beyond measure...

Okay, so my husband informed me tonight that it has been nearly a month since I posted on my blog. Wow. The truth is that we have been buried under Christmas cards, photo shoots, moving boxes, slideshows, uploading, downloading, and still more Christmas cards. It has been a whirlwind of a month! It would not be true if I did not acknowledge that there have been days when I really did not think it was possible to get it all done. My husband has worked countless hours on photography orders and editing all the while preparing a place for us to live. And though we are still trying to figure out why the plan was to move at exactly the height of our busiest season, we are more thankful every day for the home that God has provided for us and all that is ahead for us and our family to be. (That being said, no real adoption news to report. My fingerprints did finally arrive--awesome news--but now we are waiting for a couple of other things to get wrapped up. The chaos has definitely helped the waiting and I am grateful for the grace in that.)

So, I think that is the update on where I've been. I am excited to tell you that I am excited to launch "erin nolen photography's 12 days of blog posts" in anticipation of my favorite holiday of the year. I originally thought I would post for 12 consecutive days leading up to Christmas and though that is still my goal, I have decided to let this mean that I am vowing to post 12 times before Christmas. That gives me a little extra wiggle room and I am working hard these days to give myself a little more grace (is that sentence completely contradictory?).

I really want to enjoy Christmas this year. I always love it...I can't help it, I just do. Here are a few things I'm really looking forward to...

*Having our first fire in our new house.
*Finding the perfect present for someone. (I seriously have NO good ideas this year, which is really not like me. But I am hopeful that the flash of inspiration is yet to come. After all, I have not even begun my shopping.)
*Decorating the gingerbread house with Alex. (If you have ever bought a gingerbread house for a 5-year-old and then told her she has to wait to decorate it...just be ready.)
*Having people over to our new house. And being okay with the fact that it's not decorated exactly the way that I want it.
*the Andrew Peterson concert at church. I have been waiting to see this show for years. Literally.
*Going to see the Nutcracker with my mom. It's been a long time since we've been together and I cannot wait.
*Looking at Christmas lights.
*Just enjoying being with people that I love. I am so thankful for all that this year has held. I know it's cheese and cliche' but when it all comes down, it's just true. Our year has not been what we expected. There have been some tough spots. But when it all comes down, we are blessed beyond measure. Way, way beyond measure.