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Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year!!!

Welcome 2011!!!

Patrick and I want to wish everyone a wonderful, safe, happy, healthy new year!!!!

We had a great 2010. It started with our wedding in January! What a way to start the year. It is hard to believe we will be celebrating our first anniversary soon.

Thankful for the year we have had. I am not one for making resolutions. I read another blog earlier tonight and it talked about just wanting to be content this year and not worrying about all the material things such as: the biggest or nicest house, the cleanest house, the best clothes, etc... That is my hope for this year as well too.

There are several things that I hope to accomplish this year, but one of the most important is to be content and to spend time on the things and people that matter the most.

I am hopeful that 2011 is going to be a great year. I know that God has great things in store for all of us. I can't wait to see the plans the Lord has for us!

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!

A few pictures:

Here are a few pictures from our first Christmas:

Christmas Morning:
Christmas in the snow in Birmingham




Christmas Adventures: Our First Christmas!


Before, I forget I want to share a little bit about our Christmas adventures. Our last day to work was December 17th. We are so thankful to have had time off. We headed to Jackson for the weekend. We had not seen Lori's Christmas decorations, and it was a good weekend to spend time with the sister. We had a good time visiting, shopping, wrapping presents, and eating at a few of our favorite restaurants. We came home Sunday afternoon, washed, and packed again. Monday night we went to our Sunday school Christmas party. We had a good time of fellowship, and good food with some very good friends. Tuesday we were able to have lunch with Adam and Amy before we hit the road for the coast. We spent Tuesday to Friday afternoon on the coast celebrating Christmas with Patrick's family. It was a crazy, but good time. Patrick got to play golf two days in a row. He was very happy, as he does not get to play too much. Mrs. Tammy had to work, so I enjoyed some time just doing nothing. Which if you know me, is very rare. We had Christmas with Patrick's parents and brother, his dad's side of the family, and also with his mom's side of the family. We were blessed with many wonderful gifts. We are so thankful by everyone's generosity during this Christmas season, and even more thankful for the ultimate gift: Our Savior!

*Let me also make a note that we watched USM play Louisville in the St.Pete bowl, but we lost! It was a heart breaker, as we started off so good.

Friday afternoon we headed back to Hattiesburg to make it back in time for Christmas Eve Service. Going to church Christmas Eve has always been a Knight tradition, and I was very excited to have Patrick attend Christmas Eve service with me this year. It was a beautiful service, and it meant a lot to both Patrick and I to be able to worship together. We came home from church and mom and I finished preparing our meal. We had cajun fried turkey, dressing, corn, squash, mashed potatoes, corn, and rolls. It was a very delicious meal that we were able to share with Mom, Dad, Mimi, Lori, Adam, and Amy. We then had Christmas again with my family. Once again we were extremely blessed. We received so many nice presents.

Patrick and I headed home after presents and making a cream cheese, sausage crescent roll breakfast dish for Christmas morning. Patrick and I were anxious to exchange presents, so we decided we would open the presents under the tree, and wait until Christmas morning to see what "santa" left in our stockings! We had a great time listening to Christmas music, and sitting by the tree opening presents. We had a little more washing to do before it was time for bed. We were pretty tired, but looking forward to Christmas day. We woke up early to see what Santa left. Our stockings were filled with lots of good goodies. We then got ready to head to my parent's house. Santa had visited us there as well. We had fun opening our gifts and spending time with family. We had a great breakfast, then the great debate happened. We were suppose to hit the road by 10:00 to head to Birmingham. But, the weather did not want to cooperate. However, we finally decided after MUCH debate that we would hit the road. We were able to see snow, so that was lots of fun. We had a great time in Birmingham hanging out with more family. It was a busy Christmas, but I am glad that we were able to see ALL of our family.

We made it back to Hattiesburg on Monday, and Tuesday it was time for the Knight Christmas. There were kids ,adults, and dogs everywhere, but it was a lot of fun. It is always nice to see family that we have not seen in awhile. I am glad that we were all able to gather to have Christmas with Mimi and Pops.Patrick's family was in the mountains so we have not been able to spend anymore time with them. We were very sad to miss the trip, but we just could not do it all. Hopefully, we will get to go soon.

Whew... are you tired yet? It was a great Christmas. Patrick and I had a wonderful first Christmas. We are extremely blessed and very thankful this holiday season.



Thursday, December 30, 2010

She said YES


I can't believe it, but my baby sister is getting married. It just doesn't seem possible. We were once playing in our room, pretending to be married, but now our childhood memories are becoming a reality. Patrick and I are very excited for Lori and James. We are praying for them as they begin to prepare for their big day. What an exciting time it will be.

Congratulations Lori and James, we are very happy for you!


Happy Birthday Brother!!!!


Happy Birthday to you! Adam, I hope you have a wonderful day!

This is your last birthday before you hit the big 30, and even more important your last birthday before you are a parent! I am pretty sure this will be an exciting year for you.

I hope you enjoy your day! I love you very much!!!!





Thursday, December 23, 2010

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!

For unto us a child is born; unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder.
Isaiah 9:6
Christmas is here.... I can hardly believe it. It's the most wonderful time of the year. Patrick and I just wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. We are so blessed as we have already experienced a Christmas blessing and very generous people.

Hope you and your family have a great, blessed holiday!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Disruption

Disruption... a funny title huh? I kind of thought the same thing when I read it in the bulletin this morning. It was the title of the sermon. Patrick and I went to church with Lori this morning, and I was very curious what the sermon would be about. The preacher explained how the world was completely disrupted with the birth of Christ. However, Jesus is God's ultimate gift to us. Thus, the true meaning of gift giving at Christmas. Mary's and Joseph's plans were also disrupted. They were only engaged, not planning on having a child at the time of the birth of Christ. I have never really thought about the birth of Christ as a disruption to the world, but the thing that really got me was how often does God ask us to move outside of our comfort zone. We are sure that Mary and Joseph were scared, as God was asking them to do a great thing. It is important that when God "disrupts" our life that we listen to His will and are willing to break out of our routine. Being a person of habit, this is not always easy to do, however, I know that God has great plans for my life and sometimes I need to be disrupted so that His will can be done. Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and God's Way=Merry Christmas.
I just thought I would share a little bit from a great sermon this morning. It really made me think about the Christmas story a little different, and the importance of letting God be in control.

We are off to our Sunday school party tomorrow night. We are looking forward to spending time with friends. Then, we are off to the coast. We will also be watching the Eagles play on Tuesday night. I hope we can pull out a win in the St. Pete bowl. GO EAGLES!!!!


Friday, December 17, 2010

Over the River, and Through The Woods

Yes, it is time!!! Christmas travel is about to start! In just a few hours we will get to enjoy a nice two week break. Patrick and I are so thankful to have some time off, and to spend our FIRST Christmas together. We are headed to Jackson this weekend to spend some time with Lori, and to see her Christmas decorations. We will be back in town for a little while where we will go to our Sunday School Christmas party, then we will head to the coast. On Christmas Eve, we will head back to Hattiesburg to go to church and to celebrate Christmas with my family. Christmas Day will start early, so Patrick and I can spend some time together and to see what "Santa" left at our house. Then we will head over to my parent's to see what "Santa" left there. After that we will head to Birmingham! On the 28th we will have Christmas with my dad's family. Are you tired yet!?! It might be a little tiring, but it will be well worth it. On this first Christmas we will get to make our rounds to see everyone! We are really excited.

We are looking forward to seeing everyone. As I have said before, I love gift giving. If only I could give more, but I really enjoy seeing the joy on other people's faces. I can almost hardly stand it. We are missing a trip to the mountains with Patrick's family this year that we are a little sad about :-(... We just could not do it all, and at some point you have to make a choice. One of the hards parts of growing up.

In other news, Patrick and I are planning what we want to do for our first anniversary! I can't believe it is almost here. Crazy.. We are really excited about getting a way even if it is just for one night. It will be fun!

Hope everyone has a safe, healthy, wonderful Christmas and New Year!

I hope to be back with some updates along the way.. So stay tuned!

Sunday, December 12, 2010

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!



Didn't Patrick do a great job at designing our Christmas card?! I love it! Hope you enjoy!

Christmas: Lowery Edition

A tour of our home:

































We have really enjoyed decorating for Christmas this year. It has been a lot of fun. Hope you enjoy looking at our Christmas decorations in our home. Merry Christmas!!!

Stop Hunger Now

Did you know that every 3 SECONDS a child dies from hunger? How incredibly sad. Well on Saturday Patrick and I, along with our church family had the opportunity to help those in need. Our church packed almost 20,000 meals for Stop Hunger Now. How awesome. It was such a humble experience to see everyone in their hairnets and gloves packing meals to feed those who are so thankful for the simple things in life. We take so much for granted, but it was a great time to give back. God has blessed us, and we were thankful to be able to give back this holiday season.

I also wanted to mention that Patrick and I along with my parents shopped for a child off the angel tree. The children on this angel tree has a parent in prison. By buying for these kids their parents are able to give their children a Christmas. Patrick and I have always been blessed at Christmas time and the thought of a child who may not have anything else on Christmas having presents to open warms my heart. It is obviously not their fault that a parent is in jail, and they deserve to know there is hope and love in the world even through difficult situations. I don't say all this to ring our own bells, but to encourage you that anything you can do to help someone out is worth it. I assure you, you will probably be just as blessed if not more so.

I also hope that Patrick and I will continue to choose an angel or some mission to give back to during the holiday season. It really is an incredible blessing.

PS: A BIG BIG BIG thank you to my dad who helped Patrick with his car battery today. Needless to say, it took forever and several trips back to the house to get the battery out. We could not have done it without him. Thank you dad for giving up your Sunday afternoon to help us out. We greatly appreciate it. Also, thank you to Patrick's dad and his Granddaddy Doll for all the suggestions and support. It finally ended up coming out, and a new battery did the trick. Thank you all very much!!!!

Thursday, December 9, 2010

The Reason for the Season

It truly is a wonderful time of the year... I love the holiday season. For many reasons, I guess: extended time spent with family and friends, good food, lots of laughter, a break from work, a change in routine, the giving of gifts, warm clothes, and the list goes on... Patrick and I are preparing to spend our first Christmas together. This will be our 6th Christmas as a couple, but every year we have gone our separate ways to spend time with our families. However, this year will be different. We are excited about starting our traditions, but I think we would admit it is kind of weird that things will be different. But, this year is special. Our first Christmas as husband and wife. We will never get our first Christmas back, and we have had a great time so far. It's been fun shopping, baking, listening to Christmas music, and figuring out our holidays plans. But, I was reminded that in the hustle and bustle of this time of year, that there is a GREATER meaning for the season.

At church the question was posed what if we had been Mary? Would we have done what God asked her to do. I have been thinking about that a lot lately. I hope that I would, but sometimes I wonder how often I push God to the side, and tell Him that I can do it. Ha! This has not proven to be very wise decision. I am thankful that Our Lord and Savior was born on Christmas. What an incredible event to celebrate. Because of Mary's faithfulness, and the life Jesus lead, I am forgiven and so are you. I wonder what is was like so many years ago in that stable. What an incredible event it must have been. I hope that as you enjoy the holiday season that you too will remember the reason for the season.

It is a fun time of the year and so easy to get caught up in presents and food, but this time of the year does carry great meaning. Patrick and I have enjoyed trying to give back this holiday season, as we know that we are incredibly blessed. We look forward to Christmas day together as we too will be opening presents, but I hope that Christ's birth is what we will truly remember on Christmas day.

I hope that you and your family have a wonderful holiday season!