How true.

I think you'll agree...

Thankful thankful.

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

- Colossians 2:6-7

Our Thanksgiving turkey this year.

Our Thanksgiving table... believe it or not, in my grandparents' garage!

I know I'm a little late for a true Thanksgiving post, but gratitude is important every day of the year, right?

Grandpa Tunney

I'm thankful for my two grandpas who are battling cancer with courage and peace. We spent Thanksgiving with my Grandpa Tunney who is undergoing radiation treatment right now. Our family gathered around him after the meal and laid hands on him and prayed for healing. Nothing really brings a family together like a major illness. We continue to pray for both Grandpa Tunney and Granddaddy Ware that the Lord would miraculously heal and strengthen their bodies. I'm thankful they both know Jesus and walk with Him.

I'm thankful for the little ways the Lord continues to provide for me and Shawn as we look for jobs in Nashville. He is constantly reminding us how much He loves us by surprising us with little gifts that remind us that He's in control. We've gotten unexpected overpayment checks from our phone company, gift cards from Whole Foods for showing up for a class that had been rescheduled... things that don't normally happen. And just a couple days ago, we got a free desk for my craft room - something I'd been wanting but was not a priority to buy right now. Thank you, Lord.

I'm thankful for our new church where we are beginning to feel loved and connected. What an answered prayer!

I'm thankful for my sweet Shawn who continues to serve and lead me so well. I'm thankful that every morning he begins his day in prayer and reading the Word and is always gentle and kind toward me. Every day that goes by I'm more and more impressed with his character. I married so well. I cannot believe we will celebrate our first anniversary in less than a month!

I'm thankful Christmas is right around the corner which means Kels and Zach will be in town!

I'm thankful for our family near and far. Mom and Dad are very near (8 minutes!) while Shannon and Erik, Kels and Zach, and Mama and Papa are very far. We miss them all so much, but are thankful to feel connected with them despite so many miles.

Last but not least, I'm thankful an opportunity for Shawn to lead worship for the youth at my parents' church. He is so passionate about worship and I'm excited to see him in his element. Another answered prayer.

Back in time...

Erik dug up some amazing pictures and this one, especially, cracked us up.

Quite the before and after...

Shawn & Michael in 1995.

And here they are in 2009.

And this one...

Shawn thinks he looks like a little Asian girl in this picture. :)

I think he's just adorable.

More to come soon...

PS - Shawn won't let me decorate for Christmas at our house until after Thanksgiving, but I went ahead and decorated my blog. :) Merry Christmas (in a few more weeks)!

Recent obsessions.

This, friends, is our new favorite snack.

Pomegranate.

Who knew fruit could be this heavenly and delicious?

Drooling yet?

If you've never had one, don't be afraid of it! You just cut it open and pull out the seeds and eat them. They're like nature's sour candy and soo good for you.

Secondly, let's just put this in the category of something I said I'd never do.

A worm compost bin.

Shawn was so sweet to drill holes in the bottom of a large plastic bin to make a home for some wormies. :) (Ilene, do you recognize the bin?)

Then we put in some cardboard and some other paper, wet leaves, and some soil and added a bit of water and let it sit for a day or so.

Then we added this guy.

And about 24 of his friends.

I was actually brave enough to buy them and put them in myself, but I had Shawn dig some of them up to take a picture. They looked fat and happy, chomping on pomegranate rinds, kale, and squash peel (in this picture). And hopefully, in just a few months, we'll have rich, organic soil to use for a vegetable garden!

Happy Saturday!

Why I will never use a microwave again.

This is the first in a series of posts I plan to write about what I have been learning lately concerning nutrition. Admittedly, this information is overwhelming at first (anyone overwhelmed by the title of this post?). But I believe it's better to get the facts and make an educated decision than to, unknowingly, compromise your health for the sake of convenience.

A few nights ago, Mom and I attended a nutritional cooking class at our local Whole Foods and it was eye-opening to say the least. We left the two-hour class asking each other, "Did she really say we shouldn't eat ______?" And one of the big questions: "Really? No microwave?"

As I've done more research on this topic, our teacher was right. Using the microwave depletes 60-90% of the nutritional value of food, along with many other unwanted side effects. I had to ask myself, "Convenience and lose most of the nutrients OR a few extra minutes of my time and 100% nutritional value?" That shouldn't even be a question.

Our teacher had gone through a detox with her husband and virtually gained her life back. She lost about 75 lbs. and her current health symptoms disappeared when she began eating right. All that to say, she said it was way easier for her to cut out sugar completely than to stop using the microwave. I can understand.

Over 90% of American homes have microwave ovens used for meal preparation. They are convenient, energy efficient, and much faster than a conventional oven or stove. And they don't change the taste of the food.

The first morning after the class, I went to heat up oatmeal and as soon as I opened the microwave, the flashback of our class came to mind. I closed it and pulled out a pot to heat my oatmeal on the stove. The next morning, I poured some apple cider in a glass and began to put in the microwave. Nope. Onto the stove it goes. Sure, it took a few more minutes, but it really wasn't a big deal.

Here are some facts about the microwave that I think we should all know:

- It was invented in the Soviet Union, but then banned there in 1976 when scientists discovered how it destroyed the food and even caused users to become ill.

- Microwaving milk and cereal grains converts some of their amino acids into carcinogens (cancer-causers).

- Extremely short exposure of raw, cooked or frozen vegetables converted their plant alkaloids into carcinogens.

- The Russians did research on thousands of workers who had been exposed to microwaves during the development of radar in the 1950's. Their research showed health problems so serious that the Russians set strict limits of 10 microwatts exposure for workers and one microwatt for civilians. In their research, they found that those exposed had an increased incidence of appendicitis, cataracts, reproductive problems, and cancer.

- Microwaved food contains both molecules and energies not present in food cooked in the way humans have been cooking food since the discovery of fire. The human body cannot break down the unknown by-products created in microwaved foods.

Reasons to throw out your microwave:

1. Continually eating food processed from a microwave oven causes long-term, permanent brain damage by "shorting out" electrical impulses in the brain.

2. Male and female hormone production is shut down or altered by continually eating microwaved foods.

3. The minerals in vegetables are altered into cancerous free radicals when cooked in microwave ovens.

4. Microwaved foods cause stomach and intestinal cancerous tumors. This may explain the rapidly increased rate of colon cancer in America.

I've only touched the surface of the information that is out there, but if you want to know more, go here. I've quoted quite a bit from this site in this post. I'm sure if you google it, too, you'll find a lot more information that will help you make an educated decision.

Ultimately, the reason I even bring this up is that I think that as Christians, God calls us to be good stewards of the bodies we've been given. God intended us to live long, healthy lives to be able to make use of every moment on this earth that He has given us to glorify Him.

Here's an example that was brought up at our class. At the end of Deuteronomy, Moses stands at the top of a mountain and looks out at the Promise Land that he will never enter. Then it says that Moses died there in the land of Moab, just as God said. "Moses was 120 years old when he died. His eyesight was sharp; he still walked with a spring in his step" (Deut. 34:7).

It was simply God's time for Moses to enter eternity. Moses had not been physically degenerating with Alzheimer's or cancer or diabetes. He simply died while still in good health for his age. Because the Israelites followed God's dietary and hygiene laws put in place for them, there were no retirement centers or nursing homes. But today, people begin deteriorating younger and younger because we do not care for our bodies in the way God intended. We end our lives by spending many fruitless, painful years on the earth - years that could be used to serve the Lord.

Ok, I'll get off my soap box. But for some suggested reading, I highly recommend The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin. It delves into these issues with clarity and temperance and has been eye-opening, convicting, and encouraging for me and Shawn.

More exciting news...

Shawn's photography site is now up and running!

And it is gorgeous.

Take a look:

shawn.newbymedia.com

If you go to the upper right hand corner, you can click on "next" to see lots of beautiful samples of his work.

He does wedding photography, family photography (need a Christmas card picture?), headshots, and more. You can find his rates under the "about me" section.

If I were someone looking for a photographer, one thing I really appreciate about Shawn is that you don't have to order prints through him. Lots of photographers charge for prints, but Shawn edits all of the photos then gives them to the customer on a high quality CD so they can print and reprint as much as they like (at somewhere like Costco where the prints are excellent, and dirt cheap!). Our wedding photographer also did this and we appreciated it so much.

I'm so proud of him for all the work that has gone into this and for the quality of his work. He has such an amazing eye. Also, thanks so much to Erik for helping make this website a reality. Your expertise is so, so appreciated.

So if you need an engagement, wedding, or family photographer, let him know, ok? :)

Brighter Day Jewelry

Just wanted to let you know that after a long hiatus, my Etsy shop is up and running again with new items that would make perfect little Christmas gifts! There are earrings, rings, scrabble tile pendants, necklaces, photography, and even a painting. Everything comes gift wrapped and ready to give as a gift or keep for yourself.

Here's the site:

http://brighterday.etsy.com

Also, let me know if there's something you'd like to have custom made. Those are my favorite kinds of orders!

Merry (early) Christmas!