Hello everyone!

Forgive the absence from the blog. I’ve been super busy with so many exciting things happening.

Cody and I are working hard on starting a blog together. This will be mostly based around marriage, communication and our lives, with touches of each of our passions and thoughts on things like technology, overcoming insecurity, leadership, political views etc. We’re really excited about it and feel God calling us to start this together. It’s going to be a www.livelaughlight.com Here’s a little taste of our logo done by the beautiful Amy Sharp over at www.amyellacreative.com

Out of this blog I’ve also started a personal training/boot camp business called LiveLaughLight. Starting in January I will offer classes on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday evenings from 5:30 to 6:30pm $100 per person for four weeks. Send me an e-mail or DM if you’re interested!

I’ve been working hard on the first draft of a book that’s been stirring inside me for the last three years about overcoming insecurity. I have an end goal of December 15th for the first draft and will send it in to a friend to hopefully get some ideas for publishing! More to come on that one!

We’re wrapping up our semester for SWITCH and I’m just so excited for the Christmas holiday this year! I was just reading in Luke about when Mary and Joseph brought Jesus to the temple to be dedicated. You can access a great reading plan at www.youverson.com it’s called Rediscovering the Christmas Season.

Today’s reading focused on two people who waited at the temple everyday for the coming of Jesus. Simone and Anna–two prophets who dedicated their lives to seeing the Christ arrive. I was encouraged and challenged when I read about how devout these two people were for the coming of Christ. In the reading plan it encouraged all of us to have that same excitement and expectation for the second coming of Christ–when He returns for us. I know I don’t always think about it, getting too caught up in the life I lead here on the earth, but it really made me think. I want to have the same excitement for the coming of Christ that I do for Christmas. I want to be so in love with Christ that I do what Anna the Prophetess does “She talked about Jesus to everyone.” Luke 2:37 and I want to encourage all of us to foster that same excitement. I think if we truly knew what that day was going to be like, there wouldn’t be anything that could keep us from being as excited as we possibly could.

So today, get excited! There are amazing things to come!

There’s a certain confidence that comes when you know your purpose in life. You have guidance, and an invisible arrow pointing you in the direction you know you’re supposed to be going.

However, simply knowing your purpose isn’t enough.

Living your purpose is where life really gets sweet.

When you take that step of obedience there is a greater confidence that comes along, like a companion on the journey of life, keeping you company as you trudge forward. There is something about living on the right side of obedience that gives you the keys to unlock the doors that used to be closed. A new realm opens up. You see things differently. You experience life more vibrantly and carry a new sense of purpose you’ve only ever heard about.

Are you living on the right side of obedience? What will it take for you to take that step of faith and start doing what it is you know God has called you to do?

I came across this video and it made me think: these guys–and girls are living life to the fullest, taking risk, and having a blast doing it! I’m not saying I want to jump on a bike and dive into a pond, but I am saying when I get to the end of my life I don’t want to look back and realize I lived a safe existence. I want to live, really LIVE! Hopefully you feel the same way! Check this out:

Cody and I love to do home improvement projects around the house. Since the Light family flood of 2010 where we had a swimming pool in our living room, the house had been in a constant state of improvement. Now that everything is done for the most part, we went on to tackle other projects I’ve been dying to get to.

We decided we wanted to spruce up our bathroom and bedroom mirror. Look at it, it’s just a sheet of glass hanging on the wall. Bor-ing!

So we decided we wanted to frame it out using crown moulding. Here’s what you need to complete a project like this: a few pieces of crown moulding picked up at your local Home Depot or Lowes. This was only $1.72 a foot!

Next, you will need a can of paint in whatever color tickles your fancy. I like flat black since it matches with everything else in the bathroom and bedroom.

And of course you can’t forget your hunk of burning love willing to help you with this project. Ohhh, he’s so cute!

Once you’ve made your measurements you can cut the crown moulding to size. Be sure to cut the ends at a 45 degree angle so they line up at each corner. (It took us a couple tries to get the measurements right, but eventually, with enough patience (Cody’s the patient one, not me!) we cut them to size and started painting.)

Besides taking pictures and holding the boards while Cody made his measurements, this was my only job. I leave the heavy thinking, planning and executing to him, he leaves the “girly” stuff like painting to me.

Once the paint is dry it’s time to hang them up. We had to use stabilizers behind the crown moulding to make it even on all sides, but I’m very happy with the way it turned out.

What do you think?

We also did our bedroom mirror. It really makes it stand out more.

Two “like new” mirrors for less than $50 dollars! Now that’s what I call a good investment!

What home improvement projects have you been meaning to get to?

Any inexpensive ideas, please feel free to share them in the comments!

I got this e-mail last night:

Dear Anna,

Congratulations! Jen here, and your blog, Anna Light Ministries, is a
Master Blog of Women in Ministry!

We’ve scoured the web looking for amazing blogs that not only are great in
content, but informative and helpful when needed.  And we’ve determined your
blog to be such!  We like to call it a Master of its category!

You can see your blog and others right here

Click on the link and see who’s number 4! Pretty cool.  Thanks for making my little corner of the world a place others feel is worth knowing about.