It's the day before the day...the day before the celebrated birth of our Savior...what a great thing happened by His birth, what a greater thing resulted for us in His death.
We went to two Christmas Eve services today. One was rockin' and enjoyable, but the second was traditional and more to my liking, but both proclaimed the good news and the fact that God keeps His promises. I loved all the music, the scriptures and the children dressed in their Christmas finery. We of course had our traditional Christmas Eve pizza and we went to the beach for a little bit. How could we not, it's 75o here, it's beautiful and unbelievable to me that it is December 24th. My friends and family back home are looking at ice and snow and much cooler temps then we are that's for sure!
The pies are baked, the noodles are drying and the sweet potatoes are candied, now all that is left is to fill the stockings then off to bed. I am ready, it's been somewhat of a tough week. The loss of a great friend and huge influence in my life has brought a bit of a heavy heart to me, but I know I can rejoice in the fact that we will see each other again. I find comfort in that and am so grateful for her Godly example to me, she was a true gem.
Merry Christmas! I hope the season has true meaning for you, that you take time to really savor the moments of family and friends no matter what your situation, it's not about the tinsel, the gifts or all that other stuff, it's about the day Christ was born, celebrate that and don't worry about the rest! Remember He is the real reason for the season!!
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Today is the day...
SHE will be here this evening, we are not very patiently waiting for that time to come...we are soooo ready for her to be here already.
Being out of town this week helped the days go by, now today we are trying to stay busy and get through the day until she arrives. With the storm in the east I am so glad we had her connect in Atlanta and not Dulles as many of the flights were. So far no delays are reported even though it is snowing in her departure city. It is even cool and windy here today, so praying for traveling mercies until she has her feet on the ground right here in sunny FLORIDA!
More later!
Being out of town this week helped the days go by, now today we are trying to stay busy and get through the day until she arrives. With the storm in the east I am so glad we had her connect in Atlanta and not Dulles as many of the flights were. So far no delays are reported even though it is snowing in her departure city. It is even cool and windy here today, so praying for traveling mercies until she has her feet on the ground right here in sunny FLORIDA!
More later!
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Thursday Thoughts!
Oh my, cooler weather has arrived and that is after we were on the beach in 88o weather yesterday. It's been rainy more then not this past week, it's like one day it's warmer then usual and sunny, then rain sets in for the day. Weirdness, maybe this is winter Florida style. It's the dampness I am not fond of and we have had plenty. But the warm days thrown in make it doable...especially since my NE friends have just had THREE snow days and it was -9 at 10 a.m. this morning, yeah, I am not complaining :)
Even lil'blue had a snow day yesterday.
It's already after 8 and it's been a week already, so I am thinking early to bed this evening. We had the honor of being able to attend the retirement ceremony of MiB's brother on Tuesday. Wow, ARMY STRONG, he's been all over the world, he knows five languages and went from green to gold and served our country proudly, he is now a retiree. Seems unbelievable! He's a great guy and was an asset to the USA, he will continue to serve but will no longer wear the rank of a major; he will be serving in one of the "stans". He will continue to make a difference, we are proud of him, thanks for your dedication and service MM!
Thoughts:
Even lil'blue had a snow day yesterday.
It's already after 8 and it's been a week already, so I am thinking early to bed this evening. We had the honor of being able to attend the retirement ceremony of MiB's brother on Tuesday. Wow, ARMY STRONG, he's been all over the world, he knows five languages and went from green to gold and served our country proudly, he is now a retiree. Seems unbelievable! He's a great guy and was an asset to the USA, he will continue to serve but will no longer wear the rank of a major; he will be serving in one of the "stans". He will continue to make a difference, we are proud of him, thanks for your dedication and service MM!
Thoughts:
- I like lemon bars!
- I really need to watch my eating better...
- LilBlue will arrive in 10 days :) if you were counting.
- Hmmm...retirement, maybe not as far off as I once thought!
- I am thinking sand is not as bad as snow, but snow is prettier!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
DECEMBER...and already the 3rd!
Well, December is here, believe it or not...I enjoy the Christmas holidays, but seems like they have come quickly this year.
I do have all my shopping done with the exception of picking up a few more stocking stuffers, all gifts are wrapped minus one, which is waiting on some attention from MiB before proceeding and the house is decorated except the main tree which we will do the night lil'blue arrives so it's not an issue that the holidays are here, it's that Decmeber is here; it just seems like the year has gone by too quickly.
I am super excited for lil'blues arrival in just 16 more days-(not that I am counting or anything :), we will have her for 15 short days, so much to do, share, create in so little time...but we will be living each day to the fullest!
Thursday Thoughts!
I do have all my shopping done with the exception of picking up a few more stocking stuffers, all gifts are wrapped minus one, which is waiting on some attention from MiB before proceeding and the house is decorated except the main tree which we will do the night lil'blue arrives so it's not an issue that the holidays are here, it's that Decmeber is here; it just seems like the year has gone by too quickly.
I am super excited for lil'blues arrival in just 16 more days-(not that I am counting or anything :), we will have her for 15 short days, so much to do, share, create in so little time...but we will be living each day to the fullest!
Thursday Thoughts!
- Lots to do in so many areas
- Being pulled in ALL directions
- Everyone seems to want some of me
- I feel a lil' teensy weensy bit OVERWHELMED
- I'm so thankful we celebrate the true reason for the season
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!
Blessings abound, take time to be thankful and savor all that you are blessed with, the list is endless...
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thankfulness
Tomorrow is the day, I absolutely love, love, love Thanksgiving, it is a great day always spent with those we enjoy, sometimes with family we love. This year it will our first without lil'blue in our midst, that is tough; she will be in MO with the family so it's all good in the big scheme of things but we will still miss her...I am so thankful that MiB is here, there have been several years he has been away. It is a dreary day here in FL and the fact that we will not be spending Thanksgiving with family makes me a bit sad. MiB is still en route to be home for tomorrow. He had to stop in at the SMART dealer for a back glass latch fix and is now on his way home from MCO after his second "L.A." trip this month or third depending on how you look at it.
When I think about being thankful I think in terms like how blessed I am. I have been provided a very nice house to live in with great A/C, I have a bed to sleep in with wonderfully soft sheets, two cars in my garage that are paid for, no real worries. I am wonderfully blessed by a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a great family. All things but I am blessed through them, I am also blessed by my surroundings...the beauty of God's creation like the ocean across the street, palm trees in our front yard, the alligator in the pond out back (okay, maybe not him) but definitely the manatees over at the marina!
I am a fortunate American, I love our country, I hope others take time to be thankful for all that they have. We are a nation who lives in abundance. We are a nation at war. I try to not get wrapped up in the materialism that bombards me every single day; it's hard. And I am not even one that would be considered a materialistic person; however, sometimes the media can really suck us in. It's a constant struggle to remember our abundant wealth, to be content with what we have, to love each other and not things. It is one of my goals to do more with less, by living below our means and be thankful for all things in all circumstances, it's not easy, it's downright hard on some days, but I continue to make it a priority.
One time my second sister said Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because it is all the great food and family time without the hoopla of the gift giving frenzy that Christmas brings. On many levels I agree with her. Unfortunately, I have come to kind of dread the Christmas gift giving tradition, seems the real meaning of the season has gotten lost in the commercialism of America.
Anyway, my noodles are drying, the pies are baked, the sweet potatoes are candied and I am taking a quick cyber break. Tomorrow we will take food over and serve to the on duty Defender's then go on over to serve our nation's best and brightest Airmen in the dining facility before coming home to sit down to an evening gathering with "three doors down" and anyone else who was invited that chooses to join us. We will eat way too much I know, but I can't wait! It will be yummy :)
Tonight we are attending the inter-faith Thanksgiving service at the chapel followed by a pie social, it is usually a great service since so many different faiths come together for this event and are represented. I am excited to go, it's always good to get together to be thankful for all that we have been provided and to worship the one who has provided it all!
So I wish you a HAPPY, HAPPY Thanksgiving and remember at my house there will be no turkeys, only a fabulous ham :)
When I think about being thankful I think in terms like how blessed I am. I have been provided a very nice house to live in with great A/C, I have a bed to sleep in with wonderfully soft sheets, two cars in my garage that are paid for, no real worries. I am wonderfully blessed by a loving husband, a beautiful daughter, a great family. All things but I am blessed through them, I am also blessed by my surroundings...the beauty of God's creation like the ocean across the street, palm trees in our front yard, the alligator in the pond out back (okay, maybe not him) but definitely the manatees over at the marina!
I am a fortunate American, I love our country, I hope others take time to be thankful for all that they have. We are a nation who lives in abundance. We are a nation at war. I try to not get wrapped up in the materialism that bombards me every single day; it's hard. And I am not even one that would be considered a materialistic person; however, sometimes the media can really suck us in. It's a constant struggle to remember our abundant wealth, to be content with what we have, to love each other and not things. It is one of my goals to do more with less, by living below our means and be thankful for all things in all circumstances, it's not easy, it's downright hard on some days, but I continue to make it a priority.
One time my second sister said Thanksgiving is her favorite holiday because it is all the great food and family time without the hoopla of the gift giving frenzy that Christmas brings. On many levels I agree with her. Unfortunately, I have come to kind of dread the Christmas gift giving tradition, seems the real meaning of the season has gotten lost in the commercialism of America.
Anyway, my noodles are drying, the pies are baked, the sweet potatoes are candied and I am taking a quick cyber break. Tomorrow we will take food over and serve to the on duty Defender's then go on over to serve our nation's best and brightest Airmen in the dining facility before coming home to sit down to an evening gathering with "three doors down" and anyone else who was invited that chooses to join us. We will eat way too much I know, but I can't wait! It will be yummy :)
Tonight we are attending the inter-faith Thanksgiving service at the chapel followed by a pie social, it is usually a great service since so many different faiths come together for this event and are represented. I am excited to go, it's always good to get together to be thankful for all that we have been provided and to worship the one who has provided it all!
So I wish you a HAPPY, HAPPY Thanksgiving and remember at my house there will be no turkeys, only a fabulous ham :)
Monday, November 23, 2009
Oh my...
yeah, well, it's not Thursday and here I am posting, you are surely as shocked as I am!
I missed last week since we were in L.A. and I wanted to atleast note we are back. Well, maybe I should clarify that "we" as in we were back and one of us has gone again...back to L.A. but not the one in California, the other L.A. the one that we affectionately call lower Alabama. That's right MiB is back in Montgomery he was there a few days before we left, and now is back. A lot of things are wrapping up before the holidays really kick in that he needs to attend. As a matter of fact if it would not have been Thanksgiving week, I would have went as well. Maybe next time :)
So the California trip was good, less jaw dropping this time since it was my second go 'round, but it was still a great time, learned some new things and got to have Sprinkles again!!!! And believe it or not the cupcake eating made me think of this lady, who is always so super sweet and pops in on me regulary with encouraging, uplifting words! Thanks Susie.
BTW I had three of those super delicious cupcakes over three days this year...carrot, which by far was my favorite, pumpkin, close second, lemon and milk chocolate, good, very good, but nothing to really get overly excited about! Whoops, guess I had four!!!! It was all I could do NOT to tear into the ones we brought home for "three doors down" Their flavors were strawberry, which I have never had, pumpkin, chocolate marshmallow and milk chocolate.
On top of that we stopped back in at this little piece of heaven where I enjoyed with my MiB a Passionfruit/Coconut swirl with toppings of blueberry, strawberry and pomegranate seeds. Oh, it was wonderfully delicious.
We also had great burgers and fries at the Beverly Hills Diner on Thursday night, which is on the corner of Santa Monica and Beverly Drive. For the middle of BH it was a great little place with just what we were looking for, nice semi greasy burgers and crispy, hot, fat fries. They also had milkshakes that looked incredibly good, but we knew we wanted PinkBerry so we passed, which was really tough cause the people behind us had one and they were HUGE.
Lunch on Friday was another treat for our tastebuds as we dined with the Bird on Italian fare. Soooo good, I was totally impressed with this place, without a doubt the best I have had since leaving Italy. DaPasquale's nailed not only the food but the cappuccino, it was fabulous! We will definitely go back if we have the opportunity.
On Thursday evening after our diner meal we also strolled down Rodeo Drive which was pretty neat. They already have their Christmas decorations up so it was very nice to take it all in with the holiday visuals and especially in the evening hours. By far we loved the penguins in the fountain with their holiday ties on the best, that was super cute! But the late breaking news is that when we went back to stroll on Friday afternoon we actually made a purchase at the COACH store...yeah, I know, I couldn't believe it either; and get this, it wasn't even for me!! MiB needed a new wallet so we came out with one that should last awhile. He doesn't get it until Christmas but so worth the wait...it's a very nice wallet.
The sad thing about this trip is that I took pictures only with my phone so I don't have any uploads, but the good news is that a new camera is on the top of my Christmas list so I think MiB will need to go shopping...
Enough from me; I am so tired and so ready to be in my jammies and do some before bedtime reading before I slip off into dreamland. It's been a long day and I am very much looking forward to a good night's sleep. Night!
I missed last week since we were in L.A. and I wanted to atleast note we are back. Well, maybe I should clarify that "we" as in we were back and one of us has gone again...back to L.A. but not the one in California, the other L.A. the one that we affectionately call lower Alabama. That's right MiB is back in Montgomery he was there a few days before we left, and now is back. A lot of things are wrapping up before the holidays really kick in that he needs to attend. As a matter of fact if it would not have been Thanksgiving week, I would have went as well. Maybe next time :)
So the California trip was good, less jaw dropping this time since it was my second go 'round, but it was still a great time, learned some new things and got to have Sprinkles again!!!! And believe it or not the cupcake eating made me think of this lady, who is always so super sweet and pops in on me regulary with encouraging, uplifting words! Thanks Susie.
BTW I had three of those super delicious cupcakes over three days this year...carrot, which by far was my favorite, pumpkin, close second, lemon and milk chocolate, good, very good, but nothing to really get overly excited about! Whoops, guess I had four!!!! It was all I could do NOT to tear into the ones we brought home for "three doors down" Their flavors were strawberry, which I have never had, pumpkin, chocolate marshmallow and milk chocolate.
On top of that we stopped back in at this little piece of heaven where I enjoyed with my MiB a Passionfruit/Coconut swirl with toppings of blueberry, strawberry and pomegranate seeds. Oh, it was wonderfully delicious.
We also had great burgers and fries at the Beverly Hills Diner on Thursday night, which is on the corner of Santa Monica and Beverly Drive. For the middle of BH it was a great little place with just what we were looking for, nice semi greasy burgers and crispy, hot, fat fries. They also had milkshakes that looked incredibly good, but we knew we wanted PinkBerry so we passed, which was really tough cause the people behind us had one and they were HUGE.
Lunch on Friday was another treat for our tastebuds as we dined with the Bird on Italian fare. Soooo good, I was totally impressed with this place, without a doubt the best I have had since leaving Italy. DaPasquale's nailed not only the food but the cappuccino, it was fabulous! We will definitely go back if we have the opportunity.
On Thursday evening after our diner meal we also strolled down Rodeo Drive which was pretty neat. They already have their Christmas decorations up so it was very nice to take it all in with the holiday visuals and especially in the evening hours. By far we loved the penguins in the fountain with their holiday ties on the best, that was super cute! But the late breaking news is that when we went back to stroll on Friday afternoon we actually made a purchase at the COACH store...yeah, I know, I couldn't believe it either; and get this, it wasn't even for me!! MiB needed a new wallet so we came out with one that should last awhile. He doesn't get it until Christmas but so worth the wait...it's a very nice wallet.
The sad thing about this trip is that I took pictures only with my phone so I don't have any uploads, but the good news is that a new camera is on the top of my Christmas list so I think MiB will need to go shopping...
Enough from me; I am so tired and so ready to be in my jammies and do some before bedtime reading before I slip off into dreamland. It's been a long day and I am very much looking forward to a good night's sleep. Night!
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