Goodbye 2008

There are but a few days of 2008 left, and what a year it has been. We started 2008 off by getting engaged, then I graduated school, then we welcomed our first neice, and then Maurice graduated! And dare I say, 2009 is shaping up to be an even bigger year than the last.

Each year on my birthday (January 8th), I always take some time to write a little bit, and think about what life looked like for me on my last birthday, versus the way it looks today. It's a great way for me to indulge my nostalgic side, but mostly to gain some perspective about how far God has brought me, the ways that He has blessed me, but most importantly... the things that I have learned.

So I figured today that this seemed like the perfect time to reflect, and share the things, both great and small, that I learned in 2008:

- That life after school is every bit as wonderful as I imagined it would be.

- That "Jon and Kate plus eight" is possibly the best show on television.

- Not to take my family for granted... because before long, I will probably miss them terribly.

- How much money you can save by cutting frivelous purchases (fast food, starbucks, etc.) out of your spending.

- The importance of taking a day off to get away and invest quality time in those we love.

- That I am much more capable than I give myself credit for.

- That God's best for me is better than my own idea of what is best.

- How good it feels to push myself beyond what I thought were my limits.

- To always go straight to the root of an argument with a person, because you are many times upset or frustrated about the same exact things.

- What it means to truly love another person above myself.

- That God's love for me is much more profound than I am able to understand.

Merry Christmas

I hope that everyone is having the loveliest Christmas!! This is BY FAR my favorite time of the year for so many reasons... one of which is Christmas music. I've loved Christmas music since I was a kid. But it wasn't until I got older that I began to appreciate what some of my favorite Christmas songs were really saying. I think because we've known them all of our lives, it's easy to sing them without really listening to them.

So with these words, I wish all of you a warm, happy, and merry Christmas

"Long lay the world in sin and error pining,

'til He appeared and the soul felt it's worth.

The thrill of hope, the weary world rejoices,

for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn"

So funny...

This just makes my day

An all around eventful week

Well it's been a big week around my household. And first up, we have my adorable niece!! Sofia Noelle Schindler was born on December 18th at 9 pm, she weighed 7.9 lbs, and she was 20 inches long. It was a long day for everyone... mostly for Stefanie, who was in labor for over 16 hours... which also happens to be the amount of time we all sat in the waiting room at the hospital. So like I said, it was a long day. Around 8:30, they decided that little Sofia just wasn't going to come on her own, so they did a c-section. Pretty soon... Adam and the nurse came and introduced this little bundle of joy!

at which point... we all oo'ed and ah'ed over her.

She has had to spend a few days in the NICU because of minor problems with her blood sugar, but she's a tough little gal and she's getting super healthy and it's looking right now like mom, dad, and baby will all be going home tomorrow!


Then before I knew it... it was time for Maurice's graduation. Like I mentioned a few weeks ago, Maurice has finished up his undergrad in architecture. He is so talented and dedicated, and it was great to see all of his hard work pay off. And a bonus... once he got to graduation, he also found out that he was graduating with honors!

It's been such a busy week around here, and it feels right now like I haven't slept in about a year, but when I take a step back to reflect on everything, I can see that God is just pouring out His blessings... abundantly :)

The Song Game

This goes out to all you music buffs... PLAY!!! Here's how the game goes... the ipod goes on shuffle, and I write down the first line to the first 10 songs that come up. Leave comments with your guesses as to the artist and song title, and I will highlight them when they have been guessed correctly. You may guess on as many as you like, but keep in mind that googling the lyrics is not only cheating, but a sign of poor character.

Happy Guessing!! and when you're done, make one of your own. FYI: in looking at this list, I would say that every single one of these songs is a must-have in your ipod or music player of choice. If you don't know them already, go download them... you will be a better person for it :)

1. "Was it you who spoke the words that things would happen, but not to me... " (answer: "you and i both", by jason mraz)
2. "So you think you can hold the world up by a string" (answer: "brace yourself", howie day)
3. "Gonna close my eyes, gonna watch you go..."
4. "Don't you be wastin all your money on syrup and honey.."
5. "From this day on, I own my father's gun" (answer: "my father's gun", elton john)
6. "Love is a burning thing, and it makes a fiery ring" (answer: "ring of fire", johnny cash)
7. "Yesterday I got lost in the circus, feelin like such a mess"
8. "If you leave me now, you'll take away the biggest part of me"
9. "I don't get you, I can't forget what you've forgotten" (anwer: "don't cry out", shiny toy guns)
10. "Another summer day has come and gone away in Paris and Rome..." (answer: "home", michael buble)

and a bonus one!

11. "Trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble, trouble" (answer: "trouble", ray lamontagne) the bonus goes to the great shannon)

Christmas on a budget

One of my very favorite things to do has always been to give gifts. I love picking them out, wrapping them, and especially watching people unwrap them. I genuinely like to give them more than I like getting them. But with all of the weddings/bridal showers/baby showers/birthdays that have found their way into our schedule this fall, the gift-buying has definitely started to take a toll on my wallet. So with Christmas just around the corner, I'm finding that a little creativity can make the dollar stretch a lot more than it has in the past.

Enter Sofia's Christmas gift. With Stefanie a little more than two weeks away from her due date, I wanted to get my new niece a present for her first Christmas! I've gotten a great head start on my Christmas shopping this year, so as to avoid the mob-mentality-Christmas-shopping-crowd, and also to snag up some of the best gifts before they're gone. I've done really great sticking to my budget, but I was still perplexed about what to get baby Sofia that wouldn't leave my bank account with a little negative sign in front of it. Then the other day I was in Hobby Lobby, and I wandered over into an aisle that was full of great gift possibilities. I'll call it the "unfinished wood" aisle. There were all kinds of ornaments and picture frames and things just waiting for someone to make an art project out of them.

And that is what I did. I already had paint brushes at my house, so I picked out a small box, a little paint, and I was on my way. I kid you not... the entire project cost around $5. I spent that afternoon painting my little heart out, and this was the result:

It's not much to write home about, but I am really proud of my creative chops. I assure you, I am definitely one of the most artistically-challenged people alive, so if I can do it, anyone can. And the most important thing is, now I have a great, heart-felt gift and I didn't even come close to breaking the bank.

Our life lately

It seems like it's been some time since I gave you guys a good old fashioned update, and since life seems to be changing at a faster-than-ever pace, there's lots to catch up on.

Maurice is getting ready to finish up his last undergrad semester, and he couldn't be more excited. I have never known people who worked harder than architecture/design students. After December, he will be able to take a much-deserved break from school (before beginning grad school in the fall) to focus on working, wedding planning, and hopefully some relaxing. He is still working at Marmon Mok, an architecture firm in downtown San Antonio, until we move to wherever it is we're going to be moving to.

I just accepted an internship at an Advertising and Public Relations firm in Alamo Heights called Taylor West, and I'm really excited about all that I'm going to learn there and the experience I'll gain. I'm the public relations intern, so I won't be dealing so much with the advertising aspect of things, but I will get to do a lot of writing, which is always great news to me.

I am not afraid to admit that one of the things that unnerved me the most about wedding planning, was definitely pre-marital counseling. I couldn't tell you why, but I was totally intimidated at the idea. I think I secretly feared that if we gave the wrong answers, they wouldn't allow us to get married. But when we found the church that we wanted to get married in, they informed us that we would do a six week class on Sunday mornings in a group class along with other engaged couples. And I have to say... I truly enjoyed the experience. We were in a class with 8 or 9 other couples, most of whom were around our age. Each Sunday we covered a different topic, such as finance, communication, etc. Not only were the class teachers helpful, insightful, and great, but it was a fun experience to be able to listen to the stories of others who are the same place in life that Maurice and I are. I felt instantly bonded to them, knowing that we're all going through the same joy and excitement, and even fear and anxiety. The church was wonderful to us, they were some of the kindest and warmest people. It seems like every day I get another letter or card in the mail from a member of the church, letting us know that they are praying for us or that we are welcome back anytime. We finished the class in October, and I actually miss it. Maurice and I learned a lot during our time there, and the whole experience was such a blessing. Here is a picture of our class at Central Christian.



There are plenty of things to keep us busy these days, especially with the holidays upon us, but I couldn't be more grateful for all of the things that God is doing in our lives. I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving this week. There is definitely plenty for us to be thankful for.