Mike and I have been puppy-sitting for Sadie Sue. Sadie is Bethany and Darren's puppy. They have been in Chicago for Bethany's marathon.I love Sadie. I love dogs period. Bethany and Darren might not let me keep her any more though...I have a house full of dogs...Boo, Bella, and Bindi are my … [Read more...]
Run Bethany Run!!!
Bethany & David about 1984My oldest daughter, Bethany, ran the Chicago Marathon today! I'm so proud of her. She's run it before, but today she ran it injured. She has injuries on one leg that kept her from her last 4 weeks of training. But Bethany was so determined. She was running on … [Read more...]
Live like you don’t have tomorrow~
My sister-in-law died last week. And as you do when you lose someone, I've been thinking a lot about her. For the past few days, I've been wondering: what would she have done differently if she'd known she didn't have much time left? For Sharon the last two years had been really hard. I won't … [Read more...]
~Today is a Good Day~
It's raining here. And it's cool outside. I heard the rain at 4:30 this morning and got up so I could have coffee and listen to the storm. I also skipped out on my cycle class and opted to snuggle in today. It doesn't rain much in metro Atlanta these days, so when it does, it's kind of a big … [Read more...]
Sleepless night…
Mike was out of town last night. He's never out of town. We are always together. I don't sleep very well when he's not in bed with me. Neither, apparently, do the pups. Five times...count 'em, five times their shrill, freak out barking yanked me out of my shallow sleep. One of those times I … [Read more...]
Say what ya need to say…
On Friday we found out that my husband's sister, Sharon, died suddenly . She was only 60 years old. It's been an emotional weekend for Mike. We've talked about Sharon, reliving memories and reminding each other of her strong faith in God. My most special memories of Sharon were our conversations … [Read more...]
Just call me Gigi!
I finally get to tell people...I'm a grandmother! My daughter, Stephanie is pregnant with our first grandchild. She and her husband, Jon, have just lifted the "gag order". They wanted to wait until she was 3 months along. So here we are! I have been looking forward to being a grandmother … [Read more...]
Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves…
"Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves." That keeps going over and over in my head. I think maybe God is using those wise words to help me with my budget. Mike and I do not spend on big things. But boy we spend a little here, a little there... and it adds up.We've made … [Read more...]
Trying to Bail ourselves Out!!!
Mike and I have been talking about money all weekend. After last weeks bail-outs we've tried to take an even closer look at our budget. It wasn't a newsflash that times are tough. We got a huge pay-cut in August and have been adjusting and readjusting our lifestyle ever since. I admit it, before … [Read more...]
3rd Annual Pumpkin Carving!
Pumpkin Carving Contest 2007! Everyone brought their A Game to the 3rd annual Autumn Celebration! I ordered the invitation from Snapfish with a picture of a pumpkin I carved the year before. We had Barbecue (pulled pork and turkey breast) catered by Smokey Bones. This year we even had a trophy for … [Read more...]
2nd Annual Autumn Celebration
In October 2005 we had our second Autumn Party. We focused a little bit more on the pumpkin carving this time. Everyone brought their own pumpkins and planned ahead what they would carve. We kept the food similar to the first year and my daughter hired a photographer to come take family … [Read more...]
Celebrate! It’s Important!
First Annual Pumpkin Carving Contest~2004~ I'm planning already. October 25 is just over a month away. It's our 4th Annual Family Pumpkin Carving Contest! We kicked off this new tradition in October 2004. We make a big effort in our family to get together several times a year. My … [Read more...]
I could get used to this empty-nest thing!!!
Okay...so this is my first week as an empty-nester. And you won't believe how it's going!!! My second daughter, Stephie's husband Jon, is out of town for the week. So Stephie, who is 11 weeks pregnant with our FIRST grandchild, is staying with us for the week! Yesterday, Emma (the baby who … [Read more...]
Pajama Sunday
It's 4:45 on Sunday afternoon and I'm still in bed in my pa-jay-jay's. The Sunday paper is stacked next to me. My blackberry is somewhere in the covers (the girls have been texting me today), the remote is under there too. The book I'm reading today, The Tea House on Mulberry Street, sits next to … [Read more...]
A Little Something to Smile About…
Early one Sunday morning, I was picking up some groceries. We were skipping church. Mike was having a particularly bad weekend. I hadn't seen him smile once. "I can't find anything to smile about" he told me. My cell phone rang. It was Mike, "I want you to go to North Carolina to get me a … [Read more...]
Anticipating Bliss
Pay attention! You're entering bliss. Autumn. It's bound to happen and if you aren't careful you'll miss the glorious days leading up to it. Everyone loves the holidays. Thanksgiving. Christmas. But years ago I noticed something. In January when I'd read over my journal from the 12 … [Read more...]