Little did she know...

Today I am thankful for the friendships that my local church has provided.  These three ladies have offered me lots of convicting, sharpening, and laughing times. I have been really encouraged by their blogs lately... and I hope you are, too!   Angie  - writing at In the Meantime. (We can agree to disagree on the whole finding out the baby's gender thing ;) )  Helena  - writing at Alter and A Tent (Thanks for laughing at me with me!) Steffie  -writing at Adventures with a Higher Purpose. (Even if she is a Nebraska-hating, Wyoming-loving human)  *disclaimer: neither of those last two pictures are specifically of the people I am talking about.. it's like an I-Spy game. Can you find the Helena or the Steffie in these pictures? APPARENTLY I need to take more pictures of you people!

...whatever you want to call it, I am home and I am thankful... ...for voluntary garden growth, For a working washer and dryer, For fresh memories of vacation, For nice people who return lost wallets, For nap time and podcasts, For new beginnings. 

22. up and over while the babes wait for music practice to be over...  23. get real real talk right here. #bedroomstruggles 24. days end smokey skies at sunset 25. first thing coffee and wake up snuggles. 26. think about it 27. bite size 28. dress up 29. candy ...or something like that...  30. pretend if I can't see you, you can't see me. 31. trick or treat we party hard around here...

Taking pictures every day helps me learn and grow. So, I took these prompts  for the month of October. Sometimes I missed a day. Some days I took pictures for more than one category. It all evens out eventually. I think.  1. weekend fall weekends are for fires and tending to the plant babies. 2. chilly love the fall chill that comes along with the changing leaves 3. symmetrical I tried. 4. around not sure what this has to do with "around", but it's open to interpretation. 5. prepare there's only 3 of us, and we already pack way too much.  6. travel road construction and rain. the worst. 7. friends my family has a problem with talking while getting their picture taken. 8. educate not sure what is happening in the flower girl squad, but it is bound to be good times. 9. farewell one last night of adventures in KC. 10. exploring coffee shops. always coffee shops. Save Save

Nobody is ever really ready to have kids, they say.  But still, we DEFINITELY weren't ready. Mentally, at least.  We were surprised. We were a little bit excited. But we were, selfishly, not at all excited. We were scared. We were a little worried.  And then we had some time to get used to the idea. And we are. Sort of.  Sometimes we still ask if this is real life. But we can't wait to meet and get to know the little person that is growing right now.  We are still kinda scared and worried (raising another human is kind of a big deal). Mostly, we can't wait to show bebe Tramp the world. Hurry up and get here, April! 

"Reveling in deep, deep grace..."

I'm learning to be intentionally thankful every day, so here's some thanks from this summer: for 3 days and 2 nights with these hooligans, learning how to apply theology to our relationships and trying not to get eaten by bugs. for finding this stalker pic that my nephew took on my camera. FTW. for fresh flowers on the kitchen table, always.  for sunset chasing, even if it means just climbing on the garage roof. for reminders that West River will always beat East River any day also, the views from the top of the world? The best. (ps, that tiny hiker is my fav) for reunions in my living room for silhouettes and unsuspecting fire guys. for coffee shops that know what's up #starbuckswho for a whole summer with these two dudes #squad #comebackPhil  "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow ...

I have the best siblings. Sorry, everybody else.

"And the Word became FLESH and dwelt AMONG US,  and we have seen his glory,  glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14 Blessed Resurrection weekend, friends. He is risen, indeed!!

My brother Andrew is leaving our beloved Black Hills to start a whole new adventure this week... I am pretty jealous and super bummed all at the same time. He has the sole ability to make me want to strangle him and hug him at the same time. He makes me laugh. I love his passion and dedication and commitment to his goals. I couldn't be prouder of him and the growth I have watched over the past several years. He went from that annoying little brother to one of my best friends and a guy I look up to a lot.  Ivory Cost sibs: 1994ish I am not sure what his twin and I are going to do without him... pictures are going to be pretty incomplete, that's for sure...  Here's a tiny summation of the crazy (awesome) the past few years have been: Baby faces at Christmas, early 2000's Classic Johnsons, twinner Grad 2009 Holiday Break Shenanigans backyard basketball Fancy Pants and awkward posing, 2010 C...