Alphabet of Thanks

"Give thanks in ALL circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:18

My Alphabet of Thanks:

A: Adam - my husband & prince, amazing grace

B: Bible, books, bonfires, brownies, bows, babies, being silly, bikes

C: chocolate, candy, church, candles, Christmas, cuddling, Chicago, chicken

D: dogs (Daizee & Peyton), Disney, doodling, date nights

E: everyday that we are blessed to wake up to & start a new

F: family, friends-old & new, faith, favor, fun, fashion, fish, forgiveness, Fall, fruit

G: grace, greatness of all things great, gloves

H: Home Goods, Hobby Lobby, hikes in pretty places, honey

I: iPhone

J: jewelry, Jesus, Jennifer (Yes, I already mentioned family, but she's the one & only sister!)

K: kitchens filled with good food & good company

L: laughter, lip Gloss, lavender, love, leaders, lights

M: music, magazines, memories

N: nail polish, Nutella

O: orange juice in the mornings, ocean

P: pizza, pearls, promises kept, peanut butter

Q: questions-asking & answering (when I'm able)

R: recipes, restaurants, running

S: smiles, second chances, snowboarding, summer, San Diego, stationary, sunshine, sweat pants

T: taking pictures, talking, thinking, tea-hot & cold

U: University of Tennessee - Knoxville

V: victory, vitamins

W: wisdom of others, weddings, writing, walking, winter coats

X: X marks the spot where I can't think of an X word I'm thankful for

Y: youthfulness

Z: Zero candy bar

I hope you enjoyed reading through my list!

Now go make your own alphabet of Thanks, and have a very Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Enjoy time with family and friends, and eat way too much food!

So far, in the Windy City

I love living somewhere that I can walk out of our building to restaurants, shopping, grocery stores, etc. We have had a blast so far here in Chicago, and have much more on the list of things we want to do, but here are some of the things we have done so far!

 

1. The first thing we did was find a church! Our pastors in San Diego set us up with their friends, Pastors Kent & Alli Munsey! If you visit Chicago, or live here, be sure to check out City Church Chicago!

 

2. Two words: deep dish. As a pizza addict, I also made it a priority to get some Chicago deep dish right away! I was hooked at first bite! But, I will have to admit that I'm a bit disappointed that I can't eat as much as I can normal pizza. Still...it is so good! Savour every buttery bite!

 

3. Navy Pier - I could not wait to get on the Ferris Wheel! Such a cool part of Chicago with amazing views!

 

4. John Hancock - 95th Floor - We went up here to start our anniversary night off, and we were less than a month new to the city, so it was awesome to see everything- literally everything! Breath taking! I work in this building on the 31st floor, but I have to say, the 95th is just a tad better.

5. Lincoln Park Zoo - FREE - We just recently went here, and I have to say, I love my neighborhood! Love that we can walk to a zoo, and it's not just what you would picture a free Zoo to look like! They had all the big animals and such beautiful views of the city. Romantic and fun day date, especially when it starts pouring down rain and you run to the nearest pup for some yummy, greasy grub, then walk back home in the rain!

 

 

6. Shopping/let's be honest-more of Window Shopping!

Chicago is home to some of the best shopping, and working on N. Michigan, it is a very hard temptation to walk home from work each day without making stops into all my favorite stores along the way. Magnificent Mile is definitely a must, even if you just walk to awe yourself over all the beauty! Good luck holding on to your wallet, fellow gazers.

 

This doesn't complete our list of what we've done, but that's all I have time for now! Besides the pizza above, we have eaten at several great restaurants, but perhaps I'll dedicate an entire post for those at some point as we get around to more. Deep dish deserved to make this list. Food is our hobby.

Cherish 2012: Princess

"A true princess is confident and secure in who she is and uses her privilege, authority, and position to service and lift up the people around her." - Pastor Leanne Matthesius

Last October, 2011, I attended my first Cherish Woman's conference when we were about one week new at our church in San Diego, but I wanted to get in on the good stuff, so I signed myself up and off I went! I ended up having an amazing time, meeting some of what became my closest friends in SD, and learning a lot - all while having a blast! I knew I wasn't missing out on Cherish 2012, so I signed up last year for this year's conference, little did I know I would already be moved along to our new city! Lucky for me I still made my way back to SD to spend a weekend with the C3 San Diego ladies! So glad I did!

 

 

When Pastor Leanne and the C3 team does something, they do it right! The place was sparkling from floor to ceiling, and the theme Princess was displayed throughout!

 

Shopping was even available!

 Pastor Becky's Hand Made Baby Headbands!

 Jewelry made by one of the C3 ladies!

 

The speakers at the conference were Pastor Leanne Matthesius - head pastor of C3 San Diego along with husband Jurgen Matthesius - Lisa Bevere, and Sharon Kelley. All three were incredible, and below are parts of what I took away! Enjoy!

 

Night One: Pastor Leanne, First Lady of C3 San Diego

 

 

This gorgeous, funny, powerhouse pastor is definitely one of my heroes and a phenomenal speaker! She always brings a prophetic word and is not afraid to challenge you to become a better you! She kicked off the conference on Friday night with a powerful word on being your own princess and becoming who God designed you to be. These were some of the gold nuggets I took from her message:

-The Bible should be a mirror for us as we read. 1 Peter 3:3

-Keep good company! We should have those in our lives that tell us what we need to hear, not what we want to hear. "The wise woman walks with the wise!"

-Have good character! We can't just sit back and hear great words without applying it to our lives. Character is what sets us apart from others.

-Use your position to help others! We are to preference others over ourselves. Matthew 24: 41-46

 

Day 2: Lisa Bevere & Sharon Kelley

 

 

 

Lisa Bevere:

As many of you probably know, Lisa Bevere is an author, speaker, and is married to the incredible John Bevere. She and John are great friends with Pastors Jurgen and Leanne at C3. She was outstanding all weekend, and I pulled too many great things to share them all, so these were a few of my favorites:

-If you change the way you see yourself, you will be able to change your world.

-We are all created to represent God in our own way as sole representatives, as we are not to RIVAL with one another! We are to celebrate each others unique qualities as women of God!

-We are to groom each other's blind spots! We all have blind spots!

-Great minds discuss ideas, not events or people!

 

Pastor Sharon Kelley:

Pastor Sharon and her husband Steve Kelley are the pastors at Wave Church in Virgina Beach, VA. That was my first time hearing her speak, and it was incredible! She has such a loving nature while bringing such a strong word for the right season. Here are of few of my favorite bits:

-Psalm 31 - Be strong and courageous!

-It is in our everyday life that we will see our life take off! Wake up and tell God you are ready for Him to use you! Romans 12:1-2

-If you want a Prince, be a Princess!!

-Who is influencing you? Take on the words of good & Godly influences!

-There must be honor in your marriage, life, and relationships!

 

Another amazing part of Cherish was getting to hear from the C3 Kidz pastor, Pastor Jenny, and the C3 Youth Pastor, Pastor Briana. They both brought incredible messages and it was great to see their passion! While I don't have kids yet, it was so great hearing their hearts and the passion for the younger generations. "You never know who you are pouring into when working with children. The greatest call on our lives is to pour ourselves into others!" - Pastor Jenny

 

That's my take on Cherish 2012! Thanks Pastor Leanne & C3 team for putting on an amazing conference! Until next year...