Thank you all SO much for all the sweet comments you left on my last post! Jon and I are so excited – we both burst into big silly grins anytime we think about it! And an extra special thank you for the prayers – I have to confess that there are times when I get a little nervous about everything.

Our Thanksgiving didn’t turn out how we planned – the week before I caught a really awful cold. And considering my talent of turning every cold into tonsillitis or some kind of infection, and that my immune system was already working overtime, AND the warnings about swine flu on planes, we decided that it would probably be better for us to stay home and not fly out to California to visit Jon’s family. I cried about four times that night (and multiple times this week). We were SO excited to see them. But, this way was probably for the best – I’ve been up coughing every night this week and I would have hated for someone else to catch this. The good news though, is that God is WONDERFUL and it doesn’t look like this is turning into an infection! Which is SO much better for the baby (and how WEIRD is that to say?!).

Today is my favorite person on the planet’s birthday!

I love this guy so much. I’m not exactly sure how to put into words how much! Jon is the most amazing husband I could have ever imagined – I’m so awed that God gave me someone like him. I really don’t deserve him. He’s hilariously funny, incredibly generous and so caring. He handles my emotional ups and downs (especially lately) like a pro and he’s very, very good at cheering me up. We have fun together! He’s the person I’d rather spend time with more than anyone in the world.

And tonight, we have a date. 🙂

As I sit down to write this post, I’m just filled with so much gratefulness. This year had its fair share of ups and downs, but more than anything, as I look back at it, I’m amazed at God’s faithfulness.

We started the year with a fairly new house (new to us at least!), a new puppy and less than one year of marriage under our belt.

Now, we can’t believe we’ve already been in our house for more than a year, we have a goofy one-year-old dog who always keeps us entertained and we’re already planning what we want to do for our two-year anniversary in March.

We’ve gotten involved in a new church, we’ve taken trips to visit family out of town, we’ve done the puppy-potty-training thing (with success – thank goodness!), we’ve seen old friends and made new ones.

And in October, we said goodbye to my grandfather. But – weeping does only last for a night, and joy does come in the morning. Or in our case, a few days later.

I noticed that I didn’t feel quite right while we were in Missouri for Tapa’s funeral. But, I attributed it mostly to the roller coaster of emotions I was feeling at the time. We got home late, late Tuesday night and so as I dragged myself through the next few days, I decided the tiredness was because of the lack of sleep.

But then the weekend came and I still felt exhausted – even after sleeping in. And Monday morning came and I just knew. Something wasn’t quite normal.

So… I decided to take a test. And after five months of getting a “not now” from God, we got this:

We are so overwhelmed with how great our God is! I am almost nine weeks along and I’m due July 9th. My first doctor appointment is next week. And while I was hesitant to post anything until after the appointment, I truly believe that God is good – regardless of what happens there.

Please join Jon and me in praying for this little one!

Love to you all!

I love Christmas. I love all the holiday season, really. From October on, I’m pretty much the giddiest person in the room. I love when the weather gets colder, when the nights get darker, when you have to huddle beneath a blanket with a steaming mug between your hands to stay warm.

I love the decorations. I love how easy it is to share the love of Christ during this time of year. Even if you are one of those people where evangelizing is not your spiritual gift, you can still invite a coworker or friend to church just by mentioning the word “Christmas.”

And they come. Because it’s Christmas.

It’s wonderful. It’s special. It’s a blessed time of year.

But maybe you aren’t feeling so blessed this year. Maybe, this has been one of the hardest years of your life. Maybe you’ve been faced with temptations that felt like they had no escape, maybe you’ve had to walk through valleys that seemed to never end, maybe the earlier darkening of the skies only reminds you more of the darkness in your life. Every breath feels forced, every step you take feels like you’re sinking that much more.

Christmas, for you, is not a time for giddiness.

Hold on to this hope, my sweet friend. Every day when you feel alone, every moment you feel your heart breaking, every tear that slips down your cheek is seen and felt and cared about by your heavenly Dad. And He doesn’t just watch helplessly – a long time ago at Christmas He came to put an end to those tears. Maybe not quite yet – but trust that there will be a day when every tear will be gently wiped away by Jesus Christ.

I found this video that someone put together on YouTube and I just wanted to share it today. If you’re having a downer day – whether you’re going through serious heartbreak, a rough patch, or even if it’s just the thought of finals on the horizon – watch and remember.

Christ is holding you. He’s never left you alone and He never will.

It has been SO cold here lately! We woke up to the lightest dusting of snow on Sunday but didn’t get anymore (even though the clouds look all geared up for it). So, it was a lazy, lazy weekend. We watched movies and football with my parents and siblings (have you guys seen Up? SO cute – I loved it!).

I’ve been trying to come up with dinner all day today using only what I’ve got in my pantry and freezer, but everything I think of I’m missing one ingredient. So, I’m thinking maybe some kind of chicken soup – can’t you put almost everything in that? My problem is I love watching the Food Network and I keep seeing all these other dinners that sound so much better than soup! I need to stop watching that channel for the sake of my budget, I think!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? Do you have any special traditions that you always do? How about foods that you always make?

My favorite part of Thanksgiving?? I’m sure you’ve guessed it by this point (and if you read my blog at all you’ve known this for a while) – My favorite part of Thanksgiving is that Christmas is next! 🙂

I love contests!

This week I decided to do something along the lines of this…

I’m giving away TWO copies to TWO random winners! The same rules apply from last week – Leave a comment and join my newsletter! If you’ve already signed up for my newsletter, that is awesome – please leave a comment! Be sure to include your name and email address (once again, if you want to avoid spammers, leave it like this: erynnmangum-@-gmail.com).

In other news, I have no other news. 🙁 I have spent most of my days on the couch or at my desk trying to make my February 1st deadline. So, life hasn’t been too exciting lately.

Today is a cold, cloudy day that looks like it wants to snow so badly, but it’s not. So sad!

What have you guys been up to the last few days? Anything fun?

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