I'm still alive...

Well, I have been thinking about posting for about a week...but hadn't gotten around to it yet. I have a ton of pictures that I need to post, but I haven't had a chance to sit down & actually do that. I have this Friday off, so hopefully I'll get a little time to get some up then. For now you'll have to settle for 1 picture! This is at my house the evening we had the Christmas version of our Girl's Nights. These gals are the best friends I could've asked for & I thank God every day that He has blessed me with such wonderful pals! Oleta, Letisha & Tawnya (or as I affectionately like to refer to them 'T-LO' lol), you are AWESOME -- I love & cherish the memories we get to make everytime we get together!!! Love you bunches!!!!

a new day...a new year

It's always hard for me to believe that another year has come and gone. My mom always used to say that each year seems to go faster than the last...& now I find myself saying the same thing! Yikes...lol! :-D Christmas this year was wonderful...in spite of my bout with the flu bug (or whatever that nasty thing was) that made me miss Christmas dinner! Spending time with my family is a rare occasion (since we live so far apart) so I always treasure the little bits of time we get to spend together. We had a lot of fun & I took plenty of pictures, so I will try to get them posted sometime in the near future...
I've been thinking a lot the past few days about my feelings regarding New Year's & thought I would write about it to kind of "get it off my chest"...so here it goes!
I truly have some great memories of celebrating the New Year & also a few bittersweet - even sad - memories from growing up. However, in the last few years I really haven't felt like celebrating much at all & this year was no exception. (Since I wasn't feeling well anyway, I didn't even stay awake to watch the ball drop or get a kiss!) It just seems like it takes too much effort to get all excited about a new year...one in which I'm going to turn another year older!!! In many ways, this new, negative attitude that has begun to take root, has even caught me by surprise & totally off guard. There have even been instances where I didn't really want to say "Happy New Year" back to someone that had greeted me that way! I obviously need to figure out what's going on...those of you that know me, know that normally I love life & am always looking for an excuse to have fun - celebrate something, go out or have a party! Maybe this turning 30 thing is affecting me more than I thought! ha! ;-)
Of course in line with my bad attitude towards the New Year, I must confess that I have never really liked the whole concept of New Year's Resolutions. I feel that generally they aren't taken seriously & are often broken within mere days...or hours in some cases.
Darric & I had a long, verbose conversation about this very subject (one of many) on our loooong road trip - somewhere between Kansas & Virginia - in which I tried unsuccessfully to explain why I feel the way I do.
My reasons may not be completely rational to some on the outside looking in, but for an emotional person such as myself, they make perfect sense. Of course we proceeded to discuss, reason & analize it until we were sick of the conversation...but at least it kept us "entertained" for a couple hours! :-)
Regardless of that, I've not necessarily changed how I feel about the matter, but I was challenged to make a better effort to work harder at reaching the goals I had already set (a few months ago) for myself...& to carry them out in the New Year. So, I guess whether I like it or not, another new year has come & I have goals/resolutions (or whatever you want to call them) to uphold...& so far so good...we'll just have to take it one day at a time!
Anyway...Happy New Year...I think! ;-)

Please do this...it's SO easy...

This is pretty neat......
Go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.com you can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to some member of the armed services.How AMAZING it would be! if we could get everyone we know to send one!!!This is a great site. Please send a card. It is FREE and it only takes a second.Wouldn't i t be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether you are for or against the war, our guys and gals over there need to know we are behind them ... SO SEND ONE!

i love my honey

Today I got a phone call from my dear hubby...telling me that he was sick & tired of leftovers & that he wasn't going to eat one more bite of leftovers tonight. I'm sure some people would think I should be offended that he doesn't want to eat my cooking, but mind you it is 4 days after Thanksgiving & we've had turkey non-stop since then!!! I probably would have been a little put out, except that he promptly informed me that he was taking me out. For tacos. At Mi Ranchito. I would, at this juncture like to point out that I happened to mention last night that I was craving a burrito (thanks to a glorious taco bell commercial...lol). I thought that it was very sweet of him to offer to take me for tacos at one of my favorite mexican places...I LOOOOOVE their white cheese dip & salsa!!!!!! So, my loving husband took me on a date tonight...it was a blast & I love it when I don't have to do the dishes! heehee! Of course I'm still stuffed...I think I ate about 4 bites of my meal since I consumed a large amount of chips, cheese dip & salsa -- so much for my diet! ha! Well, I just thought I'd share how my evening went...hope you all are doing well & enjoying your week...only 27 more days til Christmas ~ WOOHOO!!!!!!!!! :-D <3<3

Be Thankful.

So I have to admit, Thanksgiving often gets the shaft around my house. Darric & I are both huge Christmas "fans" (or freaks, as some would probably claim) & I always like to get my decorations up as early as he'll allow & leave them up for as long as I can get by with.
Anyway, even if it already looks like Christmas in my house, I don't want you to think that I don't still have Thanksgiving in my heart. I truly believe that as I grow older, I have come to appreciate more and more what Thanksgiving really means.
I have often thought that it was pretty rotten of the pilgrims to plan Thanksgiving so closely to Christmas that it gets lost in the hustle & bustle of the season celebrating our Lord's birth. (If only I would've been around to point that fact out to them! haha!) On the other hand, maybe it works out...
It's a time to pause & remember how much we have to be thankful for -- before we get caught up in all the holiday crazy-ness. I have so much to be thankful for & I know that I don't remember to express my gratefulness nearly often enough.
It's easy to be grateful for the normal stuff -- family, friends, roof over your head, food, etc. But how often do we stop to thank God for what He's done in our lives -- the trials He has brought us through (or is currently taking you through), the lessons we have had to learn (sometimes the hard way!), & the every day miracles He has done around us (that we rarely stop to recognize). It's easy to complain about the "bad" stuff that happens day in & day out, but when it's "all over" & the dust settles, do we remember to thank Him for what we've learned or for working everything out?
I know that I frequently get so caught up in the every day, self-centered "stuff" that I forget to really take into consideration that He sees the "big picture"...& it's not all about ME!
So, as I bustle around getting ready to host Thanksgiving in a house ready for Christmas, I must stop & consciously be thankful for everything...& most of all be thankful that He sent us His only Son so that we may have everlasting life. The decision is ours. Be Thankful.

FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

UGH!!!!!!!!!

Well...I've been attempting to get pictures up...I PROMISE...however, it seems like every time I try to do this, I lose what I've done! I'm getting very frustrated at this point (for obvious reasons!) & hope that someday soon I'll be able to get these up successfully...ugh! So, I again apologize for the length of time it's taking...hope you all have a blessed week!!!