reconnaissants pour les cadeaux

• restful weekend...good mixture of lazy and productive
• exercise on deck 7
• new ink on my hand

• emma's hugs and "i love you's"
• people's willingness to host activities during the sail 
• celebrating caroline - her strength, her passion, her spunk

• passion fruit juice from chris
• smooth, smooth sail
• sunrise on arrival day

• sailing into cotonou
• friends on the dock 
• the incredible advance team

giving thanks.

• refreshing 4 day layover in Cape Town
• climbing lion's head
• what a view

•  pic n pay hummus
• sharing a snickers bar with emma on boulders beach
• powerful quotes about comparison

• coffee at mugg & bean 
• really good chocolate for chaplaincy meetings
• molly's beautiful life
• amazing sunrises and sunsets

• going to Hillsong
• daniela's organization/leadership that made going to Hillsong to easy
• smooth sailing
• relevant magazine/cameron strang's editorial thoughts

• sailing towards benin
• colorful quotes 
• no sock left behind in the laundry room (i found a lost sock!)

• family wii dance
• "scenes from your life" as a chaplaincy team 
• all the yumminess in the food market

•  ALL of the hard work and efforts of the Advance Team in Benin
• tom got the security tag off of caroline's new jeans
• a cash kid finally has miss shea as a teacher!

• almost clean as new microwave 
• box of cinnabon
• that nick made a special trip back to the mall to get them

• popcorn making in the cafe
• successful first day of school
• seeing aaron swim

thank to the full.

• welcome home hugs, hellos, signs
• dinner with gary and sandy
• 2 packages that came at the end of May waiting on us 

• kids had time with joy and lucy
• multi-pack cinnabon from laurin and esther
• really good chocolate for chaplaincy meetings

• the thought of operating from a place of contribution rather than comparison
• phenomenal night of sleep
• productive team meetings

• the hard work of the deck and engineering teams
• another dinner at butcher boys
• emma's enjoyment of the wonderful gift molly gave caroline 4 years ago

• the luxury of staying in touch that internet affords
• pre-expiration date peanuts and pretzels
• the beauty of Cape Town

• friendship with andrea
• safe sail
• friends on the dock!

• talking/reading/sharing about vulnerability
• hugs from michelle 
• significant moments of handover/transition

piece of thanksgiving pie

• "come and consume, God, all we are.  We give You permission our hearts are yours." - bryan and katie torwalt
• amy's time in columbus
• one last capp blast
• cash bash (#3!)
• celebrating caroline

• white cash sleepover
• lady working at the bank who shared a way that we can get more from our account
• all went well at the 9:00 appointment
• swimming in the pool
• cracker barrel - just the right way to end our time in the states

• sweet and easy flight from atlanta to london
• few moments of solitude in the middle of the airport
• "it wouldn't be so hard if there wasn't so much love."
• word on the street is that the AFM will have internet that allows skyping

• #checkyourselfbeforeyouwreckyourself
• b-rad baker
• jacob's joy with the icecream cone thingy
• back on the afm

a small slice of my gratitude manifesto

• all the times that the traffic is not jammed
• rich and meaningful time with patrik and diana
• beautiful waterfalls

• day at the lake with the doblins 
• the doblins easy, extreme generosity
• plenty of putt putt this week

• pork tenderloin (and learning how to cook it)
• my forgetfulness didn't cost nearly as much as i thought it would
•  beautiful skies/reminders to look up

• authenticity, vulnerability, honesty...always thankful for those who dare to be courageous.
• how often emma says "i love you."
• creative ways to keep chip bags closed (He provides all we need...even ways to keep chips from getting stale)

 

• tetherball with caroline
• croissants from a can + pepperoni + string cheese
• so much fun zip lining

•  "Hope Heals" by Jay and Katherine Wolf
• "God...who inexplicably gave us everything, even in the taking away...." - jay wolf
• lots of other good quotes from their story

• baby animals.  
• seeing lemurs and being reminded of what a privilege it's been to live off the coast of madagascar these past 2 years
• God's creativity...this guy's hair and face just make me smile

• the way God seems to always send bunnies for eli
• solo time 
• country roads for running on

He gives and He gives and He gives.

• chick fil a + carey bray
• just me + nick
• zaxby's + wifi = documents get sent 
• rooftop views
• beignets and coffee at cafe du monde

•  the official beginning of a mug collection
• missing our kids (glad to be reminded of just how very special they are and how blessed i am to be their mama)
• nick lets me eat off of his plate
• news of a very hard but very good decision
• the brave soldiers of WW2 (and the excellent museum to share some of their stories)

• messaging with michelle murrey
• 5 guys (cheese) burger and fries
• 12+ hours of sleep (multiple nights in a row!)
• new day with my best friend
• street car rides

• how molly not only cares for my heart but also for the hearts of my children
• jonathan pinney's "Ascent" bars
• messaging with caroline
• gas station coffee + rainy day + car ride + nick
• riding to the beach (2+ hours) to go for a walk
• sno cones^^
• street musicians

• seeing pictures of the kids from their time with Aunt Amy
• Yaya and grandaddy took them to see "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" at the Springer
• the ladies passing out boxed lunches and water to those who are hungry on the streets of NOLA
• hearing ^^ their story of how this happens every tuesday - 1500 lunches each week!
• seeing those boxes in the hands of the hungry all over town over the course of the next few hours
• hearing the caliope
• mall chinese food

so very thankful.

• papa's hamburgers and french fries (he should open a little drive by stand in the driveway)
• contacts are ordered
• time with tiffany at mid-town coffee
• making the TA connection with Thomas (and his willingness to give us a 10% discount!)
• caroline + ariel + friendship + giant jenga giggles

• "hold the phone! are you ok?"  -emma
• being able to recharge devices...such a convenience
• sharing at CCC
• family who came to CCC to hear nick (and hopefully encounter God's love and truth!)
• raven's notes from our sharing

• "you can cry if you want to." - emma to me
• Chick-Fil-A lunch date with emma
• so much kindness and courtesy at CFA
• at the cabin once again
• emma + papa + fishing
• caroline + four-wheeler

• little side trip to Athens
• celebrating Freedom
• safe fireworks
• excellence in action (waumba land meeting)
• Athens Church
• finally put words to something that's been in my head for a while