Boy, am I blessed.

This is my original small group (minus eric and rebecca who are home with their incredible new baby boy). We've grown quite a bit since we started in September, but these are the people with whom it all began. In less than a year, we've become family. We've gone through two births, a wedding, lots of heartache, six baptisms, new jobs, new friends, four moves, some concrete hauling and several rounds of pizza eating, barbeques, game playing, miniature golf and movie watching - together. Last night, we had our last meeting as a unit because we're bursting at the seams and, well, we need to start new groups so that other people can experience what God has done through us. I'm positive that He will continue to work through us and through our new friends who we will meet soon and who we will love in the way that God shows us to love, which is a love that transends backgrounds and age and gender and really, it cuts deep to the core of who we are and why we are here. I've learned a lot in the last year and I've grown a lot, too. And I count each one of these people as my very best friends and I know that they will be here for me always and that is a gift that I will treasure in a place so close to my heart, it beats.