2015 Reader Survey RESULTS

Today you get two things: my reader survey results & Hawaii pictures! Remember that trip Dave and I went on last year for our anniversary and then I never shared much about it? Well I thought I'd take this opportunity to do a combo. All the picture are from a black sand beach in Hawaii. I can't remember the name of the beach but really the important thing is the black sand. It was pretty spectacular. 

If you filled out my survey thank you! I really appreciate feed back and it was eye opening to see the things you all shared. 

Before I share the results if you are considering doing a survey I would highly suggest using Typeform. I'm not getting paid to share that either it is just an honest opinion. Their platform is easy to use and quiet fun. 

I'd also suggest taking your own survey before you publish it. I know that might sound weird but it actually was a bit eye opening for me to take my own survey. Plus, you want to make sure it is running smoothly.

Let's get started! 

Let me just tell you that I tried to figure out who was who in this section. I think I figured out who some people were. Creepy? Probably, but I don't really care.

I have two male readers that filled out this survey also known as my husband, Dave, and my Dad! ha! The rest of the readers are all females.

I was surprised that I didn't have more international readers. However, after thinking about it I don't promote my blog much on other travel or expat blogs so I am guessing that is why.

I did love the fact that 44% of my readers are from the midwest and 29% are from Kansas!

70% percent of my readers have a blog, 22% don't have a blog but 7% of you said you wanted to start a blog, which you should!

How long have you been a reader? 

33%  -  more than a year

26%  -  6-12 months

19%  -  3-6 months

15%  -  Since SS2SI began in 2012

7%  -    0-3 months

I think it is really neat to have readers from the beginning because let's be real, that's family and super close friends, and they are still reading my blog so that is good right?

I also love that I have new readers who filled out this survey.

I also just love that I have readers!

How did you hear about SS2SI? 

48%  -  Through another blog

15%  -  We are BFF's

11%  -  Family

16%  -  Facebook, Instagram, A Giveaway, Other (4% for each one)

I am kind of surprised that 48% of my readers heard about me from another blog.

4% of people listed 'other' for how they heard about my blog but they didn't explain. I'd love to know what that other is.

How do you know when I publish a post?

46%  -  Through Bloglovin'

19%  -  Email

19%  -  Other

12%  -  Facebook

4%    -  Instagram

Again, I'd love to know what the 'other' 19% is?

I'm also glad that 12% of people get posts through Facebook. Sometimes I feel like I just share lots of posts on FB and I'd hate to be that person so I'm glad it is resourceful.

I'm also glad to hear that not many people hear about new posts through Instagram. I like sharing daily life pictures on there but I don't want it to be just blog updates.

What do you think about posting pictures on IG? Do you put daily life or blog pictures?

I'll give you the results and then tell you why I'm stumped.

Favorite Posts to Read

1. Daily Life Abroad
2. Life Lately Posts
3. Travel Posts
4. Ministry Updates
5. Spiritual Life / Devotionals
6. Missions
7. Other

Least Favorite Posts to Read

1. Other - Yay! But again, I'd love to know what those 'other' posts are???
2. Spiritual Life / Devotional Posts
3. Life Lately Posts
4. Missions
5. Travel Posts
6. Daily Life Abroad
7. Ministry Updates

Now I'm going to share my heart on this matter and I am really going to need your input / clarification on this.

Something that really was eye opening for me was how low missions was ranked by my readers. It is the 6th on most favorite and 4th for least favorite.

My question is why? I can't exactly figure out what you all mean by that and I would really love your feedback. Do you not like certain type of mission posts? What is it that makes missions a low ranking topic?

To be honest, it doesn't hurt my feelings but it did alarm me and made my heart hurt because missions has to do with a really really really important thing - the souls of men. I share about missions so that you can see that God, through Christ's work on the cross, is saving people from a fiery hell and then He gives them a relationship with Himself. A relationship with God! What better thing is there to blog about? Sure I absolutlely love to blog about daily life and traveling but I really love sharing how God is working to save people.

I also didn't type all of that to say you don't share those same beliefs. I'm just sharing my heart on it because I want to clarify the importance of it. 

I have two big questions:

1. Why did missions come in ranked so low?

2. Is there a better way I could write and share about missions to make it better for you, the reader?

I'd really love some feedback on this. If you don't want to leave a comment for all to read you are welcome to e-mail me.

Was that a weird question to ask? I don't know! But sometimes I wander if I am personable enough on my blog. Maybe a better word is transparent. I do think it is sometimes really hard to be completely open and transparent on a blog. 

84% of you said I was personable
16% of you said you would like to hear more personable posts.

So to you 16%, thanks for letting me know that and I'll try and work on that. Although now I'm thinking "What should I share to be more personable???"

What would type of 'more personable' posts would you want to see? 

You all also had such nice comments! I really appreciate your kind words. It's nice to know people enjoy reading the content on here.

That pretty  much sums up my blog survey. I tried to keep it short and simple.

Thanks again for sharing your thoughts with me! I'm really glad I created the survey and I'm really thankful for your feedback.


Have you ever done a blog survey? 
What other type of questions did you include in your post? 

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Also, if you missed my last post I'm hosting a 'Ask us Anything'. This is your chance to ask anything you ever wanted to know about me, Dave and I, our life abroad, etc. You can click here or just click on the picture.

Ask us Anything

Hi, family and friends!

A while back my good friend Amanda opened up an 'ask anything' forum on her blog. I have had a few other friends that have done this as well and I absolutely loved reading all the questions and I especially loved reading the answers. It's a fun way to get a better look into people's lives.

While I have good internet I decided I'd open up the blog for you to ask anything you want about me, us, life abroad, etc.

My biggest fear in opening this is "What if no one asks me questions?" So, please, ask us some questions! I'll have this form open for about 2 weeks and plan on sharing the answers with you soon after that.

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How my Blog Name Came About

Today I’m joining in with Kiki and the circle linkup to share the history behind my blog name. I hope you will take a minute to visit Kiki's blog. She is a blessing to lots of women on the on-line world. 

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I have shared a bit before how my blog name came about {original post here} but that was quiet some time ago and I have lots of new readers and friends since then. Today I wanted to take the opportunity again to share how I chose my blog name. 

I'm sure you have all heard the famous quote and seen lots of cute crafts with the famous saying, "you are so much sunshine to the square inch." That famous quote does play a part in my blog name but there is much more to it than that. 

First, to my family I am often referred to as being the 'sunshine girl'. 

I have my granny to thank for giving me this name. I was born in Brazil to American parents and my extended family didn't have the luxury of driving to the hospital to meet me. They had to purchase a plane ticket and travel far to meet or spend time with their grandkids. 

The first time my granny came to meet me I was already a few months old. My crib was solid wood with a heart cut out of the side frame. When she came into my room to meet me, apparently I peeked through the cut out heart and gave her a huge smile. She replied with "you're my sunshine girl!". 

When I moved home to America my granny and I spent lots of time together and just about every time we were together she would tell me that I was her sunshine girl. My parents, to this day, call me that now too so that is how I got that family name.

Secondly, I picked my blog name because of the spiritual gift of encouragement that God has given me.  

Did you know that the moment someone accepts Christ as their Saviour they are given a spiritual gift? It's a gift to use to minister to the body of Christ. You can read more about them in Romans 12. Mine is definitely encouragement and I hope that through this blog I can encourage those who stop by to read what is written on the pages here. 

Finally, I picked my blog name as a reminder to share the gospel. 

I hope that through this blog I can share the message of Jesus and His redemptive love for others. I want to share Christ to every 'square inch' I can. I do know that sharing has to be done wisely and you can't just beat people over the head with the gospel but I do hope that this blog can be a place where the gospel is known. 

This doesn't have anything to do with my blog name but aren't these pictures so pretty? They are from my days in Korea and that country will always always hold a special place in my heart!

What is the history behind your blog name?

PS - I have a short blog survey that I shared on Monday! Would you mind taking a moment to fill it out? It is ok if you are a new reader too! I'd love to have some input from you as well. To see the survey please click here. 

2015 Reader Survey

Moving to Asia changed many things in life for me including various aspects of blogging. I went from a lifestyle blog when I lived in Oklahoma to more of a ministry / life overseas / missions blog. To be honest, I'm still trying to figure out what I should share here and what direction this blog needs to go. 

I still plan to share many of the same things I am now but I am wanting feed back so I can get a feel of what you all want to hear more of. If you could take this short, twelve question survey I would greatly greatly appreciate it. 

I will leave the survey open for two weeks and then will collect the results and share them with you. Thanks in advance for your input.

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Glad Soles - The Perfect Sandal + a Giveaway

GladSoles |  Instagram | Twitter

A while back I posted about my transition to Zero Drop shoes. After wearing zero drop shoes there really was no going back to 'normal' shoes. I was wondering what to do about sandals, for zero drop and Asia, and I soon discovered GladSoles - and am so glad I did! 

I have been looking for sandals for Asia that are high quality, not flip-flops, will stay on my feet, minimal and they had to be cute. The sandals also had to be snug on my feet because I can't have my sandals sliding off during rainy season in Asia. (That happened to me in Korea when I got stuck outside in a Monsoon with flip flops and they got washed away). Anyways, GladSoles fit all of my criteria! 

Let me tell you how these sandals work. First off, you trace your feet and send the tracings to GladSoles. You pick out what thickness of sole (there are 3 options), what color laces and lock you want, and they then cut out a pair of sandals customized to your drawings (which is awesome). Once you receive the sandals you get to tie the laces. I really like this because you can tie the sandals a bunch of different ways. You can also tie them tighter / looser to your preferences. After wearing them for a while the sandals begin to mold to your feet. They are super comfortable and so practical.

Man people run gin their GladSoles but I have not yet run (long distance) in mine. What have I done in them? I did a crossfit workout in them and it went really well. Come to think of it we did run about 1/2 mile in that workout. I also wear them all the time: at work, on a walk, traveling and much more! They really are comfortable and I think they are cute. I love that I can tie them a bunch of different ways.

Another thing about these sandals is the soles are Vibram and they will last forever. The sandals are also washable so if you get them dirty you can wash them when you get home and they are good as new. 

I have to give a shoutout to GladSoles because when I contacted them about a giveaway instead of just e-mailing me they took the time to call and directly speak with me about my experience with their product. They also asked lots of questions about what we will be doing in Asia and to me any company that takes time to get to know their customers is pretty darn amazing! So, thanks GladSoles!

Today I'm teaming up with GladSoles to give one lucky winner a pair of sandals. You can pick any type of GladSole you want. The contest will run today through Sunday at midnight. This giveaway is open internationally but if an international winner wins they must pay $19.95 for shipping. The winner will be verified and will have 48 hours to respond via e-mail. 

GladSoles |  Instagram | Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

There is also a coupon for 15% off any sandal of your choice. The code is 'sunshine' (all lower caps). 

Hecho A Mano Jewelry - A Hand Made Bracelet Giveaway

Hello Friends! I'm excited about today's post & giveaway!

First off, have you heard of #FridayIntroductions on Instagram? It's hosted by two lovely ladies and each Friday you get to introduce yourself to the IG world, answer a fun question and meet new people. I've really enjoyed participating in this and through #FridayIntroductions I came across Michelle and her wonderful hand made macrame jewelry. 

I think these bracelets resonated with me because they speak to the South American / Latin part of me and are a reflection of the Brazilian culture I grew up in. Each bracelet is hand made and I LOVE the bright colors! Plus they are super duper pretty. 

I asked Michelle to give a little more info on her shop so here you go! 

Hi guys!

I'm Michelle, the owner, designer, and hands behind Hecho-A-Mano Jewelry! It all started when my husband and I lived in Costa Rica for 10 months. I learned how to make macrame jewelry and haven't been able to stop! My jewelry is inspired by the people, culture, and beauty that is Costa Rican. These string bracelets are "la moda" (the style) in Central America and I really hope to spread that love all over the world! Mix them, match them, wear them however you like, they really are one of the trendiest fashion items to have.

I hope you find something you love, and know that whenever you wear it, there's a piece of Costa Rica you carry around with you!

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Today I am teaming up with Michelle, Samantha, Stephanie and Rachel to giveaway some beautiful bracelets. There will be two winners and the winners will get to choose their bracelet color.

All entries will be verified. The winner will be contacted via e-mail. If no response is received within 24 hours a new winner will be picked

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Random Facts Round 3

Hello dear friends! I'm back at ya with some more fun random facts! I think this is such a fan way to give a peek into my life. I'd love to hear more about you too! If you have a fun fact about yourself leave me a comment or you can even write up your own post. 

1. eBay

I recently have a new love for selling things on eBay! Dave and I have a bunch of good quality stuff that we need to get rid of so I thought I'd try out eBay. I started by listing a camera lens I never use and I was shocked when it sold in one day. Well, that was just exciting to me so I then listed my old point & shoot camera and my wedding dress and BAM, both items sold! I have a few more items to list so we will see how that goes. Anyone else out there sell things on-line?

2. Language Confusion

When I lived in Korea we often took taxis and just about every time I went to pay and thank the driver the first thing that came to mind was "Gracias". I have no idea why my brain did that and it was annoying. Well, not that I'm back in America every time I am around anyone Hispanic and I need to say thank you the first thing that comes to mind is "kamsahamnida", meaning thank you, in Korean. I can only imagine what my brain will do when I learn a little bit of Burmese and Thai. ha! 

3. Hearing Loss

When I was 16 I lost 48% of hearing in my left ear and I now have a hearing aid! I wrote all about it here. 

Because I love random facts I asked my sponsors to share some fun facts about themselves. I thought it would be a fun way to introduce them! 

Blog  |  Instagram  |  Twitter

Blog  |  Twitter  |  Instagram

What's a fun fact about you?
PS! Samantha, from Elah Tree, and I have a fun IG going on today! Come check it out here!

Life Lately #21

Hi friends! I've been a little quiet around here lately so I thought I'd give a little update as to what life has been like lately. I'll start with the funny stuff =) 

1. Breading - Dave said he heard of this new thing called 'breading cats'. Well, it just so happened that someone had brought a lot of extra bread to church so we thought we would put it to good use on Static (our cat wasn't around at the time). We cracked up laughing! She would tried to chomp on the bread but couldn't because ... well you can see why =). Milo is next! Would you do this to your pet? 

2. Milo - Because of moving overseas I knew Milo would have to find a new home. I've been dreading finding him a home because he is a unique cat and has to be an only pet. Also, I'm super attached to this little guy so letting him go will be hard. However, God has sent the perfect person to take Milo. It's a nice lady who is looking for a companion cat. I'll be giving him away in a couple of weeks and I'm thankful he is going to a good home. However, before we give him away we will be breading him! 

3. Tomatoes - They are one of my favorite foods! My grandpa used to have a massive tomato garden and when I was a kid we would sit on the big swing and eat tomatoes. He would eat tomatoes as if they were apples and I'd eat the cherry tomatoes. All that to say that a local farm here had 600lb. of tomatoes! I got a whole bunch and they have been so delicious! What's your favorite summer produce?

4. Jamberry - I have a new obsession you guys! I hosted an on-line Jamberry party and got 11 sheets of nails. That means I have 22 manicures which will each last me two weeks. I'm excited! Have you ever tried Jamberry?

5. Blogger Friend Hangout - Last week I went to OKC to hang out with Amanda (The Lady Okie). We have become good friends over this past year and occassionaly we will get together to hang out. I'm so thankful for her and our friendship. This time we rode bikes and walked around downtown OKC. We also exchanged b-day gifts and check out this awesome gift! It's a coffee table book all about Burma. The pictures in there are beautiful and I just love it! It makes me more excited to move over there. 

6. Burma - I'll be honest and say that moving overseas is stressful for me. I think being anxious and stressed out is a choice and I haven't been choosing joy and peace lately. I've been going back and forth from knowing God will take care of me to extreme anxiety with drama and tears. I finally sat down today and wrote out some verses on God taking care of me as well as verses that focus on the main things, like seeking the Kingdom of God and loving others rather than planning, planning, planning, planning. =)

Also, I ordered some super cute bags from Samantha for Christmas gifts for people. You should check out her shop. She has really cute pouches as well as great blogger resources.

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How has your life been lately? 

Are you enjoying these last few days of summer? 

Happy Birthday Giveaway

Hi Friends! Today is MY BIRTHDAY! And if you haven't heard I love my birthday! I've gathered some of my favorite things and am giving them away to one awesome reader. 

The Birthday Giveaway will include: a burlap chevron bag painted by me, a multi-colored scarf, Starbucks refreshers, some cute wooden spoons decorated with washi tape, a mug & (not pictured) some homemade cards as well!  

Also, today and tomorrow, as a birthday treat, I'll be offering 50% all my ad spots! I'm only selling 10 spots at 1/2 off. If you are interested in that I'd love to work with you! You can read more about my ads here & upon check out enter the code 'happybirthday' for the discount.

Also a big thanks to Beth & Stephanie for co-hosting this giveaway with me! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Have a wonderful day, friends! Thanks for making my birthday great by being so supportive of me and my blog! 

Shea Paper Company + Giveaway

Today I'm so happy to have Crystal on my blog. Crystal and I go to the same church. I was first drawn to her because of her super fun hair - #i'mweird. I've enjoyed getting to know Crystal a bit through church. She is kind, is a fun Mom, and is down to earth. She also has a love for missions, which you all know my heart on that issue. I love her creativity and am sure you will too.

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Hi, I am Crystal Shea Hethcote, age 26, wife to Andy and mom to Hank, Mack & Townes, and I watch my sweet niece morning during the weekdays. I am a Christ follower, homemaker, and a thrift-loving, vintage-finding fool. my favorite pastime is drawing and painting, but free time happens typically solely during nap time. The rest of my time I help make awesome lego towers and such.

I'm inspired by things of meaning and/or whimsy. I love God, and I love nature, and I love things of the past/nostalgic things, and I love ...well, love.

I started my shop because I needed an outlet to help my hobby become more productive. I've been drawing since I can remember, so I had all of these pieces and nothing to do with them. once I was able to get the proper equipment to scan my images and post them online - I started the shop a couple years ago. I just recently have become more active with it, and I just added the card line which had been a dream of mine since my teen years.

Favorite Print: I have different favorites that vary depending on my mood. Since I'm answering now in my current mood, I'd say I like the 'it is well with my soul' print. I just love the hymn that inspired it, and it rings so true to me. 'whatever my lot thou hast taught me to say, it is well, it is well with my soul.' love that.

Shea Paper Co - Shop

Today Crystal is generously giving away some items from her shop. The winner will get to pick either 3 lovely cards OR a print up to $20. The giveaway is open internationally. The winner will be verified. 

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Fujifilm Polaroid Camera Giveaway

One of my favorite things that I discovered and purchased while living abroad in Korea was a Fujifilm Polaroid camera. I absolutely love that little camera. I take it with me on special occasions as well as on special trips. Sure, it is a bit bulky and adds to my luggage but it's worth it. When Dave and I went to Hawaii this past March I took it with us and got some fun little pictures to remember our trip with. 

    

My favorite polaroid pictures were from my beach wedding. The total number of guests at my wedding came up to a total of 24 people - family and my closest friends. My friend Alisha went around and took polaroid pictures of everyone. That picture was then placed in a scrapbook where they wrote a message next to it. They could write a word of encouragement, a verse or whatever they wanted. I love that it was so personal and that their picture is right there. I also really cherish having wisdom on marriage from my parents, siblings and friends. Godly wisdom from those closest to you is just something special that I can't really put into words.

I've also used the camera at special occasions for other people. My friend here in Woodward opened a crossfit gym and I took some pictures with the Polaroid and gave it to her. When I visited my friend in California and met her baby, more polaroids! These little pictures are great for memories, showers, guestbooks and more.

Today I'm teaming up with Felecia, Rachel and Alex to give away a Fujifilim Instax Mini Camera + 1 pack of film (10 pictures) to one lucky winner. The pictures are pretty equivalent to the size of a credit card and are just so much fun. I've been wanting to give away this camera on my blog for a while now and I'm excited one of you readers will get it. The giveaway is open internationally as long as the international winner agrees to pay for shipping. The winner will be verified, etc. etc. Good luck!

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February // Monthly Wishes

Happy February, friends! I'm linking up with Melyssa over at the The Nectar Collective to share my monthly goals. Did you know that February holds my favorite holiday? I love Valentine's Day. I was never one of those girls to sulk away when I was single but instead I would host a girls Valentine's Day party and they were so fun. I'm sure Valentine's Day being married will be just a great. However on Valentine's Day, I'll be in Idaho celebrating my nephew's birthday and Dave is going skiing with a friend in NM. I guess we will be celebrating early.

I'm writing to give an update on my goals and to tell you what February holds for SS2SI. For some reason these monthly updates help me stay focused.

Spiritual Life
With my spiritual life I wanted to focus write our verses on prayer, organize a prayer list and pray more intentionally for Dave. I did write out verses on prayer and I was amazed at how many verses are in the Bible on prayer. I also organized my personal prayer list by daily topics. To be more intentional about praying for Dave I'm in the process of writing out 31 days of prayers.

This month I want to finish up the prayer cards for Dave and review the verses on prayer.

Moving
I wanted to remain calm about us moving in June and surprisingly, I am. These are the questions that people have had for us lately:  "Where are you going? Where are you moving to? Will you travel? Will you move abroad? Will you get a new PA job?" and the answer is the same "We don't know" and oddly enough, we are ok with not knowing. God knows and He will work it all out. However, please feel free to ask and pray for us. I would ask too if I knew my friends were moving.

Relationships
I wanted to be kind and gracious to Dave. um ... I didn't really improve. I was sick with the flu for almost 2 weeks and I'm grouchy when I'm sick. Dave says I'm nice so I should probably not be so hard on myself. I also wanted to send out 3 FB message, 1 card per week and 1 package per month. I have been doing this but I want to be more organized with it and write it all out.

I have more goals I'm working on but I'll save those for March because they will be more relevant then.  =)

February & Blogging

Since February is Valentine's Day and it's all about love I want to share throughout the month some of my favorite things - from hair care product to my favorite blogs to other fun things. I also moved home from Korea 1 year ago this coming Thursday. If there is one thing I could do over, I would have blogged more about my time in Korea. So, I'm going to do a little reminiscing this month and share some of the fun places I got to visit during my time there.

February is also the first month I'm offering sponsorships on my blog! You can get 25% off using the code SUNSHINE. For more info click here.

What are your goals for the month? How are your New Year goals coming along? 

December Giveaway

I hope you each had a very Merry Christmas! Today I'm teaming up with Amanda over at Living in Another Language to host a giveaway. There's lots of ad space and a few other goodies as well. It's a great way to beat the 'holiday blues'! It's always so sad when Christmas is completely over. booo! BUT New Years is right around the corner =-). 

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You have seven days to get involved in this giveaway, so make sure you get a few entries in! Don't forget to read the terms and conditions below! Remember, you can enter via Twitter DAILY!

1.Sunshine to the Square Inch || 2. True Colours || 3. Found Love Now What || 4. Side Street Style || 5. Color Me Brave || 6. Diaries of an Essex Girl || 7. Melanie Fontaine || 8. A Modern Commonplace Book || 9. Smile and Write || 10. Living in Another Language

Check out a sample of the digital print here. Check out a sample of the burlap bag here.

TERMS + CONDITIONS:

1. Winner will be notified January 3-4th. 2. Winner will be verified. If the winner cannot be verified, a new one will be selected. 3. The winner has 48 hours to claim their prize after the notifying email has been sent out. If they do not respond to the email within the 48 hours a new winner will be selected.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanksgiving, Christmas is here! ... I've been MIA

Well, hello everyone! I've been completely MIA over the Thanksgiving season. I've been in a frantic rush to get everything done because Christmas is only two weeks away. I've been ordering gifts, wrapping gifts, decorating, planning, etc. and then my husband nicely reminded me that Christmas is three weeks away! Whew! You have no idea how relieved I was. 

I'm so excited for Christmas but I'm not gonna lie - I'm a bit sad Thanksgiving is over. I loved taking a whole month to intentionally thank God for all of our blessings. I hope I can continue that more through the year rather than one month. It makes life much more positive. 

Here is a little Thanksgiving recap - Dave and I had our first Thanksgiving being married. whoop! whoop! 

I made my first pie ever. A blueberry one to be exact. I chose blueberry because I don't really like pumpkin (don't hate me all you PSL and pumpkin lovers) and it sounded so delicious. I researched for recipes and picked this one because the writer said she had tried many times to make pies and after all of those attempts this pie won an award. I figured it couldn't go too terribly wrong. It was pretty good and making pies isn't as hard as it sounds. 

Dave and I got to spend some extra time with his family. I was especially thankful for this because they often have to work when we visit on the weekends and we don't get to see them enough. This picture here was taken right before I made my husband and sister-in-law go on a carriage / wagon ride with me. I thought it would be exciting and had always wanted to ride on a carriage. However, they drove us through a parking lot while we inhaled whiffs of horse manure. =) Not exactly what I had in mind but we had a good time. 

After the holiday weekend, Dave and I came back to our nice quiet town and we got our Christmas tree! Dave especially loves when I say "Wait! I gotta get a picture." =) I don't have a picture of our tree all decorated .. yet but I will have one soon and I'll be sure to share.  

How was your Thanksgiving? Do you have your tree up? I hope the holiday season is everything you hoped for!