2015 Recap Before It Is 2016

I thought I should jot something down before 2015 is over.  The picture is from April, 2015.  It was taken by Julie Banks for Lisa's 8th grade graduation/photo.  In this picture Lisa was not happy that we all dressed in jeans and white shirt.  She has gotten over it now.  I think.

Lisa is in 9th grade at LHS.  In the summer she participated in the PREP program at UTSA.  It is a pre-engineering program during the summer that she qualified for.  She finished in the top 5 of her class and got to walk the stage at the graduation at the end of summer.  This year she is on the swim team.  Go Seastangs!  She is doing very well on it, thanks to one of her best friends, Claire, giving her pointers.   She also has a great coach who is very encouraging.  She is maintaining honor roll so far and has adjusted very well to high school.  We will start parent taught drivers ed soon (cannot believe that we are already embarking on this).

Katie is in 8th grade at Concordia.  She kept very busy over the summer volunteering at Threads of Love, VBS at Concordia and in Runge, the SA Mission trip and taking care of Gus and Elmo (the neighbor cats).  She is involved in One Act Play and drama at school.  Last year they went to state for OAP and Katie was a big part of that. They did not win, but it was honor to go. She was hysterical in her role.  It was so much fun and Lisa was also a part of that behind the scenes with the sound.  The play was called "Big Bad" and had a bunch of fairy tale characters in it.  Katie was the good fairy godmother lawyer who was trying to convict the big bad wolf of his multiple crimes.

Mike is working as a float NP for Wellmed and is loving his job.

I am still with Baptist working in the Regional Quality department.

In November, our family ran the Chosen half marathon in Gruene, Tx to help Melody and Zach's second adoption.  Mike and I ran it last year and it was my very favorite half marathon ever up to that point.  This year we signed the girls up to run it too.  It was wonderful and became my very favorite half marathon ever!  Mike, Katie and I finished in 2:39 and Lisa finished in 2:30.  I slowed us down because I had been battling an upper respiratory illness for a week.  Lisa took off and ran with a couple of pacer ladies and chatted it up with them for 8 miles.  We were impressed.

Cindy is living in the Cabana for a while as she gets things situated in her life.  We are so glad to have the space (although her kitties may beg to differ) for her to have her own space and live with us. Recently we got to foster two little kittens that she rescued from the warehouse at her work.  One of them still had the umbilical cord attached.  They turned out to be Siamese kittens and were soooo adorable.  They both were able to find forever homes.  It was a lot of work for the first 3 weeks, then they started to develop little personalities and were so cute.  We are so happy for their new families.

Coco and Lilly adapted to them and ended up really liking them.

Darcy had to go to a new home.  She was about to cause Mike to end her life prematurely.  She basically dug up the back yard, swam year around and liked to shake the water off at the back sliding glass door.  She also chewed up lots of things, would bury her chew toys instead of chew them and steal things from the garage and drop them in the pool.  It was our fault.  She needed a lot of attention and Binxy could not provide it all.  We were so busy with the girls in the play and softball and Prep.  We were gone so much so she did whatever she wanted.  We found a wonderful home for her in Austin.  She is the center of this ladies life and it is a perfect fit.

Frankie and Ellie both died at the ranch and are both buried on the hill.  They didn't die at the same time.

Over the summer we took the girls on a cruise for Galveston.  It was on the Royal Caribbean Navigator of the Seas.  We went to Cozumel, Belize and Roatan.  Snorkeled in all those locations and had a wonderful time.

Mike and I went to Maui the week of our 18th wedding anniversary this past October.  He had a family practice conference that he attended for a week.  I got to tag along.  It was so much fun.  We explored almost the entire island.  The weather was perfect and we didn't have any issues with our flights.  We really want to take the girls with us in the next year or two.

Lisa, Aunt Cindy, Katie    April 2015

Lisa and Claire at 8th grade banquet, May 2015

Lisa's drawing

Lisa

Christmas 2013: Simplicity

 

Merry Christmas

 

 

This Christmas season has been marked by simplicity.  We didn't mail out cards this year, didn't put any ornaments on the tree, except for 7 names of Jesus.  This Christmas season finds us about to move.  We will be living in an apartment for 3 months and then moving into our "new" home.  We are calling our apartment living and "adventure".  Our adventure begins January 6.

 

We weren't planning on moving.  But doors opened and we just kept moving forward.  Our home was on the market for only 1 day when we got a contract on it.  We can't move into the other home until March because the people living in will not be moving until mid-March.  They are building a home in North Texas to live closer to family.  The husband in this family has been a patient of Mike's for three years.  They live here in Shavano Park, so we are staying here, just moving to the other side of the street.  The people buying our home wanted to be in it before Christmas, but there was just no way we could manage that.

 

With a move comes cleaning out and purging.  It forced us to go through all of mom's stuff that had been sitting up in the garage for 5 years.  It was time. 

 

It is a good feeling to live simply.  I have heard Mike say many times "loose grip, loose grip."  That has been our motto along with "We can't take it with us"--meaning eternally.  Seriously, would we want too?  We come into this world with nothing...not even clothes, but yet sometimes I place such value on things.

 

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.  Psalm 90:12

 

What is your life?  You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes.  James 4:14

 

Loose grip.

 

Simplicity.

 

Wisdom.

 

 



Summer Recap 2013

School begins in two weeks and we have two middle- schoolers.  Wow.  

Here is our summer 2013 recap (not in any sort of order, just how it popped into my head):

This summer Lisa ran in a track club.   We all benefited from it, but it made for long weekdays.  She had practice M-Th from 6-8 pm.   I  logged over 72 running (OK more like jogging) miles the month of July.  Pretty good since I am not training for anything in particular.   Mike is training for a rim2rim2rim (R2R2R) at the Grand Canyon in November with Brandon and some other guys.  It is motivational to have something to work towards, or at least have somebody in the family working towards something :-)

Katie played basketball this summer.  Her games were every Wednesday for 7 weeks at 8 pm usually.  Thankfully, track practice was at a high school and BB was at a middle school 1 mile away.

 It made for a busy but physically active summer.  I am extremely thankful for our health and that God has given us the ability to run and walk.  In my job, I review all of the mortality for the hospital system, so I am reminded everyday how precious our lives are and that health is a gift from God.  We honor God not only in the food we choose to eat, but also in maintaining an active lifestyle.  That is not to say we can control every disease or sickness that happens to us, but it really helps me keep food in perspective.  With that being said, I am on day 8 of doing the whole 30 plan again.  I did it back in January and it was awesome.  I kept it up for February and then started eating more bread products.  So back to lots of veggies, lean proteins and fruit.  No sweets/white foods/processed food.  I feel more energetic and headaches have pretty much disappeared (I had a really bad migraine a couple of weeks ago--so bad that it caused capillaries in my eye to burst--not fun).  When I eat healthy, the whole family does too--imagine that! 

Lisa got to sew at Threads of Love with our friend Sheila on Tuesdays throughout the summer.  She made little outfits for the premature babies in the NICU's around San Antonio.  She would hang out with all of these ladies with tons of sewing experience and learn from them the fine art of sewing.  She is very creative and the ladies loved having her around.  She also went on a mission trip with our church to an area of San Antonio where homes needed lots of work and people needed the love of Christ shown.  Her experience was a good one and her pictures were hysterical--for example: stray cats and dogs, the food they ate, the showers they used...Oh the world through the eyes of a teenager.

Katie and Lisa both volunteered at VBS.  This same week  Evie, Lisa's best friend, came and stayed with us for the week.  Her mom Beth, one of my closest friends, came down with Lawton and they stayed with us for a few days.  It was so much fun and so uplifting.

Mike took the girls snorkeling at Canyon lake and Landa Park a few times this summer.  They loved it.  We are thinking about a Caribbean vacation next summer that would involve a beach and snorkeling.

We did go to the coast for a long weekend.  We met Brandon, Lisa and their 4 girls and had a great time.

We have been having a wonderful summer with our small group.  I have been leading the preteens/teens through a Bible study called Follow Me by David Platt.  The adults are going through Ray Vanderlaan's "In the Dust of the Rabbi" and the little one's are being read "The Little Pilgrim's Progress" by one of the adults.  It is awesome.

I also took both girls (individually) through Passport to Purity.  It is a CD kit from Family Life that I highly recommend.  It was a Friday evening and Saturday until about 3 pm (It is recommended for 6th graders, moms take daughters through it and dads take their sons). We listened to the CD's and had discussions and also had projects to complete and then I ended it at James Avery where they picked out a ring.  Their first ring.  I had it packaged and brought it home where Mike got the opportunity to talk to his daughter about how we are responsible to teach her and help her set boundaries in her relationships, how Christ should have preeminence in her life and how He wants her to remain pure until she is married.  He then put the ring on her finger and said that the next man to put a ring on that finger will be her future husband.

Cue the tears.
 
Oh. My. Goodness.  Wasn't it just yesterday we were rocking them to sleep?

Mom Stuff

My girls are growing so fast.  Lisa is about to turn 13 in a few weeks.  How can this be?

It seems like just yesterday I was holding her in my arms as an infant and now she is a young lady.
There are some things she does that really crack us up.  She adores her daddy.  She thinks he is the coolest dad around (unless she is in trouble).  She thinks he is hilarious and will copy word for word what he just said, laugh and say "that is so funny".  Mike and I just look at each other and can hardly keep the laughter in.
I taught her how to shave her legs last week.  She didn't want to learn and that warmed my heart.  But there comes a time in life when a girl needs to learn how to shave her legs and this was the time.  I showed her on about one inch of her leg and she took it from there and got into it.  Then she exclaimed "My legs are soooo soft.  This is great."  She may have said the word "Coolio"  a few times.  I think that means cool.
Katie is at an in between phase in growing up.  She is still a little girl, but is rapidly maturing into a young lady.  In our society it is a challenge to keep them from growing up too fast.  I love that she still likes to play with her stuffed animals (along with the cats whom they dress up in doll clothes).

 

 

Lisa is getting confirmed next week.  She will take her first communion and will verbalize for herself her faith and trust in our Lord.  For Confirmation we let Lisa pick out her own Bible.  She picked out an HCSB Study Bible and we had her name engraved on it.  We picked it up today and she was thrilled.  My prayer is that she has a passion and is on fire for God, His Word and continues to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:13)

 

 

 

This is a picture of Lisa and Ellie (with Pastor Tucker) when they acolyted together a couple of weeks ago.  Lisa got the privilege to acolyte for the Good Friday service. Our Good Friday service is one of my favorite services of the year.  The Pastors each take Jesus's words from the cross and do a devotional on it.  The lights get dimmer throughout the entire service until the end when it is very dark.  There is no benediction, everybody just leaves in silence.  She said that at the very end after the pastors finished stripping the alter,  her and the other acolyte got to go up to the alter with the pastors, bow and leave.  She felt so humble and started to cry.  We came home and she got to watch The Passion of the Christ for the first time.  We all cry during that movie--because we know it is more than just a movie--it was payment for our sins--and we really cannot grasp the depth of it. 

 

We asked her what she thought of it afterwards and she said with tears streaming down her face,  "It was horrible." 

 

Yes, sweet girl, it was.  But this is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  1 John 3:16





 

 

We Are Smart Like That

We have been talking about putting granite counter tops in our kitchen and the girls bathroom for about 5 years.  That would be since we moved here.  We never really made any effort to do it but always said before we move again we would for sure do that to make the house more appealing for a potential buyer.  Why would we want to live in a place that was appealing to us?  Kidding--I love my home.
So Mike quit his job and we got the brilliant idea to move forward with plans for granite counter tops.

We are smart like that.

Kitchen before



Kitchen after

We saw this fluorescent green sign on the side of the road that said "Granite liquidation sale, free estimate".  Mike called that number and we arranged to have this complete stranger come into our home and give us an estimate.

 We are smart like that :-).

We were pleasantly surprised by the estimate and so we asked the counter top dude for references--because Mike is smart like that. (I don't think I would have thought about that).  The reference panned out and we were going for it!



Girls bathroom before



Girls bathroom after

The whole process was really good--except the job was delayed a week, the workers were not punctual and a slight plumbing issue (which was totally on our end).   Mike had to get on Craigslist on Saturday and find a plumber that could come out immediately if not sooner.  We were hosting our small group at our house for dinner and Bible study at 5 pm and had no working sink in the kitchen or the girls bathroom. 
The fun part was that the plumber was at our house from about 5:30 to 9 pm.  Then he had to come back on Sunday after church to finish it up.  He told us how nice it was to here us talking about the Bible and sharing our lives with one another.  We got to talk about Jesus with him found out he was a faithful believer and loves to help the poor. 

We got our master bath counter top done the following week.  It looked great.  The walls, however, clashed with it.  So I went out to the garage and found the gallon of leftover paint from our master bedroom and voila--looks great.  I took pictures with my phone and have not figured out how to upload them to the computer--because I am smart like that.



Spring Break

Spring is in the air--except for this rainy cold snap that came in, but it has given us the opportunity to use our fireplace again!

 Spring break starts today!!!  We are in need of a break from the hustle and bustle of our schedules and just enjoy one another for a whole week.

Today we are going to visit a friend in Kenedy who had back surgery yesterday.  We are going to take her and her husband chicken soup/bread and brownies.
 
On Tuesday we are heading to Port A for a couple of days of beach fun.  Evie (Lisa's best friend) is going to go with us.  This is her first time to go on a vacation without her family and our first time to take somebody who is not related with us.  The last time we brought somebody with us it was my mom and she fell and broke her hip.  Needless to say, I have been having all kinds of "worse case scenarios" in my mind and have had to pray hard to keep the enemy from attacking and stealing my joy.  This decision to take Evie has been prayed over by us and her family.  The girls are SO EXCITED.

I had a job offer just kind of pop up.  I had my first interview with the CEO of a company called Health By Design.  I am going back for my second interview with 2 of the physicians sometime soon.  I don't know exactly what I will be doing, but this is the most unique place I have had the opportunity to work.  They are a faith-based organization, God first, family second, job third.  We ended the interview in prayer seeking Gods will.  I looked at my schedule for the ER in April and I am only scheduled for 2 shifts.  Hmm.  The ER has offered me a FT position when the next facility opens in late summer/early fall.  In the meantime......we will see how God's hand is working :-)

Mike is working hard in school and his job.  He will finish in less than 2 months, but the road from here to there is kind of a steep.  Algebra is almost over, then he has US History and  American Literature and a capstone class.  I am so proud of him and am looking forward to seeing what God has in store for him and for us in the future.  Nurse Practitioner?  God knows!  Either way, he will have his BSN.  I cannot remember what our life was like before he started school--and that was not even a year ago.  He will have earned his BSN in less than a year.  At this point if he gets into NP school, that is fine, but if he doesn't that if fine also.

Lisa started track.  We had our first track meet this past Thursday.  It was a looonnnggg day.  We got to the SACS field at 1130 and didn't leave on 7pm.  Lisa ran the 2400m and the 1600m.  The 2400 is 6 laps around the track.  It was kind of a re-play of what happened her first cross country meet.  She ran fast and didn't pace herself and ran out of juice.  She cried and was embarrassed and said she didn't want to run track and hated running and blah, blah, blah.  I felt so bad for her, my heart was just breaking.  But we are not in this to just win.  I  listened to her and let her feel it.  Then we had to get over it and march on.  A windy cold front blew in before her 2nd event (the 1600m which is 4 laps around the track).  Poor little thing, having to run in a thin little track outfit.  She paced herself and ran all 4 laps and came in 4th out of 6.  We are so proud of her.  I am reminded that she has her races to run in life and as parents we are standing by encouraging, coaching, teaching, but feeling it too.  I want so much to make it smooth and always go her way, but it will not always and that is not the best for her anyway.

Katie's basketball team came in 2nd place for their division this year.  The championship game was hard.  They lost by only 2 points.  Katie is starting to understand basketball.  Her position was point guard and she knew what she was supposed to do.  It was so fun to watch--especially because I really had no clue what the "plays" were, but to see the players yell out something and everybody run to their spot--is just so cute.

Happy Father's Day.

How do I begin to tell of how blessed I am with this man God has given me.   Let me start by telling how this Father's Day has gone down.

  We bought Hillsong United tickets about 1 1/2 months ago.  They were playing in Cedar Park (by Austin) last night.  Last week I came down with strep throat.  I thought I was doing good.  Even went for a run on Friday night.  However, at 3 am on Saturday morning I woke up with a terrible sore throat.  Just tried resting Saturday in order to feel good for our date night.  We took Lisa and Katie to Cindy's for the afternoon and night and headed out.  Mike asked if I wanted to stop at the outlet malls.  I was feeling extremely nauseated.  So I declined shopping!!  We continued on, found Cedar Park.  We thought we were going to have a lovely dinner at a nice restaurant, but why waste the money when you think you are going to throw it all up?  So we went to Panera Bread and got a frozen strawberry lemonade that I took 2 sips of and decided it was not going to sit well.  So Mike got Taco Bell...and I couldn't stand the smell.  So he ate it while I went inside a Barnes and Nobles and laid my head down on a table.  I was such a fun person to be around.  Really, I didn't want to ruin his evening, so I did not complain and was praying continually. 

 We made it to the concert.  It was really good.  I got the opportunity to really look at the words they were singing and pray them.  They had scripture on the screen that correlated with the songs they were singing.

We left a bit early.  Then I got sick.  But he was comforting and caring and gave me my space.  We listened to the audio Bible on the way home and it was so nice, because it is what kept us company.

We made it home by 11:30 pm and I headed to bed and got 2 hours of sleep.  Couldn't swallow.  So all of these diagnosis ran through my mind and I just knew for sure I would be seeing Jesus today.  By 6:00 a.m. I was dressed and ready for the ER.  I woke Mike up at 6:30 and he took me in, stayed with me, comforted me and spoke for me ( I was an exhausted, tearful lady).

  He brought me home, got my prescriptions, missed church and was going to forgo the river day we had planned.  I wanted him to go have fun with the girls and some other people who are going. 

 He has done so much for me as he does everyday.  He is going back to school to get his BSN and then go to nurse practitioner school.  He is still working full time and is a great home health nurse.  He loves Jesus and wants to talk about Him to everybody.  He has a desire to know more about Him and to keep learning.  He loves Lisa and Katie and balances love and discipline.  He is by no means perfect, and would be embarrassed that I am writing all of this, but from where we were to where we are today--only by God's infinite grace and mercy and patience.  We have a long way to go, but I am so thankful to be on this road of life with him. 

Line judging at Lisa's volleyball game

                                         

The griller extraordinaire

    
                                        

            Daddy and little Katie girl.

Way back in 2001

                                        
                                                               

                 Teaching Lisa how to ride a bike

              4th of July concert at Fort Sam Houston

           Teaching Katie how to ride her bike

           Playing Simon the zealot, one of Jesus disciples in Concordia's Passion Play.

             Here he is with Gary Williams, one of our dearest friends.

                                         My favorite "daddy and the girls" picture

Puberty and other things

A conversation with Lisa and Katie:
Lisa:  Mom, Lauren joined puberty.
Me:  Oh!  What is puberty?
Lisa:  It's a class you go to then your grown.
Katie:  I thought puberty was farting.
Me:  What?
Katie:  Yeah, it says "pew" berty.

Just for clarification, we have been talking about the changes with the girls.  Lisa is almost 11 and we have talked about all the things that are about to happen--hopefully not too soon.  I have just failed to call it puberty.

Work:  It is a job.  That is about it.  Probably the easiest nursing job I have ever had.  I got yelled at by a complete stranger in the parking lot this morning.  I was holding the door and accidentally hit her passenger side mirror with my door.  It was gentle, didn't leave a mark or a dent.  She rolled down her window and proceeded to chew me out.  I apologized.  She said clearly I was parked over the line.  But I wasn't.  It really hurt my feelings. She said lots of other unkind things.  It reminded me that there are some VERY unhappy people in the world and that it can be hard to extend grace to those you feel do not deserve it.  Grace that God extends to me--undeservedly.  I prayed for her--but then I said "Lord, you can bless her, but I don't want her to think that she is being blessed for being mean."  I guess my heart wasn't totally there yet.  It is now.

Mike is starting to take classes for his BSN the end of May.  God seems to be opening doors to proceed down the continuing-of-his-education road.  After BSN, it will be nurses practitioner school--God willing.

I am just praying for guidance in this job and a softened heart to accept His will.

Lisa's List

I was straightening up the girl's rooms and found a list Lisa had made.
 This is how she wrote it:
1. Get dressed []
2. Read 5 pgs []
3. Check on cat []
4. Read 7 more pgs []
5. Do book report []
6. Clean room []
7. Look up "origomie" not spelled right []
8. Snack []
9. Watch movie []
10. Do whatever
11. ?
x= if not accomplished
check if accomplished


Nothing was check-marked, but you could tell she spent A LOT of time creating this list.

Thanksgiving 2010

Give Thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34


Dad went up to D'Hanis and got Grandmother Wells on Wednesday afternoon.
On Thursday morning Mike put the turkey in the smoker and all of the cooking started. We went to church at 10:00 and came home to continue cooking and preparing for the carbohydate festival that was to ensue.


All of the work--cooking, cleaning--it is all fun, then we sit at the table, pray and in 15 minutes it is over. I wanted to say "Everybody sit. Stay."


These are the beautiful flowers that Cindy sent me this year. It made a lovely centerpiece for our Thanksgiving table.

Dad, Brian, Cindy, Mike, Grandmother, Katie and Lisa. Later Javier and his son, Christian, came over. The football games were on, Cindy and I walked 3 miles and Lisa and Katie were playing with the new addition to our home: Snickers.


I really need to get a better picture of this little kitten. She is cute and quiet. At night we put her in the bathroom and she does not meow at all.
The girls absolutely adore her.

On Friday I drove Grandmother back home. No black Friday shopping here. We got our tree down and started decoratating. The weather turned cooler too, which really helps to get one in the Christmas spirit.

A special service

November 7 was mom's one year heavenly birthday. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone. It seems just like yesterday we were sitting at her bedside, laughing, talking, praying.

Mike was on team for the Men's STARS retreat again this year. Dad went, Gary Williams went, among a couple of other close friends. If you have never been on a retreat before, then I ask that you do not read any further.

Mom died last year on the day of Candlelight service for the men's retreat. It was incredibly special to think that she received the ultimate Candlelight service on that day and I will forever be touched by this service. This year we had Grandmother Wells there for dad, Cindy came, Mike was there, Lisa and Katie of course. Sheila came for Gary, Rhonda came for her husband Don, Crystal came for her husband John. Plus, my church family. The people I love the most in the world were there. It was such a gift from God.

I have much more to talk about...I am not working right now, our other house has a contract on it (praise the Lord) and how big Lisa and Katie are getting. But it will have to wait for another time. Getting ready to go on a date with Mike--yeah!! And the relay 1/2 marathon is this Sunday. Lots going on.

Happy Father's Day

Katie calls her daddy "Big D". I think that is so cute. Sometimes she calls him "daddy-o". Equally cute. She will sometimes call me "big mama". I think of a diner and a skillet when she calls me that.

Lisa calls her daddy "dad". And that is good. Lisa loves her dad and especially loves to go to Home Depot or Lowe's with him. She will drop EVERYTHING and go.

Both girls love to watch movies and pop air popcorn with their daddy. They like to spend time with him at the beach, at home, at the pool. They adore him and he adores them, even when they are talking non-stop.

I am just in awe of this man that God has given me. What God has done is nothing short of a miracle and I will live the rest of my days praising Him for this gift.

Mike's shirt says "I'm not the man I ought to be, but, thank God I'm not the man I used to be."

Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Summer time

This summer I want it to be low key and restful. So I will start with this bible verse:


Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10


Lisa and Mrs. Fincke, her third grade teacher.
Mrs. Fincke was such a blessing to Lisa this year and is a great teacher who loves the Lord. My third grade teacher (Mrs Davis, who still happens to teach at Concordia) was my favorite teacher in elementary. Third grade is a tough year, compared to 1st and 2nd grade. This was Lisa's first year at Concordia and Mrs Fincke just really "got" Lisa and helped her this year.


Katie and Mrs Boriack, her second grade teacher. Mrs. Boriack is also a great teacher and has been a sweet blessing to Katie. One time in church Mrs Boriack was up front in the choir and Katie saw her and told EVERY person around us "That is my teacher, Mrs Boriack." When I told her that story, she said "thanks, Katie" The way she said it was priceless.


Katie got "hurt" at a soccer game and Lisa rushed to her aid.


Daddy and Lisa at our first swim meet. We learned so much about race numbers, heats and lanes. Also to bring chairs and snacks. Also that a swim meet lasts upwards of 4 hours and there is A LOT of down time. Also to bring a book, phones with cool apps and your patience.


Mom and her little swimmer. I just love the swim cap and goggles!


Look at that form. She is working on learning to dive from the dive block.


Great job! So far she competes in the freestyle, backstroke and 2 relays.

I am hoping that we can have a restful summer. I think when June is over we will. We have swim meet practice every day from 3:45 to 4:30. Swim meets are on Mondays from 4:45 until 9pm. My last day of Griefshare is this Thursday and I think I am ready to have our evenings open.

Thanksgiving Day

Mr. Smoked Turkey



Mr Mike Ryan by the fireplace.






I was just playing around with my camera. Notice the candle in the middle. The tiny lit speck.






The table setting.
I have no idea why I took that picture. I felt like taking a chance? I felt like thinking outside of the box? I felt like getting proof that the dining room table can actually be used for its intended purpose?





Grandmother Wells preparing the stuffing. It is Great Grandmother Wise's recipe and we live for it at Thanksgiving. Well done, Grandmother.

This Thanksgiving was low key. It was a peaceful day. We went to the Thanksgiving Day service at church. It was bittersweet to say the least. Our first Thanksgiving without mom.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His love endures forever. Psalm 136:1

Happy Birthday Mike

Today is Mike's 42nd birthday. How will we celebrate? Well, first he will wake up with a sore throat. Then Lisa will wake up with a fever. We will decide to keep Lisa home from school. May have to miss BSF tonight.

I will decide to make Mike's favorite dinner: steak. Except that is not steak in our freezer. Surprise: it will be pork chops.

Mike doesn't care, because now he has body aches all over and is happy with leftovers. In fact he loves leftovers. I love that he loves leftovers.



I am so thankful for this man that God has given me. He makes me laugh, makes me cry, is an encourager, is my accountability. He is good at disciplining and loving our children. He loves to make them laugh and be silly with them. But the most important thing is that he knows the reason for his birth--to know and to glorify the One who has given us life.

Questions

My girls talk alot, it almost seems continuous. They ask a million questions.

This evening on the way home from Aunt Cindy's a couple of the questions were:

"What does it mean to fear God?" followed by "What is a musketeer?"

How do you explain fearing God without being afraid of God. What the heck is a musketeer anyway-a candy bar, a character from a story with 2 friends? Mike answered the questions age appropriately-and I now know what a musketeer REALLY is.

My favorite questions begin with "Mom, when you were little did you..."

The scariest questions are "Mom, what does it mean to..."

The hardest questions are about faith and God and the birds and the bees. But I have learned to ask them a question in return to see how much they know... and to buy time.

Recap in pictures-finally

It's blurry, but it is the only "action" picture I have of Simon the Zealot.
Mike was in the pageant this year and loved it. It was great!


Dad came to one of the services.


Can we say lots o' make-up. I hope he didn't get any on Gary's suit.



We took the girls and Faith for the Easter egg hunt at church. I think it was finished in record time. I couldn't even get pictures because the kids picked up their eggs in 5.2 seconds.

Mom spent the night with us and we took her to the sunrise service at 6:30 a.m. It rained as a cool front came in so the service was inside the nice and warm sanctuary.

Usually Katie is the happy one at 6:00 in the morning.

It's called "Beer can chicken" and it is sooooo good. Mike found the recipe and the beer cans go up the chickens...uhm.... well let's just say it makes them sit pretty on the grill.

Grilling!! We had the family over for Easter lunch/dinner.

Playing at the Packery Chanel close to Port Aransas.

The beach really wears the girls out.

We went to the coast and took the "new" kayak. Unfortunately it was too windy, so it stayed on top of the suburban the whole weekend.

Sisterly love. Katie before her musical.

I hope this is not a foreshadowing of college years.

My baby is turning 9 next week. She is a "tween"

I took her to the "Secret Keeper Girls" tour. It is put on by a lady named Dannah Gesh and it is about girls living and dressing to please God. They had 2 fashion shows and Lisa loved it. It was so sweet to get to have a date with her. Mike and Katie had a date at the movies. Katie was so excited to go out with her daddy. Unfortunately she fell asleep at the movie

Where does the time go?