Thank You, Lord!

It is Thanksgiving!

One of my favorite holidays!

I have so very much to be thankful for this year!
God has been SO good to me!

I do not deserve all that He has given me!!!!

This year, I am especially thankful for:

1. My Family!

They really knock my socks off!

2. Dad.

It wasn't until recently that I really began to appreciate how precious the love of my dad is.
It has always been there... I never doubted it.
But in the last couple years I have come to appreciate it in a new way.
Maybe it is because I have seen the pain that comes when a girl misses out on that love.
There are so many young women who are searching for love.
Searching to be told that they are beautiful.
Searching to be accepted.
I have a precious gift!

3. Purpose and Direction

I am so thankful that God guides.
He really does have a plan!

4. Carrots! 

From the amount of carrots I ate growing up.... I should have amazing "night vision!"

Because they make my life better!
There is something wonderful about chomping down on a huge carrot!
Don't laugh at me!
I love them!

5. My New Brother
You know, Kuzco, from, "The Emperors New Groove."

That movie makes me laugh a ridiculous amount.

Well, that's Jeffrey!
Saves me from having to tell you about him.

I'm kidding!
Although there may be a slight resemblance..
That's what I called him before they got married.

He is awesome!
All of my life I wanted an older brother... now I have one!

You can see why I had my doubts! 

6. Emily

Cuteness Overload!

I LOVE being an aunt!
When I hold this cutie.... I struggle with pride!
I just can't get over how perfect she is!

7. God's Faithfulness!

God is SO faithful!

8. Idaho

I love this place!

9. My Job

I love my job at Java Bear!
I am super blessed!

10. Grajuation!

(Yes... I spelled that wrong on purpose!)
I LOVE being graduated!
It is awesome!

11. Crazy Memories

I'm so glad that the Lord gave us the ability to remember things...

12. Friends

*Insert your face here*

New and old.
Crazy and Sane.
They're awesome!

13. Coffee!

Because I never really appreciated it until this year!

14. The Ability to Grow and Change!

Philippians 1:6

“Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.”

"Thou art the Potter... I am the clay!"

15. Food

I think God was awfully nice to let us have taste-buds!
I recently have begun to LOVE cooking!
I finally can say I have a hobby.
It's like my own form of art... Because art and I never did get along.

My Home!
I am thankful that I have a home where Christmas (*we know you aren't suppose to until tomorrow... but do you know of any "Thanksgiving music?"*) music is playing, laughter is heard, dad is making me a special cup of coffee because someone poured mine out, and people love each other... a lot!

On that note... I think I will go enjoy it!

Thank you, Lord!


Happy Thanksgiving!

P.S. I am thankful for the ability to laugh!

Teacher: Why did the turkey cross the road? 
Joey: It was the chicken's day off.

How many cooks does it take to stuff a turkey? 

One, but you really have to squeeze him in! 

What do you get after eating way too much turkey and dressing? 

Dessert, of course! 

Who is not hungry at Thanksgiving? 

The turkey, because he’s already stuffed! 

So Corny! I know!

National Coffee Day!

I knew today had something special about it... I just saw that it is National Coffee Day!

 Yay for coffee!

Coffee means alot to me...
It is my morning "Mmmmm..."
It is my hobby.
It is my job.

I love coffee.

Now, this love for coffee is not something that I have always had.... When I was young and naive I even had the nerve to write a report on coffee's "problems."
Now, after three blissful years working at Java Bear, I have become an avid coffee fan!

A morning without coffee is like sleep.  ~Author Unknown


Coffee smells like freshly ground heaven.  ~Jessi Lane Adams


I orchestrate my mornings to the tune of coffee.  ~Terri Guillemets


I make serious coffee - so strong it wakes up the neighbors.  ~Author Unknown


Behind every successful woman is a substantial amount of coffee.  ~Stephanie Piro


I'd stop drinking coffee, but I'm no quitter.  ~Author Unknown


*Quick Disclaimer*
I don't mean to sound as though coffee is my greatest obsession... that would be the Lords place! I just love coffee and enjoy making it so very much!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like.... Fall?

 

Although I have been holding onto the hope that summer would be drawn out a little longer, I am now ready to embrace this fall weather.

This morning I looked outside and saw rain.

When I see rain, a few thing come to mind.
First, a latte. Hmm... Actually when I see sunshine or snow I think "coffee," too! *Oh dear...*
Anyhow, the second thing that comes to mind is a run. If you have never run in the rain... you have missed out in life. The feeling is amazing.
My third thought on a rainy day is soup. There is nothing more perfect than a pot of soup on a fall day! Mmm.... I love soup!

So... today I decided to embrace this fall weather! I started out the day with a delicious latte (compliments of my dad!), went for a run, and made a huge pot of creamy potato soup. I spent my morning wearing my wonderfully large "Cabela's" sweatshirt and holding my darling little niece.

I now admit myself to be a  fan of fall!


If you don't like the weather in Idaho... Wait five minutes." Dad


"Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while."  Kin Hubbard


"Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain."  Author Unknown


"There's no such thing as bad weather, only unsuitable clothing."  Alfred Wainwright

Coffee!!!!!

“If the weather had emotions, this day was raging. Swish, swish… swish, swish… windshield wipers have a way of rubbing the dreariness in. Dark, damp, and dismal…Rain showered down, almost tearing apart a once beautiful world. Swish, swish… life seemed to echo the sadness of the day. Glancing about her, Nancy could not find anything to lift her spirits… driving to another day of work, same as yesterday and the day before. Just as the upcoming mortgage was looming in her mind, Sagle came into view and with it the lights of a small coffee shop. Glancing at her watch, Nancy gave her first smile of the day… she had time! Envisioning a steamy mocha she decided on decking it with peppermint, and what harm could a little whip cream do? She turned her blinker on… perhaps life could go on after all!”

Dramatized as this “story” may be, the truth remains… there is something amazing about coffee. Something about it warms more than people’s hands and bellies. Even with the economy heading down the drain, people are still willing to pay the price of a small luxury... coffee!

Pour espresso shots, steam milk, add flavor, and serve with a smile: a Barista's life may sound pretty repetitive. To me, being a Barista is so much more than just making a delicious cup of coffee; as a barista, I get the awesome responsibility of making people happy as well as providing their great cup of Joe.

One day a guy drove up to Java Bear and asked, "How do you always stay so happy?" I smiled at him and thought to myself, it's my job to be happy! I love that aspect of being a barista because I love to be happy. Just because I go to work doesn't mean I am automatically happy. There are days when I am driving to work and the last thing in the worlds I want to do is smile, let alone make other people smile. Yet, when I walk into the shop, just like sweeping, wiping the counters, and making the coffees, I know that I must put on a smile and be the best barista I can be. This can be a blessing, because I get to be forced into being happy, whether I want to or not, and so far it hasn't taken but two customers before my smile is genuine and I stop my acting.

I love making people smile, always have, always will. As a barista, I am given just a minute and a half to make a person’s day better than when they drove up; I accept this challenge whole heartedly!