I landed on a Tuesday night (December 23rd). I was able to hang out with my sisters and then I had a very good night of sleep. The next day my parents came and picked me up in the afternoon. I woke up and went for a run, then hung out with my sisters for awhile until my parents came. On Christmas Eve my parents and I went to a candlelight service at my Gpa and Gma McNally's church, which was really nice.
The next day I slept in a little bit, and then helped my parent's do egg roll prep for Saturday's egg roll meal. Molly came in town after the got off work, and Zeb and Amy came down from Indiana as well to join us. Once my brother and his wife came, we all went to visit my Gma Frazee in the nursing home. Gma is really weak and not doing the best, but she is hanging in there! It was the first time my brother had seen my Gma in the nursing home, so it was nice to capture the moment below.
On Friday, my sisters, mom and sister in law all went with me to get my dress fitted. What I thought was the dress fitting appointment at 11:00 a.m. turned out to just be one that I try on the dress. The lady was able to pull some strings and got an appointment booked to come back that afternoon at 3:00 to get my dress altered. The seamstress was really nice and did a great job with everything. I have to say I absolutely love my dress, and look forward to be wearing the dress in just under 5 months.
Caleb drove to my Gpa Frazee's house in the afternoon, and actually beat me there, so once I was done with my dress fitting it was time to head back down to Indiana to meet him!! I was so excited to see him after not seeing him for 3 months. What a blessing that he could drive from TN and come up for a few days. Here is our first picture together :)
Zeb, Amy, Moriah, Caleb, and me all stayed at my grandparent's Friday night which was a lot of fun. The next day Caleb and I got up and headed to Oxford for a little date/getaway. We ended up eating at a quaint breakfast place called Patterson's Cafe. It was a great time to be with him, talk, and we also opened up our presents that we had gotten each other for Christmas.
We had a little time as a family to open gifts at Gpa Frazee's before heading over to my Aunt and Uncle's house to make egg rolls. Here are a few pics:
On Sunday my sisters, Caleb, and my parents all went to church where my parents have been going to church since moving to Indiana. It was a great time of worship and fellowship. One thing I can say about my parent's church is that it may not be the most fancy, but the genuineness of the church can be seen through the simplicity of it, and it always does my heart good to see that!!
After church we came home and got all of our stuff and then Caleb, me, and my sisters all headed back to Xenia! Here are a few pictures from after church:
On Monday morning I woke up early and finished my packing and then we all went to brunch with a good friend and had some great food along with good fellowship. After brunch we came back and relaxed some and then Caleb hit the road to head back to TN. Shortly after he left, I left with my sisters to take me to the airport to fly out.
As I reflect back on this past year I can't help but be extremely grateful and thankful to the Lord for all He has done in my life, and all that He has given me and blessed me with. He has given me more than I deserve, and I know there is nothing I can do or have done to deserve His wonderful blessings and yet He continues to lavishly bless. Thank you Lord for my relationship with you which is the most important thing in my life. I also thank the Lord for protecting my family and watching over them. The year 2014 brought many changes to our family. My parents moved back to Indiana and my brother and his wife moved to Indiana as well after my brother graduate from PA school. My sisters have been plugging along through NP school and will finish in August. I was engaged to the man of my dreams in August and will be getting married in May :)!! I also signed a contract to play professional basketball in Turkey, and the Lord has seen fit to see me through the season so far injury free. I am on a team with a great group of girls and a nice coach who has a great heart and means well.
I am excited to see what the Lord has in store for 2015. Most importantly I want to bring honor and glory to His name in the New Year. I am excited to begin my life as Megan Leuzinger in just a few months. Time is flying and we are quickly approaching May...it will be here before you know it. The Lord has blessed me with a man who loves the Lord and His love for the Lord allows him to love me more than I deserve. It was such a refreshing time this past weekend to be able to hang out in person, and yeah just to be with one another was great.
I pray God's richest blessings on you all for 2015. I am sure it will be a year filled with mountain tops and some valleys in there and yet God is constantly and consistently faithful. His love for us remains no matter what we do or where we go. May we seek to grow in our personal walks with Him in 2015. We do not know the day or the hour of His return, so may we live in such a way that we are "ready" whenever He does come back.
I want to end with the last of the reading through the Bible in a year. I got a little behind while home, so since this is the last day of 2014 I thought I would go on ahead and wrap things up:
December 23rd
1 Samuel 20/Revelation 19
1 Samuel 20 – Jonathan helps David and shoots an arrow to him to let him know it is not safe to come out of hiding. Amazing how the Lord protects those He loves, even if it is in unique ways.
Revelation 19 – Thankful we serve a God who is victorious amidst the utter chaos going on around us.
December 24th
1 Samuel 21/Revelation 20
1 Samuel 21 – David runs from Saul and ends up acting like a “crazy” man so that King Achish will not detain him and keep him.
Revelation 20 – The thousand year reign occurs and then the final judgment. Whenever I read Revelation I can’t help but bask in God’s intricate design and plan for Him to reign forever as the Creator of this Universe. How marvelous is the Lord and worthy to be praised forever.
December 25th
1 Samuel 22/Revelation 21
1 Samuel 22 – Saul kills several priests because he is angry with them. It just goes to show what we are capable of, if we let anger get the best of us.
Revelation 21 – Amazing how the glory of God illuminates the entire city…wow!!
December 26th
1 Samuel 23/Revelation 22
1 Samuel 23 – Saul continues to pursue David, and this leads David to hide in the wilderness. God protects David despite Saul’s constant pursuit of him.
Revelation 22 – “Jesus is coming soon” is the anthem in this last chapter.
December 27th
Psalm 52
Psalm 52 – I am so thankful for God’s unfailing love for you and for me!!
December 28th
OFF DAY
December 29th
1 Samuel 24
1 Samuel 24 – David spares Saul’s life, and for just a moment Saul recognizes the character that David has and apologizes to him.
December 30th
1 Samuel 25
1 Samuel 25 – Abigail intercedes for Nabal and thus keeps David from killing Nabal. Abigail returns to Nabal to tell him what she has done and he ends up having a stroke and dying a few days later.
December 31st
1 Samuel 26
1 Samuel 26 – Saul goes after David again, and David yet again spares his life. Saul repents again to David and asks for his forgiveness.