sugar cookies.

this has been a very fun holiday weekend.

the day after thanksgiving was beautiful, so i went on a walk along the water at lincoln park. i love walking there. it's the first park i found when i moved here, and still one of my favorites. sometimes i listen to music or podcasts, sometimes i just listen to the waves and think. friday was the latter. for most of my walk i was thinking about how the bible tells us time and time again not to be afraid. i've been reading in isaiah lately, and it seems like every chapter at least once there is the command "fear not." the Lord was good to remind me during my walk that where he has me now is GOOD, that he is faithful to provide, and that my fear (in any sense, from lack of a job, to where i'll be in a year, to what people think of me) stems from a lack of trust in Him.

after my walk i did some little things around the house as dana decorated everything for christmas!! i walked down to starbucks in the afternoon and sipped on a soy chai, one of my favorite starbucks treats, and which i've always called "christmas in a cup."

on saturday after community group i helped the reeds with "family clean day." baby reed is due in a matter of weeks, and katy wanted to get everything spick and span clean before the big day comes. craig and i scrubbed the kitchen clean (that's our area of expertise), every drawer, cabinet, and surface. katy and tyler cleaned their room and the living room, all while singing along to christmas music. when we were all done, it was a thing to behold. in return for our help, the reeds gave us a Creative  Date! a friend of ours puts them together, and when you buy one, you get a series of envelopes with clues on them. the theme of ours is "a tourist in seattle"- so when we go, we'll open the first clue, figure out where it leads, go there and do something, then open the second clue. i think there are 5 or 6 in total, and the last one leads to a highly recommended (by our foodie friends) restaurant. it sounds like so much fun, and i can't wait to go!

we spent the rest of the evening playing games and making sugar cookies. i'm thankful for friends who are like family, so comfortable to be around, and so full of laughs! phase 10 got everyone hyped up, and after that, the reeds relaxed on the couch and craig and i baked the cookies. i sure do have a lot of good conversations in that kitchen. it helps that i have a key to their house, it's practically my second home, and i do most of my baking there :)

we didn't have christmas cookie cutters. but you can't go wrong with hearts!

i actually put effort into these ones to take home.

after that, we just slathered some icing on and ate them :)

the look of concentration?

monopoly deal. the new banangrams.

after church today there was a decorating party, and anyone who was interested could stay and help out. i did, and got to climb ladders, use a power drill, AND a staple gun. days like today i'm especially thankful for parents that taught me such things! i like to learn how to do things, and know how things work. today i enjoyed hearing the big picture idea, then getting the creative license to figure it out and go with it.

too many hands for one small felt circle?

hanging lanterns with power.

stapling lights to the ceiling.

a bit precarious.

a quick trip to the gym, a homemade dinner-by-dana, and ice cream with dana and emily....a beautiful end to the day.

and now to go crawl into my warm bed and read because i've been shivering all evening!

love,
tracey