Merry Christmas!!

All was going well, one year, when two siblings decided to depict the manger scene and dress up as Mary and Jo. They thought all was in fun until........

...........well, until King Herod showed up. That is when things got a little unsettling. All I can recall is that it became a battle between King Herod's sword and Joseph's staff, and I held on to that doll as tightly as I could.

For some reason the above picture always makes me chuckle. Glad to see we were in the Christmas spirit that year. It warms my heart to remember back to Christmases long ago. I am thankful for where we have come since that point but also thankful for such great childhood memories.

Last year, at this time, I was still contemplating my answer to a proposal from a certain somebody (aka: Nate). Needless to say, it was not one of my most enjoyable Christmases, but I tried to make the most of it, knowing that my life might soon be changing.

We are really enjoying our first Christmas together, and neither of us would choose to go back a year in time. We thank God for how He showed himself faithful back then and continues too in our lives. What a blessing to celebrate our Saviour's birth together as a couple.

I'll post more about Christmas at a later time, but for now I plan to go spend some quality time with the best earthly Christmas present I ever received. MY HUSBAND. Five days after Christmas, last year, I said "YES" to a most amazing man. I am so thankful that we said "YES" to the little baby in the manger, who gave His life for us. Only through Him could we have the joys of celebrating our first Christmas together, and hopefully many more to come.

Wishing all of you a blessed Christmas, and to all a good night!

The Older Teaching the Younger

I have never heard so many ladies discuss their family connections and genealogy. Nope, not until yesterday that is. Yesterday, a few of us girls had the opportunity to host a Christmas tea party for some of the widow ladies from our church. Us girls may have enjoyed ourselves even more than the widows. 

We were privileged to have thirteen ladies attend our party, and they were all encouraged to wear a festive Christmas hat. 

We got quite the assortment of hats, not to mention, an assortment of personalities as well.

Some wore hats that they had made many years ago. This particular hat had each small feather glued on, by hand, back in 1949.

 Some added a bow to make their hat show a little extra Christmas cheer. 

Here, we have some berries and a bird added onto the side. As you can see, they got very creative.

This hat gave me a chuckle. Irma added a blinking snowman, which made her hat very eye-catching.

We served the ladies a nice meal, along with tea of course. We even had a singing tea pot. Who even knew those existed? Not me, I must admit.

  

Even after a nice-sized meal, they still had room for dessert. I wasn't sure if cheesecake would go over very well with this age-group of ladies (I figured they might have preferred pie), but most of them ate every bite. 

After the meal, we had a Christmas gift grab for the ladies. Each of us girls brought a couple gifts and let them go at it.

This was the most fought-over gift. A toilet paper snowman and a paper towel present-looking type thing. Who would have guessed? The ladies all thought it was adorable. Creativity credits go to Janet Sinn for her efforts in coming up with the idea.

All in all, the ladies seemed to have a great time, and us girls thoroughly enjoyed serving them.

Not recently have I thanked God for my heritage and for the examples I have to follow after. These ladies all reminded me that God remains faithful throughout the various stages of life. They may have different struggles than myself, but we all know that the love of God is what truly binds our hearts and souls together. I also marvel at how these ladies stick together, not only as friends but also as sisters in Christ. They are such an inspiration to us younger girls. What a true testimony of Titus 2, the older teaching the younger. They taught me more than they'll ever know.

Everyday Randomness

We have fought a good fight, we have finished the race, and we have completed our 2014 weddings! Just in time for the holidays. Phil and Mariah's wedding actually took place two weeks ago, but I am now just getting around to posting about it. This time Nate was up to bat, as far as he was the one in the wedding instead of myself. It truly is not near as big of a deal for a guy to be part of a wedding, than it is for a girl.

The wedding party was such a fun mixture of people, and we enjoyed spending time together in Sardis. I am pretty sure that we have done a similar pose, to the picture below, in just about every wedding I have been in. Gotta love it!

Phil and Mariah make a great couple, and we were so glad that we could share their special weekend with them. It was our duty to return Phil the favor since he participated in our wedding back in May.

Speaking of May, Nate and I hit the six month mark recently. In a way it feels like I have known Nate all my life, yet it has really only been the last six months that I have truly gotten to know him. I thank God daily for the man He has given me as my best earthly friend.

Nate came home with flowers, along with my most recently discovered favorite drink, a white chocolate latte!! Gotta love when the flower store and McDonalds are right beside each other.

Today, I gathered the few Christmas decorations I had, packed up my fall things, and went to work at spreading some holiday cheer around the house. It really got me into the Christmas mood, and I soon found that I was craving Christmas music and hot chocolate. I gave in to the Christmas music. Although, the hot chocolate may need to wait until later. I have a husband, who also tends to be a hot chocolate fanatic. It's more fun to sip that chocolaty goodness together!

I found an old sled at an antique store that I have been saving for now. I got it out today, and am trying to determine my next move. It could use a little fixing up, maybe some red paint, but I don't want to take away the old, rustic look.

Our living room is decorated around gold and silver, and those are the colors I plan to put on our tree. The thought that my curtains might have an impact on my Christmas decor, never entered my mind at the time I purchased them. It is nice to have a color scheme though.

Nate doesn't know it yet, but I made him a stocking today. My family never did stockings, but I think it would be a fun tradition to start. We'll see if my husband agrees or not. Either way, I figured I better start adding to my Christmas decor pile. I am excited to know that next year I won't be starting from scratch. 

That is all the randomness I have for now, and probably all you care to read about. In case any of you are wondering, my job is going well, but will be keeping me very busy for the next few weeks, until I go down to part-time. Thanks again to all my faithful readers out there.

Most Frequently Asked Questions???

Is your husband a farmer?
No, he is not. He is an accountant at a manufacturing firm in Van Wert called Alliance Automation. Many people know that I come from a farming background, and some just assume that Nate is a farmer since that is what my Dad and brothers do. We have both been asked this question, more than a couple times actually. I find it comical that some people just automatically link Nate to farming. He enjoys his occupation, and will most likely never take up farming. Enough farm talk already goes on at our gatherings. Glad us girls got an engineer and an accountant thrown into the mix.

Nate did enjoy 4 hours of combine enjoyment with my Dad the other weekend.

Do you have a job yet?
Yes! I took the job search a little slow and made sure that I didn't get too worried over if I found a job or not. I have learned my lesson in waiting on God when it comes to the job issue. I enjoyed having extra time during the first few months of marriage, as I got settled in. A couple months ago, I began putting more effort into updating my resume and looking for jobs to apply for. I did not want to make the commute to Ft. Wayne, but was still hoping for something in my area of expertise.

For those of you who don't know. I am a Certified Medical Assistant (CMA). I worked for one year at Blackford Community Hospital before getting married. It was such a growing and learning experience.

Here I am with some of my old co-workers. These ladies were fabulous and taught me so much.

Us four Medical Assistants. I owe so much to these gals. Thankful for the friendships and knowledge that they shared with me.

Mid-September, Nate's uncle John, who is a tax preparer and sells insurance on the side, called me up and offered me a part-time job as his insurance secretary. I took him up on it, and it has been going well. His office is within walking distance from our house, which makes it very convenient.

Not quite a month later, the Paulding County Hospital called me in for an interview. I had put in a few applications there and was really hoping to get my foot in the door. A week after the interview, they offered me a part-time position at one of the Physician Offices that they run. I felt peaceful and excited. It is only going to be a few mornings per week for now, but I am thankful that I will be able to keep my assisting skills up. Orientation starts next week. I will keep you posted on how it goes!

Excited to be able to wear my colorful scrubs again!

How often do you get back to Bluffton?
Lately it has been quite frequent, due to the string of weddings we have been involved in. I am looking forward to some more relaxed weekends spent with family, hopefully during the holidays.

Did you buy a house or are you renting?
We are currently renting from an uncle. The house is spacious enough that I can easily have overnight company, thanks to the two spare bedrooms. It's a great starter-out house, and I have loved having a place of my own that I can decorate however I like.

Our Abode

Where do you get your groceries?
The two grocery stores that I favor would be Chief Supermarket and Meijer. Chief's slogan is "great food, good neighbor." Well, I'm not kidding about the neighbor part. The store is literally right across the street from our house, a couple hundred feet from our driveway. We can see everything that goes on with the 'Chief'. It can almost be too convenient sometimes, causing me not to plan very well. Meijer has also stolen my heart. They have such a large variety of things and great produce. I do have to travel a bit farther to Meijer, seeing that it is located in Defiance, but it's usually worth the 20 minute drive.

Do you walk to the grocery store since it's right across the road? 
Only when it is above 65 degrees and I only need a couple bag-fulls of stuff. OK, so I've only done it twice.

How is it going transitioning into a new church?
I am thankful that I went from a larger congregation to a smaller congregation. I think it would be tougher if the role was reversed. I am convinced that Latty is filled with some of the most welcoming people out there. Many of the ladies in Latty are from different Apostolic churches themselves, which makes them more aware of how I might feel. All in all, it has gone better than expected. I won't say that I always feel 100% comfortable, but I would have said that about Bluffton too. I am glad that Nate and I are starting off in such a loving, united church.

Have you been getting involved with church activities and getting to know church families/couples?
Yes. We have been invited to more potlucks than I can even recall. We also take part in the Latty choir, which has been a neat experience. This weekend we are traveling to Illinois with the choir. Although, not a lot of young couples, there are a few. It's been great getting to know and hang out with the ones that there are.

I am also in a weekly bible study with some ladies from Latty. What a neat way to see into each other's hearts and get to know each other.

"Becoming a Woman of Prayer" and "The Way of the Master" are two books that our group has been studying.

How do you feel about being away from both sides of your family?
There are times when it would be very convenient to have immediate family close by. For instance, the times when you need to borrow something or during those evenings when Nate is playing basketball with the guys, and I know I would go bother my mom. We have really learned to depend on each other, and that makes it all worth it. Plus, we have lots of extended family out here. Numerous cousins, aunts, uncles, and a grandpa who would love us to stop by at any time. It's been such a blessing to get to know the Manz family better.

Zollinger Family

Fiechter Family

 (I don't commonly get asked this ?, but thought I would throw it in)
What are you most thankful for today?
Heat, man-made or God-given, not choosy. As I sit in the only warm room of our house, I reflect on the truth that "you really don't miss it, until you have to go without it." A non-working furnace, causing the temperature to drop to below 60 for the last three days, is a good reminder that we don't always have to feed our flesh. Once in a while it is good for us to suffer a little. God has a sense of humor, because if there is one thing that I hate, it is being cold. So thankful for my little white heater that makes a surprisingly large difference. It has been following me around the last couple days.

I hope that this post has been helpful. It is hard to believe that we are almost at the 6 month mark of marriage. Thanking God today for all he has done in our lives!

Randy & Jenae: A Match Made In Heaven: Fall Wedding #2

20! The number 20 is how many weddings we have been invited to this year. Some may say, "Wow, that is a bit overwhelming." Certain times I would agree, but for the most part it is an absolute privilege. Nate and I have not made it to all of them, but we try to do our best. 

This weekend was Randy and Jenae's special weekend! These two make such a special couple. Randy and I have some mutual cousins that we are both close too. At times it almost seemed as if he was part of the Fiechter family since he came to some of our gatherings and was always hanging around my cousins. He's a great guy, and I am so thankful that he has Jenae to share his life with now. Jenae, I have talked about in other posts. She may be two years younger than I, but you wouldn't be able to tell. Her friendship could not have come at a more perfect time. I am so thankful to have gotten so close to her in the last two years. We have experienced many similar emotions in the previous nine months, as we both went through the proposal and engagement process. It's been a blessing to be there for each other.

Look at these cute hangers that some crafty ladies put together.

Here Jenae is with three of her sisters and four of her closest friends. As we were getting ready, Jenae said, "You girls make this weekend so special." I was thinking, what an honor it truly is to share such a special moment like this with you. Not quite six months ago, Jenae helped in making my big weekend extra special. It's neat that we got married so close to one another.

Hoping and praying for a future filled with memories that will last us a lifetime.

Mr. and Mrs. Gerber making it official!

Looking good girls!

beautiful and delicious cupcakes

Thanks for having bird seed. It makes it so much fun!

Enjoy the warm weather in Dominican!! Love you guys. Can't wait until the next time that we can be together.

Always have to add one of my hubby and I!

Each wedding reminds me of how truly blessed I am to have such a Godly, loving man in my life. I love you Nathan Elias Zollinger!!!!