The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert

I borrowed this book from the SWI library after hearing a little of Rosaria Butterfield's story and overall really enjoyed it. I love how real she is. There is no sugarcoating how she felt or what she went through before becoming a Christian. The beauty of it is that it's not about shock value, but is just the realness of being a sinner, of being a human. It is a story all Christians need to read as she challenges readers to be honest with God and to question how and why we do what we do. She also challenges the way we handle things in the church. She is also funny and a good writer. There are a couple of things I personally do not agree with and feel that she overstated that did not seem to directly deal with her story, but in general I would highly recommend this book. It definitely caused me to think and helped me in understanding those who come from a background different than mine. I would give this probably 4 out of 5 stars.

B.Y.O.B.

Last night I went to my first Bring Your Own Book Book club and it was so much fun! This is different from other book clubs in that you read a book of your choosing and share what you read with others. I love this idea for a few reasons.

1. When you are choosing what you are reading you are more likely to read it
2. You can get other recommendations from others and in different categories
3. It's more a time of encouragement and fellowship

Really it was great and encouraging. It was such a blessing meeting new Sisters and learning different things. Because of craziness I had not finished a book in the last month, but I shared The Historian that I read several years ago and what I have read thus far in The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert. I am looking forward to next month and hope to read 2 books before then, but if I get 1 I will be pleased.

December 9 to 15

8346. Sleeping until 7:30
8347. Eating breakfast together
8348. Doing school with the kids
8349. Jim participating in school time
8350. Jim's j-term class being moved so he can help more
8351. God doing things differently than we expect
8352. Getting a lot more done than I expected
8353. The kids being really excited about school
8354. Getting back into Jamey's math book
8355. The kids remembering the routine
8356. Kids who keep you on your toes
8357. Jamey and Lillian both wanting to do more
8358. Figuring out meal planning easily
8359. Taco Bell for lunch
8360. Enjoying Taco Bell
8361. Kids eating a lot
8362. Great rest time
8363. Jamey going to the store with Jim
8364. Good time alone with the Lord
8365. Crying out to God
8366. Good time in the Word
8367. 1 Corinthians
8368. Being always challenged by God's Word
8369. Time to think on things I need to do
8370. Time to write a lot
8371. God molding my heart to match His more every day
8372. God constantly challenging me
8373. Hearing Jamey make connections with Truth behind them
8374. Thinking about next year
8375. Nice family evening
8376. Deep dinner conversations
8377. Family movie night
8378. Watching Jim and the kids wrestle
8379. Seeing the differences in my kids' personalities as they played
8380. God's amazing ability to make people so uniquely
8381. Smooth bed time
8382. Time to talk with Jim
8383. Watching a movie together
8384. Nice quiet evening
8385. Decent bedtime
8386. Waking mostly refreshed
8387. Grits for breakfast
8388. Good breakfast conversation
8389. Time to do school before playgroup
8390. Kid's wanting to continue in school when it was time to go play
8391. Seeing Gidget and Silas
8392. Walking in the snow
8393. Having an indoor playground to use once a week
8394. Good conversations on the playground
8395. Encouraging each other
8396. Seeing Joe, Caroline, Luke and Hadley
8397. Seeing Margaret, Max, Sloan and Scout
8398. Fun conversations
8399. Sharing ideas without judgement
8400. Being part of God's family
8401. Kids playing well together
8402. Burning lots of energy
8403. Gabriel being able to stay home with Jim
8404. Walking home
8405. Quick easy lunch
8406. Great rest time
8407. Reading my Bible
8408. Shower
8409. Pouring out my heart to the Lord
8410. Having a God who hears His people and cares deeply for us
8411. Time to write
8412. Being able to make a quick run to the store
8413. Finishing my book!!!
8414. Having great news from a friend
8415. Seeing almost immediate answers to prayer
8416. God doing far more than we can ever imagine
8417. Corn chowder for dinner!
8418. Having enough corn chowder for dinner next week too
8419. Great evening
8420. Going to Community Group
8421. Hearing Jenny's testimony
8422. Hearing Kristen's testimony
8423. Planning for our Christmas meal next week
8424. Time to pray for our Sisters
8425. Time to pray for our elders
8426. Having guy/girl time
8427. Having Sisters who can speak into your life
8428. Having Sisters who celebrate with you
8429. Hearing about an immediate answer to pray from a Sister from last week
8430. God's amazing hand
8431. Praying for each other
8432. Great evening
8433. Pre-bed snack
8434. Time to talk to Jim
8435. Sleep
8436. Lillian sleeping until 7
8437. Getting to sleep until 8
8438. Doing our school core this morning
8439. Family field trip to the Science Center
8440. Good parking space
8441. Kids playing all over
8442. Lots of learning opportunities
8443. Watching Gabriel explore
8444. Seeing their anatomy and physiology exhibit
8445. Subway for lunch
8446. Subway being connected to the Science Center
8447. Gabriel eating his first Subway sandwich piece
8448. Meeting Jennifer and talking about church
8449. Meeting a lady and her kids visiting from out of town
8450. Learning about a new homeschool resource
8451. Making music
8452. Enjoying the day together
8453. The kids exploring together
8454. Teaching life lessons along with science
8455. Learning more about making the most of every opportunity
8456. Staying until almost 2 pm without major melt downs
8457. Great rest time
8458. Jim getting time to think and process some things
8459. Reading the end of 2 Corinthians
8460. Starting a new book (reading)
8461. Talking with Jim
8462. Learning to work through things the way Jesus did
8463. Growing together as a couple
8464. Growing closer to God as a couple and individuals
8465. Getting an email sent
8466. Learning I will likely see Shannon and Neely this weekend!
8467. Already thinking of more writing projects
8468. Seeking where God would have me work next
8469. God's bigness
8470. Restful afternoon
8471. CG Christmas celebration
8472. Seeing people
8473. Meeting George
8474. Seeing Rebecca
8475. Eating Italian food
8476. Celebrating what God has done through CGs this year
8477. Singing praise songs
8478. Hearing testimonies
8479. Encouragement from the elders
8480. Meeting Pastor Brad
8481. Kids doing well with another late night
8482. Smooth bedtime
8483. Chilling for a bit
8484. Sleep
8485. Waking for the day at 5:15
8486. Having some much needed time with the Lord
8487. Journaling about some thoughts
8488. Reading most of the book of Romans
8489. Romans (I love this book of the Bible!)
8490. Praying
8491. Crying out to God
8492. The Holy Spirit working in my heart
8493. Being confronted with what is important vs what is not
8494. Great school time
8495. Getting in some of all of Jamey's school subjects
8496. Realizing how much I need to grow in discipline so I can teach my kids how to be self-disciplined
8497. Seeing how much the kids are learning and growing
8498. Learning how to push my kids a little bit further
8499. Learning how to push myself a little bit further
8500. Great lunch time
8501. Getting in a Russian lesson
8502. Kids resting
8503. Time to talk with Tom and Robyn
8504. Being challenged
8505. Learning how to confront sin
8506. God weeding out sin in my life
8507. Battling
8508. Being able to battle the flesh
8509. God giving us the ability to fight through the power of the Holy Spirit
8510. Restful afternoon
8511. More time to read for fun
8512. "Chuck"
8513. Getting ready for a fun evening
8514. Jamey napping 2 days in a row
8515. Dinner with Nate and Karey
8516. Getting to know each other more
8517. Discussing possibilities for the future
8518. Seeking where God would have us
8519. Being able to set a January date easily
8520. Karey ordering pizza for all of us
8521. Laughter
8522. Kids doing well
8523. God teaching us in all things
8524. Jamey learning to converse with adults more
8525. Nate reading to the kids
8526. Karey's creativity
8527. Discussing our gifts
8528. Discussing how we see gifts
8529. God growing us
8530. The endless possibilities in God's Kingdom
8531. Seeing a God sized vision
8532. Desiring to see God more
8533. Learning to recognize God's goodness in all things
8534. Falling asleep easily
8535. Sleeping until 7 uninterrupted
8536. Having a few minutes to talk with Jim in the morning
8537. Good breakfast time together
8538. Getting ready for MOMSTogether
8539. Gabriel being able to stay home with Jim
8540. Getting there early
8541. Kids ready to go play
8542. Learning my kids sin tendencies and learning how to combat them
8543. Yummy food
8544. Meeting Naomi
8545. Talking to Naomi about where God is leading us
8546. The Spirit at work
8547. Funny mistakes
8548. Being reminded that I need to use my time in the best ways, not just good ways
8549. Thinking about routines we need to reestablish
8550. Seeking how God wants us to use these few weeks between semesters
8551. Seeking how to reorganize our days to be more intentional in everything
8552. Getting the kids early
8553. Teaching moments
8554. Learning to deal with screaming kids to teach important lessons
8555. Getting home on time
8556. Quick turnaround
8557. A few minutes to read while waiting
8558. Seeing the baby
8559. The baby looking healthy
8560. Running to Target
8561. Time to talk with Jim in the car
8562. Discerning why I talk so much at times
8563. Kids resting
8564. Productive afternoon
8565. Getting needed emails sent
8566. Working out a time to hang out with the Whites
8567. Thinking about my blessings
8568. Jim making dinner
8569. Gabriel standing up and clapping
8570. Reuben talking more
8571. Reuben being more understandable
8572. Gabriel pushing a toy across the room
8573. Nice dinner time
8573. Snuggling with my kids
8574. Hearing Lillian sing Hebrews 13:8
8575. Singing with Lillian
8576. Lillian saying more of her Bible verses
8577. Jamey, Lillian and Reuben all sitting with me on the sofa
8578. Enjoying a movie together
8579. Learning to enjoy my kids more
8580. Smooth bedtime
8581. Quiet evening at home
8582. Working on uploading pictures
8583. Being able to use 2 computers at the same time
8584. Being blessed more than I should be
8585. Watching some of the newer episodes of CI
8586. Getting productive things accomplished
8587. Realizing I need to not take so many pictures
8588. Jamey's laughter
8589. Jamey's imagination
8590. Going through some emails
8591. Making a dent in the emails
8592. Getting a few swagbucks
8593. Getting some pictures uploaded
8594. Going to bed
8595. Feeling rested this morning
8596. Kids sleeping well
8597. The little boys sleeping until after 7 am
8598. Being able to doze until 7
8599. Time to pray and read my Bible
8600. Remembering that the work of Christ is worth suffering and dying for
8601. Being reminded God is always in control
8602. God doing all this for His glory and the good of His people
8603. God's ways being higher than ours
8604. Paul's faith to trust God where ever He took him
8605. Paul's faithfulness to God's call in His life
8606. Writing group
8607. Sharing a large portion of my book
8608. Really yummy breakfast
8609. Free pastry
8610. Meeting a woman from Moldova
8611. Good and interesting conversation
8612. Being able to take Marie home
8613. Great afternoon
8614. Being able to work on several things
8615. Jim sleeping well
8616. Becca making cookies and vegan dough balls (both really yummy)
8617. Frozen pizzas
8618. Reading a new book
8619. Kids resting
8620. Becca being around until the kids went to bed
8621. Smooth bed time
8622. Getting more pictures uploaded
8623. Quiet evening
8624. Getting to bed at a decent hour
8625. Getting up at 6:30
8626. Getting everyone up and ready to go by 7:45
8627. Getting Jamey to the kids sing area on time
8628. Talking with Lisa
8629. Other kids playing while we waited for church
8630. Talking with Rachel
8631. Gidget and Margo coming to church
8632. Listening to kids sing in the church service
8633. Jamey doing OK
8634. God's graciousness
8635. Margo making it through the service in the nursery
8636. Good conversation with Gidget
8637. Seeing Shannon
8638. Meeting Neely
8639. Getting to hold Neely for a few minutes
8640. Kids running around
8641. Seeing Melanie
8642. Seeing Lance and Julia
8643. Meeting Zara
8644. The beauty of adoption
8645. Meeting Grace
8646. Making plans to meet Karey and Grace for coffee
8647. God making plans for us
8648. The church being the church
8649. Talking with Sarah
8650. Cookies
8651. Talking to Rachel D and hearing about her birth
8652. Meeting Eloise
8653. God's goodness
8654. Seeing Katie
8655. Being part of the Body of Christ
8656. Yummy lunch
8657. Teaching the kids to eat even when they don't want to
8658. Talking about Jesus with the kids
8659. Jamey telling me what he learned in class
8660. Lillian learning to talk about what she learns
8661. Conversations
8662. Good rest time
8663. Time to read my Bible and pray
8664. Jim getting a good nap
8665. Meeting Karey and Grace for coffee
8666. Karey treating me to dinner
8667. Panera soup and sandwich
8668. Being available to meet on short notice
8669. Hearing Grace's story
8670. Hearing Grace's heart
8671. Encouragement
8672. Seeking how we can best minister to her long term
8673. God teaching Grace
8674. Cafe Mocha
8675. Everyone playing games together
8676. Becca going to church
8677. Smooth bed time
8678. Time for Jim and I to talk
8679. Praying together
8680. God teaching and growing us
8681. Getting stuff ready for Monday
8682. Learning how to communicate more
8683. Being together
8684. Growing in our marriage
8685. Early bed time

I FINISHED MY BOOK!!!!!

Seriously! I finally finished my first draft of my first novel. I honestly don't know how many people know I like to write fiction, since I kept it hidden most of my life, but this is such a big deal to me. Since I was about 12 I have had ideas for books and started many with the hope of finishing one of them one day. Well, by God's grace, today is that day! This story I have been working on for about 15 years. I have started it twice, changed the plot line more times than I can count and wrote twists in there even I wasn't expecting (Thank you, Claire :) ). I'm so giddy I don't know what to do with myself! With that I am so grateful that God has allowed me to accomplish this goal in my life. I'm stunned and amazed and hope that I will be able to edit it well and get it published in some avenue. I may ramble for a minute, but I really am just in awe. We plan we scheme, we hope, we dream, but nothing can be accomplished apart from the will of God. There were days I thought I should just give up on this dream and hang it up. But thanks be to God I did not give up. I hope that this book will bring Him glory and encourage and/or challenge others. God is so good. He really does care for His people. He cares about the "little things". When we seek Him and His will He does give us the desires of our hearts. God has given me a talent and I pray that I will continue to grow in it. I'm already planning some writing things for next year and hope to do National Novel Writing Month with Gidget again next November to write the sequel. (Yes, I've already got a sequel in mind.) It is so exciting and I hope that this is an encouragement to others who desire to write to get out there and do it! It's an exhilarating adventure!

December 2 to 8

8131. Getting a good nights sleep for all
8132. Taking another day off from school
8133. Having enough cereal for breakfast
8134. Making a grocery list based on the week we were home
8135. Going to the grocery store
8136. Having nostalgia moments
8137. Little Debbie Christmas Tree Cakes
8138. Little Debbie Cherry Cordials
8139. Papa John's for lunch
8140. Doing well with budget
8141. Getting needed emails sent
8142. Good rest time for all
8143. Jim studying for his final
8144. Productive afternoon
8145. Good dinner
8146. Smooth bed time
8147. Hanging out with Jim
8148. Getting sleep
8149. Waking up at a decent hour
8150. Spending time with the Lord
8151. Going through all the kids clothes in our house
8152. Reorganizing all the clothes buckets
8153. Having extra buckets left over
8154. Seeing Gidget, Silas and Margo
8155. Friends who can see our house just as it is and still be OK
8156. Playgroup
8157. Silas playing with Jamey
8158. Kids wrestling and running around together
8159. Seeing Shannon, Charlotte and Juliet
8160. Seeing Caroline, Luke and Hadley
8161. Fun conversations
8162. Learning how to speak truth in all things
8163. All the kids playing together well
8164. Walking to and from playgroup
8165. Kids doing well with little snack and late lunch
8166. Good lunch
8167. Great rest time
8168. Very productive afternoon
8169. Jim taking his final
8170. Jim being done with the semester
8171. Relaxing some
8172. Good dinner time
8173. Nice evening
8174. Going to CG! (really missed it last week)
8175. Hearing people's stories
8176. Helping a Sister work through a difficult decision Biblically
8177. Being surrounded by people who love the Word
8178. Encouraging others
8179. Life in Christ
8180. Knowing that life will be better and less complicated one day
8181. Being challenged
8182. Great discussions
8183. Not being worried about time
8184. Kids going to sleep well
8185. Bed
8186. Sleeping until 9
8187. Jim letting me sleep later
8188. Good breakfast
8189. Low key day
8190. Hanging out as a family
8191. Going to Ghyslain's with our marriage and family class
8192. Fun and interesting conversations
8193. Time to evaluate the class
8194. Getting a lot of organization done in the living room
8195. Really yummy desserts
8196. Really good coffee
8197. Kids napping
8198. Working on some planning for the winter break
8199. Getting all of the tubs put away
8200. Going shopping with Gidget
8201. Seeing Gidget's house
8202. Lots of good conversation
8203. Getting things we needed for the gift exchange
8204. Running some extra errands together
8205. Being challenged in conversation
8206. Realizing I don't have all the answers
8207. Knowing the One who has all the answers, even though He may choose not to give answers
8208. Learning how to explain things in different ways
8209. Hearing different perspectives
8210. Really good Corn Chowder
8211. Smooth bed time
8212. Watching a movie with Jim
8213. Sudoku
8214. Bed
8215. Good restful sleep
8216. Feeling mostly rested
8217. Going through the kids toys
8218. Purging some
8219. Kids being willing to purge
8220. Kids actively helping us make stacks and decisions about what should go
8221. Nice rest time
8222. Working on lists for tomorrow morning
8223. Getting a few copies to print
8224. Being able to squeeze in a last minute date night
8225. Indian food
8226. Cheese Naan
8227. Having good discussion about the Bible
8228. Having good discussion about next year
8229. Just having time to talk
8230. Time to peruse Barnes and Nobel
8231. Being encouraged to keep writing
8232. Discussing having a mixed book store
8233. Increasing desire to write and read
8234. Desiring to be more disciplined in time
8235. Learning to seek God's best in everything
8236. Time to relax
8237. Decent bed time
8238. Getting up and going at 7 am
8239. Getting cider together
8240. Making the area clear for signing cards
8241. Kids helping to prepare for the morning
8242. Getting the cookies made
8243. Time to talk with Beth
8244. Lifting up our workers
8245. Getting cards signed
8246. Praising the Lord
8247. Being encouraged in different ways
8248. Good lunch time
8249. Reading the Word together
8250. The kids working on their Scripture memory
8251. Taking a nap
8252. Jim getting to take a nap
8253. Writing
8254. Yummy dinner
8255. Lots of snow
8256. Jim getting his car clear enough to drive
8257. Jim getting to work safely
8258. Watching a movie with the kids
8259. Smooth bed time
8260. Starting the long process of picture uploads for back ups
8261. Finally needing to clear out the  pictures on our laptop
8262. Making backups where we can
8263. Watching CSI: Miami
8264. Getting to bed before 11
8265. Jim getting to come home
8266. Jim getting home safely
8267. Being able to sleep until 11
8268. Becca taking care of the kids
8269. Gift Exchange getting canceled (bc I was not feeling great this morning)
8270. Getting things figured out for next Saturday
8271. Time to read my Bible and pray
8272. Being challenged in figuring out how to respond like Jesus
8273. Uploading more pictures
8274. Learning to seek the Lord and not react
8275. Pajama day
8276. Kids laughter
8277. Watching Jamey and Gabriel laughing together
8278. Kids learning to work together and share
8279. Being challenged in how to teach my kids
8280. Good rest time
8281. Time to catch up on blessings
8282. Making it through the afternoon
8283. Jamey and Lillian playing together
8284. Jim sleeping well
8285. Eating a little dinner
8286. Jim and I having the same thoughts on an issue
8287. Growing in unity
8288. God giving us opportunities to grow
8289. Jim getting to work smoothly
8290. Watching Jamey and Lillian act out "The Big Rock Candy Mountains"
8291. Snuggling with Reuben
8292. One set of photos uploaded on 2 sites
8293. Relatively smooth bedtime
8294. Getting one set of photos uploaded on 3 sites
8295. Decent bed time
8296. Waking feeling mostly refreshed
8297. Jim getting home safely
8298. Cinnamon rolls
8299. Having warm clothes
8300. Practicing for Eastern Europe by walking to and from church in the snow
8301. Opportunities to teach our kids how to respond when they are uncomfortable
8302. Being reminded how I should react when I am uncomfortable
8303. Gidget making it to church
8304. Gidget making it through a whole service
8305. Learning about eternity
8306. Being challenged in how to live in light of eternity
8307. Do I live as if I believe Jesus is the life and resurrection?
8308. Seeking to live in light of eternity
8309. Seeking to live fully what I believe and know to be true
8310. Seeing Melanie
8311. Talking to Rachel
8312. Seeing Vicki
8313. Kids loving Sunday School
8314. Nice walk home
8315. Snowing while we were in church so the tracks were gone when we walked home
8316. The beauty of snow
8317. Finding an opportunity to step into a difficult situation
8318. God opening surprising doors
8319. Good lunch conversation
8320. Learning the truth behind a few things
8321. God always being at work
8322. God quickly giving opportunities to apply what we learn
8323. Being reminded that our best life is to come
8324. Jim getting a good nap
8325. Talking with Becca
8326. Working on more uploads
8327. Seeking how to encourage better
8328. Realizing how much more I need to pray
8329. Being reminded only God can change hearts
8330. Being reminded I need to rely on the Holy Spirit
8331. Left overs for dinner
8332. Good conversation at dinner
8333. Learning from our kids
8334. Hearing Jamey talk about Lazarus and Jesus
8335. Hanging out as a family
8336. Smooth bed time
8337. Good family evening
8338. Time to talk with Jim
8339. Praying with Jim
8340. Watching Chuck
8341. Playing Sudoku
8342. Having a relaxing day
8343. Rediscovering Sabbath rest
8344. Being purposefully restful
8345. Decent bed time

November Evaluation

Little late on this update due to traveling.

Spiritual

• Read through the entire Bible in a year following a chronological reading plan- I'm starting to catch up, hoping to finish by the end of the year
• Memorize a verse a week (for full disclosure I am starting with verses that I have previously memorized but have lost full memory of)- Not really doing this, but working on verses with my kids and believe this is where I need to focus my Scripture memory right now
• Spend 30 minutes daily concentrated on prayer and Bible reading- Still really struggled to do this this month
• Continue to record daily blessings to cultivate thankfulness (Goal is 10,000 things)- Still doing this you can see this months blessings here, here, here, and here
• Praying throughout the day for specified things (still developing lists and plan for this)- this did not happen this month, sadly

Personal

• Read a book a month apart from SWI matrerial- Read a little here and there but did not complete a book
• Journal 5 days a week- No
• Write (working on books) 5 days a week- Due to NaNo I wrote more frequently and almost met this goal
• Finish my first fiction book- Not done, but very close to finishing. Doing NaNo really helped.
• Write 3 blog posts a week- Doing 30 days of Thankfulness helped me meet this goal this month
• Continue to meet once a month with writing group- Yes! Love this group
• Have one day a month for personal retreat time to pray, read the Bible and write- Sadly no
• Complete Level 1 of Rosetta Stone Russian- Hoping to get back into this, we are forgetting to much of what we have learned and I really want to learn another language now
• Begin working on a Christ-centered prenatal/delivery/postnatal education- Had my first class in September and starting to plan for the next as well as a book and blog

Marriage

• Go on a date once a month- Yes! 
• Go on one overnight trip away- Done in May
• Read together for 30 minutes once a week- Not this month
• Discuss and plan the week to come on Sunday afternoon- Yes

Kids

• Take each child on a "date" once a month- Right now it's the grocery store, but yes
• Spend individual time with each child at home once a week (at least 20 minutes)- Sometimes
• Work on memorizing Psalm 23 with Jamey and Lillian- Yes! Both have it memorized as well as Psalm 67 with most of Proverbs 31:10-31 and Psalm 1. We are now working on verse with the school curriculum
• Finish current Pre-K curriculum with Jamey and Lillian- Plugging away with K curriculum
• Continue going to playgroup on Tuesdays- Yes
• (I need to develop more educational goals, so I guess a goal for this year will be learning to do this for next year)

Homemaking

• Begin a garden planting at least tomatoes (hoping to do more)- Our garden is coming to an end as it has gotten cooler. God blessed us with more than I expected
• Try 1 new recipe a month- We tried 1 or 2 this month
• Keep up with cleaning calendar- No
• Develop general cleaning schedule- Did not work on this

Health and Fitness

• Exercise for at least 30 minutes 3 days a week- I've gotten back to water aerobics once a week
• Lose 30 lbs- This is on hold until May, but striving to maintain my weight in pregnancy

Ministry

• Continue hosting Women's prayer once a month- Yes, still praying for more people to pray
• Email workers once a month- I contacted some
• Send 2 encouraging notes a month- No, hoping to incorporate this next year, but not sure 

November was extremely busy finishing up the semester and doing my best to finish my novel. I realized this month how much I was missing in my spiritual life and not spending time with God as I would like. Hoping to grow in this in December, but really struggling with getting disciplined again.

How was your November?

November 25 to December 1

A little late:
7876. Waking with the kids and still getting about 10 hours of much needed sleep
7877. Smooth breakfast time
7878. Washing my hair
7879. Getting needed errands run
7880. Talking with Ann for a few minutes
7881. Hearing Ann's family is currently planning to stay in Louisville for awhile
7882. Leftovers for lunch
7883. Hearing from Dawn
7884. Hearing from several workers
7885. Seeing God move
7886. Productive afternoon
7887. Getting almost everything packed
7889. Beginning to pack the car
7890. Good rest time
7891. Getting more written
7892. Being able to leave a little earlier than we thought
7893. Getting all clothes washed
7894. Frozen pizza
7895. Hot blueberry tea
7896. Jamey wanting to hold my hand
7897. Getting a decent amount of cleaning done
7898. Being ready to visit family
7899. Kids being excited about going to North Carolina and Georgia
7900. Lillian asking all day when we were leaving
7901. Lillian's excitement and enthusiasm for life
7902. Reuben singing
7903. Leftovers for dinner
7904. Getting most of our fridge cleared out
7905. Having little to do in the morning
7906. Watching a movie together
7907. Snuggling with Reuben for most of the movie
7908. Playing Sudoku
7909. Smooth bedtime
7910. Getting all diapers in the wash early
7911. Time to relax
7912. Getting more of my story typed
7913. Having over 43,000 words total
7914. The actual possibility of completing my book this month!
7915. Getting caught up on blessings
7916. Quiet evening with Jim
7917. Being ready to hit the road before the morning
7918. Getting a few things in the car ahead of time
7919. Sleep
7920. Early wake up call
7921. Good breakfast and cleaning out most of our food
7922. Everyone ready to go by 8 am!
7923. Getting loaded and on the road early
7924. Good music to listen to
7925. Talking about who God is and how great He is
7926. Deep conversations
7927. Kids reading in the car
7928. Working on Bible verses
7929. Not losing it while sitting in ridiculous traffic
7930. Taco Bell for lunch
7931. Talking to the workers
7932. Real Sweet Tea!!!!!
7933. Snacks
7934. Getting to Asheville by dinner time
7935. Pizza for dinner
7936. Hanging out with the Griffins
7937. Interesting conversations
7938. Nice hotel room
7939. Reuben staying with the Camps
7940. Movies on TV
7941. Lillian and Jamey sharing  bed
7942. Comfortable mattress and pillows
7943. Finding the down before going to sleep!
7944. Ice and water
7945. Getting some sleep
7946. Waking early with the kids
7947. Full hot continental breakfast
7948. Biscuits and gravy!!!
7949. Kids eating a huge breakfast
7950. Exploring the hotel
7951. Making plans for the day
7952. McDonald's
7953. Huge indoor playgrounds
7954. Jamey playing with other kids at the playground
7955. Reuben exploring
7956. Lillian playing with other kids
7957. Reading my Bible
7958. Time to journal
7959. God teaching me in everything
7960. Good conversations
7961. Being challenged with the Word
7962. Reuben and Gabriel napping well
7963. Taking Jamey and Lillian to the pool
7964. A pool that I could touch all the way around
7965. Putting my feet in the hot tub
7966. Talking
7967. Britney, Kyle and Kylee making it to the hotel
7968. Hanging out
7969. Talking about future plans
7970. Watching the kids play
7971. Talking about the week
7972. Griffin's house for dinner
7973. Yummy pasta and garlic bread
7974. Kids eating at a table on their own
7975. Interesting discussion
7976. Celebrating Christmas with family
7977. Hess trucks
7978. Lots of fun
7979. Jamey playing with the dogs
7980. Lillian finally not freaking out with the dogs
7981. Seeing Greg
7982. Pretty lights
7983. Being reminded that God is the one who guides our steps
7984. God being in control of all things
7985. Kids doing well with a late evening
7986. Crashing at the hotel
7987. Kids going to sleep fairly smoothly
7988. Movies on TV for the family
7989. Making it through the night
7990. Everyone sleeping until 7 am!
7991. Gabriel turning 1! 
7992. Happy Thanksgiving!
7993. Great breakfast
7994. Kids eating a big breakfast
7995. Talking to Daddy
7996. Eating some breakfast with the Emers
7997. Kids playing
7998. Hanging out with Molly
7999. Hearing what God is doing at the church the Griffin's attend
8000. Being reminded how big God is
8001. God is good
8002. Family together for Thanksgiving dinner
8003. Yummy food
8004. Being in Asheville for Thanksgiving
8005. Snow
8006. Seeing Wendy
8007. Lots of food
8008. Margo cooking
8009. Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
8010. Kids enjoying the parade
8011. Hanging out
8012. Working through conflict
8013. Learning to talk through things
8014. God using different things to grow us
8015. Family pictures
8016. Celebrating Gabriel's birthday
8017. Costco birthday cake
8018. Enjoying the day
8019. Gabriel being messy and enjoying his cake
8020. Gabriel and Reuben both napping at the Griffins without fuss
8021. Being with family
8022. Getting a lot of writing done
8023. Jamey reading
8024. Lillian playing with the toys
8025. Kids doing well with another late night
8026. Smooth bed time
8027. Time to talk
8028. Despicable Me coming on TV
8029. Free cookies
8030. Decent nights sleep
8031. Comfortable mattress and pillows
8032. Early wake up call
8033. Another really good breakfast
8034. Lots of choices for breakfast
8035. Getting packed and ready in a timely manner
8036. Catching a couple of episodes of "House Hunters"
8037. Feeling the baby move
8038. Getting on the road
8039. Easy drive to GA
8040. Getting to the Murdocks house before noon
8041. Finally meeting Stephen
8042. Kids making themselves at home
8043. Really good chili and macaroni for lunch
8045. Kids playing outside
8046. Reuben taking a good nap
8047. Talking about life now
8048. Sharing hard things in life
8049. Learning ways to pray for others
8050. Good conversation
8051. Encouraging each other
8052. God at work
8053. Getting to my parents house in a timely manner
8054. Yummy dinner
8055. Reuben sitting on a bench with Lillian
8056. Kids eating well
8057. Cherry cheesecake
8058. Kids staying at my parents house
8059. Getting to stay at Brit's house
8060. Comfortable bed
8061. Sleeping in a dark room
8062. Getting OK sleep
8063. Sleeping until 8 or so uninterrupted
8064. Oatmeal for breakfast
8065. Kids putting together the out door nativity
8066. Nostalgia
8067. Teaching Jamey
8068. Cousins working together
8069. Getting ready in a timely manner
8070. Getting out to Powder Springs
8071. Lunch with half of Jim's family
8072. Getting to see Jon
8073. Meeting Abigail
8074. Gifts for the kids from Max
8075. Catching up a little with Aly
8076. Gabriel and Abigail playing together
8077. Younger 3 kids eating a lot
8078. Jim catching up with Jon
8079. Connecting
8080. Natural opportunity to talk about Jesus
8081. Overall lunch going very smoothly
8082. Productive afternoon
8083. Reuben and Gabriel napping well
8084. Watching Planes
8085. Writing a lot in my book
8086. Georgia Tech almost beating Georgia
8087. Yummy hamburgers
8088. Sisters eating dinner together
8089. Laughs
8090. PJ night
8091. Kids getting to bed relatively early
8092. Time to talk to Brit
8093. Sleep
8094. Waking without an alarm before it was time
8095. Time to read
8096. Getting ready and packed
8097. Butter bread filled with cherry for breakfast
8098. Getting the car packed up
8099. Noemi getting to come by for a few minutes
8100. Noemi bringing us 2 bags of goodies!
8101. Getting to church by 9
8102. Kids getting checked in smoothly
8103. Learning the new system
8104. Seeing lots of friends
8105. Kids ready for class
8106. Coffee!
8107. Seeing Julie and catching up a little
8108. Great discussion in Sunday School
8109. Time to talk to many people
8110. Meeting the new Children's minister and his wife (from KY and love missions)
8111. God showing us the love of others
8112. Meeting new people who also love missions
8113. Connecting
8114. Being given an opportunity to share an update in Sunday School
8115. Good discussion in SS
8116. God showing us His greatness
8117. Hearing a good message about why we need to support the mission of God
8118. Seeing Harmina
8119. Having a soon to be reason to visit Canada
8120. Lunch at Old South
8121. Filling lunch
8122. Interesting discussion with Daddy and Jim
8123. Getting clothes changed
8124. Getting on the road earlier than expected
8125. Deep conversations
8126. All 4 kids sleeping in the van
8127. Having an alternate way to get home
8128. Safe drive
8129. Good music to listen to
8130. Getting home in one piece and mostly sane