What the world needs now

I haven't blogged in a while.  It seems the world has gone mad.  First covid-19. Now the riots.  Economy on the brink. Chaos. Fear.  What is happening to people?

I heard a song on the radio the other day...

What the world needs now is love, sweet love
It's the only thing that there's just too little of
What the world needs now is love, sweet love,
No not just for some but for everyone.

So true right?

What is love anyway? 

It's the commitment to the good of others.

Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 
It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Love of self pervades society.  There's too little real love out there. 

They will know we are Christians by our love.

Perfect love casts out all fear.

Praying for our world today.  They need the Lord so much. 

The year was 1989!

The year was 1989!

The Berlin Wall came down,  the USSR got its freedom, Tiananmen Square protests were happening.

But the biggest news of all was Larry met Valerie. 💓💓💓

We dated and got engaged in a  whirlwind.  Our first date was in April, we got engaged in August, and married in November!

Our first date!

Thirty years ago!  THIRTY!!

What a huge milestone in today's world of broken relationships.

It hasn't always been easy.  We've had a lot of ups and downs. Mostly ups- thankfully.

We've moved 15 times, lived in everything from a small house behind a  house to a 3500 square foot 5 bedroom house, and we even lived in a hotel for a few months!

Lived in 4 states.

Can't even count how many cars, jobs we've had. Or houses we've bought and sold.

We raised 3 kids, and now have 3 grandkids!

We've been to almost every state in the US and lots of places around the world.

I can't imagine my life without you.  You've pushed me to be more than I ever thought I could be.  Challenged my comfort zones. Helped me grow in the Lord.  Shown me how to love the downtrodden.  Helped me come out of my introvert shell. Helped me to chill and see the positive side of things.

Marriage is a crazy adventure.  We've grown.  Even flipped personalities at times.  It's the learning to give and take.  When to give, when to take.

Thirty years ago, I was a young, naive girl who had to read the directions on the washing machine in order to know how to wash the clothes!  My how things have changed.

We've learned from each other so many things.  And now we are learning the art of the empty nest.  And the fun times of grandparenthood!

Who knows what the next 30 years will hold, or where we will be.

But I'm glad I'm with you on this crazy adventure.

Love ya.

A Grandma again!

Being a grandma is absolutely one of the best things I can think of right now.  My kids having kids!  It feels really surreal.  Like, didn't I just raise yall?  Weren't yall little just a minute ago??  And on the other hand...it seems like soooo long ago!

But it's a neat feeling to see your kids having their own families.  Seeing our family grow, not only in size, but in other ways too!  Learning different parenting thoughts and styles from my kids, learning the love of a grandma.

So my son and daughter in law just had their first baby--my THIRD grandbaby!

Of course, I want to post all the pics and splash it all around social media.  But I will restrain.  I just went through and took all the pictures of my other grandkids off social media etc.  It's a big bad world out there and I want to protect my kids and grandkids' privacy.

So, just know, that I am loving this stage of life right now.  Enjoying the empty nest, the grandkids in all their different stages- newborn, crawly baby and busy talking toddler!

And even though I don't post everything, I'm still having fun and loving this stage of life!  God is so very good and I am extremely blessed.  So thankful.

Grandma Status!

So the big news of the year.... I'm going to be a grandma!!! A friend told me don't say "I'm going to be" because I already am! Yes, that is true! There's a new life growing right at this moment.

I can't believe my daughter and her hubby are going to have their own little sweetie pie.  It's a surreal feeling.  Your kids having their own kids.  I'm really happy and excited for them!

I just want to spill out everything I think and know and have learned.  But that wouldn't really be helpful.  They will learn and grow into their own.  I'm sure they will do things differently than we did.  (Thankfully!) I'm sure I'll disagree with things and wish things were done differently.  But they will probably do some things similar too.  Either way, I need to be OK with it.

I'm looking forward to this new role.  I'm excited to be a grandma!  I'm wondering how do I be an influence, show love, and be involved without being "the mom".  I guess it's probably a lot like I'm doing now with my adult children.  I stay involved, text, send presents, ask questions, show them I'm there if they need anything, keep the lines of communication open.

It's an exciting new chapter!

Grandkids!

I really feel too young for this to be happening!

But I'm just thrilled to see my kids raising their own kids.

Doing the happy dance!!

Any advice for this new grandma?  Comment below!

45 things you might not know about me

So my birthday is coming up!!! AGHHH!!!  I will be 45 years old!  I'm not sure how this happened..but here I am.  

So in celebration of this new year!  Here's 45 things you might not know about me!

1. I'm an introvert.
2. I love love love to travel!
3. I don't mind doing things by myself, in fact I rather enjoy it.
4. I'm working on memorizing Philippians.  I've got the first 2 chapters down!
5. I've never had an issue with weight until the last 5 years or so, but I'm working on losing it now!
6. I have opinions about stuff and it comes across sometimes as bossy, stubborn, mean.  I don't intend to be those things though.
7.  I love trivia and love to learn new things.
8.  I don't know much about pop culture though.
9. I love to listen to Christian music, hymns and new stuff, but I also like classical and 40s.
10.  I would love for 40s fashion to come back!  Hats! and Men in hats!
11. I only just recently started in the work force. (about the last 5 years) I was a stay at home mom for years and years (which I loved).
12.  Our biggest regret was not having more kids.
13. I've only worn skirts now for about 10 years.
14. I've been to a lot of places in Europe and would love to live there someday!
15. My favorite flower is the daisy.
16. My favorite day: sitting on the porch, watching a thunderstorm, reading a book and drinking coffee.
17. Or tea! I have a HUGE collection of tea!
18. I really hate wearing my heart on my sleeve.
19.  I can tend to be an Eeyore.
20. We've moved about 14 times in our 27 years of marriage and lived in 4 states!
21. I love to read!  and when I'm in the reading mood -read about a book a week.
22. Have been doing a High Fat/Low Carb diet for about 8 months now and I love it! No going back!
23.  We've been taking a cruise every year with a group of friends of ours going on about 3 years now!
24. It's hard for me to apologize because I think I'm usually right.  Working on that.
25. I'm married to my best friend and when he's gone I'm lonely.
26. I love our electric bicycles that we got!
27. Am so excited that we've downsized so much!  living in a 750 square foot apartment is one of the best things we've done.
28. I haven't been to the dentist or doctor in I can't remember how long ago.
29. I prefer to always wear flats..but occasionally I'll wear a wedge.
30. I absolutely love my relationship with my grown kids!  They are a joy!
31. I've worn glasses since I was about 18. I recently bought contacts but haven't worn them much because my glasses are my security blanket and I feel naked without them!
32. Never thought I'd switch to an e-reader for books but now it's all I read.
33. My medicine cabinet at home is mostly essential oils.
34. I've never been to Las Vegas.
35. If there's a tree that looks good to climb -you'll probably see me up in it!
36. I've read through the Bible every year for so many years now I can't remember how many!
37. Favorite color-pink! (It was my wedding color!)
38. Can read music and used to play the violin and can play some piano.
39. Clean everything in sight when I'm angry or upset.
40. Love to have the blinds closed and lights down low at home.
41. Hate cooking and grocery shopping.
42. Back before the internet, I used to cut articles out of magazines and I had a whole file cabinet with different files for different topics.
43. Never thought I'd homeschool, but ended up homeschooling for 15 years!
44. Have a hard time making friends.
45. Put my trust in the Lord Jesus Christ when I was 13 years old at my grandma's church during a revival.

Well, there you have it!  Just a few things about me! :)

Give Thanks

Thanksgiving comes every year and every year people are posting 30 days of Thankfulness.  It's good to reflect on thankfullness this time of year. It's just  too easy to slip into a rut and forget to be truly thankful.

I'm not talking about a thankfulness of "I'm glad I'm not like that poor soul over there." or a thankfulness like "I'm glad for these material possessions that most people in the world don't have." but a true attitude of gratitude.

Psalm 100:4 says "Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name."

Philippians 1:3 " I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."

Colossians 3:15 "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful."

Ephesians 5: 19-21 "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another in the fear of God."

All these verses speak of being thankful.  I see no mention of stuff.  Just a heart that is thankful. They all have to do with our relationships to people and our relationship with the Lord.

God put us here on the earth with people - annoying as they can be sometimes.  But we are to speak to and encourage one another.  Be thankful for each other.

God warns us what ungratefulness can do to us.

 Romans 1:20-21 "For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse,  because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened.

This verse is speaking to the one who doesn't believe in God--they not only did not glorify Him but they weren't thankful -- and their hearts were darkened.

This Thanksgiving and this season...focus on Giving Thanks!  For He has given us so much for which to be thankful!

For Better or Worse

The traditional American Wedding Vows:

"I, ___, take thee, ___, to be my wedded husband/wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God's holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith [or] pledge myself to you."

Seems simple enough.

But I don't think most people have a clue what they are committing to or the depth of these vows.

If there was anyway to make these vows "real life" to people at the altar...how could we put it into words?

"...to have and to hold from this day forward" -- Oh this sounds nice, the having and the holding...  but just wait....

"for better, for worse"  -- The "better" we love!  Yeah!  Gimme some more of those days where we eat ice cream, bike to the park together, watch a thunderstorm, snuggle up by a fire and enjoy the night.  The "worse". Yuck.  How worse?  What about when family members and friends push you aside? Or your kids are out of control? What about when every moment of the day is filled with unimaginable emotional pain from kids, or others, or each other, or life in general?

"for richer, for poorer"  --  Richer sounds good.  Poorer, not so much.  How poor?  What will we lose?  What will we suffer?

"in sickness and in health"  --Well, the other day my hubby was holding me up in the bathtub has I was losing my lunch at both ends.  TMI - I know.  But these are the days no one wants to talk about or think about enduring.  What about those moments of extreme sickness, cancer, Alzheimer's?  What about morning sickness?  What about when the kids are all throwing up on you?  It's disgusting, I know, but this stuff actually happens.  

"to love and to cherish" -- Ah, well this sounds nice anyway.  Cue the singing birds.  Oh wait,  my hubby's not very loveable at the moment..what?  still cherish?  You mean I'M not very lovable at the moment?  Oh dear, more work to do.

"till death do us part" --  Oh, sure. I can do that.  Wait, till death!  Isn't that a long time away??  I got married when I was 18!  If you mean DEATH..then it may be 60 or 70 years!  With the SAME person!  

So here's my proposed new wedding vows:

I will be committed to you till the day I day.  Forsaking all others, I will be only yours.  I promise to be there when it's fun and not so fun.  I will be by your side when we are happy and not so happy.  I will be your cheerer, encourager, helper, and more.  When you are sick and helpless, I will help you. When the bank account is running on empty, I will help to save and scrimp and eat beans and rice. When the kids are yelling and my head is about to burst, I will still be here.  I may not always be the happy, calm person that I need to be but with your help and the help of Jesus, I will strive to be that person.  Putting God at the center of our marriage is my top priority.  Without Him, we can not do this journey.  

I love you bunches, Larry. 

Memorizing

We memorize a lot of things....song lyrics, movie quotes, phone numbers etc.   But have you ever memorized the one eternal thing?  The one thing that will never fade away?  The one thing that can transform you from the inside out?

I'm talking about memorizing Scripture.

It's great to have some verses under your belt.

But have you ever memorized Chapters of the Bible?  or even a whole book of the Bible?

I've done a chapter before and it was amazing.  Now, I've started on a journey to memorize a Book.

Just 4 little chapters...

Philippians.

At first, it's really difficult.  But just moving your mind to do something new is extremely beneficial. Not only physically but more importantly spiritually.

It takes time and discipline but believe it or not it can be done!

I've been inspired by Susan Heck who wrote this book.  I've also been inspired by this ministry.  They list some great reasons to memorize long passages.

There are a great many apps and websites designed to help with big chunks of Scripture memory.  I'm using Scripture Typer.  Also Remember Me app is a great help.

These are great tips too!

If anyone is interested in memorizing along with me comment below!  I'd love to have some help and encouragement along the way!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

All my kiddos last Thanksgiving

Christmas is a great time of the year!  Although I haven't been in the Christmas spirit too much yet. I'm getting there.  We went to dinner with my niece and husband and my brother and sister in law the other day.  I was so impressed with the way my niece guided the conversation to include everyone! She asked us each some of our "favorites" of Christmas.  We each got a chance to go around the table during dinner and share some of what makes Christmas special to us.  This is a great conversation starter!  So I'm sharing mine here!

Favorite Christmas Memory

One of my favorite memories of Christmas was when we were little girls.  My sister and I woke up really early at my grandparents house to find a string going all throughout the house and into the yard!  We were to follow our strings all around the house.  It went through drawers, under beds, around furniture, through the windows!  We followed it all the way to our presents!  I think I got a stereo that year.   But the important thing was the way we found our presents!

This was probably 7 years ago

Favorite Christmas Food

I don't really have a favorite food for Christmas!  I just love getting together and eating all the goodies and desserts!  I love making some sort of nachos or easy thing for Christmas eve so we can all be together and play games. 

Last year's Christmas!

Favorite Christmas Song  

I've always loved "O Come O Come Emmanuel.   I love the old Gregorian chanting sound of this song.  This is also what Christmas is all about!  Jesus came to seek and save the lost!  Each verse gives a name of God: Emmanuel, Rod of Jesse, Day Spring, Key of David, Lord of Might.  My favorite line- "free thine own from Satan's tyranny-From depths of Hell thy people save-and give them victory o'er the grave!"  Hallelujah!

that's me!

Favorite Christmas Movie 

Hands down, "It's a Wonderful Life".  I can pretty much quote this movie!  I'm surprised at how many people haven't seen this movie!  We watch it every year!  

Worst Christmas Present

A few years ago, I was wrapping everyone's presents and putting everything under the tree.  I looked and I saw that I didn't have one single present under there!  Not one!  I told Larry and off he went to find me something.  He was gone for about three hours!  I thought, "Man! This is going to be good!"  He came home with with this tiny bag.  Hmmm...  It could be good!  Then he wrapped it in a cardboard box with scotch tape.  So Christmas morning comes and I finally get to my ONE present.  I open it and it's a 

wait for it........

wait for it..............

a headlamp!

Yep!  Well, I wore it all day anyway.  Apparently,  I ride my bike at night a lot and needed one!

Well, Merry Christmas to you all!  Would love to hear some of your "favorites" of Christmas!  Comment below :)

Happy Birthday Larry!!

Today is my honey's 50th Birthday!!!  In honor of him I wrote this: 

50 Things I love about Larry

1.       He loves the Lord with all his heart.

2.       He loves me and is completely committed to me.

3.       He loves his kids and does lots to help and encourage them.

4.       He never lies.

5.       He’s passionate about what he believes.

6.       He knows no strangers.

7.       He sees the down and out and talks to them and helps if he can.

8.       He doesn't just think outside the box..he doesn't have a box!

9.       He’s thrifty with our money.

10.    He likes vacations.

11.    He sees the positive side of everything.

12.    He doesn't complain.

13.    He’s content.

14.    He doesn't care what others think of him.

15.    He’s outspoken.

16.    He loves his mom and sisters.

17.    He would rather walk at the park with me on Sunday than watch the game.

18.    He learned to hula hoop!

19.    He’s interested in the things I’m interested in.

20.    He likes watching PBS.

21.    He dreams big.

22.    He’s black and white.

23.    He enjoys the outdoors.

24.    He watches “It’s a Wonderful Life” with me every year.

25.    He doesn't care about the “American Dream”

26.    He always provides for us.

27.    He trusts me with everything.

28.    He’s not afraid to sing “If you’re happy and you know it” in a crowded theatre.

29.    He gets my jokes.

30.    He listens to the Lord.

31.    He always takes me to church wherever we are.

32.    He’s very generous.

33.    He stands for righteousness.

34.    He loves the old hymns.

35.    He always thinks of fun stuff for us to do.

36.    He played with our kids when they were little (and continues to!)

37.    He always thinks eternally.

38.    He’s not picky.

39.    He’s to the point.

40.    He prepares for the future.

41.    When we are camping, he gets the fire going before I get up.

42.    He thinks of ways to bless me and the kids.

43.    He’s happy and he knows it.

44.    He’s not afraid to grow a beard.

45.    He’s got true joy.

46.    The world hasn’t jaded him.

47.    He’s a big kid at heart.

48.    He’s genuine.

49.    He knows more about the Bible than pop culture.

50.    He’s not afraid to play patty-cake with me in public J

A-Z guide to all things about me!

It seems a little self indulgent... but  I thought it would be fun to describe myself from A-Z.

A- Accomplisher.  I love to accomplish things!

B- Believer.  First and foremost in my life is the Lord Jesus Christ!

C - Chocolate lover.  I love me some dark chocolate!  The darker the better!

D - Decision maker.  I can usually make a quick decision about things.  Sometimes it goes well.

E - Empty nester.  So we still have one living at home but for all intents and purposes he's grown!

F - Flower planter.  I love to buy/plant flowers!  The taking care of it is the hard part :p

G -Gift giver.  Gifts is one of my love languages.  I like to give them and get them :)

H -Hooper!  I've only been doing this about a year now...but wow!  I love this new experience of hula hooping!

I - Independent.  This can be good and bad.  A lot of times I just think "I'll do it myself".

J - Joyful.  Ok..this is one I continuously work on.  But with the Lord's help I will count it all joy!

K - Knitter.   I just started this too!  I can only knit scarves and dishcloths now but hey it's a start!

L -Laughing.  As the Mary Poppins song goes, "I love to laugh!"  Sometimes it's just me laughing but that's ok :)

M - Mother.  I love my 3 grown young adults!  The time they were in our home just went way to fast.

N - Nature lover.  I love the sky, stars, moon, and all things outdoors.

O - Organizer.  I'm not always this way..but I love to have things organized.

P - Picture taker.  I wouldn't necessarily call myself a photographer..but I do enjoy taking pictures!

Q - Quirky. Some people might consider me quirky.  I'm not sure about that!

R - Reader.  I read at least a book a week at times.  I love to read!  And definately read Scripture daily.

S - Skirt wearer.  I started wearing skirts only about 7 years ago.  Just a personal conviction.  But I wouldn't go back :)

T- Traveler.  I absolutely love to travel and see new things! The world is so big!

U -Unschooler. All my kids are grown but when we homeschooled we tended to unschool.  I love this form of learning!

V -Violin player.  Ok this is in my past but I'd love to pick it up again!

W -Wife.  I've been a wife now way longer than I haven't been one!  (almost 25 years!)

X - Xenial.  I had to search for an "x" word!  But this is perfect!  It means hospitable.

Y - Young at heart.  I really can't believe I'm in my mid 40s at times!  I don't feel old!

Z - Zealous.  When I'm passionate about something it shows!

Would love to hear your comments on any of the above!  How would you describe yourself??  It's really tougher than I thought it would be to come up with something for every letter!  But maybe you know me a little better now :)

I love Vacations!

10 Things I loved about our Cruise to the Bahamas

 (and vacationing in general!)

                                 

1.  Love seeing new sights!  Especially the clear clear waters of the ocean in the Caribbean!

2. Going with a bunch of couples!  That's the way to vacation!  Go with several like minded couples that way you can all get together but you can also break up into smaller groups and hang or play games or just giggle :)

3. Not having to do anything!  Seriously, could a vacation be any more easier or relaxing??  Just get on the boat and there you go!  No times to be anywhere or do anything.  Food is practically jumping into your mouth and any given opportunity!  Entertainment is around every corner! The bed makes itself!

4. OK, did I mention the food!  Every time you turn around there's a new buffet popping up!  Don't like what you got ..no problem!  go get something else!  Try a little of this and a little of that or a lot!

5. The excursions!  While they aren't necessary to purchase ..they are kind of fun to do!  Everything is all planned out and you just follow the guy with the sign to the next bus or boat and voila! Snorkeling awaits!  Snacks await you!  

6.  Spending down time.  Sometimes it takes my brain a good 2 days to really relax and not think about everything I have to/should have/need to do...but this time I got right on the boat and didn't think about a thing till I got home.  A much needed break for the brain!

7. Elegant night.  One night of the cruise is a night everyone gets dressed up.  I love seeing everyone in their fancy duds!  I hardly ever have an opportunity to dress to the nines so it's nice to be able to dust that dress off and wear it!

8. People taking your picture everywhere!  Everywhere you turn there's someone wanting to take your picture.  That's nice because most times I'm the designated picture taker in our family and I have lots of pics of everyone and everything but very few with me in it!  No obligation to buy any of these but it's nice to have them taken and be able to buy them if you want to.

9. Spending time with my honey bunch.  Now sometimes this can be a double edge sword! Sometimes too much togetherness is a little...well....too much togetherness.  But this time we had a great time just sitting and hanging together and people watching or whatever.  

10.Great memories!  I love building friendships and bonding time with people.  We will have some great laughs and wonderful stories to tell in the years to come.  So thankful we could enjoy this great cruise!

It's time for us to do something

We spent the last week in New Orleans with the group Operation Save America doing pro-life ministry. What an encouraging, inspiring, challenging week it was!  We spent time at 2 abortion mills standing for the truth and proclaiming Christ, peacefully and prayerfully.  Young people, old people, people from every stage, age and walk of life came together to proclaim Christ. During the times at the mills you could find spontaneous worship, prayer, praise, pleading with women and men, holding of signs, and the truth being preached.  Thankfully the mills shut down for the week!

We also spent time at a proposed Planned Parenthood site.  Fortunately,  it hasn't had any work done on it for over a month.  We spent time there reading the Word of God out loud.  By the end of the week, the entire word of God and been read aloud over the site!  Men and women and kids spent many hours there in the pouring rain and in the heat of the sun reading God's Word.  How powerful!  God's Word will not return void.

Teams were also sent to Shreveport and Baton Rouge as well as the City Hall in New Orleans, Canal Street and other places throughout the city.

   

Abortion is the holocaust of our day.  59 million children have lost their lives.  Countless women have died. Many women and families are wounded emotionally.

To see how many babies have died Click here

This was only a week out of our lives.  We didn't do much.  I could do so much more.  Others sacrifice daily.

It's Time for us to Do something!

Being around men and women and teens that are serving God with their whole heart is inspiring.  It is also challenging.

What can I do on a daily basis to help others around me? We only have a small amount of time on this earth. I want to spend my time here doing something eternal.  Something that will have an effect on others.  It can be small or it can be big, but let's Honor the Lord in our lives. Let's be salt that is shaken out of our comfortable salt shaker. Let's be light to those in the darkness.  Serving others, praying for others, helping others. You never know how they will affect you, and how you might affect eternity.

What will you do this week to make a difference?

To find out more about the group we went with click here.

Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts I'm having right at this moment:

what's for lunch? I'm hungry!

Can't believe I only have one teenager left!  My middle son is 20 now! Where did the time go?

I really liked the movie we saw last night, Mom's Night Out. Laugh out loud funny, and a great message!

Work is quiet today.

I'm thinking too hard about what to write in this blog.

I really should start cooking more at home but I hate going to the grocery store.  I wish someone would just bring me meals every day :)

I wonder what it would be like to live in a little apartment on the canal in Amsterdam.  And how much would it cost??

I love my little home church.  It's true friendships that matter.

i'm hungry

Can't wait to take Larry on a surprise date Friday night

Love my rainbow toe pedicure I got yesterday

Aww man! I didn't hoop yesterday!

Well that's my random thoughts for today.  What's on your mind??

Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth!

Things that make me smile (in no particular order)  

a nice hot cup of tea

a good book that I can't put down

knowing that I accomplished something

my hula hoop

seeing my kids growing up to be gentlemen and a lady

kite flying on a beautiful day

reading Runny Babbit out loud

waking up to a thunderstorm rolling in the distance

finding that geocache with my hubby

feeling the Spirit of the Lord move through worship

kicking my shoes off at the end of the day

enjoying a good tv show or movie with my honey

finally winning against my honey in Wordfeud

seeing my flowers and herbs bloom and grow

sitting on my balcony listening the birds

getting something organized

singing along to a musical

traveling to new places

doing something for someone else that makes them smile

watching a play at Plaza Theatre

watching a big thunderstorm roll in

Well...these are a few of my favorite things!  How about you?  What makes you happy?

Hoop Love

So I discovered hula hooping about 8 months ago.  I've since fallen in love with it.  Who knew there were so many things you could do with a hula hoop!  I've been going to class now fairly regularly.  I love going there. There are so many people there of all ages and stages.  Some youngsters.  Some oldersters.  Men and Women!  I've learned hooping can be an incredible workout!  It can work your arms, legs, core...everything! I can work up a pretty good sweat hooping for an hour!  I've learned that you CAN teach an old dog new tricks!  I didn't think I could learn new things but, it turns out,  I can!  I've learned to embrace the dancing that comes with the hoop.  I love that!  

 I take my hoop everywhere.  Going to the park?  Get the hoop! Going shopping?    

Get the hoop!  Going camping?  Get the hoop!  Going on a cruise?  Don't forget the hoop!  

It's slowly becoming my security blanket.  

I can't wait to see what the next year brings in my hooping.

Meeting new friends.  Going new places.  Learning new stuff.  Getting more active.

Come join me and learn to love the hoop!

Here's where I  take my classes if you are in the DFW area.

Thankfullness

The Bible tells us we are to give thanks in everything.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Wow. Everything. Really? Yep. There is so much to be thankful for. Here's a short list of what I'm thankful for this year. (in no particular order)

• moving to Pittsburgh
• husband that loves me
• kids that love me
• technology that I can keep in touch with old friends
• meeting new friends
• fall weather and beautiful trees
• books
• my fireplace
• The Word
• Larry's job
• good friends to travel with
• be able to help others
• accepting help from others
• people that inspire me to be more than I think I can be
• My Lord and Savior
• churches where people can come together to worship the Lord
• good Praise music
• boldness to start a new life in a new place
• my tiny little apartment
• kids that are growing into beautiful people
• a new little baby that I get to look after 3 days a week
• volunteers
• coffee

These are just a few of the things I can think of right now. There's so much more!!

It's easy to be thankful for the easy stuff. It's hard to be thankful in everything. But the Lord is good! Thanksgiving is a time to reminisce about what we are thankful for.

Revelation 7:12 saying: “ Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, Thanksgiving and honor and power and might, Be to our God forever and ever. Amen.”

Just imagine...it'll be thanksgiving in Heaven forever!