in all things, give thanks

Count your blessings

Name them one by one

Count your blessings

See what God has done

Count your many blessings

Name them one by one

Count your many blessings

See what God has done

This morning I was thinking of this old hymn we used to sing in my church growing up.  So often I don't count my blessings, and instead seem to dwell on all of the lemons life throws at me.  While baking turkey cookies tonight, I've decided to not only count my blessings, but share them as well.

I am thankful for...
My husband, David Ryan Camp.  For those of you who don't know my husband, you're missing out.  David is just perfect for me.  He is so patient when I (way too often) get worked up over silly things.  He is so helpful around our home, making things easier on me when I get home from work.  He is loving.  He is a great doggie daddy to Hamilton.  There's no one else I'd rather spend my time with.  There are a lot of times when I don't let him know how much I appreciate him, but the truth is I don't know what I'd do without him in my life.

I'm thankful for...
My mom and dad.  They're just great.  They've always been so supportive, and have taught me the best life lesson, "do your best."  My mom is a great listener, and as I've gotten older, she's become a great friend.  My dad is an incredible leader, and has taught me the importance of honesty and integrity.  It has been so neat to see them in their new place in life, especially my dad.  There were so many times I saw him stressed due to his job, and now that he's retired, I can see the weight lifted off his shoulders.  It's incredible.  Even though it will still be a few years, I can't wait for my children to enjoy my parents as much as I have.

I'm thankful for...
My family.  I am so thankful for my grandmothers and my late grandfather.  I am thankful for my mother and father-in-law, my sister-in-law Katie, her husband Doug and their baby on the way, and my brother-in-law Ben.  They have taken me in as their daughter and sister, and I am thankful for each moment I get to spend with them.  I am enjoying getting to know them better each and every time we visit.

I'm thankful for...
Jesus.  Without Him, there would be no hope.  He is the great Romancer, and I enjoy the sunrises and sunsets he gives me each day.  I am thankful for His grace and unfailing love.  There are many times that my relationship with my Savior is lacking, but I know that He will never leave me nor forsake me.

I'm thankful for...
My job.  In a time where it can be hard to get hired, this is something I take for granted the most.  I am thankful for my job for many reasons, but mostly for the people I've met there.  I have been truly blessed with a desk partner that I can have fun with while at work.  We call each other "work wives," since we spend more time with one another than we do with anyone else.  My workdays would be miserable without Kendra.  :)

I'm thankful for...
My friends.  New friends and old friends.  I'm learning more and more how friends come into your life throughout all of it's seasons.  I'm thankful for all of my close friends from high school.  I'm thankful for the friends I met during college.  I'm thankful for my work friends.  And I'm thankful for our couple friends and their children (my little friends!)

I'm thankful for...
Hamilton Turner Camp.  Seems silly, but this pup provides so much love and comfort.  He's my favorite snuggle buddy, and his wagging tail melts my heart.  I love his little doggie personality.

I'm thankful for...
God's provisions.  I'm learning to be thankful for the necessities God gives us, and to not take them for granted.  Clean water and fresh food to eat.  It seems so basic, but so many go without.  Helping plan the Poverty Meal for our church made me realize just how much we have and how much we waste.

I'm thankful for...
All of the simple things I enjoy.  Snow and summer and sweatpants and hot baths and a good book to read and curling up under a blanket and swimming in the lake.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving, Friends!

fall fun & the ten-week razorback wreath

Hello friends!

I wanted to do a quick blog update on a few fun fall things going on at the Camp household... and reveal my craftiest things to date!  It feels like in Arkansas we only have two real seasons... summer and winter.  It goes from really hot to really cold way too fast, and leaves us with what seems like a couple weeks of spring and fall in between.  Well in my book, "fall" starts after Labor Day with the beginning of football season.  I'm a huge Chicago Bears fan, and of course an Arkansas Razorback fan!  I decided to pay tribute to my alma mater by getting a little crafty for football season. 

While going through several wreath ideas, I finally settled on making a ribbon wreath.  I started my wreath at the beginning of August with my friend Hayley.  Let's just say... Hayley is much craftier than me and finished her wreath a LONG time ago.  It took me about ten weeks to finish this one... but it was finally finished by the end of October.

Mom had to help me with the bow!  I am pleased with how it turned out.  It's new home is no longer on the kitchen table or in a spare bedroom - it's hanging proudly on our pantry door!

Onto another fall favorite:  Halloween.  I definitely get my love for Halloween from my mom.  Every Halloween costume I had when I was little was homemade.  It is just so fun to dress up!  And... I love trick-or-treaters!  This year I made some cute treats to hand out to the tricksters.  I think we had around 15 or so, which is an improvement from last year, so I was excited.  Here are the super easy pumpkin treats I made.  I found these on a crafting blog, although I can't remember which one!  I just used tissue paper, floral tape and a little raffia for the bow!

And of course Halloween wouldn't be complete without a visit from two of my little buddies:  Micah and Eva!  They were dressed up like a cute little firefighter and lady bug.

The picture is a little fuzzy... but they're still the cutest!

This past weekend my parents came down for the Arkansas versus South Carolina game.  This was a kind of early Christmas present for them.  They're not going to be in town (or even in the country!) for Christmas, so David and I decided to take them to a game as a part of our Christmas celebration.  The last time they came to a Razorback game was my freshman year in college... and needless to say, it wasn't the best Razorback experience.  But I think this past weekend was a success.  We took them to David and Kayla's tailgate, ate some great chili and saw a great game!  We're already looking forward to the next one!

stay classy, san diego

Have I mentioned before that I have a pretty neat husband?  Well I do.  David decided that we needed to get away for the weekend - and away we went!  He didn't tell me where we were going, only that I needed to take last Friday off of work and that our plane was leaving around 9:00 a.m.  If you know me, I'm a planner.  Like a major planner.  So this was a great exercise in patience for me.  Although I wasn't completely relaxed about not knowing where I was headed, I think I did pretty well.  

We packed up our things and headed to the airport Friday morning.  Just before clearing security, David handed me my first boarding pass... Denver, CO.  At this point, I still didn't know our final destination!  Once landing in Denver, eating an airport breakfast burrito and walking around the gates for an hour, our flight was boarding... to sunny San Diego!  I was excited!

Once we landed and got our rental car, we headed to our hotel... a resort on Coronado Bay.  The view was just beautiful.  But we couldn't hang out at the hotel long.  With only 48 hours to soak up San Diego, we had places to go!

View from our room - not too shabby!

Friday night we drove to La Jolla Beach and walked down the fishing pier.  We then moved on to Miller's Field - a sports bar along La Jolla Beach to catch a bit of the World Series.  It was definitely a fun sports bar!

Being tourists on the pier

Miller's Field

Dorky picture inside Miller's Field... I couldn't resist the Bears jersey!

Saturday morning we woke up early (the 2 hour time difference threw us for a loop!) and headed down to the Little Italy district.  Every Saturday morning a few sections of the street are blocked out for the most amazing farmer's market I've ever seen.  It was so fun to walk around.  I wanted to bring home every fruit and veggie I saw, but instead grabbed a San Diego Mercato shopping bag instead.  Not to mention the Handmade Green houndstooth collar and leash for Hamilton.  

Beautiful Gerbera Daisies at the Farmers Market

Breakfast tacos - so good!

Little Italy, San Diego

After we stopped by PetCo Park for a moment, it was time to head to the San Diego Zoo!  I have wanted  to visit the San Diego Zoo since I was about eight years old, so needless to say, I was very excited.  My favorite exhibits were the pandas (so cute!) and the animal partnership exhibit where a cheetah and a dog were just hanging out leash-free.

Cute Panda!

Dream come true!

After some tasty margaritas, we met my friend Jaclyn and her husband for dinner.  Jaclyn and I have been friends since middle school, and she and her husband Tyson are living in LA while finishing their doctorate degrees.  When we landed, I asked Jaclyn how far they lived from San Diego.  She said they were a couple hours away, and so we decided to meet up the following evening.  David and I were so thankful that they took the time to drive to San Diego to spend Saturday evening with us!  We had a great time eating dinner and dessert and visiting.  

Sunday morning we slept in as best we could, packed our bags and headed out for one last tour.  We decided it would be fun to tour Coronado/San Diego Bay.  The harbor is filled with tons of Navy ships and aircraft carriers.  The one fun fact we learned on our boat tour was about the stripes-only flags that are flown on the bows of the ships.  These flags mean, "Don't Tread on Me," and are only flown during times of war. 

 The bridge connecting Coronado and San Diego... pretty cool.

A couple of the Navy ships we spotted on our boat tour!

After our harbor tour it was time to turn in the rental car and head back to the airport.  After a couple of flights we were back home in Arkansas.  :)  Monday evening David went to pick up our pup, who had stayed with his best friend Wilson.  Somehow, I don't think he missed us too much!

 Swimming pals...

...and snuggle buddies!