Amber Williams

Christmas just passed and New Years is rapidly approaching! I thought this would be a good opportunity to recap on what a hard, but rewarding this year has really been! There has been loads of hurdles to jump, immigration rules, jobs coming and going, finances, car, you name it and we are still going strong though are ambitious (and maybe even hopeful) for the next your to come and hopefully it brings better times! I don't regret anything and I love my new home and family. Christmas day was full of great food, family, friends and love. We celebrated with Dave's parents and our good friends later in the afternoon. I just feel blessed to have so many people in our lives looking out for us! :) My birthday is tomorrow and this will mark the last year of my 20's!! Scary! But I think I will survive! We talked about going to dinner and going to see "Puss in Boots" since I've really wanted to watch it! (it looks so cute!) so that will be fun! No New Years pla...

I have been thinking a lot about my purpose and direction in life. I have made a lot of consideration on whether I'm in the right place in life and where I need to make some changes. I found this "Spiritual Gifts Analysis" which I have taken before sometime back, but decided maybe I would see where my results lie again. Honestly, they haven't changed and for the first time, I think it might be a good point into the right direction! Much to ponder my friends! Read and tell me if you think this could be me as well! Test Results: Strength Evangelism 9 Prophecy 8 Teaching 11 Exhortation 18 Pastor/Shepherd 14 Showing Mercy 22 Serving 17 Giving 13 Administration 16 About Your Spiritual Gifts: Spiritual gifts are tools God gives Christians to do the work of the ministry -- to fulfill the Great Commission to reach, baptize, and teach and to minister to one another. Every Christian receives at least one gift at the moment of salvation....

"Our lives are made in these small hours, these little wonders,these twists & turns of fate. Time falls away, but these small hours,These small hours still remain..." I love this song from Rob Thomas, I think it fully embraces one of my favorite things in life: know knowing and appreciating the little things in life. I really feel that a lot of times, it's the small things that can make the biggest impact in one's life, and sadly enough, it's often the things we take for granted the most. When I was in Boise and things felt rough or those "twists and turns of fate" would throw blows at me, I used to drive up to table rock (or area's by that also over-looked the city) when the sun was setting and stars were coming out to think and put things back into perspective. I remember being just in awe of the sight as the sun slowly dipped into the earth and the night city would come alive with the stars making their twinkly appearance above. As I sat the...

We have both been complaining that one of the other changes we need to make in our life has to do with our health and weight, so it has been decided that we will start the South Beach Diet! :) I have gained like 20lbs since moving here and starting working and then with the combination of stress and TERRIBLE diet I've been keeping, I've been getting sick a lot as well! So, I decided that I wanted to make a change and after much debate with Dave over which diet we should choose, he was nice enough to cave in from the Atkins Diet to entertain my thoughts on the South Beach Diet! (I like that there are more options and variety in the choices of foods!) So, over the last 2 weeks we have been cleaning out the bad foods from the cupboards and fridge and got "The South Beach Diet Supercharged" book as well as the South Beach Diet Quick and Easy Cookbook and this Monday marks the starting day of our new diet! What I'm excited about is that it really isn't much diffe...

I've been really thinking and "reflecting" (If you will) the the events of my life in the last couple years. There has been so much change and healing and growing from it! I have found that the person I am today has vastly grown from the person I was then...But replacing the anger and bitterness I once had has grown a sadness of sorts. Don't get me wrong, I'm not sad of the positive changes I have made in my life, but of the sacrifices that may have come with it perhaps? It's dumb things as well...But they are things I really have missed. I must admit that for the first time in a long time, I miss Idaho. I miss having those close friendships, I miss going to Table Rock. I miss singing and dancing, I miss Kairi and Dax (the dogs I had), the back porch I had in Nampa and sitting there in the gentle summer breeze watching the sun go down. I loved that house, I loved that porch, I loved those dogs, my friends, the overall setting of my life minus the sad and har...

"Looking back at the road so far The journey's left it's share of scars. Mostly from leaving the narrow and straight. Looking back it is clear to me, that a man is more than the sum of his deeds, And how you make good of this mess I've made is a profound mystery. Looking back you know you had to bring me through all that I was so afraid of though I questioned the sky now I see why...Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view looking back I see the lead of love Looking back I can finally see how failures bring humility(I'd rather have wisdom and pain) Brings me to my knees (Than be a comfortable old fool)Helps me see my need for thee..." - "The Lead of Love" from Caedmon's Call. I have really been working on putting the pieces of my life back together and I think that one of the things that have been missing in my life is my spiritual growth. It's something I've been thinking and missing for some time now and think that maybe ...

The last couple weeks have been absolute madness for me! My week right now consists of getting up in the morning at 5:15 a.m. to get ready for work, leave the house at 6:40 a.m. so that I can get on with my hour and a half trip to the corporate office to start work at 8:30, which goes till 5:30 p.m. in which I pack up my gear and head home for another hour to hour and a half trip back home (which usually has me back home for between 7-7:30 p.m.). All in all, it makes for a REALLY long day! Talk about getting what you asked for right!? I do like my new job though! The company treats me well, my manager is awesome, and I feel once I really get comfortable in my own skin with doing the work, I will really come to enjoy the job a lot! :) It's a lot of work to start with, but once I get caught up and settled, it's going to be fun! By the time I hit the weekends though, I'm soo thoroughly exhausted that I just don't feel like doing anything! I know that will change when I...