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Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Hello! Happy Friday! Hope you all are having a great day so far. It’s actually a little bit chilly outside right now, and I am LOVING it. Seriously though. Michigan got some serious snow last night, and I am just a little bit jealous. I miss my snow! Anyways, I thought I would share just a few pictures from the past couple of weeks. I finally uploaded some pictures off of my camera…so here ya go! Enjoy!

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Lake Grapevine

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Chess with James in the park!

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Cool fountain outside a church in Dallas


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Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leffcomment


Hello and Happy Friday! Can’t believe it’s already Friday again…where does the time go? I have to work this weekend, so nothing too exciting will be going on around here, but that’s alright. Well, since I haven’t done a Friday Favorites post in practically forever, I thought I would sum up the past few weeks in a few of my favorite moments right now. So, without further ado, here are my favorites from the past week[s]…

5. Getting to spend some quality time with James’ family over Christmas. While we weren’t actually able to go home to the North Country, it was so so nice to have his family with us over the holidays. Gave me a chance to practice some of my cooking as well…haha. But seriously, we had a blast showing them around Dallas, and look forward to the next time we have visitors:)

Family and SNOW!
4. Visiting the Dallas World Aquarium with James’ family. Seriously, one of the best aquariums I have been to—and I love aquariums. The rainforest feature was very cool, and allowed for more animals [like birds and monkeys] to be included in the tour. Very unique, and definitely worth a visit if you are ever in Dallas!

Seriously…a waterfall!
3. Samson’s first visit to the vet. This may sound like a strange one, but I was nervous to take him to the vet for the first time. I mean, what if he was really bad and tried to attack everyone? But, my fear was in vain. He was a very good boy, and even started purring when the vet pet him…definitely a keeper:)

Doesn’t he look like so innocent? 
2. Fort Worth Stockades. Another cool place we visited while James’ family was in town. I unfortunately didn’t take any pictures, but it was seriously such a cool place. It kind of looked like a replica of an Old Western cattle town, except for it wasn’t a replica. It was the actual town, restored of course, but it looked the same as it did years and years ago. It was neat to see all the old shops and restaurants, and imagine what life would have been like there 100 years ago.

Sculpture inside the 100+ year old hotel.
1. Starting the New Year off right with a wonderful conference at Gateway Church. We were able to hear some amazing speakers, like Max Lucado and Rick Santorum, and were inspired to live a year of purpose in 2013. It was definitely a good way to refocus, and get the year off to a great start.

So, there’s my condensed list from the past couple of weeks. What are some fun things you’ve done so far in 2013?

Hope you all have a great Friday, and an even better weekend! God Bless:)

Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Friday! Hopefully you all are having a great day so far. I have the day off today, and Samson is cuddled up next to me on the couch as I am writing this, so my day is going pretty good so far:) James and I are having some friends over for dinner tonight, so later I’m going to have to cook—hopefully everything turns out all right! Haha. Anyways, I thought I would share some Friday Favorites from the week/things I am thankful for…

5. We FINALLY have our Internet back! Oh the little things in life. Seriously though, our Internet has been out for three weeks…not cool. The company we have to use down here has been pretty tough to deal with, so I am grateful to finally have it up and running again—makes blogging so much easier!

4. Since we have our Internet back, we were able to Skype with my parents earlier in the week. We haven’t been able to do that for a while, and it was so good to see/talk to them! They are going to be in New Zealand for Christmas this year, so I won’t be able to see them over the holidays, which is quite sad:( But, at least I was able to visit with them for a little bit via Skype before they leave.

3. On Sunday we took Samson for his first car ride (in preparation for his visit to the vet) and he was so good! He just sat on my lap very contentedly the entire time, and eventually fell asleep. I am very thankful that he is okay with cars/travel—travelling with fidgety animals can be a nightmare!

2. So, the back right window in my car has been broken for some time (it won’t go up and down) and I keep meaning to fix it, but just haven’t gotten around to it. Then, a couple of weeks ago, the same thing happened to my front driver’s side window. I am definitely a windows-down kind of person, so this happening was not cool. Plus, it made going through drive-thru lanes rather difficult if you know what I mean. But, earlier this week it just miraculously started working again! I am so grateful, and I hope it doesn’t happen again. I’m so used to having my dad around to fix my car when something goes wrong, and now that he is far away those little problems become much more problematic. So, I’m praying that my car stays in excellent condition from now on:)

1. Financial provision. God has seriously met our needs these past few weeks/months, even when I was afraid it wouldn’t happen. The more I allow myself to trust in him to provide, the more he follows through. I am so grateful to serve a God who takes care of my every need. He has everything under control, and is teaching me to trust in him during this stage of life. SO grateful for everything he has blessed me with!

Well, I hope you all have had a wonderful week. Have a great weekend, and God Bless!

Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leff6 Comments

Hello and Happy Friday! Hope you all are having a great day so far. It’s looking like it’s supposed to storm this weekend, which I am a little bit excited about:) I know I’ve said it before, but I love weather–storms, rain, snow, whatever…love it all. So, fingers crossed for some stormy weather (must be that midwestern, Lake Michigan loving blood in me…or something) Well, I thought I would share my Friday Favorites from the week. It’s been a good week overall, and God has been blessing us tremendously as we continue to put our trust and faith in him. So, without further ado, here are my favorites from the week! (Oh, and as a side not, feel free to comment on this post with your own favorites from the week. Sometimes just writing down the things you’re thankful for really helps change your perspective from negative to positive–at least it helps me!)

5. The many faces of Samson. I know, I know I must sound like a crazy cat lady, but seriously he is so cute. My iPhone is literally loaded with pictures of him doing all sorts of crazy things–he’s just too entertaining to pass up!

Those Eyes.

Sneaking the last of my chicken tortilla soup. 

So. Dignified.

Just got so tired…I couldn’t make it the rest of the way…

4. Finally…some fall colors! If you’ve been reading for awhile, you’ll understand my frustration in missing out on the Midwestern fall which I love so much. I miss the apple orchards, chilly fall days, hot apple cider, and most of all, the beautiful fall colors. But, this week I’ve begun to notice some leaves changing colors…right here in Texas. It’s amazing! This probably sounds really silly, but in a way the colors remind me of home, and make it a little easier to be away from my family during this time of year.

Yellow!


Right Outside our Apartment. 

3. Christmas Music! Ha. It just puts me in such a good mood:) I love it!

2. Date night with my husband. The other night, James and I went downtown Dallas to this amazing mall known as the Galleria. Seriously Awesome. Four stories, complete with an ice skating rink, and one of my FAVORITE restaurants–The Grand Lux Cafe. Whenever my mom and aunt and I go to Chicago for a girls weekend, we almost ALWAYS go to the Grand Lux. I guess I didn’t realize it was a chain restaurant, but I am thrilled to have one in Dallas. If you’ve never been there, it’s similar to the Cheesecake Factory, but in my opinion is much better! Needless to say, it was a great evening:) Mom…Aunt Karen…you’re gonna have to come and visit!

GIANT Christmas tree in the middle of the skating rink!

1. God has provided both James and myself new jobs this week! So thankful for more and better work for the both of us–God really does provide! We have been really praying for new opportunities the past couple of weeks, and God definitely answered our prayers. So thankful! 

What were some of your favorites from the week? Hope you all have a great weekend! God Bless:) 

Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Happy Friday! Can’t believe how fast time is going by, and that it is already November. Craziness. Still just doesn’t seem quite right with temperatures reaching the upper 80’s today…my internal clock is a little messed up I think. Anyways, hopefully you all had a great week! Here are a few of my favorites from mine…
5. Getting to skype with my parents, and actually being able to see them! Ha. They finally got their new web cam set up, so instead of blurry images, I was able to see actual faces! Yay! Gotta love technology.
4. Precious little Samson. I’ve been feeling a little homesick and down this week, but that little kitten sure knows how to make me feel better:) He basically follows me everywhere. I’m quite certain that he truly thinks I’m his mom.
He’s GrowingUp! Ha.
3. Exploring White Rock Lake Park this past Sunday. I know I posted some pictures of the park earlier in the week, but seriously it’s worth mentioning again. It was so nice to get outside and explore some of God’s creation. Lately I’ve been feeling a little confined by all the buildings and roadways near our area, so the lake and the trees were a nice reprieve.
Coolest Tree Ever.
2. Adventures in downtown Dallas. We checked out this cool new city park in downtown Dallas, complete with dog park, walking trail, kids playground, food trucks, badminton, Ping-Pong and put-put golf. Seriously—coolest city park I have ever seen. Hands down.
Walking Path Surrounding the Park
Coolest Tree Fort Ever? I think so.
Fountains!
1. Learning to rely on God more and more each and every day. Moving to a completely new place, and all the stresses that go with, has not been easy. But, I can definitely say that I am learning to rely on God’s grace in ways I never knew possible before. Moving, in many ways, has been a humbling experience, and God has been teaching me so much throughout the process.
Well, I hope you all are having a great day! Have a great weekend:)

Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Hello and Happy Friday! It’s been a busy week with moving and unpacking all of our stuff, but I can now say that we are officially moved in! Yay. Just hung pictures on the walls last night, and unpacked the last bit of stuff. Still have a few various projects to do—like putting my desk together (which is still in a box), and organizing the spare closet so I can fit more into it (ha) but overall things are looking pretty good around here. So, here is my list of Friday favorites for the week…hope you all had a great week as well:)

5. Samson’s scratching post. Sounds like an odd favorite thing, but it is so funny to watch him on it. His grandma (my mom haha) wanted to get him a present, so we settled on this cool little scratching post for him to play on. It came with catnip to sprinkle into the scratching part, and let me tell you, he LOVES catnip. He was so hyper that first night he used it, I didn’t think he would ever settle down. But, eventually he crashed, and everything was all good. But seriously, it was so entertaining to watch.

4. While out exploring the other day, James and I stumbled upon a Bubble Tea shop. Now I’ve never had bubble tea before this week, but let me tell you—I am hooked! It was so good, we’ve already gone back for a second trip. We actually went last night, and I had a pumpkin pie smoothie (not tea, I know) and it was seriously amazing. I’m sure we will be back again.

3. Getting to skype with my parents! We finally got Internet in our apartment last week, so we were able to skype with my parents (and kitty). Ah it was SO good to be able to see them and talk to them. I miss them both so much. Thank goodness for skype when you can’t be there in person:)

2. We’ve been having some beautiful weather this week. So nice, I can’t even complain much about missing those brisk Michigan fall days. (Even though I do still miss them very much). It’s been sunny and warm during the day, and cool at night—perfect. I still find myself thinking that I am on vacation—not used to this warm October weather yet I guess. Still, I can’t complain. I even saw a tree with some reddish looking leaves the other day—sort of like fall! Ha.

1. OUR FURNITURE and BED and KITCHEN SUPPLIES finally came this week. We had a small misunderstanding with the first moving company (ahem…scam) that we tried to use, so we ended up having to wait two and half weeks for our furniture to come using another (much better) mover. I have never been so grateful for a bed in my life. This whole ordeal has really made me grateful and appreciative for the things that I have. It finally is starting to feel like home here in our new apartment, which is definitely a good thing!

Well, that about wraps it up. Hope you all are having a fabulous day, and have a fun fall weekend planned! God Bless:)

Friday Favorites

By: Sarah Leff1 Comment

Hello and happy Friday! It’s a beautiful day here in Grapevine–sunny and not too hot:) I figured my Friday Favorite posts were a little bit overdue, so I thought I would combine the last couple weeks of favorites into a picture collage of sorts. So without further ado, here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks (can’t believe we’ve already been in Texas for two weeks…seriously, time goes by so quickly).

Sadly, this is not Texas.

Last visit to Michigan for awhile…I had to take in the trees! 

I got a little carried away with scenery pictures.

What can I say? I wanted to remember home.

And of course, Mr. Piggers. Such a happy fellow.

Again, with the trees. Do you think I love Michigan fall??
And of course downtown Rockford.
We drove through this CRAZY storm on our way down to Texas. 

Our apartment has a complementary car wash.  It’s the little things in life…

AND they have a Corner Bakery here! I almost got in a wreck when I passed by out of excitement.

Cool lake side park in Dallas.

Pretty Lake. I had no idea there were lakes in Dallas.

Grapevine has an AWESOME farmers market…BONUS!

Our pool area, which is right outside our balcony. So resort-ish.

The HUGE balcony…seriously, we are going to have to buy some patio furniture.

Note the huge lake in the background. Seriously, who knew?

Not me…but I’m loving it!

The newest addition to our family…baby SAMPSON!

He fell asleep in the fireplace (no fire!) on his first night here.

He likes to cuddle while I do devotions in the morning.

Fall asleep.

Look cute.

Pretend to help me work on my book. He is a very good writer. 

He even stands on the word of God (thats my Bible if you can’t tell).

And he even sleeps on my shoulder. Precious, I know.

Well we are enjoying our time here in Grapevine/Dallas so far. And I am definitely loving our new addition…baby Sampson:) Hope you enjoyed the pictures. I’m going to try and do a better job with posting pictures from now on…I think it makes everything a little more interesting!

Hope you all are having a great Friday! God Bless:)

Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Good morning and happy Friday! I am up in Michigan for the weekend visiting family before the big move to Texas next week (so soon!?). I’m trying to soak up these last few days of cool Michigan fall weather—my absolute favorite time of year—because I know I won’t be getting ANY of it in Dallas:( Most people would probably be excited about moving to a warmer climate, but I am a Michigan girl through and through, and I definitely enjoy the cooler weather. Despite not looking forward to the weather, I am getting more excited about moving. Still a little nervous, but I have a feeling everything (besides the weather) is going to work out great.

Without further ado, here is my list of Friday Favorites for the week…

5. Saying goodbye to our business in Fort Wayne. It wasn’t even all that bittersweet—it was basically all relief. This past year has been very stressful on James and on myself, and it was nice to be able to say goodbye to one of those unnecessary stressors in our lives. I have a feeling we will be a LOT happier in the coming days.

4. Celebrating James’ dad’s birthday up at their campground last weekend.We got to spend some quality time with his family last weekend before we take off for Texas. It was great to see everyone, and enjoy some more wonderful Midwestern weather (sad face).

3. Saying goodbye to friends this week. It’s not exactly a fun thing to say goodbye to friends, but it has definitely been good to catch up and see people I haven’t been able to see for a while. I will definitely miss friends when we are in Texas, but now I can fully utilize my Skype account:)

2. Spending time with my family in Grand Rapids this week/weekend. I am going to miss them so much. It’s been great to spend some time with them before I leave, and I’m looking forward to spending more time with them this weekend as well.

1. Texas. I may be nervous and sad from saying goodbye to friends and family, but there is still a little bit of excitement in my heart. I like to travel and experience new things, so I am looking forward to this new chapter in our lives—even though it may be a little bittersweet. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in our lives over the next few months and years.

Anyways, there’s the list. Hope you all are having a great week, and will have an even better weekend! God Bless:)

Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leffcomment


Happy Friday Everyone! This week has really flown by, but I am glad that it’s almost the weekend:) James and I are planning on hanging out with his family up at their campground, so I’m looking forward to spending some time with them and in the outdoors. Praying that the weather stays nice—it’s a little rainy now, but after al the droughts this summer, I have a new appreciation for rain that I doubt will ever go away. Anyways, here are some of my favorite things from the week…

5. Visiting my family in Grand Rapids for a few days earlier in the week. James was away on a business trip, so I went home for a bit to see the family (+ pig and gandie). It was great to relax and see everyone again.

Pig with his leaf:)
Gandie…in her favorite spot.
4. On Monday, my mom and I had a girls day:) We went and got pedicures, did some shopping, went raspberry picking, got lunch…it was a great day to say the least. I love hanging out with my mom—we always have a great time!

The Big Apple at Robinette’s Apple Orchard.
3. Also on Monday, I got to try on some bridesmaid dresses for my friend Sarah’s wedding this coming Spring! I am so excited for her, and trying on different bridesmaid dresses added to the excitement:) Can’t wait to be a part of her big day!

2. Holland. I got to go there briefly on Tuesday with my family because we were there visiting my little brother who goes to Hope College. It was great to see him, and of course visit some of my favorite Holland places—like dinner at the New Holland Brewing Company. Of course, it would have been better if James were there, but it was great to have dinner with the fam:)

The Lake View.
This will NEVER get old.
1. Life Changes. There are going to be some big changes coming up here in our lives that I’m still trying to wrap my head around. I like change, but at the same time it can be really scary. I’m praying that God would give me peace and courage as we go forward.

Well, there’s the list. Hope you all are having a fabulous week, and have a great weekend planned! God Bless:)

Friday Favorites.

By: Sarah Leffcomment

Happy Friday! I can’t believe it’s already the weekend again. And that it’s September. Craziness. Anyways, I hope you all are having a fabulous day and have fun weekends planned ahead of you:) We’re not doing too much around here…but it is supposed to be a beautiful weekend, with some cooler temperatures, that I am pretty excited about. I missed last week’s Friday Favorites, so I thought I would do a 2 week recap here…

5. It’s September.Fall is my favorite season of all time, and I am definitely looking forward to participating in some fun fall activities…namely cooking pumpkin related treats. There’s something about the season change and the cooler temperature that just gets me really excited about life…which is never a bad thing!

4. We got to spend some quality time with my family last weekend over Labor Day. We all went up to our cottage on Lake Michigan for the weekend, and go tot enjoy the beach one last time for the summer. It was great to see everyone, and of course I always love going to the beach:)

3. God’s guidance and direction—even when things aren’t the easiest. I won’t say much about this, but it’s an amazing feeling to know that we have a God who cares about us and meets all of our needs. He provides for us always, and loves us unconditionally. This has become more and more plain to me in the past few weeks. God is good—all the time.

2. Health. That may sound strange, but this week I haven’t been feeling the greatest, and it’s really made me realize how much I take for granted in terms of my health. I’m thankful that God has given me a strong and healthy body that is able to do the things I want to do.

1. Beginning new things. Sometimes change can be scary, and starting a new project or task can be daunting. But, at the same time new challenges can be exhilarating and exciting. Recently I’ve started to write more frequently, and am hoping to eventually write a book. It’s always been a dream of mine, and I guess I’ve finally decided to go for it. Exciting…and a little scary at the same time. But, God is good, and I know everything will fall into place in his timing:)

Well, that’s all I have for today. Hope you all have an excellent evening, and an even better weekend! God Bless:)

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