The first snow of the year.

Six glorious inches of pure frozen slow down.

An invitation to take some deep breaths, watch your husband transform into a shiny-eyed ten year old, remember how succinctly satisfying it is to put a puzzle together, wear pajama's all day, and cook up food that warms beyond the stomach.

Forget about the mountains of sweat and snow soaked laundry that's coming. 

And, oh, it's coming.

Focus instead on cheeks red from exposure to wind, snow, sun...fun. 

My favorite pictures of 2016.

They tell the story of life.

Real life.

Our life.

Nobody is posed. 

Hair is not perfect. 

Outfits are not coordinated. 

And (big gulp) some of the pictures aren't even edited.

But, as I wrote last year, I'm convinced that a big life, experiencing a big God, who is writing a big story is really just a collection of small faithful moments.

May your 2017 be filled with little big moments.

Happy New Year!

Picking berries was on our Summer Bucket-O-Fun List, so on a rare and treasured "free" day we all headed out to Blacksburg to visit 3 Birds Berry Farm and made a family day out of it...

Ah, Spring Break...I think I'm in love.

Your timing was perfect as we were all feeling a wee bit burned out.

We needed some time just to chill,
not rush,
read and read,
discover beautiful bugs,
and get bored enough to spurn creativity...

Thank you Spring Break, I now feel I just might be able to finish the school year out now.

I know, I know...we are all over the snow pictures. Me too. Thanks, Facebook.

But, these are my kids snow pictures and I'm posting them purely for posterity's sake. And maybe a little because I think my kids snow pictures are a little cuter than your kids snow pictures. (Was that out loud?!) 

Purely for posterity...

We got in late last night after a fun filled 6 days of traveling to Florida and back.

It was a wonderful, fun, crazy, and slightly overstimulating few days (can I get an amen from all the other introverts who have been to Universal Studios!!) with all the Hambrick clan. All of us were there, all 10 grandkids, grandparents, and both siblings and spouses. With our crazy international travels and school schedules and work schedules that fact alone was nothing short of a Christmas miracle!

We did a lot of driving (almost 30 hours worth)  and now I'm happy to be home doing nothing except getting ready for Christmas!

As we were driving home last night with tired kids, legs that were falling asleep no matter what position I put them in, a tummy that wasn't happy with all the travel foods, crazy traffic and accidents all around on interstate 95, and a four year old that kept the "how much longer" phrase on a 3 minute repeat...I closed my eyes to pray for an extra dose of the Lord's grace to sustain me home.

In those few seconds of travel weary induced prayer I thought of another momma who had gone before me, who must have been way more travel weary than me, riding a donkey at 10 months pregnant, with a future that was unknown and uncertain and much beyond her understanding. I wonder if she closed her eyes and prayed for the Lord's grace to sustain her...not knowing that His very grace was inside her womb.

Mary was plain, simple, extraordinarily ordinary...and just like me. The fact that God chooses people like Mary and me (and you) to know Him is such a beautiful and overwhelming demonstration of His love and grace that I never want to get over. His very name, given at his birth, Immanuel, means God with us. And it's true.

I don't know where you find yourself this Christmas...are you travel (life) weary, in your darkest moments, or in your highest happiness? Take comfort and peach, the only lasting comfort knowing that He is with you. Just like Mary on that donkey long ago, His very grace indwells us. He hears, He sees, He cares, He loves.

The Mighty One has done great things for me, and His name is holy. 

Luke 1:49

I'm just going to pretend that I haven't been a blog slacker (what kind of person lets school creep up on the priority list over blogging?!) and post a few photo's from our Labor Day weekend...

Jeremiah took the kids on a road trip for the weekend. He had taken them on the north end of the Blue Ridge Parkway last Fall while I was in Uganda and he had promised them that they'd do the south end this year. And being a man of his word...well, what can I say except that my kids don't even know what a good thing they have in their Dad.

He packed them all, planned (or not planned) it all out, and off they went. I didn't want to know too many details (there is nothing good that will come out of wondering if they remembered to brush teeth...) but I do know they all had a blast! The kids could not stop talking about all their adventures.

What was I doing in their absence? 

Good question.

Oh, you know...just getting to relax and eat amazing food and read and  pray and go for long walks and refuel at the lake with my Briana and some lovely girlfriends.

For 3 entire days, people. 

I feel like a new woman this week.

Labor Day lovely ladies that I so enjoyed getting to spend time with.

And yes, reality has slapped me back into reality.

But I'm ever so grateful for a restored love of my reality.

I wouldn't trade it for the world.
(But I would repeat my Labor Day Weekend once a month...just sayin.)