Snow Much Fun!

The last few days have been quite fun with all the snow we've gotten.  I believe we ended up with about 5 or so inches with about an inch of ice on top.  On Friday afternoon, we tried sledding with a box but that did not work so well. Nevertheless, we had a good time anyway.  The ice came on Saturday night so the snow was packed down underneath.  There was no snowman making yesterday.  But we got a plastic tote out and had some fun in that.  Our neighbors, the Lloyds came out and we realized they lived on a huge hill which is their front yard.  We started using the tote lid and that definitely was a hit.  My neighbor Aimee came over to play with us and the kids and that was so fun.  It's much better if there are other adults around.  I love when our neighborhood comes out...just standing in the road talking.

We shared some leftover chili with Aimee and Tim and then Tim and Steve ventured out to the grocery store for us.  Anyway, today the sun is shining and I have some laundry to finish up.  But sitting here looking at the sun shining on the iced over trees is begging for me to come out and take pictures.  Until I get those taken and loaded, enjoy these few from this weekend.

  

  

SNOW DAY (I mean it this time)

(Edited to add:  For some reason only 2 of the four pictures I uploaded are showing.  I can see all 4 in my blog window, but after publishing, only two show up.  If you have an idea of how to fix this, let me know.  It is VERY frustrating!)

A few weeks ago (first week in January actually), we had a snow day which resulted in 2 days out of school, but really we got little to no snow.  It was a huge letdown.  And because JG loves school so much and had JUST gone back after Christmas break, she was NOT happy.

Now, we are in the midst of The Blizzard of 2010 (hereinafter referred to as "the blizzard").  And there's no tongue-in-cheek to that.  It is crazy nuts around here.  Most schools were closed by the 10 o'clock news last night.  I slept with my blackberry on my bedside table so I could know immediately when JG's school closed.

It was 5:45 before they called it and again, yet a flake of snow had fallen.  The dilemma was now whether to try and make it in myself to work.  My concern was that I would get in just to have to turn around and come right back home.  Living 30 minutes outside the city, that just wasn't worth it for me.  Back in 2003, something similar happened, but I was only living about 15 minutes out and it still took me about 6 hours to get home.  Yes, you read that right...6 HOURS!  No exaggeration.

So, ultimately, I made the decision to just work from home.  And it was a good one (even though it didn't look like it for a while).  I worked way more here at home waiting for the blizzard than I would have at work because I'm sure most people were too busy staring out the window waiting for the snow to start.  And they didn't have to wait long.  At 9:15am, they closed the corporate office.   I felt vindicated. And then I proceeded to work until almost noon.

By about 11:15 it started snowing here where I am.  I'd say that now, almost 3 hours later, there is probably an inch and 1/2 of snow.  And it is a veritable snow monsoon here.  It just keeps coming down.  I have been out just to get the mail and take the trash out.  We did go out on the deck and catch snowflakes for a minute...I'm sure there will be a snowball fight and snowman in our future....

Date Night

Tonight, I am enjoying a quiet evening at home.  Alone.  Quiet.  Without noise.  Did I mention...alone? If you are wondering why that is, it's because Steve and Jenna are on a "date".  Steve and I have season tickets to TPAC.  Tonight was our night to see 101 Dalmatians.  Of course, we decided a while back that one of us would take Jenna instead of our regular date night.  I just assumed that it would be Jenna and I and we'd make it a girls night.  I've done this before with Annie and it was a great time.

However, about a week ago, Jenna asked if I thought Steve would take her.  I said he probably would be glad to and it could just be a date night.  Well, that notion took right off and she has been excited about it all week.  She asked him to dress up and wanted to dress up as well.

She got her bath and picked out her dress and shoes and asked me to curl her hair (which I did, but you can't really see in the picture).  When they were almost ready to head to dinner (a delicious gourmet meal at La McDonalds), Steve presented her with a beautiful pink rose just like a real date would!  She was very impressed and we made out over how beautiful she looked.

If you have a daughter, I would highly recommend this to your husband.  In fact, Jenna was so excited about this that they have already scheduled a second date in 2 weeks.  Our local Rec Center is hosting a Princess Ball for Daddy's and daughters.  We tried to do that last year but we called too late and it had already filled up.  She is so excited and it thrills my soul to no end to know that they are spending quality time together.  And the fact that I get a night to myself helps.  :)

And if you are wondering what a night to myself consists of...well...a shower (since I hadn't had one all day!), a Weight Watchers Smart One frozen dinner (macaroni and cheese), a little Bible Study and now a little Facebooking.  It will be late when they get home, so I have several hours left in my night of quiet.  And I think I'm about to head upstairs to do a little scrapbooking.  I'm way far behind and every little bit helps. Speaking of scrapbooking, the long awaited scrapbook retreat is coming up in March.  If you are interested, let me know and I can get you the details.  There is always room for more and I promise, you'll be hooked after one time!  Ahhh...I get giddy just thinking about it!

Oh, today, my friend from work, Katelyn, came and hung out with me almost ALL DAY.  She played Wii with Jenna for the longest time and I seriously couldn't decide who was having more fun, her or Jenna.  We made dream boards.  Katelyn saw this on Oprah...it's where you put pictures of your goals for the year on this board and then hang it where you can see it every day.  In looking at the board daily, studies show you are more likely to accomplish those goals.  Katelyn and I used 8x10 frames although we both could have used something bigger and we tore our pictures out of magazines.  Want ot know what my pictures were?  I have a picture of the beach because i want to try my best to make it to the coast again this year.  Especially since the family didn't have a vacation last year.  Of course, that will depend on another one of the pictures I used which said simply, "Money".  I don't necessarily want to make more money, but I do want to remain debt free and for Steve to find a job.  I also would like to add to Jenna's college fund.  Then there are pictures of 10, 25, 30 and 46 which are all signifying pounds lost.  46 is the magic number I need to lose to be at my all time goal weight!  And the biggest picture (not because it's most important but because I could find a magazine pictures, so I had to print one, is a sewing machine.  My friend Carrie has gotten me hooked on the idea of learning to sew.  My mother sewed and I have always wanted to learn.  I have an old-as-the-hills sewing machine I inherited from Steve's mother, but I want a newer, more up-to-date sewing machine.  Maybe for my birthday...

Oh, and thanks for all the comments and questions about my therapy post.  I'm doing better.  The anger has subsided and in it's place a dull ache.  I don't think that ache will ever go away.  But I plan to fill it eventually. Well, my scrapbook is calling...

A therapy post

You know how therapists and counselors tell you to write a letter or email when you are angry, upset etc. and then don't send it?  The exercise is simply to give you an outlet to say what you are feeling without making an already volatile situation worse?  Well.  That's what this post is going to be for me.  Although, I am going to publish it, I won't name names or anything.  If you aren't up for this right now, feel free to skip it or come back later when you have more stamina for reading what I'm about to write.

Some of you saw my FB status last night that asked, "I wonder why God puts people in your life that hurt you?" (with several good responses, by the way).

I have been hurt.  DEEPLY.  And it's complicated.  As most things such as these are.  I've been hurt by 2 women.  I was wounded, not by their direct action towards me, but their deliberate cruelty to someone I love.  These women claimed (at least at one time) to love me.  In the fairly immediate past, their actions have proven otherwise.  I think I might could have handled that...an offense towards me...but then they were intentionally cruel (I need another word because "cruel" doesn't even seem to cover it...ahhh yes...BRUTAL) to someone who also has nothing but love for them. 

And when I found out yesterday the depths of their cruelty, quite honestly, it was more than I could take.  I was furious.  Angry.  Hurt.  Confused.  A myriad of conflicting emotions because I just couldn't understand how someone could be so deliberately hateful to another human.  One of these women proclaim (loudly) to be Christian.  And while it is definitely not mine to judge, I can't understand how this Christian has done something so hurtful to another sister in Christ and indirectly hurt me (who she KNOWS she would hurt by hurting the other).

So, last night I was really, REALLY angry.  Angry enough to say things to my husband and my friend about these women that in essence, make me no better than they are acting.  I said I wasn't naming names and I'm not.  And I'd like to say it was because I don't want to shame or embarrass them.  But that is not true.  In my humanness, I would love nothing more than to spell out for you who these women are (not that anyone would know them really, but some would), how horribly cruel they have been and pull back the curtain of their facade to the outside world.  I would really like to tell you the whole story, gather a posse (love that word from my teen years!) of my blog readers to blast them with comments supporting me and how I'm feeling.  I'm human.  I'm hurt.  I'm angry.  But.  I'm also Christian.

I might stop here and tell you that the person that was directly offended kept these women's actions from me because she knew, in her love, that it would wound me deeply if I knew what they had done and said.  And when she was sharing with me last night (because I had come to suspect these things had gone on through another source...who also loved me enough not to tell me directly) she kept saying that she was fine and for me not to worry about it and to let it go.  She had prayed about it and would continue to pray for them every day.  Well, I'm here to tell you folks...I'M JUST NOT THERE YET.  At least I wasn't.

I was SO hurt last night, that I new I needed to sit down and do my Bible Study.  You all know how I love my ladies' Tuesday night Bible Study!  This semester, we are reading through Crazy Love by Frances Chan.  The particular part I was reading was talking about how our life is a vapor (James 4:13-15).  I especially liked the way the New Living Translation read, "Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone."  Wow.  In the general scheme of things, I'm only a visitor to this world. So, I'm reading, trying not to think about this situation and really wanting to wallow in my anger and hurt.  I mean, at least for a while.  I felt I at least deserved a little wallowing. But one of the questions was "Do you really believe you could vanish any minute?  Would your life look different if you lived like you believed each day was your last?  If so, how?"  As I contemplated this question, the word "waste" kept coming to mind.  Over and over...I'm trying to think of my answer and write it down and all I could think of is "waste".  Finally I quit trying to overcome this thought and just decided to think about "waste" and what in the world it had to do with our life being short etc.

And that's when I realized.  I felt God was saying, "If your life is so short, why do you want to waste the time you have being bitter and angry and harboring hate at these women".  Wehhheeellllllll.  That is NOT what I wanted to hear.  So, I said (in my mind, not out loud) "Because, these people have hurt me, hurt the ones I love most and all after claiming to love us.  And they didn't just hurt us, they were deliberate.  And intentional!"  And again, all I could think of was "waste"...why would I take time away from the ones that DO love me (my immediate family, friends etc.) and waste my energy on the ones that don't love?  That's unfair to me, my family and friends.  And God.

And quite quickly, the fury and deep wounding simmered down to a quiet anger and aching hurt. 

And as it has a way of doing, sleep has given me a fresher perspective this morning.  Am I still angry.  Oh yes.  Am I still hurt?  Absolutely.  Will I ever forget.  No, never.  Will I ever forgive and love these women again?  Yes.  But it's not because I'm this perfect person.  It's because God calls me to.  He calls me to love the unlovable and forgive the unforgiveable.  (Matthew 5:43-45)  Honestly, I don't want to.  I want to go to them, rage against them for what they've done and inflict hurt back.  But I can't.  It's not how I'm made.  It's not how GOD made me to be.

I'm not going to get over this for a while.  But God has already started a healing work in my heart.  And rather than fight Him on this, I'm going to let Him heal me.

One of my New Year's resolutions (not that I believe in those) was to blog more.  I see now that like most resolutions, I'm already failing miserably!  But here I am finally.  Is it wrong that I have to put "blog" on my to-do list every day?

Speaking of resolutions, I am going to share one of mine for this year (other than to blog more).  I typically come on here and share my resolutions and then promptly ignore that I ever made them.  This year, I'm just going to share one of them because this one involves many of my blog readers.

I have committed to get together with...that is, have lunch, dinner, shop, take in a movie etc.... with one of my friends that I don't see as often as I should.  I think Rachel said it best...."being intentional"...about those relationships.  (Rach, forgive me for stealing your words).

I just got to thinking about how often I allow Facebook or email to serve as my connection to some really good friends.  I decided that I wanted to get together with them...one at least once a month.  I even started to make a list of those friends so I would be sure not to leave out anyone.  It didn't take long to see that I have way more than 12 (one per month) friends that I need to seek out.  How embarrassing.

Why do I tell you this?  Because YOU may be next on my list.  I haven't done January yet...I had some tentative plans that just didn't work out, but I'm going to be calling on one of you to see if you want to go out...so just beware.  :)

But for now, I'm off to enjoy my day off work thanks to Dr. Martin Luther King.  Steve's cleaning the kitchen and I'm about to go fold laundry that I was too lazy to fold over the weekend. 

See you soon!

Last Day of Freedom

So, while most of my friends and neighbors woke up early this morning to hustle their kids off to school and get themselves to work or their errands for the day, I've enjoyed one last day of freedom.

In an effort to get us back on some schedule, I got out of bed at 8am today.  Of course, seeing that 5:30am is my normal wakeup time, that's not really that early, but after staying up past midnight for the last several nights, I think by my 10pm bedtime, I'll be ready.  At least I hope so.

Anyway, Katie had a vet appointment today for her regular shots, so off we went.  I made a quick trip to Target for a scrapbooking album my friend Leigh Ann turned me on to (thanks LAM!) and then it was back home.  I've straightened the house, played Wii, uploaded photos, surfed the net, checked emails, folded and put away laundry and put my pages in the new scrapbook album I bought.

And now, I'm watching Steve fish on the Wii, listening to JG read her favorite book and getting ready to get off the couch and get dinner started. 

For all of you who officially started 2010 today, I hope your day was great (or at least not too bad/long) and I'll be right there with you tomorrow!

2010 started....

I don't know about all the rest of you, but I sure have enjoyed my time off work throughout the holidays!  Tomorrow is a teacher in-service day at school and they just tack it on to the end of the Christmas holidays, which is nice because then I don't have to worry about childcare another day in January.  Steve doesn't work at the church on Monday and I decided to take off too.  So, the three of us will have just a little more time together tomorrow. Tuesday morning is going to be a bear though.

I feel like I have gotten quite a bit accomplished while I've been off though.  I got all the Christmas decorations down and as of this afternoon, we even have the outside lights off the house (yes, Steve braved the frigid temperatures to do that).  I have a clean kitchen and living room.  We picked up the treadmill from it's foster home and I have exercised every day in 2010 which is nothing short of a miracle.  I even got groceries today and stocked the pantry for the next two weeks with only 2 days of that marked for eating out.  I even bought some healthy foods which means I went way over budget, but oh well.

I don't know what we'll do tomorrow.  I am contemplating going to take JG to see the Chipmunks movie while all the other kiddos are in school.  We did Chuck E. Cheese with our friends the Germains last week.  Movies are about the only thing we haven't done.  I even cleaned my oven, organized one of our kitchen "junk" drawers and cleaned out the fridge today.

So, I guess the immediate issue is what's for dinner. :)  Then it's back to reality on Tuesday.  I might just stay in bed all day tomrorow in protest!

Reflections and then Looking Forward

Most years on January 1, I blog about my new year's resolutions.  I think it might be fun to look at some of the past promises I've made and see how I did.  The first thing I noticed is that I've been blogging since 2006.  Really?  HOLY COW.  I had no idea.

For 2009, my goals were:
1) To read the Bible through again (using my Chronological Bible which I HIGHLY recommend)-First of all, this would have been the 3rd time in my life to read the Bible from cover to cover.  I used the chronological Bible in 2008 and loved it.  In 2009, I got to about September and then fell off the wagon, so to speak.  FAIL! (as my good friend Katelyn would say).

2) To participate in AND FINISH the Music City 1/2 Marathon-Well, this one I did.  I almost died doing it, but I did complete the 1/2 marathon.  And I have decided it's kind of like childbirth.  Right after you are done, you swear you will NEVER do it again, but after a while, the pain fades and you start thinking about maybe giving it another shot.  Also like childbirth, the year after the baby is born is NOT going to be the next time, but I do have plans to participate again...just not sure when.  I will be volunteering in 2010...I'll just be behind a camera this time!
3) To take part in the Beth Moore Siesta challenge for 2009 and memorize two scriptures a month (see below for more on this)-Another FAIL.  I did pretty good up until summer and then life happened.  UGH. 
4) To pay off Steve's hip!-This one makes me laugh.  We did have a financially tough year.  I'm happy to report that we are almost completely debt free (mortgage and one small credit card being the exception).
5) To spend more time with our parents.-Well...Mary (Steve's mom) passed away in January of 2009, so we are coming up on the year anniversary, but I think we have spent more time with his Dad.  At least Steve has.  Sometimes he sees him while I'm at work.  And of course, I spent quite a bit of time with my Dad before he passed in June.  I guess this is a moderate PASS.


You can read more about these goals here.

In 2008, I didn't do any resolutions.  Apparently I went on a resolution strike.  But I did make some pretty big life changes which I wrote about here.  Now, this is an interesting post because I could probably repost it today as my goals for 2010.


In 2007, this was my one and only resolution..."This year, I'm making only one resolution and that is to follow through on the things I commit to."  Not really sure how I did on that seeing that it's been a while.  Hopefully I did alright.

So now that we've reflected on the past years, let's talk about 2010.  If you have followed this blog (or me) for any period of time, you know that 2008 was a bad year.  And 2009 was even worse.  Don't get me wrong, there were bright spots in both years, but by and large, I'd like to forget both those years ever happened.  Of course, without the things that happened these years, I wouldn't be who I am today.  I'm not proud of how I've let the past year affect me financially, spiritually, socially, maritally.  But that's the cool thing about a new year and our God.  I especially liked how Jon at Stuff Christians Like describes it:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!”

How powerful is that last section? There are two grenades in there. The first is that the old has gone. It’s not just that the old has been replaced or that the old has been shoved into a closet and if things get tense again and you feel stressed you’re going to put it back on and become the person that hurt so many people in the middle of your divorce or got fired or abandoned your kids while you selfishly tried to “reclaim your youth.” That person? That shell? That’s gone. The second grenade is that in it’s place, the new has come! The new, not the better, the new!

So, today seems like as good of a day to make some changes as any right?  My primary goal for 2010 is to take one day at a time and strive to make only THAT day a good one.  I am a real worrier, so I like to worry about stuff in the future.  But I'm going to try not to do that in 2010.  I do also need to work on my relationships...with Steve, Jenna and especially God.  And I need to get healthier.  All that weight I lost came back and more.  I hate the way I feel and look now.  My boss, Sherri and I have committed to get healthy together and to participate in some 5Ks.  

There you have it.  Reflections of years past and looking forward to 2010.  A better 2010.  Which is about to start with a serious cleaning of this house!

Happy New Year! 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy 2010 to all of you!  Here's hoping for a better year this year!

Christmas 2009!

Christmas was great this year.  Jenna was really excited about her new bike which she didn't even ask for.  Her second favorite was her American Girl doll, Chrissa.  This makes number 5.  Yes, I know.  But that's the privilege we parents-of-one get.  We can do stuff like that.  :)

As usual, we spent Christmas day night with the Taylor family.  There was a very big empty place with Mary being gone this year.  But it was still an enjoyable evening.  Micah, Gage and Chase came to the house after to open gifts.

I'd made Micah a scrapbook of her pregnancy and Gage's first year.  I also got her a couple frames and put pictures of Gage in them.  I think she liked them.

I also made Chase a scrapbook of Marine stuff.  I'd taken lots of pictures when we went to his graduation and so I put them all together in an actual Marine scrapbook.  You'd be amazed at the military scrapbooking supplies that are out there.

All in all, it was a good year.  And tonight, we carry our New Year's tradition with none other than...the Millsaps.  We'll see you all in 2010.

Christmas Eve

Continuing tradition, Christmas Eve was also spent with the Millsaps.  We went to the first annual Church at Station Hill Christmas Eve service and then came back to the house to celebrate.  We had lots of yummy finger (i.e. junk) foods.  We watched some of Christmas Vacation (a staple of Christmas with the Taylors) and then let the kids decorate Christmas cookies.  This had been done at my office the same week and I thought it would be a GREAT idea for the girls since they are usually all hyped up on sugar by the time the evening winds down.

They had a great time decorating and yes, I went WAY overboard on the icing and sprinkles.  But really, can a cookie ever have too many sprinkles?  Apparently, Santa didn't think so.

After the cookie decorating, the girls exchanged gifts.  Jenna got he Liv Girl doll and some accessories which she loved.  We got Hannah a Barbie set and a Taylor Swift CD.  Those girls do love their Taylor Swift...

ICE! with Charlie Brown

On the Wednesday before Christmas, we participated in our normal pre-Christmas tradition with the Millsaps by going to see ICE!  This will be year 3 or 4 I think.  This time, it wasn't the Grinch, but a Charlie Brown ICE!  I will say it wasn't as good as the Grinch, but it was still cute.  After, we went to eat at Cock of the Walk there near the Opryland Hotel (or Gaylord, but I refuse to give up on the Opryland name!).

I haven't been to Cock of the Walk in forever and it was quite delicious!  The girls loved this big chair.  I wish we had made plans to go to the hotel to look at the lights after, but we just didn't have the time.  Plus, it costs a fortune just to park and we weren't into it.  I'm making a mental note for next year though.

It was a great time as usual with our friends.  I hope it's better next year or we might have to trade ICE for the lights of the hotel!

Christmas Recap-With my Family

I have too many pictures to put them all in one Christmas recap, so I'm going to put it in several.  The first is Christmas with my family which happened the Monday before Christmas.  We ate at a local restaurant and then went to Bertie's to have coffee, drinks and dessert.  We were supposed to play Christmas Bingo, but my sister forgot but it really didn't make a difference because we had too much fun enjoying ourselves.

Only the kids exchanged gifts this year and as usual, they fared well.  Garrett and Jenna love getting together.  They are best cousins, but just don't see enough of each other.  Bertie did make my brother and sister scrapbooks from stuff my dad had and that was pretty cool.  She also made Garrett a pillow from a police vest of my dad's.  Talk about a nifty and unique gift.  After the family left, we stayed and exchanged with Bertie.  She spoiled Jenna.  Got her the American Girl triple bunk bed.  Not to mention she MADE pajamas for Jenna and a matching set for all four of her American Girl dolls!  And then sent another set home for Christmas morning when she knew Santa would be bringing another doll.  Seriously?  The woman is amazing!

The plaque you see is what Bertie had made from a bunch of my dad's stuff from his police days...his badges, pictures, cuff links etc.  At some point, she will pass this beauty along to me.  It made me cry to look at.  Some much to be proud of with my dad....

Anyhow, enjoy...I'll cover ICE! with the Millsaps next...

I know, I know...

I owe an updated post from Christmas and I promise I'm going to get to it.  I spent about 2 hours last night uploading all the pictures not just from Christmas, but the entire season!  When I was done, my head was hurting so bad that despite being home with my honey all alone, we went to bed at 9:30.  I slept great and my headache was gone this morning.

I'm back at work this week, but taking off Thursday, Friday (the office is closed) and Monday.  So I will have plenty o' time to do a couple posts.

I've already been thinking about posts for the next few days, so just hang with me and you'll be glad you did.

Update to come soon

I hope you all had as good a Christmas as I did.  Our house is already de-decorated and now we just have to put up all th boxes in the attic.

I promise an update with pictures coming soon.

I hope you enjoyed my 12 days of Christmas posting.  I have gotten several comments about it.  I'm a bit suprised because I always wonder if there is anyone out there reading all this writing I'm doing!

Very soon I'm going to get started downloading all the pictures I took the past few days.  There are a bunch of them...

12th Day of Christmas-Jesus

Luke 2:1-14

 ¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
 ²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
 ³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
 ⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
 ⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
 ⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
 ⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
 ⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
 ⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
 ¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
 ¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
 ¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
 ¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
 ¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

11th Day of Christmas-Old Friends

So, tonight we spent time with The Millsaps.  I've already talked about Rachel and our friendship and tonight just reminded me once again why I love her.

But there are other "old friends" (NOT in age!) that I haven't mentioned yet.  So, on this Christmas Eve, this one is for you.

Carrie was my best friend back in the 6th grade.  We had some seriously fun times.  I could tell you things we did and boys we liked, but I won't embarrass either of us that way!  At some point, Carrie moved away and we lost touch.  Now, the funny thing is that we hadn't spoken since about 6th or 7th grade until she reconnected with me through my friend Stacey.  Carrie (living in VA? at the time) randomly sent money to help with Steve's mission trip to Moldova.  So, it's been like 20 years and here she pops up wanting to help us out.  Now, just how cool is that?  Anyway, we rekindled our friendship and turns out her daughter is Jenna's age.  A couple years ago, we met up and went to the beach with the girls.  It was a great long weekend and that was the point at which I fell in love with the Canon Rebel she had with her!  Later that same year, while we were on our cruise, I got an email that of all places, she was moving back to TN!  She now lives just east of Nashville and we talk often.  In fact, we had lunch together just the other day.  I'm so glad we have rekindled our friendship.  It's so neat that we go back as far as we do.

Speaking of Stacey...this girl...she is the most hilarious, wonderful mom I know.  Stacey and I go back almost as far as Carrie and I do.  We graduated together and our parents were friends.  We laughed together and got into trouble together.  I almost killed her one night on the way to our homecoming.  (And just for the record...IT WAS NOT MY FAULT.)  Stacey has moved all over creation with her hubs and I doubt she'll ever live back in "Nashvegas" again, but I see her about once a year (though I think this is the first Thanksgiving I didn't get that chance) and I always enjoy seeing her and her kids.  And I love her hubs to death because I KNOW what he puts up with!  :)  Stacey has overcome adversity of all kinds and I admire her for the woman and the mother she's become.  I'm so glad that we have the history we do.  We've been through it and I know when I'm 70, she'll be right there with me...probably getting me into trouble.  :)

Then a few days ago, I went to see my "old" friend, Jen.  Jen is a hairdresser.  (Now I'm wondering why I'm calling her "Jen" all of a sudden...it's JENNIFER).  And if you need one, SHE'S YOUR GIRL!  If you have any doubt, check my FB for photos of my new 'do and ALL the comments I received.  Anyway, I digress...Jen and I were very bestest friends back in high school.  And I'm thinking I might have gotten in more trouble with her than Stacey.  Anyway, I went to see Jen who did a practical makeover on me and we got a chance to really catch up.  Oh dear heavens.  We did have some good times.  It's virtually impossible for me to list them all, but I will say Jennifer was probably the first call I made when there were big events in my young teenage life and I'm sure she (and others that read this) know EXACTLY to what I'm referring!  And I'll be seeing her again pretty soon...have to keep my new 'do...well...NEW.  :)

And then there's Staci who also goes back to my high school days.  Staci and I had a special relationship, although I'm not sure I could tell you exactly why I feel that way.  Staci and I don't talk as much as we used to, but I still count her as one of my greatest friends of all times.  And can I just tell you that Staci's oldest child, Jen's only and my only were born 2 weeks within each other.  Wow.  I just think that's the coolest.

And then there's Victoria...but she'll always be Vicki to me!  Vicki and I went to school together for quite a while and graduated together.  I wouldn't say that we were close, but I always liked Vicki and I think she liked me. :)  As with many of my high school friends, I lost touch with her over the years and she didn't attend our 10 year reunion.  Once I got up and running on Facebook, I would frequently search for her, wondering where she was and how she was doing.  And one day, there she was.  We struck up a friendship through FB and email and have been chatting ever since.  We have even been out with the girls several times.  I think it is supercool that I have had the opportunity to strike up a new "old' friendship with Vicki.

Finally, there is Amy.  I could write a book on all the times Amy and I had.  She was like a sister to me.  We were practically attached at the hip.  There's absolutely no way that I can write about everything we got into.  But we have definitely been through it.  Amy is a fabulous photographer living in another part of the state with her hubs (who is a MASTER FARMER on Farmville!) and sweet, beautiful little girl.  I miss her like crazy because we don't talk as often as I'd like, but you know, life is funny like that sometimes.  But despite that, we have much history that cannot be erased and I'm so glad for it.  Amy had such a large part in making me who I am.  We went through heck during our high school years.  We cried together, laughed together, and loved together.  She was my maid of honor.  I'm so thankful for the time we spent together.

And there are many more friends that have come and gone.  My intent in naming these here is not to intentionally leave out any of my other friends.  I have a number of friends from my childhood that are on FB and each of them make up a part of who I am today.  And I appreciate all of you.

But to Carrie, Stacey, Jen, Staci, Vicki and Amy...thank YOU.  In this season of reflection, I'm thankful for each of you and for who you made, and are making, me to be.

Please Pardon the Interruption...A Christmas Miracle

Just wanted to take a quick moment to share with you my own little Christmas miracle today.

As you know, Steve has been out of a job since August.  Thanks be to God that He has provided for our every need, specifically financially, since that time.  Steve has been working a part time job at the church for several months.  Unfortunately, due to no fault of anyone's, his check was short by a week on last week's paycheck.  And then there was a glitch in the unemployment system and checks didn't arrive until almost the weekend (we usually get his on Wednesday or Thursday).  That was last week.

I get paid once a month on the last day of the month so typically that 3rd and 4th week start to get tight.  That's the way it always is...something about getting paid monthyly I guess.

Anyway, to say finances were tight would probably be putting it mildly.  And we had several things to take care of.  Thankfully, Christmas is done, paid in full, ALL CASH (thank you Jesus for Christmas Club accounts!), but there were several things that we just needed cash for.

Even though we really needed money, I wrote out my tithe check last weekend and even turned it in to the church despite the fact I knew they'd run it through the bank immediately, what with it being year-end and all.  And sure enough, our account was pretty stinkin' close to being bare...and we still had multiple obligations to cover.

Anyway, since I went in to work today, I had a little chat with God on the way and I told him that I really needed Him to help this week's unemployment check to show up today.  Like, if it didn't, we'd be in a real predicament.  And God and I had quite the chat.  I told him that I was believing Him for provision.  I told Him I'd been faithful in my tithe and that I was asking for this from Him.

And wouldn't you know it...I received a card filled (and yes, I mean FILLED) with cash, before the day was half over.  This generous gift came from a friend who I'm sure wishes to remain anonymous.  I will honor that wish, but he/she knows who they are. And my family and I know who they are.  This person is a Christian and while I was suprised at the gift, the timing and it's generosity, I was not really surprised that this person would do such a thing.

It was humbling to take this gift, but it was a 100% direct answer from God.  I told Him this morning that if He would provide ("if"???) I would be sure to give Him the glory.  So, publicly, here I am, telling you that God provided and used a wonderful friend to do so.  Oh He loves us so much.  He is just waiting on us to ask Him.

The only strings attached to this gift was to eventually "pay it forward".  And I can guarantee I will.

And I know it's in our nature to be curious, but please don't ask me to divulge the identity of this person.  This person knows who they are and I have thanked them already and will continue to do so.  I can tell you that I am blessed to have this person in my life.  And to them I say, simply...

Thanks.

And now we return you to your regularly scheduled 12 Day of Christmas program....

10th Day of Christmas-Station Hill

Today I want to share something that I am SO excited about!  Many of you know that I'm a member of a pretty large church in a city further north of where I live.  Steve and I have been a member of Brentwood Baptist Church almost 10 years (in January) and we have never felt more at home.

About a year ago, after much prayer and consideration, BBC decided to launch a regional campus and it just happens to be in my back yard (well, not literally, but you know what I mean).  This whole year, we have been meeting and working together to prepare for our launch Sunday (February 2010).  It has been tiring, but exciting.  We have gotten close to many of the families that we will "do life" with over the next number of years.

Our new church will be called The Church at Station Hill and you can find more about it here as soon as the website is functional.

Making this move has definitely been out of my comfort zone.  I have been a member of 2 churches in my entire life...my home church, Radnor Baptist and my current church home, Brentwood Baptist.  I love BBC.  Let me make sure you understand.  I.  LOVE.  BBC.  I love the bigness of it.  I love the people.  I love the pastor.  I love the children's program.  I love that we have a library.  I love the choir.  I love the orchestra.  I love most everything about it.

But Station Hill will have the DNA of BBC, but we will be our own church.  And I'm going to be part of it.  And in 20 years when Station Hill is as big as BBC, I can say I was there from the beginning.  How cool is that?

So, if you are looking for a church home and live south of Nashville, come see us in February.  And if you can't wait until then, come tomorrow night at 4pm.  We'll celebrate the birth of the Christ child together.

I'll be there.

9th Day of Christmas-My Family

Updated January 20, 2010

I've taken some time to talk about the Taylor family, but today I'm going to honor MY family.  I have rather an interesting family tree to be sure.  I have 2 half brothers and 3 half sisters.  They are all older than me, so I am the baby.  All my siblings had already grown up and moved away by the time I came along.

My niece (who isa few years older than me...told you it was interesting) was more like a sister to me than a niece.  My mom used to babysit her so we spent LOTS of time together.  And we argued like siblings, but even today we have a lot in common.  It's amazing.  My niece's son was born just a few weeks before Jenna, so we got to share our entire pregnancy together and that was the best gift!  The kids don't spend as much time together as we'd like, but when they get together they play so well with one another.  My niece and I have been asked if they are twins.  Um.  NO.  So funny!

We have had our ups and downs and our challenges.  I have been angry at them and they have been angry at me.  But the bottom line is that I love them.  Each and every one of them.

In fact, I spent time with some of them last night to celebrate Christmas and as always it was a good time.  We laugh like crazy over each other.  I know that I have not told them enough how much I appreciate them, but today I want them to know...

Teresa, David, Danny and Karen...I love you. 

Despite everything. 

I do.

And the same goes for the rest of the family...your husbands, wives, kids and grandkids...my brothers and sisters in law, my nieces and nephews and greats...my family wouldn't be complete without all of you.

I'm so glad God put each of you in my life.  And in this time of reflection and thankfulness, I want you to know that.

PS. I didn't forget Bertie...she was honored back on December 15.  :)