this has been a bit of a crazy week for me- papers and tests galore, everyone is just trying to put a close on the semester. i am tired. but surprisingly in high spirits. i like that. i am not letting anything steal my joy today and i am loving it. not even a paper im not sure i did too hot on or studying my life away for microecon. im excited for hubby to come home from his class and eat some dinner and go to campaigners.

but i dont really want this post to be all about me. this past weekend josh and i ate breakfast at my parents house with my family- pumpkin cinnamon rolls, eggs, bacon sausage- the whole nine yards. it was delicous. and the last meal we will have eaten with jason my brother in law for a while. he is in the navy. he got back in july from a seven month deployment. and now he gone for another six months. this is not foreign to me- both my parents were in the navy and they went "out to sea" (as i used to say when i was little) for extended periods of time. jason and ashley are the parents of my perfect ring bearer from my wedding. ashley works at a doctors office. jaydon is super smart and wild and savannah is sweet whiney and sassy. i love them so much. i miss them lately- my busy schedule does not allow for much of any free time. i cannot imagine leaving them for seven months. and then again the same year for another six. another christmas gone. he missed their first steps when they were little, and missed them starting to talk more and more. of course he missed the bad stuff too- like bad behavoir, back talking, and constant trips to the potty. there are two of them- so that means double the bathroom visits, double the sass. but he missed milestones that will never happen again. and that is rough. being in the navy is not easy- i am not in any way trying to make this a political post- but its not easy. you are gone without your family for a long time and it hurts and can take a real toll on a family. you miss stuff when youre gone. the distance is painful.

so im asking you to please pray. please pray for jasons deployment. that he would feel loved no matter how far. that he would stay safe. please pray for my sister- who i am sure sometimes feels like a single mom. please pray she would have strength to make it through the months and that she would develop patience to the learning little ones. and please pray for little jaydon and savannah. that they would think about their daddy often and remember that he loves them very much and that they would be good.

i love my family. i really really do.

doug, jason, and josh... crazy boys.

proud momma after they were born (savannah)

savannah is a daddys girls 

Add caption

the happy bride & groom

before jason left for deployment after they were born

distance.

our first thanksgiving.

sometimes i hate when i blog about what i did... its kinda mundane and boring....but this is like this... sorry- i promise it gets better at the end....

 week has been an answered prayer for us. tuesday night started our no schoolwork campaign and it doesn't end until sunday. we have rested so much and we are so thankful for that. after weeks of never ending school & work, we have found time to relax and just be together. it is strange how you notice how much you are missing when you take a step back to breathe and the fog clogging up your life disappears and youre free to just be. thats how its been for us this week. no fog. just us. we decorated our house for christmas on wednesday. it looks beautiful... ill take pictures soon... my computer can't upload right now. white lights over the huge window, a charlie brown christmas tree holding 5 ornaments, homemade snow globe mason jars, candles, and a couple vintage tins. my favorite thing might be the pinecones. we picked pinecones the other day. at the park and it was so much fun. i remember when i was little, we used to pick pinecones. im not sure what my mom used them for but i remember loving it. so now its a little tradition we will do. we spray painted them with sparkles and they are sitting in a bowl with cranberries and christmas tree clippings on our coffee table. i love christmas time. not so much the hustle and bustle and shopping. but the smell and cold and lights and trees.

so thursday we headed over to my parents house for thanksgiving. we ate a delicious pumpkin sausage casserole for breakfast. seriously my mom is the best cook ever. we saw happy feet 2 with my niece and nephew- not the best and kind of a weird plot- then relaxed while the turkey continued to cook. i made thumbprint christmas trees with button ornaments with jaydon & savannah. i miss them and wanted to do something fun with them. they turned out really cute i think. then we ate- turkey, ham, stuffing, sweet potato casserole, mashed potatos, green bean casserole, rolls, and mac & cheese. for dessert- my mom made a pumpkin rolls, apple pie, and pecan pie. thanksgiving is no joke at my house. my mom made it all and it was so good. it makes me really excited for christmas dinner.

what i am thankful for most this week is being able to relax and be with my husband. not just live and do things with josh but to actually be with him. to enjoy each other. we havnt gotten to do that lately and we have been shown the importance of that this week.

"this too shall pass" has been non-stop running through my mind this week. i saw this phrase on a blog i love called under the sycamore. she put some fencing together and had on it "this too shall pass... be present." i think most people take that phrase as "its okay- hard times will go away." but i love the way she took it. as not just the bad stuuf, but the good stuff too. i realized that more than ever this week. we won't be newly weds forever. we wont be in school forever. and we wont have a first thanksgiving together ever again. it wont always be just us to worry about. this too shall pass. so more than ever i want to learn about and from josh. and just be with him- in the present. in the now.

i think you should too. enjoy the little moments. never take it for granted. and push through the hard ones- never take them for granted. it all will pass. be thankful for today- not whats coming up. so today i am thankful for another day of rest. and im not thinking of the total of twenty+ pages of papers i have to write in the next two weeks. but i am thankful for this day and this time with josh.

happy thanksgiving everyone.

our first thanksgiving.

photobooth.

okay so here are some long over-do photos i promised from the photobooth. theyre pretty funny. if you were in one and i didnt post it, let me know and ill send you it stat.

but first quick update. i for some reason have all this spare time today and i am loving it. subbed half day. came home made lunch and took a little nap. so needed. the Lord has answered my prayer sooner than i thought and i am looking forward to thanksgiving and being with my family next week. also relaxing with josh. im going to try and finish a couple papers and assignments so that next wed-sunday is free and it will give us the little taste of freedom from school we have been longing for... then of course we have finals and such and then Christmas and relaxation will be upon us. cant wait for that.

also- did a little vamp up for the blog in my random spare time. im diggin it. grab my button if you care... im not sold on it but its def a work in progress.

**note here: this last portion is kind of mundane and useless to any blog readers... but i need to put it out there just in case anyone has any solutions...

another thing getting me down. my technology issues. my phone is haywire (kinda always has been but progressively worse as time goes on) and although it appears nice and i have kept it in pretty good shape, it is dumb. doesnt send texts when i have service. doesnt always let me know when i have a new text. turns off and on by itself. i mean the list goes on- one time josh was calling and it would only let me speak on speaker with him. i was at odu in the hall so everyone heard our convo. needless to say- i want it. yup. the iphone. maybe it is because a lot of my friends have them. but i love them. theyre reliable. plus who doesnt want to instagram all the time right? ...
but i said technology issues. plural. i cant decide if i need a new phone or laptop more. my laptop is a) a dinosaur b) missing the "B" button so it kinda hurts your finger when you type. c) heavy d) (heres the worst one) doesnt survive but 7 minutes without it being plugged into the charger. its slow and sometimes over heats. needless to say i want a macbook. (yes it did hurt to type that b just then.... and that last one too.) but lucky for me- student loans dont make sense and even though i am not living off my parents income anymore, my financial aid for this year is based on their income and i dont even get enough to cover my whole tuition.
...so if anyone knows of anything i can do about my technology situations- id love to know.

okay the pictures...theres a lot...

steven & kaitlin.

 rob & jess.

 yl committee couples- the ngs & the wiggins.

 brandon & katie NASH. (they just got hitched in oct!)

 my in-laws- this is too cute/funny

 boys.

 long time family friends- the geers

 some of my favorite boys- one whos my most favorite.

 [no words.]

 just married- being silly.

 cute ladies

 more cute ladies.

 my MD family- known since 1997

 cail & jimmy

 best friend for life

 saranac. 

funny

 hahahahhahaha

 we coordinate really well...

 the band.

 the in-laws.

 the siblings.

 my beautiful bridesmaids.

love these ladies.

the end. thats the last of the wedding photos for you... enjoy your weekend everyone "this time shall pass" so dont waste it as libby has been learning/teaching.

photobooth.

i hope you dance.

so ive been learning a lot in this time of crazy busy life. its no coincidence i know- God is using this time to teach me patience and to teach me to dance. so this past march someone told me this analogy for life and it has stuck with me like the skin on my bones. this is how ive been feeling.

most people consider their lives with christ a walk. you always here "how are you doing in your walk with christ." well i cant shake this feeling of a dance. of my dance with christ. and this is how it goes:

so if life is like a dance- you start out in search of the perfect dance partner. this is looking to things like- school, boys, girls, drugs, the american dream, being prosperous, accomplishing things, money -whatever it is youre looking for it to complete your dance. but those partners suck. maybe for a little bit or split second those dance partners feel right but they dont ever work. they step on your feet dozens f times and eventually your toes bleed and you find yourself on the floor.
then when you find Jesus- you find that he is the perfect dance partner. he is it. thats what youve been searching for. the perfect match. and when you start out in this dance with him- its free and graceful and you feel like youll never stop. its ballet and beautiful and breath-taking and feels almost as if youre dancing in the air. its remarkable.
but were still in this broken and sinful world so life is not perfect- even a life with christ isnt perfect, its just easier becasue heres why:
the dance goes on even when you cant. we hit these hard rocky terrains and hills and mountains in this dance. mountains of trash we have to dance over. through crowded forests and through rivers and streams. it gets tough. but we still dance. and it gets tiring. things get hard. and you want to give up. and when this happens jesus invites us to stand on his feet while he dances. like a daddy to his little girl. and then things get harder sometimes. unexpected life. and jesus invites us to rest in his arms at our lowest points. jesus carries us through all of this- the trash, the mountains, the streams. the dance continues, were just being carried by him.

this makes my tears fall and heart burst. its all so real. this life. lately i feel like this season is beautiful- im young, married, and in love with my home and my husband. but its really tough. its beating down on me more than ever. and so were dancing over this mountain. the scenery is beautiful. yet its really tough. and jesus is carrying me the whole way. so im trying to take it all in. and allow myself the joy the Lord offers me.

and so my encouragement would be that i hope you dance. i hope and pray you dance and know who youre dancing with. jesus says, "Come tome, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11: 28-30. 
who will you choose to dance with today?

our first dance. it was so blissful and beautiful. were still dancing today- its just tougher and jesus is carrying us.

i hope you dance.

youre beautiful.

this past weekend at rockbridge we sang this song. and i am in love with it. im listening to it on repeat. its by phil wickham and the song gives me chills. heres a little listen for you.

the lyrics are so simple and so true.


I see your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say... You’re Beautiful

I see your pow’r in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
Its all proclaiming who you are... You’re beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are setting on your heavenly throne
Soon you will be coming home... You’re Beautiful

When we arrive at eternity’s shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We’ll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we’ll sing... You’re Beautiful


the song does such a wonderful job of explaining some of the characteristics of God. beautiful. surrounding. powerful. mighty. compassionate. life-giving.


and that last little section. gives me so many chills. remember that time i walked down the aisle? and i look back and think about the fact that it will happen to me again one day. and this song explains this. its a reality and what a beautiful day that will be. i pray you know this too. that theres something greater out there thats going to happen one day. because the love that jesus had for me and for you, we get to be his bride and join him in everlasting life. sometimes i think i know that in my head but dont always feel it in my heart. but its going to happen and its going to be glorious. 


i imagine it a lot like july 24. because that day i never felt closer to jesus. and i wore the prettiest dress possible. and  i felt more beautiful than ever. and i thinks that because jesus lives in me and wanted to show a a little tiny piece of what that would look like.


imagine for yourself. just for a minute today. think about what the Lord has done for you and the fact that the most beautiful day in your life will be the day you walk to him on eternity's shore.

 the joy on this day and in this moment above is only a taste of what it will actually be like.

youre beautiful.

rockbridge.

so things are still crazy here at the henderson household. school is in full swing and we are still at the daily grind. this past weekend josh and i took kids up to rockbridge weekend camp. it was crazy. we had the best and worst bus driver in the history of yl chesapeake. our bus driver charlie was awesome. the other bus driver from a different company was evil in the form of a bus driver. right off the bat he was nasty and voiced that he was going to have his issues. we stopped in cville for some dinner and when it was time to leave mr. nasty bus driver refused to leave and wanted to call state troopers. [side note. high school kids are crazy. but we have some good ones here in chesapeake and i can assure you although they may have been noisy, they were not bad. this driver was just crazy.] so we were told to leave without the other bus. our bus driver got on and prayed with josh and i for a miracle. it was such a blessing and as we were pulling out of the stop light- low and behold the miracle came. the yellow bus was on his way too. we got to camp super late- 12midnight- and headed straight for club. it was nuts and we were all tired but it was so great. we went back to the cabins and i had some issues- but got to cabin time soon enough and it was great to just sit and talk with the girls about fears and the world.

this fall weekend was special. leading is not easy. and taking a weekend out of your schedule to do camp is crazy sometimes- especially when your week ahead looks nuts. but being in the mountains in the fall is special. nothing beats the beautiful scenery, the falling leaves in the array of colors, the smell of cold mountain air, and some hot chocolate. not to mention spending time with some really cool girls. i felt at peace for the first time in weeks- which was an answered prayer.

we have a little tradit in yl chesapeake for fall weekends. a little girl vs. boy football game. [the boys have to play on their knees- but boys are tough and sometimes its still really hard.] the girls always dress up. one year it was animal print. last year we all wore lime green for libby. and this year we wore pink & yellow to honor the life of Kelly Valentine. needless to say- hickory & gfield girls kicked boy butt and won. it was so sweet to watch and lead some girls in the only thing i know about football- the stretching beforehand part.

libby and ryder made a guest appearance and little ava is so big. i miss them to say the very least.

we heard truth that weekend. about our lives and about God and what Jesus did for us. it was so sweet to be able to share that with girls. shannon hannah and maddie heard this and fell in love with Jesus. i pray they continue their walk and know that it is always going to be as true as it was this past weekend.

so josh and i head into this week full fledged. we found some rest time yesterday and it was so needed. breakfast at the donut dinette down the street. and a little afternoon nap. i prayed for rest that morning and the Lord provided abundantly. im so thankful for that.

stef- a hickory girl who i just love so much.

 cameron shannon and i at the football game.

 grassfield girls pumped for the football game

some of the best ladies in the world.

mirmaid- one of my best friends.

rockbridge.

breakfast at tiffanys.

happy thursday everyone. we are off to rockbridge tomorrow evening with chesapeake. i am currently working on trying to get my honeymoon pics up. but i cant seem to find my memory card adapter that was tucked so nicely in my camera case which has disappeared. most likely in the garage. (we dont have a garage per say- but we call our huge closet the garage because it holds everything our garage would have in it if we had one.) so for now i will just be patient and work on the mountain of schoolwork i need to do. that sounds so much less exciting.

as for now i will leave you this weekend with one of my favorite songs. ohhh its so old & random & good.

oh & ps head over to {libbys blog} to vote for little avas rooster sound. shes in this little fisher price animal sound contest. its seriously so cute.

here it is: breakfast at tiffanys

breakfast at tiffanys.