A Lifetime of Love

Many of you received my family's Christmas letter for a review of this past year, but here are some additional thoughts I have regarding 2007. . . . . . I began a blog for no particular reason but it quickly became a way for me to write about my daily trials and blessings for all of the many hats that I wear. . . . Through my blog, I am better able to see the Hand of God at work in my life, both in the present and the past. This has helped me to grow closer in my walk with the Lord. . . . I have been able to encourage others, which is an awesome by-product of having this blog. . . . I am able to express myself better through writing than I am in person. . . . The bond between my sis-in-law Jenn and I has been strengthened because of blogging. . . . I have been humbled because of various circumstances that happened to friends and acquaintances this year, and I appreciate my family so much more, particularly my husband and children. . . . I learned that life with 3 children is not th...

In the wake of the phone incident, I have been busy washing towels and scrubbing the kids' bathroom- every square inch of it! No fear, my dad got himself a new phone, the toilet is back in place after 2 days off, and the stench from the drain hole is finally subsiding. Only 5 more days until my dad goes home; pray nothing else happens until that time... On a more serious note, I have been thinking of and praying for a little 4 year old boy who lives in Texas. He is in his final days of battling brain cancer, and I have difficulty bringing myself to read his daily updates. I know soon I will click on his care page and the update will tell of his passing. I have been following his story since the fall and although it's difficult to explain, I sort of feel like I know his family. I guess perhaps it is because he is close in age to my Th, and his mother Mimi has pictures posted from before his cancer; Julian was very much a boy like mine. His care page depicts Mimi's thoughts a...

Below is a video of an event that occured yesterday in my home involving my dad and his phone. . . enjoy!

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas! For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ~Isaiah 9:6 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. ~Luke 2:11

I use the Kraft website weekly to plan my menu and then daily to follow the recipes when preparing supper. I run like a crazy woman back and forth between the computer and the stove. TJ has been after me for a while to replace my cookbooks and many recipes with a more modern digital version. I have been reluctant to change because, well, our desktop computer isn't that far away from the kitchen and I have a lot of hand-written recipes. I find it difficult to see the necessity of typing them into a Word document to save in a digital format. But, as usual, TJ had a solution: he removed my cookbooks and replaced it with a laptop that sits on the counter next to the stove. For my other recipes, he has a machine at work that scans the document and saves it in a digital format, meaning he can email it to me to save to the laptop. He finished the laptop Tuesday, and this weekend I have really put it to good use as I baked Christmas cookies. No more sprinting to the computer desk or sifti...

Last week, I received free tickets for ice skating at the outdoor rink in downtown Charlotte, along with free skate rental and hot cocoa vouchers, followed by tickets to watch the Charlotte Checkers play a hockey game as part of the WBT radio station’s celebration of Veteran’s night. It was awesome! Driving in downtown Charlotte is easy compared to a city like Chicago or New York, but nonetheless we made a few wrong turns and had to drive around the block in order to get into the parking garage. I am the navigator while TJ is the pilot (like our airplane talk?); however, he gets nervous driving in places he’s not familiar with. He was also driving fast, making it difficult for me to read street signs. Once we passed the garage, he was a little upset that I didn’t see it before he passed it (sorry, I try my best to read at 40 mph!) because, of course, the next intersection we came to was a one-way street. After much arguing discussing we got back to where we needed to be and found a go...

I received Christmas cards today from 2 very special people. Both are friends of ours from California, and both have had such a huge influence in my decision to go into the field of Special Education. They were both on our Special Olympic Swim Team (again, I haven't yet gotten that far in the writing of my life) and have been a part of our lives since 1999. They are definitely worth sharing about, and hopefully I can find some digital pictures (my Special Olympic years were well before I ever had a digital camera!) to share. Michael and his mom Pat are both brave people. Michael was born with Down Syndrome, and he has 2 other siblings (a brother and a sister). The children are grown and married, except Michael. Michael's father passed away quite a few years ago, and Michael requires constant care. Pat and Michael lived down the street from us when we lived in our apartment off base. It was nice to be able to stop by for a visit anytime I was so inclined. Pat was a probation o...

Below is the draft I typed up this afternoon to use as our family's annual Christmas Letter. I keep going back and forth as to whether I should send this. I'm not really sure why, I guess because most family members like to read an update on our family and how things have changed, which this is, but on more of a spiritual level. Anyway, here it is in all its glory. . . 2007 This year the Lord has really revealed Himself to us through various situations, and I feel compelled to share what TJ and I have learned as a result. Life can change in an instant. The Lord has proven that to us by the circumstances surrounding some people that TJ and I know. I do not know why any of the following life events happened to these specific people, but I do know they were God-ordained and He will be their source of strength (Isaiah 41:10). I will first begin with our friend Mark. Mark had cancer, and he was fighting for his life. But, to most people he appeared healthy and never complained about...

Today marks the 4 year anniversary of my miscarriage. I have not gotten that far in the writing of my "life journey", but because this day is both the worst and best day of my life, I want to share with you. Thanksgiving 2003 was spent visiting family in Ohio, although it was only myself and Th. I don't remember why TJ stayed in SC, but he did. While I was gone, I began to spot. I phoned the doctor and was told it is/was normal to spot around the time I would normally have my cycle (I was almost 9 weeks pregnant). The nurse I spoke with said to make an appointment the following Monday if the spotting didn't stop. I planned to go anyway because I was fighting a severe cold and needed some medication. The spotting never increased, but it didn't decrease, either. I also remember not feeling pregnant- you know, the exhaustion, the nauseousness, tenderness in the chest- I did not have any of those symptoms. I also remember thinking it was weird that my pants weren...