is just something about putting it all on paper, or on the computer screen that allows so much reflection and I just love that!
All of that being said, I am so SO thankful for my friends, I am not sure that I deserve having such close friendships with the most amazing people on earth but I am so glad you are all here! I am also thankful for a husband that understands how important my friends are to me- just last weekend he gladly gave our house up for the day so that a few of my besties could come spend the night and hang-out on our couch all day. I know some people walk through life never meeting even one close friend and I have been surrounded with so many from different chapters in my life that I have been able to pick-up along the way and plan to keep with me forever :-)
Faith Bible Church has also played a HUGE role in the healing process for me. I still miss Fort Worth most days, I miss being across the street from two of my besties, all of the fun things to do and just that entire chapter of our life but I know without a doubt that God has brought us home for a reason and serving at FBC has been amazing. Being apart of the student ministry and seeing Ryan in action has strengthened our marriage more than I thought possible. The staff is so gracious and everyone is a few steps ahead of us- Ryan's boss and his wife have been such amazing examples to us in particular and are two people we aspire to be in so many ways. I have written about our small group before but those friendships are so different than the rest because we have an entire group of people going through the same chapter of life that we are and they have shared in our joys in pains over the last year and I am sure they will always be apart of our life.
Ryan and I are so lucky to have such great families who are supportive and share in our joy which I know is such a rare occurence these days. We have exciting days ahead that I know will hold all sorts of different emotions but we want you to know how thankful we are that you are apart of our life and this chapter we are embarking on! We are now accepting names to be submitted for our little girl so if you have any PLEASE send them my way! I hope that you and your family will have a very Merry Christmas!!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
It's a...
For the entire pregnancy thus far I have been 99% sure the baby was a boy. Ever since I took the pregnancy test I have been saying it was a boy. We decided to do a gender reveal party which I HIGHLY recommend, it was such a blast!! My sister and parents threw it for us last night and I just loved it.
Everyone that came got to cast their vote by holding up a mustache or pink lips- my sister did such an amazing job and only 4 people voted girl with the other 25 or so people voting boy! Here we are, casting our votes:
We cut into a cake in that was in a present shape and the inside would be either pink or blue :-)
The lips and mustaches were so hilarious, here begins the photo shoot:
Our small group, we love them so much:
Everyone that came got to cast their vote by holding up a mustache or pink lips- my sister did such an amazing job and only 4 people voted girl with the other 25 or so people voting boy! Here we are, casting our votes:
We cut into a cake in that was in a present shape and the inside would be either pink or blue :-)
To our surprise, it was PINK inside!!
We were so surpised and EXCITED!! I can't wait to meet our little girl :-)
Here is the spread, they did such a great job! We had so much fun!!
The lips and mustaches were so hilarious, here begins the photo shoot:
My girls:
Our small group, we love them so much:
Being suspicious with our mustaches:
Sweet Suzanne and me, she had a crazy day and still made it for our big moment! love her!
My pregnant sis and I- we are SO excited to both be having girls so close to one another:
Future Grandma, my Mom-In-Law:
Future Great Aunt and Great-Nana:
Future Grandparents, My Mom-in-law and Father-in-law
Future Grandparents, My parents:
Thanks to everyone that was able to come and support us, we couldn't be happier about our baby girl!!
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Being pregnant is weird...
So I guess it's probably the same for everyone but I didn't really know what to expect after finding out I was pregnant. I am super comfortable with taking care of the baby once he/she is here but carrying it around for 9 months is just really weird.
Although I think it is amazing, the fact that this tiny baby is growing everyday and becoming the little person it will be forever the thought of it just hanging out in my stomach is just an interesting thought.
Our baby which is apparently the size of a medium shrimp makes alot of decisions for me. For instance, whether or not I can eat something- it might sound really great to me but once I smell it the baby makes the decision and more often than not it is "No way Mom, I will make you sick if you make me eat that!"
This sweet baby also decides when and in what position I will sleep, sit and when it is time or me to sit down. If I don't obey the baby I don't get to go to sleep and my back will start killing me!
All of this aside though at only 13 weeks our baby has fingerprints- isn't that crazy! he/she also has all of their organs, veins and very thin skin. It has been pretty awesome to hear the heart beat a few times and to read each week what is forming. I am avoiding most books an unwarranted advice...I just don't need to know horror stories, everything about a random person's pregnancy or every little worry out there- whatever happens throughout this pregnancy is part of God's plan for our family and I just have to trust that He has already prepared me for what is coming our way. I will say that the labor part really freaks me out. I am definately not a fan of Eve and wish a stork really would just bring me a baby wrapped in a white blanket.
Anyway, I have been rambling for a while- I am off to visit my Nana for a little bit and hopefully get a chunk of our Christmas presents taken care of! I hope you all enjoy your weekend!
Although I think it is amazing, the fact that this tiny baby is growing everyday and becoming the little person it will be forever the thought of it just hanging out in my stomach is just an interesting thought.
Our baby which is apparently the size of a medium shrimp makes alot of decisions for me. For instance, whether or not I can eat something- it might sound really great to me but once I smell it the baby makes the decision and more often than not it is "No way Mom, I will make you sick if you make me eat that!"
This sweet baby also decides when and in what position I will sleep, sit and when it is time or me to sit down. If I don't obey the baby I don't get to go to sleep and my back will start killing me!
All of this aside though at only 13 weeks our baby has fingerprints- isn't that crazy! he/she also has all of their organs, veins and very thin skin. It has been pretty awesome to hear the heart beat a few times and to read each week what is forming. I am avoiding most books an unwarranted advice...I just don't need to know horror stories, everything about a random person's pregnancy or every little worry out there- whatever happens throughout this pregnancy is part of God's plan for our family and I just have to trust that He has already prepared me for what is coming our way. I will say that the labor part really freaks me out. I am definately not a fan of Eve and wish a stork really would just bring me a baby wrapped in a white blanket.
Anyway, I have been rambling for a while- I am off to visit my Nana for a little bit and hopefully get a chunk of our Christmas presents taken care of! I hope you all enjoy your weekend!
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
We have an announcement...
Some of you may remember a post I wrote back in September about babies and how we were waiting for a while longer but that I hoped it would be a surprise...
Well, we have definately recieved a surprise recently! Ryan and I are going to be parents in June!! This has come as a complete shock as we were planning to wait for another year or so but obviously this is such a happy surprise. It has been a whirlwind of emotions but we feel so blessed that we are being intrusted with this sweet little baby.
Although the timing is not what we were expecting we know that God's plan is so much better than anything we could have ever lined out for ourselves and we are thankful for this new chapter that will be starting in just a few short months!
An extra fun thing that is happening with all of this is that both Ryan's brother and sis-in-law and my sister and bro-in-law have babies that are going to be so close to ours. Our twin niece and nephew were born in September and our niece from my side is due in February- our babies will only be 8 months and 4 months apart! I love that b/c we are both close to our siblings and it is so fun to be going through this all together.
I have been really, really sick. Thankfully it has been getting better the last few days since I am going to be 3 months by the end of this week and I am ready for that 2nd trimester to start! Up until the last week or two I have been in kind of a shock-fog but the thought that we are going to have a little baby next holiday season makes me really excited and we have heard the heart beat twice so it has been such a life-changing, amazing experience.
I ask that you pray for us as we embark on this new journey, all the ups and downs that I know are coming our way and just that we will rely on God and lean on each other. I am so very lucky to have such an amazing husband, everytime I have had a difficult moment thus far he is so calm, happy and everything I could need to get happy again and I don't take that for grantit, not even for a second.
In other news... how great is Pinterest? It is my new BFF.
This Thanksgiving the Jasper family has so much to be thankful for- I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday filled with ridiculous amounts of food and loved ones! :-)
Well, we have definately recieved a surprise recently! Ryan and I are going to be parents in June!! This has come as a complete shock as we were planning to wait for another year or so but obviously this is such a happy surprise. It has been a whirlwind of emotions but we feel so blessed that we are being intrusted with this sweet little baby.
Although the timing is not what we were expecting we know that God's plan is so much better than anything we could have ever lined out for ourselves and we are thankful for this new chapter that will be starting in just a few short months!
An extra fun thing that is happening with all of this is that both Ryan's brother and sis-in-law and my sister and bro-in-law have babies that are going to be so close to ours. Our twin niece and nephew were born in September and our niece from my side is due in February- our babies will only be 8 months and 4 months apart! I love that b/c we are both close to our siblings and it is so fun to be going through this all together.
I have been really, really sick. Thankfully it has been getting better the last few days since I am going to be 3 months by the end of this week and I am ready for that 2nd trimester to start! Up until the last week or two I have been in kind of a shock-fog but the thought that we are going to have a little baby next holiday season makes me really excited and we have heard the heart beat twice so it has been such a life-changing, amazing experience.
I ask that you pray for us as we embark on this new journey, all the ups and downs that I know are coming our way and just that we will rely on God and lean on each other. I am so very lucky to have such an amazing husband, everytime I have had a difficult moment thus far he is so calm, happy and everything I could need to get happy again and I don't take that for grantit, not even for a second.
In other news... how great is Pinterest? It is my new BFF.
This Thanksgiving the Jasper family has so much to be thankful for- I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday filled with ridiculous amounts of food and loved ones! :-)
Tuesday, November 15, 2011
What did you do this weekend?
I had the complete joy of going on a JR High retreat with our youth group. As most of you know my husband is a JR High pastor and we have been part of an absolutely amazing church for about a year and a half.
We moved in view of a call in May of 2010 and it has been a whirlwind of a blessing. We were very lucky to be able to move back to our hometown and be a part of a congregation that we would honestly go to whether or not Ryan was on staff. That might sound weird to say but many times in ministry you are called to a church in spite of the fact that the church is in a super small town and there are no other people your age. I am not saying that joy can't be found in these amazing churches as well, I just believe that God knew Ryan and I needed to be somewhere that we could serve and pour into students as well as making new lasting friendships. I am so thankful for where God has us right now and couldn't imagine us being anywhere else. Serving in the youth and joining a small group has really changed our marriage and for me, strengthened my walk with Christ. We have always been a part of a church but in Fort Worth our schedules didn't allow much time for pouring into people or serving so we never quite felt like we fit. We felt at home from the first time we set foot inside Faith Bible Church and that feeling is indescribable and has been life-changing. I honestly think we have been incredibly spoiled beyond what we deserve in being a part of Faith Bible Church.
Our youth group is amazing. There really is no other word for them- these students have taught Ryan and I so much in such a short period of time and getting to know them has been such a great experience. We spend the most time with JR High but I have also been able to build relationships with some pretty awesome High School and now College freshman girls that I miss so much!
This past weekend we really felt like we had come full circle. I remember last year Ryan and I being so stressed and nervous about retreat, just trying to get everything ready and we were so blessed by a smooth sailing weekend. This year couldn't have gone better! The weather was beautiful, the students were so receptive and our volunteers are just wonderful. Getting to hang-out with the girls until all hours of the night always brings ridiculous laughing and fun and spending time with my fellow volunteers is really encouraging. Just being outside for two days in itself was great because the camp we go to (Carolina Creek) is just gorgeous. From ziplines to tree top obstacle courses to swimming pools there is never a time where you aren't having fun. If you are looking for a place to go you should definately visit Carolina Creek!
One of my friends/fellow volunteers said it best, "if you want to be blessed volunteer in your youth group." I couldn't agree more!
We moved in view of a call in May of 2010 and it has been a whirlwind of a blessing. We were very lucky to be able to move back to our hometown and be a part of a congregation that we would honestly go to whether or not Ryan was on staff. That might sound weird to say but many times in ministry you are called to a church in spite of the fact that the church is in a super small town and there are no other people your age. I am not saying that joy can't be found in these amazing churches as well, I just believe that God knew Ryan and I needed to be somewhere that we could serve and pour into students as well as making new lasting friendships. I am so thankful for where God has us right now and couldn't imagine us being anywhere else. Serving in the youth and joining a small group has really changed our marriage and for me, strengthened my walk with Christ. We have always been a part of a church but in Fort Worth our schedules didn't allow much time for pouring into people or serving so we never quite felt like we fit. We felt at home from the first time we set foot inside Faith Bible Church and that feeling is indescribable and has been life-changing. I honestly think we have been incredibly spoiled beyond what we deserve in being a part of Faith Bible Church.
Our youth group is amazing. There really is no other word for them- these students have taught Ryan and I so much in such a short period of time and getting to know them has been such a great experience. We spend the most time with JR High but I have also been able to build relationships with some pretty awesome High School and now College freshman girls that I miss so much!
This past weekend we really felt like we had come full circle. I remember last year Ryan and I being so stressed and nervous about retreat, just trying to get everything ready and we were so blessed by a smooth sailing weekend. This year couldn't have gone better! The weather was beautiful, the students were so receptive and our volunteers are just wonderful. Getting to hang-out with the girls until all hours of the night always brings ridiculous laughing and fun and spending time with my fellow volunteers is really encouraging. Just being outside for two days in itself was great because the camp we go to (Carolina Creek) is just gorgeous. From ziplines to tree top obstacle courses to swimming pools there is never a time where you aren't having fun. If you are looking for a place to go you should definately visit Carolina Creek!
One of my friends/fellow volunteers said it best, "if you want to be blessed volunteer in your youth group." I couldn't agree more!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Christmas Gift Ideas...
Although I am not a fan of seeing Christmas decor out in stores etc. before Thanksgiving has happened I am a fan of getting a start on all the Christmas presents around this time... I wish I were one of those people that shopped all throughout the year but I am just not!
This year I would really love to make personal gifts for everyone- not just for saving money but just to give something that means a little more than a gift card or an item the person told me they wanted. I have been all over pinterest, etsy and different blogs checking out some pretty adorable things!
I would love to hear of any ideas you might have, the blogworld is always a place I go to for ideas so please share!! I am really concentrating on items for family members, Ryan and I are thinking we would rather go out of town somewhere instead of getting presents so anything you can send my way of things you have made or event items on your list that you love would be greatly appreciated!!
Other than that the Jasper household is just getting ready for our 2nd annual JR High retreat that is this weekend up in our old stomping grounds of Huntsville, TX at a really great camp! I am so excited about spending time with our awesome girls and being outside all weekend! Please pray for us as we prepare and for the hearts of the students- I know that God has huge plans and we are so blessed to play a small role!
Happy Monday! If we got through today the rest of the week should go alot easier right??
This year I would really love to make personal gifts for everyone- not just for saving money but just to give something that means a little more than a gift card or an item the person told me they wanted. I have been all over pinterest, etsy and different blogs checking out some pretty adorable things!
I would love to hear of any ideas you might have, the blogworld is always a place I go to for ideas so please share!! I am really concentrating on items for family members, Ryan and I are thinking we would rather go out of town somewhere instead of getting presents so anything you can send my way of things you have made or event items on your list that you love would be greatly appreciated!!
Other than that the Jasper household is just getting ready for our 2nd annual JR High retreat that is this weekend up in our old stomping grounds of Huntsville, TX at a really great camp! I am so excited about spending time with our awesome girls and being outside all weekend! Please pray for us as we prepare and for the hearts of the students- I know that God has huge plans and we are so blessed to play a small role!
Happy Monday! If we got through today the rest of the week should go alot easier right??
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