What happened the last 6 months?!?!

I know, I know...I've been told multiple times by multiple people (mom...Colleen) that I need to update my blog.  Part of my hesitation to update it was that I did not know what direction I wanted to take it.

You see when I started this little bloggy blog I was single.  It was very much about me.  It still kind of is.  You see I chose the title "Only Grace" because I love that when Paul is begging for God to remove the thorn in his flesh that God says no, I'm going to use your weakness to show My power.  I love that God does that with me too.

So I was toying with the idea of deleting this blog completely and starting a new one that was more encompassing of OUR life. But over the past few days I've decided that "Only Grace" is about Ryan & I.

You see when I first met Ryan he was not a Christian.  I never pressured him to go to church with me but I did tell him the second day we were together that Jesus was important in my life and that if he wasn't interested in Jesus at all then our relationship would not go very far.  I don't remember his response that day but he did continue to call and text me.

I remember one night we were talking and I told him I was going to church the next day and I invited him to go with me.  He told me that he wasn't ready.  I told him that was fine, but I did tell him I was going to keep inviting him.  He did ask me how I knew that Christianity was the way to go.  I told him that Christianity was the only religion I knew of that did not require "something" of me in order for me to go to heaven.  I'm talking about pilgrimages and mission trips.  I don't have to pray at certain times in certain ways.  I told Ryan about GRACE that night.  I told him that I firmly believed that it was only by grace that I could get into heaven, because I am a sinful person.

I guess after that conversation he "got it" because the next week he went to church with me, and has gone ever sense.  He was even baptized and confirmed.  So you see, "Only Grace" does work for us. 

So I'm going to keep it, and I'm going to try to blog more regularly with it.  AND it will probably be more about me because, well, I'm the one writing it.  But it will serve as our family blog. 

So now that you know one of my excuses for not blogging...what's happened since July?

Well in August I started teaching at a new school in North Denver.  It's a suburban school.  It's a lot different that my old school.  But it's good.  I've met new people.  I have an awesome class.  I have a loooooooooong commute.  I have a supportive pastor that I work with and I love it.

In November Ryan and I went to Nebraska for Thanksgiving.  All 18 of us were able to get together at Grama and Grampa's house which is great and always a lot of fun. 

The weekend after Thanksgiving Ryan and I met my parents in NYC for my cousin's wedding.  It was dad's first time being in NYC.  We had a good time.  It was so fun to see my parents together doing fun stuff and enjoying life.

Last weekend after Christmas my bro and his wife and  my parents came out to celebrate Christmas.  Our house was full and it was wonderful.  Oh, and my brother and his wife are going to have a baby in March.  Yup, I'm going to be an aunt!

So today is January 1st and I'm back at the blogging...woot!