My first post and our first Christmas...

I have been thinking about starting a blog for awhile.  In fact, I thought I would start it this summer right after Casey and I got married.  You know, I would be the cute newlywed who blogged through her whole first year of marriage.  Considering the first 6 1/2 months have zipped past, that idea flew out the window.  Anyway, I'm here now starting my blog over Christmas break.   I have high hopes of documenting a little of the day-to-day, our travels, good food, family, friends, and how much we learn as time goes on.  We'll see how I do!  
I do want to say a little about our first Christmas this year.  Hopefully, Casey does not have to work on Christmas Eve, and we will be leaving for Jackson tomorrow afternoon.  We will spend Christmas Eve with his family.  Then on Christmas morning we will get up early and leave for North Carolina to visit my grandparents (my mom's parents).  They are having the coldest winter since 1917, so we will be packing every extra layer of clothing we own.  Good thing I bought Casey an insulated jacket for his Christmas present!  After we visit with Grandma and Granddaddy, we will travel back down to the Delta to spend New Year's Eve and Day with my parents and brothers.  We are very excited about all of the traveling, but are certainly praying for traveling mercies.  

In other news, I made a really fun wreath, compliments of the widely read blog thepleatedpoppy.com.  She is so creative!                

Using a little hot glue, I wrapped yarn around shatterproof ornaments...and

Voila!  You have a cute wreath.  It is hanging on our pie safe, because it is too pretty not to have inside.  This is about the extent of our decorating this year.  We decided to forgo a tree for two reasons.  Number one - we are traveling.  Number two - we do not have many ornaments.  Don't worry we will collect plenty in the coming years!

My closing thought is one that came from the sermon we heard on Sunday morning from our RUF campus minister.  He said that by Jesus coming the way He did, by being born in a manger, by being born into a lineage with women named, and by being surrounded by shepherds (who weren't even aloud to testify in court in those days), brought significance to the insignificant.  All of those things and people were not significant until His arrival.  Now, they are the very scene we reconstruct every year in the form of the nativity scene.  Since they were made significant, we are as well, through His great love for us.  That is comforting to me and the most wonderful gift we could ever receive.

Have a very Merry Christmas!