Happy New Year

Well, it's finally here...The last day of 2009. This year has passed us by so quickly! I always wonder what everyone will be doing for new years. We will be going to Nashville to my cousins house to celebrate Christmas & New Years with my dad's family, The Cogburn Bunch...We have done this for the past 5 years I know for sure...It's always a great time! We'll probably head back to Kirby before the New Year rings in. I hope that everyone has a great and blessed 2010!

The Blessings Of A Big Family

The blessings of a big family
are only seen by a few
A few of the chosen ones
that God has given this blessing too

The blessings are so numerous
it's hard to even start
to number or to name them but
they all hold a place in the heart

The heart of every person in a
big family is unique
it's uniqueness makes us special
and should not be critiqued

The memories that are made
are more precious than gold
from babies to weddings
from young and to old

From grandparents to grandchildren
and everyone in between
the many special relationships that are built
and could have never been foreseen

Thank you God
for my big family I will treasure
through the good times and bad
the memories could not be measured

Thank you God
for birthdays, simple get-togethers and even the tears
for I pray that these blessings
last many, many more years

To have a big family
can be a lot of work, not just play
but life is too short
so I THANK GOD FOR MY BIG FAMILY TODAY!

Looking forward to 2010

I have decided to start this blog for 2010 to help me get some thoughts and ideas off of my brain. 2009 has been a very interesting year for us. First, in February, Jon lost his job offshore and was laid off for 6 months. The Lord provided for us in ways we could never have imagined during this time. Then in August/September, Jon got a job at the rock quarry south of Kirby. He got laid off from that job the first of December. It has been rough, I can't lie about that, but we have both found that there are things that we can do with out. It's hard letting go of those "material" things, but we have done it. I have found for a fact, that when you start living your life for the Lord with your whole heart, things start to get tough. Satan doesn't like it when we surrender our all to Jesus, so he does everything he can to weaken our faith. Right now, we are trying to find Jonathan another job offshore. We are praying that it be God's will though. If offshore isn't where God wants Jon to go, then so be it. We are leaving it up to the Lord to show us the way.

I know that people wonder all of the time "why haven't Jon & Katie had a baby yet?" Well, that's another thing that we are putting in God's hands. We want children more than anything right now, but we also know that we have a God that knows what's best for us. I know in my heart that I am destined to be a mother.

Something big that's coming up for 2010 is a goal of weight loss. Jon and I both need to drop a bunch of weight. We have a plan and a goal. Starting January 1st, we start our challenge. My big thing is giving up Dr. Pepper & other soft drinks. I do not have a problem eating healthier. I actually love it, b/c it makes me feel so much better. I like cooking healthier too. It challenges me (since most meals at the Neal house consist of taters, gravy & fried deer meat).