Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving 2010 - One little year...and all that change!

Thanksgiving is often a time people share the things they are thankful for.  I remember these activities that we used to do in school where we would write our parents a little card telling them about the things we were thankful for.  Leave it to me to come up with some really interesting things....That might be better left as a family secret.  If you really want to know you can ask my mom, I know she'll get a kick out of it! 

All joking aside, the past year has left me with a very thankful attitude.  We are so quick to take our circumstances in life for granted.  Several months back I remember seeing something about a little child dying of starvation.  Something inside of me clicked.  I became truly thankful for meals.  I can't imagine looking at my sweet little boys as they ask for a snack or more to eat and for me to have to tell them that there is not a crumb left in this house for me to give them.  It breaks my heart just thinking about it.  I am thankful that we have all of our basic needs met...A more than comfortable place to live, plenty of food to eat, climate control, clean water, hot showers, a nice and safe car, clothing - and many of these things are far more than what others may have.  The Lord has blessed us abundantly beyond our 'basic needs' I hope that I will keep my thankful attitude and appreciate all that we have and that our children will also develop an attitude of thankfulness in their everyday lives, not just at Thanksgiving. 

We hosted Thanksgiving at our house this year and it was such a wonderful and special time with family and friends.  12 people!  My biggest crowd yet.  It was so much fun and I truly enjoyed it.  I had a 'system' this year - a time line starting four days out of everything that needed to be done, down to when the table should be set on Thanksgiving Day, when things needed to be prepared and cooked.  It may seem a bit militant, but it worked for me and I didn't feel stressed about what needed to be done when.  My other time saving trick...We had skin-on mashed potatoes.  I wasn't about to waste a precious minute peeling potatoes.  I hope our guests weren't too disappointed. 

Here are a few other pictures from Thanksgiving....

Thank you, Nana, for our first Gingerbread House!!!! YUMMY!

The spread...minus my first homemade pies!

My pitiful baby the night before with a 102.6 fever



Nathan did an awesome job on his first turkey!  It was amazing!!!



Don't Waste Your Time on Everest

Don’t Waste Your Time On Everest

A difficult night tonight as I lay awake flooded with memories of my dad. I lay there still as my mind, body and heart laboriously sift through each passing thought. It’s like in a movie when the scene gets kind of blurry and there are a series of memories flashing before the character…Moments we may not quite be able to make out, but moments that are clearly important and precious. When I have moments like this I feel an urgency to get to a pen and paper to capture it all for fear it may never return.

The thoughts went something like this….I wish so badly he was here to see Asher and Nolan; to see them growing up and enjoying them at least half as much as I do. Memory fades back to May 26, 2010...picking my dad up at the airport the day before the boys were born. I was just as happy then that he was going to share this time with us as I am now. Flash forward to the following Friday as he walked back into my bedroom as I slept the new mommy sleep (in some crazy position, two eyes open, but still somehow ‘sleeping’) and told me goodbye and that he would be back in September for my birthday and that he loved me. I was so looking forward to him coming back in September….

As I’ve shared with you before, my dad’s sudden and horrific death changed me…mostly for the better. That, in conjunction with becoming a mother to two amazing little guys suddenly gave me this new found value and appreciation for life that I may not have ever otherwise understood.

So, what’s with the title? “Don’t Waste Your Time on Everest!” When my dad died I didn’t once think I wish we could’ve gone to sky diving. I wish we could’ve hiked across the country. I wish we could’ve traveled across the world. I wish we could’ve climbed Everest. No. That’s not what’s important. What’s important is that my dad knew he was the apple of my eye. He was the courage that was sometimes needed, the laughter that my have been lost, the confidence that often withered, the sunshine amongst the clouds and the fun to fill a room. And I was and will forever be that little girl that just needed and loved her Daddy…and he knew it!

Here’s my point….Don’t waste your life away wishing you could “climb your everest” instead invest the time in your loved ones now. Make sure you spend each simple and maybe even mundane day making sure they know what you mean to them. It will be the greatest gift you could ever give them. Your ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’ is now…and it’s not Everest…

One of Those Days

Have you ever had "one of those days?"  I'm certain you know what I'm talking about.  A day when you've got a few extra teeth in your smile.  A day when your smile isn't something that sits, by chance, on your face, but something you feel from the inside out.  Today, I had one of THOSE days! 

Many of you don't know this, but back in September I started watching a little boy a few days a week.  He and my children get along great, but as you may imagine, it's difficult to get out with three one year olds on two different schedules.  So, much of the time, on the days I don't watch the other little boy, my boys and I try to get out and do something special. 

Today is November 15 and Thanksgiving is a week and a half away.  However, the thermostat read 78 degrees in the car this morning...that's what kind of day it was.  BEAUTIFUL beyond explanation.  One of those days that was clearly sent straight from the Lord for us to enjoy!  I will never understand how we can have a thirty to forty degree variance withing a few days, but I'll take it! 

Well, this morning as I was heading out the door, I had intentions of going to JoAnn Fabric.  There were a few projects stirring around in my head that I wanted to get some supplies for so I could begin working on them when a free moment arrived.  Upon arriving at JoAnn's I realized I had made a terrible mistake.  I had all of these projects in my head, but nothing written down, no list made of the materials I needed and to top it off...distracted by all of the cute holiday items in the store.  So, I walked around thinking they really had some beautiful fabric and somehow managed to make it back out of the door with nothing more than a free idea pamphlet that Asher was using as toy and quite possibly a snack. 

So, we were off again.  My sister in law (FROM GERMANY!!!) called me as we were leaving and I was so excited to talk with her that I sort of forgot where my next stop was supposed to be.  During our conversation I realized that I mean to take the boys to the park, but had already missed my turn.  So, instead we would go to the library and return our books and check out a few new ones. 

As I pulled into our usual parking spot at the library I looked down at the thermostat, up at the beautiful sky and said to the boys, "You know what!? It is way too beautiful of a day for us to go to the library right now.  We are going to go get some lunch, take it to the park, have a picnic and play for a little while." 

And we were off again...Through the drive through at chick-fil-a...Their first "fast food" meal and on to the park.  Luckily I always keep a blanket in the car (for this very reason -or if we're cold).  I don't know what it was in this moment, but with the breeze, the sunshine, my amazing kids...it made me smile from the inside out! 

All of that partial chaos, unorganization and misdirection to lead me to this very moment.

This makes me think of how the Lord works in our lives.  It is often in this very fashion.  The Lord may push us through battles, struggles, heartache or despair, but He knows what He's doing with you.  Just as our crazy day 'magically' lead us to this perfect picnic...If you remain faithfully in the Lord's will, He will lead you to places you never expected, more perfect than you could've even planned yourself! 

So thankful for today!

First time independtly over the wobbly bridge

Down the big slide he goes...then turns back to look up at me with such a proud face and eagerly anticipating my praise! 



Down the BIG slide!  No babies here! Oh, and backwards is the new forewards!



The Life Span of A Memory

　

The value of a memory is often learned just a little too late. Sort of like the saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone.” This old saying can be applied to our memories as well.

Memories come in all shapes and sizes. A trip to Disney World or a trip to the ice cream parlor. A fishing trip or drawing a fish. A seven day cruise or a seven minute walk around the block. Just as I’m writing this, I’ve been surprisingly filled with memories with my Daddy. A trip to Disney World with my mom and dad when I was younger. Most memorable moment…I got stung by a wasp and started screaming, but my mom and dad thought I was “cheering” for Shamoo! Very Berry Strawberry every time at the little ice cream stand! Fishing….my dad rested his foot on what he thought was the bottom of a bucket…oops - an open bucket full of bait fish! Seven day cruise with my mom and dad when I was younger…remember being sad because my parents didn’t buy anything from those little Jamaican kids. Around the block? The first time I was allowed to ride my bike around the block by myself (we lived on base)..my dad wanted to make sure I knew where I was going. I thought I was so cool, “I’ve got it Daddy. To the corner. Turn. To the corner. Turn. To the corner. Turn and back home!” So off I went….Passing the intersection of every block thinking “I don’t remember this block being this long” and here comes my daddy….”Hey Babe. Where are you going?” “Around the block, Daddy” “Shoot Honey. It ended seven blocks back that way!!” He taught me how to ride my bike without training wheels on a flight line in Illinois! Proud moment for Daddy and little girl!

Several days after my dad died I had memory after memory…just like these… flying through my head and I was clinging to them, reaching for them as quickly as I could with the fear that they may escape me, never to return. In the many days that followed, memories continued to come to me out of nowhere. But then something tragic happened.

They suddenly stopped coming. Little by little I started to forget those cherished memories I was clinging to so desperately. And it occurred to me…

What is the life span of a memory?

Just a little more than the people you shared it with.

When you don’t have any more of the “remember that time” moments with that person…the memories start to fade away.

So, this Holiday Season..remember this.. as you are gathered around with family and loved ones and you listen to the same story you have heard fifty times, laugh about the same family vacation, smile about the same fond tradition, or try to settle - for the last time the details of an old family story…by being in that moment you are adding years to the life span of your special, cherished and irreplaceable memories…so sit back, relax and enjoy your moment…for tomorrow it will be a memory…and Lord willing…you can laugh about it again next year.

First "Photoshoot"

I am excited and happy to report that thanks to my amazing neighbor and even more amazing friend, I had the opportunity to do my first photoshoot yesterday! We all had so much fun. I'll post more pictures later, but this was my first favorite! I just want to say a big thank you to Courtney, Eric and the kids for allowing me to spend the afternoon with you and capture some amazing moments on camera. They did such an amazing job!