I love the glow of your lights and how it makes me feel. 

We always wait until after the Epiphany to take down our tree, but it still feels too soon. 

That poor tree has been through heck this year. 

Maggie twirls it every time she passes by it.  She has knocked off several balls and the angel fell off, too. 

Jake lays under it and uses one of the poinsetta flowers to scratch his nose.  Sooooooo...

...I am taking it down tomorrow. Booooo

I had the best afternoon with my great-niece and great-nephew.

Baby Boy gave me a 3 leaf clover and asked if I was going to put it in my hair.

I did and he said, "Aunt Jenn, you look so beautiful." 

Ahhhh, be still my heart.

They are the sweetest little boogers.

Here's a cute conversation with Baby Girl.

When I dropped them off at home she pointed out a bright star.  

Baby Girl: "That looks like the brightest star ever!"  

Me: "That's probably the North Star." 

Baby Girl: "What's the North Star?" 

I explained that the wise men used the North star to find baby Jesus.

She was so cute when she said, "Ohhhh, I wish we could follow the North star to go see baby Jesus!"

Oh how they make me smile. 

Ronnie left to go hunting with Ronnie II.  I hope and pray he has a wonderful time.  I've promised myself I will not call him or text him.  I just want him to be able to enjoy his time.

And...I want to enjoy the time too. 

Mom's birthday is tomorrow.  She is spending the night tonight.  I'm going to get up and make her some breakfast and we will just have a great day.  The weather is supposed to be really pretty too.

I don't know if this was a different day because Ronnie wears this shirt almost every day. :)  It's his favorite.  

Maggie loves her human.  Actually, she adores him.  It's sweet.

It has been rainy and muddy and cool.  Not cold, just cool.

I hate it when it comes time for me to say this, and it seems to be happening sooner and sooner every year, but I am SO ready for Spring!! 

This next pic is not the best, but had to get Maggies in one of her weird sleeping positions...half on the bed and half off.  Might be worth a try.

We had a few challenges. 

Our family even had a Christmas miracle.

It is all behind us now, thanks to God.

And I truly mean, THANKS TO GOD. 

As we embark on the year ahead I take comfort in looking back and seeing all the good God has done and how He is always with us.

We are now 6 days into 2013

and it's "Looooking goooood" (think Chico and the Man).

My dreams for this year: 

1. Win the HGTV Dream Home
2. Become financially independent (read as ridiculously rich)
3. Become so healthy and disciplined that we win every marathon we enter 
4. Host crazy, fun-filled family dinners with delicious. healthy, whole-food at least 5 days a week
5. Give Mother Teresa a run for her money as a helper

 Obviously, all of these are a little over stated, but hey, dream big and big things will happen.  Expect big things and big things you will receive.  You get the idea, though.

I've been feeling the need for a little change.  

The best way for me to scratch that itch is to just move some furniture around and clean.

The weather has been wet around here so it means mud  and dog hair.  

I started with the dining/bedroom area.  By the end of the day it felt sooooo much better.

See...now this is why I havent blogged in so long...

I took "after" pics, but I cant find them on the SD card.  

So, now I need to take after pics again, but dont have time right now, as I need to get ready so I can go turn in my resume at a couple of places.  

So....maybe the next post...maybe.

We were blessed and touched by the healing hand of God.  It was beautiful.

Today's Sunday Song is one of Ronnie's favorites.

When he went on his men's weekend retreat several years ago this was the song of the weekend. It was so awesome to hear all those men singing this song.  He was truly touched by the Holy Spirit that weekend.  It was evident by the peace that surrounded him.

As we were approaching the alter tonight to be prayed over, the group of men singing sang this song.  Coincidence?  I think not.  Only difference was...they sang it in Spanish. 

As we left the alter the look on Ronnie's face and the tears he shed told me he was touched again.

When we sat down he could barely speak but he asked me if I recognized the song in Spanish, and of course I did.  He said he could not think of the words in English, but he felt like he could sing it with them in Spanish.  I smiled and just thanked God.

It was a beautiful evening

The priest spoke of love.  He reminded us to love God with all our heart and to love others as we love ourselves. 

He also reminded us that love is the only thing we take with us.

That is it.  We take the love we share and the love we receive.  Wow.

May God bless you with peace, love and joy as we enter this holiday season and may we always thank Him for all the gifts He gives us every minute of every day.

That stinkin' thinkin' was just taking over.

Blech!

I had to do something.

First, I downloaded John Osteen's book Your Words Hold a Miracle:  The Power of Speaking God's Word to my Kindle.

Great book, lots of scriptures we can use to remind ourselves of God's promises.  The late Pastor Osteen reminds us that the more we proclaim God's word and His promises, the more His word can come to pass in our lives.  I concur.

Thing about it is...I cant remember all the scriptures.  So, when I get anxiety during the day or start to think of all the worst that could happen in any and all situations, I have to go get my Kindle.  Sometimes, that just isn't practical.  I find it helpful, though, to read those as I awake and as I retire for the evening.

But during the day I started turning to positive affirmations.  I found a ton on the web, although, I didn't note any of the sites I found them at.

One of the ones I love the most is,

"I watch with joy as God abundantly supplies me with more than I can even imagine." 

Love it!

Another one I love is,

"Life is a joy full of delightful surprises".  

I repeated that one as I awoke on Monday morning as I was feeling a little anxiety about Mom and Ron having doctor appointments that day.

And then I had this bright idea.  I decided I would take note of all the "delightful surprises" in my day.

It started soon after I got out of bed.

Ronnie had an early doctors appointment in Lake Jackson, about an hour from here, so we were up and moving at 6:30 a.m. 

As I stepped out of the bathroom after my shower I saw my first delightful surprise.  Jake, our black lab mix, was all curled up and sound asleep on Ronnie's side of the bed.

He does this all the time, but that morning it just melted my heart.  He was so content and looked like he felt so safe.  It was awesome.

Since we were going to be gone for a while I wanted Jake to go out again before we left and as I stood at the door with him I saw a squirrel in the tree. 

I see squirrels all the time, but I just saw it through new eyes Monday morning.

Then on the way to Lake Jackson, we crossed a creek. 

There was condensation rising from the water caused by cold air from the first real cold front blowing over the creek water that was warmer below.  It was an incredible sight.

Ronnie and I had the best time, even at the dr's office. 

I noticed that as I kept my eyes open for "delightful surprises" I wasnt worrying or thinking about the worst that could happen. 

Our thoughts create our future.  Thoughts of fear and lack get us no where.  God did no create us with a spirit of fear.  He created us with a spirit of joy, strength and hope.

It is a practice.  I have to concentrate on positive thinking, but it helps.  And I know one day it will be natural again. 

Two years ago when we started this blog I thought all of our memories would live here forever.  I thought I would post something from everyday for us to remember.  But, it hasnt been that way lately.  Maybe it will get better.  I just havent felt like taking the time.

Since I am here, though, I guess I will catch up. 

Let's see...the thing that stands out most is our visit yesterday to our house in Dickinson. 

We went there last week to check it out since our tenent moved out.  Which, by the way, he did a great job of keeping up the house.  It still looks brand new. 

That first visit was tough.  I love that house so much.  But not only that, I loved the life we lived in that house.  We have been blessed with goodness through out our marriage and I am extremely grateful for the incredible feeling of gratitude I get when I think of our life there.

Gosh, I can still remember the day we signed the papers.  December 18th 2008.

What a crazy day it was.  We hired movers and still it was a tough day.  It was so late when the movers finally got everything moved in.  I remember being so exhausted and hungry.  I had only been around the area once with the builder's salesman a month before, but somehow I found my way to Chick-Fil-A that night. 

Anyway....

Being there yesterday was even tougher than the first time. 

I opened that door and the moment I looked down that long entry hall the emotion rushed to the surface. 

Luckily, I kinda kept it together until the handy man and his wife, there doing some touch ups, left. 

Once they left, the tears flowed, basically until we got back to Bay City.  Ronnie took me to that same Chick-Fil-A thinking it would make the water works stop.  Generally, Chick-Fil-A makes everything better.  Not yesterday.

Part of it was definitly the gratitude for the memory of the moments in our life associated with that house.  But another part of it was closure. 

I guess in the deep recesses of my mind I hoped someday we would move back because here's the thing...I guess for me it was the ultimate home.  That home everybody strives for throughout their lives.  It was the home of which I always dreamed.

Yesterday, my hopes came face to face with reality.  And truly, something inside told me that this home will no longer be mine.  I truly think it is going to sell this time.  My heart was sad when I came to this realization. 

Then again, maybe it was just PMS.  You know everything gets blown out of proportion during that time of the month.  We will see when it goes back on the market.  Will it sell or will it lease?  Only time will tell.

The good news is...I have nothing to be sad about.  We have a wonderful life here in BC.  It is full of love and life.  Full of hope and promise.  It is a beautiful, simple life full of love and fun and peace.  And while I am having a difficult time letting go of what life was, I am counting my blessings for what life is and will be.

May everyone out there have a blessed and peaceful week.

Oh gosh, how I adore this man.  

He is a God send.

He is my best friend.

He makes me laugh.

He comforts me.

He gives me strength.

He is my rock.

Those are just a few of the reasons I know he is sent from God.

Thank you, God.

Oh yes!  It was a gorgeous day so we went out to the driving range.  

I have never played golf or even driven a ball, but I have been wanting to learn for a couple of years, now.  

I even bought some clubs...a year ago.

Honestly, I had been having some "stinkin' thinkin'" the past couple of weeks.  I dont put that stuff on here because I like to keep things on a positive note on this here blog but I also want to keep it realistic.  

But, I also dont like to give words to things I think are ailments or stinkin' thoughts on this here blog. Oh believe me...I give them plenty of words as I obsessively discuss them with Ronnie and my mom here at the house.  It really isnt a good thing to do, though, so I try not to do it much here.

Anyway....

This past Thursday Ronnie said, "Let's go hit some golf balls."  Woo hoo! 

First, we went to see if Mom wanted to go for a ride.  If she did we were not going to hit balls, just drive out to the golf course.  

It turned out she did want to go, but Ronnie went to find out where the driving range was and found out that there was no rental fee for the golf carts!

Yee Haw!

We were practicing safety first, so Ronnie took us to the driving range one at a time.  He took me first then went and got Mom.  She just sat in the golf cart and watched.

Driving the golf ball down the range is fun, but it isn't easy.

Ronnie has played before but he was using my clubs, which are kids clubs, since I am so short.  So, he really was just messing around.

Oh, I really enjoyed watching him.  He could hit it pretty far considering he has not played in ages.

I was trying to be a pro.

Not that I know anything about being a pro other than what I see Tiger do on TV.

But, I was trying to keep my eye on the ball and swing just right.

And you know what???

I missed the ball entirely the first time.

Then I hit it about 2 ft.

Geez

Oh what fun!! 

Next time we are going to invite my "Comadre" (which is Spanish for really close friend or mother to your God-son/daughter- both in my case) and her family!

And then one day soon I am going to take my great niece and great nephew aka Baby Boy and Baby Girl.  Well, I am going to ask their Mama if we can.

Ronnie ended up hitting the ball about 250 yards or so.  I made it about 100 yards...once.  LOL

But it was fun and really a blessing to get out on that beautiful day!!

Awww, you can see their matching knee braces. Thanks to God they help a lot!!

What about you?  Did you do anything different this past week?  How 'bout golf?  Do you play or do you think watching paint dry is more fun?

Anyway, hope everyone has a blessed and wonderful week!!

Reason # 1:  Friday, September 14th 2012 was our 10 year Anniversary!

Yay us!!

It was a nice day.

Actually, I was sitting here in my little corner of the sofa having my morning coffee in my favorite house pants and a white t-shirt.

I had not brushed my hair or anything (read as "I hadn't brushed my teeth either!").

Then there was a knock on the door. 

"Oh crap!  Who could that be?"

Do you say that when you hear a knock on the door?

Usually, if I hear a knock on the door when I am not expecting anyone, I freeze or go hide in the bathroom.

This time, I froze.  Everything, but my eyes. 

I waited. 

They knocked again.

The dogs did a great job of barking out, "She cant come to the door!  She hasn't brushed her hair!  Or her teeth.  And believe us, you don't want to go there".

So, whoever was knocking left.

Now, all this time Ronnie was out on the riding mower cutting the empty lot next door.

Then to my surprise I hear his keys in the door. 

Even more surprising...he was carrying the vase of 12 roses the florist was trying to deliver. 

This picture was actually a reenactment of my surprise.

This is my favorite song about marriage this year:

After a massage for me we went to K-2 to eat dinner, too.  That was one of the places we used to eat all the time when we were dating.

But mostly, we were focused on getting ready for our little dinner we were going to host on Saturday. 

Oh yeah...

Reason # 2 for a little get together:  Ronnie's 69th birthday!

We wanted more of a dinner with the people we love than a party.  Even some of Ronnie's family was able to be here!  Wow, our exterior could really use some work.  These are Ron's kiddos.  Rae came from near San Antonio, TX and Ronnie II came from Corpus Christi, TX

Here he is with two of his grand children.  No matter how long they all stay, it's never long enough.  We were so happy they could make it, though! 

Gloria, my long time friend from childhood, and her husband made gumbo and roast and potato salad and green beans and rolls.  Oh my!!  It was so delicious. 

You know us...we are all about the food. :)

My sister in law, Pam, made the awesome german chocolate cake. 

Baby Girl did a much better job of singing this year than last year.  You can hear that here. 

At one point I just counted our blessings. 

Everyone was full and happy.  The children were safe and having fun.  We had love and peace and joy. 

Sweet!!

So, Sunday was Ronnie's birthday.

I drug my butt out of bed before 9 am and made it to breakfast with the kids and grandkids. 

I would be stretching it to say I was awake. 

We came home, watched the Texans kick some butt and then we just relaxed until time for Mass. 

How bout you?  Any anniversaries or birthday?  Got any cajun food lovers out there? 

What ever it is you love I hope you are happy blog friends!