Happy Birthday to the Love of my Life!

This was a big one - 65! Happy Birthday, Roger!

I Miss My Daddy

It was a year ago this week that my Daddy passed away. I miss him so much. He was the first man I ever loved and he taught me so much about love and family and the Lord.

He lived his life as a servant of the Lord and was faithful and true to the end. He left a godly legacy to his family.

The Bible says we have a "cloud of witnesses" watching us as we run our race in this life. I believe my Daddy sees me and our family. I hope we make him proud.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

Leah loves turkeys! Every time we see one, she says "gobble, gobble, gobble." So, when we saw this one at Central Market we just had to take her picture with it!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Starting My 60th Year

Well, here I am - starting my 60th year! What happened to the time?

I remember when my children were both young and in their beds one night - I walked out to the front of the house to check the mail and turned back to the house and thought "these are the best years of my life."

Now my children are grown and married and I have a grandbaby and I think "these are the best years of my life."

I am thankful for my husband, my children (all four of them), my grandbaby, my extended family, my friends, and that even in my "golden years" God has provided me with a purpose for living above and beyond being a "stay-at-home wife." I am thankful that I get to spend so much time with Leah and be an influence in her life, love her unconditionally, and teach her about the Lord. I am thankful that I have a room full of young women at church on Tuesdays who are eager to learn more about being homemakers and being godly wives and mothers.

I made mistakes - I would do anything if I could go back and do a better job of being a wife and mother, but in spite of my failures, God has blessed me and my family and I am thankful to Him for His protection, care, and blessing.

I don't know how many more years or moments I will have here on Earth, but if I could ask just one thing from the Lord it would be that my children and my grandchildren would give their lives to Jesus and walk with Him all the days of their lives.

I pray that after I am gone, my legacy to my family will be a godly one.

Too Hot for Fall

Usually on September 1st I start decorating my house with some fall leaves and maybe a pumpkin or two...but this year it is too hot to even think about it. I will revisit the idea in about 2 weeks and decide what to do then, but it really upsets me to miss 2 weeks-worth of Fall in my house - it is my favorite season.

Guess I will just have to pretend and look at pictures like this for a while...

Family Vacation 2011

We are back home from Family Vacation 2011 and a good time was had by all!  We went on a Caribbean cruise to Costa Maya, Cozumel, Honduras, and Belize.  It was hot, but fun.

The best part about the vacation - Ryan and Chelsa didn't have to go back to Chicago after it was over!

Father's Day

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for the wonderful fathers in my life...my Daddy...

...my husband...

...and my son-in-law, Leah's Daddy...

Fathers are so vital to a family, for leading a family in the ways of the Lord, for protecting the family from evil and from the world, and for providing for the family in material ways.  We have been blessed to have some of the best.

This is my first year without my Daddy and I miss him, but I know he is in the presence of the Lord.  Happy Father's Day to all our Daddies!