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 :)

2014 Year in Review

So 2014 is almost over!  I can't believe it!  How is it possible that it will be 2015??  Well time does fly!

So just a little year in review in no particular order:

• My youngest turned 18!  now I have all grown adult kids!  wow!
• Took a Cruise to the Bahamas with friends!!
• Majorly downsized and moved into a 750 square foot apartment closer to Larry's work
• Val changed jobs and is now loving the office life! weekends off!  woot woot!
• Had a wonderful time visiting our pro life friends in New Orleans
• Our home church continues to grow and be an encouragement
• Camped a lot this spring and summer all around!  even stayed in a Yurt!
• I still love my hula hooping!  I even started Zumba!
• Scott is working hard in San Angelo and around Texas
• Sam got a job at UPS at the airport (but is ready to leave us on some new adventure!)
• A few car wrecks but thankfully everyone is ok!
• Found a lot of geocaches wherever we happened to be
• Got to go visit friends and my Godson in Pittsburgh
• The boys jumped out of a perfectly good airplane!  Skydiving!
• lots of hikes, museums, plays, movies, games and fun!
• Larry grew (and is still growing!) a big 'ol beard!

So that's 2014 in a nutshell!

What about your year!  How has the Lord blessed you??

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

What Will Kids be Like in 100 years?

My generation is the last generation that has known life without technology.  We have straddled this new world and have seen great advances in our lifetime.

I was talking to my grown kids the other day about huge changes I've seen in technology.  And how we used to do things.  I told them about how I used to write checks every month for all our bills and put them in envelopes and put stamps on them and mail them in the US Postal System!

The grocery store used to be a completely different experience!  None of the products had nutrition labels or ingredients listed.  There were no bar codes on anything.  Everything had stickers with the prices on them. The checkout lady was super fast at typing everything into the cash register. There was no "beep beep beep" as groceries were going through the line..but everything had to be input into the cash register.  And then at the end you had to pay cash or check!  They didn't take credit cards at the grocery store!  Then you got your receipt (with just numbers on it--no itemized)  and you also got your Green Stamps!  Then the kids went home and licked all the green stamps and put them in green stamp books and counted how many stamps we had so we could go to the Green Stamp store and buy stuff!  There was all kinds of stuff there from knick knacks to household furniture!

Our generation knows what it's like to go on a road trip and have to look out the window and play Count the cows and horses.  We had to talk together and sing songs on our trips.  We had to all listen to the same 8 track tape.

My generation is the last generation to remember what it's like without technology.  Now I'm not anti-tech!  I love my ipad, iphone, i-everything world!  But we are the last ones to actually have memories of the world without all that.

It's good to remember where we came from and what the world was like before.  It'll never be the same.  Our kids are so used to Googling everything, snapping pics of everything, the world at their fingertips.  Even 2 and 3 year olds have their own tablets now!

Imagine what our kids' kids will grow up with and be exposed to?  It's hard enough for me to keep up but kids now a days seem to be born with some sort of innate ability to understand all things technical.

Embrace the new.  Remember the past.  Teach kids to be thankful they don't have to "dial-up" their internet on their 486 computers!

What's your favorite memories of the past?  What do you think the next generation of techies will be like?

A Quarter of a Century of Love

How to have a Marriage that Lasts

Larry and I are coming up on our 25th anniversary!  25 years together!  I really can't believe it!  How did we do this in a world filled with divorce?  I'm no expert.  It's only by the Grace of God we've survived!  But here's  25 things I've learned:

1. Be friends.  Enjoy each other's company.  Do activities together that each other likes.  Try new things and have fun together. It doesn't have to cost any money.  Going to the park or playing monopoly together. Just having fun together is a major component of marriage.
2. Learn to let go.  Just because he doesn't do something the same way you do doesn't make it wrong.  Just different.  Don't micro manage his life.  Most things don't matter.  Major in the major things and let everything else go.
3. Talk about stuff.  If something is bothering you.  Talk about it.  No need to get emotional or assume things.  He may not even have noticed something.  Just talk and have open communication.
4. It's not a 50-50 relationship.  You give of yourself.  Sometimes it's 70-30 sometimes it's 80-20 sometimes it's 90-10 but we need to always focus on giving of ourselves not just what he's giving to me or what I can get out of the relationship.
5. Learn to listen.  Over the past 25 years, I've changed a lot.  I've learned to stop and listen to the input my husband has to say.  I don't always like it. But it's been great for my growth.  
6. Don't assume.  Don't assume anything.  Tones or words can often be misconstrued.  Just ask and don't read into what you think the other person meant.
7. Laugh.  Laughing is the best thing to relieve tension and build relationships.  Learn to laugh at the big and little things, at the mistakes, and at yourself.
8. Find things to do together.  Don't get so involved in your kids or your own hobbies that you grow apart.  Keep focused on growing together and be interested in what each other likes.
9. Decide.   Just decide that you will stay together.  Barring any immorality or violation of the marriage vows, we have decided that we will be together.  We will have to work it out and figure out how to live with each other through better or worse.
10. Early in our marriage we figured out there were 3 kinds of love:  commitment love, the woozy-woozy (romantic) love, and friendship love.  Commitment is the underlying foundation of our marriage.  The other 2 come and go but commitment is always there.
11. Always be honest.  I know I can ask Larry anything and he will tell me the truth.  Even if I ask him if something I'm wearing looks good or not!  (hey-I might even wear it anyway!) We don't keep any secrets from each other.  
12. Continually seek the Lord.  He is the reason we are committed to each other.  He is ultimately our foundation.
13. Make each other a priority.  I know it's especially hard with little children.  But we will be with each other till we die.  Our kids will only be with us 18 years.  
14. Compromise.  Everything does not always have to be your way.  Learn to eat new foods, go new places, experience new stuff, move to new areas.  You might like it and learn something.
15. Learn each other's love language.  If you haven't read the book The Five Love Languages yet. Do it.  It really helps you to understand the crazy language your spouse speaks.
16. Work at it.  Marriage is work.  It takes time to talk, understand, grow in the relationship.  Take the time to do it!  
17. Words matter.  Use your words wisely.  You can ask forgiveness later but the words will still be there.  Choose what you say carefully.  Don't use "always" and "never".  
18. Things always look differently in the morning.  That argument you had last nite probably seems trivial the next day.  Usually a good night's rest and coffee together in the morning will work out the bugs from the night before.
19. Take time for physical touch.  This one's tough for me because I'm not a touch person.  But it's my husband's love language (see number 15).  A hug or kiss makes all the difference in a day sometimes.
20. Reminisce. It's good to talk about old times.  Fun things you've done together.  Revisit old places where you've had good memories.  Look through photos together.
21. Brace yourselves for the storms of this life.  Bad things will happen.  Somethings you might never have imagined.  Draw closer to each other during these times..not apart.  
22. Go to counseling and marriage retreats.  Every so often it's good to get a boost!  Even when things are going great!  I especially love to go when everything seems fine. It's reinforcing and encouraging and you can tweak the areas that could potentially be problems later.
23. Along with that thought, read marriage books.  Find something you might can read together or read out loud to each other.  It's good to gain knowledge and encouragement from others.
24. Be thankful.  Don't always focus on the negative.  (how's that for a negative sentence!)  Make a list of things you are thankful for in your spouse.  It may surprise you!
25. Hold tight, saddle up, and be prepared for an amazing adventure!  I've had more fun with Larry than anyone!  Marriage is a great adventure!  Sure, there's ups and downs but hold on tight and cling to one another and the adventure will be well worth it!

What all have you learned in your marriage?  What books have you read that you would recommend?  What has worked or not worked?  What would you say to a newlywed today?  What has sustained you? I would love to hear your comments!

Happy 25 years Larry!  The Lord is gracious!  

And I am so thankful for you!

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!