Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Friday, February 20, 2009
Something for You
I do surveys for a website called SheSpeaks.com. As a result of those surveys, I get free stuff! The most recent one I did was for Ladies Home Journal, and I got a 1 year free subscription to my choice of 3 magazines and I am able to share a $5.99 subscription with my friends.
SheSpeaks is a reputable site and you do not have to worry about receiving a bill at the end of the year for more than $5.99. So enjoy! And no, I don't get anything special if you subscribe.
"As a member of SheSpeaks, I just learned about the newly revamped Ladies Home Journal magazine. This enduring women's magazine has reinvented itself with a vibrant, fresh design and new features that promote its "look good, do good and feel great" philosophy. I've received a special annual subscription rate of $5.99 that I wanted to share with you. Just go to www.lhj.com/shespeaks to take advantage of this great offer!"
SheSpeaks is a reputable site and you do not have to worry about receiving a bill at the end of the year for more than $5.99. So enjoy! And no, I don't get anything special if you subscribe.
"As a member of SheSpeaks, I just learned about the newly revamped Ladies Home Journal magazine. This enduring women's magazine has reinvented itself with a vibrant, fresh design and new features that promote its "look good, do good and feel great" philosophy. I've received a special annual subscription rate of $5.99 that I wanted to share with you. Just go to www.lhj.com/shespeaks to take advantage of this great offer!"
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, February 16, 2009
Weekend to Remember
This past weekend, Tim and I attended the Weekend to Remember put on by Family Life (affiliated with Campus Crusade for Christ). It was a 2 day seminar on marriage and it was fabulous. We definitely had some “aha!” moments, learned a lot about each other and even learned a lot about ourselves in the process.
We were able to attend because of the incredibly generous spirit of Tim’s boss and we are very deeply appreciative. We are also very appreciative to my mom and grandmother for taking such good care of Makenzie while we were gone.
It made it extra special that it happened over Valentine’s Day weekend.
These conferences happen several times each year all around the country and I would highly recommend them to any and all married couples. It doesn’t matter if your marriage is solid as a rock or in absolute shambles, whether you’ve been married 5 days or even 50 years. There were over 4,000 attendees from all walks of life. Literally, there was a couple there who got married Saturday night and even a couple there who had been married 50 years. There is something for everyone to learn and apply to their marriage.
And of course, the hotel was really awesome and I wanted to share some pictures. All of these are taken inside the giant atrium--it's all indoors and all of the rooms surround it.
We were able to attend because of the incredibly generous spirit of Tim’s boss and we are very deeply appreciative. We are also very appreciative to my mom and grandmother for taking such good care of Makenzie while we were gone.
It made it extra special that it happened over Valentine’s Day weekend.
These conferences happen several times each year all around the country and I would highly recommend them to any and all married couples. It doesn’t matter if your marriage is solid as a rock or in absolute shambles, whether you’ve been married 5 days or even 50 years. There were over 4,000 attendees from all walks of life. Literally, there was a couple there who got married Saturday night and even a couple there who had been married 50 years. There is something for everyone to learn and apply to their marriage.
And of course, the hotel was really awesome and I wanted to share some pictures. All of these are taken inside the giant atrium--it's all indoors and all of the rooms surround it.
Tim loved the train they had...boys will be boys.
View from outside. Sorry for the quality--it was cold and rainy!
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
"In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Thessalonians 5:18
I’ve been reading a lot of stories lately about small children with cancer (specifically neuroblastoma). There is one blog that I read regularly that is written by an adoptive father whose adopted daughter has cancer (leukemia in her case). He often links to other peoples’ blogs whose children are also suffering, so it seems I’ve been reading a lot of it lately…and it’s sad, heartbreaking and so so scary. It causes me to confront two of my biggest fears in life—losing my daughter or seeing her suffer.
When Makenzie was just a few weeks old, my sister was holding her one day and found a lump under the skin on her back. We immediately scheduled an appointment with her pediatrician who then sent us to a surgeon in Temple. The very seasoned, graying surgeon took one look at it and said “It has to come out…now…I think it’s a neuroblastoma.”
I remember the sick feeling as my stomach dropped to my toes. I didn’t know much about neuroblastoma, but I knew it wasn’t good.
I spent the next two weeks before her surgery reading everything I could get my hands on regarding neuroblastoma and praying to God that Makenzie wouldn’t be one of those little kids in the pictures I saw.
The surgery went well and the doctor told us that once he got it out, he was pretty confident it was NOT neuroblastoma, but I remember how long the wait was for the biopsy results to come in. And PRAISE GOD, it was just a hemangioma and we have our little girl here today.
Since I’ve been reading all of these blogs, I’ve tried to be a little more patient with Makenzie and to remember to be thankful and joyful that I have this little bundle of energy to love and play with and cuddle on every night. When she’s bringing me a baby doll to dress for the umpteenth time or a book to read for the billionth time, I try to remember how empty the arms are that belong to all of those mommies and daddies whose children have lost their battles with cancer….how their hearts ache…how they would do anything to get those same moments back with their children.
When Makenzie was just a few weeks old, my sister was holding her one day and found a lump under the skin on her back. We immediately scheduled an appointment with her pediatrician who then sent us to a surgeon in Temple. The very seasoned, graying surgeon took one look at it and said “It has to come out…now…I think it’s a neuroblastoma.”
I remember the sick feeling as my stomach dropped to my toes. I didn’t know much about neuroblastoma, but I knew it wasn’t good.
I spent the next two weeks before her surgery reading everything I could get my hands on regarding neuroblastoma and praying to God that Makenzie wouldn’t be one of those little kids in the pictures I saw.
The surgery went well and the doctor told us that once he got it out, he was pretty confident it was NOT neuroblastoma, but I remember how long the wait was for the biopsy results to come in. And PRAISE GOD, it was just a hemangioma and we have our little girl here today.
Since I’ve been reading all of these blogs, I’ve tried to be a little more patient with Makenzie and to remember to be thankful and joyful that I have this little bundle of energy to love and play with and cuddle on every night. When she’s bringing me a baby doll to dress for the umpteenth time or a book to read for the billionth time, I try to remember how empty the arms are that belong to all of those mommies and daddies whose children have lost their battles with cancer….how their hearts ache…how they would do anything to get those same moments back with their children.
Friday, February 6, 2009
Thursday, February 5, 2009
One Year
Today marks one year ago that the first man I ever loved passed away on a lonely stretch of highway in West Texas all alone in his pickup truck with his Stetson, his cowboy boots and a block of his favorite cheese beside him in the seat. The man I thought would live forever drove off into the sunset and never came home…and I miss him.
My dad was far from a perfect man, and was plagued by many “demons” that kept him from ever living up to his true potential, but he had a HUGE heart and he never left a doubt that his heart belonged to his family. So I prefer to remember the good times here today. I prefer to tell you why I loved my dad til my heart overflowed and why I’ll never stop remembering the man that…
…brought home a puppy from a business trip just for me when I was 2 years old.
…built me my first dollhouse at his workbench in the garage.
…made big breakfasts on the weekend and woke me up early because he didn’t believe in letting his kids sleep late.
…always drug me along to the mall the night before Christmas Eve so I could help pick out my mom’s gift which was always jewelry.
…bought me my first horse “Dan” and spent hours teaching me how to ride him and care for him.
…spent hours trail riding on horseback with me and my dog through the trees and across the streams of the ranch we lived on.
…decided to leave a day early for our vacation to New Braunfels one year, but forgot to call the hotel to reserve an extra night in the room so we had to spend the night in the minivan.
…tubed the river and rode every big ride there was with me at Schlitterbahn on that vacation.
…took us camping and loved to fish like he loved to eat cheese and drink beer.
…built my “bug box” for my bug collection in highschool biology class.
...took my dog who was now old and crippled to have her put to sleep while I was at school so it wouldn't upset me.
…wore Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts as well as he wore Wranglers and a Stetson.
…sat on my highschool boyfriend’s lap and gave him a big fat kiss on the cheek the first time he met him.
…stood before the school board and argued that I should be allowed the valedictorian spot and never said a word about it to me because he didn’t want me to worry.
…brought home a shiny new Firebird the day I tested out of my last year of highschool.
…brought me a beautiful bouquet the day I brought my baby girl home from the hospital.
…held me tight as an adult when I cried in fear for my husband when he was in the hospital with a heart condition.
…made my daughter fall absolutely head over heels in love with him by reading to her, rocking her, letting her fall asleep on his belly, and sharing his late night snack with her.
…could fix anything and tried to teach my husband the same skills because he knew he never had a father to show him those things.
…always smelled like Grey Flannel cologne and left that scent imprinted forever in my daughter’s little mind to always remember her Papa by.
…left a note for us on the kitchen counter that day saying thank you and asking us to kiss Makenzie for him.
…called me at work the morning he left town to tell me he loved me and he would call me when he got there. And oh, he’d be home Thursday…how I only wish he’d come home.
My dad was far from a perfect man, and was plagued by many “demons” that kept him from ever living up to his true potential, but he had a HUGE heart and he never left a doubt that his heart belonged to his family. So I prefer to remember the good times here today. I prefer to tell you why I loved my dad til my heart overflowed and why I’ll never stop remembering the man that…
…brought home a puppy from a business trip just for me when I was 2 years old.
…built me my first dollhouse at his workbench in the garage.
…made big breakfasts on the weekend and woke me up early because he didn’t believe in letting his kids sleep late.
…always drug me along to the mall the night before Christmas Eve so I could help pick out my mom’s gift which was always jewelry.
…bought me my first horse “Dan” and spent hours teaching me how to ride him and care for him.
…spent hours trail riding on horseback with me and my dog through the trees and across the streams of the ranch we lived on.
…decided to leave a day early for our vacation to New Braunfels one year, but forgot to call the hotel to reserve an extra night in the room so we had to spend the night in the minivan.
…tubed the river and rode every big ride there was with me at Schlitterbahn on that vacation.
…took us camping and loved to fish like he loved to eat cheese and drink beer.
…built my “bug box” for my bug collection in highschool biology class.
...took my dog who was now old and crippled to have her put to sleep while I was at school so it wouldn't upset me.
…wore Hawaiian shirts and Bermuda shorts as well as he wore Wranglers and a Stetson.
…sat on my highschool boyfriend’s lap and gave him a big fat kiss on the cheek the first time he met him.
…stood before the school board and argued that I should be allowed the valedictorian spot and never said a word about it to me because he didn’t want me to worry.
…brought home a shiny new Firebird the day I tested out of my last year of highschool.
…brought me a beautiful bouquet the day I brought my baby girl home from the hospital.
…held me tight as an adult when I cried in fear for my husband when he was in the hospital with a heart condition.
…made my daughter fall absolutely head over heels in love with him by reading to her, rocking her, letting her fall asleep on his belly, and sharing his late night snack with her.
…could fix anything and tried to teach my husband the same skills because he knew he never had a father to show him those things.
…always smelled like Grey Flannel cologne and left that scent imprinted forever in my daughter’s little mind to always remember her Papa by.
…left a note for us on the kitchen counter that day saying thank you and asking us to kiss Makenzie for him.
…called me at work the morning he left town to tell me he loved me and he would call me when he got there. And oh, he’d be home Thursday…how I only wish he’d come home.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
I have to write these funny Makenzie quotes down so I don’t forget them…
“Mommy, will you do me a favorite?”….when she wanted me to get her crayons down so she could color (because we have to keep them where she can’t be tempted to color all over things like baby dolls, t.v.’s, walls).
“Faker--Daddy’s a faker!”….whenever she does her “fake” cry, I tell her she’s a faker. This morning Tim did something while getting her dressed and she started calling him a faker. I heard, from the other room, “Faker? How do you know what a faker is? Where’d you hear that?!” Oops…
“Faker--Daddy’s a faker!”….whenever she does her “fake” cry, I tell her she’s a faker. This morning Tim did something while getting her dressed and she started calling him a faker. I heard, from the other room, “Faker? How do you know what a faker is? Where’d you hear that?!” Oops…
Monday, February 2, 2009
Not Me Monday
Not Me Monday is a regular feature of a certain MckMama's blog that I read. Head on over to My Charming Kids and check it out!
~I definitely did not go get my hair completely chopped off this past week because I was tired of bad hair days...that would be totally hormonal and silly.
~I most certainly did not let my almost 3 year old daughter eat homemade devil's food cake with chocolate icing Sunday night right before bed time even though she did not eat 1 speck of her dinner.
~I did not totally bust my hiney coming down the stairs Sunday morning and my husband certainly did not make fun of me for it because that would be really mean of him.
And to get back at him, I definitely did not sneak up behind him while he was cooking breakfast and pull down his shorts...nope, that wasn't me!
~I totally did not do all of the dinner dishes last night by hand because I was too lazy to unload the dishwasher--how ridiculous would that be?!
~I definitely did not get totally offended this weekend when a group of women were discussing a baby shower and Superbowl party right in front of me when they all knew I had clearly not been invited to it.
It totally did not flash me back to my childhood when my mom taught me that it was not nice to discuss parties in front of people who you didn't invite, and I most assuredly did not come home blubbering to my husband about it almost in tears because my feelings were so hurt. Oh, and I'm definitely not blogging about it here for all the world to see! How immature and overly sensitive would that make me?!
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