THE FIRST WEEK OF THE YEAR

Our Christmas was really nice. We had my parents, Mike's parents, Mary, and Noah here on Christmas Day. It was so fun and relaxing. We played games and ate and Skyped with Trevor and Jessie. Our church service was so good.

I made some hor d'oeuvres to have after church so that we could eat a little later in the day. I enjoy cooking and fixing stuff ahead of time so things are ready to enjoy.

We ate Christmas dinner about 4:00. I put the potatoes in the crockpot in the morning to cook all day. I love to "bake" potatoes like this because it frees up your oven and you really don't have to even think about them.

Mike grilled 7-8 pounds of steak. They were so perfectly tender and juicy. They were seasoned just right so no steak sauce was needed. The other sides were green beans casserole, caesar salad, roasted San Marzano tomatoes, and dinner rolls. For dessert I made a pumpkin and pecan pie. Mike's mom made a pound cake and peanut butter hershey kiss cookies. My mom made 2 cheesecake pies.

The week after Christmas was nice and relaxing. We didn't have anything on our agenda so we enjoyed all the down time. We didn't drive our van from Christmas Eve til Friday. We have been driving less and less. Most of our errands can be done on our afternoon walks. Our bank, post office, Trader Joe's/Whole Foods, Walgreens, Metro station, and library are within a 10-15 minute walk so there is always somewhere to walk.

My sister wanted to go over to D.C. so on Thursday we caught the subway over to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.


We ended the day at the White House. It was cold out but it didn't keep us from enjoying being together. On the walk back home from the subway we stopped at Starbucks for a treat to warm us up.

New Year's Eve was a nice, relaxing day. We ate subs and watched the ball drop. It was cool to be on Eastern Standard time again. Shelby and Abby tried to stay up but they had stayed up late the night before so they crashed around 11pm. Mike took a little nap while the news was on but woke up to watch the last 30 min of 2011 with me.

Our New Year service was a time of reflection as well as looking forward to 2012. We invited our friends Krisstal and her son, Elias, over for lunch. I am looking forward to digging in and establishing relationships this year.

We started our lessons on Monday and this week has been a very fruitful one. There has been lots of good discussions about explorers and Hippocrates. There were many games of Uno. Plain old Uno. Love it. Music classes and Choir started back this week.

We have goals in place for 2012 and lots of grace to extend to ourselves and others. The most exciting thing for 2012 will be, by far, The Wedding. Gosh, we can hardly wait.

12-03-11

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving we went to Cofers Chapel. We were so excited to worship there again. It did not disappoint. Jacob does a wonderful job with the music and Pastor Mike brought a great message despite an abscess tooth.

Jessie's parents and my sister came to church with us. We filled an entire pew:) We were able to see lots of our friends and that was so wonderful. Abby and Shelby went home with their friend, Jaden and spent the afternoon with his family.

Trev, Jessie, John, Sue, and Mary went with Mike and I to the Loveless Cafe. It was great, as usual. It was so nice to be able to talk and just enjoy being together. It was cold and rainy outside but it was warm and toasty inside.

Mike and I were suffering from a cold so we were ready to rest when we got back to the hotel. We laid down but didn't take a nap.

Trevor found an old barber chair next to a dumpster and wanted me to help him recover the cushions so we went and helped him. He and I were able to get the bottom covered but the back of the chair was going to need some work. We were going to go pick up the girls and head to Opryland Hotel to see the Christmas decorations but we ended up spending some time with the Davies. They had ordered pizzas and wanted us to share a meal with them.

When we took Trev and Jessie back to her house we hung out with them and Zadie, Bandit, and Kung Meow. I honestly didn't want to leave but Trev had to go to work at 5:30 the next morning and everyone was tired. Including me, I just didn't want the visit to end.

The next morning we were moving really slow. Mike felt worse and I didn't want to leave:) We finally got the van packed and headed to Chickfila for breakfast and to say goodbye to Trevor. I was a mess. I cried from the time Mike started the van til we pulled in the parking lot. Mike had to order our food because I couldn't do it. The lady that works there came over to bring our drinks, she took one look at me and ran away.

Thankfully, Mr. Beem, William, and Edwin came in at that moment. They were the perfect distraction to help me get my mind off having to tell Trevor goodbye. I held it together when Trevor came out and I was so proud of myself. Those hugs are so much more meaningful now that I get so few of them. I just want to hold on tighter and longer.

The trip back was rainy and cold. Thankfully, it was uneventful and no traffic. We didn't take any detours and made the trip in 11 hours. It was good to be home but I miss Nashville. The people there are my family and I love them. We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives. It makes this life so much richer.

12-01-11

This was on our impromptu field trip to the Bush's Visitor Center

(I'll write about this visit soon:)

The Day After Thanksgiving

We just lounged around the hotel and ate the free breakfast until Trevor and Jessie came so we could all take a dip in the pool. We ended up going to the hotel next door because they had a hot tub and hardly anyone was staying at it. We were able to enjoy some good family time.

By early afternoon, Trevor had to go get ready for work and I had to get ready for my date with my friend, Casey. We went to lunch at Cheddar's and stayed there for a couple of hours. It was so nice to catch up and laugh with her. It was such a good time of catching up.

My sister came and picked up the girls so that could spend the night with her and Noah. She had a fun time planned for them and they were so excited to see Noah.

I spent Friday evening with Jessie. We ate supper at Chickfila and then we talked for a few hours. By the end of the day my throat hurt but I loved every second of my day. I can't wait for Jessie to join our family.

On Saturday, Mike, Trevor, Jessie, and I ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel. They sat us by the fire and it was so cozy and festive. We talked and laughed. I sat back and soaked up every second of us being together. I made note of their faces, these people I love with all my heart. I can't tell you how happy that breakfast made me.

We went to my sister's apartment to pick up the girls and hang out with her and Noah for a little while. We really liked her new place and it was nice to be able to picture where she lives.

Trevor had to go to work at 2pm so we dropped them off so he could get ready for work. We headed to Nashville to drive around and go by to see our old house. We were meeting Cindy and Mackenzie at a bowling alley at 3 so we were able to drive around our old stomping ground.

The girls and Mike bowled while Cindy and I talked and ate our snacks from the snack bar.
They had fun and we got to catch up on a lot that has been going on. Our family has missed them so much.

After supper at a local favorite we went to see Sonia, Bailey, and Mason and we met a new friend, their dog, Sunny. I have missed them so much. I wish we could have seen Marvin, too but he is overseas doing his job for the military. We are so proud of him. They were our homeschool field trip buddies and there are so many places that we didn't get to experience. I am praying that they get to come see us soon so that we can do some awesome field tripping around here.

When we got back to the hotel we all just fell into bed. I love days that are exhausting but full of love and friendship. It truly was a day to remember.

11-24-11

Today I am thankful for:

• the love of God
• my husband
• my children (all 4 of them, that means you, Jessie:)
• my family
• my friends

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!!!

Praise the Lord! Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good!
His faithful love endures forever.~Psalm 106:1

11-23-11

Today I am thankful for:
* safety of travel to Nashville
* a good day
* riding a ski lift to the top of a mountain

11-22-11

Today I am thankful for:

• homemade goodies ready to eat and share
• random hugs from 2 certain tween girls
• comfortable shoes
• anticipation
• hearing, "It smells like Christmas in here" when I am working in the kitchen
• Thanksgiving poems read by aforementioned girls
  

11-21-11

Today I am thankful for:

• one more day til Nashville
• the soft glow of lamp light at night
• an unexpected gift brought to the door by a sweet friend
• my African violet is still alive
• loofah sponges
• snacks lined up waiting to be packed for our trip

11-20-11

Today I am thankful for:

• memories
• a clean kitchen
• a clean bathroom
• suitcases ready for packing
• my little family of pilgrims. They make me smile when I look at them.
• engagement pictures of Trev and Jessie
• my church family
  

11-19-11

Today I am thankful for:

• a fresh haircut
• meeting a new sister in Christ that just happened to cut my hair. We had a great conversation surrounding spiritual things. I want to remember to pray for her as she wants to be a witness to her friends and co-workers.
• popcorn
  
• getting things ready for tomorrow
• talking to my brother
• nice, warm socks

11-18-11

Today I am thankful for:

• working together to rake the leaves to the street so they will get sucked up tomorrow
• an organized attic where we can actually find what we are looking for (a first in our 15 years of having an attic:)
• crisp, cold air
• bad days that make us appreciate the good days
• rocking chairs
• being able to walk 5 minutes to the local pizza place for some hot, fresh pizza
• lazy Friday nights with 3 of my favorite people in the whole world (one in particular is my absolute favorite...forever:)
• a phone call from my sister
  

11-17-11

Today I am thankful for:

• TV shows on Netflix
• scarves
• one last Almond Joy in the Halloween candy bowl
• For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Heb 4:12 ESV
• forgetting something I packed away in the winter clothes and being surprised that I own it. It's like going shopping and getting something new without spending any money.
• going to see Mike at work and only having to walk through the backyard
• marking things off the "to do before our trip" list
  

11-16-11

Today I am thankful for:

• my Pastor;)
• a rainy day that makes me want to stay in and read
• medicine
• a place to walk indoors when it's raining
• good conversations
• my vacuum

11-15-11

Today I am thankful for:

*my big comfy bed that I am climbing into in 5 minutes
*corner stores with little treasures like peacock feathers
*smartphones that I can do blog posts from
*my husband doing the dishes tonight

11-14-11

Today I am thankful for:

• the nice breeze that blew through our windows
  
• the attic, where we can hide things:)
• being able to listen to stories being read aloud by my daughters
• $10 coupons that make your purchases add up to .82 cent
• ice cold milk
• crunchy leaves under our feet during our afternoon walk

11-13-11

Today I am thankful for:

• a surprise lunch date with my beloved
• a BOGO coupon that we were able to use on the aforementioned date
• iTunes
• ministering with my husband and helping hurting people that God sends to our church
• the ability to see how my past hurts make me sensitive to others
• Benadryl and a long nap when my sinuses feel like they're on fire
• the beginning of a new week packed with possibilities

11-12-11

Today I am thankful for:

• getting something done that has been on my to do list all week
• pinto beans cooked in the crock pot all day
• hangers to hang all the laundry I've done this week
• so many clothes we have to change them out with the seasons
• the bag of giveaway clothes to bless someone else with this week
• my families' forgiveness when I get wound up and start to lose it

11-11-11

Today I am thankful for:

Every person that has served in the US military.
Every person that is currently serving in the US military.
Every family that serves along side their soldier because when one person in the family is in the military the whole family sacrifices.
God Bless America!!!!

*photo taken by Mike at the Arlington House in Arlington National Cemetery in July '11

11-10-11

Today I am thankful for:

• rain
• my van
• window shopping
• $5 Charlie Brown DVDs
• sharing
• cameras
• beautiful leaves that get laminated to enjoy for a long time

11-9-11

Today I am thankful for:

• an uneventful day
• new notebooks
• prayers that are heard and answered
• my laptop
• warm blankets on cold mornings
• packages with goodies in them

11-8-11

Today I am thankful for:

• hot showers
• the opportunity to teach my kids at home
• the anticipation of seeing people I love in Nashville
• almost 90 minutes of alone time this evening. Sometimes you just need it:)
• living in the city