A Trip to the Zoo (and Other Random Things)

 Last Friday (most of) my family and I took a quick and quite unplanned trip to the zoo. We were only there for 1 1/2 to 2 hours because Livi had soccer practice but we still had a lot of fun! The BR zoo has a petting zoo where they have goats, sheep, rabbits, ducks, cattle, prairie dogs, wallabies, and bats. (Although you can't actually pet the bats or prairie dogs... and the wallabies never get close enough for you to pet them.) But you can actually go inside the area where they keep the goats and sheep.

And... the goat ate my paper :/

 

 

 

Since then, not much has been happening. Just the normal stuff - work, school, and housecleaning. But tomorrow... I GET TO SEE KARI JOBE LIVE!!!! :) So excited! All Sons and Daughters and Kari Jobe will be at my church tomorrow night! And, speaking of concerts, two of my cousins, Tori, Olivia, and I are going to the tobMac Hits Deep concert at the end of November. I'm really excited because I LOVE all of the bands/artists that will be. Lineup includes: tobyMac, Britt Nicole, Chris August, Group 1 Crew, Jamie Grace, Brandon Heath, and Mandisa. Can't wait! :)

While writing this post, I've been listening to Christmas music and drinking peppermint hot chocolate from a Christmas mug. Plus, I'm excited because, due to rain, the weather has cooled down quite a bit... it's only 76 degrees right now and tomorrow the high is only 82! When you've been experiencing 100 degree weather for the past 5 months, when the temperature is lower than 90, it feels amazing!

Is it Christmas yet?

Christmas!

Okay, so it's not really the Christmas season yet but I always get into it way early. :) My favorite time of the year is November through December. Thanksgiving Day is my favorite actual holiday-day but the Christmas season is my favorite time of year. I love everything about it! The excitement in the air, the decorations, the lights, drinking hot chocolate, watching Christmas movies, baking cookies, eating candy canes, making fudge, the stores constantly busy with shoppers looking to get presents for everyone on their list- what's not to love about all of that? As great and wonderful as all of that is, something is missing. Something great. Perhaps it's the whole purpose of our festivities... Christmas is about us celebrating Jesus' birth but so many times we get so caught up in the celebration and the things that we're "supposed" to be doing that we forget the reason why. As the Christmas season starts to come around once again, no matter if you're like me and are already getting into or if you're dreading it, be sure to keep in mind the reason behind it all. It might just change everything.

One more thing- here's a link to something my pastor posted on his blog last Christmas eve: "A Few Questions on Christmas Eve" Very thought provoking and it goes perfectly with the whole point of my post today. Be sure to check it out!

~Sarah Elizabeth~