Times they are a changin'

This year has been a whirlwind year!  There's been so much happening!

First of all, I became a GRANDMA!!!  How fun and exciting is that! I'm really looking forward to this stage of life.  The empty nest is great and having my time with hubby is fabulous but grandkids!! That brings a whole other level of fun!

Secondly,  my son is getting married!  I will have 2 grown kids that are married!!  What?!  The Lord is so good to provide such wonderful spouses for my kids.  I'm so happy to experience my grown kids in this new stage of life!  My son will be a wonderful husband (and dad sometime!! AH!) and it's so exciting to see this newlywed couple and their new love!

Thirdly,  we are moving AGAIN!!!  Ok this is about the 14th time we have moved in our 27 years of marriage.  See this post here about that.    But this time is gonna be so cool!  It has always been a dream of mine to move to Europe.  To live in a high rise and be able to walk down the street for groceries, coffee, shops and restaurants.  I have always loved living near parks and water and especially looking at the greenery.  Although we aren't moving to Europe just yet.... (you never know what the future holds!)  my hubby has found me the next best thing here in Texas!  It's a condo in a high rise building overlooking a canal!  Pictures will be coming for sure!

I'm really looking forward to what this year will bring.  The Lord is gracious and loving.  Even though sometimes life is like a roller coaster, I can trust that the Lord is good and is faithful.

I never want to portray my life as only the good and only good things happen to me.  I have my ups and downs just like everyone else.   But this roller coaster ride of life is taking a fun turn this year!  I'm holding on tight, raising my hands and seeing what the Lord will do.

Nature Hoopin'

I love hoopin' in pretty places.  I take my hoop everywhere.  This past weekend we went to Branson, Missouri and saw some absolutely gorgeous waterfalls and scenery!  Hoopin' in these places is relaxing, inspiring and so enjoyable.  

Grandma time!!

Beautiful Annabelle Lee was born 

to my wonderfully strong daughter, 

Renee & her equally amazing husband Kyle 

on March 15, 2017 at 5:05 pm 

in a peaceful and calm environment. 

 She is absolutely gorgeous and precious and 

I am overjoyed and blessed to be this sweet girl's grandma.

Words cannot express the feeling of seeing my baby being a momma.  

I'm so excited to start this new chapter in my life!  Can't wait for all the sweet new adventures!

Thanking the Lord for new life!

See this past blog post for a hint of what I feel like :)

Dancin' in the minefields

I went to a wedding this weekend and it was lovely.  Young love in the air is so inspiring!  All the dreams and hopes for the future are just sitting right there like gifts waiting for them to open!

They have no idea what lies before them.  The better.  The worse.  Just eyes closed and dancing.  I love that.  Yes, it's gonna be a long road.  But oh so worth it.   If I could talk to my 18 year old self standing at the altar some 27 years ago and tell her all the trials she will face, and the heartache and the tears...I'm not sure my little 18 year old self would understand it all.  I had stars in my eyes and my heart in the clouds.  And that's ok.

I've grown - we've grown.  We've learned so much about each other, life, others, ourselves.  It hasn't all be happy happy - but it has all been wonderful.

I think this song explains it perfectly.  Lyrics are below.

I was nineteen, you were twenty-one
The year we got engaged
Everyone said we were much too young
But we did it anyway

We bought our rings for forty each
From a pawn shop down the road
We made our vows and took the leap
Now fifteen years ago

We went dancing in the minefields
We went sailing in the storm
And it was harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for

"I do" are the two most famous last words
The beginning of the end
But to lose your life for another I've heard
Is a good place to begin

'Cause the only way to find your life
Is to lay your own life down
And I believe it's an easy price
For the life that we have found

And we're dancing in the minefields
We're sailing in the storm
This is harder than we dreamed
But I believe that's what the promise is for

So when I lose my way, find me
When I loose love's chains, bind me
At the end of all my faith, till the end of all my days
When I forget my name, remind me

'Cause we bear the light of the Son of Man
So there's nothing left to fear
So I'll walk with you in the shadowlands
Till the shadows disappear

'Cause he promised not to leave us
And his promises are true
So in the face of all this chaos, baby,
I can dance with you

On being an introvert

You might not know this about me... but I'm an introvert.  I like people and I like being around people...just in limited quantities.  I like time alone.  A lot.  I like time to myself and time to think by myself.

You might not think I'm an introvert because my hubby is such an extrovert!  But it's true.  I am more of an introvert.

So just some thoughts on being an introvert:

• I do enjoy people and big crowds but if I'm not talking that doesn't mean I'm not listening.  And I may need to leave and walk around by myself just to recharge a bit.  Crowds drain me.
• I'm better talking one on one or in small groups.
• I love to be silly and have fun.
• If I've spent a while with a big group then I need some down time to recharge.
• I'm perfectly fine spending an entire weekend alone.  Or going places alone.
• I think internally.  I may mull something over for a while and process it all internally. I may or may not eventually tell you how I feel.
• I prefer to work alone. I'm not sure if this is an introvert thing or just a being independent thing.
• I like being married to my best friend the Extrovert!  He helps me get out of my shell and not be a hermit!  He makes my life interesting and a whole lot of fun!

God made us all different!  I'm thankful for that! It'd be a pretty quiet world if we were all like me! I'm glad I have a lot of extrovert friends too! They are fun! and I love it!

Just not too much fun all at once! HA!

So...Did you think I was an introvert?  How about you?  Where do you fall on the introvert/extrovert scale?

Adventure is out there

I love to vacation!  And travel!  And explore new things!  Even if we can't get away for a long period of time we take every advantage of our weekends!  If you think about it- I get 2 weeks vacation a year- that's 10 days PLUS there are 52 weekends in a year--that's 114 days!  So that is 124 days a year to explore and have adventures!  Not to mention the occasional 3 day weekend!  Bonus!!

So what kind of things can we do in just a weekend?  Well, lots!!  It doesn't really have to cost anything either.  If you are going on the cheap then pack a lunch and dinner, take advantage of a campground to spend the night or an Air bnb, and find out the free events that are happening near you that weekend.

Adventurous ideas:

• Go to a museum in your town
• Find the botanic gardens in your area
• Google bicycling near me and find a new bike path
• Your local library usually has a list of free events and concerts in your area.  Go! and take a hoop too!  It's a ton of fun!
• Walk to your local coffee shop.  You'll be surprised little things you notice about the neighborhood that you hadn't noticed while driving.
• Take a board game or backgammon or cards and go to a park and play in the sunshine!
• Find a little small town a few hours away and explore their town square
• Go geocaching!  You will find so many cool local things you didn't know existed by finding these!  They are EVERYWHERE!
• Google Adventures near me and see what pops up!
• Find out when the local festivals are in your area! Maybe there's a parade you could check out!
• Go to the library and pick up books that look interesting and just sit and read 

The point is have fun!  Do what you like to do!  The laundry will always be there, the chores will always be there!  (just get it done quick so you can go have fun!)  

Don't put off an adventure today!  Even little small things add up to a LOT of fun!

Tex the storyteller

My dad is a storyteller.  He likes to take his time telling stories.  When you are listening to one of his stories, you just listen.  He takes lots of pauses and thinks about each word he's going to say.  When you listen to him you don't want to interrupt or ask questions.  Just sit and listen to what he's saying. There will probably be some sort of punch line or moral at the end of the story that you weren't expecting.  So you've got to really listen.  Let him take his time and tell you.

My dad is a writer too.  He used to write all kinds of stories and poems for his online groups. Thankfully a friend of his preserved these stories into a notebook some years ago.  Now my cousin has taken up the mantle and published these stories into a book!

I am so thankful for this!  You see, my dad has Alzheimer's now.  I'm sure all those stories are rattling around in his head but he can't communicate them to us now.  All we have left of these stories are what we remember.  But now we have a book!

I was reading them this morning and I can hear my dad in telling the stories.  I hear his pauses.  I hear his laughter as he gets tickled.  I hear his joy in recalling things from his childhood.

Stories are a bridge to our past.  Stories help the next generation understand a little more of the past generations.  Stories are a legacy to be passed on.

I will greatly treasure this book of stories.

You can order it online too!  Just click here.  Proceeds go to Alzheimer's research.

What stories will you tell your children and grandchildren?  Maybe you can write some down! Who knows where it will lead!