2013 and Small Group

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and spent time with family and friends!

Drew and I had an extremely busy "24 hours" of Christmas going to six different family places.

Christmas 2014 in the mountains perhaps? We will see....

We are blessed with a large family and lots of excited people to share this fun holiday with but we ran ourselves ragged. I'll remember our first married Christmas more with the prep leading into the actually day-

the decorating the tree together, shopping for our family, working our favorite charity project, and enjoyed a beautiful candle light service. How do you other married folks balance everything? 

As 2013 is wrapping up {which is crazy} I feel I need to share what has been the most influential and important part of my year. Obviously, getting married was huge and such a life changing event that I wouldn't trade for the world. I feel what has really improved the quality of not only our marriage but our lives is the decision we made to join a small group within our large church Faith Promise. 

We joined our group a month or so before we got married. Our group is made up of three other couples who are still less than five years married and since joining a single dad has joined and a dating couple. I'll tell anyone considering a group that it is difficult at first to take that dive into putting yourself in the scary position of sitting down with strangers and putting yourself, your marriage out there to share. I feel we can always make an excuse of why not to, it IS tough to finally say okay, I'm ready to grow. Words can't say how grateful I am that we have joined this group.

Mather 18:20 says, "Where two or more gather, I am there."

Our first study once we returned from our honeymoon was a marriage study.

Marriage Study Post Here

This study may have lasted six sessions but the impact it has left on me still remains. I find myself looking at Drew differently and really thinking about my role as a wife. 

This is something I never would have experienced without small group.

Since this time we have studied how to balance our busy lives, a family study, and a prayer study. 

These studies have "trickled" down into my life as a teacher, my life as a friend, my life as daughter, and more. Do I think we could have worked our way threw 2013 without group? Sure, but it would not have been such a learning experience and not near as enjoyable. I wouldn't want to think about the second part of our year with out group. 2013 has been an amazing year both personally and professionally for Drew and I, without question I know that the best step taken this year was our step to grow in our faith, together. 

I'm excited for the growth and path that our faith will have in 2014!