Christmas Cheer in our little corner

A birthday squeezed in....just 24 candles!A bit of a wild tree...Visiting a local rest home....

What next???

Around 2 yesterday, we were just thinking about  starting to make our Christmas dinner. We had finished all the shopping and we feeling quite pleased with ourselves and had plans...yes, we had so many plans to make the evening so nice. All of our resident cooks had all the fixings to make their "special" dish. We were prepared!
Boom! My first thought was a small plane had crashed. We live under the path for Bush Intl.. Airport. We all ran outside to see blue flashes of light and then there was another loud BOOM and more flashes of  very blue lights.  My second thought was we were having an Alien Invasion! Needless to say, all electricity was out  by then. We had all the neighbors join us in the cul du sac in all sorts of strange garb. We looked like scruffians of some sort. The wind had come in from the North and we had all grabbed whatever we could to stay warm and check out the Alien ship landing or whatever it was.
We all felt like Professionals after surviving Hurricane Ike last year so we were all actually quite brave. Neighbors all get together in the Cul du sac when strange things happen. It usually seems to be at the young couple's house across the block however. This time it was also. A tree had fallen on the lines and taken out the transformers for our whole sub division- minus a house or two. We saw some lights but maybe it was just a generator powered Christmas tree.
Well, Plan B.
Mark and Mercy went out to scrounge around  FM1960 for firewood for sale so we could survive the night. The temperature was dropping even more and it was going to freeze. Then we rounded up our candles and had to think about Christmas dinner- hoping some place would still be open to buy  dinner. Mark went into a big discourse on Pine trees and how useless they are and how they should all be cut down within 4oo feet of any houses and power lines. HELP! After Carbon Dioxide being declared a toxic poison (pathogen) in the news the other day, we could almost hear the local trees gasping for breath. I might turn into an unofficial tree hugger just to comfort the local trees. It was all a Scrooge ski by Mark..
Anyway, after the excitement of a street full of fire trucks and strange looking men (definitely not aliens)  in colored and very weird  suits, we did have a fun evening. We had  Domino's pizza around the fire and played Taboo. Selena (8 yrs.) surprised us all with an answer we older and more educated (chuckle chuckle) all couldn't get. WHIZ kid that she is, she is also   homeschooled ( I wanted to mention).  Then everyone suddenly wanted Selena on their team.
Just as we finished having our party, opening up a few gifts, and enjoying eggnog, the lights finally came on. A roar went up around the neighborhood. Lights came on, just in time to turn them off and head to bed.
We didn't however. Missionaries that we are, we stuck a DVD into the player and took a visual trip to Ecuador and watched End of the Spear.......a beautiful movie with a powerful message about love and forgiveness at the end.
After all this, we had such a memorable evening,

Later,Mercy let us in on her  morning prayer. She had prayed for something special to happen so we would all be a lot closer for Christmas. Well, I guess I better keep her home today so she can't share that little tidbit of info with all of our neighbors. Ho ho ho.. Being world traveling missionaries, we have had so much experience in adapting. To us, we just refigure and still have fun. Isn't it a beautiful strength to be able to just see God's hand in everything? We may be poor in the eyes of the world.....but oh so rich in so many ways that really count! Merry Christmas!

recommended

Has anyone seen the End of the Spear. I watched it last night and the ending was incredible. It's a beautiful movie.

2 of my favorite Christmas Pictures

I was sitting in a semi dark room on a very dreary morning, staring at my candle and listenning to some devotional readings when the sun suddenly came out and illuminated the candle. I took this shot in the brief moment that the sun was shining on that rainy day.
Crackers, as you can see, is a rascal at heart and loves to tease. He tries to pitch in on just about every activity. He is very happy at the moment. He loves all the Christmas activities too!
His favorite activity as of late, fluttering up to visit with the angel on the top of the Christmas tree.

The history of books......and me.

I don't know how or why it all happened but as long as I remember, I have always loved books and still do. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that " back in the old days" black and white TV wasn't all that interesting and the few channels we got  didn't offer much. Unless you loved watching Tom chase Jerry  over and over again, Howdy Doody and Bozo the Clown, there just wasn't much. We had one skating Rink in town and 1 old swimming pool down by the river bottoms. Yuba City just had to be the quietest town in Northern California. Oh, I can't forget to mention that it was pretty exciting when the Fuller Brush man came along, or the Milk man with his colorful wheel displaying all his available products and the crop dusters that would fly so low. That was a bit of fun.
So anyway, I buried my nose in books almost from the time I could crawl out of the car and waddle into the Library.
 Each year I seemed to develop new techniques. I was well on my way to reading every book in the Library. Along the way, I accidently drowned a few  in the bath tub, lost a few to hungry hounds, decorated books with a variety of jams and peanut butter and had to do odd jobs to keep up with my fines. I perfected  techniques to read while horsebackriding, vacumming, feeding the chickens, ironing, cooking etc. If I ran out of Library books, I would read the phone book, church bulletins, instructions for every new device that came into our home and explore my dad's desks and drawers. He always had interesting. One of my favorite things was the stash of house  plans he kept rolled up.
So, no small wonder that that book reading energy has been passed down the line. I have always been intrigued by what my kids actually enjoy reading.
Even with the internet, books will never really go out of style. In fact, they were quite fashionable during the last hurricane and our 2 weeks of life without electricity.
Nevertheless, since my room had become difficult to navigate and my husband refuses to part with his 25 desk top computer carcasses that he might be able to use someday, tomorrow I am going to clear out all the excess. Something has to go.
Now, just what can be considered excess?
I will downsize by 75%. How is that for an agressive plan?

Why I married Jeff

In reality, it has been so long ago, some of the details have gotten a bit fuzzy. I thought I had better write them down.
The first time I saw him, I was busy being hostess at our coffee shop at Expo 72. I know no one remembers this but it was like the Christian Woodstock at the Texas Fair Park. At least I think the churches had planned it as such. They just didn't invite the more radical element "US", to attend. Well, we somehow got a coffeeshop across the street and  quickly became quite a popular place for the church kids to hang out and take cover when things got boring at the Expo. I managed the front desk and greeted all that passed through our doors. It had it's exciting moments. Well, one day this "beard" walked in. He was all bush but the eyes that peeped out from behind it all won my heart at first sight. It might sound cliche and corny but it was right then that I knew we would end up together.

We maybe exchanged 5 words and then he was off busy working.  Sound familiar? I won't get into all the details of what happened over the next months. My life was so crazy and full of changes and gettting ready to move to Holland. The "beard" just seemed to pop up from time to time and then be gone...sometimes it was 5 words and other times a bit less. It just seemed like it was all really not meant to be and impossible to make happen if a person tended to look at things logically.

So I really didn't try. I know everyone today is into to opposite  and doing long term planning for the future. I had been a school teacher  for 2 years so I loved the new  change, spontanaity and  waking up the each day and just letting Jesus be the  guide for a change. I think because I had that trust and faith, God saw a way to orchestrate the entire senario. There were a lot of physical miles between us most of the time and our responsibilities kept us thus. Still somehow, all these surprising times popped us where we met , totally unplanned, so we did eventually tie the knot- in Danish and twice a few months apart.

Did I choose him? Yes, in a way I did but I do believe I let my Father do most of the chosing.  He knows best. That was way back in 1973. There have been plenty of tough times and scary moments but I can honestly say I love him more than ever.  Here's a little recent event to give you an idea.This year I planted a sweet potato plant. It went crazy and grew everywhere, taking over the whole entire garden, bursting out of the fence and into the neighbors yard. I couln't stop it and then I realized how much was going on underground. I dug my fingers gently into the ground a few times to check on the growing potatoes and was amazed at all the growth that was going on that I couldn't see. My marriage has been like that a lot.
When I first got the potato, a friend found it while cleaning one of her  friend's pantry and nearly threw it out.  in the garbage.It was  a shriveled up funny like thing but she gave it to me to plant and now it is magnificent!
.I am into watching foreign movies lately and I got this movie about a Jewish girl and an Arabic girl that were both teachers in the same school and facing arranged marriages. Amazingly they became friends and they both had arranged marriages of a sort, with very happy endings. I did have to laugh as at my first attempt to get married, things went so haywire and I tried so hard and it didn't happen. I was the wedding planner.
My second time around, I let God have a very big hand in everything and it worked out practically all by itself  and was all just what I needed afterall!
This boy (now man) I married, just turned 57 two days ago.  This week I was looking through all our old pictures as Nadia is putting together one of her famous "BOOKS" by Shutterbug for his birthday gift. It is like pictures from 1950-2009! I just have one last comment.....
                                                                               COOL!
                                                                            Enjoy your life!

Christmas Party

Here are a few Christmas pics of our Dec.3rd party at the Bell Tower

Houston freezes!

We had our annual Christmas Party last night and I was thinking snow since it snowed all during our party last year. It held off but today it is delightfully snowing outside and the afternoon will bring more of those falling flakes our way. I was out early this morning, intense in my efforts to turn the garage into a jungle. There is hardly walking room as my papaya trees take up a lot of space. It really is a wonderful effect. Jurrastic gardens! Instead of dinosaurs leaping out, it's dogs and raccoons.
It took my 2 hours of braving the pelting sleet to rescue all the plants. I ran outside in my PJ's amd flip flops so sbesides giving a show to the neighbors, I will probably come down with with a  case of "Freezing Piggies Illness" My toes are glistening pink and I feel like squealing.
The Party went great.It was a touch of Italy as the place was a Tuscan Villa. It was so beautiful and the rooms so big! We were in the Chandiler Ballroom and thankfully the chandelier was attached firmly. It was so huge and so much wrought iron. Think Zorro! I can imagine that Chandelier in a Spanish Castle.
We only had a week to plan so considering that, it was an amazing feat! 125 people came and so many people lent a hand to make it special, from singing, slides of the Prophet Bus, caroling and really great food and fellowship!. We had a presentation for the new Foundation Stones graduates and a kick off  for the new ones. Russell, a homeless man came with Noe' and he won everyone's heart. Someone asked him how he enjoyed the program and he said he didn't see much as he kept cleaning, serving and being an all around blessing. He said he just really enjoyed the hugs and kisses. He was practically a one man show in the kitchen.
Valorie shared an touching story about when she was in a coma and how everyone stood by her. She exaggerated a bit by saying Jeff came and covered her in Activated mags and then she awoke. Actually I think he basically covered the hospital in Activated mags as everyone must have gotten 2 or 3. She said she's wanted to thank everyone for so long. She looked great, thanks to Lolli- everyone's favorite hairdresser.
Zeb from Brazil had everyone dancing to his lively songs and everyone who wasn't was eating  a piece of Chrisy's famous cheese pies. They are quite a team! All in all, I think it was our best party ever.
It' s still snowing!

Some Recent Pics-

In such a rush!

I will be posting a few pics of Nadia and Justin's visit soon. It was SO much fun to be with them and to be with the kiddos. Now our house seems so empty. We miss you! It was the most fun I had in a long time.
I managed to lose Justin's phone. That wasn't so great.
Well, we are also getting ready for Christmas. We are having a dinner in the Tuscan Castle ( I call it) It is so beautiful and it is amazingly coming together even tho' we have to pull it off in 1 week.
We got our tree and put it up while the grandkids were still here. Violet would put the balls on the tree and Lexi ( rogue poodle) would come behind her and take them off.
Teri had scored at the flea market and was busy making plans of how to use the lights. We found strings and strings. In the meantime, Bella (rogue Golden Retriever) got in the Christmas spirit. It is her first Christmas so all night long she kept herself occupied with trying to firgure out just what all the lights were for. I was dismayed to see all the lights in tiny pieces all over the garage floor. We thought to plug her in and she if she glowed in multi-color. Thankfully she doesn't seem sick. How can a dog chew like that! It was amazing. She even crunched the little bulbs. What kind of vitamen deficency can that be? Now, we need lights!
Well, off to the shop for last minute goodies for tomorrrow.
Oh one last thing is that there are rumors of snow on Friday. That would be so nice to have so early in the winter. It snowed last Christmas all during our Christmas Party. We came home and made a snowman in our yard. Houston isn't all heat, humidity and thunderolls.

6234 Fairdale

Green Van and I took a journey into the Southlands to gather supplies for home base today. Being Sunday it was prettty easy driving and I didn't get lost. I did take a slight detour by our old place on Fairdale. That whole area is a bit gloomy and rundown with lots of FOR LEASE signs around. The only places that seemed to be still doing good were the Unitarian Church and Pappas Restaurant.
I got to thinking about the time I went back after they tore down the house and ripped up the trees. There was still stuff around and I got out and just walked the area where the house used to be. The actual ground where the house stood seemed so small. In fact it just didn't seem real. When we first moved in, we all kept getting lost in that 5,000 square foot house. That day the actual space didn't seem enough for a  decent doll house.  I walked all around, counting my steps, trying to connect. It just never computed. Then I got to thinking of all that happened in that house during the 8 years we lived there. Maybe that's what made it seem so big. After tearing it all down and carting it all away, it just seemed so empty, quiet and abandoned.. That was then. Now there are 13 high end condos where our 6234 Fairdale house once stood. I'll have to pull out my pictures!

Be a friend....

I visited a friend this week. It's been a while since I had seen him but because he had had a lot of hardship in his life, I have so often prayed for him and his family. I always end up crying when I visit him. This time I just happened to have my 21 year old som with me. Both Dan and I cried once again. Sometimes I feel like a lousy missionary. I should have  had some wonderful speech prepared. You see....

5 years ago, Dan's 21 year old daughter was killed by a drunk driver. I felt like I experienced a lot of the pain with them  at the time but one never really knows until you walk in their shoes.
I don't have a lot more to say on this post except- please don't drink and drive and don't let others do it either if it is in your power to do so. Life is too precious.

Oh my!

I had quite a tough day with having lots to do around the "Ranch" so to speak while dealing with a stomach  bug that kept me running, All I really wanted to do that day was get lost somewhere in God's creation and enjoy the skies, trees, smells and sounds . It was one of those rare perfect autumn days in Houston. Well, that evening I thought I had things all wrapped up with work and had visions of stretching out in my bed under my cozy covers and sleeping. I dove into my bed, relaxed totally and was down to stretching out my toes when Teresa popped her head into the room and told me she had prepared a great pasta. All I had to do was poke my head into the dining room and check it out.
It is a promise I made to myself long ago to always appreciate a child's work of art so I bounced up out of bed with great pains to make the move seem effortless and enthusiastic. I found myself in the midst of a surprise party just outside of my bedroom door. I thought my burthday was all over a few days earlier!
 So, does that mean I have to be 60, instead of just 59?
My very favorite friends just happened to be there in my living room and didn't even seem to mind that I was disheveled and funny looking. Amber and Teri not only had pasta ready but all the fixings. Yummm.
Jeannie had sent along a wonderful custom made cake to compete with Teri's special lemon merangue pie.
I always love stories and it was a special gift to hear of Johnny and Ruth's camper travels in the Middle East. What pioneers and exciting times. Those were definately crazy and fun days  but what joys to just follow God step by step and mile by mile. I found myself thinking," You really did that!"

 God is so good to give us not only our daily needs but all the trimmings.
Thanks to some very sweet friends for making my 59th (not 60th) birthday special.

Just a few pictures

Dolph finally got his wings!

for Perla....it's just a bit.

Being born and raised in Northern California, I have to say that I always have had a love for anything to do with water. That is amazing as water almost got the best of me in the flood of '55. My mom was so terrified to make a escape without my dad. He was  busy sandbagging the levee with the rest of the men, trying to save te city.  Somehow she did manage to get us in the car and  out of the flood waters at the last minute. Seeing the raging flood waters and the  aftermath will stick with me forever but I still love water.
I loved spending my summers rockhopping down the streams at Castle Crags high up in the Sierras. As long as I was on a stream, I wasn't lost and it seemed I could go for hours. I'd ride my horse along the Feather River and marvel at the amazing currents and the river life and wonder how ocean ships ever managed to get that far inland in the Gold Rush era. Now I love salmon but then I only saw them in a compasssionate light. I would spend hours searching them out and lifting the heavy orange fish out of the pools they'd become trapped in and throwing them back into the river. They'd finished spawning and at the end of their life but I only had "rescue"on my mind.
 I loved the wildness of the Northern Pacific coast  and the seals and sea lions and the trees that clung to the rocks, leaning almost totally sideways from the ocean winds.  I discovered a very old small house on a cliff once.It stood alone in a sea of tall grasses and flowers and totally engulfed in pink climbing roses. I just had to find a way in and explore the few rooms. Someone had tried to keep the cold out by gluing old newspapers to the walls so I spent a lot of time reading old news articles, peeling off layers, trying to get some idea of the people that lived in the area. I couln't imagine why they had lived on the cliff in a field with no pathway.
 I loved swimming in Shasta lake and pondering the depths of Crater lake, imaging what monsters lurked in that bottomless lake. I didn't even dare put my toe in Crater lake. My mom was an explorer so we ended up seeking out old ghost towns in the Sierras. I always had spooky thoughts.I loved the  hidden SPA that had once been a playground of the rich in the Roaring 20's. The abandoned  vast tiled pools intrigued me and I could only imagine what they must have looked like with movie stars and European Royalty lounging in the hot pools with mineral packs and plush bathrobes. I imagined I could still hear the laughter of flirting couples. We could scarcely find the roads to the once famous spots but the thought of getting lost was a great part of the fun.
My mom loved visiting the fish hatcheries. The long pools were teeming with all kinds of fish in all stages of growth. I had nightmares of falling off the narrow paths and becoming part of the food chain.
Back home, I was hard to keep indoors. I just had to be outside doing something. I almost always had some tool in my hand, scrounging around for any wood and nails I could find. I always had something in mind that I wanted to build. This was my dad's fault. He was a builder and I was his shadow as much as I could be. I stole the  tomato farmer's  crates to build condos for my baby chickens. Somehow my sister and I  made a bridge across the drainage ditch and any tree that had a few big branches, had a perch or the beginnings of a crude tree house. My dad took to hiding his hammers and nails and I have faint memories of a few spankings for messing up his wood piles and carting off stuff.
As I grew older and developed an interest in my dad's desk, I would unroll the house plans I found in his desk and study them. Somehow, I  had  illusions of  upgrading my building skills! I really can't build much. I just always had dreams .
I also loved the Yuba River and the feel of the stones beneath my feet and swimming inthe cool waters. Of course I always had my eye out for the glint of gold and tried my hand at panning often enough. It was actually quite fun for about 5 minutes at a time. I even tried to construct a sluice.
Well Perla, you asked me to put a few memories on my Blog for my birthday. How's that for now? We are a colorful family. Life is such! I was thinking of when I was in labor with Teri and walking unerneath the ampitheater in Pozzuoli. I sat down on something and it turned out to be part of an old elevator they used to lift things up for the games. I wanted to know the people that had sat there before me and what they experienced. I love history and sometimes I feel I could just burst. I can't stand the thought of how many people throughout history that I have missed knowing...at least for now. I am praying I will someday be able to meet everyone and catch up on their lives! That will take a while! Meanwhile, lets all take advantage of the present and love who and what the Lord puts in our pathway today!
Oh, and yes, Perla I will write a bit more on another day.

The Children of Huong Shi

I hope I got that name right. I stumbled across this 2008 movie about the life of a young Oxford graduate that visited China during the Japanese take over of pre-WWII , saw a need and became a hero to a group of 60 Chinese orphans, leading them over mountain passes to safety near Mongolia.  It is quite an amazing story.  Researching the story, it touched my heart to see what just one person can do in spite in insurmountable odds. He was a "given" life. See the movie  if you get a chance.

Dare to be a butterfly!

We have had our Pentas and Mexican Milkweed for  a few years now. We went to a class at the nature center on butterfly gardens and the speakers gave us all free baby plants to start a garden. At  first Jason and Teri got sidetracked and dug a 3 foot deep hole in the back yard and filled it with water. They were going to do it right and start off with a Bog Garden. It was a mosquito nursery so we filled it in and  proceeded to simplify our project. We embarked on making our own  Butterfly Garden and were quite successful in that we did attract a herd, gaggle, flock????? of butterflies laying an "ocean" of eggs.  We have tried numerous efforts to observe the whole amazing process but this year we just tried the window sill in the kitchen and it worked out amazingly well. We have had butterflies emerging for the last 2 weeks. We just escort them outside and they fly off to other destinations- like Mexico! It has been fun. If you check out thte pictures closely, you will see a little red bug. He has been there the entire time, checking out the caterpillars, cocoon and the butterflies. Once 2 caterpillars met head on and appeared to actually fight for a bit and it certainly looked like the little red bug was intent helping settle the dispute. For lack of a better name, I will call him Speedy Red Bug.Tonight he is still there and still on guard. Anyone know if he is an offical companion?Well, this is just one of the many odd things we do at our house.

Happy Anniversaries

I realized I had missed 2 very important "moments in history". I am sorry to be late but I do pray that Titus and Mia,  Nadia and Justin will have beautiful years ahead. You are all 4 such wonderful examples of wonderful people. At the risk of sounding so repeticious, I am very thankful and proud of you all.

Broken toe

Well, I am finding out just how much can get done in extenuating circumstances. Since I had my toe mishap, I have been able to bike quite a few miles. I am not 100% sure if it is broken but all I have to relate to is the 2 times I broke my tail bone. IT hurts like that- just in a different location....
Anyway, I have been doing some swimming too. I just to experiment with just how to place the foot and still get somewhere.
 It is a bit embarassing to limp into the gym and hop on a bike and peddle away. I just look like nothing bothers me at all, pull out my book, and get started. Maybe I just feel like all the "perfect specimens in their designer exercise garb" are staring me down.  Just my imagination?
I just have to wear flip flops everywhere I go and it's beginning to look funny-  not just at the gym. I am thinking I need to invest in sequins or something and spruce up my foot gear. Someone suggested oversized steel tipped boots.
I am hear the nick names coming on now.
I can pretty much do everything, just very slow and carefully. What angers me though is when my clumsey Golden  Retrievercomes barreling up to greet me and knocks me off balance and then the his partner in crime, Bella, grabs my flip flop and takes off. No way I can catch her  and to her it is all great fun. It's raining  around here now so I have a sloshing good time and feel like wringing a few necks.
I am beginning to hate stairs. I am brainstorming ways to over ride the need to go upstairs here.
Oh well, the puzzle of everyday life is just a lot of fun with all the new factors the Lord keeps passing my way. My life is never really boring.

Talk about new mindsets....

My one free day goes like this-
I go to the Arboretum and walk. I think of who I can talk to to enjoy the flowers and trees and explain all the names too. There is just something about Latin.
I might go to the Library but I always end up in the kids section ooing and awing over all the new stuff for kids. I have to remind myself NOT to check it out.
I check out the books and mags for sale. The Parenting mags are so upgraded and full of fun things to check into doing with kids. I usually but these anyway as they are just 25 cents but it makes me sad I can't use them so I put them under my bed in a plastic box.
Then I buy a few Consumer Report magazines to check out adult stuff.
On the way out the door, my eyes fall upon the free publication shelf and the KIDS  in HOUSTON magazines jump out at me. I know what's in it so I force my hands deeper into my pockets and race out the door, regretting I ever entered the library.
So, I go to the Nature trails for a walk. It just isn't the same  without somebody racing ahead of me, trying to get me to speed up. The vines just don't look the same as they just hang there and don't have kids swinging on them and me glancing around to make sure the park people don't see. The turtles are still there in the bog but it was just fun to run all around and count them and step on the cypress knobs.
I stop by Home Depot for an air filter and the Garden section beacons to me.  Hey, the kids would love these flowers and we could start a veggie garden, raised beds of course. We can google how to make a stone path and birrd bath etc. Everything about Home Depot says "kid fun". They even have Saturday classes.
Somehow, no one in my house gets very excited by my crazy ideas anymore. Things have gotten a lot more sophisticated and I just haven't caught up yet..
Cooking-I can't eat sugar now and if I make these cute little cookies-they just don't have the same effect. I just get a hmmmmm. response. I could make all kinds of fun breads, and a pizza or two. Kids love doing that.
I can't sew anymore as there are just so many fun things to make but adults just don't seem to need costumes and singing skirts for Christmas caroling. My sewing machine is gathering dust.
I love going to corn mazes and pumpkin patches, going to farms where you can pick your own blueberries, getting excied over junk at garage sales, swimming in cool rivers and hunting for crawdads in the mud, gathering shells and hermit crabs at the beach and the list goes on and on.
I think of all the wonderful things I did with my kids and I thank God for all the times we did have. I never thought I would be a mom. As a teen, I only had grand visions of lofty goals and it never included children of my own.
Now I can't seem to easily shake the thoughts and change gears.. It's better than it used to be but it is so funny how things just jump out at me. I need to just sit down and make a whole new plan.

I just pray that young families have as much fun (and exciting learning moments) as I did and value the rare and precious opportunity to raise a family. Some of the comments I have heard lately sadden me as when I look back, I see "richness" and I have a real hard time letting go and moving on. It is so ingrained in my heart.
With all the emphasis on "change" I pray the simple beauties of childhood, life and parenthood, don't get smothered out by trying to achieve, get ahead and be successful in "whatever". So much of what surrounds us  is transient but the things that are eternal shouldn't  ever come as an afterthought.
I just wish I had done more with my kids.....

Some of us girls at Yosemite this summer.

When I saw this picture and all of Maya's, it gave me such a BUZZ. That was such a happy trip we had . It was something I had really wanted to do and Yosemite took my breath away! Having the kids all there was so nice. They are such a lively bunch . Take a moment and notice my hiking boots. They were just a tad bit too small but I was having so much fun that I didn't notice until later when my toes were totally numb. There are so many wonderful things about Texas but nothing can beat those California mountains.

What Allen did for his 3 year old birthday last year and Hurricane pics.

I just wanted to put in these few pictures of our famous hurricane last year during Allen's birthday. It was one to remember.