On Being Thankful

Happy Thanksgiving Friends!  

I’ve been thinking a lot about thankfulness in the recent weeks.  Here are a few of my thoughts:

There are varying degrees of thankfulness.  For instance, you can be thankful that your favorite team won the big game, which is not the same degree as being thankful that you have a huge, loving, supportive family.  There are many degrees of thankfulness between those two.  None of them are trivial or wrong.  It’s ok to be thankful that you don’t have to get up early and go to work on Saturday, just as it is ok to be thankful that you are healthy and happy and have a roof over your head.  Gratitude is gratitude no matter the reason.  I think it’s especially important in these times to be thankful for everything.  It makes your heart lighter and your outlook brighter.  No one has a perfect life and many, many have it way worse than most of us reading this today.  But it’s not only the good things we should be thankful for.  Because when I said we should be thankful for everything, I meant exactly that.  Everything.  Good and bad. 

It’s important to give thanks for the wonderful as well as the wearisome.  I’ve practiced this for a long time, although not as consistently as I should.  No one is perfect, right?  Recently I’ve been really thinking about being thankful when life throws you things that are really hard to handle.  And as I have practiced this over the last few weeks I have found something really amazing has happened.  I have such a peace of mind about everything.  That’s not to say that I know everything is going to turn out rosy, but more importantly I know that no matter how it all turns out, everything will be ok.  Because I know that no matter what happens, God is always with me, guiding me to try and see the purpose in everything.  And when I express thankfulness to God for EVERYTHING in my life, I feel at peace.

At night, when I say my prayers I end by thanking God for every good and beautiful and wonderful thing in my life and then I thank Him for all the trials and tribulations and heartaches too.  Because everything, as long as I draw breath on this Earth, is a gift from God.  Even the bad stuff.  We may never know the reason for the trials but that’s ok. Just knowing that God has a plan is enough.  Trust me.  It’s enough.

This Thanksgiving my wish for all of us is to have the peace and happiness that comes from being truly thankful for everything.

I love you my friends.  God Bless.

 

The Power of Prayer

I'm going to apologize in advance for any mistakes in this post.  I haven't slept in 36 hours.  I am exhausted beyond belief.  But I have to put my thoughts down now while they are fresh in my brain.


Yesterday evening my son-in-law, Adam, fell 20 feet and fractured his spine in three places.  He had to be air lifted to a trauma center.  He had no feeling below his belly button.  In the beginning things were confusing and scary and as the night wore on they were down right frightening.  I knew I was going to need a lot of help with this. 


I contacted my siblings and my OKC family.  We are a huge group.  I asked for their prayers.  Many of them asked others to pray.  My daughter Sarah contacted her friends all over the country.  Adam's family called on all of their family. Eventually we had whole congregations of people who didn't even know Adam praying for him.  The whole thing gave me a great sense of peace. 


Prayer works people!  Adam had the best outcome possible at this time.  His spinal cord is intact but severely bruised. At this point it is a waiting game to see how he recovers from this. The swelling and bruising have to heal.  We are choosing to be positive and feel that he will regain complete function.  He is a strong and determined young man.  I have no doubt that he will do whatever it takes to rehab from this.  It is going to be a long and difficult road but I have faith in him.


You know, in the world we live in it is very easy to become cynical and lose sight of the goodness in people.  Today the goodness was overflowing.  Just to know that there were literally hundreds of people, many who didn't even know him, praying for his healing...it filled my heart to overflowing.  I can never express how grateful I am for all the prayers and positive energy.  Please continue to pray for his recovery and for strength for his wife, my daughter, Beth.


I must find a pillow now.  But before I do I need you all to know how grateful I am for all of your prayers.  Thank you to everyone I know and everyone I don't know.  My heart is overflowing with love for you all. 


Prayer works people!  Our God is an awesome God!  Praise and thanksgiving to Him for all of todays blessings.


Goodnight

Happy 35!

Tomorrow I will celebrate 35 years of marriage to an incredible man that I am lucky, by the grace of God, to share my life with. 

35 is a big number.  At this point I’ve been married longer than I was single…by about 14 years.   And I can honestly say that it is the best thing that ever happened to me (sorry kids!).  I get to have this great friend who knows me better than I know myself.  He takes care of me, encourages me, comforts me, supports me and lets me crochet instead of cleaning or making dinner….and he never complains about it.  He hates my anxiety and yet he still lets me get in a car with him when he knows most of the ride will be spent with me making gasping noises from the passenger seat and telling him not to “drive so close!”   We don’t share a lot of common interests except for sports and a few TV shows.  I don’t get his obsession with softball and weird reality TV and I know he doesn’t get my obsessive love of reading, crocheting and musicals (especially Wicked!).  But, he will endure going to musicals with me because he knows I love it and he knows how much I hate to drive across town to the theater.  I could fill this page with the many little ways he shows his love.  I always tell people that he is way better to me than I am to him because I am always so grateful for everything he does for me. 

That doesn’t mean that I don’t give as well as I receive.  I mean…who else do you know would put up without a shower for as many years as I have?  Or tolerate the many, many, many hours he spends running a softball league and coaching girls who are not his daughters.  Or putting up with an epic level of procrastination that I don’t think can be matched by anyone on this planet.  My problem is that I am a natural complainer and Dan is not.  Dan is stoic to a fault…me, not so much.  If I’m feeling it, then I’m sharing it.  If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy….and you’ll hear about it in my Christmas letter.   But to be truthful, I don’t really mind any of those things…well, the procrastination I could do without, but the rest of it, I’m ok with because I know it’s what he loves and I’m happy that he has those things in his life.  I love that he loves coaching and helping girls to have a safe place to have fun and be competitive without pressure.  It takes a lot of time away from me, but how could I ever be upset by such a noble endeavor.  It’s one of the reasons I love him so much.  He is very selfless with his time and talents. 

Over the years we have learned to tolerate those little irritations because we can see the bigger picture.  Life doesn’t have to be perfect all the time.  We were meant to be together.  For better or worse…we belong to each other.  With all our faults, foibles and idiosyncrasies…we are two halves of one whole.  Together we are so much better than we ever would be apart. 

A special message to Dan:

Life has not always been easy for us but it has been fulfilling and filled with love.  I can never express how much I love you.  I love the wonderful husband you are to me and the exceptional father you are to our children.  You have been such an excellent example to our kids of what it means to be a giving person.  I think they are all much better people because of you.  Thanks for putting up with me all these years.  I love you to the moon and back and I am looking forward to seeing what the next 35 years have in store (hopefully there’ll be a shower in there somewhere ;).

 Happy Anniversary!

I Love America

On this 239th celebration of American Independence I have a few thoughts I'd like to share.

First and foremost:  I love America.

I love everything about it. 

 Here’s just a small list of some of the things I love: 

• I love the Declaration of Independence, The Constitution and The Bill of Rights.
• I love that it was built by the blood, sweat and tears of millions of immigrants.
• I love that there are people braver than I who protect it with their lives….keeping us the land of the free…and the home of the brave.  And I love all those that went before them who fought for Independence and freedom.
• I love that we don’t all get along, and that’s ok. 
• I love that my daughters are afforded the same opportunities as my son.
• I love that I get to worship where and when and Who I want…and you do too.
• I love that I get to choose who represents me in my government.
• I love that I have the right to vote.
• I love that even though it makes my blood boil…people have the right to burn, stomp on and disgrace the US flag.  And if they have that right then they also must have the right to display whatever flag they desire.  Be it Confederate, rainbow or Nazi.
• I even love that sometimes these days I am so frustrated by a segment of society that believes it is the most tolerant when in actuality it is the least tolerant…but they have the right to voice their opinion the same as I have the right to voice mine.
• I love that we have the separation of church and state.  And if you believe that the Ten Commandments should not be displayed on a government property then you must also believe that a church has the right to marry whoever they choose according to their beliefs.  Because that’s what the separation of church and state means.
   
  For me, loving America is like loving my children.  I love it with every fiber in my being, even though sometimes I don’t agree with everything it does.  I don’t stop loving it just because it’s strayed from the path I believe it should be on.  I’m disappointed in its actions sometimes, but I still love it. 
   
  I still believe in the ability of the majority to stand up and right the wrongs. 
   
  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
  ~Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776~

On Lent and Divine Mercy

I have spent the last several months doing a lot of soul searching.  I'm going to admit something here that I have not admitted to anyone...not anyone.  It is really hard for me, but I feel it is necessary.  I fell into a spell of doubtfulness.  Like Thomas before me, I was having a hard time believing.  I was succumbing to the evilness in the world.  Not something I have EVER experienced before.  In fact, I always prided myself on my unwavering belief.  Well, pride goeth before the fall...isn't that what they say?  I suppose most people go through times of questioning...usually it happens earlier in life than your mid-50's but for me, I have never questioned my faith...until recently.  And it's not so much that I was questioning the existence of God or His love and mercy...but something just didn't feel right for me.  The world seems like it is spinning out of orbit. Things are crazy out there people!  But instead of falling wholly on the Lord for strength...I questioned.  I'm not proud of it...but there it is.  Why do these trials come upon us?  I think sometimes we need to go through the trial to get to a new place of understanding and devotion.  That is where I am right now.  On the brink of a new understanding and a deeper devotion.  I share this with you because maybe someone who will read this will be going through the same thing and possibly, through prayer, we can lift each other up.

Usually for Lent we give something up as a sacrifice...candy, caffeine, soda...you get it.  But this year I have decided to do something different.  I'm going to pray the rosary...everyday until Divine Mercy Sunday (the second Sunday in Easter).  And hopefully by that time I will have made a new habit and I will continue to pray the rosary everyday.  That is my goal. And just maybe you might be tempted to pray along with me.  Here is my plan:

Both my parents were very devoted to the Blessed Mother.  It served them well and so I've decided to look to Her for guidance in my quest for a deeper devotion. I will pray the rosary everyday with the intention of peace in the world.  I am so upset, horrified and frightened by the things going on in the world right now.  I feel called to pray for peace.  I have also been reading about the Marians of the Immaculate Conception and Divine Mercy Sunday.  They inspire me. If you are interested you can follow the link to their website.  It has lots of info and even a section on how to pray the rosary. So what is Divine Mercy?  The following is from Fr. Michael Gaitley's book Divine Mercy Explained:

Okay, so what is Divine Mercy? What is this thing that gets to the heart of Sacred Scripture and to the very center of our faith? To begin, mercy is "love's second name," as John Paul II said. It's a particular kind of love, a particular mode of love when it encounters suffering, poverty, brokenness, and sin. Divine Mercy is when God's love meets us and helps us in the midst of our suffering and sin. In fact, because this side of eternity we're all sinners and because suffering is our lot in life, God's love for us here always takes the form of mercy. It's always the Lord stepping out in compassion to help us poor, weak, and broken sinners. From our perspective, then, every good we receive is an expression Divine Mercy.

Poor, weak, and broken sinner...that is me.

So this will be my Lenten journey.  The rosary and Divine Mercy.  I hope some of you will take it with me. We need to pray for peace.

Peace be with you my friends.

Prepare Ye The Way

Merry Christmas friends!  I hope each and every one of you have a blessed and joyous Christmas. 

Today is the last day of Advent.  Advent...the season of hope.  The season of anxious waiting.  The season of preparing for the coming of the Lord.  I love Advent.  It is filled with the hope of a promising future.  The end of Advent is the summation of one of the most awaited prophecies. The birth of the Savior.  The One.  The Great I Am.  He who will lead us out of the desert into the promised land and eventually fulfill the prophecy of dying for our sins and then the greatest prophecy of all...coming again to bring us home.

The world is truly messed up.  Things are crazy right now.  I'm sure my parents felt the same way in the turbulent '60's.  Sometimes I do wonder if we aren't traveling a fast road to the end times.  No one knows.  Which is why we have to always be ready.  We have to make way for the coming of the Lord...every day.  Advent, more than any other season, brings this home.  Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

Even with all the ugliness in the world, I am still hopeful.  Hopeful that each of us in our own way can bring God's grace to this world.  That we can be that light, the candle in the darkness for those who have lost their way.  Through our actions we can fill the world with grace and peace.  It starts with each of us.  If we carry Advent in our hearts throughout the year we can fill a dark world with light.  We can prepare the way of the Lord.

If we choose to live in the Light we can change the world.  We can do it.  

The Lord is coming.  Prepare ye the way of the Lord!

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

Luke 2: 8-14

Let Freedom Ring!

“America isn't easy. America is advanced citizenship. You've gotta want it bad, 'cause it's gonna put up a fight. It's gonna say, 'You want free speech? Let's see you acknowledge a man whose words make your blood boil, who's standing center stage and advocating at the top of his lungs that which you would spend a lifetime opposing at the top of yours.' You want to claim this land as the land of the free? Then the symbol of your country cannot just be a flag. The symbol also has to be one of its citizens exercising his right to burn that flag in protest. Now show me that, defend that, celebrate that in your classrooms. Then, you can stand up and sing about the land of the free.”   Michael Douglas as President Andrew Shepherd in the movie An American President 

This is one of my favorite movie quotes.  Which may surprise those that know me well, considering it comes from what I consider a movie with a pretty liberal slant.  However, this exact sentiment is what I learned from my father, who was as conservative and patriotic as they come.  It says exactly what it means to be an American.  You have to stand up for what you believe in while respecting the views of those who believe what you abhor.  It’s tough.  Especially in the political climate we live in.  But instead of ranting and raving about that which you are opposed.  Use what you already have at your disposal.  Use wisely your voting power. 

America is advanced citizenship. 

Such a powerful statement and something we are sorely lacking in America today.  People don’t think for themselves anymore.  We live in a nation of lemmings.  People who listen to a 10 second sound bite, via some type of social media, and make decisions based solely on that.  We have people who vote for a person based only on the color of their skin or the political party they represent.  Both are wrong. 

We don’t value our voting privilege.  Because that is what it is in my mind.  A privilege.  A privilege that was bought and paid for by young men and women from the inception of this country to the present day.  They fought, bled and died for our privilege to vote.  Don’t you think that makes us responsible to use the privilege wisely ? 

I think it is incumbent upon us to be responsible care takers of this great nation.  We should cherish it as much as we cherish the lives that were lost defending and keeping it free.  We should vote responsibly.  Do the research.  Read about the candidates.  Research their back round, their values, and their vision for the country.   Voting is the most important tool we have as Americans, and as a group, we use it poorly.  It’s the most powerful tool we have to create change.   

So while you are enjoying the food, drink and fireworks this Independence Day, remember what the day is all about.  Remember that we are a free nation of free people with the right to choose their own leaders and live in that country without oppression.  And remember the price that was paid for the privilege to call yourself an American. 

I'll leave you with this quote as a little Independence Day food for thought:

"The tyranny of a prince in an oligarchy is not so dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy."   ~Charles de Montesquieu~

Happy Independence Day my friends! 

Let Freedom Ring!!

 

Humankindness...Paying it Forward

Hi bloggy friends.  I'm not sure how many of you are still even reading my very infrequent postings, but I'm coming to you to ask for your help.


One of my daughters best friends is going through a very rough time right now.  She and her husband are fighting for custody of his biological daughter.  It's a very stressful and heartbreaking time for them.  I am asking you to please pray for this couple and their daughter.  They need your prayers desperately.  Please put them on your prayer list.  I appreciate it and I know they do also.


If you have received some humankindness recently and feel the need to pay it forward, I would be so appreciative if you could help them out monetarily. They are in desperate need of funds to further their quest to be reunited with their daughter.  If you are able to donate, it will be greatly appreciated by their entire family.  Here is a link to their story and you can make a donation there if you wish:
http://www.gofundme.com/bringhomemegan 


I am thanking you in advance for any help you can give.


Here are a couple of pictures of Josh, Amanda and Megan.












Hope everyone has a great weekend!  God Bless you all! 

New Year's Eve Musings

 

I've never been much for celebrating New Year's.  It wasn't a big holiday in my family.  We didn't do any special foods or activities. The one memory I do have from when I was a kid is what a treat it was to be able to stay up and watch Dick Clark count down to the New Year in Times Square.  If I could stay awake.  Sometimes I made it and sometimes I didn't.  Theses days it's just a good reason to have a day off work.  I don't do resolutions because I feel like if I live my life the way I'm supposed to everyday...I don't need them.  That's not to say that I do live my life right every day...but it's what I strive for and no list of "stuff" is going to change the way I go about my business.  That's just me.

 

One thing I do enjoy every year is Dave Berry's year in review.  He is such a smart and funny writer.  I always enjoy reading his articles.  You can read the article here.  It's long...but worth every word.

 

Reading his article did give me a few ideas of things I hope to never hear again, some of these things dominated news and social media to the point that it made me want to scream, some of them just irritated me.  Here are the things that annoyed me in 2013:

 

Miley Cyrus, twerking, Jodi Arias, Duck Dynasty, Obamacare, Obama, Congress...all of them, Alex Rodriguez, Ryan Braun, the LA Dodgers, zombies, sequestration, debt ceiling, The City of Glendale City Council, The Goldwater Institute, Quebec hockey fans, new computer systems at work.

 

I guess that's enough for one year right?  I had no idea there were so many until I started typing them.  I'll end on a high note.  Here's what gave me joy in 2013:

 

33 years of marriage to the same man...I really do love that guy; my kids...no explanation needed; crocheting...anything; my cat...I know, it's weird, but true; my big crazy, weird family...I love them all; a beautiful wedding; and last but not least...my new son-in-law Adam...He is a special young man and I could not be happier that he is now a member of our family.  I am looking forward to many years with him :)

 

My heart is full and my life is perfectly what it should be.  Looking forward to lots of the same in 2014.

 

Happy New Year friends!  Hope you find your joy in 2014...Love you all!



O Holy Night

Christmas is five days away....FIVE!  Every year I feel surprised by how fast the holiday sneaks up on me.  You'd think I'd have learned by now...

You know how things just don't seem to go right sometimes?  That's how I feel about this Christmas season. 

Dan started decorating the outside of the house, got the lights up around the roof and promptly got sick. He's been sick for the better part of two weeks.  Needless to say no other decorations made it up.  He is highly disappointed.  Decorating the house for Christmas is the highlight of his year. 

I've had a really hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year.  I miss buying gifts for the kids. Gift buying is the highlight of MY year.  I love searching for and picking out gifts.  But we are exchanging stockings this year so I only have one person to buy for. ONE!  How do you only buy for one person?  I mean, it's practical and its necessary and I love the simplicity of it.  But I yearn for the days of a pile of presents under the tree.  I need some grand kids people! :) 

One thing that never changes is why we celebrate this holiday in the first place.  I try to always keep that in the forefront of my mind.  Especially when lamenting the absence of gifts under the tree.  

Driving home last night it was cloudy, a little windy and a tad chilly.  And then from the radio came the most beautiful version of O Holy Night.  It was the perfect setting...for the perfect song.  It made my heart swell and it filled me with Good Tidings.  This is what Christmas is all about, Gerri.  It was exactly what I needed at exactly the right time.  Amazing how God always does that for me.  In the midst of Christmas hub-bub and lamenting, He finds a way to bring me back to what is Real.  The Christmas Story is one of hope and the beginning of the journey toward Easter and eternal salvation.

I am happy for this season of hope and thankful to my Savior who always finds ways to bring me back to Him.

Wishing you and yours a Blessed Christmas.

RIP 35

The hallmark of a seminal moment is if you can tell people where you were and what you were doing when the event happened.  I can't tell you were I was or what I was doing on November 22, 1963...but it was a life defining moment for me.

My first recollection of the event was sitting on the floor next to my father's feet and watching the funeral procession on TV.  I was two weeks shy of 5 years old. Even at that age..the memory is burned in my brain and it is one of the most vivid memories of my young childhood.  I believe that that is the moment that my fascination with JFK began.

I always wanted to read every book I could find about him and the events leading up to that day.  In high school I wrote a term paper about the assassination and all the conspiracy theories.  That was 1976 and the theories were flying fast a furious at that time.  I really truly believed that there had to be more than one gunman.

Over the years as more information has come to light, I'm leaning more towards the lone gunman theory.  The sad part is...we will never know and so there will always be speculation.

I am still fascinated by the Kennedy family and their place in history.  One of the most emotional days of my life was the day I first visited Arlington National Cemetery and was able to view Kennedy's grave and the eternal flame.  It was 1987 and so I wasn't that far removed from those days in the late '70's.  I most recently visited the grave in 2009 and while not as emotional, and viewed with a new and more mature perspective, it was still very moving.  And the same thought occurred on both occasions...what if?  The big question that always hangs in the air whenever you think about Jack or Bobby or John Jr.  50 years have passed and we still ask what if?

Today I will offer up a prayer for our 35th president and his family.  Today I will not ponder what if...I will only be thankful for the life of a man who was dedicated to public service and for the ways in which he was able to positively affect the country and people he served.

RIP 35.

The Wedding

I have tried at least three times to write this post.  Each time I sit down to write it, the words just won't come.  I just cannot find the words to express all that the day held and all that it meant to me.  Very foreign feeling for me.  I am never at a loss for words.  I decided that my Facebook post from the morning of the wedding really expressed exactly how I felt that day.  This is what I wrote when I woke up that morning:

So THE day is finally here. It's one of those milestone days you dream of when you hold that tiny little human being in your arms for the first time. You dream of first words, first steps and the first day of school. Learning to drive, graduation, going to college...getting married. There is no way to prepare for how fast this dream becomes reality.

Today my baby girl marries the man of her dreams. I love you Beth, and I am so, so happy for you and Adam. Happy Wedding Day!

Pretty much sums it up.  The day came too fast.  She was a baby in my arms and then she was this...

A gorgeous, beautiful bride. 

It was very overwhelming...but equally as awesome.  Everyone told me the day would go fast and it sure did.  Which is why I made the decision to not take pictures.  I knew there would be enough other people taking pictures and I just wanted to be "in the moment".  I am so glad I decided to do that.  So, none of these pictures belong to me.  My wonderful best friend, Debbie, who is also my sister-in-law, took the pre-ceremony pictures.  She did an excellent job.  Some of these pictures are hers.  Some are from my wonderful relatives who came from all over the country to share the day with us. Some are from my oldest daughters friends.  I am publicly thanking them here for helping me to remember the day.

I hate having my picture taken.  If I do have my picture taken I hate for anyone to see it.  But, I decided that for this day I needed to get over myself and just be ok with it.  Another thing I'm happy about.  Which is why I'm sharing this picture:

Just a funny silly picture of Beth and I when we were getting our hair done.  I obviously don't have the talent to make the "duck" lips...but I tried.  And honestly...I love this picture.  I decided that this day was only coming once in our life and I was going to make the most of it. I wore makeup, which I applied myself without too much trouble...thank goodness for YouTube!  I gave a speech and yes, it was probably long by wedding speech standards.  But I had things I wanted to say to my daughter and promises to make to my new son-in-law.  So I said what needed to be said and no one called the speech police so I guess it was ok.  I used to love to dance but since I've gained so much weight I've always been really self conscious about dancing.  Well, that night I danced.  I honestly had so much fun...it was one of the most AWESOME nights of my life.  I'm so happy that I didn't let my insecurities get in the way of making the most of the day. 

So, here are some pictures of the day along with my observations.  I hope you enjoy!

My beautiful kids: Stephen, Beth and Sarah.  Love them!

 

Dan seeing his baby girl for the first time.  There were tears...

Escorted by my wonderful son Stephen.  We had to navigate two sets of stairs...I told Stephen his only job that day was to make sure I didn't fall! :)

The Maid of Honor, my beautiful daughter Sarah

 

 

 

 

 And when this happened...I cried...hard.  I had a hard time holding it together while he walked her down the isle.  I was having visions of the little tomboy with crooked glasses and a dirty face.  She's come a long way baby :)

Adam when he turned around and saw Beth for the first time.  Priceless.

Saying their vows.

First kiss.

Mr. & Mrs. Adam Dixon

Beautiful couple

 

Bridal Party

 

Father/Daughter dance to "I Loved Her First".  I cried during the whole thing.  I think I may have cried the hardest during this dance.

First dance to "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun.  Beth and Adam love movies so all their songs were from movies.  Which made the following hilarious when you know that it was done to the theme from Mission Impossible:

I love her face in this picture.  She had no idea what he was going to do.  I wish I had a video of it.  He did some great Mission Impossible moves around the chair.  It was awesome!

 

Last but not least...my personal favorite picture of the night.  The last Coach/Daughter picture.  After all the years of Dan coaching Beth in softball we have many Coach/Daughter pictures.  Several years ago I made Beth an album with all the pictures.  This was her idea...to have a last softball picture with her dad to add to the album.  It was very special.

Well, thanks for sticking with me through the picture tour.  I learned an important lesson on my daughter's wedding day:

Life is too short not to dance and have fun.  Everyday should be like a wedding day.

Rejoice!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween Everyone!!

Today I'm sharing two of my favorite pictures of my kids.  When they were little I always tried to dress them somewhat alike for Halloween.  As they got older that idea didn't fly but when they were little it sure made for some cute pictures.

(For the purposes of this blog post, I am writing only of the secular celebrations. I'm planning on doing another post on religious holidays as it gets closer to Christmas)

I always loved Halloween as a kid.  I never liked the scary part of it but I loved dressing up and I REALLY loved the candy!  Of course when I had kids of my own I loved sharing in their excitement and helping them to pick out costumes.  Now that I am an adult, I think I love Halloween because it's the true beginning of Fall in AZ and it means that Thanksgiving is just around the corner.  Fall is my favorite time of year and in all honesty, I think Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I know that shocks most of you who know me as the obsessed Christmas lady, but it's true.  I do love Christmas, but a little bit of the magic goes out of it when your kids grow up and it looses a little bit of it's shine.  Plus, it's just such a hectic time with so much hubub. Thanksgiving on the other hand is a simple joy.  I love everything about it.  The colors, the decorations and of course the food.

It is a time to spend with family and friends.  It's all about gathering at the table and giving thanks for the Lord's abundant love and blessings in your life.  Thanksgiving is the purest and simplest of holidays.  Gather together, enjoy some good food, enjoy each others company, enjoy some football if that's your thing.  Spend some relaxing time with those you love and who love you.  It's the calm before the Christmas storm.

I'm really looking forward to this holiday season.  With the addition of my new son-in-law Adam and his family, the Clem Clan is growing ever stronger...in personalities and in numbers.  It's all very exciting stuff.

I'm still trying to gather my thoughts about the whole wedding thing. I'm hoping to write about it this weekend when I have more time to gather my thoughts.  Until then I will leave you with this...in the pictures above Beth is the littlest surgeon and witch...last Saturday she dressed up as a bride...and she was gorgeous. Words cannot express how my heart fills up when I look at this picture.  Simply beautiful...

To Makeup, Or Not To Makeup...

I don't wear makeup...ever.  When I was 37 two things happened that made me decide I just didn't want to wear it anymore.  I had to switch from contacts back to glasses and I got an extremely bad sunburn.  The glasses just made me feel like you couldn't see my eyes (my best feature, I think) so what was the point and when I had the sunburn I couldn't wear it anyway.  I had never really enjoyed wearing makeup so at that point I just decided it didn't matter anyway.  I'm ok with no makeup and I don't really care if anyone else thinks I should wear it.  I'm independent that way.  But...

My daughter is getting married on Saturday.  Events like this only happen once.  Pictures will be taken.  I don't want her to look at her pictures years from now and think...wow, Mom looked really bad.  Not that she would, because she's not like that.  But, I don't want to be the washed out one in all the pictures.  I'm already the lightest one in my family.  If I don't do something, I'll just be Casper the Ghost standing next to all those Malibu Barbies and Kens.  Also, several years ago, I acquired rosacea...a lovely little skin condition that leaves your nose and cheeks red.  It makes you look like you've had a few too many...all the time.  So I'd be drunk Casper to boot.  No one needs that in their pictures. 

So...in order to even out my skin tone and not appear dead in the pictures, I bought makeup for the first time in 18 years.  Today I did a practice run with said makeup.  Here is what I learned:

Plucking gray eyebrow hairs is not fun. Plucking is another thing I don't do anymore...don't judge...at this age I don't have many left and you can't see the dang things anyway.  But in order to wear eyebrow pencil...one must pluck the brows.  Trying to twist and turn so the light would catch the silvery ones so that I could then pluck them...well, that probably would have made a good home video...thank goodness no one else was home.

Applying makeup with a sponge is not as easy as Carmindy on What Not To Wear makes it seem.  Never used the sponge before...it was interesting to say the least.  We will think about this little task an re-evaluate later.

The medicine I use for my rosacea also dries out my skin considerably so the makeup didn't look so hot over the dry skin...don't know what to do about that one...any ideas?  I'm not that keen on looking flakier than I already am.

I hated the way it felt on my skin and could not wait to wash it off...which is going to make my time sitting in the 90 degree weather on Saturday just peachy.  But I will do it...for the sake of my fellow wedding attendees...and pictures.

And all of this just goes to prove the lengths you will go to for your children...even when they are adults.

Wish me luck with the making up on Saturday...I need all the positive juju I can get. 

Despite the great makeup debacle of 2013...I am beyond excited for this wedding and can't wait for the day to finally arrive.  I will be back next week, sans makeup, to tell you all about it.

Have a great week everyone!

Intercession

St. Germaine Cousin

I have vowed to publicly thank my patron saint anytime she helps me with a problem.  So, today I am here to say thank you to St. Germaine for her intercession, once again.  She is known as the forgotten saint, so I have vowed to do what I can to make her name known.  Her story is incredible and worth the read.  I think it will inspire you.  Here is a link to her story: http://www.stgermaine.com/germaine.htm

In the past several weeks I have asked for intercession twice and both times the outcome has been favorable.  Not surprising to me of course, prayer is powerful.  It changes things.

I wanted to talk a little bit about intercession and prayer. 

Lots of people who are not Catholic, and many who are, do not understand intercession.  Many people think we pray to saints instead of going straight to God.  This could not be further from the truth. We are not asking the saint to grant us anything.  We are asking for their prayers. Do you ever ask a friend to pray for you?  This is exactly what intercession is.  You are merely asking for someone else to pray on your behalf.  That is what I ask St. Germaine to do for me.  I have been doing this since my parents taught me to pray.  I feel like she is my friend.  And as I would ask any friend if I were in need, I often ask her to pray for me...or to intercede.  Here is a link if you wish to read more about intercession: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08070a.htm

I have asked publicly on Facebook many times for prayers.  I have a community of faith filled family and friends there who are always willing to pray for my intentions, even when they have no idea what they are praying for. You don't always have to tell people what you need.  You need only to ask that they pray for a special intention.  Sometimes what we need is too personal to tell the world.  Or we may be embarrassed that we are asking for intercession for something we may think God thinks is insignificant.  But remember this...if it's important to you, it's important to God.

Prayer is so powerful and in numbers it's power can be staggering.  I have seen it in my own life and in the lives of others.  Of course, we must always be mindful to pray that God's will be done.  And remember that your prayers are always answered...it may not be the answer you wanted, but it is always the right answer.  And sometimes you don't get the answer for years after you pray.  But when the answer comes, you know it, and you realize that God knew all along.  He knows what is in our hearts before we do.  He knows what our lives will be before we can even imagine it.  So whatever His answer is, it's the right one.

So once again, I am coming before you and St. Germaine and asking for your prayers for a special intention.  I appreciate your prayers and always keep you all in my daily prayers as well.

Thanks for being such supportive and loving friends.  I love you all :)

Weddings and Anniversaries

Today I've been married for 33 years.  I wish I could say I have all the answers to a long and happy marriage.  I wish that, because my daughter is getting married in exactly one month.  I would love to be able to impart some great wisdom upon her so that she also will have a long and happy marriage.  I only know what works for Dan and I.  I suppose some of it is good advice.  Some of it is advice others gave us...some of it we learned on our own.  So here goes...everything I know about marriage in one easy blog post...

It's more about the marriage and less about the wedding.

Live a faith filled life...together.  It's important to remember who the Higher Power is...and it is neither one of you.

We promised to love each other for richer or poorer (there has been no richer), in sickness and in health (we've had both) forsaking all others until death do us part...and we meant it.  We meant it then, and 33 years later we still mean it. 

When we aren't exactly seeing eye to eye or we just aren't really liking each other (yes, that happens) we make a decision to love each other.  We just say to the other person, "I'm making a decision to love you right now."  It lets the other person know you are irritated and maybe they should back off until you cool down.  It's much better than fighting and it gives each person time to think about the situation.  Then, when cooler heads prevail, you figure it out.  99.9% of the time we both are to blame for whatever was going on. 

It's not important to always be right...it's more important, sometimes, to let him (or her) think he is ;)

Take one for the team.  Sometimes it's just better to let the other person have their way.  You don't always get to have things your way...you have to give some too.  But stand up for yourself when it's necessary.

And speaking of giving...marriage is NOT a 50/50 deal.  It's 100/100.  Each person has to give 100 percent for the relationship to work.

Think before you speak...and then think again...words cannot be recalled. You don't have to say everything you think.  (this is really hard for people with Dion DNA)  Silence truly is golden.  Sometimes complete and total honesty is highly over rated.  Learn when it's necessary and when just keeping your mouth shut is the better option.

Never leave the house without telling each other goodbye and saying I love you.  It might be the last chance you ever have to do so.  In 33 years Dan and I have never left each other without saying goodbye and I love you....even if the other person is sleeping. Believe me, I have never minded being woken up so he can tell me he loves me :)  It's important...do it.

The oldest piece of wedding advice is probably still the most important.  Don't go to bed mad.  Resolve your issues before you hit the pillow.  I did once, and it was the most miserable night of my entire life.

Don't let other people tell you how your relationship should work.  If it works to be sarcastic then be sarcastic.  People often think Dan and I are being mean to each other...we are not.  We are just both very sarcastic...we get it...we like it...it works for us.  Find what works for you and don't let anyone tell you differently.

When you have kids, always present a united front.  Make sure you don't pass the buck to your spouse.  Don't make one parent be the bad guy...be united and on the same page about all parenting issues.  Kids can smell weakness and they will divide and conquer if you don't stick together.

And most important of all...

Make sure the other person always knows that he/she is the most important person in your life.  Before kids, parents, family, friends or pets.  Once you are married you become each other's pillar of strength.  Make sure you always have each other's back, defend each other and don't talk bad about each other to anyone.  One day the kids will grow up, move away, get married and have kids of their own.  Then you'll be right back where you started...just the two of you.  If you don't continue to grow and nurture your relationship you'll end up with nothing.  Do not put your kids before your spouse.  You were together first...you will be together forever.

So that's it...the simplified version of what I've learned in 33 years. 

I always thank God for bringing Dan and I together.  I know how lucky am.  He is truly one of a kind.  They just don't make them like Dan anymore.  If you could pick out all the qualities you want for a husband and father in a catalog...the finished product would be Dan (hopefully minus the procrastination...but nobody is perfect ;) 

Happy Anniversary Danno!  I hope we have at least 33 more years to be sarcastic to each other...you make my life worth living.  I love you more than you know.

I Will Remember

I will, for as long as I live, hate this date. I suppose it's how my grandparents felt about December 7th or how my parents felt about November 22nd. Dates that are associated with an event so unbelievably, horribly evil. It doesn't matter what time of year it is or why I may come across the date, but when I see or hear September 11th, it stops me short. 12 years later I still feel dread when I hear it. It is the single most terrifying day in my life. I remember the feeling of not knowing what was going to happen next. I remember living the next week or so in a fog. I had a hard time sleeping. I was scared for my kids and their future. I remember thinking that if I felt this way I just couldn't imagine how the people in NY, DC and PA felt. But...


It doesn't matter that it happened 3000 miles from my home or that I did not personally know anyone who lost their life or a loved one. It happened to my country...on my home soil. It happened to all of us. It changed forever the way we look at the world, the way we live in the world. It changed my children's future.

But, as horrible as this date is...we must never forget. We cannot forget things like 9/11. To forget is to chance repeating. I am not willing to repeat. I will forever remember what was perpetrated on MY country that day. I will never forget those who lost their lives. I will remember...no matter how badly it hurts. No matter how much the current administration believes it is now right to help the ones who perpetrated the evil of 9/11…I do not. And I will not forget what they did that day…I will not forget.

I will remember.

Wanting What You've Got

I read a lot of blogs. I love them. I love reading about other people’s lives. I guess this makes me a voyeur…and the over sharing world of Facebook and blogging are ripe for someone like me. But it’s also not a very good thing for me. You know, I’m one of those “the grass is greener elsewhere” kind of people. On any given day, after a session of blog reading, I find myself wanting to:

1. Live on a remote farm and raise chickens and goats…eat eggs and milk from said chickens and goats and make my own natural soaps and lotions.

2. Be a mother with young children, writing about their exploits and plastering their cute little faces all over the internet…while home schooling, cooking only organic foods and hand sewing all their clothes.

3. Own my own successful internet business where I only have to work a few hours every day and I rake in the dough.

4. Travel to exotic places, take pictures of historic sites, eat local cuisine and walk 4000 miles each day in an effort to see the whole world.

5. Have enough time in the day to create all the beautiful crochet projects that I can…and then sell them for exorbitant amounts of money on etsy.

Sometimes, when I read these blogs…they make me dissatisfied with my own life. Like I’m missing out on some really exciting and wonderful stuff…I always think about the Meg Ryan line in “You’ve Got Mail” where she says she feels like she leads a small life. I feel that way sometimes. And then I remind myself that small is good and you are important to those that need you. Which is a very good thing. And then I realize that all those things which I think sound glamorous really aren’t because I remember that:

1. Chickens scare me and I don’t like goat’s milk. And I’m pretty sure I don’t really ever want to make my own soap…I’m too lazy…Dial is good enough for me.

2. I’m pretty much over the kid thing…except for grandkids…I can’t wait for those! If I home schooled anyone they would end up an expert in history and know absolutely nothing about math. I hate to cook...organic or not. AND…I hate to sew…

3. I’d love to own my own business that I only had to work a few hours at…but I’m smart enough to know that nothing good comes without hard work.

4. I love the idea of traveling…the actual execution of it is another story…insert anxiety issues here. I love taking pictures but rarely remember my camera; if the local cuisine looked weird in any way…I would be searching for the nearest McDonalds…and I hate to walk.

5. This I would do in a nano second…but there’s a little thing called work that keeps getting in my way.

So, the moral of this pointless blog is, in the words of Sheryl Crow:

“It’s not having what you want; it’s wanting what you’ve got.”

I hope you are all wanting what you’ve got…and I hope you all have a super duper weekend!!

Tiger Says...

So I decided to come write this post because it's been exactly one year since I came to live at the Clem Castle.  The family is pretty much the same except for the girl that brought me here.  She moved away and didn't even take me with her.  Can you believe that?  I was kind of looking forward to getting away from the big guy that hounds me constantly when he's home.  I know he means well, but jeez guy, give it a rest.  I don't like you and no amount of cajoling is going to change it.  He does not take rejection well at all.  But I do have to thank him for taking me to the doctor when I was sick.  I really HATED being put in the little cage for the ride in the car.  I cried all the way there. But I guess it was worth it because I felt a lot better after the doctor gave me a shot. Oh, and there was that one time that there were about a thousand people AND a dog (shudder) in my house all at the same time.  Mom cooked a bunch of food (of which I got none, mind you!) and all these people came to eat and talk and they caused such a racket.  And the dog, well, I just can't even explain what the dog was like.  I just went and hid under my mom's bed, it was all too much for me to handle.  But after all the people and the dog left, the big guy picked me up and carried me around the house so I could see the coast was clear and it was ok to come out again.  That was really nice of him, so I tolerate him, and I let him pet me when no one else is around, but that's as far as I'm letting it go.

I still like my mom the best.  She says she's not a cat person but I beg to differ.  She gives me treats and pets me whenever I want to be petted.  She puts up with my "talking" when it's time to eat...I can be very annoying with that, but hey, I'm a cat...I want what I want when I want it.  I don't get why that's so hard to understand.  I mostly sit on the back of her chair and watch her play with that string she won't let me touch.  That's really the only time she gets mad at me, so I try really hard to be good about that.  But sometimes a cat just can't help herself.  When things move, sometimes I just gotta pounce, you know?

I still like the boy a lot too.  He is always good for some petting and cuddling when I'm in the mood.  His room is cool and quiet.  I like it in there.

My family has provided me with some really cool toys.  I love batting them around the house and then taking off like a crazy cat and zooming all over the place.  I mostly do it for the families reaction...they think it's hilarious so who am I to spoil their fun.  They are very easily entertained. 

I'm still kinda freaked out by the spinning things on the ceiling.  I try really hard not to look at them but sometimes I just have to take a peak to see if they are still spinning.  I peak and then look away quickly.  So far they have remained on the ceiling, but I don't want to tempt fate by letting them know I know they are there.  Hopefully someday they will go away...although I'm not holding my breath because my mom seems to REALLY like those spinney things.  I think she's crazy.

When I'm not eating, sleeping or chasing toys I like to sit in the window sill in the living room or by the back door and look out the windows.  It looks very interesting out there but I'm not allowed to find out.  The one time I did venture out the back door I got into a lot of trouble, so I guess I won't do that again.

All in all, life is pretty good here at the Clem Castle.  I pretty much have every single one of them (even the big guy) wrapped around my little paw.  Yes, life is good!